2CoolTools

Word-of-the-Day - tweets in all languages

2009-11-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

The 11/4/09 issue of American Libraries Direct carried an item from Makeuseof.com that eventually directed me to the Transport.com website and Word of the Day in Spanish. The company offers a lot of language products for sale, but also a handful of free practical tools such as Word-of-the-Day. Spanish word-of-the-day twitter = @SpanishLanguage

School, academic, and public librarians could easily offer this educational tool as a resource for foreign or English language learners (ELL). To gradually learn or strengthen foreign language skills, it makes sense to incorporate everyday tools like Twitter, search engines, RSS feeds and such.

Footnote: Here is a NYT map of ELL titled "New to English". Visuals like this map make a lasting impression. Check it out.

Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009

2009-10-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Each year since 2004, ECAR (EduCause Center for Applied Research) has surveyed college and university freshmen and sophomores on their use of technology. This is the 13-page key findings of "ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009". Good number of charts.

Highlights for me include:

Use of instant messages has declined, while text messaging and social networks have increased. See chart on page 5.
Use of social networking software (SNS) has increased the most by older students. See chart on page 6. Use by students age 30-39 tripled, use by students age 40 and above quadrupled.
Use of course management software (CMS) has increased significantly since 2004. In 2009, about 70.4% of students surveyed were in a class that used course management software (CMS) that quarter; an additional 18.5% have experienced CSM.
Study identified and described 4 types of users of mobile Internet: power users, ocassional users, potential users, and non-users. Potential users (11.8%) indicated they probably would purchase a mobile device within the next 12 months. See page 10. Of note: about 35.4% of students who owned an Internet-capable handheld device said they never use that feature.
Handhelds were used in class by about 32.2% of students for non-course use; 11% for course-related use.
The study no longer asks about use of e-mail, assuming it is well-entrenched -- yet my college student rarely checks her e-mail and as a result has missed some important deadlines or communications from her college!
Students like the use of technology, but want their academic experience balanced with the human touch. Apparently some professors overuse technology, while others avoid it.

The authors provide a proper citation for the longitudinal study:
Citation for this work: Smith, Shannon, Gail Salaway, and Judith Borreson Caruso, with an Introduction by Richard N. Katz. The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2009 (Research Study, Vol. 6). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2009, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

25th Estate: this is Where We Live

2009-10-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a video by Aptstudios called "25th Estate: This is Where We Live", created for HarperCollins. "Over a thousand books were used to make the film, which was shot over two weeks in a makeshift studio in North London. Twenty animators worked in shifts to get it made, often sleeping under the set itself." Open it full screen and enjoy.

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Book Seer - Fun Application for Recommending Books

2009-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara's Cold Spring School Librarian Janet Seer alerted me to Book Seer: "You just type in the title and author of a book you (or your students) liked and it will give you suggestions for other titles you might also like." See http://bookseer.com/ It compares recommendations from Amazon.com v.s. LibraryThing. Amazon is huge, but LibraryThing is cool. It also suggests: "Of course, you could go ask your local bookshop or your local library."

Fill in the blanks...
Child! I've just finished reading by . What should I read next?

This application is just one of many cool tools (literary web project) created by Aptstudio.com

Another new, cool application is Enhanced Edications for the Apple iPhone. Here is a promo for the Death of Bunny Munro:

The Death of Bunny Munro - Enhanced Edition Promo from Enhanced Editions on Vimeo.

GoAnimate

2009-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Teacher Librarian Marie Slim has been using a bucket full of different attention-getting web 2.0 tools to promote the California School Library Association conference in Ontario this November. See Marie's GoAnimate promo:

GoAnimate.com: CSLA Early Bird Sign-Ups by Oct. 30th by sraslim

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

TwitterFeed, RT, and other Twitter Tricks 'n' Tools

2009-10-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

Read a free PDF book by Mark O'Neill on "The Complete Guide to Twitter". Learned of a way to promote my blog posts through registering them on Twitterfeed.com. Apparently, it is an effective way of promoting a blog or website, especially to those who rely on their handheld mobile devices rather than RSS feeds. Now to experiment with posting here and on my other blogs and see if they are sent to my twitter account, 4Libraries.

Retweeting a tweet (p.21) apparently is similar to sharing a blog post. Retweets are useful because if lots of other Tweeters retweet something, then a web link or an idea could go viral. Humm. Here are some examples to consider for California school librarians:

If I tweeted about the California School Library Association's online web 2.0 tutorial Classroom Learning 2.0, and other CSLA members retweeted (RT) about it and mentioned the URL, visitor statistics for the site could jump, bigtime.
If someone tweeted about new legislation or new draft school library standards for California, and school teacher librarians and advocates around the state retweeted (RT), this would raise the visibility and timing of the school library standards.
If each CSLA member tweeted about each new library advocate or "Best Seller" for strong school libraries, then other CSLA members retweeted (RT) and congratulated or cheered about the newest "Best Seller", that would increase the awareness and significance of strong school libraries and academic achievement -- and potentially increase the number of new "Best Sellers" for this grassroots library advocacy campaign.
Tweets and retweets would be useful for promoting workshops, conference programs, and all sorts of events -- especially as more of the target audience (i.e., librarians) used or followed Twitter.

