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    <title>Books-to-Shorts Learning</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/Hmi5umXlv9o/books-to-shorts-learning.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;One of the best parts of my job is sharing books with students. Sometimes, as a school librarian, I get so overwhelmed with research and technology instruction that I forget about books (it’s true!). But we have a robust YA collection that enjoys high circulation, and partly because three times a year, our middle school students are required to read a free-choice book over a long break in fall, winter, and spring. While requiring reading goes a bit against the grain of pleasure reading, the students can select any book they like and they do not have to finish it, which takes some of the pressure off. Before the break, every one of our middle school English classes comes into the library to hear about new books from me and to browse our collection for something to take home. The best part of this cycle, however, is the reflection.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;

&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Rather than asking students to write a report about their book or take a quiz, the English teachers work with the library to craft fun, creative projects that allow students to share books with each other. At my school’s recent afternoon of teacher-driven professional development, one English teacher and I co-presented on our most recent project, using stop-motion technology to create book mashups. The project touches upon numerous critical thinking and creative skills, as well as introduces a new technology to students.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The students were paired up by the teacher. Students had to explain to each other  what their book was about. Moreover, each student had to describe in-depth one character in their novel. With that information in mind, the pair collaboratively wrote a script (using Google Docs) that placed the two characters into a new setting and had them interact based on their characteristics.  For example, two girls used the character Cassia from Ally Condie’s &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/Matched-Ally-Condie/dp/014241977X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1368018354&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=matched+ally+condie"&gt;Matched&lt;/a&gt; and Bryce from Lara Avery’s &lt;a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anything-But-Ordinary-Lara-Avery/dp/1423163869/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1368018392&amp;amp;sr=1-1&amp;amp;keywords=anything+but+ordinary+by+lara+avery"&gt;Anything but Ordinary&lt;/a&gt;. In their 21-second film, one character falls from a cliff and the other helps her. In the novels, one character is a diver who has a terrible accident at the start of the story, and the other takes refuge in huge rock formations when she is on the run. These interpretations may seem elementary, but script depicted one character’s  traits of bravery and drive to help and the other’s stubbornness and independence. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To animate their short films, the students used iPads and Barbies, Legos, play-dough, and cut-out 2D drawings. We first practiced in the classroom by animating a pencil spinning in a circle. Once they were comfortable with the app’s interface, the students then had a day to write their scripts and gather materials. Filming took one day, with a few students needing extra time during their study halls to finish the project. The films were shown in class, giving the students a chance to explain their work.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;These tiny movies served multiple purposes. First, the script-writing encouraged creativity and critical thinking—identifying character traits and imagining a new setting and scenario. How could these characters authentically meet and what would happen if they did? In addition, students had to collaborate and share with each other to write a script that made sense and included elements of both books. Te students had to actually film their movies, meaning they had to be adept at using iMotionHD. (And some were better than others, as in all cases). Finally, the project required planning and organizing. The students who tested the filming process and adapted their techniques fared better than others. And the kids had to divide the responsibilities—who would hold the camera, who would move the objects, who would write the speech bubbles. This decision-making encouraged positive communication between the partners as well as problem-solving.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;While iMotionHD is one fun way to encourage students to reflect on their reading, tons of other resources that are equally fun and simple for students to use. Here is a sampling:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/"&gt;Toontastic&lt;/a&gt; is a free iPad app that allows users to easily make animated shorts using either original characters and backgrounds or preset drawings that come with the app.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://sketchnation.com/"&gt;Sketch Nation&lt;/a&gt; is an iPad app for making  games, which could be based on a book. Users can draw directly on the iPad or draw on paper and then photograph the work to use in the app. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.toondoo.com/"&gt;ToonDoo&lt;/a&gt; is a free web-based comic creator that can be used to make strips, books, and characters. Users could either comic-ify a book or create a new story based on their book. &lt;a href="http://www.toondoospaces.com/"&gt;ToonDoo Spaces&lt;/a&gt;, a subscription service, allows teachers to create a school-safe online space and to manager accounts. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://blabberize.com/"&gt;Blabberize&lt;/a&gt;, a web-based service, and &lt;a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/face-talk/id451240996?mt=8"&gt;Face Talk&lt;/a&gt;, an app, both allow students to animate speaking mouths over still images, which is a fun way to have students create their own book talks. Students record their own voices.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;To see all of my students’ stop motion movies, &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyZ_NoWsrgSAQD6t-HcCV7pHme_Ga9v4O"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/Hmi5umXlv9o" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/05/books-to-shorts-learning.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 15:23:50 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Sarah Ludwig</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1018 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
