The 3rd round of Learning at Joint-Use Library launches on January 5th and concludes on January 26th. This time around, we will cover the following topics -- Week 1, Makerspace Week 2, How does my smartphone work? (Plus "What the heck is Near Field Communication?") Week 3, Table Computing (Plus "What's an app?") Week 4, Gamification
Each learning session represents a total weekly time commitment of 30 – 60 minutes. We've added a new section to each blog post. It's entitled "Why is this topic important". We hope to improve everyone's understanding of how the topics are connected to your work and your professional development. Any staff member who finishes all four learning sessions will receive a cool JUL Learning button. AND if you complete all four sessions by February 9th, you will be eligible for a prize drawing. A huge thank you to Alex. She's the best blogging partner ever!
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Augmented Reality
To successfully complete READ this blog post. DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities. LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 45 minutes.
Introduction to Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is viewing the real-world, directly or indirectly, with computer generated enhancements such as pictures, video, sounds or GPS data. Your perception of reality is not replaced by a simulated one like in virtual reality. It's magnified in real-time and in context with environmental elements.
When you watch the big football game on Sunday afternoon, sports scores scroll across the bottom of your TV screen. The new information adds to your overall game watching experience. Augmented reality does the same thing. It also makes your smartphone or other device's display becomes more interactive and manipulable.
More than three years ago, the Virginia Beach Public Library was one of several organizations, including the Associated Press and National Trust for Historic Preservation, selected as pilot partners for the national launch of TagWhat, augmented reality app. The Library uses the app for mobile storytelling and local history promotion.
Learning More about Augmented Reality (25 minutes)
- Watch Augmented Reality a Common Craft Video (2:16 minutes)
- Read the online article "An APP for Virginia Beach City History" (3 minutes)
- Watch How augmented reality will change sports ... and build empathy a TED Talk Video (9:11 minutes)
Hands-on Activities (20 minutes)
- Decorate your room with augmented reality and furniture form IKEA. Download the IKEA Catalog app on your smartphone. Open the app and select "Place furniture in your room". Your smartphone's camera will take a 360 or180 degree picture. Then, you can add furniture (digital content from the catalog) to design your own spaces. Don't have a smartphone? Watch this video instead. (10 minutes)
Or
Watch records jump from the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records. Download the GWR2014 app from the Google Play Store on your Android device. Play with the app and history becomes 3D as you view records and historical events! (10 minutes) - View Virginia Beach with fresh eyes. Visit the TagWhat site or download the TagWhat APP. Search for places in Virginia Beach and enhance your reality with cool stories and old pictures. (10 minutes)
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Emerging Technologies
To successfully complete Emerging Technologies
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Emerging Technologies
Technology can be a change agent. Three emerging technologies are making an impact on how we work, live and play. They are body-adaptable wearable technologies, screen-less displays and brain-computer interfaces.
Body-Adaptable Wearable technologies, from Google Glass to the Fitbit wristband, are finding social acceptance. These small devices are non-invasive and have the ability to measure and provide real time feedback on multiple parameters. There are earbuds that monitor heart rate, sensors worn under clothes to track posture, a temporary tattoo that tracts health vitals and haptic shoe soles that communicate GPS direction through vibration alerts felt by the feet. People are using them to improve their lives.
Screen-less display includes any image that can be perceived by the human eye. It fills the gap between shrinking device sizes and human interaction. Face it -- we need a larger screen for some of the things that we do. Could you actually type the next great American novel on a smartphone?
Full-sized keyboards can already be projected onto almost any surface. Screen-less display reflects light from something invisible (like fog) or relays the image through some hidden optics as in an “aerial display” kind like in the Iron Man movies. There are three screen-less computing systems (visual image, retinal direct and synaptic interface) that make all this possible.
Other computer systems and devices provide opportunities to read and interpret signals directly from the brain. They are called brain-computer interfaces. Quadriplegics, people suffering from “locked-in syndrome” and people who have had a stroke can move their own wheelchairs or even drink coffee from a cup by controlling the action of a robotic arm with their brain waves. Direct brain implants have helped restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight.
Learning More about (20 minutes)
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Emerging Technologies
Technology can be a change agent. Three emerging technologies are making an impact on how we work, live and play. They are body-adaptable wearable technologies, screen-less displays and brain-computer interfaces.
Body-Adaptable Wearable technologies, from Google Glass to the Fitbit wristband, are finding social acceptance. These small devices are non-invasive and have the ability to measure and provide real time feedback on multiple parameters. There are earbuds that monitor heart rate, sensors worn under clothes to track posture, a temporary tattoo that tracts health vitals and haptic shoe soles that communicate GPS direction through vibration alerts felt by the feet. People are using them to improve their lives.
Screen-less display includes any image that can be perceived by the human eye. It fills the gap between shrinking device sizes and human interaction. Face it -- we need a larger screen for some of the things that we do. Could you actually type the next great American novel on a smartphone?
