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E-readers: step into your patron’s shoes

February 21, 2011 By

My best preparation for helping others adapt to this new technology has been to own and operate my own e-reader. I will hereby truly confess that I was not instantly savvy and suave with the gadget of my choice. No, I definitely had a learning curve to climb. Even if you had no moments of confusion or missteps, put yourself in the shoes of your patrons. Imagine helping your not-so-computer-slick grandmother who doesn’t care about keeping up with the tech-savvy Joneses but just wants to read on a device that will allow her to adjust the font size to her liking.

The following are some of the assumptions I bumped up against while getting acquainted with my e-reader. Your patrons may be coming to the library to be disabused of similar assumptions.

1. I know how my device works.
Gadgets don’t come with detailed instruction manuals these days. No, I don’t believe it is the responsibility of library staff to be a walking instruction manual to educate patrons in the use of their devices; just be prepared for some level of ignorance about the features and functionality.

My shoes: I bought my e-reader at a big box electronic equipment store. After waiting 10 minutes for someone “knowledgeable” about e-readers to show up, I was not told anything more than the information I had arrived with and did not even have the opportunity to operate a test device. I learned later while reading reviews of my model that it has a stylus (so sleekly embedded that it was invisible to me) and the capability of writing and drawing note pages—cool!

2. Checking out an e-book from the library is as easy and familiar as checking out any other item.
It is super-easy to purchase a book from the brand’s online store with a wifi-enabled device. Simply locate the object of reading desire, supply your payment info, click purchase and the e-book pops onto the home screen rarin’ to be read. The commercial entities are good at creating a user-friendly process. This sets up a consumer expectation that the process will be equally seamless for a library download. Not so much.

My shoes: As I navigated to the special “digital books” section on my library website (not the regular catalog), I did diligently read the fine print, the list of compatible devices and the instructions for installing the special software to my computer (not my e-reader) that would allow me to download a book many steps later. I managed to download the desired book but then became confused about how to transfer it to my e-reader. I called tech support and received immediate assistance—yay!

3. I won’t have to wait on a hold list for the electronic version of a popular book.
Wrong.  Don’t be surprised if you are confronted by disappointed patrons. With the surge in popularity of e-readers, the waiting lists will only lengthen.

My shoes: If I had stopped to think about licensing restrictions on electronic content, I would have realized that, of course, there would be limited distribution of digital copies. But in spite of my insider library knowledge, I was caught by surprise to find that a book I wanted had 3 copies available and 8 people ahead of me. I’ve been waiting over two weeks so far …

Enough assumptions for now. I’ll close with a success story for my library: Seattle Public Library. This is actually my husband’s story. He was attempting to download his first library e-book and ran into a similar problem to the one I had encountered. Only it was 2:00 in the morning. He called the tech support number listed on the SPL “digital books” page. Someone answered the call! My husband was so pleased with the immediate help he received that he asked how he could donate to the library. The tech support person helped him navigate to the online donation form and the library was subsequently $50 better off.

Moral of the story: if your library is proud of its e-book tech support, why not place a “Donate Now!” button right next to the “help” button?

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

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Favorite New (to me) Tool of 2010 – JING!

December 20, 2010 By

You can quickly place someone in their proper position on the technology continuum from Neanderthal to Cutting Edge when they reveal their favorite new discovery, so if everyone out there had already discovered Jing (or a similar screenshot/screencast application) by 2008, feel free to put me between ape and Jed Clampett and move on. If you’ve never used it, though, you might want to read this.

This free application does two things, both infinitely useful to a trainer:

First, it takes pictures of your computer screen (or any portion of your screen), and lets you add the most basic of annotations (colored arrows, highlighting, boxes, words). Here’s an example:

Second, it records up to five minutes of the activity on a computer screen (or any part of the screen), with narration — every mouse movement, every button click, every text entry.

I do not claim that it’s better than some of the other similar applications out there (Full Shot, Skitch, Snagit, Screenr, Camtasia, etc.). Certainly, it’s not superior to some you have to pay for, but for the price, it’s terrific.

Why I Love Jing

  1. It’s free.
  2. It’s quick. I actually love that you can’t edit the screencasts or add annotations, because what would otherwise take me two hours of editing, polishing, and improving can be done and out the door in 15 minutes. I’ve started posting some of these tutorials on our staff website and they’re labeled “Quick & Dirty Tech Tutorials” to alert staff not to expect professional polish. 
  3. It’s simple. No training needed. Completely intuitive. You can record your first webcast within 15 minutes of download. There’s not much to learn and what there is can easily be picked up by clicking around the simple menus. (One tip to pass along for screencasting: Make ample use of the PAUSE button whenever you need to adjust the orientation of the page in the window or skip over crap that learners don’t need to see.)
  4. It facilitates SHOWING instead of TELLING. We all know most people learn better if they can see something rather than just being told about it. So, if someone is confused about how to navigate the new online timesheet system (for example), it’s almost as quick to insert into an e-mail captures of the pertinent screens and add arrows (then write, “On this screen, click here”; “Input your employee ID # here”; etc.); OR, I have just done a screencast of the whole thing, sent it to the person, and then posted it for anyone else who has that problem. It’s that easy.