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    <title>The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Memory and Technology</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/FN28yKio7Jo/the-stories-we-tell-ourselves-memory-and-technology.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;Last time, I said I’d talk about memory, but I just went back and checked the post to be sure. Our memories are dark, &lt;a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/02/19/how-to-instill-false-memories/"&gt;murky backwaters&lt;/a&gt; where events shift, timelines change, and we’re never really on stable ground. The &lt;a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hidden-motives/201203/unreliable-memory"&gt;more&lt;/a&gt; I &lt;a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2012/jan/27/1"&gt;read&lt;/a&gt; about how &lt;a href="http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/freakonomics-radio/sure-i-remember"&gt;untrustworthy our memories&lt;/a&gt; are, the more I feel like I’m sliding into a more tedious, daily-life version of the movie Memento (did I do the dishes? Did I send that email? Not exactly murder and mayhem, thankfully.) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
                                     
&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;It’s not a bad place to approach technological and training issues from. I have spoken to people weeks and months after a training session only to have them swear that I did not tell them about a particular button or functionality. I know that I did. It’s on my outline. It’s on my notes. I always cover it. But maybe I missed it that time. Maybe I’m substituting memories from another training session when I cast back to the one in question. Thinking of memory as spongey and tricky helps me address the matter at hand - here’s what that button does – rather than get caught up in what did or did not happen at a long-ago training session.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;The longer we live with a technology, the more our memories of it can have an impact on how we use it. When we first start using a new tool, we simply accept what’s there, but as we use it longer (and especially as various companies start to copy or carry over interfaces), our memories of what lives where and how things work start both helping and hindering us. If you have a smartphone, think of your first weeks and months with it. You likely frequently wondered if there was a setting/button/option for the thing you wanted, but once you’ve lived with your phone for a while, your use becomes automatic and occasionally, when you can’t quite find something, you’re sure the button used to be someplace else.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Everyone who works with tech has had the experience of solving a really frustrating problem and then committing that solution to memory; making you look like a genius the next time the issue comes up. We’ve all had the opposite experience as well: being convinced of a setting or option that simply doesn’t exist or exists someplace completely different than the place we’re looking. When you’re casting about, trying to find a checkbox or radio button that you’re sure is there somewhere, it can feel like you’re losing credibility as the resident techie, but I’m not so sure that’s true anymore.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;I sense a shift in how we handle that slippery sense of “there was a button that did this…” Anyone who has been through a few ILS migrations jokes about not being quite sure which system had a particular feature, and I think the expectation that tech types have everything about a program memorized is changing. If “being good at technology” doesn’t mean having every last radio button and check box committed to memory, so much the better. The task of the techie becomes convincing those we help with their tech to use their memories to their advantage.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Recent news stories about &lt;a href="http://anniemurphypaul.com/2013/02/when-siblings-remember-childhood-differently/#"&gt;sibling memory and how siblings will tell radically different versions of the same story&lt;/a&gt;, sometimes even appropriating each other’s versions touch on the importance of individual narratives when it comes to memory. Our memories, to some extent, define who we are, grounding us in the world. The narrative our colleagues and patrons tell themselves about their relationship with technology is important.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Perhaps you’ve witnessed someone, normally perfectly confident and competent, lapse into fear and self-doubt when faced with a new piece of software or an unfamiliar interface. “I’m bad at technology,” she tells you. (And I’ll note as an aside here that  women tend to blame themselves when technology doesn’t work for them, while men tend to blame a glitch or the machinery.) Maybe you hear, “Every time I try to use the computer, I have a problem.” You might be thinking, “Really? EVERY time?” and you’re right to be skeptical. Not every time, but the bad memories have obliterated the good.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;There is the opportunity for library techies to boost the confidence of their less-techie colleagues. Providing happy memories of ease with technology is a good place to start, but perhaps we can do one better? Keeping an informal success log for our least confident users or suggesting that they keep their own tally of wins and reminding them of their technological competence might help overwrite their “I’m bad with computers” narrative. Maybe it’s not enough to be happily available to help. Perhaps a longer-term outlook requires us to remind those seeking our help of past achievements and skills.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;Techies, is that asking too much? Is it the proverbial teaching people to fish or is it providing technology therapy?  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;

&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/FN28yKio7Jo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/05/the-stories-we-tell-ourselves-memory-and-technology.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 13:51:14 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Kate Sheehan</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1017 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