Full-sized keyboards can already be projected onto almost any surface. Screen-less display reflects light from something invisible (like fog) or relays the image through some hidden optics as in an “aerial display” kind like in the Iron Man movies. There are three screen-less computing systems (visual image, retinal direct and synaptic interface) that make all this possible.
Other computer systems and devices provide opportunities to read and interpret signals directly from the brain. They are called brain-computer interfaces. Quadriplegics, people suffering from “locked-in syndrome” and people who have had a stroke can move their own wheelchairs or even drink coffee from a cup by controlling the action of a robotic arm with their brain waves. Direct brain implants have helped restore partial vision to people who have lost their sight.
Learning More about (20 minutes)
- Watch Haptic-feedback Shoe Guides Blind Walkers at TED Talk Videos. (2:53 minutes)
- Read How Brain-Computer Interfaces Work at How Stuff Works. (10 minutes)
- Watch Screen less Dispaly from Temple University (5:40 minutes)
- Visit “Wearable Technology” on Pinterest. What kind of devices would you like to see developed? How could it help you? (10 minutes)
- Think about, then describe in 150 words or less, an idea that you have for technology that could change the world. What about a screen-less laptop? It's a green solution. Most monitors end up in landfills. (10 minutes)
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Monday, September 29, 2014
3D Printing
To successfully complete 3D Printing
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 60 minutes.
Introduction to 3D Printing
3D printers are a new generation of machines that can make different things with different materials all from the same machine. They can make anything from plastic toys, metal machine parts, and stoneware cups, to human body parts. They are a disruptive technology.
They replace traditional factory production lines with a single machine -- just like home inkjet printers replaced bottles of ink, a printing press, hot metal type, and a drying rack. The personal computer, the printer, and the Internet made us all publishers. With 3D printers and 3D design software such as Tinkercad, we can all be manufacturers.
Why is it called 3D printing? Look closely with a microscope at a page of text produced by your home printer. The ink doesn’t stain the paper; the letters actually sit on top of the page surface. If you printed over that same page several thousand times, the ink will build up enough layers to create a solid 3D model of each letter. Building a physical form out of tiny layers is how the first 3D printers worked.
Today, 3D printing starts with designing a 3D object with CAD software on a computer, then connecting it to a 3D printer, press ‘print’ and sit back and watch. The 3D printing process turns the whole object you designed into thousands of tiny little slices, then makes it from the bottom-up, slice by slice. Those tiny layers stick together to form a solid object. Each layer can be very complex.
Future opportunities abound for 3D printing. Imagine a world where everyday items are made at home to your unique specifications. You could have anything you wanted at your own schedule. As Dale Dougherty, founder and publisher of MAKE says, “It’s Wal-Mart in the palm of your hand. That’s the crazy promise of it."
For now, though, early adopters are figuring things out and making way for the rest of us. Until 3D printing matches the smooth finish of industrial machines and the economies of mass production, the rest of us will continue shopping at regular stores. Prices of 3D printers will continue to decline and capabilities will improve over time. Then we’ll all have one and wonder how we ever survived without it.
Learning More about 3D Printing (30 to 45 minutes)
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 60 minutes.
Introduction to 3D Printing
3D printers are a new generation of machines that can make different things with different materials all from the same machine. They can make anything from plastic toys, metal machine parts, and stoneware cups, to human body parts. They are a disruptive technology.
They replace traditional factory production lines with a single machine -- just like home inkjet printers replaced bottles of ink, a printing press, hot metal type, and a drying rack. The personal computer, the printer, and the Internet made us all publishers. With 3D printers and 3D design software such as Tinkercad, we can all be manufacturers.
Why is it called 3D printing? Look closely with a microscope at a page of text produced by your home printer. The ink doesn’t stain the paper; the letters actually sit on top of the page surface. If you printed over that same page several thousand times, the ink will build up enough layers to create a solid 3D model of each letter. Building a physical form out of tiny layers is how the first 3D printers worked.
Today, 3D printing starts with designing a 3D object with CAD software on a computer, then connecting it to a 3D printer, press ‘print’ and sit back and watch. The 3D printing process turns the whole object you designed into thousands of tiny little slices, then makes it from the bottom-up, slice by slice. Those tiny layers stick together to form a solid object. Each layer can be very complex.
Future opportunities abound for 3D printing. Imagine a world where everyday items are made at home to your unique specifications. You could have anything you wanted at your own schedule. As Dale Dougherty, founder and publisher of MAKE says, “It’s Wal-Mart in the palm of your hand. That’s the crazy promise of it."
For now, though, early adopters are figuring things out and making way for the rest of us. Until 3D printing matches the smooth finish of industrial machines and the economies of mass production, the rest of us will continue shopping at regular stores. Prices of 3D printers will continue to decline and capabilities will improve over time. Then we’ll all have one and wonder how we ever survived without it.
