Can there ever be too much technology?

Every now and then I have to stop myself and ask the question: "Why am I in school to be a library media specialist?" For the last two years, the answer has revolved around my passion for education, my affinity for children, my relationship with literature, and my belief that kids today need to learn so much more to be successful in their lives...to be 21st century learners and contributors. I've always had an interest in new media and the possibilities for its application in education...so it all seems to come together quite nicely.

But, when I remember back a few years, before I knew the term "library media specialist," back when the person in the library was known as a "librarian," and the main tools for use in the library were books, and the technology that did exist was mainly used for finding books...

I wonder if kids today will have that same fond nostalgia for their elementary library media program as I do for mine.

The two graduate courses I am taking now coexist much how I imagine technology and books coexist in a library. My course on technology (LIS 629) is rooted in the present, but always thinking about the future. My course on young adult literature (LIS 729) is rooted in the past, attempting to find the present.

While 629 has inspired me to celebrate the new web tools and technologies that are out there and being integrated into Library curriculum to revolutionize the ways educators are preparing students for the future...729 has forced me to remember why I grew fond of the library in the first place: the books.

There is absolutely no reason technology and books (and technology-loving librarians and book-loving librarians) can't partner to provide the best of both worlds. In fact, that's exactly what's going on in model school libraries across the country. But class discussions in 729 have brought to my attention that there are people out there who believe that a little piece of library heaven is being lost with the integration of so much technology, and the lack of focus on good-old-fashioned books.

(Google Docs + 21st Century Learners) X Collaboration = Yay

T'will be a shorter post than my usual marathons, so allow yourself a sigh of relief.

Recently I discussed how I agree with some forward thinkers that video games might be able to save the world. Okay, I at least believe that online games have a positive place in education. One of the gaming world's strongest assets is its supportive and collaborative environment. When gamers work together, they achieve some pretty amazing things.

Collaboration is where the 21st century is at, and some pretty amazing web tools are allowing for some pretty amazing collaborative environments.

One in particular that I have never much paid much attention to is Google Docs. I've used it for some basic functions - online word processing, saving work in the virtual cloud, etc. It's nice to have that seemingly limitless availability of storage space that can be accessed from any online connection. And, for the most part, we don't have to worry about computer crashes and lost work when it's saved on the cloud.

But Google Docs apparently allows for a lot more than word processing and peace-of-mind storage. Check out this video that a friend recently shared with me, highlighting some of the impressive products of Google Docs: Google Demo Slam: Epic Docs Animation.

Pretty freaking cool, RIGHT?