Blog Post 8
Reflection on Class
Last week in class, we discussed book clubs and the socratic seminar. We learned that successful book clubs are flexible for the people involved, and should not be focused around yourself. The members of the book club should feel welcome to share their opinions and should not be led to answers that the faciliatator believes is correct. Questions should not lead to specific answers and be carefully worded to allow for multiple opinions. Additionally, we talked about how book clubs can have an online component. We also practiced the socratic seminar through our discussion of an online article explaining why physical books are outdated and that Universities should adopt all online textbooks. Despite the article not being satire, it came across that way and made me believe more strongly in the idea that physical books are necessary. We have a long way to go and we will need to carefully consider the environment, database, and online experience of textbooks before removing phsyical books from our library. The socratic serminar was a new way for me to discuss readings, but it was a bit intimitating. While I am not anxious to share my thoughts to the entire class, the small discussion made me feel like I was being carefully watched and my thoughts carefully analyzed. This may not be a bad thing as I am forced to consider the words I say before I say them, but perhaps I was a bit more quiet than normal.
This class led me to consider how an purely online book club would function. I haven't done any initial expoloration into this, but I am curious how they are structured to encourage eual participation between members. I imagine that this is challenging. Normally in larger video chats, people will dominant conversations and others will go completely unnoticed. This may also be the case for in-person book clubs, but for shy individuals, I believe it will be even more challenging for them to participate. What advantages would an online book club bring? What about disandvantages? How can online book clubs be more accessible for people who may do not have access to a local library or book club?
I'm also curious about online book clubs. For me, I prefer to express myself in writing as opposed to talking, so I think I would really like the opportunity to express my thoughts in writing for an online book club and I would have an easier time communicating with other members. Online book clubs are also much more convenient because they can be asynchronous and I can join in whenever I feel like it. On the other hand, I think a disadvantage is that many people like to talk with others in person, finding that kind of interaction more personal and engaging, so online book clubs may not be as satisfying to them. I really like the idea to combine online book clubs and in-person book clubs because that way people have a choice of how they want to participate.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of online book clubs definitely seems interesting. How do you see those playing out? Would they happen in a virtual video environment, like Blue Jeans, Google Hangouts, or Zoom, or would it be more like a chat room? I think both of those manifestations would result in different levels of engagement and participation. I think the idea would definitely need to be addressed in a different way than an in-person book club, but online book clubs would definitely appeal to a different set of people and possibly enhance access to such activities.
ReplyDeleteI also felt hyper-aware/intimidated about participating in book clubs, when I was in the center of the room. I was less concerned about what I was saying, and more concerned about how much I was talking or if my comments ended discussion as opposed to started them. However, much like you, I think maybe that new-found awareness was a good as opposed to bad for me.
ReplyDeleteI actually have participated in a semi-online book club before, and I largely felt like it didn't work. When in a person, you can tell when someone is about to talk, whereas in video chat, it is much more difficult to see. In a weird way, I think maybe the ellipses that facebook messenger uses to signal someone is typing might actually be more useful than facetime if you want to do an online book club. Also, i have been wondering if just having email discussions is an acceptable stand in for a book club. I don't know, I have been reading letter conversations between authors recently, and it is a pretty effective means to have a discussion, and it would bypass natural shyness and allow for asynchronous engagement.
Like everyone else, I was also intrigued by the idea of online book clubs! I'm not familiar of any libraries that have purely online book clubs, but it would be interesting to explore which ones do and how hosting book clubs virtually works out for them.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of advantages, I actually think having online book clubs may benefit shyer people. Like Sarah, I have an easier time expressing my thoughts in writing instead of out loud, so I would appreciate having a book club in a virtual setting so I can write down my thoughts and share them that way (assuming that there would be a chat box, like in BlueJeans). Having an online book club could also be advantageous to those who are home-bound, don't have transportation, or are too busy to travel to the library.
Your assessment of a good book club made me think about the title of our class (Instructional Aid for the Information Professional) and how there are different goals of "instruction" that require us to adapt our instructional strategies. In a good book club, like you've pointed out, there should not be a specific goal or agenda. Therefore, perhaps we are not "instructors" in that instance, but facilitators. This is completely different than our previous assignment, screencast tutorials, in which our goal was to help viewers learn a specific task. I'm glad we're getting to experience all different kinds of instruction, it's important to notice the differences.
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