JING JING!

I LOVE this Jing video software!  It is quick and EASY...once you get the microphone set up correctly…and after you’ve rehearsed your script several times.  Even after that, be prepared to record your presentation several times to “get it right”.

My experience with Jing involved preparing a PowerPoint presentation on Orchids, and using the PowerPoint slides as my video capture.  Having so much to say, initially the recording time was well over 6 minutes.  Because Jing will only record a maximum of 5 minutes, editing was essential.  Because a viewer may get bored with 5 minutes, additional editing was necessary.  This allowed for a lot of script practice in timing.

Jing would be an excellent tool to use for a library’s website.  Providing short tutorials on how to reserve a book, or renew your library books online would be helpful to some people.  Because librarians are often asked to help fill out government forms, short tutorials, section-by-section of those forms, would also be extremely helpful to patrons.  “How To” videos might also be offered on fixing things around the house, gardening, or car repair.  For children, Jing could be used for videos of storybooks being read with turning pages.

One of the most important suggestions I would make is to divide the video topics into parts, making several short videos.  It will give you the ability to expand on the information for each part, while at the same time, keep the video to a manageable length.  Otherwise an excess amount of time is spent editing down, when you could be recording.  With one assignment, so much to say, and the unwillingness to eliminate any sections, I was, nevertheless, able to create a Jing video that I am proud of.

Watch my video on Orchids - The Basics

Welcome to the World of Wiki!

It’s been another “first” for me this week – Project Wiki; or, to be more precise, “Group Project Wiki”, an assignment which enabled us to explore the wonders of this media tool.  Being an online class, group members can be living anywhere.  Yet, as long as each member of the group is a member of the Wiki site, information can be added from anywhere at any time.  All that’s needed is a topic and an Originator - someone to create the Wiki site. 

The Originator creates the site and sends Wiki invitations to the people s/he wants to join the Wiki.  Those people sign in and join the group.  All group members have access to change, add, or delete information on the site.  They can also add pages, creating a new page template or downloading a current page as a template.  This helps in keeping the formatting similar.

The only thing that cannot be changed by everyone in the group is the theme and color scheme of the pages.  This can only be done under the Originator’s sign in, which s/he can share with others.  There are several theme templates and color themes from which to choose.  For $5.00 extra a month, one can upgrade the account and create a custom theme, as well as create a custom style sheet to present on.

Navigation on the Wiki is simple, and members can find everything they need under the “Manage Wiki” link.  To add a page, simply name it and choose from where to download it.  If it’s a template, add or change the information.  The “Edit” button at the top is always available for anyone to edit the page.  There are features that link, add files, create tables, and widgets.  The choice of fonts, however, is very limited.  I believe that this feature could be improved.

Creating the Navigation bar with a list of your pages can be done manually, or by using a widget.   Listing manually was, to me, easier than figuring out how to use the Navigation widget.  Listing manually, however, looks very basic on the side bar, yet it is still functional.

To share your Wiki with the world, make sure to choose “public” during setup.  Then send out the URL!

The Wiki is a great media tool for people to connect, near or far, wanting to share information on a topic, be it book or movie information, reviews, places, special programs…ANYTHING!  If someone wants to add information to your wiki, they can request to become a member of your wiki group.   

So...Welcome to my Wiki!
 

Delicious vs. Diigo vs. Pinterest

Today I am comparing the three web media tools of Delicious, Diigo, and Pinterest.  I found these to be similar tools for storing and sharing website URLs.  Although each work in basically the same way, each have their differences. 

They each worked similarly in that the URL saved was, essentially, “pinned” to the website.  Each of these sites provides a “bookmarklet” that can be dragged to your toolbar should you not want to download their toolbar separately.  Delicious bookmarklet is displayed on your toolbar as “Add to Delicious”, Diigo’s bookmarklet is “Diigolet”, and Pinterest’s is “Pin It”.  The difference, however, is in what can be “pinned” to the sites.  Whereas Delicious and Diigo will accept any website URL, Pinterest works only with pictures you find on the web. 
 
When a website is found that you want to store and share, click the bookmarklet you want to save it to.  An information box in Delicious and Diigo will come up with the URL and the title of the article.  One can then write a description and choose the appropriate tags.  For Pinterest, it sources the picture back to its origin, and the photo is pinned to a titled “board”, usually with a certain theme.  Your comments/description can then be added.

Delicious and Diigo can be used interchangeably.  What is posted on one can be exported to the other, although I had a problem with that.  Having posted all of my websites on Diigo, I then exported them to Delicious.  However, although I received acknowledgement that they had been exported, my Delicious account had not received them.  Diigo does have a dual posting feature whereby the posts on Diigo will automatically be posted to Delicious.  However, this must be activated prior to posting.

