I just finished listening to the audio book titled, The Wednesday Letters, by Jason F. Wright. I had previously read another book by this author, Christmas Jars, and when I find a book I like, I try to read other books by the same author.
I really enjoyed The Wednesday Letters! I would recommend it to everyone. It’s the story of a couple who have been married for 39 years, and every Wednesday, the husband writes a letter to his wife. She has kept all of these letters through the years, and after their deaths, their adult children find the boxes of letters and begin to read them and learn some surprising secrets about their parent’s past. This is a really sweet story with a message of forgiveness, and lessons on how to love. I didn’t need a tissue until the very end!
I have never been to a MUVE, that is a Multi User Virtual Environment, so I decided to check out one called Second Life. I had fun making my avatar, and was unbelievably uncoordinated at making myself walk through the scenes! Just walking sent me bumping, fumbling, and falling! I was pretty good at following the arrows that lead the way in the beginning, but after a while I transported to another destination and there were no more arrows. I didn’t know where I was supposed to go, or what to do, so I just walked around a lot. At one point I got into an inner-tube and paddled around for a while. I saw some other people in the game but I didn’t interact with them. One guy made a comment, which wasn’t very nice! Maybe I should have tried Minecraft instead….I think that one is more kid oriented.
The experience reminded me a bit of a computer game my son played a LONG time ago called Putt Putt Travels Through Time. The character is a car and he travels around collecting items and putting them in his glove compartment. At some point in the game he needs to use a “tool” that he’s picked up to un-lock something, or fix something, and then continues on his journey.
I can see a value in using MUVEs for teaching things in a way that young people are really drawn to. The library could use these kinds of games to introduce concepts of research, solve puzzles, or give out clues that might teach them something along the way.
I really appreciated a video I watched as part of the class I’m taking, that explained the value of gaming, and how young people are learning real life skills and attitudes that may benefit them as they go through life. If you are a parent, educator, or gamer, you may want to spend a few minutes listening/watching this too:
I’ve been using Facebook for a while now, and I’ve just opened a Twitter account. I’ve started following 4 or 5 accounts. My first impression is that Twitter is an abbreviated version of Facebook posts, in fact the Kokomo Howard County Public Library posts on Twitter that link to Facebook. Here is a sample:
Another site I followed linked to a blog or a website posting.
The value for the Library would be to reach patrons that use social media to convey what’s happening at the library. One way would be a reminder for story times, or book club meetings, etc. Another way would be to advise patrons of library closings due to weather or holidays. In the following example, patrons were advised of a change to the bookmobile schedule:
IUPUI used Twitter to inform followers of summer internship opportunities:
My experience with Twitter is more limited, but it seems that Twitter is a short description and a link to elsewhere, and Facebook is more of a destination itself. I also don’t see many comments on Twitter, and I see many more “likes”, “shares”, and comments on Facebook. That makes me feel like Facebook is more interactive than Twitter.
I like using Facebook to keep up with friends and family. It seems like more and more people are posting videos. Most of them are funny or encouraging. I recently shared a video on Facebook, that we watched as part of my class at I.U. It was about how people who play computer MUVE games (multi-user virtual environments) can save the world. It taught me a new perspective about people who spend a lot of time playing games. It made me realize the value of gaming in social, educational, and psychological terms. I was so impressed with the information in this video, that I posted it on Facebook so that other friends, mothers, and educators that I know, will watch it and learn from it too!
Another social network I utilize is Pinterest. I have a hobby of making greeting cards, and I love to look for card ideas and post them on my “cards to make” board. I also post recipes, ideas for encouraging others, preschool teacher ideas, and library posts of interest.
Libraries & Bicycles 