Wednesday, August 8, 2007
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
The environment in which a library professional has to work is changing fast. The emergence of information resources in electronic format in the late 1980s and, especially, the advent and dominance of the Internet in the 1990s has led to new and welcome emphasis on giving prominence to the wants of library users. Some professionals consider the development of global electronic access to information as a threat to the very future of the physical library, but others regard it as an opportunity to rethink, redefine and to reshape, library services based on needs of their users, in a fast-changing information environment. The digital libraries are beginning to predominate the scene. Traditional library professionals are feeling lost in the new world of digital libraries. They are also feeling a sense of identity crisis. In this changing information environment, the library schools are required to develop a kind of education to equip the graduates with skills needed to help customers to use not only libraries but also information sources in different forms and formats. They must be educated as ‘informtion empowerment specialist’ rather than mere experts in ‘bibliographic instruction’. Library schools must accept these challenges to train professionals who can compete with professionals at the international level.
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The twentieth century was an exciting period in the history of mankind. It witnessed unparalled advances in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). In twentieth century oil and coal were considered the most important commodities, basic to the welfare of a nation. Today, ICT has become as important as oil and coal were in the last century. No country is considered truly rich unless, it has a strong base of ICT industry. Situation is that if one wants a decent job, very often one would be required to understand ICT, learn its application and exploit it to your advantage. This is becoming equally true in the field of library and information science.
A knowledge society is emerging in which Information and Communication Technology is omnipresent and ubiquitous. Therefore, it should be clear that
ICT has an important place in library education.
Information and Communication Technology is a facilitator in achieving the goals of a library school, it is not the end. It also gives impetous to innovating educational process to meet the new demands of the changing society especially in the context of emerging knowledge society. Library education is finding itself in a continuous process of change, surrounded as it is by the changing knowledge society around it. The educational organisations like library schools will have to turn into learning organisations. Thus, becoming dynamic organisations that are able to innovate educational processes to meet the demands from libraries, documentation centres and information centres. New level professional approach will be needed in such organisations to understand and support new ways of learning . There would be need for creating new learning environment to meet the new challenges.
LINKS
http://itcompany.com/Inforetriever/schools.htm
WORLD CLASS LIBRARY SCHOOLS
The aim should be to turn the library school in a world class institution. Think in terms of globalization. This requires that the top management should have a global mindset, so that your school can become an international school. The question may be asked as to what is a global mindset? You have to think in global terms, your arena becomes the whole world. You should be comfortable in interacting with faculty, students and information professionals from different regions, nationalities and cultures. Try to catch talent in terms of faculty and students from different cultures and nationalities. Mindset is shaped by the environment.
Create an environment conducive for creativity. It should encourage cultivation of passion for innovation.
You need to be ambitious, and see to it that the talent you get is comfortable in your milieu and also you should be able to retain them.With confidence, try to manage people from different cultures, embrace them, make them participate whole heartedly in your vision , to achieve your goals. Ensure that there is a fair representation of faculty and students from different regions and cultures . Inbreeding is harmful to the growth and development of an institution. Often, it happens that representation is given to their own culture. This is not acceptable, if the school aims to achieve international reputation. Entire globe should be the playgroud. It requires added confidence and an aggressive policy.
Create a value system covering work ethics.
The school should build a distictiveness, so that it can claim being different in a distinguished way having certain unique features. Follow high standards for recruitment of faculty (competent as well as potential leaders in intellectual output), admission of students and in terms curriculum and various activities of the school.
On the way, you will face failures, at time you will stumble , you will come across difficulties but never give up.
Indian library schools have come of age. There is no doubt that in due course of time
they will become a force to reckon within India as well as at the international level.
It is of utmost significance for us to keep reminding ourselves that, in whatever we do, we have to be in the forefront, technologically speaking. We have to be seen to be making exciting and enticing products for the customer. That's the line we need to take. We cannot afford to be a complacent from our side and on the other hand expect to grow world class.
Promoting a culture of responsibility and respecting authority is desirable.
I believe in people making a commitment to each other and working together as a teem.
LIBRARY EDUCATION ON CROSS ROADS
We are on the cross roads. library education must be evolved, redesigned, using innovation to meet the needs of knowledge based society. This kind of society is technology driven. We must make the best use of emerging technologies.
