Implementing Web 2.

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Running head: Implementing Web 2.0

Implementing Web 2.0 in YA Libraries

Elaine Olsen Shelburne

Emporia State University

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Abstract

Teens have access to a large number of Web 2.0 programs today. Some of these programs can be

available in the libraries, both public and academic, to promote online literacy. Action steps for

the librarian are described, along with some useful applications of Web 2.0 for teens. If policies

are in place and if students and parents are educated to know the safety guidelines, more teens

will be computer literate while safe using the Web 2.0 components. Safety education guidelines

for students, parents, and librarians are a crucial component, and examples are given in a variety

of educational formats.
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Implementing Web 2.0 in YA Libraries

Web 2.0 reflects the accumulated wisdom of the masses; everything on the pages is

supplied by anyone who chooses to communicate with others. The use of the applications can

be facilitated or utilized in both school and public libraries, providing that some education for

students, parents and librarians on the safe use of social networking sites is conducted. Social

networking among teenagers seems to emerge naturally, but there are appropriate uses and

applications. An overview of a few of the applications that are appropriate particularly in

education, how teachers and librarians can take the lead, and some safety structures as guidelines

are examined as follows.

Shuler (2006) creates a metaphor that compares today’s wired library to a harbor instead

of a self-contained body of water like a lake. He means that although information used to be

contained and fixed in a place called a library, it is now able to flow out to the moving water of

the vast ocean and the library can offer access to this fluid information. The fluidity of

information on the web, and in particular social networking, has created

“a new kind of literacy [that] is evolving not around texts and the ability to read and

understand (though that is still a critical element), but around a complex of bartering,

buying, selling, access, and exchange of knowledge. Information literacy and critical

thinking are no longer determined by inanimate objects (printed materials). The

information and knowledge are embedded in the interchange among people, and one’s

ability to succeed depends on how well one deals with a complex situation, and how well

one tells other people about how that complex situation was dealt with” (Shuler, 2006, p.

542).
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This interchange among people is manifest via new applications on the web that are most

interesting and readily available for librarians and YA students or patrons.

Applications for Teens

What are some of the appropriate Web 2.0 applications for students? There are many

available and IGoogle has a number of resources for teens. Students would simply need to get a

gmail account in iGoogle, and then would be able to create presentations using g-docs and other

applications along with gmail. They would also be eligible to use RSS feeds, add photos and

create groups. An advance search for power point, videos, and graphics enriches their resources

for presentations. There’s also a digital sandbox and edublogs.

GradeFix is a website that will help students balance homework schedules. Scheduling

schoolwork and work times can get quickly out of hand for teens. GradeFix will organize study

time and work time into a schedule, in order to be organized and get good grades.

Students can also organize photos via Flickr, which is an online photo management and

sharing application. These can be accessed for future reports and documents, saving time for

future projects. Groups could share their photos with each other.

MyNoteIt is a way to take, edit and share notes online. Students can edit and revise notes

with peers, share notes with friends and groups, manage tasks with a to-do list. Assignments can

be managed with a calendar; questions can be posted on a message board.

The social networking main sites, MySpace and Facebook, which are used extensively by

teens outside of school, may not be available to use in many school libraries. Personal research

portals for gathering information can, however, be created through Facebook.

College students of this generation are giving three distinct messages regarding

information—they want open and free access, schools should not restrain social networking, the
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concept of a campus and the look of education are changing. (McLester, 2007). With this

knowledge, libraries and schools may need to make some changes to how information is

accessed. Will they choose to be harbors or lakes?

Applications for Teachers/Librarians

There are benefits new means of access of information, because YA students or patrons

are not the only beneficiaries of Web 2.0 applications. Google’s suite of on-line collaborative

tools can be used in the library and classroom, and can be customized by the teacher or librarian

for teaching/learning, communicating or organizing. It’s one place for librarians of teens to

begin, if it’s overwhelming to choose. For example, begin by using iGoogle as a homepage for

library news, a calendar, tools for groups, and projects for groups. A librarian blog can be linked

via RSS fee syndicate to the teen’s iGoogle page.

Google’s spreadsheet in iGoogle can be used to improve social learning. Students could

work in small groups and locate quality information that they could type in the appropriate cells

and columns on classroom spread sheet in iGoogle. Teachers and librarians could collaborate on

group projects in the library, and rather than individual papers; group spreadsheets can be created

for responses within the groups. Teens could even vote on issues using the spreadsheets.

For librarians, the calendar feature on iGoogle can be used in a variety of ways. The

personal calendar feature can be turned off or can be shared. A calendar could be created to

reflect current programs for faculty and students to view.

Although these mentioned applications are organized and readily available as a

convenient place to start, there are a number of other Web 2.0 applications, however, other than

Google’s. For example, there are various sites to create a wiki; librarians and library teachers

could create an interactive wiki for teens by searching for an application in a browser. Students
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could respond to a specific reading or topic by typing a number of salient points, add tags or

subject headings and state who submitted the response and when.

Safety Education for Parents, Students, Teachers

“Teach kids to be careful about what they post on the net as it will be part of their

proverbial permanent record…But after discussing what’s right, wrong, and appropriate, and

arming students with that knowledge, back off with the rules and the filtering and let them take

responsibility” (McLester, 2007, p.20). Parents, teachers and teens could attend mini workshops

or classes within the library to learn safety guidelines. School or public libraries can create two

schedules: one for the facility schedule and one for the librarian/library teacher’s education

program. The latter schedule would even enable board members, PTA members, and the

community to come and learn Library 2.0 applications along with students or in separate sessions

just for adults. Google.docs can also be used for sharing information on the online safety

education program, such as announcements, text documents, a spread sheet, real time

collaboration or discussions. Everyone one with an invited group could see the documents, add

information or upload applications for the group.