Google Squared - in Google Labs

2009-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Google Labs has a bunch of cool tools to explore. One I just discovered is Google Squared. The idea is that you type in several words of a search or topic like school, library, teacher, books, database, California, CSLA and Google Squared extracts items from the web and puts them into a spreadsheet of sorts, which you can save as a CSV file or Google Spreadsheet.

Videoconference Twilight Zone - Calaxy Video

2009-10-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

How fun! See "The Videoconference Zone" on CALAXY. The does and donts of videoconferencing was created by UWTV Production, University of Washington.

Short Description of Google Wave

2009-10-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to feedback from WaterMole, here is a nice short video description of the much-awaited new Google Wave. Enjoy! It is due out any time. Apparently, you need to be INVITED to participate in Google Wave, just like you need to be invited to join LINKEDIN. I'm waiting for someone to invite me!

Google Books Settlement - Who is Filing and What Are They Saying?

2009-10-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL), American Library Association (ALA), and Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) have created a 9-page document on which groups have filed what documents related to the Google Book Settlement. Brandon Butler, Law & Policy Fellow for ARL authored "The Google Book Settlement: Who Is Filing and What Are They Saying?"

There is a lengthy list of supporters (pro-users and pro-competition), filers with reservations (anti-users, anti-rightsholder), and opponents (anti-competitor, anti-rightsholder, Anti-user, Other). Check it out! Speaking of "battle of the books..."

Banned Books Music Video - Dfilm

2009-09-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Devolver MovieMaker (formerly DFilm) was easy and fun to use. I made a quick mini-movie on "Banned Books". Check it out and encourage them to add a book-themed (library) backdrop option! Lots of potential for advocacy, not just a fun toy. Fun is a powerful way to make a point.

Did You Know 4.0 - 2009 Update of "Shift Happens"

2009-09-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Fall 2009 update to famous video, "Shift Happens", developed in partnership with The Economist.

Tennant's Top 10 Technology Things To Know for Library Administrators

2009-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Academic Librarian and technology guru Roy Tennant writes: “It’s not insulting to say that those who run libraries tend not to know all that much about technology. A very different set of skills are needed to run an organization, and those skills do not often come packaged along with technical knowledge and experience. But administrators need to know some specific things about technology in order to do their jobs well, so here is my list.”...
TechEssence, Sept. 12

Technology isn't as hard as you think it is.
Technology gets easier all the time.
Technology gets cheaper all the time.
Maximize the effectiveness of your most costly technology investment -- your people.
Iterate, don't perfect.
Be prepared to fail.
Be prepared to succeed.
Never underestimate the power of a prototype.
A major part of good technology implementation is good project management.
The single biggest threat to any technology project is political in nature.

See Roy's explanations on his TechEssence blog.

Bing Visual Search vs Google Flip

2009-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Seen in American Libraries Direct, 9/16:
Phil Bradley writes: “No sooner does one new visual search option come along, than you get another. Neck and neck with Google’s Fast Flip (which allows users to skim through Google News stories by viewing an enlarged thumbnail) do we have Bing’s Visual Search. It’s a simple concept: People like searching visually. The idea is that you simply click on what interests you, and you'll get a bunch of images. You can then mouse over the one that interests you and immediately see some information below the search box, with the person/thing/whatever added into the search box for you.”...
Phil Bradley’s Weblog, Sept. 15; Google News Blog, Sept. 14

Clovis Online High School - Rob Darrow

2009-09-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

It has been fun watching this online school come together. Watch video clip of Rob Darrow's Clovis Online School.
See

AudioPal - widget adds audio to your site

2009-09-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

Add another layer of communication to your website, blog, or other web 2.0 tool with AudioPal. To order, you need to first call and add your voice by phone. Enter a passcode. Preview (listen). Then type in your e-mail address so you will get AudioPal e-mail with with link for your voice message. Could be useful for school or library websites or blogs. Could be used for an opening greeting or regular messages.

Features include:

Record and use your OWN voice
Select from a number of voices (TTS)
Playback controls
Update your audio anytime
Free

AudioPal is a companion to SitePal, which lets you add talking avatars.

