findingEducation’s Digital Teachers’ LoungeTips and insights from the findingEducation team.

Last week, findingEducation spoke with Michael Stephens, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill. As the 2009 CAVAL Visiting Scholar in Australia, Stephens spent five weeks of his fall semester riding camels on the beach, as well as lecturing and researching the impact of the Learning 2.0 self-directed technology program.

Stephens coauthored a column in Library Journal for more than two years. He recently shared a column in Digitale Bibliotheek, a Dutch library journal, with Jan Klerk, and engages with readers on his blog, Tame The Web. In 2001, he published a book, “The Library Internet Trainer’s Toolkit, and between 2006 and 2007, wrote two library technology reports on Web 2.0.

fE: What made you choose to teach library science and why technology skills, specifically?

MS: I spent 15 years working in the public library setting. In 1995, the library that I was in was the second in the world to have a Web page. This was at St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend, Ind. Some of the jobs that I had there revolved around teaching staff what the Internet was, and what we might do with it. I started doing public classes and found that I liked to introduce people to technology.

I got my Master of Library Science in 1995. I started teaching as an adjunct for Illinois University, and realized that this was something I wanted to pursue more. Luckily an announcement about the program funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) at the University of North Texas came into my inbox with a couple weeks left to apply. They funded 10 people to get a doctorate in information science, so they could go into teaching positions in library schools. I applied and got in!

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Subject: Integrated Technology, Uncategorized
Tags: Educator Profiles

Did you take the Quiztory last week? Now it’s time to check your answers:

1. Who accused Alexander Dubcek of “outright deceit” during the “Prague Spring” of 1968? Leonid Brezhnev

2. What was the first state park in New York State? Niagara Reservation State Park

3. Who was Burma’s last king before the British took over the country? Thibaw

4. Where was the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, signed? Belgium

5. When the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, how much did it cost to cross the bridge? 1 cent for humans, 2 cents for sheep

Subject: History, Other History, Social Studies, U.S. Government, U.S. History, World History
Tags: Quiztory, The Answer Sheet

Test your students’ knowledge of the notable events covered in findingDulcinea’s “On This Day” column this week with the Quiztory—a quiz on important events in history. A new Quiztory will run every Friday.

1. Who accused Alexander Dubcek of “outright deceit” during the “Prague Spring” of 1968?

2. What was the first state park in New York State?

3. Who was Burma’s last king before the British took over the country?

4. Where was the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, signed?

5. When the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, how much did it cost to cross the bridge?

What’s Coming Up?

Next week, “On This Day” will examine the sinking of the Queen Elizabeth, America Online’s purchase of Time Warner, Gov. George Ryan’s clearing of Illinois’ death row prisoners and the first Super Bowl. We’ll also take a look at Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison concert, Joe DiMaggio’s marriage to Marilyn Monroe and Egypt’s Aswan High Dam.

Subject: History, Other History, Social Studies, U.S. Government, U.S. History, World History
Tags: Quiztory

Before the holiday break, findingEducation spoke with Sarah Houghton-Jan, also known as the Librarian in Black, about her roles as a blogger, lecturer and the digital futures manager for the San José Public Library.

Houghton-Jan told findingEducation that when she’s teaching a customer or student something new, she tries to pretend she’s speaking to her mother because “the unknown is really creepy. And that causes me to show a certain level of respect and patience,” she said. “[M]aybe that will work for other people [but] only if you like your mother,” she added with a laugh.

Houghton-Jan was chosen as a Mover & Shaker by Library Journal in 2009. She is also a consultant for the Infopeople Project and a member of the Library & Information Technology Association’s Top Technology Trends Committee.

fE: Could you tell us how you became the digital futures manager for the San José Public Library?

SHJ: I started out not even wanting to be a librarian, and not being very techy. I was just handed our library’s Web site, at the university where I went to library school, and they said, “You’re responsible for maintaining this part of the Web site. Have fun!” I had no HTML training. So I did just a lot of self-training. And I took what few Web-based classes were available.

When I got out of library school, I was looking to relocate to the San Francisco area and one of the jobs that was available was for a combination Web site manager and technology trainer.

I’d been a teacher for a while, and I’d also now managed a Web site, so that was perfect.

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Subject: Integrated Technology, Other, Uncategorized
Tags: Educator Profiles

Did you take the Quiztory last week? Now it’s time to check your answers:

1. With what gesture did Winston Churchill end his famous speech to a joint meeting of Congress in 1941? “V” for victory

2. What was the name of the Sioux religion that foretold the end of the present world and the creation of a new world populated only with Native Americans? Ghost Dance

3. The deadliest earthquake in world history took place in the 16^th century in which country? China

4. Vladimir Lenin issued a letter that addressed his beliefs about the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). What was it called?  “The Question of Nationalities or ‘Autonomisation’”

5. Where in Cuba did Fidel Castro declare the formation of a new government in January 1959? Santiago

Subject: History, Other History, Social Studies, U.S. Government, U.S. History, World History
Tags: Quiztory, The Answer Sheet

Test your students’ knowledge of the notable events covered in findingDulcinea’s “On This Day” column this week with the Quiztory—a quiz on important events in history. A new Quiztory will run every Friday.

1. With what gesture did Winston Churchill end his famous speech to a joint meeting of Congress in 1941?

2. What was the name of the Sioux religion that foretold the end of the present world and the creation of a new world populated only with Native Americans?

3. The deadliest earthquake in world history took place in the 16^th century in which country?

4. Vladimir Lenin issued a letter that addressed his beliefs about the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). What was it called?

5. Where in Cuba did Fidel Castro declare the formation of a new government in January 1959?

What’s Coming Up?

Next week, “On This Day” will take a look at Niagara Falls preservation efforts, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, Burma’s independence from Britain and King Henry VIII’s fourth marriage. We’ll also examine “Prague Spring” in Czechoslovakia, President Clinton’s impeachment hearings and the Battle of New Orleans.

Subject: History, Other History, Social Studies, U.S. Government, U.S. History, World History
Tags: Quiztory