Learning More about 3D Printing (30 to 45 minutes)
- Read the article What is 3D printing? and watch the 52 second video on SLA. You can skip the first two videos (SLS and FDM processes) on the web page. (15 minutes)
- Watch 3D Printing Explained by ExplainingtheFuture (6:11 minutes)
- Read Pages 8 and 10 -16, Make Magazine, Winter 2013 (15 minutes)
- Watch the Intro to Tinkercad video (2:44 minutes)
- Sign up for a free Tinkercad account.(30 seconds)
- Do the first Tinkercad lesson ONLY. (2 to 8 minutes)
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Copyright
To successfully complete Copyright
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the “Learn More About” activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Copyright
The term copyright refers to a legal right - granted by law, so it varies by country - given to the creator of an original work (written, audiovisual, software, etc.) to use and distribute it as they see fit. You can usually find copyright information printed inside books, on the back of DVD and CD cases, listed at the bottom of websites, and buried in the legalese of many End-User License Agreements. Copyright is very easy to get; all you have to do is create an original work! Copyright law says that once something is created, it is copyrighted. You can, however, register a work to set the record right as to who "owns" the work.
Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization that tries to make it easier to understand how original works can be used. Creative Commons offers licenses that explain clearly how the creator of a work wants to allow people to use it. Are they allowed to use it as it is? Can they make changes and then use it? Is commercial use allowed? All these answers can be found in the CC license.
You can use copyrighted material under Fair Use, which has four factors. These are not hard-and-fast rules, but Fair Use considers the purpose of the use (it should be educational or non-profit), the nature of the work being used (it should be published, and it should be more fact than fiction), how much of the work is being used (you shouldn't use the vital "heart of the work" and you shouldn't use too much of it), and your use of the material should not harm the market for it.
Public Domain is the term for material that is not copyrighted, whether it never had copyright or the copyright expired. Most works created by the United States government do not have copyright applied to them, and are therefore Public Domain. Copyright owners can choose to release their works to the Public Domain, or allow their copyright to expire.
Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization that tries to make it easier to understand how original works can be used. Creative Commons offers licenses that explain clearly how the creator of a work wants to allow people to use it. Are they allowed to use it as it is? Can they make changes and then use it? Is commercial use allowed? All these answers can be found in the CC license.
You can use copyrighted material under Fair Use, which has four factors. These are not hard-and-fast rules, but Fair Use considers the purpose of the use (it should be educational or non-profit), the nature of the work being used (it should be published, and it should be more fact than fiction), how much of the work is being used (you shouldn't use the vital "heart of the work" and you shouldn't use too much of it), and your use of the material should not harm the market for it.
Public Domain is the term for material that is not copyrighted, whether it never had copyright or the copyright expired. Most works created by the United States government do not have copyright applied to them, and are therefore Public Domain. Copyright owners can choose to release their works to the Public Domain, or allow their copyright to expire.
Learn More About Copyright (20 minutes)
1. Read TCC Library's Copyright LibGuide (a big thank you to Ruth Shumate and Bethany Wright for creating this!) (10 minutes)
2. Read the Creative Commons "About" page to learn more about the organization. (10 minutes)
Hands-On Activities (20 minutes)
1. Think of an original work you might create (a song, short story, photograph, website, piece of software, etc.). Then visit the Creative Commons Licenses page to read about what each license allows. Which one would you want to apply to your work? Why? (10 minutes)
2. Visit flickr. Do a search for a photo subject that interests you. At the top of the page of results, click where it says "License: Any License." Choose "Creative Commons only." All these images should have CC licenses of some kind applied to them. Click on an image in your results. Under the "Taken on" date, there is a message about the copyright that should be linked to a page from Creative Commons. Read about the license applied to the image you chose. What are you allowed to do with it? What aren't you allowed to do? (10 minutes)
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Cybersecurity
To successfully
complete Cybersecurity
READ
this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the
“Learn More About” activities.
LEARN
by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 40 minutes.
Introduction
to Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is keeping the information on
computers and other devices safe, and it is especially important when dealing
with personal information like names, contact information, SSNs, student IDs, birthdates,
banking details, and more.
Common vulnerabilities in computer systems include
backdoors (a method of bypassing authentication, so the user doesn’t have to
log in to access the computer), eavesdropping (which, like human eavesdropping,
involves listening in on a “conversation” between computers on a network), and
exploits (which is when someone uses a piece of software to use a glitch in the
computer to its advantage).
Another vulnerability – which you don’t need to
know a lot about computer science to help avoid – is human error. Examples of
mistakes like this include telling someone your password to a secure network,
downloading something from a stranger’s flash drive onto a secure computer, or
leaving yourself logged into a computer and walking away.
The consequences of having your cybersecurity
breached depends on the scope and type of breach. If patrons’ personal
information is stolen, you risk losing your patrons because they don’t trust
you with their information anymore. (For example, Target’s business took a hit after
they were hacked over Black Friday last year.) Sometimes the hackers steal
money from the organization, in which case you suffer a financial loss.
Secure coding, firewalls, user account controls,
and other means can be used to try to protect a network from infiltration, but
the hardest methods of cybersecurity to enforce are those left up to the users
(that’s us!). The network can be completely secured from the computer science
standpoint, but all of that work does us no good if we give out our passwords
and let anyone use it.
