Snow is in the forecast

We're sick of winter here. All of us...

 

The members know something?

From the e-mail in box:

Hello!
 
I was wondering if you could promote the wiki noted below through your blog or through your work with instructional technology.  As part of an internship project through Johns Hopkins University/ISTE, I am looking for individuals or groups to collaborate with us in discussing the NETS*S  and how the refreshed standards are being represented in lesson plans and classrooms around the nation and world through a collaborative wiki. Please join the discussion at http://nets-implementation.iste.wikispaces.net/.   Select "Edit This Page" to add your idea or comment regarding the implementation of a specific standard or a grade level range.
 
Kind Regards,
Martha Barwick
Johns Hopkins University/ISTE Intern
mbarwick@gmail.com

I find this heartening. ISTE belived its members have something to contribute to the standard. Would more professional organizations take this stance toward their standards, best practices, goals, etc.

 

Persistence

Persistence is often listed as a 21st century skill. From yesterday's e-mail inbox:

Hello Mr. Johnson,
   
I am a research chemist in Cincinnati pulling double duty as our company's project leader in knowledge and information management.  I am fascinated by the way 'literacy' is changing as our information environment evolves, for digital immigrants like myself, but also for our children.  I came across your book over a year ago, Machines are the Easy Part, and spent a good hour trying to find my way back to it today...
      
It turns out my del.icio.us had the link, but my information literacy tag has so many links that I didn't find the link where I thought it should be - a classic case of failed re-finding.
      
I am reading Jones' Keeping Found Things Found, and just read about the 'Critical Incident Technique' of evaluating failures of PIM.  This was certainly a failure in re-finding. [See Johnson's Law of Finding]  In his other book, Personal Information Management, he points out that search failure during re-finding appears to be particularly frustrating in part because the information sought has been seen before and is known to exist....but....  I think the 'map' to the information has changed, which threw me off my path.  You've updated your site since the last time I was there.
      
Which is a rambling round about way to ask for the table of contents for 'Machines are the easy part' that I remember being available on the old site.
   
And I wanted to send an email to make sure that sending a check to the address posted on the site ... will actually lead to a book purchase!
   
 You may or may not be interested in my needle in a haystack route to find your site:
 
 Initial Google Search: 

book information literacy presentations computers <http://www.google.com/search?q=book+information+literacy+presentations+computers&amp;hl=en>
   
I remembered finding the book (turns out my del.icio.us link post was from November, 2006) while looking around for discussion of children and education and information literacy in schools.  I also seem to recall your book had comments about giving 'presentations.'

Then I tried:
   
book information literacy presentation computers teacher <http://www.google.com/search?q=book+information+literacy+presentations+computers&amp;hl=en>

The first hit was education related and I seemed to recall the book's audience was educators and that the author was a teacher, maybe?  So I added 'teacher'
   
Mankato kept coming up and I seemed to recall noting that the author was from Minnesota - I'm from MN and I was reminded of the coincidence.
   
So I added Minnesota to the search and a few other  words:
   
 book outline buy tips computer presentation computer teacher literacy minnesota <http://www.google.com/search?q=book+outline+buy+tips+computer+presentation+computer+teacher+literacy+minnesota&amp;hl=en&amp;start=10&amp;sa=N>
   
On the *second* page of hits was a link to Linworth Publishing which had your other book in the snippet, "The indispensable Teacher's guide..."  That sounded sort of like what I was looking for....
   
Visiting the site at
   
 http://www.linworth.com/linworth_books/?page=reviews&category=technology <http://www.linworth.com/linworth_books/?page=reviews&amp;category=technology>  <http://www.linworth.com/linworth_books/?page=reviews&amp;category=technology>
   
I saw that book and your name as author and it sounded familiar...
   
 So I search on that book title, looking for an author's site (the one I remembered) and found
   
 Indispensable Teacher’s Guide to Computer Skills <http://www.google.com/search?q=Indispensable+Teacher%E2%80%99s+Guide+to+Computer+Skills&amp;hl=en>
  
 ...and found a page on your site at
   
 http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/indispensable-teachers-gude-to-computer-skills.html
  
 Gude?
  
 Which had a link to 'books'
   
 http://www.doug-johnson.com/books
      
AH, there it is, the book I remembered!
      
I went back to del.icio.us and sure enough I'd posted a link - it just didn't come up where I expected....and then I saw another related post for an article you'd written:
  
 http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/columnists/johnson/johnson013.shtml
   
Which is where I found the link to the "Machines..." book in the first place while researching and commenting <http://futhermet.wordpress.com/2007/02/15/information-literacy-redefining-the-memex/>  on Webber's Information Literacy Article "As we May Think..." in which I actually link to your article, alluding to the comment, "One positive aspect of “adding” information literacy activities to the curriculum is that this should be a method of teaching rather than an add-on. "

Wow, memex inded.
   
So...If it wouldn't be a problem, could you send the TOC for "Machines are the Easy Part," and verify that I can purchase the book via the address given?
     
Thanks!
Matt

Hi Matt,
 
After all that work, the least I can do is mail you a complimentary copy. Send me a snail mail address!

All the best,
 
 Doug

The book is in today's mail.