Educational Origami

I have been wondering about what the role of the librarian is?

This is actually a hard question, some people might answer that they don’t think its changed, the role remains the same. I would argue that those people have libraries that have not adapted and changed with the world we live in.

Some might argue that their is no longer a role for the librarian. I would again disagree, I believe the role is so much more now.

So where do I stand? Librarianship as we know it has changed . It has changed as the mediums of information distribution of changed. It has changed as the speed of information growth has increased, it has changed as the access to online media has become increasingly ubiquitous. Therefore the role of the librarian has to change.

The Librarian is still the curator, but they have three key roles or features of their craft. They are the:

• Media Expert
• Ethicist
• Scholar

So what do I mean by each of these different roles.

The Many roles of the librarian

Curator – Maintaining the real and virtual space, the mediums and materials,the processes and standards that underpin the library as a center of learning and information. Critical to this role is the:

Media Expert, they have expertise in many different forms of Media, both the traditional book style format and the varied digital media

• Written Media – Book “style” media
  • mediums
    • paper based  – books, journals, magazines etc
    • electronic – ebooks
  • roles
    • access – they know where to access these resources, whether this is by ordering from the national library or such institutions
    • order/purchase/archive/disposal – they can manage the lifecycle of the resources from discovery to acquisition to disposal
    • Retrieve and distribute – they are able to distribute these resources
    • review/validate – they are considered and critical about the veracity and validity of the resources
    • organise – they can organise in what ever required form or process the materials
• Other Media
  • mediums
    • Audio visual – video, film, television, radio, podcast, vodcast, online media (youtube, clickview, teachertube etc)
    • internet based – webstes, encyclopedia etc
    • Video conferencing- accessing primary  sources
  • roles
    • access
    • schedule and record – where applicable they can schedule and appropriate record and archive materials
    • order/purchase/archive/disposal
    • Retrieve and distribute
    • review/validate
    • organise

Ethicist – The Librarians second key role is that of the ethicist. They understand the complexities of ownership, attribution, copyright, fair use, creative commons and intellectual property. They support and assist in the development of suitable ethical practice, acting as role models, guides and facilitators

• Information fluency leader (see http://fluency21.com)
  • asking good questions
  • acquire suitable resources – online and off line, primary and secondary sources
  • analyse – validity, accuracy, reliability
  • apply – apply to learning experience/opportunity
  • assess – debrief, assessing process and accuracy
• Copyright
  • understand copyright law, intellectual property, ownershipand attribution
  • apply ethical principles appropriately
  • understand fair use, and apply this
  • Creative Commons
    • liciencing
    • accessing
    • publishing
    • Acknowledging
• Bibliography
  • APA
  • MLA
  • other

Scholar – The librarian also has a scholarship role. Understanding adn supporting inquiry, promoting and teaching process working with curriculum leaders, teachers, students and parents to support learning. Applying their diverse skills to maximise the learning opportunities

• Understand the inquiry process – embedding this into everyday practice and process
• Deep understanding of and assisting in the development of information fluency
• Linking to curriculum areas
  • planning for units of learning
    • order suitable resources at suitable levels in suitable mediums
    • support the learning process
      • asking good questions
      • acquiring suitable resources
      • analysing validity
      • applying it to learning
      • assessing
  • supporting the development of units of learning
  • reviewing
• Understanding of current stock, physical and electronic – able to apply to clients learning requirements, age, interest
• Understanding of search engines, databases etc. able to apply understanding in age appropriate modes

This isn’t a role that is limited to the physical confines of teh library. That is an artifical limitation that is, I believe, self imposed. It is a role that touch all aspects of teaching and learning.

IS this a complete list? IS it a job description? No, but its my thoughts on a starting place for what a librarian is…

What have I missed? How many people would say they are already doing all of this and more?

Source: http://travelblog.portfoliocollection.com/FeaturedImage/BBC-Africa1.jpg

The kids have just finished watching the final episode of the Brilliant BBC series Africa, hosted and narrated by David Attenborough. As we watch the last part of the last episode, Attenborough made a point about the importance of the wild places and the need for these to sustain the planet.

The series was predictably brilliant, and for those schools in New Zealand who subscribe to screenrights, you can record and use this legally in our classes.

But the point that Attenborough makes about the importance of preserving the wild places and their vital role in powering the planet is important, but unless you experience “the wild” then often this is a concept with out support and or experience. To be able to understand the beauty, scale, size, variety and critically importance of these wild places can only be touched on by documentaries like Africa. That is not to decry the brilliant cinematography, stunning vistas and awe inspiring settings. But the wild is not just visual, it is not just sound it is a holistic experience.

To gain an appreciation of the diversity and complexity of the outdoors, of the wild places, it is best to experience them, even if it is in a limited setting.