Learn More
About Cybersecurity
2. Read Lifehacker’s
explanation of how to avoid being the victim of social engineering attacks. (15 minutes)
Hands-On Activities
1. Check this
list of the 25 most common passwords of 2013 (reported by CBS). Are any of your
passwords (work, personal email, bank account, etc.) on this list? If so, you should
go change them. Like, right now. (10 minutes)
2. Pretend you are a hacker who wants to get into
the computer system here at the library. What would you do to steal our
information? Would you take a computer-based approach or a human-based
approach? Why? Now think about what you can do as an employee of the library to
stop people who might take your chosen approach. (10 minutes)
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Net Neutrality
To
successfully complete Net Neutrality
READ
this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the
“Learn More About” activities.
LEARN
by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 40 minutes.
Introduction
to Net Neutrality
“Net neutrality” means Internet service providers
and governments treating all online data equally, and not discriminating based
on content, website of origin, platform, type of equipment being used, or mode
of communication. The “Open Internet” is the Internet with net neutrality in
place, with all content being treated equally. The controversy surrounded the
concept of net neutrality is about whether it should be required by law.
People who are in favor of net neutrality argue
that if companies are allowed to use tiered service models, they will eliminate
their competition and control the internet in unacceptable ways (for example,
they would be able to pick and choose the Google results you receive).
People who oppose net neutrality argue that
companies don’t plan to block content from their users or cut down on their
networks’ performance. (Comcast, however, has disproven this argument by doing
exactly this.) They also argue that some level of data discrimination is
required to provide higher quality service and should be preferred.
Learn More
About Net Neutrality
Hands-On Activities
1. Make a list (written or mental) of the many
things you use the internet for. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
decided that one of these things (a specific website or type of content) was
not going to get to you as quickly or as easily as it does now, how would that
affect the way you use the internet? How would it affect the providers of the
content being blocked/slowed?
2. If you feel strongly about net neutrality, file a public comment with the FCC and
tell them what you think they should do.
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
When You're Done...
Don't forget to submit this form to get credit! You'll also be entered to win a prize drawing to take place at the end of the blog training.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Getting Started - 2nd Round of Learning
The 2nd round of Learning at Joint-Use Library launches on September 8th and concludes on October 13th. This time around, we will cover the following topics --
Week 1, Net NeutralityWeek 2, Cybersecurity
Week 3, Copyright / Creative Commons
Week 4, 3D printing
Week 5, Emerging Technologies
Week 6, Augmented Reality
Each learning session represents a total weekly time commitment of 30 – 60 minutes.
Any staff member who finishes all six learning sessions will receive a cool JUL Learning button. AND if you complete all six by October 27th, you will be eligible for a prize drawing.
A huge thank you to Alex and Bethany for their help!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
It's a Wrap!
Thank you for participating in the first Joint-Use Library online learning program. We're going to do this again soon. Before we get started, we need your feedback to improve the program.
Please fill out an VBPL training evaluation form. Please use the following information to fill out the top portion of the evaluation form --
Start date = June 2, 2014
End date = July 14, 2014
Agency code = JUL
Training type = e-learning
Course Code = LIB543 E-Library
Thanks!
Cindy
Monday, July 14, 2014
MOOC: Massive Open Online Courses
To successfully complete Massive Open Online Courses
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is an online class that is open to anyone who wishes to learn the subject matter.
Distance learning has a longer history than you may realize. In the 1890s, door-to-door salesman promoted correspondence courses, which were accomplished via mail. In 1922, New York University was using radio to broadcast courses for free; students could purchase textbooks, listen to the broadcasts, and mail exam answers to the school. In World War II, films were created as training tools to teach troops important technical knowledge about their equipment. In 1994, the first online seminar was taught by a University of Pennsylvania professor, relying heavily on email.
The MOOC arose from the OER (Online Educational Resources) movement to put more educational resources on the internet for greater accessibility. The first MOOC was offered in 2008 from Athabasca University and taught 25 tuition-paying students alongside 2200 students from the public who took the course for free. MOOCs have since exploded in popularity, with 2012 being called "the year of the MOOC" by the New York Times.
MOOCs have their pros and cons. While MOOCs mean that courses are available to anyone with internet access and a computer, this also means that students must have internet and a computer, plus the digital literacy to go with them. MOOCs would not be an effective way to learn computer skills, because those skills must be mastered before you can enroll in a MOOC. MOOCs can be offered in any language, using any online tools the participants prefer, and they break down the barriers typically presented by working with different institutions, or students participating in different time zones, geographical locations. A MOOC is a less formal environment than the typical classroom (even an online classroom) so it allows for more serendipitous learning from other participants. Instructors usually have to invest their own time, effort, and resources to create new content to set up a new MOOC, but it can boost enrollment to their own universities and colleges if the students taking a course for free enjoy their experience and/or want to pursue their studies further. Finally, MOOCs allow for wider access to education, especially to those who cannot afford a traditional college education, and encourages improvement of lifelong learning skills.