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    <title>Sue Polanka and Jamie LaRue Discuss the Next Episode of American Libraries Live</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/ixGGAYBQAaY/sue-polanka-and-jamie-larue-discuss-the-next-episode-of-american-libraries-live.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;We are very excited about our upcoming episode The Present and Future of E-Books, which is going to take place next Thursday, April 18th at 2pm Eastern. I had a chance to talk briefly with our moderator Sue Polanka and panelist Jamie LaRue about what they plan on discussing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5qu4cSXfXuo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Please be sure to tune in next Thursday! You can pre-register at &lt;a href="http://goo.gl/WjrDP"&gt;http://goo.gl/WjrDP&lt;/a&gt;. Pre-registration is not required. If you can't attend live, the event will be recorded and available at www.americanlibrarieslive.org shortly after it concludes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/ixGGAYBQAaY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/04/sue-polanka-and-jamie-larue-discuss-the-next-episode-of-american-libraries-live.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Daniel A. Freeman</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1014 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
  <feedburner:origLink>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/04/sue-polanka-and-jamie-larue-discuss-the-next-episode-of-american-libraries-live.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
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    <title>Skills We Can’t Teach: Facilitating Authentic Experiences with Digital Citizenship</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/AUxKaIZbV80/skills-we-can-t-teach-facilitating-authentic-experiences-with-digital-citizenship.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;Can students learn online skills from a teacher? More and more, I’m thinking the answer is no. Countless times, I  see high school students watch a YouTube video to better understand a concept that was already covered in class. It’s how kids learn. When they work independently, they apply and therefore retain the skills.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Yet we can’t turn students loose on social media without some discussion of responsibility. Character education is as important as Internet research. We have a charge to cover copyright, fair use, effective communication, and privacy. But how? Without real-world consequences, how will students understand that they really can’t use someone else’s image without asking? Do we teach our students these topics for the sake of plausibility? We teach them as is our duty, in other words, but they can choose whether or not to listen?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;

&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;More and more students are locking down their Instagram and Twitter accounts or choosing extreme Facebook privacy. Students don’t want teachers and parents in their space. They are finding creative ways to live a public life with some modicum of control. We, as their teachers, cannot force that control.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;At the National Association of Independent School’s 2013 annual conference, I was lucky enough to hear danah boyd speak. She discussed students’ desire for control with specific attention to the American experience of making friends in college. The day after the speech, she wrote about this topic in a&lt;a href="http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2013/03/01/facebook-college.html"&gt; March 1st post&lt;/a&gt; on her website. Essentially, boyd believes that because incoming college students can use social networks to connect with their future classmates before school even starts, “they begin a self-segregation process that results in increased ‘homophily’ on campuses.” Homophily, boyd explains, is the socological phenomenon of birds of a feather flocking together. She asserts that college is ideally a time to “connect incoming students with students of different backgrounds.” Therefore, this pre-frosh use of Facebook undermines the educational experience.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I can’t stop thinking about this speech. It touches upon concerns I’ve had for a while about the way we teach digital citizenship in schools. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with a fellow educator about the frustrations of introducing digital ethics to students. One day, she lamented, students were handing in well-crafted papers on the pitfalls of social media; a week later, they were being disciplined for online bullying. So how do we authentically teach our students to use technology responsibly and ethically? And how can we avoid instilling a sense of fear in our students through that focus on responsibility and ethics?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Many commenters on boyd’s article disagree with her. “The first semester of college is a really rough shock for many students and being able to retain something of a social safety net can really help them adjust to the change,” writes one. “I would prefer to have a safe place to escape from the world and then emerge to talk to my diverse neighbors when I’m relaxed and rested than be forced to deal with regular conflict in what’s supposed to be my safe space.” So this is the heart of the matter: Are students creating a safe space for themselves online? Or are they simply isolating themselves from the greater world around them?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I have never been comfortable with the scare tactics that I sometimes see in courseware for Internet education. I nevertheless find myself resorting to them at times to get students to understand the seriousness of the topic. Partly because I’m short of time. These lessons often get mashed into two or three days out of a students’ academic year. That’s not enough. These lessons need to be woven right into the curriculum. Any time students are asked to do online research or create a digital product, their teacher  reminds them of their expectations: use fair-use images only. Credit all media, not just text. Represent our school well. Take a moment to analyze the source of your information.