library+instruction+technology

I mounted our first library podcasts this week at work. We sponsor five author talks during the academic year. The first one was a week ago. We asked the two people speaking if it was okay to record their talks and post them to the web and they agreed.

I used my IBM T30 laptop with the microphone that came with my Creative web cam to record our two speakers. I used Audacity to capture the talk. I configured Audacity using Jake Luddington’s Recording A Podcast web page.

We normally break up the speakers with an intermission with refreshments. So, I took that time to save the first file and created a new file to record the second speaker. After the event, I did very minor editing of the original Audacity file. I deleted some at the beginning and the end before the speaker had started and after finishing. I then exported the file as an MP3. I tested it and then uploaded it to OurMedia.

I decided to go with OurMedia because it’s free and this is an experiment. I didn’t want the hassle of trying to get local server space and OurMedia allows for the files to be streamed or downloaded/podcasted. If we decide to stick with this and expand, I will probably move the files to a different server.

I posted the links to the two files on our update blog and also gave a link to Using iTunes for Podcasting. This web page shows how to subscribe to a podcast using iTunes to listen to it on your desktop or your iPod.

The only thing I will change the next time around is potentially the microphone. For the first author, we had the microphone attached to the laptop display. It recorded the author fine, but it also picked up the noise of the laptop (the fan is noisy sometimes). For the second author we taped the microphone to the podium. This seemed to get better results. I think the quality is fine. The only drawback is that during the question and answer portions, it is hard to hear the questions asked from the audience.

I’m sure you are aware of OCLC’s Open WorldCat project. I had read this page in the spring, but didn’t do anything with it at the time. Last night I decided to add a listing of the books I am currently reading to this blog. So, I found the page again and easily created Open WorldCat URLs. I decided to go with the details tab and not force a library search.

I also added my first table of contents to an Open World Cat record. The registration process was very easy. I remember reading on another blog a month ago that the process was cumbersome. Guess they streamlined it or I’m thinking of another site.

Curious about Web 2.0? Never heard of Web 2.0? Check out Tim O’Reilly’s article What is Web 2.0? to get up-to-speed.

“The concept of “Web 2.0″ began with a conference brainstorming session between O’Reilly and MediaLive International. Dale Dougherty, web pioneer and O’Reilly VP, noted that far from having “crashed”, the web was more important than ever, with exciting new applications and sites popping up with surprising regularity.”

Steven Bell posted a link to EDUCASE”s report ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology 2005 this morning on The Kept-Up Academic Librarian. I have only browsed the report. However, I did find one hopeful statistic about student use of libraries resources.

“Computers and networks are the gateway to the library, as 88 percent of the responding students report using a library resource to complete an assignment (up 83.6 percent in 2004.” p.35

Jenny Levine has posted on her Shifted Librarian blog a post about library vendor RSS. The idea is very hot. She also has links to a presentation she gave on Octobe 13, 2005, Top Tech Trends (2005) – ILA. Take the time to open and go through the PDF. It shows how a number of libraries are using these tools to connect with their customers.

I saw a link to this over on librarian.net today. The usability guru, Jakob Nielsen, has just published Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes.

His over summary…

“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.”

Is your Library on Facebook? We created a profile for the Library on Facebook back in September. My colleagues over in Westerville had us beat (yet once again) by creating a profile for Otterbein’s Library on their Facebook back in June. We’ve used the Library’s profile to promote our Banned Book Week activites last month. However, it looks like some fraternities and sorities around the country are not too excited about Facebook being on campus during rush.

I read an interesting article on-line today, “Laptops in classrooms not working out as hoped” by Gary McWilliams. This was published in the Wall Street Journal on October 14, 2005. It basically describes how faculty that are teaching in classrooms that have wireless Internet access are finding it difficult to keep the student’s attention.

“While Prof. Adams lectures, five students use an online chat room to post comments on his lecture, on classroom stragglers, and on the meaning of his discussion questions. Another student spends nearly two-thirds of the three-hour class playing computer chess, instant messaging and viewing photos of a fraternity party posted on the Web. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Mike Fielden buys a pair of sneakers on eBay.”

I haven’t had the privileged yet to try and instruct in a wireless classroom. Our campus has not rolled out wireless campus wide. We’ve talked about setting up a wireless network in our yet to be instruction room. However, I intend to make sure that the room is set up so that students will have less opportunity to IM or buy sneakers on eBay.