LIBRARY RESEARCH CHALLENGES
Success of libraries depends a great deal on quality of library education. Our society is driven by technology. Information technology has completely changed the society . Libray educators must accept the challenge and respond adequately. There is a need for innovation and redesigning the courses to meet the challenges. Some libray schools should serve as labs, experimenting with new courses, teaching methodologies, tools, new environment etc. We should draw lessons from successful companies, as to how they prepare for future, how they train their employees. For example, there is one organization in IT, that tells its employees that their services should delight the costomers and also give surprise to them. The same is equally true for library services
LIBRARY SCIENCE STUDENTS
In terms of her demographic composition, India is the youngest in the world. This advantage is also going to be there during the next few decades. The available pool contains many young, bright, vibrant and talented people. It is a challenge for library schools in India to identify from this pool, bright young people who can be trained to acquire necessary skills that can enable them to become first rate library and information scientists who can compete in the global workplace, holding their own. Let them choose the best and offer them high quality training, turning out first rate talented library and information professionals. The library schools need to develop admission procedures to tap into this vast pool of young graduates, who are bright, having potential to develop into first rate librarians, who are super-efficient human resources, who are deeply commited to provide top-notch customer services and capable of bringing out first rate quality products based on increasing quality innovation. Admission should be based on qualifications, aptitude , general awareness, and communication skills. There should be an admission test followed by an interview. In case a library school has a big reputation, bright people would get attracted to such a school.
A NEW BOOK
Dear friend, A new book entiltled - Library Management in Electronic Environment by Krishan Kumar was released recently. The details are given below:Author: Krishan kumar ( Former Frofessor and Head , Department of Libraryand Information Science, University of Delhi; Past- President, Indian Library Association)Title: Library Management in Electronic EnvironmentYear of publication: 2007pages: 320Price; Hardbound US$ 20 Publisher: Har-Anand Publications , E-49/3, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110020 (India) Tele: 011- 41 60 3490 Fax: 011-41708607 E-mail haranand@rediffmail.com
BLOGGING AS A TEACHING TOOL IN LIBRARY EDUCATION
WHAT IS A BLOG
The exact definition of "blogs" is still very much in flux. Basically, a blog or “Web log" is literally an online diary containing articles, comments, photos, Web links or other entries made by the creator of a blog called a blogger.
A blog, is and has always been more than the “online equivalent of a personal journal. Though consisting of regular (and often dated) updates, the blog adds to the form of the diary by incorporating the best features of hypertext: the capacity to link to new and useful resources. But a blog is also characterized by its reflection of a personal style, and this style may be reflected in either the writing or the selection of links passed along to readers. Blogs are, in their purest form, the core of what has come to be called personal publishing. In the hands of teachers and students, blogs become something more again. The Web is by now a familiar piece of the educational landscape, and for those sites where personal publishing or chronologically ordered content would be useful, blogs have stepped to the fore.” (Downes, 2004)
A blog, is an easily created and updateable website. It is an easy to use website that allows people to publish to the Internet instantly. It is a website where you can quickly post your thoughts, views, biodata and also interact with others, and also do lot more.
A blog (short for web log) is a website where entries are input in chronological order but displayed in reverse chronological order. Thus, the latest entry would occur first.
Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, library science, politics, or local news; some function like personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images. It may also provide links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The built-in provision for readers to leave their comments in an interactive format forms an important part of many blogs. “Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.The term "blog" is a portmanteau of the words web and log (Web log). "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. In May 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 71 million.” (blogs.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging) (accessed on July30, 2007)
KINDS OF BLOGS
The simplest are the text-only blogs created by individual Web surfers to post their own thoughts.
Organizations such as political parties, religious and professional bodies, businesses, trade and media organizations have started creating their own blogs, too. Very often, these contain various forms of multimedia content (digital videos, photos, audio). These postings are comparable to those available in traditional print or broadcast formats.
The rapid developments in information technology have resulted in digital audio players such as Apple's iPod. These have given impetus to the growth of blogs having audio content. Downloading these audio blogs, commonly known as "podcasts" like radio "on demand." Wide range of audiofiles are available, one can choose and download these files, such as music, talk radio-like commentaries, discussions and lectures. One can then listen to them at one’s convenience by using a PC or a portable media player.
The rapid adoption in the United States, Japan, and other countries, of cell phones with built-in digital cameras and wireless Internet connection has led to creation of another kind of blogs
SALIENT FEATURES OF A BLOG
Blogging or Web logging is basically an online diary or journal. Look into a typical blog, you would notice a clear connection between it and a traditional diary. Often, the entries are organized in reverse chronological order, the most recent entry posted first. Blogs contain thoughts, views, wishes, comments, biodata etc. It may also contain anything else that the blogger may think to be relevant to his objective of creating the blog. Often, along with text, he may provide photographs, artwork, etc. Sometimes, audio and video elements may also be added.
