Archive for August 2008

The folks at Educause have put together another of their 7 Things series documents, this time on the topic of geotagging which involves adding location information to an online object such as a photo. The latest brief answers the following questions about geolocation:

1. What is it?
2. Who’s doing it?
3. How does it work?
4. Why is it significant?
5. What are the downsides?
6. Where is it going?
7. What are the implications for teaching and learning?

The Common Craft team has created a one-minute introduction to Google Reader in another of its “in Plain English” videos.

Just getting started with screencasting? If you’re thinking about creating instructional videos for your library which will capture your computer’s on-screen movements, you’ll want to check out some of these resources.

Articles on Screencasting

Screencasting: How To Start, Tools and Guidelines - Smashing Magazine

Screen Casts Rock - Here’s Who’s Rocking Them Now - ReadWriteWeb

7 things you should know about…Screencasting - Educause

An Introduction to Screencasting: Why screencasts are useful, how to create them, and software tools that can help - TechSoup

Presentations
Vidcasting: Screencasts for Mobile Video-Enabled Devices - presented at Computers in Libraries 2008

Screencapture, Slidecasting and Sceencasting tools: Jing, SnagIT, Slideshare, Camtasia, Captivate, BB FlashBack - notes from the Library 2.0 and beyond: getting our hands dirty unconference held by the State Library of Western Australia, August 2008

Just Push Play: Screencasting for Your Library - presented at Internet@Schools East at Computers in Libraries 2008

Creation, Management, and Assessment of Library Screencasts: The Regis Libraries Animated Tutorials Project - presented at the Central Michigan University libraries Off-Campus Library Services Conference 2008

Screencasting & E-Learning on a Shoestring - presented at Internet Librarian Oct. 2007

Podcasts
Paul Pival’s Show and Tell The Easy Way - An Introduction to Screencasting (SirsiDynix Institute podcast)

Blogs & Wikis
LibCasting: Screencasting and libraries - blog maintained by Greg Notess

Screencasting Wiki - library-oriented screencasting wiki

Software
12 Screencasting Tools For Creating Video Tutorials - Mashable

List of Screencasting Software - Wikipedia

5 Free Screencasting Apps for Creating Video Tutorials - makeUseOf.com

Also see Links to Software below

Workshop Handouts/Notes

Just Push Play: Screencasting for Your Library - Steve Garwood presentation at Internet@Schools East at Computers in Libraries 2008

Screencasting video based lectures and demonstrations - Steve Garwood presentation at Association of Library and Information Science Educators 2008

Screencasting for Quick Online Tutorials - Greg R. Notess handout AkLA Annual Conference 2006

Creation, Management, and Assessment of Library Screencasts: The Regis Libraries Animated Tutorials Project - Paul Betty’s handout for the the Central Michigan University libraries Off-Campus Library Services Conference 2008.

Links to Library Screencasts, Software, and Other Resources
Screencasting section on the Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 Training Sessions Wiki

Online Tutorials section of the Library Success Wiki

Best Practices in Screencasting - Section on the ANTS Wiki

I’m sure there are many other quality resources available out there, please leave further suggestions in the comments.

Mashable presents a useful list for WordPress bloggers, aggregating over 30 plugins which will make your blog more social. Some of the plugins included in the collection provide similar or redundant functionality, so bloggers will want to be choosy when deciding which to install. Some of the more interesting plugins include:

• Digg This - Adds a Digg button to posts which have been submitted to the social news website.
• FriendFeed Activity Widget - Shares your FriendFeed activity.
• Twitter Updater - Sends tweets to your Twitter account each time you publish a new post, also automatically shrinks the URL to a TinyURL.
• ShareThis - Adds the ShareThis icon to your blog, which allows readers to easily submit your articles to the most popular social websites and/or email them to friends.
• Stumble Reviews - Enables you to display StumbleUpon reviews for a particular page on that page.

