up2date

“‘If It is Too Inconvenient, I’m Not Going After It:’ Convenience as a Critical Factor in Information-Seeking Behaviors”

I couldn't have said it better myself. From INFODocket :

Authors :

Lynn Silipigni Connaway, OCLC Research
Timothy J. Dickey, OCLC Research
Marie L. Radford, Rutgers University.

From the Abstract:

In today’s fast-paced world, anecdotal evidence suggests that information tends to inundate people, and users of information systems want to find information quickly and conveniently. Empirical evidence for convenience as a critical factor is explored in the data from two multi-year, user studies projects funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The theoretical framework for this understanding is founded in the concepts of bounded rationality and rational choice theory, with Savolainen’s (2006) concept of time as a context in information seeking, as well as gratification theory, informing the emphasis on the seekers’ time horizons. Convenience is a situational criterion in people’s choices and actions during all stages of the information-seeking process. The concept of convenience can include their choice of an information source, their satisfaction with the source and its ease of use, and their time horizon in information seeking. The centrality of convenience is especially prevalent among the younger subjects (“millennials”) in both studies, but also holds across all demographic categories—age, gender, academic role, or user or non-user of virtual reference services. These two studies further indicate that convenience is a factor for making choices in a variety of situations, including both academic information seeking and everyday-life information seeking, although it plays different roles in different situations.

Direct to Complete Article (46 pages; PDF)

"This Preprint is Scheduled to Appear in Library and Information Science Research (33: 179-190) and is being made available by OCLC Research."

"Screencasting - DIY Tools"

Thanks (again) to the Columbia EnhancED blog :

"...

The services below will work on a PC or a Mac and are free to use:

Screenr: (from Articulate)

• Movie time limit: up to 5 minutes
• Choose the size of your recording frame (you can record a section of your screen rather than the whole thing)
• Screencasts can be shared on Twitter or Facebook, published to YouTube, or embedded on a website
• Screencasts to be viewed on iPhone/iPad

Screenjelly:

• Movie time limit: up to 3 minutes
• Full screen only
• Integrates with twitter and facebook, but no embed code or file exporting.
• A Screenjelly "record" button can be embedded on a website, allowing visitors to record their own screencasts from your site.

Screencast-o-matic:

• Movie time limit: up to 15 minutes
• Choose the size of your recording frame
• View your screencast on the Screencast-o-matic site, upload it to YouTube HD, or export it as a movie file (MP4, AVI, or FLV).
• Screencast-o-matic also integrates webcam video into the screencast.
• "Pro" option ($9/yr) expands the recording limit to 60 minutes per screencast and adds extra features, including editing tools and removal of the watermark on exported files.

..."

"5 Reasons Librarians Are the Future of Ed Tech"

From the Technology & Learning blog at Inside HigherEd :

"...The future of campus computing belongs to the librarians and the libraries, and that is a very good thing. Here is why:

Reason 1 - Service Orientation:...

Reason 2 - Strong Relationships:...

Reason 3 - Multilingualism:...

Reason 4 - Technology Experience:...

Reason 5 - Collegiality: This last reason that librarians are the future of educational technology is perhaps the most important. Librarians are universally the most collegial professionals on campus....

"

"Privacy Considerations in Cloud-Based Teaching and Learning Environments"

From EDUCAUSE :

"...a new white paper, Privacy Considerations in Cloud-Based Teaching and Learning Environments,...we outline the privacy issues relevant to using cloud-based instructional tools or cloud-based teaching and learning environments for faculty members and those supporting instruction."

7 things to know about...Open-Ended Response Systems

From our friends at EDUCAUSE (just when I thought clickers were the greatest thing since sliced bread) :

"An open-ended student response system is an electronic service or application that lets students enter text responses during a lecture or class discussion. Open-ended systems give faculty the option of collecting such free-form contributions from students, in addition to asking the true/false or multiple-choice questions that conventional clicker systems allow. Such tools open a channel for the kind of individual, creative student responses that can alter the character of learning. The great strength of open-ended student response systems may be that they create another avenue for discussion, allowing students to join a virtual conversation at those times when speaking out in live discourse might seem inappropriate, intimidating, or difficult."

report on "How Different Generations Use the Internet"

From the ResourceShelf :

Generations 2010

HTML Version (Searchable) ||| PDF Version (29 pages)

From the Overview Page:

The dominance of the Millennial generation that we documented in our first “Generations” report in 2009 has slipped in many activities.