As David Warlick points out on his Web site, however, the blog has evolved rapidly into something more:
Number 1: A blog is a Web-publishing concept that enables anyone -- first graders, political pundits, homeless people, high school principals, presidential candidates -- to publish information on the Internet.
Number 2: Blogs (a shortening of weB LOG), or blogging has become a journalistic tool, a way to publish news, ideas, rants, announcements, and ponderings very quickly, and without technical, editorial, and time constraints. It essentially makes anyone a columnist. In fact, many established columnists now publish their own blogs.
Number 3: Blogs, because of their ease of use, and because of the context of news and editorial column writing, have become a highly effective way to help students to become better writers. Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet. (http://classblogmeister.com/)
Blogs are catching the fancy of the educational community and the Internet community at large, due to their ease of use. A bloger can edit or update a new entry without worrying about page formats or HTML syntax. Many easy to use, cost-efficient systems and tools have emerged in the area of personal Web publishing. These tools offer new and powerful packages for the support of collaborative and individual learning that fits into the emerging patterns of contemporary information seeking behaviour and learning that lies outside of formal educational settings.
HOW TO SET UP A BLOG
A simple search for "blogs" on any search engine will most likely turn up a long list of blogs on different topics. One can identify cerain blogs as model ones to serve as guidelines.
There are plenty of Web sites that will allow you to easily set up your own blog. Some charge a monthly fee while others are free.
https://www.blogger.com/start is a web site that provides free site for setting up your own blog in three easy steps as given below:
1.Create an account
2.Name your blog
3.Choose a template
You are required to use your google account.
There is plenty of literature available on the web that can be very useful in creating an excellent blog. Some of the web sites that may provide useful guidelines for creating a blog are listed below:
Blog Usability: Top 10 Weblog Design Mistakes (Jakob Nielsen's ...
Weblogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author.
www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html
Ten Things to Avoid When Designing Your Blog | The J Spot
I think these just clutter the design of a blog. If readers were already users of any of these social bookmarking sites, they would know better and are ...
racoma.com.ph/archives/ten-things-to-avoid-when-designing-your-blog/ - 39k -
The information can be input by the blog owner. He may gather information from other websites or other sources. Information can also be contributed by the users of the blog.
Generally, blogs are built around one or several subjects or themes, often of topical interest. These usually provide many hyperlinks to other websites related to the subject or theme of the blog.
Blogs also allow feedback from other users. They offer collaboration. Writers from diverse geographic, political, and socioeconomic groups can join together to contribute to the blog. (Richardson, 2003).
BLOGGING AS A TEACHING TOOL
ICT has given us many teaching tools that can be employed by a teacher. Some of these are blogging, wikis, RSS feeds, lectures recorded on iPod, lectures available on the internet, etc. An instructor has many options available to him.
Open source blogging platform is being used in universities and colleges in the West as a teaching tool. WEBLOGS ARE BECOMING increasingly popular with teachers. The teachers are using them in the classroom in various ways. Teachers are noticing the effects weblogs have on their students' learning.
Access to and exchange of ideas produced by it, are beginning to bring a "transformative" effect on education. Academics are claiming that Blogs are changing education. There is a significant impact on teaching and learning. There is no doubt that in recent years, Blogging has exploded in its popularity. It has given educators and students an unprecedented opportunity to achieve self-expression and exchange of ideas in an easy way never thought of before. Anyone can access it. Anyone can respond to anyone else. It creates a kind of excitement that comes only from writing for a real and authentic audience instead of a circular file that only a teacher can see and comment upon. The thrill one gets can be a tremendous motivator for the students. A teacher can also use a class blog to challenge his students with frequent, short writing assignments designed to make them think hard and critically. Classroom Instruction Blog can enable a teacher to have a high-level, asynchronous conversation with his students that extends the boundaries of the traditional classroom into a whole new kind of world. It makes learning exciting and live.
Today, digital tools are available that make blogging extremely easy. Any body with a little training in IT can do it. Just compare it, with the effort it takes to upload files online via the File Transfer Protocol or build a web page using Hypertext Markup Language. The latter effort requires understanding of complex technology and its tools.
