rrscils598f08

readings: Everything Bad Is Good For You (part 2)

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:49:00 +0000

Johnson makes an interesting argument in Part 1 for the increasing complexity of entertainment media, and links it to a purported increasing trend in IQ. It's possible. I just need to see it presented more scientifically with data, confidence intervals, other variables, etc. before I buy in. (I need to pursue some of those endnotes. Wish they had been footnotes--I noticed them too late.)

While I remained somewhat skeptical, I found myself a little annoyed with Johnson near the end, when he suddenly:

bemoans the loss of patience and attention span to read a long novel or book (p. 185-188),
quotes Dr. Spock, encouraging parents to "foster in [their] children a love of reading and the printed word from the start," (p. 188) and
appeases skeptics, luddites and naysayers with the old fallback, "everything in moderation." (p. 193)

C'mon, have some guts! Don't back down! Either our increasing IQ's are attributable to increasingly complex entertainment media, or they're not. I see the bone you're tossing at us librarians, and I'm not falling for it! (Actually, I am. But I think Johnson's argument would have been stronger if he didn't serve it up with a nice big plate of waffles.)

SG asks, what does Johnson's argument (presumably, pre-waffle-fest) mean for libraries and/or education? I think it means we're on the right track. Libraries (as a whole) are just behind the early adopters, and ahead of most of the curve in using web 2.0 technologies (e.g., virtual reference, digital collections, even SL) and providing access to digital media brain food. We have games, DVDs, audiobooks. We social network; we LibraryThing. And, if the evil giant and Hathi Trust get their way, even those 300 page books and side of waffles Johnson served up will be available online along side the game guides and Season 6 of Seinfeld.

if I taught this class...

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:13:00 +0000

I'd probably screw it up. LOL. I have really enjoyed this class and using all of the social software tools. Call me crazy, but I didn't find the workload overwhelming. (Of course, I also liked MMP. ) Probably the only changes I would make to the class would be ones that would annoy the students:

For example, I missed the back and forth of commenting on classmates' blog posts. I would probably continue that throughout the course. (Yes, I know we could have done it anyway, and some of us did, but since it wasn't required, I didn't do it as much as I would have liked. Plus, it is nice to know that someone is reading your posts once in a while.)

I also enjoyed the new-to-me posts, which I would have liked to see continue throughout the class - possibly through shared bookmarking (which seemed to fizzle out) rather than through blog posting.

One thing I would have liked to learn about (and missed if it was covered) is ping-backs and track-backs in blogging. I have only a vague idea of what they are, and I'm not sure how to implement them.

Great class. Interesting readings (yes, even B&D). Learned some cool new things. Met some smart and interesting folks. Really glad I took this class. It's been fun. :-)

second day in SL

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:06:00 +0000

After wandering around aimlessly in SL , I found the New Citizens, Inc. group, which was annoying IM-wise, but very helpful in that it connected me to the mentor mentioned in my previous post. Based on this positive experience, I decided to look for library-related groups.

Joining the ALA-Events group gave me a cool (to me) tagline above my avatar, "I Love Libraries," and I started getting notices of their events. I sat in on a small meeting with the resident in charge of ALA Island, which was informative, and connected me with some folks at the meeting who recruited me into school library-related groups. Here is a snapshot of the meeting. (I apparently missed the memo on appropriate dress. ;-)

I also found some cool places, like Svarga Island. Check out the all-girl, all-598 band (Gabber, Oracle and Jensea):

The sim of Old Queens Campus was amazing to this 3-time RU student. I met some of its developers (builders?), and spent too much time talking to them and asking questions.

Finally, here's a screenshot of me with my (growing) groups list open in the floating Banned Books Week sim on ALA Island:

Yeah, I spent WAY too much time in SL this week, and could definitely see myself getting sucked deeper and deeper into it. For example, there's a great tutorial on building prims on Edutech Island, and I still haven't visited the growing RU area the developers told me about, and …

SL: where oh where is my avatar?

