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All new students go through quite a lengthy induction process in the first three weeks at the University. The library is slotted into that - how much time we get with the students varies between departments - and so it's a good opportunity for us to make contact, promote our services, and try and embed ourselves in the academic culture, but also tricky because the students are overloaded with information as it is. I wanted to give each of my departments an interactive map with all the library info relevant to them specifically - the idea being that it's easier to navigate an actual map of the library than it is to just search for stuff on the library website. Because each department would have a bespoke map it would mean the students had all the info they needed in one place, and because I created the maps in Prezi they could also be used as a presentation tool (as well as a stand-alone web object, later; I give students the URL of the Prezi itself and tell them not to worry about writing down any of the other URLs it contains).

Making your own comic at the website is a simple matter of first choosing a layout. On the next screen, you are shown your layout and must add characters, objects, settings and bubbles to each frame. There are menu controls: flip, delete, make bigger/smaller, bring forward/back and rotate to help customise the pictures. The speech bubbles are easily edited for text. Kids can also see sample pages for inspiration. Once done, a child's creation can be printed out, or he can take a screen grab to save a digital copy.

Public libraries have long lived by the "Blockbuster model": require people to drive to a physical location, pick up a physical book, then drive home, only to repeat the driving a few weeks later when the book is due. And how well did that approach work out for Blockbuster as iTunes and Netflix made digital delivery a reality? But books haven't gone digital as quickly as music and then movies did. Early attempts at e-book lending were execeptionally clunky affairs involving special OverDrive software, few choices, and a poor browsing interface. Getting books onto devices involved downloads and USB cables. Enter the Kindle. Amazon's hugely popular e-reader hardware and apps recently opened access to public libraries in the US, which can use the Amazon account and distribution infrastructure to control and distribute time-limited e-books to library patrons. Will we ever drive to physical libraries again? After testing the new system, it's safe to say: yes. Yes we will. But Kindle library lending provides a glimpse of the future rushing so quickly at us.

"Screencast-O-Matic is the original online screen recorder for one-click recording from your browser on Windows, Mac, or Linux with no install for FREE!" only $12yr for Pro!

"A compilation of thoughts, ideas, and resources on how to use Twitter in it's fullest capacity as a news and information source, a learning platform, and a source of personal and professional inspiration."

As you might well know I am really enthusiastic about blogging with students. I have shared my adventures through several opportunities and I'm determined to keep spreading the word in order to bring other educators on board. Therefore, I have created a LiveBinder with useful tools, examples and resources. I thought this would be a good idea to encourage other teachers to get their kids blogging

"At the recent Excellence in Learning Resources forum meeting in York we had a good discussion about the various eCollections libraries across the Yorkshire & Humber region currently provide for their learners. With so many libraries facing serious cutbacks, providing good quality eResources that don't put too much of a dent in the library budget is as important as ever."

Still love this tool! Perfect for Australian schools that need Harvard style.

"It's something to consider as we continue to look for ways to share our knowledge in what is increasingly a classroom-centered ecosystem with classroom-accessed digital resources. It's also a kind of power shift … not a loss of power, but a different kind of power. There's something about being in the teacher's own classroom that puts you right where the learning is without the learning being disrupted by moving to a lab or library. And that's powerful."

I got a Kindle 2 last month as a birthday gift and I have been enjoying it quite a lot.  I have put my PDF books on them and have been doing a lot more reading than I have before I had one.  It is really a convenient device for trips and just reading everywhere you go. My biggest question when I got it was this :  "How do I get Manga on the Kindle?" Before the November 2009 update for the Kindles, it was really difficult.  Now, not so much.   Really, it is super easy and I will show you guys how.  I wanted to be able to carry tons and tons of Manga wherever I went and now I can.

A report about college students and their information-seeking strategies and research difficulties, including findings from 8,353 survey respondents from college students on 25 campuses distributed across the U.S. in spring of 2010, as part of Project Information Literacy. Respondents reported taking little at face value and were frequent evaluators of Web and library sources used for course work, and to a lesser extent, of Web content for personal use. Most respondents turned to friends and family when asking for help with evaluating information for personal use and instructors when evaluating information for course research

Digital Storytelling (also affectionately known as ds106) is an open, online course that will begin on January 10th, 2011. This course is free to anyone who wants to take it, and the only requirements are a real computer (none of those wimpy ass iPads), a hardy internet connection, a domain of your own, some commodity web hosting, and all the creativity you can muster (and we'll spend time helping you get up and running with at least two of the last three requirements).