According to Nolan, “blogging looks at communication in different manner. Blogging is all about me. The location of the discussion is on the individual, not on the class. As a student, I would write about my personal experiences within the learning moment; how the lectures, discussions in class, readings intertwine with my own reflections and thoughts on the topic. The result is that a blog post can become a unique document of the learning process; one that is particular to each learner” (Dec21, 2006, p.R5). He can continue the blog from student days to his job. A blog can serve as a tool for communication. It enables the student to learn about of variety of ways to express himself, such as personal, public or private communication. He would learn what can be made public and what can remain personal or private.
It can enable the teacher to get feedback from his students, so that he can improve his teaching. Nolan says, “I use blogs as to learn what my students think is important in the reading, and what I need to focus on in my lectures. In one scenario, I have students write a 350-word blog post on the readings before class. I can skim these posts and pick out any insights or omissions that I would like to take up. I can, at a glance, know that 120 students have done the readings, and, unlike other instructors, I don’t have to hope that a significant percentage of students are prepared for class. I can use their blogs as raw material for developing quizzes and exam questions. I can use them as the starting point for research papers” (Dec21, 2006, p. R5). Blogs serve as indicator, whether or not the concerned student has done his assignment through his efforts or copied material wholesale, theirby raising the issue of plagiarism. These enable the instructor to get the feedback for revising the course, change of teaching strategies etc.
MAJOR USES OF BLOGS IN EDUCATION
Crooked Timber’s Henry Farrell(2003) identifies five major uses for blogs in education as given below:
(i) Teachers use blogs to replace the standard class Web page. Instructors post class times, rules governing classes, assignment notifications, suggested readings, and exercises etc. This use of blogging software makes teacher’s previously time consuming job much simpler. Students are able to get all the required information in a chronological order.
(ii) Often, instructors provide links to Internet items related to their course.
(iii) Blogs are used to organize class discussions on the web. The conversation that can take place on the weblog serves as a great tool to develop a community of learners. The students get to know each other better by visiting and reading blogs from other students. They discover, in a non-threatening way, their similarities and differences. The student who usually is very vocal in the classroom and the student who is very timid are allowed to use the same writing space to project their view point. This puts all the learners in a situation of equity.
(iv) Some instructors use blogs to organize class seminars and to provide summaries of readings. Each learner is asked to give a summary of atleast one reading. Used in this way, the blogs become "group blog. This means that an individual blog gets authored by a group of people. It serves as an excellent way for the instructor and students to have access to the summary of readings for a particular week. Educators have evidence that students write better when they have a real audience, not just a teacher who reads them and gives comments and assessment. In case, the blog is accessible not only to the teacher but also to other students in the class , then it has been found that students' interest in writing and quantity of writing also improves when their work is published online and perhaps even more importantly, accessible to other readers for their comments.
(v) Students may be asked to write their own blogs as part of their course work. Each day each student reads a few pages of a book and posts a few paragraphs of his thoughts on the same.
The following uses of blogging within a college course have been enumerated by Trimarco (2004):
• Instructor uses the blog as an online course management tool where s/he posts assignments, announcements, information and summaries of lessons.
• A weekly topic is posted and each student posts their thoughts on the topic.
• Post articles relevant to the course.
• Students post their thoughts regarding articles.
• Class discussions on course readings and lectures.
• Students post their writing assignments and homework exercises.
• Students exchange information related to the course's subject.
• Students post comments, questions and advice about the course to Instructor and fellow students.
• Students post their thoughts on what they are learning.
• Students use the blog as a writing portfolio.
• Students read each other's rough drafts of writing assignments and give feedback.
• Students and Instructor discuss news related to the course's subject.
• Students discuss class activities.
• Online students can get to know each other by reading and commenting on each others blog entries.(Trimarco, 2004)
USE OF WEBLOG IN A CLASSROOM IN LIBRARY EDUCATION
There are three main uses of weblog in a classroom in library education. Use by the instructor as a personal journaling space, disussion space to be used by instructor and students, electronic portfolio of written work by students.
(i) Personal Journaling Space
It can be used as a personal journaling space by the instructor. He posts regular entries regarding, announcements, course information, course documents, new events, developments and trends in the field related to course, comments on the assignments and quizzes done by students etc
(ii) Discussion space
The instructor may announce a topic for discussion, during a particular hour. The students can post their comments, views etc. the instructor can intervene, if the discussion goes off the track. At the end, he can sum up and add his comments.The students and the instructor can also post messages about assignments, quizzes, tests etc.
