Course Materials: Course Guide Intro: Getting Started

Now let's get started. Work your way through the links and activities based on the course calendar and course guide. Reminder, there are linked words and phrases throughout the online readings - - example, the first link on this page is 'course calendar' (bold face, green text) in the preceding sentence.

Read the Syllabus , Calendar, the overview of course Requirements, and print out the Checklist.

Dr.J's Jags & Jabs
As you are getting started, I strongly recommend that the only page that you print out be the Checklist. I would not print-out course materials for reading; it takes a lot of time and paper (money spent) plus you cannot grab the connected resources in this hypertext Web environment. Those are resources through which you should browse, looking for key information and ideas related to the course content. If you need to print out directions for specific assignments, wait to do that at the exact time you are beginning to work on that assignment. Online resources are not static, links checked today sometimes disappear. Good rule of thumb on a rotten link: First hit the reload, then try again after some time has elapsed (Occasionally you just run into a site downtime for maintenance).

If you do that and the link still doesn't work, email me the URL of the bad link and the webpage where it is located witin in our course materials. I'm not being lazy, but with the size of our website those problems are sometimes difficult to run down. Appreciate your help. There is a Search engine on the eduScapes website; it a direct link from the first page at eduScapes.com. And before I leave you, see if you can avoid that paper printing thing as much as possible (8-)!

BTW If you have been at the computer for an hour or two, take a short break. Go for a walk, stretch that aching back, and then come back a little more refreshed.

Introduce Yourself

Let's get to know each other. These introductions will help you get to know all of your classmates.

Your first assignment involves posting some information about yourself and getting to know your classmates. Some people like to share photographs, personal websites, favorite movies or books, family information, or other tidbits that will help the class get to know you. This is important because you'll be involved in lots of online discussions. This is all done in Oncourse so "outsiders" won't be able to see the information.

Enter the Oncourse materials, choose the class page. Click on "Introduce Yourself" inside the class Oncourse Discussion section. Post a new message.

Introduce yourself to the class. Put your name in the subject of the message. Include your name, a little personal and professional information about yourself.

Do you "hang out" in bookstores, video stores, or music stores? Would you gravitate toward the audiobooks or videotapes? Are you high-tech, high-touch, or both? Do you need to "see it" to believe it? Are you a "print snob"? What's your format preference? Are you more of a book, video, music, or audiobook person? Do you like face-to-face meetings, the telephone, and email? Or, do you prefer to work alone? Which of the multiple intelligences fits you best? Spend some time getting to know your group and sharing your preferences and learning styles. If you know how to use HTML, you may wish to insert a photo or favorite website. If you need help, check the "Help" discussion for the directions.

When you're done entering the information, click SEND to post your message.

During the first week of class, read the messages posted by classmates. If you want to share something you have in common or ask a question, enter information below the message in the area that says REPLY. You should post at least one response or observation. This area is also a place to go if you have questions. Find someone you think shares your interests, email them and introduce yourself personally. This contact may be helpful later in the semester as you have questions about the course.

Getting Started

If you have not already read the course overview (linked below), start there and continue reading the sections below within the Collections section:

(1) Overview to Course Materials

(2) Collections: Overview

(3) Collections: Introduction

(4) Collections: Tools, Drivers, and Plugins (May need to revisit a few times)

(5) Collections: Media Libraries, Librarians, and Librarianship

Garden Introduction

During the semester, you'll be posting your projects in the GARDEN interactions within Oncourse's Discussion section for the class. You should choose a GARDEN patch that fits best with your professional interests (i.e., Schools Patch, Public Libraries Patch, Academic Libraries Patch, Other Library Environments Patch).

Before we start talking about developing collections, let's explore our own interests as well as biases. We'll also use this as a way to introduce yourself to the GARDEN discussion.

You may already know your book biases. For example, some people lean toward the picture book and cook book collections, while others prefer mysteries and historical fiction. When it comes to audio, think about your preferences.
- What music do you like and dislike? What music don't you know much about?
- How do you feel about audiobooks?
- Have you done anything with MP3 music files?
- What do you think of streaming radio on the web?

What Is A Media Librarian?

You might also ask, what is media? What composes a library? What comes to mind when you first think of a library? In the U.K., media librarians are professionals who work in libraries of the print and broadcast media industries (Also within U.K education circles, instructional design is known simply as curriculum development). Terms like audiovisual aids and later audiovisual materials were coined. Is that the same thing as non-print? If one scans a book and projects the image onto a screen, is that the book, a book? I know what a librarian is, can I distinguish different skills needed to be a school media librarian or a media librarian?

These and other similar questions have been posed, discussed, and written about in the past. Here would be a excellent time to think about and identify our own ideas and positions. Below you'll find your first SPROUT assignment. This will get you starting making Oncourse postings. Required course assignments are found in yellow boxes.

Sprout 1: Media Librarianship (Points Possible: 2 for posting, 1 for reply)
[Complete one of the following options and post your dissusion and reply at Oncourse's Message Center]

1.1: Media Librarians - Read the off-site article, What are Media Librarians? by John W. Ellison. This seminal article was written/published in the 1980s; consider how things have or have not changed since then. Now read a more recent journal article, The Evolution of Media Librarianship: A Tangled History of Change and Constancy (2001) by Lori Widzinski. Discuss the following and other related issues: How are media librarians alike and different from other librarians? Is there really a separate area? What particular skills do you think are needed for librarians working with digital audio and video? Address an issue discussed in the article(s). Provide your perspective(s) along with some specific examples.

1.2: Media Library History - Read the off-site article, The History of Media Librarianship by Amy R. Loucks-DiMatteo. Now read a more recent journal article, The Evolution of Media Librarianship: A Tangled History of Change and Constancy (2001) by Lori Widzinski. Discuss the following and other related issues: How does the history of media librarianship impact today's views? Will media librarianship always have a separate area? What's the future of media librarianship? Is your speculation based on fact or opinion? Provide your perspective(s) along with some specific examples.

1:3: Media Bias - Read the off-site article, Information, Not Books by John W. Ellison and Judith S. Robinson. Now read a more recent journal article, The Evolution of Media Librarianship: A Tangled History of Change and Constancy (2001) by Lori Widzinski. Discuss the following and other related issues: Do most people think “books” or information? Is there really format discrimination in libraries today? Address one or more important issues discussed in either article. Provide your perspective(s) along with some specific examples.

After completing the assignments and activities above, you are ready to ontinue on to the next section: Course Guide 1: Audio and Video Collections for L552 Multimedia Seeds.