I found that I preferred Diigo to Delicious.  Diigo has more features and helps to organize saved posts better.  Diigo not only bookmarks, but has the ability to highlight text you want to stand out.  It has a “sticky note” feature that can be used to make notes about the article.  The feature I found to be most useful was the “list” feature.  One can group into lists the posts found.  It is a great organizational tool.

Pinterest is a fun media tool to use, especially for those who are very visual.  “A picture is worth a thousand words” so they say.  It is important, however, that when choosing pictures from an online grouped topic to be used on your own personal board of the same topic, that one is selective.  It can be very easy to select all, thereby weakening one’s message.  One thing to be aware of with Pinterest is a photo’s copyright.  

Check out my accounts at Delicious, Diigo, and Pinterest.

 

What the Heck is THIS?

That was my thought when I first began seeing these images in various places recently. Interestingly enough, they represent shortened URL codes that can be scanned with Smart Phones having a scanner app.  Unfortunately for me, and others who have a phone that is "just a phone", it is another one of those great technologies that won't be used.
  
This is the QR code for the website
http://www.youtube.com/embed/nGeXdv-uPaw. Titled "She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting..... Worth Dying For", it is a short, but powerful video of our beautiful earth and its current path to destruction.  It is a memorial to several named individuals who have died in their efforts to preserve it.

Podcasts and MP3s - Some Uses in the Library

Podcasts may have many uses in the library.  Perhaps the greatest use that I can think of is one that I have included in a previous blog; one that is already used in the Sarasota County Library system, as well as others.  At www.sclibs.net, podcasts are used in the “Kidszone” section for recorded stories and poems.  They also have Vodcasts, which are story-time videos.  Both are funded by the Kiwanis Club of South Sarasota and are read by volunteers or by the story’s author.  The selection is very small, however, which makes me wonder how popular they are and if very many people know they exist.  I do believe that this use of Podcasts and MP3s has a lot of potential.  It just needs to be better developed and marketed.  Also, if it is a picture book that is being read, unless the child has the book in front of them, interest would be lost.  This is where the Vodcast would be better.

Podcasts are good for auditory learners or even the visually impaired.  Along with story time, they might also be used for giving information, library news, book reviews, directions (i.e. how to get a library card or renew books online), interviews, helpful information about finances, health, etc., and maybe even “word-of-the-day”, although that would require daily website upkeep.  Podcasts might take a longer time to produce, but I believe they add interest and would also be helpful to people whose primary modality is not visual.     

My First Podcast - The Napping House

Who doesn’t love listening to a story - especially children?  My Podcast is a reading of the children’s book, The Napping House, written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood.  It is a simple story about a house “where everyone is sleeping”.  Each page tells of another sleeping character layered on top of another, on top of a bed until, finally...!  Children love listening to stories like this, and I love reading to them, especially when I’m able to make the stories come to life with expression and my own sound effects.  The more outrageous, the more they laugh.  And I love to hear them laugh.      

             


 Listen to The Napping House

PowerPoint vs. Prezi

It’s been a long week as I’ve struggled to do my very first PowerPoint presentation, “breaking in” my new Office 2010 version.  There was a lot to learn…much of it by accident.  I was excited to do this assignment, as I love anything having to do with design.

Compared to Prezi, PowerPoint seems to have all the bells and whistles.  Although it would have been a lot easier using a template, the opportunity to format custom slides was a challenge I was happy to take.  There’s nothing like design to bring out the perfectionist in me.  Unfortunately, there were a few things that I just couldn’t make work…such as the animated “fly in”.  How frustrating when only some items fly in and the rest don’t.  And those that DO fly in seemed to change each time I’d try.  I stubbornly spent hours on that, being that it was on the list of things to include.  However, in the end, PowerPoint won.  There went many hours that I could have spent on my Prezi…a program I had never even heard of!

I must say that Prezi is quite “different” than PowerPoint.  Whereas PowerPoint seems more of a formal presentation, Prezi is very organic…flowing…fun.  It’s also very quick to use when using a template.  The problem I had with it, though, is that I felt it was a bit out of my control when it moved from box to box along the “path”.  Time was short, and I wasn’t able to explore this program as much as I would have liked.  It appears to be much more limiting than PowerPoint based on the lack of the many tool bars PowerPoint has.  The final thing I had a problem with was knowing what to do with it when I was finished.  No saving it to a file like I’m used to doing.

Until I get more experience with using Prezi, I have to say that I prefer PowerPoint.  It’s so much easier to figure out.