I am fortunate that my school takes all of our students out for an Outdoor education week, and we run outdoor education as a subject at senior levels. It encourages adventure sports, promotes the brilliant duke of Edinburgh scheme and happily supports the Roots and Shoots club based on the work by another legendary figure in Biology, Jane Goodall.  Outdoor education is a medium for understanding, experience and developing a passion for the wilder places, and the need to conserve them for not just our future generations but for our very survival.

Outdoor education as a subject, and as an event is potentially one of the keys to our survival.

 Screenrights - http://www.screenrights.org/content-users/new-zealand-services

In the last day or two, privacy and surveillance have been regular features of the online news sources I read and twitter articles from (@achurches). Globally, we are seeing (IMHO), an increase in surveillance and correspondingly a potential decrease in privacy.

The New Zealand Herald  reported in two articles that the police are using drones for surveillance and that A new “super spy” camera with facial recognition is being used to monitor the crowd at Eden Park, recognising trouble makers and recording faces.

• http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868668 - Super camera spies on crowds at Eden Park
• http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868674 – Police use drones to catch criminals

Here is an interesting quote from the “super camera” article  -

“Recent advances in CCTV technology have brought warnings from overseas privacy advocates. In the United Kingdom, new 16-megapixel HD cameras can pick out a face more than 800m away, and match it against wanted people. Such technology scans faces and “maps” their points out into a series of algorithms. Comparisons can then be made using facial recognition software to verify people’s identity.“ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868668

How comfortable do you feel with your face and data being matched against a database of “wanted people”?

Its not just security cameras that are of concern to young people. TV3 reported that 1 in 6 secondary school students didn’t see a doctor or nurse when they needed to over a year period and that one third report it was privacy concerns that were a reason for this. http://www.3news.co.nz/Young-people-concerned-about-privacy/tabid/423/articleID/288722/Default.aspx

We live in a connected community and world where much, if not everything, we do is recorded and public. Our students need to be aware that they live in this connected world and that there actions are no longer private. We might want to complain about the invasion of privacy, but we can’t change this and the level of surveillance is going to increase. Awareness is critical, understanding of their and our rights to privacy is important. Also encouraging behaviours that are going to protect privacy. http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Digital+Citizen+AUA

These articles are a great stimulus for discussion and debate around privacy and surveillance.

In this on the wire post I have revisited one of my favourite media sits – Mediastorm to see the latest work they are doing. They are brilliant and their videos are challenging and moving.

1. Mediastorm http://mediastorm.com

Media storm produces “Cinamatic Narratives”, short videos that tell a story. The stories are wide ranging some made by Mediastorm themselves, some for clients and some are the product of student workshops. Check out the links:

• About mediastorm – http://mediastorm.com/about
• Client projects – http://mediastorm.com/client/projects
• Student projects – http://mediastorm.com/train/projects
• Publications – http://mediastorm.com/pub/projects

Check out “a darkness visible – Afghanistan” http://mediastorm.com/publication/a-darkness-visible-afghanistan

2. Make online learning more personal – http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/977276#ixzz2HJU5P54C

This is a  list some of which that is worth considering if you are looking at an online environment or reviewing your existing one. The list includes:

• document sharing
• co-working spaces
• group projects
• discussion groups
• social media channels

3. Ask3 ipad application – http://blogs.techsmith.com/for-educators/ask3-for-ipad/

This is a free ipad application developed by Techsmith. Here is the Blurb:

“Ask3 is a free app that allows teachers and students with iPads to easily share knowledge and collaborate via threaded, text and video conversations. By recording voice, drawings, and images, Ask3 can be used to quickly create videos that are shared directly through the app to a small group or class through a private code. To foster collaborative learning, students can pin questions at exact points within a video that are visible to the entire class, and other students can create responses in real-time by adding their own text and video responses. For educators, Ask3 helps teachers learn what information their students understand and areas where they need extra help, allowing them to quickly address challenging and confusing areas right away.”

Also check out – http://blogs.techsmith.com/tips-how-tos/

4. ipads for learning ebook – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ipads-for-learning/id588683835?ls=1&utm_source=buffer&buffer_share=b9e25

This is a free ebook about ipads for learning. Downloads to iTunes and has some good information and suggestions.

I was a little concerned when I read in a recent post on Mashable that Joe Biden has been asked not to investigate any linkage between violent video games and recent school shootings – http://mashable.com/2013/01/08/biden-video-games/

While we are never going to be able to definitely prove that exposure or addiction to violent video games is responsible for these tragedies, it is critical that this potential contributing factor is investigated and considered in addressing the events that have seen so many lives wasted.

There are a number of reputable studies that indicate there is a relationship between exposure to violent video games and altuism. People exposed to violent video games physiologically and mentally react with a reduced level of responce when exposed to violent behaviour. http://lol.medieraadet.dk/upload/mulige_aasager_social_hensynsloeshed.pdf The people become desensitized and this behaviour becomes more the expected norm.

