Game playing

I am just not cut out for the whole online game playing thimg. I played poker against strangers who all seemed to know each other. There was a text dialogue going on during the game but it was distracting to me because I am a really bad poker player. I didnt participate in the discussion at all because I had no idea what they were talking about. The game was okay but playing in AC is much more fun! It was fun to try but I think I will stick to real thing.

second life

I DON'T GET IT!!!!!!! I am lost with anything after atari. You want to play river raid then I'm there but this I don't get. I can't even walk or fly. I have no idea how I got to be a dragon. Did I pick that??? I keep getting my head stuck inside of things. I haven't seen another person and I have no idea what I am supposed to do other than walk around. I got to the library so now what? I can't seem to figure how to do anything that's in there.
Even my mother plays bejeweled but I am just not a game girl. We've had every game system in our house at one time. My husband and son play City of Heros. Aside from me helping to pick out capes and names, I am done with it all! I can handle Wii even though I am really bad at it.
I don't like this secondlife deal at all. If I could figure out what to do then maybe it would be better but right now it is too frustrating to even walk and that is really boring and a complete waste of time. Games are supposed to fun. This was not fun. I am thinking about the laundry and my final!

Ning

That was so much fun! I had no expectations of what it was going to be like. It was really easy to use. I have been sharing all of this information with my mother for her school. She is not techie at all and I think she could even use this service. It's easier to maintain than writing code, that's for sure.
I love all this stuff for libraries, I just don't want to be the one in charge. I am not a big fan of writing code. Especially in my school, I teach prek-8, i don't really have the time to keep a website update. Ning was so quick and I think it looks more like a myspace page (which it's supposed to) It has a younger appeal than a regular website. I chose a paper and pencil background and even with this calmer theme it still looked really hip! This would also be a great way to get my middle schooler involved in something. They come to me weekly and really don't want to be in the library. What an exciting project for them to work on. Now if only I had more than 3 computers, but that is a problem for another day.
My only problem in a school might be accessibility. Most social networking sites are filtered. It must be an older system because there are some that get through for a time anyway. Flickr worked for a while but it must figure it out at some point because now it's blocked. I digress! Anyway, Ning is a great tool to reach a younger audience and even get them involved with the content.

Boyd Reading

I think the thing that the Boyd readings point out so well, is that SNS are a huge part of our culture. They are here to stay and are as integral to the people using them as cellphones and the like. You are essentially alienating an entire demographic if a library chooses not to participate. Librarians are always concerned with connecting with younger patrons as well as becoming obsolete. The way to alleviate this is to go to where the patrons are. The library needs to be many things for many groups of people. It would be irresponsible to leave out one group simply because they communicate in a different way.
Many teen authors have seen this trend and have Myspace pages. We've seen the success that bands have had finding a new audience with this technology. Imagine the possibilities for librarians to have access to so many teens and young adults. We as librarians need to embrace this technology and use it to our advantage. So what if we can't get the kids into the physical library, bring them into a virtual one.

How does good/bad relate to the library?

The Johnson book talks about games,television and film but I was wondering if the same principals apply to books. I love to read but I usually am not reading anything deep or thought provoking so I do not have a lot of concrete examples. I think that Harry Potter may sum it up perfectly. There are so many levels and nuances to this series of books that it takes multiple readings to undercover all its mysteries and this book was intended for children. These books have the same water cooler effect as many tv shows. But again we are back to the question of how it relates to the library.
In my school library I am required to turn in lesson plans with higher order thinking questions included. How do we get students to the next level of deeper thinking? In a world where students are always immersed in this higher order thinking, I think it may be harder for the adults rather than the children. In the school library its not just about the books. Immersing the students in the functions of the library are a big part of my job. If I were able to collaborate with teachers instead of teaching lessons in isolation, I would be able to get the students to the next level of thinking. Right now my particular group of students are not there but that is due more to where I am working.
So what I am trying to say is that today's kids are immersed in this type of thinking all the time. They do not reflect on it because it has always been so for them. It is up to us as librarians to harness this great new way of thinking and get these kids into the library!!!

response to Johnson reading

The question is whether or not mass media is trying to sophisticatedly deliver stupidity. I think that the answer may actually lie in the question. Today's mass media is certainly more sophisticated than earlier generations, but Is it the same level of stupidity? Don't we get more brain function from 24 than from the Love Boat. Don't get me wrong, it was a big deal to stay up late to watch Donny and Marie and the Love Boat. It was purely entertainment. Today's viewers get entertainment and brain activity.There is a level of involvement that was previously missing. Not only do we participate during the viewing but the participation continues long after the show. Blog, web polls, betting all revolving around who is going to win or who are the others. Everything about the 21st century requires a higher level of thinking even if we don't realize it. So tv may still be strictly a form of entertainment but there is definitely something not "stupid" about it.

If I were Steve....

If I were Steve what would I do? I would try to remember that people have jobs and children and lives and that watching a video about gaming for an hour may not be so realistic. I think it is A LOT of material to cover in six weeks. Although, the work itself is not difficult when you include all the readings and podcasts it adds up to an incredible amount of work to accomplish in six weeks.
Having said that, the class was great now that I can reflect back on it. The six weeks flew by and the work did get done some way some how. The content is so interesting and it has been one of the more practical classes that I have taken. I don't care so much for the gaming week but we all must grow.
Thanks for the great experience!