Vine- an app that allows you to share a 6 second video on a website or social media. I had vaguely heard about this app prior to starting this 'Thing'. While 6 seconds may not seem like a lot of time, it surprisingly is enough time to shoot a quick promotional video to be used by a library. Ideas include a quick run down of new books- show the cover of as many books as you can, video coverage of a library display advertising summer reading events, showcasing new artwork in the children's area of our library- Smart Play Spot, or show an update of a construction project- we are currently remodeling two branches in our system.
I created a video to show how many carts of books the TS dept. has ready to process and distribute to our branches. This would be fun to embed in our monthly staff newsletter! I'd post it here but I think this only works for posting within Vine, or on Twitter and Facebook. It would be nice to have the hyperlink available for blogs!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Thing #17 Connecting to Community
Wow, what a cool 'Thing'!! I have not explored any local apps prior to this, and I am so excited to try out the following Minnesota-centric Apps:
Minneapolis Skyway
Going Out
Minnesota 511
Explore Minnesota
Minnesota State Fair
I will start with 'Going Out' by the Star Tribune since it seems like it may be similar to what is published in the newspaper highlighting local events. I first searched for 'Family entertainment' and learned that you can sort by zip code, 'near current location, event, or venue. I quickly found the upcoming Eagan Art Festival and also music events at Eagan's Central Park. Also advertised is the Eagan Funfest over the 4th of July.
The movie section was also useful to learn about movies that are currently in theaters, coming soon, and an option to find nearby theaters. I also liked what I saw in the restaurant section- provides all the necessary info for restaurants close to your current location- great for when you are in a new area and need to find some lunch or dinner options! All the information I found was accurate and useful! This would be a perfect place to post information about library events for families like our recent Rhythm and Words children's event in Burnsville! I think I will use this app in the future, it was fun to explore!
I will be sure to install the Minnesota State Fair app in late August :-)
Minneapolis Skyway
Going Out
Minnesota 511
Explore Minnesota
Minnesota State Fair
I will start with 'Going Out' by the Star Tribune since it seems like it may be similar to what is published in the newspaper highlighting local events. I first searched for 'Family entertainment' and learned that you can sort by zip code, 'near current location, event, or venue. I quickly found the upcoming Eagan Art Festival and also music events at Eagan's Central Park. Also advertised is the Eagan Funfest over the 4th of July.
The movie section was also useful to learn about movies that are currently in theaters, coming soon, and an option to find nearby theaters. I also liked what I saw in the restaurant section- provides all the necessary info for restaurants close to your current location- great for when you are in a new area and need to find some lunch or dinner options! All the information I found was accurate and useful! This would be a perfect place to post information about library events for families like our recent Rhythm and Words children's event in Burnsville! I think I will use this app in the future, it was fun to explore!
I will be sure to install the Minnesota State Fair app in late August :-)
Thing #16 Audio
SoundCloud is a social platform app for all things music, audio, etc... Things can be shared easily, very accessible and customizable. After signing up you choose your favorite types of music which creates 'streams' similar to 'stations' on Pandora. To record your own audio, there is a basic record button under the 'You' tab which is your personal library within SoundCloud.
This is very much a social community in which you may follow other users and they can follow you, it does require log-in/sign-up, but you could be creative and use this to record your own podcast then share it to your library's website to allow people to see the link to view it. Otherwise, other users of SoundCloud may just stumble across your podcasts by browsing, or being your 'followers'. I would describe this app as a vocal version of facebook or instagram. It is intriguing, but currently my library does not do much at all with podcasts. I prefer to use Pandora to listen to music, and I do not listen to podcasts. Fun to explore, but not something I will likely return in the near future.
This is very much a social community in which you may follow other users and they can follow you, it does require log-in/sign-up, but you could be creative and use this to record your own podcast then share it to your library's website to allow people to see the link to view it. Otherwise, other users of SoundCloud may just stumble across your podcasts by browsing, or being your 'followers'. I would describe this app as a vocal version of facebook or instagram. It is intriguing, but currently my library does not do much at all with podcasts. I prefer to use Pandora to listen to music, and I do not listen to podcasts. Fun to explore, but not something I will likely return in the near future.
Thing #15 Infographics
I explored the app Infographics Hub, and was very surprised to see how many categories are included. I think I could find a graphic for just about every subject presentation imaginable.
I was amused by the 'best time to post on social media' infographic. Best time for a blog is noon! Best time for Facebook is 6-8am or 2-4pm. I also liked the 'how to extend your life at work' which reminds us to get up and move vs. sitting/being sedentary for your entire 8+ hour work day.
I could see this as being quite helpful to librarians looking to spruce up a presentation or class they are teaching. It could also be useful to show to middle school or high school students (even college!) who are working on assignments for a speech class or presentation as well.
Some infographics are cutesy, some are more informative- all very well put together, clear and attractive graphics!! Love this new app.
I was amused by the 'best time to post on social media' infographic. Best time for a blog is noon! Best time for Facebook is 6-8am or 2-4pm. I also liked the 'how to extend your life at work' which reminds us to get up and move vs. sitting/being sedentary for your entire 8+ hour work day.
I could see this as being quite helpful to librarians looking to spruce up a presentation or class they are teaching. It could also be useful to show to middle school or high school students (even college!) who are working on assignments for a speech class or presentation as well.
Some infographics are cutesy, some are more informative- all very well put together, clear and attractive graphics!! Love this new app.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Thing #13 Presentations
I decided to use Educreations to create a presentation for this assignment. Educreations is an app that turns your ipad into a whiteboard. You write on the whiteboard and record yourself explaining what you are drawing/your ideas/your presentation. The app allows multiple pages for the presentation and has easy to editing tools for moving images, adding text, and the ability to share the finished product on Facebook, Twitter or via email. Your lesson can be made public or private when you save it.
I envision this app as being useful for teachers and students alike- especially for math or science- calculus or geometry, anything requiring drawing or equations. In addition to a plain background you could choose lined paper, graph paper or a coordinate grid.
Example: http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/what-is-the-pythagorean-theorem/947104/
In a public library setting this could be used to create a short presentation to be posted on a website, a how to use the OPAC using screenshots for example, or any other library tool on our website- e-book tutorial or other endless options. The best part of this app is its simplicity and ease of use. A quick review of the app allows anyone to create a presentation! For a free app this one is pretty great!
I envision this app as being useful for teachers and students alike- especially for math or science- calculus or geometry, anything requiring drawing or equations. In addition to a plain background you could choose lined paper, graph paper or a coordinate grid.
Example: http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/what-is-the-pythagorean-theorem/947104/
In a public library setting this could be used to create a short presentation to be posted on a website, a how to use the OPAC using screenshots for example, or any other library tool on our website- e-book tutorial or other endless options. The best part of this app is its simplicity and ease of use. A quick review of the app allows anyone to create a presentation! For a free app this one is pretty great!
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