kcscils598f08

If I were Steve...

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:27:00 +0000

I found this course to be one of the most interesting one in the whole MLIS curriculum. For me, it was a very quick introduction to several technologies and related modes of communication which a librarian may use. I am now very comfortable with activities like blog writing and podcasting which until now, I regarded with a combination of awe and mystery. In isolation, I think, each one of these techniques are not very important and likely to be superseded by a better mousetrap next semester. However, the overall shift in paradigm (as far as libraries are concerned) which they represent is quite amazing. It will not surprise me at all if the content of the course is very different next semster from what it is today. If I were to teach this course, I will probably change the emphasis given to certain componets. For example, I found blogs and podcasting very interesting. On the other hand, I am not sure about the real purpose of twitter. But this is only a personal opinion. The course is great as is and leaves little to be desired.

My experience with Second Life

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:31:00 +0000

The experience of visiting Second life was very unusual. It was like nothing else I had experienced in my life. At first I visited a place where I met a lot of people. I then selected "education" and found myself in the Princeton University Campus. However, after walking about for a while, I was completely lost. I found myself in never never land with no human contact. Fortunately, there was a red arrow which navigated me back to civilization, but not before I had had two nasty falls in two lakes and had to rescue myself by flying onto a bridge. After returning to the campus, I entered a building (Dean's Office). I promptly walked out of the building and saw another student at the entrance. However, as soon as she noticed me, she broke into a sprint and was gone in no time. At the end of my visit to Princeton, I met two cute squirrels.

"Everything bad is good for you" and Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:43:00 +0000

If internet, television, blogging, gaming and everything else that is "bad" is actually good for you, libraries can use these media to bring their community of users together. Libraries, which, in every respect, are centers for communication and exchange of ideas, can, with the help of blogs, gaming and internet, serve as forums for the expression of thoughts and opinions. By introducing gaming, libraries can draw teenagers and serve as social meeting places.

It appears as though the author of "Everything bad is good for you" is trying to make his point by means of posing as a devils advocate. At first blush, the use of the internet and gaming seem unproductive. However, a closer examination brings forth their redeeming aspects. I get a sense that Johnson is not fully convinced (espcially in light of his previous work on the negative aspects of television, internet etc) of the absolute goodness of the internet, TV etc as media. However, this book tries to blunt the criticism by means of a contrapuntal argument.

Best practices for Screencasting

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Screencasting is useful only for demonstrating computer applications or elaborating on a specific aspect of computer software. When making a screencast it is helpful to:
-manage time and be brief.
-keep in mind that spoken words are as important as display actions.
- make sure that the resolution is adequate and the screencast is clear
-make sure that the screencast is well-scripted for effective teaching/learning to take place.

Which Console for You?

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:19:00 +0000

With a teenager in our house, gaming is a very sensitive subject. While it can be a loads of fun, it can turn into an avenue to waste a lot of time in a completely unrewarding manner. A gaming system can be potetially used as a simulator that trains the user for real world situation such as flying a plane or driving a car, but the law of diminishing returns kicks in very quickly.

The biggest question to answer while choosing a gaming system is whether you want to opt for a dedicated system such as Nintendo, Wii PS3 or thier ilk or you want to go for a powerful PC with all the necessary bells and whistles. The advntage of a dedicated system is superior performance for the given task and availability of popular software specifically designed for a certain platform. The advantage of a gaming computer is better performance for a given price and ability to use the same system to run payrolls (or anything you may want to do with it) when not being used for playing games. Upgrade cost of a gaming computer is likely to be smaller than the cost associated with a dedicated gaming console.

As a dedicated system, I would prefer PS3. It has excellent graphics, a variety of games spanning different genres. The feature which I like the best is its ability to connect to internet to allow you to play multiplayer games with complete strangers. The system comes with a reasonably large hard drive which let it becom a part of a LAN.

Among PC games, my favorites are Flight Simulator, SimCity and Chess. These games go way beyond fine-tuning your motor skills; they actually make you think about the real world situations. Flight simulator teaches you a lot about flying planes without jeopardizing an actual plane or real living people. SimCity is a simulator for real world that trains you for decision making. Internet chess allows you to hone your skills by playing against people with different playing styles and temperaments.