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:35:00 +0000

So, I went into SL a few different ways (scholar and general), but each time, my avatar would not show up. I was just a cloud. *sigh*

I checked everything, my video card, my drivers, my in game settings. Nothing. But then, I joined a wonderful group called New Citizens, Inc. An in-game mentor saw my question and helped me. He had an immediate solution (which I'll share in a sec), and then spent an hour showing me how to do everything, giving me things, and took me to a really cool island to see the Oracle (seeing as my SL name is Oracle).

I tried to screencast the instructions on fixing the fog-for-an-avatar issue, but even a very short screencast was too big to upload. So here it is:

Open the Advanced menu (if you can't see it in the menu bar, use Ctl-Alt-D)
Select Character
Select Character Test (Male or Female, as you prefer)
Your avatar should appear!

Here's the one that showed up when I did this on my own:

Here's the one that the in game mentor gave me:

Guess he wanted some eye candy as he helped me along. Plus it is really cool with wild flowing hair, blinking jewelry, and a bouncy little skirt. I'm thinking I need to find some more modest clothing, so I don't start getting offers like some of my classmates.

gaming? in a school library?

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:51:00 +0000

Gaming would be a really hard sell for my elementary school libraries. My initial reaction is that there is neither room in the budget nor room in the curriculum for gaming. With just $1K per year for books, I don't know how I would justify the purchase of games, let alone a gaming console.

However, let's imagine that I've given each of my principals copies of Steve Johnson's Everything Bad is Good For You, and have convinced them that IS gaming is a valuable extra-curricular (or even cross-curricular) activity. Let's further imagine that I've received a grant like the one Jenny Levine mentions in her Sirsi/Dynix Institute presentation, Gaming in the Library, where I'm *required* to bring in innovative programming, like, ahem, gaming. Where to begin?

My criteria would likely include:

Cost
Successful use in other districts
Ability to create connections to curriculum standards
Usability - the interface/controllers can't be too complex for youngest students in my K-5 building.
Availability of appropriate titles.
Acceptance/perception among the school community. The system needs to be attractive to students/parents/administrators. It can't be seen as too young or too mature for the student body.

I'd conduct my research on several fronts: First, a survey of the students and faculty: What games do they play? Which consoles do they have at home? Which consoles do they prefer? Why?

Second, I'd look online to see what other schools are using and reach out to them for advice. A quick search of Levine's blog, revealed one district's curriculum connections for board games. I'm guessing that someone somewhere is doing this for video games, too. Levine also had a link to this post from a school library that includes Webkinz, DDR, and Guitar Hero.

A few years ago, I might have emphasized comparing platforms based on which titles they offer. Today, it seems that many titles are now released across multiple platforms. Similarly, most consoles offer online content and forums. However, the popularity of a given gaming system among schools would be an important factor if we wanted to connect with other gaming schools online for gameplay, competition and discussions.

Not having done the research, my first instinct is that the Wii platform would be a good choice. Right now, it has a very family-friendly reputation, not shared by consoles such as X-box 360 or PS-3. Although physical games such as DDR and Eye Toy exist for other systems, Wii's interface involves more physical movement for all of its games. With the Wii Fit and sports games that involve mimicking the actual motions of real physical play, tie-ins to physical education curricula should be easy.

screencasting: best practices for beginners

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:07:00 +0000

In my limited experience, here a few tips for successful screencasting:

