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.

Facebook Screencast

My Facebook screencast: How to Create an Event

boyd Reading

Examining how class affects social networking is quite interesting. Boyd's reading says that teenagers are more likely to use Facebook or more likely to use Myspace based on their social class; since Facebook is more geared towards college students. I remember when I first join Facebook and it was strictly limited to college students, kind of felt like some special club. The main lesson I took away from Boyd's reading was, libraries should be aware of their user population and how they would use social networking sites. If a library is trying to attract new users or seeking more involvement from exiting users, it would be pointless to use a site that is unfamiliar and rarely used by their target population. Similar to other library services, the social networking sites used by the library should be enticing and accessible to the user population.

Ning

Ning is a social networking site that allows user to create their own online social networks. Ning reminded me of other social networking sites, such as Facebook.

Ning advantages:
-members can create their own profile, friend and interact with other users
-members can add photos, videos and audio
-members can join groups, have blogs, contribute to forums
-can share news and links with other users

Overall Ning allows users in the same community, such as RU SCILS, to connect and socialize outside the classroom.

Ning disadvantages:
-must be a registered user to access news, forums, blogs, etc.
-can replace face-to-face interaction
-social networking sites can be "sticky"

I could easily see Ning being used in a work environment. Employees could share news and events and also have their questions answered in the forum. Additionally it could be a shared workspace where several employees could contribute to one project. Ning could replace company emails, newsletters and chat devices.