Comments on: “A Lousy Way to Learn a Subject” http://delhitools.net/cisblog/?p=161 SUNY Delhi Computer Information Systems Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:23:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Angela Rhodes http://delhitools.net/cisblog/?p=161&cpage=1#comment-1125 Angela Rhodes Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:23:41 +0000 http://delhitools.net/cisblog/?p=161#comment-1125 It's interesting to note this inability to switch from one version of an application to another. Students (and faculty) seem to be unable to apply the basic concepts behind applications to other systems with the same functionality. While at the SUNY LiSUG (Library Software Users Group) Conference a couple weeks ago, one librarian had taken his 1-credit information literacy class to a new level of understanding by getting the students familiar with what they were looking at when they went online: creating accounts for web applications like iGoogle or their favorite website, learning about different browser functionality and how to customize them, getting familiar with what many web 2.0 pages offer, etc. Only after getting students familiar with what the web can really do for them did he introduce library databases. The result: students were able to more easily able to explore and understand what the database was doing, how to customize a database to meet their needs, and find results quicker. It's as if students (and faculty) need to be taught that the functionality they want is available in a bevy of different arenas, but the are not willing to explore and test, push buttons, see what something does, etc. The exploration of applications is not a part of learning for many, and it will hurt them in the end if and when (as mentioned above) they have to switch to a new application, or a new one is developed. I would be interested to see the information literacy results from Professor Stammel's class, and whether they are able to develop the ability to explore and test. It’s interesting to note this inability to switch from one version of an application to another. Students (and faculty) seem to be unable to apply the basic concepts behind applications to other systems with the same functionality.

While at the SUNY LiSUG (Library Software Users Group) Conference a couple weeks ago, one librarian had taken his 1-credit information literacy class to a new level of understanding by getting the students familiar with what they were looking at when they went online: creating accounts for web applications like iGoogle or their favorite website, learning about different browser functionality and how to customize them, getting familiar with what many web 2.0 pages offer, etc. Only after getting students familiar with what the web can really do for them did he introduce library databases. The result: students were able to more easily able to explore and understand what the database was doing, how to customize a database to meet their needs, and find results quicker.

It’s as if students (and faculty) need to be taught that the functionality they want is available in a bevy of different arenas, but the are not willing to explore and test, push buttons, see what something does, etc. The exploration of applications is not a part of learning for many, and it will hurt them in the end if and when (as mentioned above) they have to switch to a new application, or a new one is developed.

I would be interested to see the information literacy results from Professor Stammel’s class, and whether they are able to develop the ability to explore and test.

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