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;As librarians, we have a responsibility to educate faculty about digital ethics at the school level. If a teacher is not comfortable teaching their students how to filter fair-use images in Google, then we need to model that—for the teacher as well as his or her students. We must be a voice for responsible use of online resources that goes beyond “don’t swear” and “treat each other well.” The ethical issues that surround online research and tools are thorny and complex. They deserve as much class time as possible.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Technology opens up the world. This is a good thing. We need to find a way to flip the way we teach students how to live online. An idea that resonates with me is that we should facilitate student-driven projects that touch upon the concepts of digital citizenship. In a&lt;a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-PBL-projects-andrew-miller"&gt; recent column for Edutopia&lt;/a&gt;, Andrew Miller writes about targeting ISTE standard # 5 for students, which calls on students to “understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.” (&lt;a href="http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2"&gt;source&lt;/a&gt;) He suggests using this standard’s learning targets to create a rubric for assessment of the project. And he emphasizes authenticity. “Students can create awareness, solve a problem, design a program and more. This authentic purpose will help you focus the inquiry and create a driving question that is purpose-driven and in student-friendly language.” Let the students take the lead. They know far better than we do what issues are facing their peers and themselves.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Some ideas for projects like this:&lt;/p&gt;


&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;
 Have students create materials to educate their younger peers on specific issues related to digital life. Encourage them to discuss their own personal experiences, not rely on hypothetical situations. These materials might be videos, webinars, online tutorials, or digital presentations.
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
  One of the most fascinating aspects of danah boyd’s talk was her focus on ethnography. Consider undertaking a project like this at your school. Students can identify areas they’d like to research and then undertake a study of particular trends. Using infographics, interviews, raw data, or polls, students could then analyze their findings and put forth theories on how technology affects their community.
  &lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;
Similarly, a documentary-style project would be fascinating, either as a film or a written journalism project. Given enough time, students could create a snapshot of their school and the issues that are important to them. By following a small group of diverse peers, students could illustrate how technology affects this generation.
  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;More than anything, I think it’s important for us to remember that our students need to take responsibility for their own behavior online. And responsibility is not the kind of skill that can be forced. It has to be learned through experience. As educators, let’s do our best to provide those experiences, and to let our students share their own knowledge with us. Digital citizenship is a messy subject, and schools should be a safe place to explore it. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/AUxKaIZbV80" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/03/skills-we-can-t-teach-facilitating-authentic-experiences-with-digital-citizenship.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:46:32 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Sarah Ludwig</dc:creator>
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    <title>Slides, resources from the Integrating Tablets workshop</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/tdX1eEmrjrE/slides-resources-from-the-integrating-tablets-workshop.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;Thanks to Rebecca K. Miller, Heather Moorfield-Lang, and Carolyn Meier for today's workshop, Part 1 of &lt;a href="http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3495"&gt;Integrating iPads and Tablet Computers into Library Services&lt;/a&gt;. The slides are on slideshare and embedded below. The presenters also keep the Tumblr on &lt;a href="http://tabletsinlibraries.tumblr.com/"&gt;iPads and Tablets in Libraries,&lt;/a&gt; where they shared &lt;a href="http://tabletsinlibraries.tumblr.com/post/45340911765/recommended-reading"&gt;Recommended Reading&lt;/a&gt; for today's presentation. Watch that space for the App Guide in advance of next week's presentation of Part 2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!--break--&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/17210119" width="427" height="356" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #CCC;border-width:1px 1px 0;margin-bottom:5px" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen=""&gt; &lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style="margin-bottom:5px"&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ALATechSource/integrating-ipads-and-tablets" title="Integrating iPads and Tablets into Library Services" target="_blank"&gt;Integrating iPads and Tablets into Library Services&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; from &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ALATechSource" target="_blank"&gt;ALATechSource&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Looking to learn more about how you can put tablets to work in your library? Rebecca, Heather, and Carolyn will be teaching the 6-week eCourse &lt;a href="http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3819"&gt;iPads, Tablets, and Gadgets in the Library: Planning, Budgeting, and Implementation&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;, starting May 13.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/tdX1eEmrjrE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/03/slides-resources-from-the-integrating-tablets-workshop.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:50:48 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Patrick Hogan</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1009 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
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    <title>Which 3D Printer is Right for Your Library?</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/LIVsBRPYGso/which-3d-printer-is-right-for-your-library.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;Choosing the right 3D Printer for your makerspace is a big financial commitment, and one that you’ll likely have to live with for some time.  Below are a few of the more common machines with pros and cons to help you make your decision.

