Thing 13: School Library Web Presence

Forgive me for going really easy on myself for this "thing;" my job involves using several of the tools on a fairly regular basis, and one of the examples, the Capital Region SLS LibGuide, is a site I helped create. I also regularly contribute to our eNewsletter, have helped edit/modify the BOCES SLS website using Microsoft Expression, and we as a department have just recently purchased a subscription to Smore, which I focused on for this exercise.

 

We are hoping to boost usage of our Instructional Media (IM) resources, and one way we're trying to achieve this is through "advertising" through Smore flyers. The sample I made is pretty basic, but it's still a work-in-progress. One of the teaching tools we have in our IM collection are literature boxes; these sets compile classroom sets of a single title, a collection of various works by an author, or a collection of titles united by a common theme. One of the most recently gathered literature boxes focuses on contemporary realistic YA fiction that focuses on various "difficult discussions," so I created a Smore for this box. While all of this information will be available through SNAP, and  teachers will still have to request materials through SNAP, this is a more user-friendly, visually appealing format than the very basic and somewhat austere format of SNAP. Though my sample flyer is not graphics-heavy, one of the nice things about Smore is the ability to add images, link out to other websites, include biographical information, and embed music and videos. There are a variety of typefaces, styles, and background images to choose from, and you can upload a custom background, too.

 

Smore does have limitations in the formatting of the text boxes, which is somewhat frustrating. It has a pretty low character limit for titles and subtitles, and the sizing and alignment of text cannot be changed, nor can text color. Still, it has a reasonable subscription cost for educators and is hopefully going to be a useful tool for us.

Thing 12: Media Skills

For Thing 12, I looked at several different sites, and was already familiar with many of them. Working as part of the Automation Team at Capital Region BOCES' SLS, I frequently use the Snipping Tool to insert screenshots to emails and how-to guides.

 

I have used Picasa frequently for years now and do like it. The desktop application has pretty thorough editing capabilities for a free program.

 

New tools that I liked: Make a Gif was a fun tool to play around with. I made a (very slow) Gif of my son from Christmas Day. I didn't get quite the animation sequence I was hoping for, but with more practice - and more sequential pictures - I think I could. My Make a Gif. I also really liked looking at the Mashable "Educational Gifs" - how interesting to see how a key works in a lock, how a baby's face is formed in utero, how a lightbulb blows out. I think there are potentially a lot of educational applications for this tool.

 

Another tool I played with a bit and enjoyed was Quozio. I liked how easy it was to use - just enter the quote of your choice and its author, then choose a background, and you have a nice-looking quote. This would be useful for presentations, posters, and so on.

 

 

Thing 21: Productivity Tools (2014)

I have tried (and failed) to use several of these productivity tools in the past, but I did get sucked into the vortex that is the Lifehacker "How We Work" series - they were fascinating and fun to read. Contributor Walter Glenns sums up my feelings on many of these "productivity tools" in his post:

 

"I've tried just about every electronic to-do manager around. And I really tried to make them work. But I finally came to the realization that paper works best for me. I can write new things wherever I want, check things off, circle things, draw big looping arrows, and color things in with my pencils. And for those with a keen eye, yes that is a legend of codes and colors on the bottom right. What can I say?

 Finally making the decision to give up on digital to-do lists was liberating, but whatever method you use, my advice is to quit looking for the perfect solution. Pick something and make a habit out of using it. Oh, wait. Maybe that's my best time-saving trick."

Now, unlike Glenns I have not tried "just about every" tool there is, but I've tried Evernote, To DoIst, and LastPass, and couldn't get into using them faithfully. I do love DropBox, but pretty much only use it to automatically sync and store photos I take to the storage they provide. I love the ease with which I can share photos with others and that it transfers from device to device. But I use this for pictures of my son and that's about it.

To stay organized and productive, I use a good, old-fashioned combination of pen and paper "to-do" lists (I love the satisfaction of checking things off) and just keeping a running list in my head. Luckily for me, though my memory isn't always the best, I do seem to remember to do important things that need to be done. And I remember things much better when I've written them down by putting pen to paper (says the woman who always takes copious notes and never re-reads them).

