Bad is Good

Johnson argues that everything bad for us, especially TV, video games and pop culture, is actually good for us and essentially making us smarter. Johnson believes that the video game form, rather than content actually stimulates the brain, and in the end will make the player smarter. Further, Johnson believes that today's television shows and movies have gotten so complex that viewer stimulation and involvement has drastically increased in the past 20 years. TV shows and movies are asking our emotional intelligence to work harder and process the information we see on screen. So what does this mean for today's libraries?

I agree with Johnson somewhat. I believe that TV, movies, video games and pop culture can make us think more as a society. Further, these formats connect users to each other in a way that books can't. I think libraries have had to adapt to include these formats in their collections. DVD, VHS, Cd's and now video game systems are all a part of most library's collections. I see no problem with libraries changing to better meet user needs by accepting that some "bad" things may indeed be good. Libraries are there to provide information, without choosing or providing any bias to the information. However, libraries can always connect users back to books. For instance, you can create a display that says "You like this TV show, then you should try these books". I think adapting rather than completely ruling out anything "bad" will help libraries survive in this ever-changing climate.

Class Review

During a previous summer class my professor suggested that everyone in the library program should take the social software class before they graduate; boy was she right! Being as I am not a technology person, and have been slightly hesitant towards social software/networking sites I almost dropped this course. I am so happy I decided to stay. I feel like this class has opened me up to a whole new world. Even the most simple sites, such as blogger and twitter, I was afraid to try. Now, I couldn't be happier to have this experience under my belt. Also, learning to create wikis, podcast, screencast and vodcast has definitely improved my skills. It's amazing how these tools are out there, but people are so hesitant to use them. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and recommend it highly to other SCILS students. There were a few minor drawbacks:

• information overload: I think signing up for 3 email accounts in the beginning of class is unnecessary. After the first two weeks I stopped checking the yahoo and AOL accounts. I think students should sign up for just a GMail account, since GMail is linked to other sites such as blogger.
• information overload, part 2: I had a hard time keeping up with updates. Between twitter, facebook, myspace and the class wiki, I felt like I missed several updates or comments from classmates. I found the best method for communicating was twitter.

I feel I have taken away so much valuable information from this course and there isn't much I would change. I will say that this course has totally converted me into a twitter user! Before this class I could not and would not understand the appeal of twitter; I found it to be the downfall of society. Now that class is almost over, I love twitter. It's an absolutely wonderful method to share information with classmates and the professor, especially when you need your questions answered. I don't know that I would use twitter to update my everyday activities, but I think it's a great tool for coursework.

My Second Life Experience

I find that this picture sums up my second life experience pretty well. It's usually just me standing in a totally empty area trying to figure out what's going on. This was taken in the Art Library (Museum?) on Info Island. It took me about 10 minutes just to navigate into the building. Although I can see how Second Life may be fun for some people, I haven't really enjoyed my experience. So far I've had no contact with other users, probably because I don't usually know where I am or how to go somewhere else. I don't find Second Life to be very user intuitive, although I'm also horrible at moving/navigating in most video games. Additionally, my computer is pretty old so Second Life slows everything down and certainly makes the experience less enjoyable. I think with a LOT more practice, I could get used to Second Life but since it's not really my cup of tea, I don't think I'll be spending much time there.

Everything Bad Is Good for You

We've been hearing for quite a while now that video games, TV, and pop culture in general offer no educational value. Steve Johnson, however, would argue that TV and video games are actually making us smarter. Johnson thinks it's not the content but the format that asks users to think. He says that video games stimulate the reward center of the brain. Players are not necessarily interested in the story of the video game but succeeding at a completing the challenge.

I tend to agree that video games can make us smarter. Video games ask players to use skills that aren't required from other, more passive activities. For instance you can improve hand eye coordination, develop problem solving skills, and learning to think outside the box. Also, several educational and interactive video games have been developed. Although, I think there are a number of games that don't provide players with any education, such as Grand Theft Auto.

Because video games are so popular today and reach a huge audience, they have the ability to really impact how the players think and learn. As long as form and content continue to provide players with some education, I think video games have the ability to make us smarter.

Gaming

If I were a teen librarian and in charge of buying a new gaming system for the public library, I would definitely need to do research beforehand because I know nothing about gaming systems. I would begin by doing some research on the Internet, peruse a few Internet forums to see what other people like. Then I would look for video game magazines to read a few reviews. Third, I would ask the library patrons, probably using comment cards, which system they would like to see in the library and why. Finally, I would compare prices and see what the library could afford. Overall, I would try and match the system that the patrons most wanted, if it could fit with the budget.

The gaming system I would choose, and the I've played the most, is the Wii. The Wii system is great because it's so interactive and you can have multiple players. The library could have Wii nights every so often and let a bunch of patrons participate at once.

screencasting best practices

Now that I've completed a few screencasts I think there are a few important to things to remember:

• It's ok to use the mouse as a pointer, but try to move it around the screen too much; I found myself often partially covering words or links b/c I was involving the mouse too much
• Pausing the screencast recording while waiting for pages to load; that way you don't have to fill too much space with talking
• Have an idea of what you want to say but also try and be natural (definitely not easy!)
• Have your computer all set for the screencast; don't have unnecessary windows or tabs open and have links or files easily accessible
  

Game Screencast

My gaming screencast. I don't usually play games online, so I found this one randomly. It's a famous faces trivia game-you match the picture to the person. I only played at the "very easy" level which in fact was very easy. I imagine the game is more fun at the harder level.