Libraries Across America. Are they needed?

While I was reading Cool Cat Teachers blog I came across a blog that talked about libraries and how the internet is becoming our new library system. I think that is true that the internet is the new place to find information but libraries are still opened around the United States. The internet has a lot of offer and can help with researching information. But this is not helpful to people who don't have internet at home. I read an article called Stupid Question of the Day: Do we still need libraries? that the blogger added at the end of her blog and really enjoyed it. It caught my interest because I want to work in a library someday and it makes me sad that people think libraries are not needed anymore. The internet is very useful in finding information but people who don't have internet at home need a place to go and people to ask that know a lot about different resources they can use. Librarians can tell you more about finding resources and new information than a computer could. They know the ins and outs of new technology and can be helpful in your research.

picture from http://jennings-jones.com/Library_Internet.jpg

New Technology for the Classroom: The Clicker

The clicker is a new technology advancement for students to use in the classroom. The clicker is used by students to give feedback to the teacher and lets the teacher know if students understand what they are being taught. It is also used to answer questions that the teacher asks during the lecture. I think this would be a great device for a lot of students. Some of the younger ones might not understand it but I think it could be used for junior high through college. I would love to see something like this at our college.

Clicker

BookServer

BookServer is a virtual library where you can download, borrow, or buy digital books from all across the web. It has not yet come out and is still being worked on and improved but they hope to have it out soon. BookServer will be better than Amazon’s Kindle Store where they only sell digital books in one format, which makes it hard for a lot of people that do not have this formatting. BookServer will be able to have formats that can be downloaded to laptops, PCs, game consoles, and smartphones. I think this will be a great improvement in many ways.

BookServer Website

Technology of the Future

I think we watched this video or a video like this in class but I was just so amazed by it that I wanted to write a blog about it. It just blows my mind the different facts they throw at you about populations, technology, jobs, and social networking. The most amazing fact for me is that they are training students now for jobs for technology to solve problems, all of which don't exist yet. I also thought the fact that if Myspace were a country it would be the 5th largest in the world. It just goes to show that technology and the internet are becoming increasingly popular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q75KhAeqJg

First Blog

This is my first blog! I'm in class at UNI and we had to make a blog. It's awesome! I found a great article on how to incorporate technology in the classroom. Marilyn Western wrote about different activities that students could do online or on the computer. She said that blogs were a great way for students to write stories, talk about current events, or have class discussions. She also said that students could use digital cameras to take pictures and make a collage or make a video. These were all great ideas that could be used in the classroom.

Technology used in Classroom