It didn't post for some reason.

Sorry my outline and bib didn't post, not really sure why.

I am not sure of all that I will write. I haven’t finished yet. I am a former psychology major, so a reflection paper is something of a personal thing to me. I have never before achieved a 15 page reflection paper, let alone one that involves theories and other students opinions. So this will be my first time, and hopefully my last. Long papers are not my favorite thing, it is one of the reasons pursuing a doctoral degree holds so little interest for me.  The other reason is that I do not ever want to be called "Dr. Laura".  

1. Introduction/Thesis
a. What is Service Learning
b. What is Digital Citizenship
i. Theories
ii. Digital Divide
2. My interactions
a. Work
b. Margaret Grundy Library
3. Web 2.0
a. Effects on Libraries
b. Effects on Citizenship
4. Conclusion/ Lesson’s Learned

Bibliography (Not complete, still working on)

Halahoan, C. (2007, November 14). Hip-Hopping the Digital Divide. Buisness Week Online, Retrieved November 20, 2007, from Academic Search Elite database.

Dervarics, C. (2007, October 18). High-tech Help on the Way. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 24(18), 14-15. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from Academic Search Elite database.

Nicholson, P. (2007, March 9). The Intellectual in the Infosphere. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(7), B6-B7.

Galuszka, P. (2007, March 8). Digging Out of the Digital Divide. Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, 24(2), 20-22.

Metcalf, D. (2007, February). Reducing the Digital Divide. American Libraries, 38(2), 29-29.

Lewis, A. (2007, January). Digital Divides the Poor. Education Digest, 72(5), 71-72. Retrieved November 20, 2007.

Swaminathan, N. (2005, November). The Making of a Good Samaritan. Psychology Today, 38(6), 33-33.

Brescia, W., & Daily, T. (2007, Winter). Economic Development and Technology-Skill Needs on American Indian Reservations. American Indian Quarterly, 31(1), 23-43. Retrieved on November 20, 2007, from Academic Search Elite database.

Paper outline and bib (so far)

I am really rather sad at the moment (we have been nursing some orphaned guinea pigs) and after having force feed it for the last 4 hours, it just died.  One of the other sicker guinea pigs basically killed it.  Survival of the fittest my foot.  It has been a very bad week for pets.  

Intro computer class

Last Saturday I went to a public library in my area that hosts Computer and basic internet/programs classes. There were 4 students for this class which was the first in the series. It was rather basic and to me, rather more than basic. However as we went through the syllabus which started literally at the very beginning, it showed me just how much of a gap there truly is in computer technology.

The students ranged in ages from mid-forties to late 70's. They all came for various reasons, wanting to apply for jobs, basic knowledge sake, and some just to be there. One of the older gentlemen had taken a similar class, back in 1980. However he was aware that things had changed significantly since then, but as he needed a job he wanted to be able to fill out the online applications by himself so he wouldn't have to bother the librarians.

As amazing as it seems, and while we have talked in class about just how large the digital divide actually is, I was still amazed by it. These students didn't know the most basic items; where the power button is located, how to handle a mouse, where the close button is located in a program. I had to evaluate once again how very much I take for granted when I use a computer. To me it is just another necessary tool, one that I use frequently and when the electricity is out, something that is deemed critical for most of my work. But to these individuals it was a new territory, they had used typewriters and knew about typing, but computers and all that goes through that filter was a complete new territory of learning.

This new territory of learning was a struggle, there was this underlying filter of not exactly fear but of apprehension, the one woman who came had a sort of dementia and everything had to be explained to her in a certain way or she would feel completely overwhelmed. We talked about other electronics, cell phones, TV's, DVD players, and even Tivo. This computer/internet apprehension didn't extend to those technologies, in fact they were embraced. But there was some sort of mental block where the computers came into play.

I think the thing that got to me the most was that using a normal optical mouse was such a hard thing. It definitely reminds me of that cartoon one of you sent out. There was this essential need to press on the buttons while moving the mouse. This always meant that we had to try the exercise again, and sometimes several times in a row. One of the outside class exercises that the syllabus used was having the patron play solitaire so they could develop a more natural response to using the mouse.

I think this was an interesting experiment. I have problems understanding the online behavior of the students at my school, and many times I am shocked at the lack in there online skills. But this was an excellent example of just how needed programs like this are to a community, especially the older community.

However I am also very much surprised by the younger community at my school. Admittedly my school does not have a technology track, but with all the discussion of Web 2.0. Out of the 20 students I asked about it, not one has ever heard of "Web 2.0". Indeed the look of blank comprehension will stay with me for a long time. After I asked if they have ever heard of the term, I then asked them if they had heard of Flickr, Technorati, YouTube, and several others, they had heard of them, as well as being registered users.

Most our students also do not like the idea of Electronic books. This is fairly wide-spread. We had a discussion about Kindle they seemed a bit intrigued but mostly put off by it. For them information is still most viable option. Mostly because there is a sense of ownership, if the electricity goes out you still have access to that copy.

So I don't think that librarians or their charge of books will go away any time soon. Just check the reviews of the Kindle on Amazon. :-)

The Millennials are Here?

I am supposedly a member of the Millennial generation. However I am confused by this to a certain degree. I believe myself to be more of a "border-line" millennial. Why would I believe this? The foremost reason is that I am helping to train "true" millennial as part of my job. Recently I have been given the opportunity to start doing more Library Instruction as part of my job. This has provided many new challenges. One of these challenges is how to give a presentation that challenges and yet meets the students needs. At times this is a paradox. These students have all the gadgets, and automatically seem to "get" technology. However they also don't seem to have the ability to problem solve or to take disappointment well.

This provides many opportunities for new technologies, however it also means that most library OPAC's annoy the heck out of them. Within the realm of the Internet they can always find an answer, it may not be verifiable, but it answers their question. Most library OPAC's don't answer these questions. There isn't that wonderful basic search that covers everything. It isn't Googlized. This is a problem for this new narcissistic generation. Everything is about them, and when they don't succeed as well as they feel they should, it isn't their problem. Their parents haven't allowed them to feel the effects of falling on their butts. Instead they/we have butted in and given explanations to teachers and other adults with the understanding that we can't harm the Millennial's psyche.

This change in perspective has changed how education, and other jobs are preformed. We cannot confront, we must coax. We have to be as the CBS article puts it "a manager must be half shrink and half diplomat". This poses a problem even within Library instruction. You have to cleverly work with your audience to shut down their automatic defenses when someone implies that they may not know everything. This is a necessity. Most of my students cannot use basic searches within the library databases or catalog. While these students have grown up being connected to each other over the Internet, they have no idea how to actually search for valuable materials within it.

There are some student obviously who can find their materials, but it is one of those things that needs to be taught and learned. But Millennials don't necessarily take well to being told that they don't know everything or have to work to have the best results. This is one of the reasons why Google has taken so well. Working hard to have to earn a grade is not really one of the things we have taught our children. We give them awards for everything, we don't allow winners or losers, we are all praised just for participating. This is frankly a load of B.S. But it is what we are encouraging. So when conducting L.I. sessions, we have to be remarkable, we have to prove that we can find something that they wouldn't have been able to find. We have to overwhelm them, while having to back off from all the information we could give them.

Let the conundrum continue.

(P.S. the reason I believe that I am on the edge is that I am only 1-3 years within the Millennial age group, but also it was that I have not grown up with this extra parental involvement, my Mom raised me like she was raised. I was allowed to fall on my butt, and learn from the experience. However I also grew up with a computer, and remember teaching my 3rd grade teacher how to use basic application on it before allowing my fellow students to work on it."