I suspect that the games industry is protecting itself and its abundant revenue stream derived from these graphic and captivating games.

Further articles:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/us-usa-guns-nra-idUSBRE9070TT20130108?irpc=932

http://www.gamespot.com/news/joe-biden-appeals-to-games-industry-on-gun-control-task-force-6402155

http://www.gamespot.com/news/nra-condemns-games-in-wake-of-connecticut-shooting-6401901

http://www.gamespot.com/news/connecticut-town-collecting-and-destroying-games-6401982

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/09/us-usa-guns-biden-idUSBRE9080UA20130109

Its been a while since I have had the time to pen an on the wire update, but here is one.

1. TinEye Labs – http://labs.tineye.com/

This is a search engine with a difference, this one is based on colour. The search feature allows you to select a colour and then search through Flickr for creative commons images that match this colour. There is also TinEye which is the reverse search engine that allows you to search by inputting an image.

2. The Flynn effect – http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Are-You-Smarter-Than-Your-Grandfather-Probably-Not-181842991.html

The Flynn effect is a discovery by a NZ scientist in the 1980′s that Human intelligence in the developed world increases by about 3 points every 10 years. Average human intelligence is meant to be 100. This is an interesting discussion on this phenomena.

3.Is artificial intelligence a threat to humanity? http://www.3news.co.nz/Is-artificial-intelligence-a-threat-to-humanity/tabid/1160/articleID/278117/Default.aspx

This is an interesting opinion piece syndicated on to New Zealand’s TV3 News. worth a read as we see the speed at which artificial intelligence is progressing

4. 3D Printing  – educause – 7 things you shoould know about 3D printing - http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-3d-printing

If you are not familiar with this series of resources, they are a great and balanced perspective on the impact of a tech nology on education (its focused on higher education). Each paper asks seven questions:

1. What is it?
2. How does it work?
3. Who’s doing it?
4. Why is it signficant?
5. What are the downsides?
6. Where is it going?
7. What are the implications for higher education?

This one is looking at 3D printing and benefits and downsides. No long ago you were looking at 3D printers costing in the thousands of dollars, but now you can pick them up for under AU$1000 and if you look to the US there are lots available – http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/ This is an amazing development and I would imagine that the price will come down a little more. Unlike printer ink, the plastic for the these tools is probably more easily obtained, so companies will be hard pressed to maintain there monopoly and there for extortionate cost on the consumables. What a great opportunity for students to work right through the creative and development process – Solution Fluency

For those with an endless budget, check this out – Buildatron – http://buildatron.com/

5. Cambridge Digital Library – http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/

This is an amazing and fascinating site to visit. It holds, in digital format, an array of books, manuscripts and works from various religions, authors and scientists.

Follow me on Twitter?

The new facebook poke app raises a concern or two for me in regards to appropriate use. The app which is essentially facebook’s version of snapchat allows the user to do a number of interesting things.

Here is what they say about it in the 12 December news release

“With the Poke app, you can poke or send a message, photo, or video to Facebook friends to share what you’re up to in a lightweight way. You can poke an individual friend or several at once. Each message expires after a specific time you’ve set, either 1, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. When time runs out, the message disappears from the app. ” source: http://newsroom.fb.com/News/559/Introducing-Poke-for-Mobile

So you can set a message that is only visible for a short space of time and then deletes. The message could be text, image or video. but wait there is more facebook will only hold the message and the encryption keys for the message for 2 days (source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/22/your-facebook-pokes-are-stored-for-two-days-then-their-encryption-keys-are-deleted/)

When working with students we ask them, if they are being repeatedly bullied to:

• Talk with a trusted adult – be it the school Councillor, teacher etc
• not delete the messages and hold them as evidence

Now they have a message that will appear for upto 10 seconds and then disappear/deleted, even the most tech savvy user is going to struggle to take a screen grab in that time. What’s more there is a 48 hour window to get facebook to recover the the poke. If you have ever tried to get facebook to do anything it is usually more than 48 hours.

Am I concerned, yes – this is a tool for the cyber bully.

I know concerns have been raised to about snapchat as a tool of choice in sexting. Does facebook really need to match it? They ahve attempted to match some of the terms and conditions of snapchat “When you send or receive messages using the Snapchat services, we temporarily process and store your images and videos in order to provide our services… we attempt to delete image data as soon as possible after the message is transmitted.” (Source: http://www.snapchat.com/# click on terms at the bottom of the page)

Advice?

Well, what would I say to my students about this application?