Weblogs can offer an extension of class discussions. If the discussion falls short of time, then it can be continued online long after class hours are over. This allows students who did not get a chance to discuss, as well as the reticent students, to join in on the conversation afterwards. Students can post comments about certain topics, and other students can respond or start new topics.
(iii) Electronic portfolio of written work done by the students
The students' work can be displayed online and others can read and post comments.
EXAMPLE
An example of a blog on ‘library education’ course is illustrated below:
http://lised.blogspot.com/search?q
LIBRARY EDUCATION
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Blog Archive
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QUALITY OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES
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CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
About Me
Krishan kumar
Retired as Head, Dept of Library and Information Science, University of Delhi, in Dec 1998. Past-President, Indian Library Association and Past-President, Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science
View my complete profile
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
QUALITY OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES
Quality of library and information science education determines to a large extent the quality of library and information services available to their customers. Therefore, library education must be given the greatest attention that it deserves.
Posted by krishan kumar at 10:42 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
The environment in which a library professional has to work is changing fast. The emergence of information resources in electronic format in the late 1980s and, especially, the advent and dominance of the Internet in the 1990s has led to new and welcome emphasis on giving prominence to the wants of library users. Some professionals consider the development of global electronic access to information as a threat to the very future of the physical library, but others regard it as an opportunity to rethink, redefine and to reshape, library services based on needs of their users, in a fast-changing information environment. The digital libraries are beginning to predominate the scene. Traditional library professionals are feeling lost in the new world of digital libraries. They are also feeling a sense of identity crisis. In this changing information environment, the library schools are required to develop a kind of education to equip the graduates with skills needed to help customers to use not only libraries but also information sources in different forms and formats. They must be educated as ‘informtion empowerment specialist’ rather than mere experts in ‘bibliographic instruction’. Library schools must accept these challenges to train professionals who can compete with professionals at the international level.
LINKS
http://libraryandinformationscienceeducation.blogspot.com/
http://bubl.ac.uk/link/l/libraryandinformationscienceeducation.htm
Posted by krishan kumar at 11:46 AM 4 comments
LABELLED FOLDERS
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
ABOUT THE COURSE
DAY-TO-DAY ANNOUNCEMENTS
COURSE DOCUMENTS
ASSIGNMENTS
COMMUNICATION
LINKS TO EXTERNAL RESOURCES
TOOLS AND TECHNOLGY
The above blog is an example of how it can be used as a teaching tool. It shows two items posted by the instructor. There is an archive which provides access to earlier posts arranged by date, chronologically, in a reverse order. The labelled folders can be accessed by the students taking the course instructed by Prof Krishan Kumar.
About the instructor contains information about the instructor such as name, email address, address in the department, phone number in the department, office hours, meeting hours, personal website address.
Day-today Announcements list assignments to be done by the students. It has options such as:
Today/this week/this month/whole semester
Course information provides list of topics to be covered in the course, along with objectives, outcomes, methodology to be used by the instructor for each topic.
Course documents gives the syllabus for the course, giving summary of each topic, along with the readings
Assignments lists the assignments to be submitted by the students. It also incorporates the due date by which each is to be posted. It also lists tests/quizzes to be undertaken along with the necessary dates. Students post their assignments after completing them in this folder. The comments of the teachers and peer students are also posted along with each assignment in the same folder.
Communication consists of the following:
(i) Class blog: List of students along with their names, ‘photograph, email address, telephone number and blog address. Blog address can be used to access the blog maintained by the individual student. Each student must have his or her own blog. He must post entries regularly. Others including instructor can post their comments. Each blog is accessible to each student and the instructor. The instructor would need to use RSS Feeds to access entries in these blogs.
(ii) Discussion board: Here the students and instructor post messages about assignments, tests/quizzes etc. An instructor may post a reminder about the coming test or due date for the next assignment. It can also be used to have systematic discussion on a particular topic. Issues can be raised and discussed threadbare, the teacher can keep discussion within boundrylines and also sum up at the end.
(iii) Chat: There is a provision for chat among students and between students and the instructor. If a student is unable to understand a particular concept or follow a topic, he can approach his instructor through chat to get necessary guidance. This is usually one to one.
Links to external resources refer to sources of information that can be accessed by the students, such as libraries, websites, institutions, individuals etc.
