Sabrina Davidson
Blog 4: Social Networking: Can this work for my school?
Can I begin by saying that MySpace is old news! It was mentioned in most of our reading on
social networking, which leads me to my first point. Social networking platforms, like everything
else related to cyberspace are constantly evolving. While media specialists can and should
integrate social networking into their library services, we must not hold the
misconception that it is a one-time job.
Courtney (2007) points out, “While the popularity of particular websites
may diminish over time, the concepts of online social networking are deeply
implanted and influencing the direction of the web” (pg. 84). With this said, media specialists must
remember that social networking is an excellent and effective way to connect with
their patrons, especially if their patrons are students! Setting up a media blog, for instance, may
work for a time, but when the platform you are using falls out of favor, it is
time to upgrade! Gone are the days when
the media specialist sits behind the library desk awaiting eager children to
check out books. We have reach them by
our own innovative means.
At my school, the media center web page is pretty
boring. It only lists links to
resources: the OPAC, ebooks, GaleNet, GALILEO, and a few other sites. Social networking could open up a world of
exciting options to our students. As
Barbara Fiehn (2008) notes, the social networking tool Fish4Info could offer
students “pathfinders, calendars, students’ book reviews, tagging, book
ratings, and social bookmarking to the systemwide catalog.” Right now the system firewall prevents such
an interactive tool to be used on the media website, but I think a strong case
could be made for allowing the media center to provide this social networking
platform for students and teachers.
The option that I am most excited about in social networking
is the numerous ways that reading can be encouraged. I think it would be fabulous to see a blog
full of student book reviews, whether they were typed or uploaded as videos. Students could recommend titles to their
friends. There could be a Book of the
Week or Author of the Week blog post, which would challenge student to dig into
something different. There could be
genre studies, where students share their favorite science fiction or
nonfiction books. I think that reluctant
readers would benefit from these posts the most. One of my objectives as a media specialist
will be to get kids to read!
Resources:
Courtney, Nancy.
(2007). Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow’s user.
Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
After reading your blog and after doing to research on my own. I agree with 100% that the development of internet tools is rapidly growing. On a couple of websites, Myspace was referenced. I remember back when I was in college, when this social networking site was the most popular. Now I hardly ever hear it mentioned. In the next couple of years, I wonder will Facebook and Twitter be in demand, or will some other site takes it place. This demonstrates to me that the job of a media specialist is ever changing, not static. That as media specialists, we need to be lifelong learners and stay abreast of current trends. Your title posed whether or not schools can use it? Sure they can. According to WebTools4u2use (2013) there are many ways school librarians can use social networking sites which include:
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• seeing what topics students are discussing
• keeping students focused on work
• sharing information about school library media services
• sharing information and ideas with other professionals
• requesting help from professional colleagues
• learning from professional colleagues
• sharing what they are reading with colleagues, parents and students
• hosting videos, photos and discussions with colleagues, teachers, and/or students
• learning about social networking
• keeping in touch with friends, family and library media specialists in other schools and districts
• working on professional association committees
• teaching students about social networks
• teaching students about Internet safety
• teaching parents about social networking and safety issues
• teaching teachers about social networking and how they can use them
• providing a collaborative workspace for students' multimedia projects
• providing a collaborative workspace for teacher/lms work
• communicating with students
• providing a virtual meeting and sharing place for book clubs
• cataloging books
• finding new things for students to read based on what they like to read
• finding new things for professional reading and personal reading
• collaborating with colleagues who have similar interests worldwide
• storing related things together: videos, photos, articles, RSS feeds, etc. by curriculum area, teacher, or research topic.
References
[Web log message]. (2013). Retrieved from http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Social+Networks
I agree that social networking infused into a boring media center website can make it appealing to young and any student. When visiting website most people now a days look for a way to continue the connection to the site if they found something they like and social networks is usually the way to go. Media centers can spark student interest and keep it by giving them the social networking access they are already using. As you stated this also with promote reading. Social networking could be a clever way to deliver tidbits education and keeping communication open, new and fresh.
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