I’m voting for Courtney Young for ALA President. Learn More<div><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8386/8476962837_91cc71e659_o.jpg" alt="courtney" /> I’m voting for Courtney Young for ALA President. <a href="http://courtneyyoung.org/">Learn More</a></div>
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc
A couple of really interesting blog posts from the last week.
Just Do it! and Trust Yourself.
Jennifer Carey offers encoruagement to anyone who’s a bit leary of diving into new tech tools in her post Hesitant Teachers Can Learn New Tech
Many educators feel overwhelmed by new technology and may feel apprehensive when it comes to adopting it in the classroom. But I’m here to make the case that learning to use technology and employing it as part of your curriculum is actually easier than ever. Way easier. Read more to find out how to “Just Do It”!
Kids, Learning, Risks & Rewards
George Couros shares some wonderful advice for evaluating the use of tech tools and services in schools in 4 Guiding Questions For Your IT Department
I’ve been terribly negligent about keeping my workshop calendar up to date. But it’s finally up to date. So do take a look. There are lots of workshops coming up through the CT State Library, AZ State Library, Internet@Schools/CIL and more.
Direct Link to my Google Calendar in case your mobile browser can’t see it here.
Testing Zeen
Zeen isn’t a brand new tool, it’s been around for about a year. But I just found it today and with it snowing, it seemed like a good time to play. It’s simple to create a stream of content that can be broken down into individual pages, mimicking magazine style pages.
Take a look at my sample Zeen to find out more! Or read on.
Zeens can contain:
This feels much more like a creative tool than a curation tool. Sure, you can add links to other content, photos, etc. and it could be called curation. But the way it’s set up is much more a blank slate that encourages you to think a bit more about what you’re adding and why. The individual bits of content you add aren’t meant to stand on their own, but to be used to create a story.
Zeen would be a wonderful platform for student presentations & reports. Or for a personal portfolio. Organizations and classrooms could use it for publicity and reports.
The only problem I have with it (other than the way Google Image Search is implemented) is the embedding options. It only offers iframe embedding options at this point. I wish there were some other options to give it wider embeddability.
Thinking about adding a few dozen plugins to your WordPress site? Think again. This infographic and its accompanying article, The Only WordPress Plugins You Need, have wise advice! (Thanks to JD Thomas on the WordPress and Libraries Facebook group for sharing this.)
photo credit: Patrick Hoesly via photopin cc
I’m working on some new workshops and the idea of public libraries as learning spaces is a topic that keeps running through my head. Obviously public libraries have always been learning spaces, so that in itself isn’t a new idea. But a workshop on creating learning opportunities using technology as the delivery device is what I’m pondering.
In the past year or so there have been some intriguing examples of libraries expanding learning opportunities for their communities to include locally created training delivered online and in-person, distance learning through commercial and open courses, and more. Many of these are taking advantage of the expertise of local community members and experts world-wide. Some programs and ideas that triggered this workshop idea include:
Looking for a great WordPress reference book? This is one of my favorites. Digging into WordPress by Jeff Starr & Chris Coyier
