Every week, in addition to blogging about our exploration of at least six Web 2.0 tools, we are to enrich the lives of others by posting a current, interesting, and technology-in-education-worthy tidbit. What follows are the first six of ten current events. These six were published previously on the course Moodle platform and have been copied and pasted for your Web 2.0 reading pleasure.
#1 Gmail Tips: Something New Again!
I follow this blog: The Thinking Stick. A recent post gave five tips for gmail, and the last one is something I find perfect for students now that I am much more accessible to them via email. I will certainly adapt our school email service so I can send repeat email responses to students with the same MLA questions: "Check the Library Wiki" will be one canned response. This post is yet another reason why I wish our school would switch to a Google platform!
#2 I've been a Google Docs fan since 2006, or was is 2007?
Regardless of the year I joined the Google Docs bandwagon, this post highlights many of the reasons why I think all students should be working in this platform when they are still transitioning between a computer at home and a computer at school. I am really excited to explore the wider Google Apps as part of my inquiry.
#3 Font Matters
While stumbling through a few days worth of Twitter posts I found the copied text below in a post about presentation design. I knew nothing about font differences for the reader on a screen and on a page. I wonder if this applies to reading on a computer screen and not just a presentation screen?
More significant than you’d think, this one. You may not know it, but the fonts used by modern word processors fall into one of two distinctive categories: serif and sans serif. The crucial difference is that serif fonts have minuscule “tails” at the end of some letters, while sans serif fonts do not.Reference
While this in itself seems a minor difference, it is in fact crucial to use sans serif texts whenever presenting on screen. This is because, depending on the type of monitor you use, the tails on the ends of serif fonts are apt to flicker when displayed. Even worse, low- to mid-resolution screens can cause the serifs themselves to be magnified or disappear altogether when projected. With this in mind, you’d be well advised to stick with a clear, bug-free sans serif that can be read from anywhere in the room. Arial, Verdana or Tahoma are all safe bets.
Dixon, George. (2011, August 29). Ten tips for great presentation design. Presentation Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.presentationmagazine.com/ten-tips-for-great-presentation-design-9459.htm
#4 School Spaces
My friend and colleague, Bruce Griffioen (@bgriffioen), attended the IB Heads World Conference in Singapore this past week. He was tweeting about his experiences and this one caught my attention and got me thinking:
3 learning spaces schools need - "campfire" for collaboration, "cave" for isolated thought, "watering hole" to share knowledge #ibhwc2011
Can a library or learning commons be all three spaces to all students? Is this a reasonable goal? If so, how to achieve it with the physical layout? With mission statement? With a different culture already established?
Reference
bgriffioen. (2011, October 14). 3 learning spaces schools need - "campfire" for collaboration, "cave" for isolated thought, "watering hole" to share knowledge #ibhwc2011 [Twitter post]. Retrieved from http://twitter.com/#!/search/bgriffioen
#5 A Pro-D goal, achieved!
Last winter in the Introduction to Teacher-Librarianship with Joanne, I set a goal for myself to network with other TLs. Being in the independent school system means most of my Pro-D is self-initiated. Fortunately, I was able to find a somewhat functioning group called VISLA (Vancouver Independent School Librarians' Association). It has operated for years, but it has kept a very low profile. I met with 10 other TLs this past Friday on our province wide Pro-D Day, and it was fantastic! I feel so fortunate to have connected with this group. It is a very diverse and mixed group in terms of experienced and brand new TLs, and TL "training" is also quite varied, from those with MLIS degrees, to those with MEd. degrees, to some with MEd. degrees in progress, to those with BEd. degrees with a willingness to learn about the profession. Our conversation ranged from eBooks to weeding practices to moving the couches out of the libraries which serve co-ed student populations! There are a few of us on Twitter, some who blog, and some who are very new to social media. But the most important thing is I think I have found something really special. I am so excited to see where this group heads, and I hope to be able to share in leading the way.