&lt;a href="http://store.makerbot.com/replicator.html"&gt;Makerbot Replicator&lt;/a&gt; - $1,749.00&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The Makerbot company has created a series of 3D printers that vary in price and capacity. The basic Replicator model works with all the major operating systems, including Linux and OSX, and accepts files in &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)"&gt;STL format&lt;/a&gt;. It uses 1.75 mm filament to heat up and create your objects, and most small projects are finished within an hour. At a hefty 32 pounds, this is not something you’ll want to move often.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://store.solidoodle.com/index.php?route=product/product&amp;amp;product_id=56"&gt;Solidoodle 3D Printer,&lt;/a&gt; 2nd Generation - $499.00&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;In comparison to other 3D printers on the market, Solidoodle offers a great product for comparatively little money. 3D files are uploaded in STL format, then printed out on 1.75 mm filament. The printer arrives fully assembled out of the box. It llacks some of the precision of the Makerbot, but makes up for that in price.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.makergear.com/products/m-series-3d-printers"&gt;MakerGear M Series 3D Printer&lt;/a&gt; - $1,450.00 - $1,750.00&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;On of the lightest of the options, MakerGear’s printer weighs in at only 25 pounds while still filling out the same basic functions as other 3D printers.  It also uses 1.75 mm filament, but what distinguishes this printer from the others is that it comes ready to assemble, so you to learn how to build your own printer.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.makergear.com/products/m-series-3d-printers"&gt;Stratasys 3D Printing/Mojo Printing?&lt;/a&gt; - $185.00/month lease&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Unlike many of the printers that we’ve seen, this one allows for you to make a short commitment with a leasing agreement through Stratasys.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.mojo3dprinting.com/printers/default.aspx"&gt;3Doodler&lt;/a&gt; - pricing not available&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Although not yet on the market, the 3Doodler is a smaller 3D printer that might make a splash in libraries.  Funded by Kickstarter, it is a small pen that is capable of using filament to create physical designs that can be held in the hand.  Unlike it’s larger cousins, this printer creates objects in minutes and requires no software.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/LIVsBRPYGso" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/03/which-3d-printer-is-right-for-your-library.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:38:00 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Caitlin A. Bagley</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1008 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
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  <item>
    <title>Innovative Interfaces Absorbs SkyRiver and Withdraws Lawsuit Against OCLC</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/DRd1THJx5uI/innovative-interfaces-absorbs-skyriver-and-withdraws-lawsuit-against-oclc.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;In  a  major  shift  in  strategy  reflecting    a  more  collaborative  style  of  its  new  ownership  and  management,  Innovative    interfaces  has  withdrawn  the  lawsuit  it  filed  against  OCLC  in  July  2010. SkyRiver  Technologies,  the  sister  company  and    lead  plaintiff  of  the  suit,  has  been  absorbed  into  Innovative  Interfaces,  which    will  integrate  the  SkyRiver  cataloging  service  into  its  product  offerings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;SkyRiver  Technology  Solutions  was  established  by  Jerry    Kline,  then  owner  of  Innovative  Interfaces,  in  September  2009  to  provide  cataloging    services  to  compete  with  OCLC  at  lower  costs. Complications  arose  when  libraries  using  SkyRiver’s  cataloging  service,    including  Michigan  State  University,  claimed  that  they  were  charged  higher  fees    than  expected  when  they  wanted  to  load  the  SkyRiver  records  into  the  OCLC    WorldCat  database  to  support  interlibrary  loan. The  complaint  filed  by  SkyRiver    and  Innovative  mentions  this  claim  and  other  issues  as  the  basis  of  the    lawsuit. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On  July  28,  2010,  SkyRiver  Technology  Solutions  and    Innovative  Interfaces,  Inc.  filed  a  lawsuit  in  the  United  States  District  Court    Northern  District  of  California  against  OCLC  asserting  that  OCLC  was  operating    as  a  monopoly  in  multiple  sectors,  including  that  of  bibliographic  metadata,    interlibrary  loan,  and  library  automation,  and  was  engaging  in  anticompetitive    business  practices.  