MadMen Avatars

2009-09-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

As project manager for a bunch of online web 2.0 courses, I get to welcome new students and learn all sorts of new cool tools that they discover. Today, I was introduced to MadMen avatars. What a kick!

Once you select your avatar, outfit, accessories, and background, you then pick which view you want: face (for Twitter and Facebook), top half of avatar (Facebook and iPhones), or full screen for your monitor wallpaper. All the while you are making your avatar, music is playing. The music is fun at first, but is now driving me nuts! Enjoy!

APIs for Libraries

2009-09-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

SIRSI/DYNIX's Stephen Abrams has collected a list of useful applications (APIs) for libraries, listing them in his Stephen's Lighthouse Blog.

DRUPAL 101

2009-08-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Drupal is an open source (free) content management system (CMS) and development framework. It offers modules, themes, and translations. It is very popular and growing, so it is worth learning about and following. Warning: large learning curve or "cliff". InfoPeople hosted an introductory webinar on Drupal for libraries. Laura Soloman presented and answered questions. Check it out -- the webinar and handouts are archived.

Here are examples of websites created in Drupal:

There are websites and YouTube videos about Drupal, including a weird Drupal Song:

Widget for Sharing -- "Share This"

2009-08-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tom Kahn shared a cool tool -- a widget called "Share This" so I experimented with it on a number of my blogs. It allows me (and readers) to share a post with other social networking accounts. I shared an item from my Advocate4Libraries blog with my Facebook account, but could also share (re-post) with my Twitter and other accounts.

How would you use this? Here is an example: Members of the California School Library Association could post a message on their personal or library blog account about the California School Library Association's popular, free, online educational technology tutorials for teachers called "Classroom Learning 2.0" and "Discovering Assistive Technology". For those who have completed or almost completed School Library Learning 2.0, they could add a testimonial about how much they learned and enjoyed the discovery learning format. You get the idea! The more who hear about the CSLA professional development and program tutorials, the more visibility for school libraries. Remember, strong school libraries build strong students and lifelong learners!

Social Media is NOT a fad... - YouTube Video

2009-08-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

Tom Kahn alerted me to a YouTube video he saw on the LM_Net listserv. Title is Social Media Revolution. Check it out.

Google Followers

2009-08-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

OK. I've added the "Google Followers" gadget to my 2CoolTools blog. This is a new Blogger feature, so I noticed it when I created several new blogs for the California School Library Association. Not sure why I instantly had 2 followers. Now to see who else follows this blog.

BlockPosters - Turn Image into a Poster

2009-08-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a useful tool for educators and librarians, especially those with big walls, windows, or bulletin boards for displaying art and posters. The web 2.0 tool is called Block Posters. You create a poster by first uploading a picture or image, slice it, download the PDF, then print it. Just decide how many sheets wide you want it.

Check out the Block Posters' Gallery for ideas. How could you use it to promote your school, library promotions like "Banned Books Week" or "Library Card Sign-Up Month" or great art masterpieces? Or just one word, "READ".

Virtual Archives @ Stanford University Library

2009-07-31T10:13:00.001-07:00

Mattie Taormina, Head of Public Service & Processing Manuscripts Librarian for
Stanford University’s Special Collections and University Archives hosted a virtual “Open House” in Second Life (SL) on Friday morning, 7-31-09. Avatars "dropped in" for an overview of Stanford's new Virtual Archives.

Now scholars (and anyone) can visit Stanford's closed stacks and browse manuscript collections—this option is not allowed in real life, so it opens the small collection to the world. According to Mattie, "Patrons can open virtual Hollinger boxes and a sampling of scanned documents from the real life box will appear along with a link to that collection’s online finding aid. They can then post their reference questions on the bulletin board which sends email to our Special Collections staff. Stanford's Virtual Archive provides access to patrons around the world without endangering the collection."

Second Life (SL) is an online world where visitors create avatars (representations of themselves), explore places like Stanford and other libraries, and interact with others from in real time. Today's tour brought together visitors (avatars) from across the country. See the above snapshot of the visitors to Stanford Virtual Archives and my avatar below, looking at an archival photo. Reference in SL occurs through in-world text and voice chat as well as our reference bulletin board. SL coordinates for Stanford Virtual Archives = 85/224/33.

Facebook Now #1 Sharing Site

2009-07-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

According to an article in Mashable: the social media guide, Facebook is now the #1 content site that provides readers with an easy way to share stories across multiple social media sites. Data is from AddtoAny, a company that makes the most popular widget for websites to allow sharing of stories across multiple social media sites. So true! I just shared this story via my Facebook account.

Facebook = 24% share
Yahoo = 14.4% (includes Delicious, Yahoo Bookmarks, Yahoo Buzz, Yahoo Messenger)
eMail = 11.1%
Twitter = 10.8%
see full pie chart