Thing 18: Screen Capture and Podcasting

I love the idea of screen capture videos.  I can see some wonderful applications for screen capturing use in the LRC such as: How to access the catalogue and do simple searches; how to access our subscription databases; how to find a physical resouces in the library. These can then be stored on our VLE. I have experienced problems downloading the software at school because of permissions, so I'll attempt plan B and ask for the firewall to accept this tool. I can see this as a useful training tool for student helpers as well. Our ICT teaching department has used this kind of tool in conjuntion with Youtube to teach staff how to develop and use GoogleApps documents.

As for Podcasting, I've experienced many of these myself when exploring new technologies. Is this the same as Webinars that appear in various websites? I suspect this is the American terminology for a Podcast on the web. For my own CPD these are very useful. However, I have tried to use them in school and they have fallen on 'deaf' ears so to speak. Our students prefer the visual element to keep them engaged. We have looked at purchasing a service called 'GCSE POD' which is very expensive. Itunes U also have some interetsing and free podcasts, but again the videos are preferred. My attempt to get students to record their book reviews for others to hear was a complete failure. Somehow our students (aged 11-18) only think of 'listening' on MP3 players or iplayers in terms of music, not school related things. Maybe it's an age thing? Kids don't listen to 'talk' radio either! I can see it working in Higher Education, especially where lectures etc are missed, or for revision. However, for the visually impaired, it may well be a fabulous development! Occasionally, there has been something book or library related on the BBC radio podcasts which are easy to download. However it's usually only 2 or 3 minutes that are relevant, and you can't edit the BBC podasts yourself, so you need to capture the entire thing. Somewhat limiting. Our languages department uses Audacity software to record students practising their language spoken exams. As a coaching tool I can see this being of great use. In short, if podcasts are going to be used as part of my learning resources centre, we have a big job to persuade the students to actually use them. I suppose it's worth trying to change this attitude, but it's way down the list of priorities.

Thing 17 Prezi, Slidehare

And so to slideshare. This is a great way of viewing other people's slideshows, but as yet I haven't produced anything for others to follow. I'm concentrating on Prezi and all it's machinations which is automatically available for others to view. I've viewed some of the slideshows and presentations from the CILIP SLG conference and some fabulous display ideas for our LRC. It could be a way to show off remorselessly because you can stop 'copying' by others and allow viewing only. This isn't a new tool, but has been around for some time in the background. Those who belong to the SLN on Yahoo groups will know and love it well. The slideshare on Presentations from last weeks Thing was brilliant. http://www.slideshare.net/thewikiman/stop-breaking-the-basic-rules-of-presenting I also agree that it can become your own personal online protfolio. So here goes. I'm off to experiment!

Prezi is a wondrous tool tha keeps developing and getting more sophisticated every time I look at it. I use for Induction sessions to all new students and for the basis for my Information Literacy lessons with year 12. The school are starting to encourage students to get going on Prezi too. My only complaint that is that to make a good Prezi, an awful lot of time has to be taken up in planning. I suppose practise makes perfect. I have uploaded old powerpoints into Prezi, but I'm afraid they still look very stilted in comparison. The tips listed in Thing 17 are very useful. I wonder what the next big thing in presentations will be? 3D perhaps?

Thing 16 Advocacy

I have to admit always having trouble with this subject. I like many Librarians am not good at sounding my own trumpet and therein lies the problem. We are professionals and expect others to treat us as such, but the wicked world out there doesn't view us in the same way. Trying to change our image is often like hitting out at a brick wall. However, the recent Campagin for the book, Voices for the Library, CILIP's Shoutabout and now the Mass lobby for School Libraries and many others has proved that we can take advantage of the surge of publicity on Public Libraries to finally get our voices heard.I have tried to do my small bit wherever I could with each of these. I am not a great 'activist' as Johanna  suggests in her blog http://johannaboanderson.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/activism-advocacy-and-professional-identity/ However I have always been an advocate of libraries and librarians. I feel at last CILIP is getting to grips with representing us as a profession in Government circles. The arguments will go on, but I fear will be compromised against us in the end. As a lone librarian working in a school I have always felt undervalued for my professional capabilities and the subsequent salary that goes with it. On the SLN forum recent posts have bemoaned the fact that employers are taking advantage of the current economic situation to advertise jobs that are paid a pittance even in affluent London. Rarely is there anything similar to a living wage on offer, compared to teachers pay. An NQT is offered more in salary and better working conditions, pensions etc than a librarian of 20 years experience. I fear I am preaching to the converted, which is again another problem with getting our voice heard. What I would like to see is employers and managers actually walking a mile in our shoes to see first hand the levels of skills and knowledge needed to do our job effectively. Items like the article in the Guardian are useful, but are the right people reading them? http://careers.guardian.co.uk/job-of-21st-century-librarian

Getting published is one thing, but I feel that a huge number of Librarians will need to get published before the situation changes. I am hopeful for those qualifying now, but I fear it's too late for the old guard.

A note on getting published. Online and e-publishing isn't going to go away. It may well change it's character through rapid progress, so whilst I applaud the 'That's not online' website for demostrating very clearly the need for Librarians as 'gatekeepers' (although I hate the phrase it does say it all) I don't see us going back to just print. Indeed this and other Blogs are a form of publsihing in itself...so CPD23 the challeng to get Published? We already are!

Thing 15 Professional Events

Thank you to CPD23 for this one. I find that attendance at any professional events, be they Conferences, Training or local get togethers, are the life blood that keeps my enthusiasm for the job going. Without them I would feel extremely isolated working in a school library. My favourites are the big conferences such at Lighting the Future this June which I was fortunate enough to attend. The mix of discussions, authors, workshops and networking was second to none. I only wish my employer had paid for the entire weekend and not just a day. With budgets ever tighter, I do accept that this is a luxury, but salaries are not big either, so I can see the writing on the wall for the big boys. However, training sessions are just as valuable. Again, I was lucky enough to have funded a day in London to attend one of Phil Bradly's training courses on Web 2.0 tools and technology. I came away buzzing with ideas from that one, and several new contacts to network with in the future. This course was relatively inexpensive, put on by Tower Hamlets School Library Service. My local SLS has been cut back and cut back and so haven't been able to support many training courses in the last couple of years. Our only option is to do this ourselves. I did manage to put on a short training/information session led by our Public Library who have a really good online information service. I invited all the local area school librarians to come along. It was quite successful. My only advice is just as with an author visit, this needs all your 'ducks in a row' to be successful...and test the technology before everyone arrives! I have also hosted local Librarian's get togethers or Teach Meets. Again, this is informal but needs a bit of organising of place, technology & refreshments. The next step for me is to go into speaking at a conference. But as CPD23 suggests, what can I speak about? More thought needed there. NB I love the link to webpages on the Thing 15 page on presentation. Very amusing and useful! Another conference that has caught my eye is the Information Librarian conference in October. However, even with the CILIP discount, this is too expensive. I feel that the way forward has to be online webinars or video conferencing for professionals, and indeed online e-learning such as this course itself, in order to bring costs down. They do exist, but a clearer path to finding out about them is needed. Maybe CILIP could help here. However, the downside of this is the lack of face to face networking which cannot be underestimated. How else do you have the re-inforced idea that 'you're not alone' out there. I'm afraid the Blog & Forum community can never do that for me!