Johnson and "Everthing Bad is Good..."

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:12:00 +0000

Johnson, in his book "Everything Bad is Good for you...", argues that ostensibly "bad" habits such as video gaming may actually be "good" for you. In corroboration, he asserts that TV shows are getting smarter and video games sharpen certain skills such as hand-eye-coordination and motor skills.

I find the whole argument rather specious. After all, if video gaming was such a useful skill, they would have taught it as a subject in schools. The problem is that the skills that your are taught by video games are not general enough to be useful in other walks of life. Moreover, TV shows and video games shorten your attention span and weaken your ability to think in abstract.

Typically, valuable skills are those which are sufficiently general to be useful to solve a broad class of problems. Therefore, video games may be challanging to master, they have a diminishing marginal utility in relation to the time spent.

Facebook demo

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:23:00 +0000

Here is a demo of "how to give a free gift on Facebook"

SNs and Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:58:00 +0000

Some people tend to think that social networking sites such as MySpace or FaceBook are not useful; there is nothing "educational" about SNS. However, if libraries (with their primary role as educators), get involved in SNs, it would be quite a different story. Libraries can glean through the profiles of its users and, based on what they see, they can select and disseminate educational materials that would help satisfy user needs.
Users may perceive the libraries using SNS as a part of their world, not as isolated repositories of knowledge.

Ning

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:29:00 +0000

One of the greatest advantages of Ning is that anyone can create his/here social networking website based on his/her interests, areas of expertise. A Ning can be created for a specific audience or special interest group. However, Ning has its drawbacks. It requires some knowledge of web programming and lacks the scope and scalability of services such as Facebook or MySpace.
I think that Ning can be used effectively in a work environment especially for global collaboration, group projects and discussions with colleagues and co-workers.

Facebook, MySpace

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:56:00 +0000

Facebook is a free-access social networking website. Facebook has a number of features for users which makes it “sticky”. Some of these features include the Wall, a space on every user's profile page where friends can post messages for the user, Pokes, which allows users to virtually "poke” each other, Status, which allows users to inform their friends of their whereabouts and Photos.
One of the most popular applications on Facebook is Photos which allows users to upload an unlimited number of pictures where users can upload albums and photos. Facebook allows users to upload an unlimited number of photos.
Facebook’s “Gifts” service allows users to send virtual gifts to their friends that appear on the recipient's profile. Gifts cost $1.00 each, and a personalized message can be attached to each gift. Facebook’s “Marketplace”, allows users to post free classifieds.
Like Facebook, MySpace is also a social networking service. It has many features that make it "sticky”. MySpace’s “Profiles” section displays Zodiac signs. MySpace allows users to upload pictures. MySpace also has blogging and instant messaging capabilities. “MySpace News” displays news from RSS feeds submitted by users.

A Demo of Mathematica

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:11:00 +0000

This is a demo of a Symbolic Programming Software called Mathematica

vodcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:12:00 +0000

I liked all the vodcasts. Some of my favorites:

I love coffee. This one about "How to make great coffee" is delightful:
http://jfscils598f08.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-educational-video.html

The pictures are cute and colorful, the holiday theme is well chosen:
http://tascils598f08.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-monsters.html

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:26:00 +0000

You can watch "Chess trap" on blip.tv

Chess trap demo

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:58:00 +0000

This is a brief demo of the Guico Piano opening trap by Neil Chitrao

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:26:00 +0000

You can also watch this show on YouTube.

Aircraft at the Smithsonian

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:37:00 +0000

Here are some pictures of airplanes and spacecraft at the Smithsonian(Udvar-Hazy Center) during our last trip to Washington D.C. in April 2007.

