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An Infopeople Online Learning Course

Start:
October 13th, 2020 12:00 PM
End:
November 9th, 2020 4:30 PM
All attendees $200.00

Nicole HennigInstructor: Nicole Hennig

If you are a library professional who needs to implement new technologies, you are well aware of how challenging it can be to keep up with emerging technologies. You’ve likely seen trends come and go and wondered how and where to invest your limited time and budget.

In this 4-week online course you’ll learn the best methods and strategies for tracking technology trends. We’ll look at two roles or types of people, visionaries and implementers, and we’ll offer strategies for each type. You’ll learn about the best resources for keeping up, how to evaluate what you’ve learned, the importance of experimenting with new technologies, and how to plan for implementation of new technologies that meet your users’ needs. By the end of this course learners will:

  • Have a plan for keeping up with information on new technologies using several recommended methods.
  • Be able to evaluate technology information while considering ethics, diversity, accessibility, and the digital divide.
  • Have a set of guidelines for experimenting with new technologies.
  • Know some methods for persuading decision-makers to approve your technology projects.
  • Begin to implement a plan for curating technology information for your peers on a regular basis. (via a newsletter, blog, twitter, in-person meetups, or other method of your choice)

Course Description: During each week of this course you’ll watch short video lectures created by the instructor specifically for this course, read and discuss interesting and relevant articles, and complete assignments that you can use in an ongoing way after the course is over. Throughout the course you will also have the opportunity to communicate with the instructor one-on-one and receive direct feedback to your assignments.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

  • Week 1: Gathering Information – Methods and Sources
    • Your tech personality
    • Methods: channels, scanning, and reading later
    • Types of sources to follow
    • Strategies for your type (visionary or implementer)
    • User experience methods overview
  • Week 2: Evaluating & Curating Information
    • Following ethical debates
    • Diversity, accessibility, the digital divide
    • Evaluating: trends vs. fads
    • Letting ideas percolate & note-taking anywhere, anytime
    • Curating technology info for your peers
  • Week 3: Testing New Technologies
    • How to come up with ideas for implementing tech that will meet the needs of your users
    • Experimenting with new technologies
    • Fear of new technologies
  • Week 4: Implementing New Technologies
    • Persuading your decision-makers
    • Emerging Tech Librarian job roles
    • Your ongoing curation project

Pre-course Assignment: None.

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 ½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains a recorded presentation, readings and various options for assignments, discussions, or online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Library staff who need to evaluate new technologies and decide which ones are candidates for useful services. Emerging technology librarians or those with this role as part of their job description.

Learner Requirements: The ability to install a few free apps (Pocket or Instapaper, and a notes app of your choice) on your computer and mobile device. (Android or iOS, Mac or Windows).

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

Keywords: technology