Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Blog Post #2: What I learned about Net Gen Students at the Third Annual ARL Leadership Institute.

I finally have time to write down my thoughts about this lecture I attended at the ARL Institute, on January 17-21 in Seattle, Washington. The talk was given by Joan K. Lippincott, Coalition for Networked Information; it was entitled Net Gen Students: Learning, Technology and Libraries.

The focus was on educating librarians working in academic/research libraries on the population called Net Gen Students. According to Lippincott they will the next upcoming demographic population that will be encountered by librarians, especially those who work with students in the future.

According to the handout I got from the lecture, Net Gen Students have the following characteristics:
-Born 1982-1991.
-Grew up with computers and other media at home and in school form earliest ages.
-Never were tether to communications in a place.

Other names for Net Gens: Millennials, Digital Native, Gen Y, DotNets (Pew Internet and American Life).

Characteristics of Net Gen Students:
-Always connected, multi-tasking.
-Oriented to working in groups.
-Experiential learners.
-Visual.
-Producers as well as consumers.
-Students are disproportionately likely to be (Internet) content creators (Content Creation Online, 2004, Pew Internet and American Life).

As I thought about how did Net Gen Students come to have all those features that, I realized that the lecture didn’t go into depth about the origins of the Net Gens. Therefore I decided to look further the subject.

I started with Joan’s link at: http://www.educause.edu/NetGenerationStudentsandLibraries/6067.

Which lead to the ebook Educating the Net Generation, available at:
http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666&ID=pub7101. I found this to be a neat resource on Net Gen Students. I skimmed Joan’s article, and found that it added details of the lecture she did ARL Institute.

If you want to look at Joan’s Power Point Lecture then try the following address:
http://www.cni.org/staff/joan-pres/2006/umd0603.Lippincott.pdf

However, this Power point was from a different lecture she gave at January ARL 2007. The information is essentially the same.

One thing that stuck out for me was how different and similar the Net Gen profile was from a person like me. I use computers everyday in my life some of the technology like Net Gen do.

However, I don’t use the greater amount and variety that they do. I don’t IM, my MySpace account has been unused for years, and I have been considering what WEB 2.0 tool I would like to try.

It seems that a Net Gen type person has a different view on internet and tech life. Both aspects seem pervasive and are naturally integrated into everyday life. For myself it is not as pervasive or as naturally integrated.

There is a good article by Diana Oblinger (EDUCAUSE) and James Oblinger (North Carolina State University) entitled Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation, available at-
http://www.educause.edu/IsItAgeorIT%3AFirstStepsTowardUnderstandingtheNetGeneration/6058

I highly recommend it for an overview on topic!

In the article they have a chart of the different generations. I myself am a Gen X person.

"Generation X
Born 1965–1982
Description-Latchkey generation
Likes-Independent, Skeptical, Freedom, Multitasking, Work-life balance
Dislikes-Red tape, Hype.

Net Generation
Born 1982–1991
Description-Millennials Hopeful, Determined
Likes-Public activism, Latest technology, Parents
Dislikes-Anything slow, Negativity.

Few generalizations are entirely correct. However, generalizations—such as those about generations—highlight trends. Today's generations can be described as follows.39

Other attributes show generational trends as well (for example, attitude toward changing jobs or locus of community). One of the most striking attributes is the attitude toward the Internet. For the Net Gen, the Internet is like oxygen; they can't imagine being able to live without it.40"

I can see why there would be a difference. If Net Gen supposedly views the Internet as can’t image being without it, I can go days without the Internet and not feel deprived.

I am sure there are more comparisons. What do you think?

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Blog Post #1:Understanding Library 2.0 and Web 2.0, and my way of using WikiPedia.

In general, Wikipedia has been a useful tool in helping me understand a topic. Typically one or more of the following situations occurs when I use it: 1) if I need an introduction to an unfamiliar topic. I find it useful to get an overview of the subject a hand. Often I get enjoy the multiple perspectives I receive on a particular entries. 2) I need a source to refer a person to or have it as a referral link to (e.g. from a post in electronic forum or an email). 3) As a way to refresh my memory on a topic. 4) To get an understanding of how a subject would look to a beginner or laymen, when I am knowledgeable on that particular Wiki entry.

I decided to look Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 again to refresh my memory, because the my first session weekend class of LIS 753 Internet Fundamentals touched upon it to a great degree (i.e. doing mainly for reason #3). I understand some of the concerns and criticisms of WikiPedia I have heard in library school (e.g. LIS 703) or NPR-> Wikipedia Wins Users and Critics.

However I have developed for a protocol for using Wikipedia. When I use a Wiki, I read an entry for the essences of the topic. I then look for specific details that I can search for to back up the claim. As I am doing this try to keeping in mind if there are any reasons for the entries to be true or false. Specifically I look for terms in the documents, links to other sites, and citations at the references at the end of the article. I try to click on links that interest me and read the references at the end. I also search for terms that appear in Wiki entry via a search engine (e.g. Yahoo, Google, or what ever my browser is set to). By doing this I feel that I can be informed to know what is decent information on a topic and where else to look for more understanding. Therefore I use Wikis as a starting point and as sort of a Cliff’s Note on a topic.

Which brings me back to why I used WikiPedia to look up Library 2.0 and Web 2.0, I felt, “What better way is there to experience a Web.2.0 tool, than to use to look up the subject of Library 2.0. and Web 2.0.?”

So what I found and learned by looking at Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 in Wikipedia, now that I finished my first session of class in LIS 753 with Michael Stephens?

-The Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 seems to be discussed in the terms of tools (i.e. software and internet) and the philosophy/model/principles behind them.

-Library 2.0 doesn’t necessarily a derivative of Web 2.0.

-In general there is a debate between those who favor those who advocate the Library and Web 2.0 and the critics/skeptics of it.

-The contention is focused on the terminology, definition, image, market, and seemingly hyped nature of the field. I found it to be mildly annoying to focus energy on the peripheral issues that surround the 2.0s. I to me it seems more sensible to discuss what is actually going on with users (e.g. are they really using and benefiting from it?), how are they making an impact (e,g. business and are paying attention for example to YouTube because of its popularity), what they are concerned about, and what aspect of Library and Web 2.0 is will be important to them-I leave this as an open question to be explored later.

-Even if Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 hype and fluff according to the critics or the next big thing according to advocates, how either make a difference? Do they a difference to the population at large? Most of the people I know don’t even realize what these things are.

-My teacher—Michael Stephens—is well known in the Library 2.0 field. Before I took his class, I knew of him from the reading his blogs at tametheweb.com, references in the Library 2.0 Wiki, and being cited in articles. However, I didn’t make the connection he was my teacher until the end of my first class; I made the connection when I reread the Wiki and explored the links in the entry. How cool is that!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

One Foot Step (i.e. post) Starts the Journey-My First Class Post.

I am a student at Dominican University, and this blog is a part of my classwork for GLIS LIS 753. Thanks for viewing this post.