CollegeDegree.com has published a list of 100 Extensive University Libraries from Around the World that Anyone Can Access. The post points to a wide array of digital collections, e-books, and research resources that are freely available online. Libraries and their collections are divided into the following categories:

• Digital Libraries
• International Digital Libraries
• Texts
• Medical Libraries
• Legal Libraries
• National Libraries of Europe
• Religious Studies
• Specialized Selections
• Academic Research
• American Universities
• International Universities

Illustration: Wesley Bedrosian

The Wall Street Journal tests out four websites dedicated to exchanging books in Online Swap Meets for Books. The article describes how each community works and also provides a useful matrix at the end comparing setup, experience, cost, and providing comments. The websites discussed include:

Paperbackswap.com
Swaptree.com
Bookmooch.com
Bookins.com

via Library Stuff

Thinking about incorporating Twitter into your marketing toolset? You’ll want to grab some great ideas about how to do so effectively with Chris Brogan’s 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business. He breaks down his post into sections:

• First Steps
• Ideas About WHAT to Tweet
• Some Sanity For You
• The Negatives People Will Throw At You
• Some Positives to Throw Back

You may also want to check out Jeremiah Owyang’s Web Strategy: The Evolution of Brands on Twitter, and David Lee King’s The Social Web and Libraries: Twitter Alerts.

If you’ve been considering creating a wiki to collaborate with your team, launch a staff intranet, teach a class, or just store your brainstorming ideas, you might want to check out Mashable’s list of over thirty wiki products to get you going. And if you’re having trouble choosing which solution is a best match for your project, head over to WikiMatrix which will compare the front runners side by side.

Alisa Miller at Smart Teaching has created a mega-list of 100 classroom videos to provide you with fresh perspective and inspiration to spice up your instructional sessions. Her recommended videos are divided into the following categories:

• The Basics
• The Arts
• Getting Physical
• Education and Technology
• Special Needs
• Creative Techniques
• Videos Made by Students
• Teachers Say
• Classrooms on the News
• Just for Fun

Hongkiat has compiled a list of 20 of the best Web destinations which offer free e-books which includes 15 additional briefly suggested sites, and reader-contributed recommendations in the comments. If you haven’t had enough with these, you could check out the 22 e-book websites listed in 80 Online Resources for Book Lovers, or if you’re on the fence about the value of e-books, head over to read the 30 Benefits of Ebooks.

Heather Johnson at BestCollegesOnline writes about ways to improve usability in libraries. This thorough guide provides helpful links and annotations and is divided into the following sections:

• General
• Website
• Catalog & Search
• Availability
• Staff
• Library Environment
• Interaction
• Computers
• Equipment
• Kid Friendly
• Fun Tools

Have you been spending more and more time “doing” and taking less time to just sit and contemplate? If your thinking time is in short supply, you may want to check out this article from BBC News Magazine which offers some helpful suggestions to effectively create some “oases of thought”:

• CHOOSE YOUR MOMENT: No more lunching “al desko”
• CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION: It doesn’t have to be atop a mountain
• HAVE YOUR PROPS TO HAND: Aristotle or Moyles?
• GIVE YOURSELF LESS TO THINK ABOUT: Your mobile has an “off” switch
• HAVE THE DESIRE TO THINK: You can get it if you really want

And if you think you just don’t have time for this, head over to Zen Habits and check out these helpful articles:

• Reclaim Your Time: 20 Great Ways to Find More Free Time
• How NOT to Multitask - Work Simpler and Saner

Are you thinking about installing Ubuntu Linux, Open Office, or Gimp but you aren’t sure how to use them? Mashable presents a guide to more than twenty video tutorials to get you up and running with Open Source Software tools.

Those of you just getting up and running with social media may want to check out Chris Brogan’s latest list of 50 Online Applications and Sites to Consider. He runs down the major players in the following categories:

• Blogging
• Microblogging
• Social Bookmarking
• Social News Sites
• Social Networks
• Miscellaneous and Useful
• Video Platforms

Gary hayes of Personalize Media created this 7-minute video which takes the viewer on a tour of over 40 social virtual worlds. Hayes is working on a commercial report exploring the creative, business, and educational potential of the metaverse and has some preliminary insights in his post here.

via Librarians Matter