LITA Instructional Technologies Interest Group LITA

Where do we hope to go with an Instructional Technologies IG? Are more about methods? Subjects? Approaches?

I am interesting in networking with others to learn about all these things!

At present, I coordinate a county-wide computer training center in which we teach about 25-35 classes per month, on a variety of subjects. All classes are currently a traditional lab setting, primarily with written materials. Some of the more reference-oriented classes have no materials.

I'm always interested in how new technologies can be used as instructional technologies. Such as: How does web-scale discovery change teaching informaiton seeking and critical thinking in library environments? How do iPads change reference services? What are the best tools for getting the sage off the stage and handing the teaching to the students? (lately, I'm obsessed with Pinterest, and tryign to figure out what it's good for).

I'm excited about this group, and lookign forward to seeing how the focus settles out. 

It's not anywhere close to new technology, but the intro to reference class I'm teaching this semester is learning to frame its pathfinders within LibGuides/CampusGuides rather than a traditional paper pathfinder. It's my hope that a greater range of content can be provided, and that we can more easily reach users who don't come to a B&M library. My students are pretty enthusiastic, and those already working as librarians are already planning on how they can introduce it to their libraries.

Given our budget situation, I'm doubting we can do anything with web-scale discovery at the public library level, although we are working on getting iPads in place for roving reference -- provided we can get our ref folks to get out from behind the desk for extended periods.

I'm pushing Pinterest as a potential small-business tool. There is a movement to teach some Etsy, but I feel Etsy has lost so much credibility that we're better off looking into other technologies. I've heard of some artists who are using Pinterest as a showroom.

Interested to hear your thoughts on how web-scale discovery affects critical thinking. Are you really feeling that one-stop shopping is going to make a really positive difference there?

It's not anywhere close to new technology, but the intro to reference class I'm teaching this semester is learning to frame its pathfinders within LibGuides/CampusGuides rather than a traditional paper pathfinder. It's my hope that a greater range of content can be provided, and that we can more easily reach users who don't come to a B&M library. My students are pretty enthusiastic, and those already working as librarians are already planning on how they can introduce it to their libraries.

Given our budget situation, I'm doubting we can do anything with web-scale discovery at the public library level, although we are working on getting iPads in place for roving reference -- provided we can get our ref folks to get out from behind the desk for extended periods.

I'm pushing Pinterest as a potential small-business tool. There is a movement to teach some Etsy, but I feel Etsy has lost so much credibility that we're better off looking into other technologies. I've heard of some artists who are using Pinterest as a showroom.

Interested to hear your thoughts on how web-scale discovery affects critical thinking. Are you really feeling that one-stop shopping is going to make a really positive difference there?

Unfortunately, I don't believe there is a way to digest at this point, it's simply subscribe or do not subscribe. Hopefully there will be options for that though as the continue to revamp Connect!

Pinterest is something I've seen around for a bit but haven't had a chance to actually use myself yet. I really love any opportunity for students (in my case at least, since I'm at an academic library) to engage in knowledge construction. Interacting with resources and adding to them, instead of just collecting, seems to certainly engage more critical thinking.

Keeping up with these technologies is another issue I agree that is important, and almost a skill in itself.

We have so many new tools available to us - discovery interfaces, research guides, social media, etc. 

What I would love to see, learn is how we can tie them all together. Is there a way we can use technology or a skill learned through an adventure like CodeYear to make all these different tools more integrated and more useable? Both for the user and for me, the administrator. 'Cause honestly, sometimes just maintaining all these different accounts can be a huge time suck. And I'm all about interoperability. 

My current projects involve open access resources and their impacts on and in libraries. Not only are they affecting collection development, cataloging, and reference, but librarians could be creating our own content to a much greater extent.