education
All podcasts should be enhanced
In the past five years I've grown to really like to listen to a number of people because of the news, insights and opinions that they provide. Of course, just like a newspaper, I don't want to listen to every topic that someone podcasts about, like things in the "news" section of podcasts because chances are that I've already listened to straight news about that industry that week.
One of my frustrations on the 2 hour long podcasts is that I don't have the option to look at the chapters, see the topics and then pick which chapter I would like to listen to based on the chapter's topic.
Most of these podcasts are post processed by audio engineers so why not create an AAC edition with chapters? This would be useful not only for joe-average, but also for people in education that want to use podcasts but want to skip to a particular section.
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The right to read
04/February/2009 17:23 Filed in: Technology
Recently I came across and article called the
right to read
It's not long, and it's a short sci-fi story.
With all the talk about ebooks this year being the in thing for 2009, and my own experiences with ebooks, I think that it's worth while to read.
Now while this story is rather bleak and it points to a possibility, an unintended consequence of DRM on our media and its effects on education.
Excerpt:
For Dan Halbert, the road to Tycho began in college—when Lissa Lenz asked to borrow his computer. Hers had broken down, and unless she could borrow another, she would fail her midterm project. There was no one she dared ask, except Dan.
This put Dan in a dilemma. He had to help her—but if he lent her his computer, she might read his books. Aside from the fact that you could go to prison for many years for letting someone else read your books, the very idea shocked him at first. Like everyone, he had been taught since elementary school that sharing books was nasty and wrong—something that only pirates would do.
And there wasn't much chance that the SPA—the Software Protection Authority—would fail to catch him. In his software class, Dan had learned that each book had a copyright monitor that reported when and where it was read, and by whom, to Central Licensing. (They used this information to catch reading pirates, but also to sell personal interest profiles to retailers.) The next time his computer was networked, Central Licensing would find out. He, as computer owner, would receive the harshest punishment—for not taking pains to prevent the crime.
To continue reading click here
It's not long, and it's a short sci-fi story.
With all the talk about ebooks this year being the in thing for 2009, and my own experiences with ebooks, I think that it's worth while to read.
Now while this story is rather bleak and it points to a possibility, an unintended consequence of DRM on our media and its effects on education.
Excerpt:
For Dan Halbert, the road to Tycho began in college—when Lissa Lenz asked to borrow his computer. Hers had broken down, and unless she could borrow another, she would fail her midterm project. There was no one she dared ask, except Dan.
This put Dan in a dilemma. He had to help her—but if he lent her his computer, she might read his books. Aside from the fact that you could go to prison for many years for letting someone else read your books, the very idea shocked him at first. Like everyone, he had been taught since elementary school that sharing books was nasty and wrong—something that only pirates would do.
And there wasn't much chance that the SPA—the Software Protection Authority—would fail to catch him. In his software class, Dan had learned that each book had a copyright monitor that reported when and where it was read, and by whom, to Central Licensing. (They used this information to catch reading pirates, but also to sell personal interest profiles to retailers.) The next time his computer was networked, Central Licensing would find out. He, as computer owner, would receive the harshest punishment—for not taking pains to prevent the crime.
To continue reading click here
Librarians without Libraries?
I read this article today in the
incoming section of my Google Reader.
// Begin quote //
One particularly revealing moment in his discussion is his day 60 post in which he describes a series of questions that he poses to his graduate students to get at the "fundamental things we do."
The Question and Conclusions
// End quote //
It is quite an interesting read, so you should have a look at the article, if you are in the library field at least.
My take on this:
Yes, there will be a place for librarians (I call them Information Scientists) in a place where there are no libraries (as we see them today).
The first thing here is that library school does not teach you specific skills, unless you so choose to focus on reference or cataloguing, thus your skills of information sleuthing are already transferable o not only other information jobs, but also to this upcoming reality of more virtual information hitting the library.
I personally think that this is a good thing because it will get qualified individuals into the library field without the MLIS (masters in Library and information science). As has been written by me and other on lisnews and alatechsource on the subject of librarianship, the profession needs to be more inclusive in its hiring practices and who it elects to call a librarian. People without MLIS degrees have a lot to bring to the table, for the profession and the patrons it serves, and this new information reality has the potential to change libraries and the profession for the better.
// Begin quote //
One particularly revealing moment in his discussion is his day 60 post in which he describes a series of questions that he poses to his graduate students to get at the "fundamental things we do."
The Question and Conclusions
Can doctor still be a doctor without a hospital? They usually answer -- of course. Can you be a lawyer with out a courthouse? Again -- affirmative. Now the money shot -- Can you be a librarian without a library? Dead silence.One would hope that the questions prompt a discussion and don't just end in "dead silence." Although John doesn't tell us what the discussion, if any, was, he does give us his conclusions: possession of "material" might have once been central to the purpose of libraries but, in the digital age, possession is much less important part of what libraries do.
// End quote //
It is quite an interesting read, so you should have a look at the article, if you are in the library field at least.
My take on this:
Yes, there will be a place for librarians (I call them Information Scientists) in a place where there are no libraries (as we see them today).
The first thing here is that library school does not teach you specific skills, unless you so choose to focus on reference or cataloguing, thus your skills of information sleuthing are already transferable o not only other information jobs, but also to this upcoming reality of more virtual information hitting the library.
I personally think that this is a good thing because it will get qualified individuals into the library field without the MLIS (masters in Library and information science). As has been written by me and other on lisnews and alatechsource on the subject of librarianship, the profession needs to be more inclusive in its hiring practices and who it elects to call a librarian. People without MLIS degrees have a lot to bring to the table, for the profession and the patrons it serves, and this new information reality has the potential to change libraries and the profession for the better.
Is the Bachelor’s degree obsolete?
15/May/2008 18:47 Filed in: School
That’s an interesting question posed in this article
(CLICK HERE). Personally I do
not know if the BA/BS is dead, but it certainly
costs a lot of money, so graduates with a
Bachelor’s degree usually leave school with a
lot of debt. I have also noticed that many of my
peers, or even people older than I, are back in
school for a Master’s because it appears that
you need a Master’s degree for anything other
than entry level jobs…and of course the Master’s
costs a pretty penny too.
Perhaps the Bachelor’s isn’t dead, but it would be an interesting experiment to have Bachelor’s be considered required post-high school education that is provided free by the state, or to have the schooling and associated degree highly encouraged by the state, but make sure that those accepted into BA/BS programs only pay a nominal fee for their education (I would say no more than $400-$500 per course).
Just my 2 cents.
Perhaps the Bachelor’s isn’t dead, but it would be an interesting experiment to have Bachelor’s be considered required post-high school education that is provided free by the state, or to have the schooling and associated degree highly encouraged by the state, but make sure that those accepted into BA/BS programs only pay a nominal fee for their education (I would say no more than $400-$500 per course).
Just my 2 cents.