[Baynet] Infopeople's online course "Get Your Game On, Online!"

Tue Dec 16 11:18:39 PST 2008

Since some people who may be interested in participating might not receive
this notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would print and post or
route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!

Title:  Get Your Game On, Online!  (Online learning course)

Dates:  February 3, 2009 - March 2, 2009

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at

http://infopeople.org/workshop/392

Fee:  $75 for those in the California library community and $150 for those
out-of-state.

Many stories in the media show videogames to be violent, addictive, and
controversial. But just like books, videogames can also be literary,
educational, socially relevant, identity forming, and challenging.
Videogames, the medium of choice for the millennial generation, may be the
next format for libraries to consider. 

. Are you concerned that people aren't reading anymore? 

. Are your library's computers being taken over by Runescape? 

. Do you need some help convincing the "powers that be" that gaming is a
worthwhile investment? 

. Are you looking for ways to serve gamers, other than programs or
collections? 

. Are you looking for how-to information on selecting and purchasing games,
or how-to run a videogame tournament? 

In this online course you will discover the benefits of harnessing the
videogame format to attract new library users of all ages, and learn how to
deliver exemplary services to gamers in your community.

Workshop Description: This four-week online learning course will provide a
snapshot of videogames in U.S. popular culture and the current state of
gaming in libraries, and provide models of ways to serve gamers of all ages
with programs, collections and more. 

During the course, you will be doing exercises and taking quizzes, and
playing games, as well as viewing slides and listening to audio, and reading
articles online. You will also participate in online discussion forums as
part of the online learning process. 

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet
connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and
complete the following learning modules: 

. Module One: Advocating for Gaming at the Library 

Icebreaker: what games do you play? 

Gaming in popular culture 

Gaming in libraries 

Talking point: making the case 

Games to play 

. Module Two: Videogame Programs & Tournaments 

Deciding what kind of gaming experience to provide 

Gaming programs with consoles, handhelds, and LAN parties 

Gaming tournaments 

Games to play 

. Module Three: Videogame Collection Development 

Evaluating & selecting videogames 

Purchasing & cataloging 

Displaying, circulating & troubleshooting 

Digital and print collections 

Games to play 

. Module Four: Other programs and services 

Creating an avatar 

Cheat codes & strategy guides 

Reader's advisory to gamers 

Videogame design 

Games to play 

Instructor:  Beth Gallaway.  Beth Gallaway, a Library Journal Mover & Shaker
(2006), is an independent library trainer/consultant. She is an adjunct
lecturer for Simmons College and teaches online classes for YALSA. She has
been playing video games since she was five. Beth is the founder of the
LibGaming listserv, an active YALSA volunteer, and the co-author of Get Your
Game On: Video Games and Libraries. (Neal Schuman, 2007). She is a member of
many social networking applications, and you can find her using the handle
"informationgoddess29."

Online Learning Details: 

This four-week course will be taught online using the web. When you
register, you will receive a registration confirmation that will include the
URL to get to the course, as well as a username and password. 

Every student proceeds through the online learning modules at his or her own
pace. Students should expect to commit to spending a minimum of 2 to 2 1/2
hours per week on this course in order to be successful. Every week you will
have different game options; it is not expected that everyone will play
every game, or spend more than 45 minutes on a game.

You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or
night. However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do
that week's assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first
week of the course to begin the course work.

Your instructor will be available for limited consultation support for two
weeks after the official end date of the course, and the course material
will stay up for an additional two weeks after that, to give those who have
fallen behind time to work independently on the course. However, you will be
expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization with
your peers during the first four weeks.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone with an interest in keeping current with
library trends, serving underserved populations, and understanding the
gaming phenomenon will be interested in this course. Gaming is fast becoming
something everyone (children, teens, parents, seniors) does, so
understanding the gamer mentality is useful for all library staff, from
circulation desk staff to custodians to reference librarians to directors
and trustees. Additionally, this course may help managers to better
understand staff born after 1970, offering insight into the values and
attitudes of digital natives and those who grew up gaming.

Prerequisites:

This course is taught over the web. You must: 

. Be able to save Microsoft Word .doc or Adobe .pdf files to your computer
and print them out. (For .doc files, a free Word Viewer is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en . Search for
"Word Viewer." For .pdf files, a free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html ). 

. Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a
website that uses frames. 

. To be most successful in this course you should be willing to share
information with your colleagues and be willing to spend time reading and
participating in the weekly discussion boards. 

System Requirements: The online learning product that Infopeople uses is
called Angel. The following are minimum system requirements for using Angel.
You will need access to a computer that has at least these specifications to
participate in an online course: 

. Windows: 

Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Vista 

Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and above 

Phishing Filter disabled (IE 7) 

. Macintosh: 

OS X and above (OS 9 will NOT work with our online learning product) 

Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and above, Safari 2.0 and above 

. General 

High speed Internet connection (dial up not recommended) 

Java enabled (from Sun Microsystems not Microsoft) - test my computer
(http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp ) - Java download latest
version (http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp )

Pop-up blockers disabled 

If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking
this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

If you would like to subscribe via RSS and be notified whenever new
Infopeople training events are available, you can use these links:

**For new on-ground or online workshops: http://infopeople.org/workshop/rss

**For new podcasts: http://feeds.feedburner.com/InfopeoplePodcasts    

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information
about Infopeople Training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople Workshops
page at http://infopeople.org/workshop   

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please
contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.

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