Tools and technology deal with matters related to access to the blog. It lists the tools he needs to use, how should learn their use, how should he go about, if there is problem. Whom he should consult in case of problems. It is desirable that a worksop should be organized in the beginning of the session to instruct the students as to how to use the blog for learning purpose. (Fetterman, 1998)
To get the best results, it is desirable that each learner must be provided with a lap top and the library school must have access to high speed wireless network(Wi-Fi). As an alternative, one personal computer may be provided to two students each, along with high speed internet.
THE EFFECTS OF USING A BLOG
The instant publishing on blogs makes students more able and willing to read, write, and discuss about topics related to their course work, knowing they have a real audience for whom they are writing. There is even a collaborative environment where involving giving and receing of feedback. Therefore, students are forced by circumstances to dispay their best work.
Teachers using blogs in their classrooms find that students put more thought and effort into their blog writing, knowing that the teacher, parents and others may read their work on the Web, if made available to a wider audience. They make it sure that not only their teacher, but others who read it, will think of it as a good effort.
Students can strengthen their reading skills and strategies by exploring other’s weblogs and hyperlinks. They will have to carefully read through these linked websites to decide which information is relevant and important to them. Not only that, but the students can build on their knowledge base by reading the content on the different linked websites.
Weblogs also enable the students to interact with their peers more much faster than a regular journal. Learners who happen to be shy in traditional class usually become more active online.
It has been found that blogs seemed to be used the most during the school day. Not that many entries are posted after school or during the summer.
There is a fear that the casual nature of writing on the web may encourage students to use incorrect style of writing violating conventions laid down in good writing. They may tend to use email style abbreviations, bad grammar, and poor spelling.
However, it depends on how the instructor uses the blog in the context of the classroom. Some teachers instruct their students that each entry be first written on paper, edited, and only after that posted onto the blog. Some teachers are of the view that weblogs is a different media that requires a different form of writing. Thus, they feel that a teacher should be more concerned with content, ignoring bad grammar.
There are also concerns about making the work of students public when the same is published on the Internet. The teacher would be required to take written permission from the students before posting the same on the internet.
RSS FEEDS
RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication. RSS is a real important technology that information specialists and educators are expected to adopt to survive the onslaught of knowledge. In simple terms, “Weblogs (and an ever-growing number of other sites) generate a behind-the-scenes code in a language similar to HTML called XML.This code, usually referred to as a "feed" (as in "news feed,") makes it possible for readers to "subscribe" to the content that is created on a particular Weblog
so they no longer have to visit the blog itself to get it. As is true with
traditional syndication, the content comes to you instead of you going to get it,
hence “Real Simple Syndication.” ”( Richardson, 2005) For instance, if you are a library science teacher and you have found 20 (or more) Weblog and media sites on the Internet that are consistently publishing interesting, useful and relevant information for you and your students. Often, it would be difficult to find enough time to click through to those sites and keep up to date and well informed of any new information on a regular basis. However,if one had only had to go to one place to read all of the new content on all of those sites, then it will be great as it will save a great deal of your time. RSS feeds uses
a type of software called an "aggregator" or feed collector. The aggregator
checks the feeds you subscribe to, usually every hour, and it collects all the
new content from those sites you are subscribed to by you. You can when time permits,
you can then open up your aggregator to read the individual stories, file them if need be for later use, click through to the site itself, or delete them if they are not relevant. That means you check up only one site instead of 20 (or more). It is to be considered a great trade off tradeoff for a typical teacher, who is always under pressure to deliver goods. Similarly, a student will also find RSS feeds very useful .If you already using Weblogs with your students, the uses of RSS would be apparent. Instead of checking out all 20(or more) student Weblogs every day, you could just collect their work in your aggregator using their RSS feeds. That way, you can scan through all of the class content in one
Place, make sure it’s all appropriate, and click through to a particular post if
you want to comment on it. This way the use of student feeds drastically
reduces the reading time of the teacher and allows him to make all of the classes paperless. In addition, you can provide individual student Weblog feeds to their parents or counselors or whoever else might be interested in that student’s work and be
knowledgeable enough to know how to use RSS.