One thing of importance we discussed is the evolution our libraries are making in terms of shifting from library to learning commons. This video was shared in our VISLA Google Group:
Learning Commons in BC
#6 Form and function meet in this piece of furniture
So I got to play on a media:scape last week. Take a look at this video, it's only 51 seconds long. My Information Technology colleague and I got to travel to a posh south Vancouver furniture showroom (Heritage Office Furnishings) and had some time to hook up our devices (iPad for me, MacBook Air for my colleague, PCs for our sales reps) and use media:scape's "puck" technology to transfer the large screen projection from one device to another. The potential for collaborative learning and/or teaching is pretty cool, but is it $13 000 worth? What do you think? Here's a link to some design specs.
#7 UK Libraries vs. Canadian
The Vancouver Sun, one of two local papers in the lower mainland of Vancouver, published this article on Saturday, October 28th, by John McTernan, titled "We should shut our libraries". McTernan is no longer a librarian, having left the profession in 1994. His argument is entirely based on libraries in the UK, where he practices as a librarian. I do not see why it was published in our local paper. I do, however, like the article that followed. This response "Libraries have thrived despite technological developments" by Michelle Wong, a member of the board of directors of the British Columbia Library Trustees Association, was printed on Friday, November 4th. I find these statistics astounding: "Last year, B.C. libraries received more than 30 million in-person visits, a 10-per-cent increase from 2009. That is clear evidence of the growing and sustainable demand for libraries. Beyond that, there were 27 million virtual visits." Yay Canada!
#8 UK Living under a rock
That's how I've been feeling the past two weeks! I'll spare you all the details, but the long and the short of it is something had to slip through the cracks, and it was this current events posting. Sorry I am LATE!
I saw this great TED talk last week. I found it while discovering how amazing iTunes is during my podcasting exploration.
Bunker Roy: Learning from a barefoot movement
Gotta love those Indian (and Pakistani, Kenyan, etc.,) grandmothers!
#9 Pre-school apps for iPads!
I am such a sucker for sales pitches; I just installed three of these recommended apps for my three-year old! ABC Pocket phonics, Goosed up Rhymes, and Sorting. The Peter Rabbit pop-up looks fantastic, but it's pricey at $4.99. I'm going to sleep on it first! The last one doesn't seem to be accessible on iTunes right now.
#10 My PLN comes through - again!
A colleague from VISLA, the local teacher-librarian group I have recently become part of (see event #5) shared two blog posts about ebooks:
The ever-increasing disappointment with eBooks
and
Who needs Overdrive? A look at library ebook alternatives
Both posts are reinforcing my decision to take some more time to observe how the ebook revolution plays out for libraries. I did jump in the mix this past summer and purchased three Kindles for our school library; they are being used and the wait list is significant, so I know the interest and demand are present in our library. However, an older, more experienced TL, and member of VISLA, reminded me of the VHS/Beta debate that ensued so many years ago. Her advice is to wait it out. I'm not content with staying out of it entirely; I feel some responsibility to at least introduce the concept of ebooks to my students, so I will continue purchasing titles for the Kindles, but I am being cautious.
3 learning spaces schools need - "campfire" for collaboration, "cave" for isolated thought, "watering hole" to share knowledge #ibhwc2011
Can a library or learning commons be all three spaces to all students? Is this a reasonable goal? If so, how to achieve it with the physical layout? With mission statement? With a different culture already established?
Reference
bgriffioen. (2011, October 14). 3 learning spaces schools need - "campfire" for collaboration, "cave" for isolated thought, "watering hole" to share knowledge #ibhwc2011 [Twitter post]. Retrieved from http://twitter.com/#!/search/bgriffioen
#5 A Pro-D goal, achieved!