Learning More about Massive Open Online Courses
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Massive Open Online Courses
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is an online class that is open to anyone who wishes to learn the subject matter.
Distance learning has a longer history than you may realize. In the 1890s, door-to-door salesman promoted correspondence courses, which were accomplished via mail. In 1922, New York University was using radio to broadcast courses for free; students could purchase textbooks, listen to the broadcasts, and mail exam answers to the school. In World War II, films were created as training tools to teach troops important technical knowledge about their equipment. In 1994, the first online seminar was taught by a University of Pennsylvania professor, relying heavily on email.
The MOOC arose from the OER (Online Educational Resources) movement to put more educational resources on the internet for greater accessibility. The first MOOC was offered in 2008 from Athabasca University and taught 25 tuition-paying students alongside 2200 students from the public who took the course for free. MOOCs have since exploded in popularity, with 2012 being called "the year of the MOOC" by the New York Times.
MOOCs have their pros and cons. While MOOCs mean that courses are available to anyone with internet access and a computer, this also means that students must have internet and a computer, plus the digital literacy to go with them. MOOCs would not be an effective way to learn computer skills, because those skills must be mastered before you can enroll in a MOOC. MOOCs can be offered in any language, using any online tools the participants prefer, and they break down the barriers typically presented by working with different institutions, or students participating in different time zones, geographical locations. A MOOC is a less formal environment than the typical classroom (even an online classroom) so it allows for more serendipitous learning from other participants. Instructors usually have to invest their own time, effort, and resources to create new content to set up a new MOOC, but it can boost enrollment to their own universities and colleges if the students taking a course for free enjoy their experience and/or want to pursue their studies further. Finally, MOOCs allow for wider access to education, especially to those who cannot afford a traditional college education, and encourages improvement of lifelong learning skills.
Learning More about Massive Open Online Courses
- Read Massive Open Online Courses at Wikipedia (10 minutes)
- Visit Educause's Massive Open Online Course. Watch the video, MOOC and Beyond (3:43 minutes), then explore some of resources. (25 minutes)
- Browse the list of courses available at Coursera, a popular provider of MOOCs. What classes do you think might interest you? What do you think the benefits of taking these courses as MOOCs - as opposed to taking them as traditional college courses - might be? What might some of the downfalls be?
- Use Coursera to search for MOOCs about arts. Compare the list of results to the list of arts classes available from TCC, as seen in the course catalog here (you will have to scroll down about 10 pages to find the Arts section). What are some of the differences you notice between the offered courses? Similarities?
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.
Monday, July 7, 2014
TCC Databases
To successfully complete TCC Databases
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 30 minutes.
Introduction to TCC Databases
Databases can be collections of a lot of different types of sources. The majority of TCC's nearly 200 databases are used for finding scholarly journal articles, but we also have searchable collections of images, videos, e-books, magazines, newspapers, dissertations, book reviews, primary sources, statistics, encyclopedias, and literature.
The TCC databases are listed multiple different ways to make it easier to find what you're looking for: by subject, alphabetically by database title, or by content type (or format).
Our most popular database is Academic Search Complete. It has mostly full-text access to a wide range of magazines, newspapers, and journals with a general scope (it is not a subject-specific database).
Most databases can be accessed on JUL computers without a login. Off campus, students must use their MyTCC login to access TCC databases. Some databases, however, like Occupational Outlook Handbook and Virginia View (both career information databases) are free to the public and do not require a login from any computer.
Learning More about TCC Databases (10 minutes)
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities. Your total time commitment is about 30 minutes.
Introduction to TCC Databases
Databases can be collections of a lot of different types of sources. The majority of TCC's nearly 200 databases are used for finding scholarly journal articles, but we also have searchable collections of images, videos, e-books, magazines, newspapers, dissertations, book reviews, primary sources, statistics, encyclopedias, and literature.
The TCC databases are listed multiple different ways to make it easier to find what you're looking for: by subject, alphabetically by database title, or by content type (or format).
Our most popular database is Academic Search Complete. It has mostly full-text access to a wide range of magazines, newspapers, and journals with a general scope (it is not a subject-specific database).
Most databases can be accessed on JUL computers without a login. Off campus, students must use their MyTCC login to access TCC databases. Some databases, however, like Occupational Outlook Handbook and Virginia View (both career information databases) are free to the public and do not require a login from any computer.
Learning More about TCC Databases (10 minutes)
- Browse the subject list of databases. Hover your mouse over the title of a database to read its description. (5 minutes)
- Read the Off Campus Access page. (5 minutes)
- We also link to many of our databases on subject guides (sometimes referred to as LibGuides). Pick a few of the guides from this page and look under the Databases tab (if you choose the Careers guide, the tab is labelled "Research" instead of "Databases") to see which ones are linked for each subject. Consider why those databases were chosen for that guide. (10 minutes)
- Visit Academic Search Complete and search for a topic that interests you. How many results did you get? Use the limiter options on the left side of the page to limit your results by date, or by type of resource, or some other criteria. How many results do you have now? Choose an article that looks interesting and click on its title. Look at the type of information you are shown about the article. Use the link on the right side of the page to email the article to yourself. (10 minutes)
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Metasearch
To successfully complete Metasearch (also known as Federated Search)
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Meta Search
How you ever made travel arrangements online through a third party website like Expedia? Then you're a pro at metasearch. One-stop shop!