Don't bother doing a dry run without recording. You are going to rerecord it a gazillion times for a gazillion stupid reasons (e.g., the kids come running into the room screaming, someone slams a door, you forget what you wanted to say). You might as well start recording from the get go. It is good practice. And who knows, one day that first take might just be a keeper. (It could happen.)
Practice doesn't make perfect. It will never be perfect. Good enough is good enough. There are no Emmys or Oscars at stake. Move on.
Know the limitations of your equipment. Accept them. Move on. If you have a built in mic that works, for example, it will be much easier and more efficient to just find a quiet place to record, or banish your family from the house for an hour, than it will be to spend days troubleshooting the volume levels of that headset (the one you just had to buy) that sounds fine when you listen to it locally but becomes completely inaudible upon upload. There is no reason. There is no solution. Do what works and move on.
It is your voice. And, yes, you REALLY sound like that. However, you don't have to like it. You don't have to listen to it. We do. Accept it and move on.
Stay on message. You may not need/want to script your screencast, but have a specific teaching objective and stick to it.
Less is more. Don't over-narrate. We can see what you are doing.
Less is more. Keep it short. Under 5 minutes is good. Under 2 minutes is better.
Smile when you talk. You sound more relaxed and friendlier, even if it is your 10th take and you are ready to throw the laptop out the window.

Everything Bad Is Good For You (part 1)

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:06:00 +0000

In part one of EBIGY, Steve Johnson lays out an interesting argument regarding the evolution of entertainment media/content into increasingly complex and intellectually demanding, and I agree. I see it being played out in my children's lives. Where I was playing Go Fish and Crazy Eights at age four, my son was playing Pokémon cards. He couldn't read, so he memorized the combinations of strengths, weaknesses, attacks and defenses and their consequences. When he became frustrated with the inequality of certain match-ups in the first generation of Pokémon cards, he made up his own characters and cards to add to the game.

After Pokémon, my son quickly moved on to the even more complex Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. By the time the second release of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards appeared, it wasn't the game that frustrated my son, it was the incompetence and slowness of his opponents (his father and I). I was amazed at how quickly he could calculate the damages and effects of the cards, when each attack seemed to involve the effects of several cards on each side of the playing field.

A few years ago, he began playing World of Warcraft, where he started his own guild, complete with its own website and message boards. His most recent obsession is Unforgotten Realms, where he and other members construct intricate (text-based) roleplays on message boards with multiple characters, story lines and detailed narrative threads. (Think fan-fiction for the RPG set, where they make up their own characters and stories.)

So, as far as gaming goes, I completely agree with Johnson's premise that gaming is a complex medium that builds cognitive skills. What is new to me, however, is Johnson's use of a similar argument for television, including reality programming. I mean, really, reality tv has redeeming qualities?! Johnson's argument for emotional intelligence is interesting, but I'm going to need some more evidence. I'm not entirely convinced, but I'm definitely curious enough to "tune in" for part 2 next week...

gaming screencast

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:42:00 +0000

My current online game addiction is Who Has the Biggest Brain? on Facebook. You play against your own score and the scores of your friends, your networks, and the world. It's very competitive and very addicting. Watch me play here.

I play most of my competitive online games asynchronously: Biggest Brain on Facebook, and email Scrabulous with my sister. Though they're asynchronous, I definitely count them as playing a game with someone. Our schedules don't match, but we still play against each other. It is great for busy but competitive souls like me, my sister, and my neighbor, Jean.

learning from Boyd?

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:13:00 +0000

From reading her online response, it seems Dana M. Boyd's essay, "Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace" generated some digital brouhaha. I'm still wondering why. If you haven't been under a digital rock, or if you've read Boyd's article, "Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship," then you know that:

Facebook originated at Harvard.
MySpace grew up on the open web.

IMHO, well, duh. These sites started out with a built-in class divide. Why is anyone surprised that, with the help of media and parental sway, that divide persists? Why is anyone surprised that socio-economic and demographic divides exist on this side of the digital divide, too? Of course they do. Our society is built upon these divisions. We're not allowed to talk about them in polite company, but boy-howdy, they exist. And our society is structured to keep it that way. How could they not emerge online, too?

What can libraries takeaway from Boyd? In addition to reaching communities on both sides of the digital divide, we need to seek out and reach communities on both sides of the online divide. If we establish an online presence, we need to reach out broadly: to patrons on MySpace, Facebook, and (God help us) to those misguided lunatics who post on the NJ.com boards. (Just kidding, NJ.com message board folks. No flames, please. Grow a sense of humor already.)

