Summer learning is right around the corner....

Summer Learning

As most librarians wrap up the year, the prospect of summer relaxation is exciting.  Cindy and I work diligently during the year to keep up with new technology, new books, and inspiring ideas.  Summer is a great time to refresh ourselves and see how we can improve libraries and ourselves for the upcoming year.  Here are things I have on my list of summer learning:

1.  Go through all of the 10 most popular TED Ed lessons.  

This will not only help me, but after seeing what is out there, I can support teachers and possibly share highlights during any trainings that may come up.  I have seen some of the 10, but not all.  See my favorite one below....

http://blog.ted.com/2013/03/14/the-10-most-popular-ted-ed-lessons-so-far/

Insults by Shakespeare - April Gudenrath

2.  Evaluate all of my social networking. 

According to Mashable, employees who use 5 or more social networks make better employees.  I want to see if that is my case by looking at all of my social networks and possibly downsizing.  I thing Blythe Woolston hit the nail on the head with this tweet:

I don't need any virtual junk drawers - I have enough real life ones.  See the article from Mashable here:
http://mashable.com/2013/04/02/social-networks-workplace-study/

3.  Learn how to make an award winning vine. 

 I have already been experimenting with vine, but I see achievable improvement.  Hopefully this article will help me.

http://mashable.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-a-vine/

4.  Review this gallery of 10 YouTube channels that will make you and me smarter. 

http://mashable.com/2013/04/04/youtube-education/#gallery/12-youtube-channels-that-will-make-you-smarter/515cb05997b2f85fc30017be

5.  10 Tech Resources for Kids with autism.

http://mashable.com/2013/04/02/autism-resources/

Well - this is enough to get me through June - I will let you know what my July list will be next month..  Later this week I will be blogging about all the books I would like to get read this summer.

Do you have any resources you want to try out?  Websites?  Apps? Please share them with us!

Social Media Influence

I ran across this infographic on social media influence. How much social media are you using? Are you using professionally and/or personally? I read an article today by Mashable that stated an employee who actively uses 5 social networks is a better employee. "That's one conclusion that can be drawn from new data on the workplace by Evolv, a startup that monitors hundreds of metrics from Fortune 500 companies. Not only has Evolv determined that hourly employees who use social networks are more productive in general, but it seems the more social networks you use, the more productive you are,"according to Chris Taylor. Interesting information to say the least - I wonder if employers will agree!
 
DashBurst – Your Guide to the Web & Social Media

Sources Cited:

Taylor, Chris. "Use 5 or More Social Networks? You're a Better Employee." MASHABLE. 03 Apr 2013: n. page. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. <http://mashable.com/2013/04/02/social-networks-workplace-study/>.

YAPP - App Yourself!

Yapp is an app that you can use to create events, then share with a group of people via web or tablet.  

Yapp gives you a variety of options to choose from when choosing themes....

Once you have chosen a theme - you can personalize your YAPP with a photo like below:

Then you add invitation information and twitter feed hashtags like: #clockworkprincessbookclub

Then you can add group photos, book cover photos or any other photos you choose:

And last, but not least - you have the ability to add personalized pages:

Once you publish your YAPP -  you can share with other via email or URL.  If you want to customize your URL - you can do so for $5.00.  There might be benefits for that but I am not willing to pay $5.00!

I see so many uses for this app - don't you? Think about it - group meetings, book clubs, vacations, hangouts, and sports events - a lot of ways you can utilize YAPP.  Let me know what you use it for!

WEVIDEO - free and easy to use!

WEVIDEO

WEVIDEO is a free web resource that easily allows you to create videos online.  I wanted to test this resource out today and found that I was able to create a list of this week's top ten best sellers according to The New York Times in less that 4 minutes.  I am not kidding.  After finishing the video, I published it directly to YOUTUBE.  I usually choose YOUTUBE since I can use the URLs for blogging purposes.  The whole process was simple.....

With WEVIDEO you can choose from a multitude of themes and music.  You can easily upload pictures and  movie clips from your desktop or  WEVIDEO easily uploads from  these social media networks.

Once you have everything uploaded, you create a title on the beginning slide, then you can manipulate how long you want each photo or video clip to be.  It automatically set slides to 7 seconds and I decreased each clip to 3 seconds.  Here is the simple and easily created video that shares the top YA best sellers according to The New York Times.

Here is another example that took me less than 5 minutes uploading photos from my Instragram Account.  I like keeping evidence of my photos on social networks because it acts like a diary for me.  Here is another quick sample of a WEVIDEO product.

How do you think you can use WEVIDEO?

Facebook Graph Search

Facebook launched its search product yesterday.  It is still in beta, so if you do not yet have access, go to http://www.facebook.com/graphsearch and scroll to the bottom, where you will find a link to try it or join the waiting list.

What is Facebook Graph Search?

A search engine that is not a search engine..

Graph Search looks through information and people and things that are already on Facebook.... unless it has no idea what your search terms are asking and then it goes to Bing.

A way to sift through social information...

Like finding which restaurants your friends like in Albequerque, photos of the Grand Canyon taken in 2002, or your own posts without scrolling through your entire timeline.

It give you answers, not links.

Pose a question, facebook trolls through posts, photos, and links, and returns results ranked by your relationships and the number of likes.

You may want to double-check your privacy settings, so that your photos, locations, and comments are not shared with the public unless you want them to be shared.



Thanks to the Lone Wolf Librarian for sharing these videos that explain Facebook's new Graph Search:

Do you need a Buddy?

Which social media works for you?

 I love using Facebook to reach patrons. Updates come regularly and easily for me... but the blogs,wikis, and tweeting I started over the past few years all died within weeks.

Some of this stuff just wasn't working for me... Until Ann asked me to blog with her.

What are the benefits of a blog-partner?

PERSPECTIVE
Ann and I have different strengths. Instead of feeling the need to master EVERYTHING in order to have a successful blog, I blog about my area of expertise while Ann shares hers. I no longer feel overwhelmed by the tidal wave of technology coming at me, and I don't feel obligated to write about things that really don't hold my interest.  Yet, I also feel motivated to stretch.

SHARED WORKLOAD
Our weekly tasks vary. Sometimes one of us is opening a new facility or teaching students to research, while the other has more desk time and flexibility. It is nice to know the blog will be updated by my partner when I'm swamped and she is not. Conversely, it feels good be able to sustain this project when my partner is busy with other tasks.

GROWTH
I learn from Ann, she learns from me.  I like to discover new tools, but she is a master at applying them to our current situation.  She continually inspires me to stretch my comfort zone and try new things.

ACCOUNTABILITY
When my last blog died, nobody knew and nobody cared. It was my little secret. But with this blog, I feel the need to do my fair share. We have no formal agreement to take turns or a monthly minimum number of posts, but I know Ann is counting on me just as I am counting on her.

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
We don't often proof each others' posts, but the option is always there.  When topics feel controversial or something is difficult to express, we have another brain off which to bounce our words before they go public.

Is there a technology tool that intimidates you?  Who do you know that is waiting for an invitation to stretch?