Metasearch engines / tools are built with this concept in mind. They do not crawl the web. They enable users to enter search criteria once and access multiple search engines (and / or databases) at the same time. Then, they combine the results into a single display or list them separately according to their sources.
For web-based searches, a metasearch has a broader scope but the results are not always better. A metasearch engine uses its own algorithm to choose what it thinks are the best results from multiple search engines and / or databases. The results returned by a metasearch may not be as relevant as those returned by a standard search engine.
There are tons of custom metasearch engines on the web. Find one easily with a quick Google search. Type the following limiter commands into the Google search box: inurl:cse inurl:cx site:google.com sports (or any topic of your choice).
Instead of searching with giant metasearch engines on the Internet, you can make your own metasearch engine with Google custom search. Your search will focus on selected websites within the Google database. It's easy but you will need a Google account to get started.
The Joint-Use Library catalog is a metasearch engine or tool. It sends your search requests to both VBPL's and TCC's Library Information Systems then displays the combined results according to the owning library. The search provides a single easy-to-use interface that saves the end user both time and effort by providing combined library content.
Learning More about Metasearch
Part 1, Dogpile (Internet Metasearch)
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Meta Search
How you ever made travel arrangements online through a third party website like Expedia? Then you're a pro at metasearch. One-stop shop!
Metasearch engines / tools are built with this concept in mind. They do not crawl the web. They enable users to enter search criteria once and access multiple search engines (and / or databases) at the same time. Then, they combine the results into a single display or list them separately according to their sources.
For web-based searches, a metasearch has a broader scope but the results are not always better. A metasearch engine uses its own algorithm to choose what it thinks are the best results from multiple search engines and / or databases. The results returned by a metasearch may not be as relevant as those returned by a standard search engine.
There are tons of custom metasearch engines on the web. Find one easily with a quick Google search. Type the following limiter commands into the Google search box: inurl:cse inurl:cx site:google.com sports (or any topic of your choice).
Instead of searching with giant metasearch engines on the Internet, you can make your own metasearch engine with Google custom search. Your search will focus on selected websites within the Google database. It's easy but you will need a Google account to get started.
The Joint-Use Library catalog is a metasearch engine or tool. It sends your search requests to both VBPL's and TCC's Library Information Systems then displays the combined results according to the owning library. The search provides a single easy-to-use interface that saves the end user both time and effort by providing combined library content.
Learning More about Metasearch
- Read Metasearch at Wikipedia (5 minutes)
- Optional: Visit NISO Metasearch Initiative (20 minutes)
Part 1, Dogpile (Internet Metasearch)
- Visit Dogpile
- Using the web tab, search for wildlife sanctuaries.
- Answer these questions and discuss with a co-worker: How were your results listed? Does it make sense? Do you see patterns? Are ads clearly labeled? Is there any knowledge graph influence apparent (fact and social context)? Did you find what you expected?
- Visit the JUL Catalog
- Using the keyword query, search for wildlife sanctuaries.
- Answer these questions and discuss with a co-worker: How were your results listed? Does it make sense? Were you surprised by the results? Why?
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Make a 30 Second Video
To successfully complete Make a 30 Second Video
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Make a 30 Second Video
Society uses visual media more and more to communicate. Our stories can be recorded and shared. As the old adage says, "seeing is believing." As information consumers, we use the Internet, our laptops, smartphones, and other devices to "look and see" for ourselves. Technology makes it possible for almost anyone to be a visual media producer -- yup, we can all make movies. After all, pictures trump words and video trumps pictures.
Learning More about Make a 30 Second Video
You and your partner / group will create a short video booktalk or PSA about reading or libraries. Your group should include at least one TCC and one VBPL staff member. In size, it should not exceed six people. Your video should not exceed 30 seconds in length. It can be a booktalk or a presentation designed to persuade an audience to read a book. Or it can be a PSA or a multimedia message designed to inform and educate the public about a topic (reading / libraries).
To complete the lesson --
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Make a 30 Second Video
Society uses visual media more and more to communicate. Our stories can be recorded and shared. As the old adage says, "seeing is believing." As information consumers, we use the Internet, our laptops, smartphones, and other devices to "look and see" for ourselves. Technology makes it possible for almost anyone to be a visual media producer -- yup, we can all make movies. After all, pictures trump words and video trumps pictures.
