People are talking
Twitter is everywhere these days and people are using it to talk – about librarians. On Tuesday, there was a long conversation about the role librarians should play in schools today and if they are even capable of playing it!
Joyce Valenza responded to the conversation with some very perceptive comments, as usual. She said:
Being an information (or media) specialist today means being an expert in how information and media flow TODAY! It is about knowing how information and media are created and communicated. How to evalute, synthesize, and ethically use information and media in all their varied forms. It is about being able to communicate knowlege in new ways for new audiences using powerful new information and communication tools.
In my mind, if you are not an expert in new information and communication tools, you are NOT a media specialist for today.
Joyce also pointed out that the Twitter conversation took place out in the open where anyone could follow it. If these are the kinds of things people are saying in public, what are they saying in private?
What are people saying about the librarians in our district? Initiatives like 23 Things and other staff development sessions that we offer are designed to help our folks be the kind of information specialists that are required in the 21st century.
Is it making enough of a difference? How would teachers and administrators in our district answer the central question of this week’s Twitter conversation: What’s the point of having a media specialist if they aren’t specialists in the media forms of the day?
May 1st, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Wow! First of all, it’s a pretty humbling post. Secondly, it excites me that people are buzzing about librarians — oh, excuse me, social media specialists. Whatever we are to be called, they’re out there, watching us, analyzing us, evaluating us. And we had better be on our toes! I know I can never live up to my own expectations of myself, but I hope I never stop trying, and that includes expanding upon my knowledge of Web 2.0. And speaking of which, I just had a coworker ask me to define that term today at lunch. Boy, am I glad I could easily tell her what it was!
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
I agree with her sentiment, but sometimes I think there are those that push these “web 2.0″ tools a little far. I stay current and try to share what I think other educators will be able to make use of, but sometimes I get the impression that some of these people are trying to shove things down other’s throats which is never a good strategy. Using 2.0 tools just because they’re there is not a good strategy. I don’t want to be as overwhelmed as Joyce gets (see her April 11 post which I enjoyed very much because it made me re-examine my digital life–I ended up deleting my Twitter account and about half of the blogs in my feed reader and I’m loving being able to have more balance in my life!)
Thanks.
May 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
When exploring this blog I saw where you had a class that finished up just this past week. Do you have plans for a summer class. I, for one, am farther behind than I would like to be. Learning is enjoyable in and of itself, but even more wonderful when it can help others besides me. In a couple of weeks my classes will be over and I might even catch my breath.