Milliennials, those ages 18-33, remain more likely to access the internet wirelessly with a laptop or mobile phone. In addition, they still clearly surpass their elders online when it comes to many communication- and entertainment-related activities, such as using social network sites and playing games online.

However, internet users in Gen X (those ages 34-45) and older cohorts are more likely than Millennials to engage in several online activities, including visiting government websites and getting financial information online.

Finally, the biggest online trend is that, while the very youngest and oldest cohorts may differ, certain key internet uses are becoming more uniformly popular across all age groups. These online activities include seeking health information, purchasing products, making travel reservations, and downloading podcasts.

A Few Stats From the Report:

...

+ Few of the activities covered in this report have decreased in popularity for any age group, with the notable exception of blogging. ...

...

+ About six in ten American adults (59%) go online wirelessly, either through their smartphones or through a wireless card in their laptop.3 Adults age 45 and younger are the most likely to connect to the internet with a laptop, cell phone, or other internet-connected mobile device, as 82% of Millennials and 71% of Gen X connect that way. Only 9% of the G.I. Generation go online wirelessly.

+ Email and search engine use remain the backbone of online activities, with 88% of the oldest generation using email. Communicating by email is not as popular with teens, however; only 73% of teens use email.

Full Text HTML Version (Searchable) ||| Complete PDF Version (29 pages)

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

"Millennial Students' Mental Models of Search: Implications for Academic Librarians..."

From the latest JAL (corrected proof) :

"Millennial Students' Mental Models of Search: Implications for Academic Librarians and Database Developers

Lucy Holman

Abstract

Today's students exhibit generational differences in the way they search for information. Observations of first-year students revealed a proclivity for simple keyword or phrases searches with frequent misspellings and incorrect logic. Although no students had strong mental models of search mechanisms, those with stronger models did construct more complex searches."

EDUCAUSE Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010

From the EDUCAUSE blog :

... The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010 ... is a longitudinal extension of the 2004 through 2009 ECAR studies of students and information technology. It is based on quantitative data from a spring 2010 survey of 36,950 freshmen and seniors at 100 four-year institutions and students at 27 two-year institutions; student focus groups that included input from 84 students at 4 institutions; and review of qualitative data from written responses to open-ended questions. In addition to exploring student ownership, experience, behaviors, preferences, and skills with respect to information technologies, including ownership and use of Internet-capable handheld devices, the 2010 study also includes a special focus on student use of social networking websites and web-based applications. Because of the critical importance of this topic, ECAR has made the full study, roadmap, and key findings available online to everyone now.

Professor's view of library instruction

From today's Inside HigherEd :

Using Library Experts Wisely

By Rob Weir

Useful critique of our traditional Orientation or one-shot library sessions (good for me to be reminded of what doesn't work -- what I don't achieve by trying to cram so much into 1 hour), and an encouragement to faculty to work us in to courses. I hope many read & try the experiment. I'd so enjoy working like this with a faculty member (or two, or more...)!

review of wiki use in academia

Inside HigherEd has an interesting article on wiki adoption & use in academia -- the failures, a few successes, proposing reasons for both, and looking towards what may happen in the future.

Comment on any Web Page

This means of adding comments to a web page could be useful for instruction, perhaps. From the EnhancED blog @ Columbia :

"Google Sidewiki for Commenting on any Web Page

Google Sidewiki is a free browser tool that allows you to add simple comments to any web page without having to leave the page. Sidewiki is less a wiki and more a commenting tool.

Google Sidewiki works with the Google Toolbar, so you'll have to download the toolbar (also free) from Google to use it. Google Toolbar requires Firefox or Internet Explorer. Safari users can use the Sidewiki bookmarklet to contribute comments. To make Sidewiki appear, just click on the Sidewiki button in the Google Toolbar. It opens on the left side of your screen, with comments listed in a vertical column. Type your comments into the text field and then click the publish button to make them appear in the list.

Instructors may find Sidewiki useful for facilitating discussions around topics covered on different web pages. They could also use it to list questions or draw students attention to information provided by others. Google touts it as a tool for enriching web pages with user's helpful tips, background information or expert insights."