While  the  complaint    mentioned  OCLC’s  non-profit  status,  this  issue  was  not  its  primary  focus. The  case  was  active  in  the  courts  with  many    filings  made  through  October  2010,  when  the  case  was  transferred  to  the  United    States  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio. Another  set  of  filings  were  made  through    April  14,  2011,  when  OCLC’s  attorneys  issued  a  motion  to  dismiss  the    charges. This  motion  has  been  awaiting  a    ruling  of  the  court  since  that  date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;See  a  &lt;a href="http://www.librarytechnology.org/web/breeding/skyriver-vs-oclc"&gt;list  of  the  filings&lt;/a&gt;  related  to  the  SkyRiver  vs.  OCLC    case  on  &lt;a href="http://www.librarytechnology.org/"&gt;Library  Technology  Guides&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;SkyRiver  had   the  same    owner  as  Innovative  Interfaces—Jerry  Kline,  and it  was  part  of  JMI  Equity  and  Huntsman  Gay’s    acquisition  of  Innovative  Interfaces. Though  organizationally  independent,  the  company  operated  from  space    leased  in  Innovative’s  Emeryville  headquarters  and  contracted  with  Innovate  for    technology  infrastructure  and  other  services. As  a  result  of  a  recent  company  reorganization,  SkyRiver  is  now  folded    into  Innovative  Interfaces  and  will  no  longer  exist  as  a  separate  company. Leslie  Straus,  president  of  SkyRiver  since    its  establishment,  has  left  the  company. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The  vision  of  offering  a  competitive  cataloging  alternative    to  OCLC  remains  intact. SkyRiver’s  cataloging    services  will  continue  as  an  offering  of  Innovative  Interfaces. Tom  Jacobson,  Director  of  Resource  Sharing,  whose    portfolio  also  includes  INN-Reach,  will  oversee  the  SkyRiver  cataloging    services  within  Innovative. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Since  the  filing  of  the  lawsuit,  Innovative  Interfaces  has    undergone  change  of  ownership  and  executive  management. Jerry  Kline,  believed  to  be  the  primary  force    behind  the  lawsuit,  is  no  longer  directly  associated  with  Innovative  or    SkyRiver. The  new  leadership  at    Innovative  mentions  an  opportunity  to  establish  a  positive  relationship  with    OCLC  as  a  major  reason  behind  dropping  the  suit. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Within  the  library  industry,  companies  can  have  complex    relationships  where  they  compete  on  some  fronts  and  cooperate  on  others. The  lawsuit  meant  a  cloud  of  uncertainty  for    OCLC  and  a  hostile  business  environment  between  it  and  Innovative.  The  withdrawal  of  the  lawsuit  opens  up  more    of  a  possibility  for  Innovative  and  OCLC  to  find  areas  of  collaboration,  while    still  competing  in  the  area  of  cataloging  services. The  statements  issued  by  both  OCLC’s  Jay    Jordan  and  Kim  Massana,  Innovative  Interfaces  CEO,  reflect  a  more  conciliatory    and  cooperative  approach. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/DRd1THJx5uI" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/03/innovative-interfaces-absorbs-skyriver-and-withdraws-lawsuit-against-oclc.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:29:04 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Marshall Breeding</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1007 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
  <feedburner:origLink>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/03/innovative-interfaces-absorbs-skyriver-and-withdraws-lawsuit-against-oclc.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
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    <title>Two Alternative Inputs Coming Soon: How will you use them? </title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/mt2a1SSJRg0/alternative-inputs.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;I've seen some interesting alternative inputs technologies that will be coming to computer users this year. I'll share video demos of two that I&amp;rsquo;m most excited about are: the Leap Motion and the Myo armband.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.leapmotion.com"&gt;Leap Motion&lt;/a&gt; is a small camera-based sensor that connects to your computer and &amp;ldquo;watches&amp;rdquo; an area above your desk for hand movement, translating that movement into control of your computer. You can, for example, wave your hand to scroll a page, turn your fingers to control volume, and pinch and zoom images by literally pinching the air. Most of the gestures seem to be translated from current touchscreen technology, but I&amp;rsquo;m very excited about the opportunity to develop a new language of interface with a product like this. The Leap Motion should be available for purchase this May, for $79.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here&amp;rsquo;s a quick video to demonstrate how it looks and works.