Learning More about Make a 30 Second Video
- Watch iMovie for iPad Tutorial (8:32 minutes)
- Watch Storyboarding for People Who Don't Draw (6:31 minutes)
- Check out the JUL iMovie and Storyboarding training handouts - pick one up from Cindy (5 minutes)
You and your partner / group will create a short video booktalk or PSA about reading or libraries. Your group should include at least one TCC and one VBPL staff member. In size, it should not exceed six people. Your video should not exceed 30 seconds in length. It can be a booktalk or a presentation designed to persuade an audience to read a book. Or it can be a PSA or a multimedia message designed to inform and educate the public about a topic (reading / libraries).
To complete the lesson --
- Storyboard your project using either a paper template or the Storyboard That site.
- Sign out an iPad from Cindy.
- With the iMovie app, create a movie project. (Use group ID in project name)
- Take pictures and video and add to your project.
- Add appropriate music, voice or sound effects to your project.
- Add appropriate text and titles.
- Save and share your project to iMovie Theater in iCloud. From the project details screen, tap the share button (square box with up arrow) then tap iMovie Theater.
- Upload.
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Location-based Experiences
To successfully complete Location-based Services:
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Location-based Services
Location-based services are computer applications and sites that use the geo-location functionality of a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet to provide people with information, entertainment, or a social media service. LBS are used in many different contexts within our lives. They are available through mobile applications or built into a mobile device's hardware and software.
Many people navigate the world with location-based services. According to Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, 74% of adult smartphone owners ages 18 and older use their phone to get directions or other information, such as nearby restaurants or businesses, based on their current location.
There are both tangible and intangible rewards associated with location-based services. Many social media users have their accounts set to include their location in their posts. Pew Research Center’s Internet Project shows that 30% of adult social media users ages 18 and older currently allow their location in their posts. They tell their friends where they are and keep a record of what they do.
Other social media sites such as Foursquare allow users to “check in” wherever they go – shops, events, restaurants, hotels, airports, or even private residences. People check in to tell their friends where they are, keep a record of what they do, and often earn rewards like badges for participating or points from businesses.
While LBS offer convenience and interactivity that was not possible before, they have also raised concerns about user privacy. As LBS apps relay a user’s location data to networks, they also have the ability to build a precise and personal user profile based on the collected data. The trade-off is a high-quality user experience at the expense of one’s privacy.
Learning More about
Find information for the library or a business on Yelp, Foursquare, Trip Advisor or Google maps.
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Location-based Services
Location-based services are computer applications and sites that use the geo-location functionality of a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet to provide people with information, entertainment, or a social media service. LBS are used in many different contexts within our lives. They are available through mobile applications or built into a mobile device's hardware and software.
Many people navigate the world with location-based services. According to Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, 74% of adult smartphone owners ages 18 and older use their phone to get directions or other information, such as nearby restaurants or businesses, based on their current location.
There are both tangible and intangible rewards associated with location-based services. Many social media users have their accounts set to include their location in their posts. Pew Research Center’s Internet Project shows that 30% of adult social media users ages 18 and older currently allow their location in their posts. They tell their friends where they are and keep a record of what they do.
Other social media sites such as Foursquare allow users to “check in” wherever they go – shops, events, restaurants, hotels, airports, or even private residences. People check in to tell their friends where they are, keep a record of what they do, and often earn rewards like badges for participating or points from businesses.
While LBS offer convenience and interactivity that was not possible before, they have also raised concerns about user privacy. As LBS apps relay a user’s location data to networks, they also have the ability to build a precise and personal user profile based on the collected data. The trade-off is a high-quality user experience at the expense of one’s privacy.
Learning More about
- Watch Location-based Service Explained (6:22 minutes)
- Read Location-based Service at Wikipedia(10 minutes)
- Read Location-based Services at Pew Research Internet Project (10 minutes)
Find information for the library or a business on Yelp, Foursquare, Trip Advisor or Google maps.
- Read at least two reviews. Is the information accurate?
- Write a review that accurately describes your experiences there.
- For Google maps, find the "claim your business/location". Look at the process. How hard is it to claim a business? Who can do it? Why would someone claim a location?
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Web 3.0
To successfully complete Web 3.0:
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Web 3.0.
The Internet paradigm is shifting again. We're riding the Web 3.0 wave. Information is searched for, filtered, personalized, and delivered to end users based on preferences, feedback, and location. Web 3.0 utilizes rich applications and social media introduced with Web 2.0 and delivers it to mobile devices and networks -- even digital signage.
The semantic web is an evolving extension of Web 3.0. It focuses on common formats for integration and a combination of data drawn from diverse sources and language for capturing / labeling how data relates to real world objects. Information is tagged in relationship to use and context. As a result, similar information can be delivered more effectively to humans and their devices.
In Web 3.0, search will retrieve tagged micro content that solves part of the ambiguity of homonyms and synonyms. Search will be more vertical with contextual information based on user preferences delivered across platforms and to devices based on their individual characteristics.
Learning More about Web 3.0
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities.
Your total time commitment is about 50 minutes.
Introduction to Web 3.0.
The Internet paradigm is shifting again. We're riding the Web 3.0 wave. Information is searched for, filtered, personalized, and delivered to end users based on preferences, feedback, and location. Web 3.0 utilizes rich applications and social media introduced with Web 2.0 and delivers it to mobile devices and networks -- even digital signage.