1. Don’t use it – this is suspect will fall on deaf ears but, it may raise some awareness
2. if its abusive or inappropriate, unfriend the sender or is you are struggling to see who it is uninstall the app
3. If its serious and/or persistent, talk to a trusted adult and move with speed to report the issue to facebook – Facebook – report a violation – http://www.facebook.com/help/263149623790594/

Resources and links:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/tech/social-media/facebook-poke-app/index.html

http://newsroom.fb.com/News/559/Introducing-Poke-for-Mobile

http://www.snapchat.com/

http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/22/your-facebook-pokes-are-stored-for-two-days-then-their-encryption-keys-are-deleted/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2012/dec/27/facebook-poke-snapchat-app-thumbs-down

http://www.netsafe.org.nz/

http://www.netsafe.org.nz/how-and-where-to-report-website-abuse/

Facebook – report a violation – http://www.facebook.com/help/263149623790594/

Digital citizenship resources – http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Digital+Citizen+AUA

Follow me on Twitter – @achurches

This may sound like a strange title for a blog post, but its an interesting topic. Many of us have had the experience of walking into the local technology shop and seeing a printer on sale for a ridiculously cheap price. I know of people who when their printer runs out of ink will buy a new one rather than buying new ink. The environmental impact of this is catastrophic.

We know that it is printer ink that costs a fortune and that it is through these consumable that the printer companies make their money. But have you ever wondered how much money ink costs? NineMSN in Australia has calculated that HP sells its printer ink at:

• Black ink AU$5544 per litre
• Coloured ink AU $5654 per litre

There are alternatives, we don’t have to print and this is more environmentally sound and considerable cheaper. Distributing documents electronically, while not with out a cost, is much cheaper per page that printing. Many applications will allow you to export as pdf – open office, iworks etc or support plug ins like cutepdf which “print” as pdf. Google documents and obviously any adobe product will allow you to produce your document, presentation or spreadsheet as a pdf. This has to be better.

Have a look at this info graphic from Australia, the numbers will shock you and for me personally, disgust me.

Source; http://news.ninemsn.com.au/img/2012/world/ink_info.gif

Well the first week back at school is completed, I am still recovering from the Ladakh expedition. Its been a very busy week and a very interesting one.

One of the first things that caught my attention this week was this article published on the BBC website linking nutrition and learning. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18997223 - the article is free school meals for all boost results

Essentially it clearly makes the link between proper nutrition and learning. I remember talking to a nutritionist who pointed out the students (and adults) who have a “nap” in the afternoon are the ones who do not have a proper breakfast. A proper breakfast, sets you up for the day and enables you to work. Education and teaching is now much more that just know stuff (but for teachers it always has been more than content), we are nutritionalists, neuroscientists, psychologists and educators.

The Second thing that caught my eye was a quote on facebook posted by a good friend of mine, Geoff.  The citation is poor, so I can not give an exact source to credit this too. John Tapene, Northland College (NZ) principal  Offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals with youth …

“Always we hear the cry from teenagers ‘What can we do, where can we go?’

… My answer is, “Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons, and after you’ve finished, read a book.”

“Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun. The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something. You owe it your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at war, in poverty or sick and lonely again.”

“In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone, not a wishbone. Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now and that somebody is you…”

This is worth reading a couple of times. For me it engenders mixed responses, I agree with many sentiments and not with others. Given this is from, I believe, a Youth court judge I suspect it is tempered by the young people that he sees. I have seen many of my students doing exactly as has been suggested here, giving, servicing and participating. So it is not an encompassing statement, fair for all, but it does have some value.

Thoughts.

In Leh, I bought a reading from his Holiness the Dalai Lama called the Paradox of our Age. This too is worth considering and reflecting on.

The Paradox Of Our Age

We have bigger houses but smaller families;

more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense;

more knowledge but less judgment;

more experts, but more problems;

more medicines but less healthiness.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back,

but have trouble in crossing the street to meet our new neighbour.

We built more computers to hold more copies than ever,

But have less real communication;

We have become long on quantity,

but short on quality.

These are times of fast foods but slow digestion;

Tall men but short characters;

Steep profits but shallow relationships.

It’s a time when there is much in the window

But nothing in the room. — the 14th Dalai Lama.

Source: http://badgemonkey.com/images/smile.jpg

Badges? What are badges? I always thought badges were small circular discs that you pinned (carefully) to your shirt or jacket. But we now have digital badges as well.

Educause has just released their latest update which discusses Digital badges - Seven things you should know about badges. This is the link to the PDF file for download.

here is the link to the library of resources from Educause in this series.

My students and I are investigating Digital media as part of the ITGS course, specifically we are examining the issues, impacts and changes that exist in IT and the home. What effect and impact does IT have on the arts, leisure, entertainment and the home.

My students are in their mid teens and for many of them they have seen very few different music medias  – so I went looking for an infographic that showed the different media over time I found a very good one thats worth sharing.

See the original article by David Wallace – http://www.davidwallace.com/2010/10/evolution-music-playing-formats/