Conclusion

I have always been aware that the world wide web is an ever growing community that gives us access to the most advanced technology and the most innovative websites.  But after taking SLIS courses at UNT, I am coming to the realization that there is so much more out there than I ever imagined.  One of the weaknesses that I had initially mentioned was the amount of time that I spend on lessons that involve technology.  SLIS 5720 has showed me ways to cut back on that wasted time by collaborating with other professionals in my field, reading the latest library blogs that offer great advice, and by joining wikis that offer the most current and important library science information.  Not only do I plan on continuing to do this, but I also plan to pass this on to my students.  I think many times we don't expect our students to be able to maneuver through the web and use it resources properly, but there are a lot of user friendly sites that we need to expose them to and teach them how to use them for educational purposes.

Job of Organizing

Librarians and everyday users have different cataloging needs.  Everyday users usually don't want to spend time searching through the endless catalogs to find their information.  They want databases that are fast and easy to search, that have spell check or auto fill, and are easy to navigate through.  Librarians, of course, still prefer a formal classification system.
With the ever growing use of Web 2.0, accessing and classifying information is more and more being determine by the everyday "folks." Tagging websites like Diigo allows users to tag any information as they see fit.  This can have both advantages and disadvantages. The biggest and most obvious advantage is the benefit to the user himself.  The tags are mostly for personal use and serve as a function to the user.  The disadvantage is that it could be very easily misrepresented and lack the organization that we may be accustomed to in a library setting.
I believe that we, as librarians, should embrace Web 2.0 Internet tagging, but maintain our formality of classification and organization. Ideally, it would be of great advantage to have a system that would allow for different methods of cataloging and searching so that everyone would have the option to use the one they preferred.

Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/Using Us

In the video "The Machine is Us/Using Us" Professor Wesch briefly explains how the web has evolved into what we now know as Web 2.0.  He shows how the web of the past is so different than the web of today.  One of the biggest changes that is explained is how we as users have become more interactive and social thus ultimately helping the web evolve "into an interactive, rich multi-media driven space" (Berger p.3) where we can create, share, publish, collaborate, etc...  We are constantly changing and helping the web grow by every move/click we make.  And this is where the statement "the machine is us" makes perfect sense. We are responsible for what now makes up the web, because we are either putting what's out there or using what's out there.  At the same, the video explains that the web is keeping up and storing the connections we are making thus it is "using us" to help it grow.  The reason the web is so massive today is because there are many more users now than in the past.  Therefore, Wesch is right, the machine is us and at the same time is using us.

QR Codes in the Library

The use of  quick response codes is quickly becoming a new and innovative way to keep students connected to school.  If or when cell phone use is allowed within libraries in my school district, I would love to implement the use of QR codes.  How neat would it be if my students could scan a tag (QR code) off the library newsletter and get a podcast of me providing important information regarding the library to not only to them but to their teachers and parents, too?  I would also like to use the QR codes to give important tutorials on multimedia use or provide students with archived lessons.  Also, I could provide tags that students could scan that would automatically take them to an author's webpage.  Or how about tags that would direct them to previews and reviews of new books that are been added  to our library?  And of course, I would love to have a couple of visible tags through out the library that would instantly provided the student with our library online catalog.  I think that the use of QR codes is becoming more  and more mainstream and will eventually be used everywhere.  Until then, maybe I could request a class set of ipods or ipads that will eliminate some of the distractions that come with cell phone usage, and still have the advantages of this wonderful technology.

Individual Technology Assessment

As an educator for the last 7 years, I feel that I have acquired many skills in technology and learned a few things about my strengths and weaknesses.  I have always felt confident when it comes to my technology capabilities because my colleagues, family, and friends usually come to me when they have a question about computers, cameras, phones, etc...
One of my strengths is that I like to incorporate many forms of technology in my daily instruction.  For example, I am very capable of developing my classroom newsletters, assessments, rosters, etc... using a variety of Microsoft Office programs. The first year that our school provided us with smart boards and before they gave us the proper training on how to implement them in the classroom, I was developing interactive PowerPoint presentations for my students within the first few days.  I'm very proficient when it comes to using computers, smart boards, ipods, digital cameras, and with time I can figure out most of the multimedia software that the schools provide for teachers.  I think my biggest strength when it comes to technology is that I am not afraid to try to figure it out and use it. On the other hand, because I like technology and implementing in my day to day life, it can very time consuming at times.  I would have to say that my biggest weakness is that I spend too much time trying to figure something out that I end up wasting valuable time.  There have been many times that I was disappointed on my lesson outcome because the technology that I implemented was too time consuming or it just didn't contribute to the learning.
I plan to continue to use my strengths to help me become a better educator, but I need to work on my weaknesses.  I need to manage my time better and make a good decision on whether all the time spent on implementing technology was valuable to my lesson.