Last winter in the Introduction to Teacher-Librarianship with Joanne, I set a goal for myself to network with other TLs. Being in the independent school system means most of my Pro-D is self-initiated. Fortunately, I was able to find a somewhat functioning group called VISLA (Vancouver Independent School Librarians' Association). It has operated for years, but it has kept a very low profile. I met with 10 other TLs this past Friday on our province wide Pro-D Day, and it was fantastic! I feel so fortunate to have connected with this group. It is a very diverse and mixed group in terms of experienced and brand new TLs, and TL "training" is also quite varied, from those with MLIS degrees, to those with MEd. degrees, to some with MEd. degrees in progress, to those with BEd. degrees with a willingness to learn about the profession. Our conversation ranged from eBooks to weeding practices to moving the couches out of the libraries which serve co-ed student populations! There are a few of us on Twitter, some who blog, and some who are very new to social media. But the most important thing is I think I have found something really special. I am so excited to see where this group heads, and I hope to be able to share in leading the way.
One thing of importance we discussed is the evolution our libraries are making in terms of shifting from library to learning commons. This video was shared in our VISLA Google Group:
Learning Commons in BC
#6 Form and function meet in this piece of furniture
So I got to play on a media:scape last week. Take a look at this video, it's only 51 seconds long. My Information Technology colleague and I got to travel to a posh south Vancouver furniture showroom (Heritage Office Furnishings) and had some time to hook up our devices (iPad for me, MacBook Air for my colleague, PCs for our sales reps) and use media:scape's "puck" technology to transfer the large screen projection from one device to another. The potential for collaborative learning and/or teaching is pretty cool, but is it $13 000 worth? What do you think? Here's a link to some design specs.
#7 UK Libraries vs. Canadian
The Vancouver Sun, one of two local papers in the lower mainland of Vancouver, published this article on Saturday, October 28th, by John McTernan, titled "We should shut our libraries". McTernan is no longer a librarian, having left the profession in 1994. His argument is entirely based on libraries in the UK, where he practices as a librarian. I do not see why it was published in our local paper. I do, however, like the article that followed. This response "Libraries have thrived despite technological developments" by Michelle Wong, a member of the board of directors of the British Columbia Library Trustees Association, was printed on Friday, November 4th. I find these statistics astounding: "Last year, B.C. libraries received more than 30 million in-person visits, a 10-per-cent increase from 2009. That is clear evidence of the growing and sustainable demand for libraries. Beyond that, there were 27 million virtual visits." Yay Canada!
#8 UK Living under a rock
That's how I've been feeling the past two weeks! I'll spare you all the details, but the long and the short of it is something had to slip through the cracks, and it was this current events posting. Sorry I am LATE!
I saw this great TED talk last week. I found it while discovering how amazing iTunes is during my podcasting exploration.
Bunker Roy: Learning from a barefoot movement
Gotta love those Indian (and Pakistani, Kenyan, etc.,) grandmothers!
#9 Pre-school apps for iPads!
I am such a sucker for sales pitches; I just installed three of these recommended apps for my three-year old! ABC Pocket phonics, Goosed up Rhymes, and Sorting. The Peter Rabbit pop-up looks fantastic, but it's pricey at $4.99. I'm going to sleep on it first! The last one doesn't seem to be accessible on iTunes right now.
#10 My PLN comes through - again!
A colleague from VISLA, the local teacher-librarian group I have recently become part of (see event #5) shared two blog posts about ebooks:
The ever-increasing disappointment with eBooks
and
Who needs Overdrive? A look at library ebook alternatives
Both posts are reinforcing my decision to take some more time to observe how the ebook revolution plays out for libraries. I did jump in the mix this past summer and purchased three Kindles for our school library; they are being used and the wait list is significant, so I know the interest and demand are present in our library. However, an older, more experienced TL, and member of VISLA, reminded me of the VHS/Beta debate that ensued so many years ago. Her advice is to wait it out. I'm not content with staying out of it entirely; I feel some responsibility to at least introduce the concept of ebooks to my students, so I will continue purchasing titles for the Kindles, but I am being cautious.