"What Does the Digital Information Seeker Look Like?"

From the ResourceShelf (note, this is only 14 min-long) :

"From a Summary:

New research from JISC suggests that the way people look for information in libraries and online is changing. JISC recently commissioned a report from the OCLC to bring together a number of different studies in the area.

Senior research scientist Dr Lynn Silipigni Connaway at OCLC Research in the US talks to Nicola Yeeles about how researchers ‘bounce’ and ‘whirl’ and what that means for the library of the future.

..."

Can we explain info. lit. online?

From the latest issue of the JAL :

"The Readability of Information Literacy Content on Academic Library Web Sites"

Adriene Lim

Associate University Librarian, Portland State University and MLIP doctoral candidate at Simmons College, Portland, OR, and Boston, MA, USA

Abstract

This article reports on a study addressing the readability of content on academic libraries' Web sites, specifically content intended to improve users' information literacy skills. Results call for recognition of readability as an evaluative component of text in order to better meet the needs of diverse user populations.

7 Things... to know about open educational resources

From EDUCAUSE -- another one I started to read not sure of it's relevance to me, but found interesting none the less :

"Open educational resources (OER) are any resources available at little or no cost that can be used for teaching, learning, or research. The term can include textbooks, course readings, and other learning content; simulations, games, and other applications; syllabi, quizzes, and assessment tools; and virtually any other educational material. Open resources are issued under a license that spells out how they can be used: Some may only be used in their original form; in other cases, resources can be modified, remixed, and redistributed."

7 Things... to know about mobile apps for learning

From EDUCAUSE, per usual :

"Mobile learning, or m-learning, can be any educational interaction delivered through mobile technology. The software that underlies m-learning includes not only mobile applications designed specifically for learning purposes but also those designed for other uses that can be adapted for educational purposes. M-learning hardware can include mobile phones, handheld PCs, tablets, the iPad, and netbooks, as well as devices such as the iPod touch that are able to run mobile applications. The use of mobile devices is a natural fit for distributed learning and field activities in that handheld technology can accompany the learner almost anywhere.

 

In the 7 Things You Should Know About Mobile Apps for Learning, EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative’s (ELI) latest brief in the monthly series, discover how the integration of these devices into everyday life support lifelong learning as well as facilitate authentic learning."

Online Evaluations = Same Results, Lower Response Rate

From the Chronicle's Wired :

"Students give the same responses on paper as on online course evaluations but are less likely to respond to online surveys, according to a recent study.

..."

new issue of C&RL News

From the TOC online (articles free online, too), the one that appealed to me :

Emily Daly

Embedding library resources into learning management systems: A way to reach Duke undergrads at their points of need

• Coll. res. libr. news April 2010 71:208-212

  • Full Text
  • Full Text (PDF)
    

anr study on college students & information seeking behavior

From the ResourceShelf :

Article: Information Literacy: A Neglected Core Competency

From the Article by Sharon A. Weiner

Researchers at the Information School at the University of Washington released an important and thought-provoking report in late 2009: “Lessons Learned: How College Students Seek Information in the Digital Age.”1 The study confirms and expands on the results of other reports. Its particular value is the size of the population studied, the diversity of institutions represented, and the use of both a survey and follow-up interviews for data collection.

The findings are troubling. College students think of information seeking as a rote process and tend to use the same small set of information resources no matter what question they have:

+ The primary sources they use for course work are course readings and Google.
+ They rely on professors to be “research coaches” for identifying additional sources.
+ They use Google and Wikipedia for research about everyday life topics.
+ They tend not to use library services that require interacting with librarians.

And although they begin the research process engaged and curious, they become frustrated and overwhelmed as it progresses.

...

7 Things... to know about "Backchannel Communication"

From EDUCAUSE

Backchannel communication is a secondary conversation that takes place at the same time as a conference session, lecture, or instructor-led learning activity. This might involve students using a chat tool or Twitter to discuss a lecture as it is happening, and these background conversations are increasingly being brought into the foreground of lecture interaction.

Visualizing data

This is a very interesting 'periodic table' of data-visualization techniques. I had no idea there were so many!

If you mouse-over an 'element,' it will show you an example of its use.