Edtechkat

23 Things will continue in 2008. The next lot of Certificates will be given out at the April Quarterly Awards morning tea.

The blog is still at Murdoch University Library 23 Things and will not be taken down. You are encouraged to continue to chart your progress on the Progress Chart (Please email me for the password) If you need a “study buddy” or someone to help you, you can use the chart to find someone at the same stage as you, or someone who has finished.

Room 1.015 will be available 3-4 on Fridays (see below) for you to work through at your own pace with a mentor on hand. I am happy to run workshops during this time about a specific Thing if you would like one – just ask.

When you have finished, let me know and I’ll arrange for a 23 Things Certificate.

Room 1.015, 23 Things dates are Fridays 3-4 :

· Jan18

· Jan 25

· Feb 1

· Feb 22

· Every Friday from March 7 – Jan 2 2009

I’m happy to do one-on-one sessions, or hold a workshop at a different time and answer any email enquiries.

I will be contacting Rockingham and Peel to arrange sessions there.

In 2008, the Library Emerging Technology Group (LET) will start running again on Fridays 2-3pm in Room 1.015. All library staff from all sections are welcome – even if you drop in just every so often.

The first project we are working on is using Audacity to create an audio file – including recording and editing your own work. If we add images using Windows Movie Maker, then we will have a mini movie. We are working on 30 second or so clips using the same structure as the “Discovers @ our library” images on the big screen. “I’m so and so, and I do this in the library and my favourite discovery in the library is this thingo because it is pretty and useful “.

The first six months of the year will focus on vodcasting, podcasting and screencasting – with the aim to get better and better until it is easy to make small clips showing users how to use our resources – like LIDDAS or the second reading speeches, or a subject specific database, or …

There will be a bit of “look at this new web tool or idea” thrown in every so often.

The dates for LET are 2-3pm Fridays in 1.015:

1.       Jan18

2.       Jan 25

3.       Feb 1

4.       Feb 22

5.       Feb 29 (3.30 – 4:30)

6.       Every Friday from March 7 – Jan 2 2009

I’d welcome any feedback about potential projects or suggestions about what you would like to see at these sessions or how you would like to see this work.

I will be contacting Rockingham and Peel to arrange sessions there.

Here’s some news about Murdoch University Island in Second Life.

The ICT333 student project to build a job interview simulation for TLC277 students is finished. To see what they built, check out this clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF-Izd6Zb1c . A small study of TLC277 students who used the simulation reported that they all found it a worthwhile experience and felt more confident applying for jobs as a result.

The progress of Murdoch University Island is partly outlined here:.

1. Greenhill, Kathryn, Jones, Margaret and McKay, Jean 2007 Chat Commons and Collaboration: inadvertently Library 2.0 in Western Australia in Cohen, Laura B. 2007. Library 2.0 initiatives in academic libraries. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries. (Book/ wiki hybrid. Wiki component is at: Library 2.0 initiatives in academic libraries ).

   In the New Year, we hope to run another ICT333 student project on the island. We also have a student completing an independent study contract in Second Life in first Semester of 2008.

Allan Barton from Chemistry is creating a Forensic Science roleplay environment on one part of the “Murdoch Community Ideas Space” quarter of the island, with an aim to offer part of a first semester unit there in 2008.

The library is relocating from Cybrary City II (where the “Creating your Avatar” workshops were held) to Murdoch University Island. Three library sections will include:

• Information about Second Life
• How the library can help you in Real Life
• Workshop section

 In May the library workshop section of the island will be used for two one day training days in Melbourne and Sydney, Exploring Second Life, on behalf of CAVAL.

I will be running the Creating your Avatar and Doing More with Your Avatar workshops again on Fridays 10 – 12 in Library room 1.015 on the following dates: 21 March, 18 April, 23 May. Please email me if you would like to register for one of these.

If you are trying to find Murdoch University island and have Second Life installed on your PC, clicking here will take you there: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Murdoch%20University%20Island/128/128/0/ . Your avatar needs to have joined the Murdoch University group to get access.

I am happy to arrange a meeting of SLIG if anyone would like to meet for a tour of the island.

Here’s the slides from my presentation to the Prospective Students’ Office and the First Year Experience Coordinator, 21 Decmber 2007.

[slideshare id=208721&doc=murdoch-university-and-second-life-1198154589235023-5&w=425]

Stephen Abram’s anaylsis of the Academic Library Benchmarking report.

Jeff Tresziak from McMaster Library has just toured UK academic libraries with 20 other directors of Canadian research libaries.

A quote he liked from a presentation by JISC - “When simple change becomes transformational change, the desire for continuity becomes a dysfunctional mirage”.

The trends he spotted were:

1) Re-inventing physical spaces

2) Emphasizing the undergraduate experience (recruitment, retention, skills, employability, widening participation, achievement, etc.)

3) Partnering with faculty/graduates in teaching, learning and research

4) De-emphasizing print collections

5) Mass digitization