Educational Video vs. Entertainment video

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:17:00 +0000

It seems that educational videos may be crushed under the huge demand for entertainment videos. Who does not enjoy sitting back and watching a funny video? The whole experience is therapeutic--it relaxes the mind, lifts the spirit and eases stress. Even dedicated students, who are so strongly aware of the benefits of learning or individuals who have allocated their personal time, energy for learning, are prone to distractions and are unable to resist the temptation of watching entertainment videos.

This being said, it should be noted that educational videos have their place in this world. They serve the important purpose of instructing/educating viewers and as such, cannot be dispensed with. Their audiences consist of students, researchers, parents, teachers and enthusiasts. High school students and their parents would find videos on the SAT and ACT testing very useful. History researchers and enthusiasts might choose to watch videos on the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Teenagers would like instructional videos on avaition, cars or about whatever their interests may be. In spite of their instuctional focus, educational videos may not be necessarily boring. Everybody appreciates that a good educational videos, which combine fun and learning are valuable and indispensable.

Flickr pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:09:00 +0000

The Flickr pictures show how similar and yet how diverse our interests/tastes are. It seems that we all enjoy travel and love our pets, books, computers and the beauty of Nature. It also seems to me that we are all good photographers. Being a diverse group, we have different interests--ethnic food, botany, cars etc.

Dolphin Story

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:44:00 +0000

Dolphins are truly wonderful. They are man's "friends in need". There have been several occasions when dolphins have come to the rescue of drowning children or adults or swimmers who had been nearly attacked by one of the most dangerous sharks--the Great White. Listen to

Anderson

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Can Libraries as a whole effectively utilize long tail of our collection?

A long standing problem with the libraries has been that they were not particularly sensitive to the needs of individuals, as a consequence, they ended up catering to the demands of masses. There are two reasons why this happened - mechanisms for finding out what a large number of people want, on individual level, that is, were not in place. Secondly, in a scenario where the resources and choices are limited, it is most efficacious to include items with most mass appeal in the library's collection.

Is it worth it?

It most certainly is worth it. Libraries couldn't attempt to cater to all the literary and and recreational needs because they lacked resources and means for accurately assessing needs of their patrons.

What would we have to do?

We will have to device means to find out what our patrons really want. This can be accomplished by means of opinion polls, suggestion boxes or surveys. Once we know what is wanted, we can gather these materials and make them available to library patrons.

Text based Blogging vs. Podcasting

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:27:00 +0000

Text based blogging and Podcasting both have their pluses and minuses. Text based blogging may be the choice of those who prefer writing to speaking/making oral presentations. Similarly those who are comfortable speaking and finding writing tedious, would opt for podcasting.

Text-based blogging gives the individual a certain degree of flexibility: She/he can read blogs at her/his pace. Text-based blogging is as useful to the hearing-impaired as podcasting is to the visually imapaired. An important advantage of podcasting over text based blogging is that it permits multi-tasking: an individual can listen to a podcast while driving or while having breakfast.

scils598f08-edexperience

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:30:00 +0000

link to scils598f08-edexperience

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:26:00 +0000

link to my scils598f08-edexperience set

EdExperience Image

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Librarians as New Producers, New Markets and New Tastemakers

noreply@blogger.com (Kalyani Chitrao) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Chris Anderson reflects on how the culture and economy are responding to changing environment. This is essentially an extension of his long tail argument. He suggests that economy is shifting from a limited number of mainstream products to a large number of “designer” products, sought by a relatively small group of people. He specifically identifies three processes:

• Democratization of products (as opposed to manufacture of products mandated by someone)
• Democratization of distribution (as opposed to a centralized distribution)
• Connection of Demand and Supply

This argument essentially shifts the focus of product design and specification from the manufacturer to the consumer. For example, in the old days, having an article published entailed a multi-stage process, requiring co-operation of many entities (publisher, printer, proof-reader etc.). Now, technological advances have empowered individuals to undertake such a task on their own. An individual can publish his thoughts using desk top publishing, a website or a wiki.

Librarians can further the cause of the democratization of distribution by helping to share resources like encyclopedias, DVDs and other materials.

Librarians are in the best position to judge the demands of their patrons and thus, they can let them dictate the materials that are acquired by the library.