Classrooms for the Future

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Comment by Tom Adamich on April 22, 2009 at 11:53am

Hi. ...Glad to be a new part of your discussions.

Would like to know if there's interest in facilitating/participating in the following. I submitted to Doug Francis per his request:

Concept Proposal: PSLA Virtual School Libraries Roundtable

Rationale:

The development of Internet-based resource access and communication has also fostered the development of virtual infrastructures such as online education, e-commerce, e-government, etc. Also, there has been exponential growth in the use of Interactive Digital Technology (IDT), the combination of technology and skill sets to create computer games (such as virtual worlds – Second Life, etc.) where entertainment is not the prime objective.

Virtual worlds are defined as simulated environments that appear to have the characteristics of some other environment, and in which participants perceive themselves as interactive parts (Source: http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/projects/devglossary/_virtual_world.html ; Accessed 22 April 2009.)

An additional “non-entertainment” area of Internet-based growth is the use of social networks (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) for non-entertainment purposes. These networks are rapidly becoming integral parts of daily communication and information/resource sharing for people worldwide – particularly in the education community.

Teacher-librarians are quickly adapting to integrating these new forms of information access and interaction into both current traditional processes and the use of new online delivery modalities.

With regard to online education, the development of K-12 cyber schools – also known as digital academies, has taken place since the early part of the 21st century. Its growth has fostered explorations in providing library services in this new arena of primary and secondary school instruction. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is home to one of the largest cyber schools in the U.S – PA Cyber. PA Cyber currently serves the education needs of over 6,000 Commonwealth residents. http://www.pacyber.org/about/

Our young people, well versed in both Internet-based activities and the use of IDL. Not only can we, as teacher-librarians, learn from their youthful creative expertise and enthusiasm, but we can assist them, using our wisdom and understanding, to develop intelligent, responsible, and ethical uses of these tools – both for non-entertainment and entertainment-based purposes.

Based on the fact that the virtual school libraries concept is evolving, the need for virtual school library professional development and collaboration/peer supports becomes more acute. Those concepts form the basis of this proposal. Furthermore, PSLA’s role as one of the leading teacher-librarian professional organizations makes it an ideal venue, as PSLA members are, consistently, some of the most progressive, productive school library professionals worldwide.

Goals:

Thus, the goals of the PSLA Virtual School Libraries Roundtable are as follows:

1. Create definitions for cyberschool, digital academy, and libraries in virtual world for use in current/future policy and operations development
2. Establish a forum for discussion of K-12 online education-based library and virtual school library activities and issues
3. Foster development of a clearinghouse for virtual school library best practices both in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and nationwide.
4. Encourage collaboration with other libraries/institutions, including the following [reprinted with permission from the author]:




The Association for Rural & Small
>> Libraries became involved in Second Life in 2008. Our virtual
>> library was donated a parcel by the Alliance Library System, who then
>> owned the island (and indeed many other islands) of Cybrary City 1.
>>
>> We placed our building that contains links to ARSL's online services,
>> a bulletin board for virtual patrons to leave messages, and created
>> an in world group specifically for Rural Libraries. I'd been in
>> Second Life with my own libraries since 2007 and helped manage
>> islands for Alliance for many months, worked virtual refernence at
>> Info International Reference Desk, and helped LIS graduate students
>> and professors in world with research questions and during class times.
>> Several of our Board members participate with avatars, the others
>> support the effort with other online services or ways.
>>
>> Some of the events that we've participated in include the IOWA
>> Virtual Small Library Conference, the ALA's Midwinter Conference
>> activities in Second Life, numerous book discussions, countless tours
>> of our facility, and virtual reference in the ARSL library. We are
>> involved with the 1,200 librarians planning events and offering
>> library services, several universities, and a number of library associations.
>> Our outreach with Second Life is not limited to the United States,
>> since libraries that share our island are from all over the world.
>>
>> Some reasons for being in virtual environment:
>>
>> 1.) To help mitigate rural isolation
>> 2.) Enhance our visibility
>> 3.) Expand our user base/membership
>> 4.) Collaborate with other professions with overlapping
>> missions/members
>> 5.) Be leaders of technology instead of followers
>> 6.) To help train library students
>>
>> There are other reasons, naturally, but those are some of the larger ones.
>>
>> At some point, we'd like to offer workshops in world, perhaps hold
>> Board meetings in that platform, and reach a broad user base to tell
>> the ARSL story. Recruitment to serve or for membership is always
>> desired.
>>
>> This is the location of our virtual library
>> http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cybrary%20City/177/209/24

Also, take a look at the following: http://www.slideshare.net/secret/snuZsjcF9Cd41I
It is a link to a presentation that I did at the ARSL Conference on our involvement with Second Life.
>>
>> I'd be happy to give you a tour of our facility or of the other
>> libraries that I manage in Second Life or to offer more information.
>> I'm also cc'ing our President, Patty Hector so that she has an
>> opportunity to add to this note, should she wish.
>>
>> In gratitude,
>> Sonja (Morgwain in Second Life)
Sonja Plummer-Morgan, Librarian
City of Presque Isle
Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library
Presque Isle, Maine 04769
(207) 764-2571
www.presqueisle.lib.me.us
sonjaplummer@presqueisle.lib.me.us
http://twitter.com/PresqueIsleLib
Please feel free to contact me with additional comments/questions/suggestions.
Respectfully submitted – 22 April 2009:
Tom Adamich, MLS
President
Visiting Librarian Service
Senior Executive Consultant
Mitinet, Inc.
P.O. Box 932
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
330-364-4410
vls@tusco.net
toma@mitinet.com
Additional contact information:
Tom Adamich
Head of Metadata Services
Muskingum College Library
163 Stormont St.
New Concord, OH 43762
Office: 740-826-8015
FAX: 740-826-8404
email: tadamich@muskingum.edu

Feel free to contact me with questions. Thanks.

Tom