“Maintaining Intellectual Freedom in a Filtered World” - 1/15/08
January 16th, 2008
Last night, the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries hosted the program “Maintaining Intellectual Freedom in a Filtered World”. The presentation was delivered by nationally recognized librarian/technologist, Doug Johnson. During the presentation, Mr. Johnson discussed issues related to Intellectual Freedom, student’s rights to access information, and the implications of CIPA. Also, he provided information comparing filtered versus non-filtered networks. He led the attendees in several conversations related to their experiences with filtering in their schools and ideas about the students’ and teachers’ responsibilities in using the Internet safely.
Mr. Johnson created a companion wiki to this presentation so that others can continue the conversation. His full PowerPoint presentation is also available online. See it at https://dougjohnson.wikispaces.com/Intellectual+Freedom+resources. In addition, read his website at http://www.doug-johnson.com and his well-known Blue Skunk blog at http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com.
What’s New at the China Cafe
December 20th, 2007
Recently, the China Cafe has held several events. On Sunday, Dec 9, we learned about the origins of Chinese fashion. On Sunday, Dec 16, we overviewed how Christmas was celebrated in the US, followed by a Christmas party. Read about these and other China Cafe events at http://chinacafe.cuipblogs.org.
ISTE Campfire Social - 12/13/07
December 19th, 2007
On Thursday, Dec 13, I was invited to host a presentation/conversation at an ISTE campfire social. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the leading organization which develops educational technology standards for K-12 educators. During their weekly Thursday socials, educators have the opportunity to gather to discuss items of common professional interest. My presentation overviewed my work with the China Cafe, a group which meets to provide a forum for practice of English conversational skills with Chinese persons while learning about various aspects of Chinese culture. Those who attended the campfire session also sampled various virtual Chinese teas and received free Chinese jackets. Following group discussion about how culture and language instruction can be shared in Second Life, we had a short firecracker display.
Dec Virtual Librarian Learning Community Meeting
December 11th, 2007
Yesterday, Chicago Public Schools Dept of Libraries hosted our December Virtual Librarian Learning Community (LLC) meeting. Members of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the ISTE SIGMS, and the Illinois School Library Media Association were also invited. This month, we discussed the new AASL standard #2 “Learners use skills, resources, and tools to draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.” We started the meeting with introductions. Next, attendees shared overall impressions about the standards. Next, we focused on sub-set skills, dispositions in action, responsibilities, and self-assessment strategies. For each section, we discussed challenges and successful strategies for implementation. Our next virtual LLC will be on Monday, January 28 at 9pm ET/8pm CT/ 7pm MT/ 6pm PT.
December Orientation Meeting
December 5th, 2007
On Monday, December 3rd, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Dept of Libraries hosted our December Orientation meeting. Attendees from the ISTE Media Specialists Special Interest Group (SIGMS), the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), and the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA), joined CPS librarians in learning about navigating in Second Life. Each person was provided a notecard filled with basic information on arrival. They practiced walking, flying, chatting, instant messaging, search, and other skills. Various experienced SLers were on hand to assist. We provide monthly orientations so that new members can gain comfort in SL prior to attending virtual professional learning community meetings.
China Cafe Lecture - 12-2-07
December 4th, 2007
In this week’s China Cafe lecture, we learned about the customs and traditions related to Chinese alcohol. Read about this event at the China Cafe blog at http://chinacafe.cuipblogs.org/2007/12/04/china-cafe-lecture-12-2-07/
China Cafe Lecture - Chinese Cuisine
November 25th, 2007
Today, the China Cafe hosted a lecture on Chinese cuisine. Read about it at the China Cafe blog at http://chinacafe.cuipblogs.org/2007/11/25/china-cafe-lecture-11-25-07/
Nov SL Librarians Staff Meeting
November 25th, 2007
Today, the Librarians of Second Life held their monthly staff meeting on the sim of Infotainment Island. Rather than have various people provide update reports on their projects, we brainstormed ideas for activities in the upcoming year. Some ideas included hosting educator conferences, a poetry festival, author events, guided tours, special classes about SL, and art exhibits. The meeting was followed by a gala holiday party in the nearby Jazz Cat Club.
Cleveland Public Library in Second Life
November 25th, 2007
I was interested to see that Clevelend Public Library has now created a virtual presence in SL. Visitors are greeted with a notecard explaining their rationale for using SL: “Cleveland Public Library is the third-largest public research library in the United States. It is home to many world-class collections, including the largest collection of chess-related items in the world! Many items in these collections can only be accessed by coming in to the physical library. Second Life provides an opportunity to bring some of those items to the unique and international audience that inhabits the SL metaverse, who might otherwise never know they existed or have the opportunity to see them. CPL also plans to use SL as a venue for special programs and lectures in the future.”
The sim, which adjoins the American Library Association sim and the Stanford University sim, is built around a central fountain and plaza. The east side of the sim contains the virtual branch of the Cleveland Public Library. Inside, the library is currently featuring many displays and historical information about chess.
On the west side of the sim are the Clevenet offices. There is also an amphitheater to the north for holding large group events. Other parts of the sim contain a Reading garden, a photogallery currently featuring an exhibit entitled “Ohio and Cleveland in Sheet Music”, and various large, playable chess games.
Around the World in 40 Sims
November 25th, 2007
The Info International sim has just installed a new educational exhibit entitled “Around the World in 40 Sims”. Visitors can stroll through the main walkway and see pictures of recommended sims from around SL that depict various international cultures. You can click on the pictures to receive a landmark to teleport to each location. Some pictures include the Netherlands, Canada, Wales, Australia, England, Japan, and India. Here I am next to a picture of the China Sim and Chinese Campus sim. For those who would like to view the entire Info International sim, there is now a pod available to take a flying tour of the area.
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