Ning has not been my thing

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:37:00 +0000

I joined LIS Students Ning last semester, only to find a decidedly inactive network. People keep joining, but with no real hook, and no baseline level of activity, there is nothing to participate in, and no reason to return. It is kind of a vicious cycle…in reverse. Do LIS Students really have so little to say? Or do we just have too much homework to join another social network? (I vote for the latter.) I just joined Joyce Valenza's TeacherLibrarian Ning, which seems to be much more dynamic. I'll see if this is any stickier for me - or if I find time to keep up with it (or make an effort to do so).

In comparison, I check my "real" Facebook account daily. It is "stickier" for me b/c it includes people from my "real" life, and enables me to keep in touch with them where I might not otherwise find the time. We can monitor each other's status, leave messages, have conversations via notes/comments - all asynchronously, at our own convenience.

Having said that, in theory, Ning can be a great thing as, a private or specialized social network for:

+ attendees of a conference,

+ members/supporters of a cause,

+ employees of a company,

+ professional associations (and their chapters, committees, etc.),

+ fandoms.

For any/all of these groups, a specialized social networking platform like Ning can facilitate communication and collaboration across time and space by groups of like-minded people, or people with similar goals/interests. Ning's blogs, forums, groups, and RSS of members' activities offer multiple ways of communicating, collaborating and otherwise sharing ideas.

The biggest drawback, or more accurately, the biggest obstacle that any Ning has to overcome is reaching that baseline level of activity that will effectively draw (more and more) people into returning and participating in your community. Social networks need to generate their own fuel. That fuel is motivation. And good luck finding enough motivation among already overloaded people to get your Ning off the ground and keep it running.

social networks: valuable platforms for independent, self-directed learning (no, really!)

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:25:00 +0000

According to Wikipedia:

Facebook has 124,000,000 registered users, and is 5th in Alexa global page rank.
MySpace has 246,351,193 registered users, and is 6th in Alexa global page rank.

What makes these sites so "sticky"?

Is it ego -- a desperate plea for our 15 minutes of fame? Is it voyeurism, as Tamara suggests? If you ask the folks at the MacArthur Foundation, it is nothing so base as that. Instead, the digital world and social networks such as Facebook and MySpace "have captured teens’ attention because they provide avenues for extending social worlds, self-directed learning, and independence."And here, you thought they were just wasting time!

The results of a three-year study funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, indicate that "youth engage in peer-based, self-directed learning online," expanding their technical and media literacy. A brief, 2-page pdf summary of the study results can be found here.

For the more curious and less time-strapped, the 58-page pdf of the white paper is here. And, for the truly academic or insomniac among us, the full book-length report can be read online here at the Digital Youth Project's website.

N.B. for my classmates: The lead author of the chapter on Friendship is Dana Boyd (of this week's assigned readings).

another screencast: posting a note in Facebook

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Want to start a conversation among a group of friends on Facebook? Write a note and tag them. Tagged friends will receive notifications of your note and all responses. Here's a quick screencast "how to."

my screencast: how to map a network drive

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:34:00 +0000

This semester, I've been alternating between working on my old desktop and the new laptop. In this screencast, I share a quick & dirty lesson on how to easily locate and access files on a networked computer by mapping a network drive. Thanks for watching.

our vodcasts

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:09:00 +0000

I was really impressed with all of the videos we posted last week. If I must choose a favorite, my vote has to go to Learning Aramaic with Steve Caruso. The titles, video and music are very well produced--all of which comprise a very effective and deceptive cover for a hysterical little "lesson" in Aramaic.

video post #2

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:28:00 +0000

Here's my "educational" video: How to make Crabby Patty cookies. These are quick & easy, no-bake cookies that the kids can assemble. Very popular for BBQs, class parties and bake sales. Enjoy!

View the original video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9S-yubUVw

educational vs entertainment videos

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Two brief thoughts:

1. I'm not sure that there's any real competition here. Educational and entertainment videos generally have different audiences. Entertainment videos are typically aimed at much wider audiences than educational videos. Educational videos are typically more of a niche thing--instructing a motivated audience how to do something specific.

