Monday, February 22, 2010

New Video & Editing YouTube Videos

This afternoon I created a 5-minute video, showing how to use the EBSCOhost database Academic Search Complete. My comments are directed toward students enrolled in a Communications 101, or speech, course.

While I'm on the subject of videos, I just learned that there's a free web tool out there called TubeChop, which allows anyone to specify which part of a video they want to see and create a link to it or save it within a presentation. Librarians at Information Literacy meets Library 2.0 made me aware of this, and apparently they found out on Twitter from Phil Bradley.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Case-based Library Instruction

About a week ago, I read Andy Spackman and Leticia Camacho's article, "Rendering Information Literacy Relevant: A Case-Based Pedagogy." This article, which is published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship talks about promoting actual information-literacy skills among undergraduate students. By creating a scenario in which students must solve a problem, they engage students with real-life situations.

In each case study students must determine which sources or kinds of information they must consult to solve the problem. Spackman and Camacho created the Library Instruction Case Wiki "to assist in implementing a case-based pedagogy" (548). Moreover, these authors included three example cases within their article, which proved valuable in illustrating their points and the value of their efforts.

For them and others, they believe "that students learn and retain more when they are involved with the conditions of the problem, seek alternatives, and find their own solution" (549). They have gone away from the one-shot session dumps that try to teach the students everything they need to know about the library. Instead, they work on "meaningful problems" that grab student attention, and they focus on achieving the Association of College and Research Libraries' Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

Spackman and Camacho also cite data from student evaluations that further underscore the value of the case study as a teaching and learning tool. This method of teaching engages students. They find more meaning participating in an activity such as this. Handouts can serve as supplemental materials to demonstrate usage of a database or outline a series of resources that would be particularly useful.

To understand how to develop or implement case-based library instruction, read their article and refer to their bibliography.

Spackman, Andy and Leticia Camacho. "Rendering Information Literacy Relevant: A Case-Based Pedagogy." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 35.6 (26 Sept. 2009): 548-54.

P.S. Spackman and Camacho are business librarians, so their cases may be particularly useful to other business librarians. They are also interested in cases developed by other librarians for other disciplines. See their Library Instruction Case Wiki.

Brief Follow-up on Jing

Thank you to everyone who has come and visited my blog in the last week. If I interpreted the Google Analytics report correctly, then 180 individuals have looked at my most recent post on Jing, which is screencast software. Honestly, that tops all other personal records as far as individuals looking at one of my posts. I must have hit on a popular topic.

I am still quite excited about Jing and its potential for demonstrating search techniques and database demonstrations, which would open up library instruction for actual information-literacy activities. I may have mentioned this in the first post on Jing, but it seems that it would be a great reference tool, particularly when working with patrons over the phone, IM, or email. It's quick and easy.