The Job of Organizing

The ability to organize and manage information on the Web is crucial for 21st century student success. Not only will this assist in streamlining information for students, it also aids in collaborative projects students may encounter. The role of the librarian is to partner with teachers to help students with this task. The librarian, as well as the technology teacher, can educate the students in how to access and evaluate information on its credibility and how to categorize the information they have obtained. Many assignments today focus on student collaboration, and the librarian can explain the merits of keeping that information organized by illustrating to teachers and students how effective tools such as online graphic organizers, calendars, and outliners can be. Students no longer will be required to meet together to work on a project, but can actually “meet” in cyberspace twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Librarians can also enable students to put the pieces of the information puzzle together so that they can avoid information overload. I believe this will empower the students and help them feel less overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information that is “out there.”

I believe two of my Diigo tags would be helpful. PBWorks helps librarians organize and manage information, and Wallwisher is an online bulletin board of sorts where students and teachers can recommend useful websites.

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

Who knew that the popular catch-phrase of the 1990s "we are becoming a global society," would not only be proven extremely true, but also would change the way we not only communicate with others but enhance education, careers, and many other aspects of our lives. People are better linked to each other today than ever before. Web 2.0 tools have taken us beyond simple contact to collaboration; from simply linking text to connecting via photos, videos, and mapping; from simply reporting or sending information to working with one another to sharing and editing that information online. Web 2.0 offers the separation of form and content enabling people to easily access and modify information.
I agree with Marc Prensky when he states that the children we teach now are “digital learners.” They have the advantage over the older generation. It seems they’ve sprung from the womb with an inherent ability to embrace technology as quickly as it evolves. As librarians, we must realize this and maintain an attitude that acknowledges this fact. The world has become smaller. Web 2.0 tools have truly become “us using us.” However, in his video, “Web 2.0…the Machine is Us/Using Us,” Professor Michael Wesch’s stresses that there are responsibilities attached. We truly must rethink authorship, copyrights, ethics, governance, and privacy. Instead of raging against the Machine, in education, our charge is to embrace and utilize it.
I believe that Professor Wesch presented his video with the title “Web 2.0…the Machine is Us/Using Us” because that exactly describes the current state of technological affairs. We are using each other; however, we are using each other in a manner that benefits all.