InsideHigherEd: Obsolete Learning Technologies

According to the Silicon Alley Insider, 21 technologies have become obsolete by 2009. Some will be missed (such as coursepacks!). You can read the details and comments from the InsideHigherEd article.

What learning technologies have become obsolete this decade? Here are eight examples:

1. Scantron Sheets

2. Overhead Projectors and Transparencies

3. Classroom VCR/DVD Players

4. Course Packs and Course Readers

5. Photocopiers

6. Microfiche

7. Language and Computer Labs

8. Paper Journals and Periodicals?

A Decade in Review: Events that Changed Our Lives

The Detroit Free Press has an alphabetical list of events that have changed our lives this past decade. It's amazing to think that things we take for granted now have only been around within the past 10 years. I will list a sample, but you must read the five-page article for more details.

AIRPORTS: Remember when you didn't have to take your shoes off before getting on a plane? Remember when you could bring a bottled drink on board? Terrorism changed all that.


ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: From acupuncture to herbal supplements to alternative ways of treating cancer, alternative medicine became more mainstream than ever.


APPS: There's an app for that! The phrase comes from Apple iPhone advertising, but could apply to the entire decade's gadget explosion, from laptops to GPS systems (want your car to give you directions to Mom's house in Chinese, or by a Frenchwoman named Virginie? There was an app for that.)


AARP cards ... for boomers! Some prominent Americans turned 50 this decade: Madonna. Prince. Ellen DeGeneres. The Smurfs. Michael Jackson — who also died at 50. And some prominent "early boomers" turned 60: Bruce Springsteen and Meryl Streep, for example.


AGING: Nobody seemed to look their age anymore: Clothes for 50-year-old women started looking more like clothes for 18-year-olds, tweens looked more like teens, long hair was popular for all ages, and in many ways women's fashion seemed to morph into one single age group.

....

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! See you in 2010!

33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians Are Still Important in the Digital Age

I found this article by Will Sherman stating 33 reasons why libraries and librarians are still important today as society enters the digital age. Information literacy and outreach instruction will become more important in the near future so that librarians, also known as information professionals, can educate diverse populations on how to effectively search for information. I won't list every reason on this blog, but it highlights some of the important skills librarians learn and practice: ensuring people have the best access to information. The digital divide is still real and widening around the globe. Computers (particularly the Internet) alone cannot replace the libraries, but it can complement libraries. Various organizations have adapted to cultural and social changes over the years (libraries are no different).