Safety concerns have been a driving force for much of the content filtering systems to

block access to certain sites. Web access can be blocked for violence/profanity, sexual acts, full

nudity or partial/artistic nudity, along with other content options. One of the greatest concerns to

librarians, teacher and parents is that of sexual solicitations or predators approaching young

people. Studies have been done on solicitations and inappropriate contacts, but there are

conflicting results as to whether or not social networking sites were actually included and

evaluated (Johnson, 2008).

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Another safety concern is cyber bullying incidents which have quadrupled in the past

five years. Students, parents and teachers need to be aware of the social and psychological

wounds of victims and need to give them tools to cope in an appropriate manner.

Many young people don’t realize that what they post online may possibly always be

there, available for potential employers, teachers, relatives, parents, coaches and college

admission officers to view. (Johnson, 2008) Young people especially need to be aware of the

longevity or shelf life of posted communication and photos, online. Johnson has given some

guidelines that could help libraries, and particularly school libraries, keep libraries safe while

producing educational work. The steps are as follows:

1) Examine the AUP for the district, paying particular attention to electronic and physical

bullying.

2) Educate students about the real risks associated with social networking and teach the

appropriate use instead. After all, if all the interactive sites are blocked at school,

students could still harm themselves unknowingly if they share inappropriate information

from a computer at home or in the public library.

Johnson includes in his article a student contract for “Act Now: Kid’s contract for online safety”

which he posts in his school’s computer labs and libraries.

Specific Utilizations of Web 2.0 in School Library Media Centers

Joyce Kasman Valenza (2008) has written a blog post that encourages the use of the following

applications by school library media specialists:

1. Create a wiki pathfinder

2. Create a wiki booklist

3. Create a template for blogging the research process

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4. Move your literature circles to blogging form

5. Rethink PowerPoint and other presentation strategies

6. Podcast your booktalks or book reviews

7. Tell a digital story or inspire student storytelling projects

8. Begin your own Ning for social networking

9. Do a survey

10. Attend a workshop or a conference online

11. Set up a personal information space using iGoogle

12. Use an image portal like flickr to celebrate student art and archive student activities

13. Use image generators to promote library materials or to enhance curriculum

14. Learn more about fair use and alternative licensing

15. Learn about Open source and Web-based applications and the equity they offer schools

and individual learners.

Details of these recommendations laid out in Library Media Connection, April/May 2008.

What Policies are in Effect in Libraries to Encourage/Discourage Web 2.0?

Many school libraries have policies that ban cell phones, mp3 players, personal laptops

and games. Blocks are placed on sites such as YouTube, or blogs and chats, games, Google

Images, and joke sites. Practices such as these are “suggestions for crippling the school library

program” (Johnson, 2008).

Where to Start with Web 2.0

Examining the Acceptable Use Permit for the institution is a first stop, to see if anything

needs to be updated or revised. Guidelines for the safe use of the Web 2.0 applications needs to

be developed, along with information and websites for parents and teachers to access. The
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library could then model the use of a blog in place of a monthly newsletter, giving teachers and

students the opportunity to respond.

The library teacher could use a wiki for the book club, enabling members to share

thoughts and suggestions about books that are well-liked; book club members could also

collaborate on book reviews. Bibliographies and reading lists could be created on social book

marking sites.

Some action steps for school librarians are recommended by Hughes-Hassell and Harada

(2007), and they begin with sharing opinions and discussing learning in this century. Perhaps if

librarians choose one application to start with to learn well, and then move on to learn and

implement another one. Creating a wiki or a blog for students, faculty, administrators and

parents, to share these ideas can be a first step.

They also recommend that the librarian learn the new technologies and utilize them.

Results of this might include creating a library blog to share books, using a wiki with groups of

student researchers, holding a podcast forum on an issue pertinent to the high school student

body, setting up an RSS feed on the library Web site emphasizing digital literacy issues, using e-

mail and instant messaging with students and faculty, and purchasing audio books, MP3 and

DVD players for both faculty and student checkout.

All students, including those who don’t have access to computers at home, would benefit

from the educational social networking applications that they could access through school

computers or the public library. To ignore the positive capabilities of Web.2 applications is to

leave a group of students behind—the students who can’t access the Web at home. It also

overlooks the social networking that students who have online connections at home, are

implementing. To educate all students and their parents on the benefits and dangers of social
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networking will create a moving flow of information that will not stagnate but will ebb and flow

with the tide as needed.

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References

Hughes-Hassell, S. and Harada, V. (2007). School reform and the school library media

specialist. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Johnson, D. (2008). Technology connection: Staying safe on the read-write web. Library

Media Connection, 26, 6. 48-50.

McLester, S. (2007, March). Technology literacy and the Myspace generation : they’re not

asking permission. Technology & Learning, 17-22.

Shuler, J. (2006, September). The revolution will not be cataloged: Gutenberg’s librarians and

the 21st century. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32, 5, 540-542. Wilson Web.

The H. W. Wilson Company, c1982-2006.

Valenza, J. (2008). A few new things. Library Media Connection, 26, 7. 10-13