I think it's wonderful that there are so many digital ways to stay organized and if you think one will work for you, it's worth a shot.  

Thing 11: Coding (2014)

I tried out a couple of the coding tools. While in grad school, I had to take a course that introduced me to the basics of HTML and Java Script, so this type of language wasn't totally foreign to me, and I enjoyed the bits of coding I'd done in the past.

 

My favorite tool that I tried was "Animate Your Name", in which I got to play with coding/Java Script and alter the code to change the color, shape, and animation of my name. You can see my finished product here.

 

I also played with the Mozilla Thimble Maker and the "Keep Calm" posters. I can think of lots of fun ways to use this :)

 

I think it never hurts to know a little code. I like having the knowledge of figuring out why a website isn't displaying properly, and understanding the basics of code is really helpful, especially if you're in a position where you aren't just the librarian, but the tech person, too (my job at BOCES combines many facets, including lots of technology applications).

 

Thing 7: Podcasting and Screensharing/Thing 8: Collaborating, Connecting, Sharing

For this activity, I used Quick Screen Share, which my coworker, Tia, tipped me off to. Being part of Capital Region BOCES' School Library System's Automation team, I frequently provide technical support to our users and help to answer questions they have about using our library catalog.

I like Quick Screen Share because you don't need to download any software, it is quick, easy, free, and enables either sharer or share-ee to control the screen being shared. You just need the person's email address in order to share.

I did not try any of the podcasting sites because I don't currently have a microphone on this computer, but I can foresee using Quick Screen Share often in the future. Just today I had a librarian who was having trouble figuring out how to get a report run that we had built for her. Using Quick Screen Share, I can show her exactly how things look on my screen, showing her where to click and walking her through the steps of running the report. If she had further difficulties, she could then share her screen with me, showing me where exactly her problem was, and it would be easier to resolve.

*I realized I sort of jumped ahead during Thing 7 into an activity for Thing 8, so consider this a combining of the two :)

Thing 6: Curation Tools

For this activity, I am looking at Pinterest. I have had a Pinterest account for several years now, but previously hadn't really considered its uses for my professional life. I have created boards that group recipes, craft ideas, nursery ideas when I was pregnant, and home organization ideas. I like that you can create secret boards (perfect when planning a surprise party) and you can follow as many or few boards of your friends as you'd like.

I started following Polly's SLS Cool Tools board and it has inspired me to think more deeply about what sort of Pinterest board would be useful for me in my current position. I have created  a very minimally pinned (for now) "Library Things" board to compile ideas, links, and resources as I stumble across them. I appreciate how easy it is to share ideas and tools using Pinterest, and its graphics-heavy interface is ideal for visual learners.

For use in a school library setting, not only is this helpful for the above-mentioned visual learners, but because pretty much anything can be pinned to a board, it provides a good opportunity to emphasize to students the need to be thoughtful about resources used when doing research and also that not all information found online is to be trusted.

Thing 5: Digital Storytelling

I am going to keep this post short and sweet. A few years back, when I was working as a SLMS in the Schodack school district, I participated in an afterschool workshop with Polly during which she presented us with new tools to use in our libraries. I believe the workshop was called "Web 2.0." Many of the tools I learned were part of Thing 5, so I bypassed Animoto, Prezi, and Glogster, which I have tried before, and went to Toondoo, where I played with and created a cute little cartoon. It is unrelated to anything academic, but it was fun to make. And it's based on a true story ;)

I can see this being a really wonderful tool to use in classrooms to work on narration and sequence, and I also like the idea of using it in non-fiction applications, such as the given example of a life-cycle. For students who are really into graphic novels and comics, this gives them a chance to play with making their own. It was easy to create an account and the free version has lots of features. You can share your toondoo creations on Facebook, make your 'toons private, share only with friends, or add to the public gallery (I did this one). You can invite feedback and allow for editing, or opt not to.