Free iPads (Day 6 #blogjune)

My previous blog post was about attending ILT2012. This was an amazing conference and I learned so much. One of the things that stood out to me was the prolific use of iPads, both by delegates and by speakers in their programs/presentations. The intuitive nature of the device makes it ideal for those with many different types of learning disabilities. Add to this the fact that you can get a number of applications that will read text out to students, convert text to audio, allow for interactivity and create content. Web pages can be converted to ePub, and then annotated, with these notes aggregated at the beginning of the book. Words can be defined while reading or spoken out loud, again using ePub format.

The conference actually had 200 iPads for usefor free by delegates (nowhere near enough to satisfy all! I think there were 1200 delegates all up) for the duration of the conference. Many delegates tweeted and took notes, but the most interesting use was delegates taking photos of slides rather than taking notes! How would you use your iPad at a conference?

Breaking barriers (Day 5 #blogjune)

Two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend ILT2012, an excellent conference on inclusive learning technologies for struggling students.  While the conference appears to have its roots in the teaching sector, I think libraries have a huge role to play here and can offer many valuable contributions via papers and presentations.  That this is an unusual consideration was evident on many levels:

a)      The assumption that I was from a school “Hi, I’m [name].  Which school are you from?”

b)      The continued assumption that I was from a school when I said I was a librarian “Oh that’s great; which school again?”

c)       The absolute total incredulity when I would answer that I was from a public library “Oh I HEARD about you! [name] this is the librarian from Melbourne that [name] was telling us about.”

The reactions were quietly amusing and the overall support for what public libraries are doing for the community was very heartening.  Everyone I spoke to was encouraging and impressed, seeing the role public libraries had to play.  What was less encouraging was the lack of knowledge of what public libraries are, and have been,  doing in the community for years.

This lack of knowledge is from educated professionals in a field that supports research and learning.  Why are we not out there breaking barriers and making ourselves known to others?