ROLE OF A TEACHER
The instructor plays a very important role in the effective use of blogging. At the very outset, he should lay down rules of the game. Each student must be respectful to each others ideas and comments. However, he must encourage them to express views openly without hurting others. They must be encouraged to read each others blogs and respond as early as possible giving their suggestions and comments. Each student must be expected to edit his entry properly before posting it. Each entry must be considered as a serious piece of writing, written with care and deep thinking. A class blog can be maintained, which provides access to the blog maintained by each student, where he is free to express his ideas and feelings without interference from anybody including his instructor. This will give special feeling to him, feeling it as his own space. In the long run, this will serve as his journal that he can continue even after, he has passed the course. (Trimarco, 2004)
CONCLUSION
Blogging is a great tool that can be used by library educators in the field of library and information science to enhance quality of teaching and learning. It is becoming increasingly popular in higher education. The role of an instructor is very important in making it an effective tool.
It is easy to create a blog. However, it takes time to keep it updated. Once, one has formed a habit of updating, then it becomes an addiction. Many students and teachers do not want to learn this new technology. This can be a big handicap. The generation of students who are coming for higher education are often technology savvy. They find it easy and interesting to get into blogging. It may be pointed out that not all topics in library science are appropriate enough to be considered for discussion and dialogue purposes. Such topics may be less suitable for the purpose. This technology is highly useful for those students, who are shy and reserved in nature. Such students do not tend to participate in class discussion in a real class room. These kinds of students have lesshesitation in participating in discussion or giving their comments and opinions without inhibition. There is no doubt this media is excellent for developing communication skills and gaining knowledge.
REFERENCES
Downes, Stephen (September/October 2004), Educational blogging, EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 39, no. 5, 14–26.
Farrell, Henry (Sept 15, 2003), "The Street Finds Its Own Use for Things," Crooked Timber (http://www.crookedtimber.org/archives/000516.html)(Accessed on Aug13, 2007)
Fetterman, David (1998), Virtual classroom at Stanford University, (http://www.stanford.edu/~davidf/virtual.html) (accessed on April, 21, 2007)
Nolan, Jason (Dec21, 2006), Blog is an effective teaching tool, Toronto Star, p. R5.
Richardson, W. (2003), Web Logs in the English Classroom: More Than Just Chat, English Journal, 93(1), 39-43. (Accessed on February 21, 2005, from the Eric Firstsearch database)
Richardson, Will (2005), RSS: A quick start guide for educators (www.weblogg-ed.com) Ver. 1.5, Updated 3/29/05 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0/) (Accessed on April6, 2007)
Trimarco, R. (2004), Use of Blogs in Online College Classes. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology. ( http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/blogonlineclass/start.htm) (Accessed on June8, 2007)
NEED FOR FINISHING SCHOOLS
There is a need for finishing schools that turn out employable librarians. The idea is to give grooming to products turned out by library schools so that they can be turned into a persons ready to work on the professional jobs. Such a programme may last for two months, immediately after they have taken their final MLISc examination and also submitted their dissertation/project report. The obectives of the programme are:
(i) to inculcate work culture ( he gains finer points regarding work culture, how carry out the job as a professional, how to be disciplined, reaching office in time, not to abstain from duty without proper permission etc)
(ii)to develop communication and behavioural skills( how to develop personality and traits required for developing social interaction, to idea being to develop leadership qualities) especially as a team worker.
(iii) to develop technical analytical skills by working on a project
(iv) to learn the technical skills on the job , learning by doing
There programme may consist of lectures, seminars, workshops and hands –on experience.
There are large number of such programmes that are being run successfully. One such programme is the Executive Finishing School,
Managed byGloria Starr, the leading expert.( http://www.gloriastarr.com/executive-finishing-school.htm) These can give us ideas and information about how finishing schools for librarians can be designed and operated.
INDIAN CENTURY
Some people have projected that twenty-first century is going to be India’s century. According to Wikipedia, “The Indian Century is a term used to describe the growing power of India in the 21st century. It has become a more prominent feature amongst the speeches of the key government leaders, commercial and media commentators of India in the last year. The concept of the Indian century is based on the capacity of India becoming the biggest economy of the 21st century.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Century) (accessed on Aug 20, 2007)
If twenty-first century is going to be Indian century, why can not it be Indian century in the field of library and information science. Our fundamentals are strong as laid down by late Dr S R Ranganathan. Library schools are moving forward, charting new territories. Libraries are getting a new lease of life. The recommendations of National Knowledge Commission and the resolve of Government of India to implement these, so that India emerges as a knowledge-based society at the earliest, is certainly a pointer in this direction. Let us be optimistic. Let us work with passion, clear thinking, firm determination, with goals and mission in our mind. Nothing is impossible.
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