CHECK
THESE OUT!
by Mary Pagliero Popp, popp@indiana.edu
The end of summer and the start of fall can bring new energy. Think about energizing yourself with new information!
TECHNOLOGY, THE WEB, AND INSTRUCTION
Brazell, Beckie. "The Library Laboratory: An Experiment in Library Instruction with Students at the Denver Public Library." Colorado Libraries 25 (Spring 1999): 22-24.
Portrait of a joint project of the Denver Public Library with a high school and a middle school to develop a library laboratory and instructional program for students to supplement the collections of the school media centers. Covers the planning process and content of the program.
Committee on Information
Technology Literacy, National Research Council. Being Fluent with
Information Technology. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 1999. (Also available at http://www2.nas.edu/cstbweb/)
Report published by the National Academy of Sciences which articulates a framework of intellectual capabilities, concepts, and skills necessary for persons to develop fluency with information technology. Fluency is defined as the lifelong learning process to develop the ability to use information technology effectively today and to adapt to changes in information technology in the future. The report was developed to "set the standard for what everyone should know about IT." Well worth reading and discussing!Keating, Anne B. and Joseph Hargitai. The Wired Professor: A Guide to Incorporating the World Wide Web in College Instruction. New York: New York University Press, 1999.
A practical, hands-on overview of ways for instructors to use the Web in college classes. Includes basic information about HTML, tips on scanning, images and colors, and nice introductions to advanced topics such as audio, video, streaming media and CGI scripts. Also included are philosophical discussions about distance education, research and the Web, and the virtual university.Kelsey, Sigrid. "Library User Education: Implementing an Email Bibliographic Instruction Course." LLA Bulletin 61.4(1999): 222-225.
Describes a 7 week email course offered to students, faculty and staff at Whitman College (Louisiana), including initial publicity, content of each weekly module, and feedback from participants.
McCarthy, Patrick.
"Teaching Effective Use of the World Wide Web." Colorado
Libraries 25 (Spring 1999): 19-21.
McCarthy describes four sets of concepts and skills learners must have to use the Web effectively: 1) an understanding of the nature of the Web as a communication device; 2) effective information retrieval skills, including searching the Web and searching within a resource (especially full-text searching); 3) evaluation; and 4) "information responsibility," covering copyright, plagiarism, privacy, and security.
A LITTLE THEORY TO SUPPORT
PRACTICE
Callison, Daniel. "Key Words in Instruction: Analysis." School Library Media Activities Monthly 15 (April 1999): 37-39.
-----. "Key Words in Instruction: Synthesis." School Library Media Activities Monthly 15 ( June 1999): 39-41, 46.
Presents two higher order skills from Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in the context of information use. Analysis is the breakdown of material into its parts and the organization of those parts. It is key to evaluation. Synthesis is the creation of a new product. Callison reviews questions students might pursue and ways each skill might be approached in planning instruction.Gresham, Keith. "Experiential Learning Theory: Library Instruction and the Electronic Classroom." Colorado Libraries 25 (Spring 1999): 28-31.
Argues that the electronic classroom offers the student a chance to learn in a laboratory environment and cites theories of experiential learning to support this idea. The article summarizes David Kolb's experiential learning model as a cycle from concrete experiences to reflective observation, to abstract conceptualization, to active experimentation. Gresham concludes with a list of observations about ways Kolb's theories might be applied to library instruction. An important article that should stimulate additional research.
Special Issue:
The Value Aspects of Motivation in Education. Educational
Psychologist 34.2 (1999).
This issue on the value/interest/appreciation aspects of motivation for learning includes 5 research articles. In particular, the article by Martin Covington, "Caring about Learning: The Nature and Nurturing of Subject-Matter Appreciation," (pp. 127-136) shares findings of interest to instruction librarians. He notes that pursuit of extrinsic rewards (high grades, for example) are not incompatible with valuing what is being learned if students are attaining grade goals, learning material of personal interest, and task-oriented.
IDEAS YOU CAN USE TODAY
Applin, Mary Beth. "Instructional Services for Students with Disabilities." Journal of Academic Librarianship 25.2 (1999): 139-141.
Short discussion of ways to adapt bibliographic instruction to the needs of users with disabilities, containing practical advice on ways to make teaching more multi-sensory. Includes web sites that provide more information. Not limited to the academic library. Public librarians who work with seniors will find this helpful.Kaufman, Claudia, Suzy Conway, and Kathy E. Gallagher. "Health Information Resources: Tradition and Innovation in a Medical School Curriculum." Medical Reference Services Quarterly 18.1 (1999): 11-23.
Detailed description of a required course at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine to support the school's new problem-based learning curriculum. The six modules are discussed in depth, as are the final project and the final exam. Authors share evaluation results from students and plans for the future.Kodak's Digital Learning Center (http://kodak.com/US/en/digital/dlc) provides information about using digital photos. Check out the "how to" book and the online tutorials covering such topics as creating Web graphics, digital imaging fundamentals, and digital color theory.
Wallace, Marie. "Presentation Software: The Communication Dynamics." Law Library Resource Exchange June 1999. 16 paragraphs. Available at http://www.llrx.com/columns/guide28.htm (Accessed 7-18-99)
-----. "Presentation Software: Tips and Caveats." Law Library Resource Exchange July 1999 23 paragraphs. Available at: http://www.llrx.com/columns/guide29.htm (Accessed 7-18-99)
Wallace's regular column, Guide on the Side, includes this two part series on presentation software. Part 1 reminds readers about the way audiences perceive text, spoken words, graphics and electronic information. Part 2 gives tips for screen readability.Warner, Dorothy A. "Getting Blood from a Stone: Squeezing an Inexpensive Lab/Electronic Classroom into a Medium-Sized Academic Library." C & RL News 60.7 (1999): 536-541.
Describes a 12-computer classroom built at Rider University (New Jersey) by converting heavily used space in the library and working with university facilities and technology departments. The article includes a floor plan, cost figures, equipment specifications, and recommendations for line of sight, lighting, sound-proofing, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).IN BRIEF
Hazari, Sunil, and Donna Schnorr. "Leveraging Student Feedback to Improve Teaching in Web-based Courses." THE Journal 26(June 1999): 30-38. (Also available at the journal's web site: http://www.thejournal.com/magazine)
Niemeyer, Chris. "A Computerized Final Exam for a Library Skills Course." RSR 27.1(1999): 90-106.
Smith, Charles, and Chris Phillips. "Are Our Academic Libraries Ready for the Internet Generation?" Cause/Effect 22.1(1999): 49-52. (Also available at http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/cem991a.html)
Wills, Deborah. "The
Nature of Hypertext: Background and Implications for Libraries."
Journal of Academic Librarianship 25.2 (1999): 134-139.
Mary Pagliero Popp is Information Technologies Public Services Librarian at the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries.