2. The two categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Entertainment videos can teach, and some of the best educational videos are entertaining. For example, I learned everything I know about math from Abbott & Costello:

Link to original video: http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=93b89d8fbee5667d077f

our flickr groups

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:02:00 +0000

I think our flickr groups (scils598f08 and scils598f08-edexperience) show more similarities than differences. Most of us posted pix of our computers, gadgets, family, travel, food/beverages, books and our messy desks. Differences showed up in how we get to school (virtually or via train or turnpike), and how we define our family (parent vs child/sibling and whether our family includes pet(s)). I thought it was funny how very similar some of our photos were.

video post #1

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:52:00 +0000

As soon as Hannah discovered the built in cam in our new laptop, her alter ego, "Dr. Hannah," emerged, and she started creating inspirational videos. Enjoy!

Click to play

Original video at: http://blip.tv/file/1449406

podcasts vs blogs

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:41:00 +0000

I subscribe to a number of blogs and podcasts. I love both formats, and never really thought about comparing them before. To me, they are two different animals, as evidenced by my feeds. I honestly never realized this before, but my blog and podcast feeds seem to fall into two distinct categories (with only 1 or 2 exceptions): I read blogs about children's literature and libraries, and I listen to radio shows. (Predicatable much?) No thinking outside the box here.

In any case, based on my listening/reading habits and what we covered this week, here's my q&d comparison:

podcasts
+ easier to digest longer content
+ illusion of being more personal - the audience is listening to someone rather than reading something
+ tone of voice conveys meaning more clearly (e.g., sarcasm)
+ can use sound/effects to convey information/meaning
+ can listen while away from the computer
+ can drive/multitask while listening
- Requires some technical know-how to download/listen
- More difficult to edit/produce
- More difficult to navigate if you need to rewind or want to skip ahead
- Cannot search/index content

blogs
+ simple to edit/produce
+ can index/search
+ can include hyperlinks
+ simple to access - no special equipment/software needed to read
+ easy to navigate/skim
- Long/complicated material can be hard to read on screen
- Less portable than podcast

my first podcast episode

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:09:00 +0000

My very first podcast is a quick story about my first parent-teacher conference night as an elementary school library media specialist. You can listen by clicking here: http://www.switchpod.com/users/rrscils598f08/episode1new.mp3 or use the player below. Enjoy! (and thanks for listening)

libraries and the long tail: redux

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:07:00 +0000

I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around the idea of libraries and the Long Tail. (Maybe I should stop leaving this part of my hw for last?)

For the most part, libraries, as most people see and use them, are physical places, constrained by limited shelf space, and proximity to their patrons. Even library consortia and online aggregators, which push collections down the long tail, are constrained by interminable ILL wait times. I am in no way advocating the end of the book, but unless (or deity forbid, until) library collections are completely digital, libraries will only be able to travel so far down the Long Tail.

In the meantime (instead?) libraries can contribute/participate/serve the Long Tail as:

producers, by:
- digital collections, blogs, presentations, and
- by allowing users to contribute to their collections by commenting, tagging and reviewing their digital content and print collections (e.g., LibraryThing for Libraries).
aggregators, by:
- participating in consortia, and
- promoting and aiding patrons in accessing aggregators, such as JerseyClicks, JerseyCat, and WorldCat.
tastemakers, by:
- incorporating filters into their catalog to enhance readers advisory with customized lists based on patron borrowing habits,
- paying attention to post-filter patron comments and stats, as well as the traditional pre-filters of professional reviews.

my SCILS experience

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:53:00 +0000

My SCILS experience has been a roller coaster ride of exhaustion and exhilaration, frustration and accomplishment, confusion and illumination, isolation and immersion.

A couple of things have been key in getting me through. First, a high tolerance for chaos. (Witness my cluttered desktops.) Second: connections to my classmates via IM and Facebook. Who else is available to give me a pep talk at 2 am? (Thanks peep461, ankish and jewelkm!)

