Monkey Business

Another step toward digital super stardom! I created a survey using a free account through SurveyMonkey. Although the free account limits survey options to some extent, it was still useful for creating a concise survey with a variety of response opportunities (multiple choice, rating scales, free text comments, etc...). I decided to survey my fellow staff members to gain their thoughts about the accessibility and usefulness of our school library program and resources. Aside from the obvious, collecting empirical data on our library program to better guide the direction of our program improvement, the process of generating the survey held additional benefits for me. In creating the survey questions themselves, I was forced to think more deeply about our library program, the resources available, and my own perceptions of our program and staff library usage patterns. Simply taking the time to reflect on these aspects was useful in its own right.

This Web 2.0 tool holds a few advantages itself! It is a one-stop shopping experience for your simple survey needs. Users can generate and save surveys instantly with just a few clicks, and develop links to email the survey to possible respondents, or create a pop-up feature on a web page prompting users to take the survey. SurveyMonkey not only collects the responses from participants, but also tabulates them into useful statistics---Yet another constructive tool for collaboration (through free text comments) and communication in the digital age.

I'm looking forward to seeing the actual responses offered by my fellow staff members, if they choose to take part at all (which is a response in and of itself)! But first, a quick question about data collection addressed to the help desk, and then a pilot of the survey to send to my library colleagues to test out the design and language! Wish me luck...

You've Been Skyped

Today I ventured into the realm of yet another web 2.0 tool--Skype! With just a few clicks I downloaded this free software, allowing me to connect with other Skype users to chat and video conference all for free. Of course, like most software applications, there are upgrade options at cost. For example, I could pay to make phone calls to non-Skype users, or even create a CrazyTalk video avitar to communicate through--How cool! And...as I always have The World is Flat philosophy tucked away in the deep recesses of my mind...Skype is accessible globally (via Internet connection of course) and makes searching for global contacts and placing free international calls as simple as clicking a button. Yes I did say FREE INTERNATIONAL CALLS...the pen/video/voice-pal opportunities are endless! Now to get a web-cam...

P.S. The word on the street is that Logitech makes a web-cam that also provides opportunities for communicating as an avitar. How would you like to video conference with a shark?

Not All Search Engines Are Created Equal

Meaningful Learning with Technology also reminded me that not all search engines work the same way! As an information specialist, this was not a new concept to me, but I too am guilty of relying almost solely on google for my digital information queries. Oh, yeah, I forgot there was more out there than just google! And, while google's web crawlers return thousands of hits at a time, how many of them are really irrelevant? Maybe my goal for the coming week should be to experiment with some of the directory formatted search engines to see if their results are more accessible to me. At any rate, the directory style may make sifting through hits easier.

Research Is The Process, Not The Product

I was relieved to read in Meaningful Learning with Technology that research is only a step toward a bigger end. I often see students "creating" a nonfiction piece by recopying the facts they have gleaned verbatim from another source. While I work hard to educate them about plagiarism, giving credit where it is due, and putting things in their own words, I realize this is only part of the battle. These projects where students research for the sake of researching, not only are devoid of student inquiry (teacher generated prefab questions) but also cognitive transfer. While the students may remember a few of their facts in the end, have they really internalized what this information means? Can they analyze and synthesize it or use it to create something new?

Whether these research projects and processes take place with print or digital mediums is irrelevant, the challenge to create a meaningful learning experience remains.