The semantic web is an evolving extension of Web 3.0. It focuses on common formats for integration and a combination of data drawn from diverse sources and language for capturing / labeling how data relates to real world objects. Information is tagged in relationship to use and context. As a result, similar information can be delivered more effectively to humans and their devices.
In Web 3.0, search will retrieve tagged micro content that solves part of the ambiguity of homonyms and synonyms. Search will be more vertical with contextual information based on user preferences delivered across platforms and to devices based on their individual characteristics.
Learning More about Web 3.0
- Watch Web 3.0 - The Internet of Things (4:29 minutes)
- Read (or at least skim)Web 3.0 Has Begun, an online article at ACM Interactions. (20 minutes)
- Read Semantic Web at the W3C web site. (10 minutes)
- Read Google Brings Intelligent Search to Google+ Photos (5 minutes)
- Read Knowledge Graph at Wikipedia (5 minutes)
- Visit the Whitney Houston community page on Facebook. Not on Facebook? Do this activity with a co-worker.
- Find friends who listen to her music.
- Locate friends' photos that include her name in a caption or any posts mentioning the artist.
- Visit the biographical and the discography sections of Whitney's community page.
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Cloud Computing
To successfully complete Cloud Computing
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities..
Your total time commitment is about 45 minutes.
Introduction to Cloud Computing.
Do you shop or bank online? Do you post to a social media site like Facebook? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're using cloud computing. These are all services hosted on cloud computing platforms. Introduced in the 1960s, the cloud is a metaphor for the Internet. You'll see it graphically represented as a white cumulonimbus cloud.
How's cloud computing different? Your data and applications are stored on a remote host that can be accessed at any time - from any location - using the Internet and a web browser. You are no longer limited to the storage capacity and applications on your hard drive or your home / office network. Not since the emergence of the World Wide Web has a single technology caused such a significant shift in how businesses operate. At the simplest level, cloud computing changes the way that you interact with your data and applications.
Learning More about Cloud Computing
READ this blog post.
DO and THINK about the information in the "Learn More About" activities.
LEARN by completing the Hands-On Activities..
Your total time commitment is about 45 minutes.
Introduction to Cloud Computing.
Do you shop or bank online? Do you post to a social media site like Facebook? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're using cloud computing. These are all services hosted on cloud computing platforms. Introduced in the 1960s, the cloud is a metaphor for the Internet. You'll see it graphically represented as a white cumulonimbus cloud.
How's cloud computing different? Your data and applications are stored on a remote host that can be accessed at any time - from any location - using the Internet and a web browser. You are no longer limited to the storage capacity and applications on your hard drive or your home / office network. Not since the emergence of the World Wide Web has a single technology caused such a significant shift in how businesses operate. At the simplest level, cloud computing changes the way that you interact with your data and applications.
Learning More about Cloud Computing
- Watch Cloud Computing in Plain English (2:50 minutes)
- Read Cloud Computing at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (10 minutes)
- Read 8 Things You didn't know you Could do with Google Drive at Mashable. (10 minutes)
- Set-up a Google Drive Account at https://www.google.com/drive/index.html. With your free Google Drive account, you'll have 15 GB of Google storage and can back up and access your files from any phone, tablet, or computer. NOTE: If you do not have a Google Account, you'll be asked to make one. To use Google Drive, you do not need to install it on your computer. If you have a Google account, select the "Not now, maybe later" link to go directly to Google Drive.
- Create a document in Google Drive. Select "Create" then "Document" from the menu options. You are basically using MS Word in the cloud. NOTE: Older versions of Internet Explorer are not supported by Google Drive. Try using Google Chrome instead.
- Share it with a couple of co-workers. (Click on "Share" on the top right. Enter some co-workers' email addresses under "Invite people.") Ask them to edit your document and explore real-time editing.
Get credit!
After you have completed the activities in this post, please fill out this form (created on Google Drive!).
Friday, May 9, 2014
Getting Started
The rate of change is rapidly increasing. Technological innovation spurs it on. New paradigms are being created by a digital culture predicated on participation, collaboration, distribution of knowledge and co-creation of resources and opportunities. How do we keep up?
Learning at Joint-Use Library is an online program designed to --
Weekly, participants will…
READ each blog post.
THINK about the information contained in the “Learn More Resources”.
LEARN through completing the hands-on activities.
DO more in their professional and personal lives due to increased awareness, knowledge and skill.
For participants, these activities represent a total weekly time commitment of 30 – 50 minutes.
Learning at Joint-Use Library is an online program designed to --
- expand our individual and collaborative knowledge base
- contribute to a fun, playful workplace that inspires collaboration
- improve internal operations and communications
Weekly, participants will…
READ each blog post.
THINK about the information contained in the “Learn More Resources”.
LEARN through completing the hands-on activities.
DO more in their professional and personal lives due to increased awareness, knowledge and skill.
For participants, these activities represent a total weekly time commitment of 30 – 50 minutes.
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