For more about my SCILS experience, check out my Flickr set, and this collection of images from my classmates.

checking my stats

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:52:00 +0000

A quick look at stats for this blog suggests most visitors are just like me. So much so, in fact, that I had to double check that my IP address is blocked correctly. (It is.)

63.75% of visitors use Firefox, and 73.75% have a cable connection.

I'm curious about the 2 visits via Chrome - I had never heard of it before. ( If that's you, can you post a review for us?)

I was surprised to see that someone (2 visits) is using dialup. Hopefully that was just a temporary thing. I have to use it at my parents' summer home, and I'm trying to convince them to upgrade.

Most surprising find? My blog has had 5 visitors coming in from search engines - all using different keywords.

libraries and the long tail

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:10:00 +0000

This, week in class, Steve asks, "Is the library world as a whole set to benefit from the Long Tail?"

WADR (and maybe it's b/c we're only 3 chapters into the book), I think we should be asking "Is the library world as a whole set to SERVE the Long Tail?" The Long Tail, as described by Chris Anderson, is very well served by digital media providers, such as Rhapsody and iTunes. Digital providers can offer seemingly unlimited choice and immediate delivery.

Libraries, in contrast, are still largely tied by physical and temporal constraints. Yes, the depth is there--especially within and among consortia. But ILL delivery time (at least in my town) is on the order of 15 days (or more!). The LT, used to the instant gratification of online media, just doesn't have that kind of patience. Attention spans aside, the world as a whole moves much faster than that.

The answer would seem to be in expanding electronic resources and making them easily findable and accessible. And large libraries (e.g., NYPL) are responding with growing digital collections. But to truly sustain the information needs of Long Tail, we need to think beyond individual libraries (no matter how large), or even regional consortia. The task is immense and, if Anderson is correct, never-ending (as demand constantly rises to meet supply). Perhaps the evil giant and it's Google Book Search (along with Hathi Trust) is a logical step toward a library for the Long Tail. Certainly, economically, it may be the only option for creating digital access to existing print collections.

With constant budget cuts, libraries are having a hard time justifying their LT collections. In public and school libraries in particular, dwindling book budgets are forcing us backward into the "blockbuster" model rather than moving us forward with the Long Tail.

Do users want more choices, depth and variety? Yes. Are libraries ready to provide it? Not yet. But, the Long Tail is trying to wag the dog. Will he get up and learn some new (digital) tricks before his audience moves on?

of social software and group projects

rrscils598f08@gmail.com — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:09:00 +0000

Honestly, I hate group projects. Group projects are painful. Plus, I'm too much of a control freak. (There, I said it.) However, social software tools such as Google Docs and Spresent can make group projects less painful. Things that made my first online group projects difficult--specifically, multiple versions of files and slides floating around--disappear with the common workspace provided by these applications.

Would these applications make project creation easier? faster? Depends on the students. Yes, if everyone in the group is comfortable and fluent in technology. No, if any of the group members are resistant to new technology or otherwise stuck in their ways. And, no, for all of those folks who just don't work well with others: if it don't work in person, putting it online ain't gonna help. ;-) But, for me? Yes, absolutely, these applications make group projects easier, faster, and...almost bearable.

Do I think this type of document will be welcomed, accepted, etc. by online/on-campus faculty? Why/why not? Again, I have to waffle and say, it depends on the instructor. If the instructor is fluent and comfortable in technology, I would think they would welcome the use of technology by students; particularly if the instructor is interested in assessing students on their individual contribution and effort. (In Google Docs, for example, the instructor can see precisely what changes are made, by whom, and when.) However, if an instructor, refuses, for example, to give individual comments on student work because he/she is afraid to download MSWord files? (Hypothetically speaking, of course.) Well, then, I doubt whether he/she is ready for Google Docs or Spresent. On the other hand, online software might be just the answer to said hypothetical professor's hypothetical fears about file sharing.

As with anything new or different, the more online software such as Google Docs and Spresent come into common use, the more accepting students and faculty will become.