The Screen is Flat

 ”People will change their habits very quickly when they have a strong reason to do so, and people have an innate urge to connect with other people….When you give people a new way to connect with other people, they will punch through any technical barrier, they will learn new languages-people are wired to want to connect with other people and they find it objectionable not to be able to do it.”
[Marc Anreessen. The World is Flat]

We know that web 2.0 is all about people. People using technology to express their ideas, find information, and find other people.  So, if the Library is the research and cultural center of campus, then how can we use web 2.0 software now, and think about where we want to go in the future, in order to maintain this central role and identity in the virtual space?

In order to draw users back in to the Library web sphere, we need to offer an online experience that matches if not exceeds users current online experiences. This Library Next Big thing should be something that will enable students to conduct research, study, learn, and socialize in a way equal, if not better than what they can do right now. I’m not sure what the Library Next Big Thing should look like. But I think it should look like something that inspires users to connect not only with “Library” Resources, but with all the tools and utilities out there.

How can we better engage users in the ways in which they want to use information? How should we create Library spaces that foster social connections and collaboration? How can we be as hip as Facebook, as fun as Google, and as exhaustive as Amazon? I think Librarians are some of the most creative and intelligent folks out there. Really, I’m not pandering to gain your approval. I think we have the resources and talent pool out there as a collective profession to create the Library Next Big Thing. It may not be possible for any one library to come up with the next generation Library interface.

Does anyone have a prototype out there that takes the Library webpage to the next level?

 OK, I admit it. I was a Librarian who didn’t do much in the way of assessment when I taught classes.  At the end my my sessions, my follow up typically consisted of a good natured “call if you need me!” speech. Why was I so hesitant about evaluation? Besides the fear of a bad review, I honestly struggled with knowing what and how I should assess mastery of the material. Most questions I came up with to test for knowledge seemed really rote based and, well, boring. 

I may have some insight now on why the assessment process was a challenge for me.

“It is relatively simple to test for subject matter content recall and it is difficult to assess independent thinking and creativity.” Making the Grade: The Role of Assessment in Authentic Learning By Marilyn M. Lombardi

Maybe I just didn’t know how to test for higher level critical thinking skills.  Coming up with a checklist to see if the students were able to combine subject terms, limit searches, and send the results to a printer, while important, addressed mechanical issues only.  I could check on these skills while walking around the room and checking up on the class during discovery exercises. (Or at least, I thought I had this list covered. Just humor me, OK?)

In a one shot session, I didn’t think I had much of a chance of determining whether students really had a achieved a higher level critical thinking goal. I wasn’t sure I even knew how to phrase a question that would get an answer that deep.  So, what should we be testing/measuring students on? Let’s open the floor.  How are you evaluating students on their work? How do you teach and test basic to more advanced skills and how do you know you have achieved your goal?