When educators talk about how we can best meet student needs, we can get caught up in discussions about the barriers we face (i.e. funding, training, bureaucracy, etc.). Collaborative planning and implementation can reach its true potential once we are all participating in the same discussion about the need for equality of access. Understanding Humans (behaviors, activities, emotions, logic) is the link to The Hyperlinked Library (See Post Title).
The Hyperlinked Library will both develop & facilitate Enlightened thinkers. Like all societal shifting technologies, computers and communication technologies have already changed the way we think & work. The web of support – manifested by the international collaboration of “school library, public library, and academic library” (Stephens) – will cater to the new information and communication needs of current and new library users. Physical libraries will no longer be individual silos! The Hyperlinked Library will be a united force – its sole purpose: to educate and serve.
Today, I noticed a few of my former students using a mashup video-chat/Facebook app called Tinychat.
For our students’ safety and educational benefit, librarians (and others involved in education) need to keep current with new types of social software & new entertainment and communication technology (Mathews). By staying in-the-know, librarians can instruct both library staff and patrons in the best practices for safely researching, creating, and communicating via the internet. By staying in-the-know, librarians can reach all patrons via the same technology they are using to network and communicate with each other.
“Originally developed for the One Laptop per Child XO-1 netbook.”
P.S. Michael Stephens, Stephen Mandelbrot looks like a super approachable hyperlinked librarian. Thanks for taking the lead!