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_d6KuiuteIA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The second is a newer entry into this field, the &lt;a href="https://getmyo.com/"&gt;Myo armband&lt;/a&gt;. This device uses a very different method to achieve a very similar end, controlling the movement of things. Instead of &amp;ldquo;watching&amp;rdquo; your hands with cameras, the Myo is an armband that monitors the muscles movements of your forearm, and translates those implulses into a way of controlling technolgies around you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Two features of the Myo are of greatest interest to me. The first is that as a control mechanism, it&amp;rsquo;s personal...you are wearing it, and it can get smarter as it learns from you. Not many types of input devices can make that claim. The second is that, because of its sensitivity, it can pick up micro-movements of your muscles before you are even aware that they are moving, allowing for imperceptible controls. As with the input devices that Vernor Vinge described in &lt;em&gt;Rainbows End&lt;/em&gt;, microscopic movements can be translated into rich and robust interactions with your technology.   Here&amp;rsquo;s a video of the Myo in action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oWu9TFJjHaM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Is there a place for these sorts of interfaces in libraries? I think so, but I would love to hear where you think they could be used.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/mt2a1SSJRg0" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/02/alternative-inputs.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:10:19 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Jason Griffey</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1005 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
  <feedburner:origLink>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/02/alternative-inputs.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
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    <title>Introducing the Book as iPad App- free webinar</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/vPmAxRQoXHY/introducing-the-book-as-ipad-app-free-webinar.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;Nicole Hennig will return this Friday, March 1, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, for a fresh look at how publishers are using the iPad platform to create a new kind of book. Not the straight text, you’ll read in a Kindle app, these books mix elements of film, videogames, and social media to create a new immersive experience for readers. Nicole’s webinar this past summer was a hit. Register for &lt;a href="http://ow.ly/i4JIT"&gt;Introducing Books as iPad App&lt;/a&gt;, and:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;

&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li dir="ltr"&gt;See demos of fiction and nonfiction titles, including children’s books and graphic novels&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li dir="ltr"&gt;Discuss the qualities of a delightful reading experience&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li dir="ltr"&gt;Ask some questions about what these changes might mean for readers, libraries, and publishers&lt;/li&gt;
  &lt;li dir="ltr"&gt;Spark ideas for creative programs and services that you can offer in your library related to iPad book apps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;p&gt;See a what's new and get a taste of what Nicole has planned for her 4-week eCourse &lt;a href="http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3913"&gt;Book as iPad App&lt;/a&gt;, which starts April 1. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/vPmAxRQoXHY" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/02/introducing-the-book-as-ipad-app-free-webinar.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:46:08 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Patrick Hogan</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1004 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
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    <title>Sue Polanka's slides: Establishing an eReader Lending Program</title>
    <link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~3/acsn4TClp4g/sue-polankas-slides-establishing-an-ereader-lending-program.html</link>
    <description>&lt;p&gt;Yesterday, Sue Polanka of &lt;a href="http://www.libraries.wright.edu/noshelfrequired/"&gt;No Shelf Required&lt;/a&gt; presented Part 2 of her workshop on ebooks and libraries: Establishing an eReader Lending Program. Below are her slides. Join us in a few weeks for the workshop &lt;a href="http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3495"&gt;Integrating iPads and Tablet Computers into Library Services&lt;/a&gt;, with Rebecca Miller, Carolyn Meier, and Heather Moorefield-Lang.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!--break--&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/16703352" width="476" height="400" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TechsourceBlog/~4/acsn4TClp4g" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description>
     <comments>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/02/sue-polankas-slides-establishing-an-ereader-lending-program.html#comments</comments>
 <pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:32:53 +0000</pubDate>
 <dc:creator>Patrick Hogan</dc:creator>
 <guid isPermaLink="false">1003 at http://www.alatechsource.org</guid>
  <feedburner:origLink>http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2013/02/sue-polankas-slides-establishing-an-ereader-lending-program.html</feedburner:origLink></item>
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