 

How I Use It

  1.  Training Manuals, Quick Reference Guides. Makes it supremely easy to add screen shots to static instructional guides.
  2. Daily Explaining. As I mentioned above, I use it in e-mails responding to questions about how to do stuff on the computer; I’ve sent screenshots to ITD to show them the funky error message I was getting. Maybe one day I’ll be able to view colleague’s screens instantaneously and walk them through the steps, but until then …
  3. Quick & Dirty Tutorials.  Suitable for any computer function you can demonstrate in under five minutes. I’ve done them on how to create a Doodle Poll, how to use the Format Painter in MS Word, and how to share Outlook Distribution Lists . I haven’t used this for anything that is posted to a public site, because those need a little more polish (At ALA Annual this year, an instructor said he used this type of tool for CHAT REFERENCE. Someone asks a question; librarian makes a quick video demo while the patron waits; sends the link. Haven’t tried that idea, but it seemed to work for him.)

 

Lori asked for favorite things we learned in 2010, so there’s mine. If you weren’t familiar with it, give it a try. If it’s old news, just call me Jed.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation of any kind from TechSmith for this post.

Richard Mott

For five years, I was the Training Manager at Jacksonville (FL) Public Library. Beginning in April, 2011, I became JPL's "Manager for Strategic Initiatives," but I will always be fascinated by the endless complexities of trying to maximize relevant learning. Though I spent my childhood playing in the snow in a suburb of Detroit, for most of my adult life I have been a Floridian. That's how I came to be a diehard Detroit Tiger AND Florida Gator fan.

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Learning Vicariously with Google Reader Play

December 1, 2010 By

Annewhite Fuller, HMCPL Heritage Room Manager, learns vicariously with Google Reader Play

Annewhite Fuller, HMCPL Heritage Room Manager, learns vicariously by watching Google Reader Play

Today several of our library staff are participating in WebJunction’s free (and fabulous) Serving the 21st Century Patron online conference. Those that choose to come into my office instead of viewing on their own computers are treated to a few perks. In addition to the several laptops available during webinars for staff, today’s event includes a personal login to the sessions so they may participate in chat. I also have the Twitter hashtag running in real-time on another laptop. Visitors are more than welcome to bring food, snacks or a favorite beverage into my little training room.

As you might expect from a visual learner, during the breaks or before sessions I usually project my Librarianship feeds in Google Reader Play, Inevitably, attendees say, “Oh, cool! what is that!?” I show them my feeds in the folders, then how to control the player with a wireless mouse. Because their interest is peaked with the slideshow of information, I almost always give them a quick lesson on how to use Google Reader and have several converts among our staff.

A few things about Reader Play:

  • Click the item’s title or the associated image to view the original site content.
  • Click the “read more” link to view the full feed content for that item, or click the eye icon in the bottom left to switch to always showing the full feed content.
  • Tired of manually navigating Reader Play? Click the TV icon to start a slideshow of items — simply sit back and enjoy.
  • Hide the thumbnails at the bottom by clicking the thumbnail icon in the bottom left.

I’d love to hear of other tools you might use to supplement your training events in comments!

Marianne Lenox

As the Staff Training & Volunteer Coordinator for the Huntsville - Madison County Public Library in Alabama, Marianne is responsible for planning, directing, maintaining and implementing a comprehensive staff training and volunteer program for her library. She consistently strives to provide learning opportunities, professional information and technical training to ensure both better library service and the professional development of the Library’s staff and volunteers.

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5 Library Sources for Quick Computer Training

September 25, 2010 By

It’s hard to find good online technology tutorials, especially those for quick and basic computer skills. Harder still to find some that meet our high expectations as information professionals. So why not turn to the library world itself?

Below is a collection of my top 5 favorite sites for these quick computer training materials. These could be webinars, class handouts, tutorials, screencasts, you name it. What’s important is the content. It’s content I’m comfortable pointing a customer or a fellow staff member to if some core computer fundamental skills need improving. Weirdly, two institutions get two mentions apiece — but that’s because what they have is awesome.  Browse through what they have, and you might be surprised to find there’s something there for you too!

  1. Infopeople Archived Webinars (all past Infopeople webinars, often with PPTs or other handouts linked too; on topics other than technology too)
  2. Infopeople Training Materials from Past Workshops (from 8 hour live classes and 4 week online classes each class includes numerous how-tos, readings, bibliographies, exercises, tutorials, cheat sheets, and more; on topics other than technology too)
  3. Akron Summit County Public Library Computer Training Class Handouts (great list, copious detail)
  4. Akron Summit County Public Library Computer Training Tutorials List (equally good list but the materials are in tutorial format)
  5. Milwaukee Public Library Computer Class Curriculum (an extremely detailed list of basic and more intermediate computer skills, with printable handouts on how to do just about everything customers ask you how to do)

Sarah Houghton-Jan

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Welcome to the Machin(ima)

July 13, 2010 By

Yesterday I posted a video on ALA Connect of my library’s second annual Virtual Staff Day that generated a bit of interest.  Our own Peter Bromberg and a few other folks asked that I share how I created it.  Providing the play-by-play of how it was developed is a bit too much for one blog post.  You’ll need to attend future Learning Round Table events at ALA for more in-depth tricks like that.  However, let’s look at the basics of the cinematography technique – machinima — I used for Virtual Staff Day and some resources you can play with to get started in your foray into 3D storytelling.

GCPL Virtual Staff Day 2010 from jay turner on Vimeo.

Machinima is a style of film-making where a narrative is presented using 3D characters and environments culled from video games or virtual worlds.  Machinima is recorded directly from a video source (most commonly, your computer or game console) and additional editing is done to include music, sound, and special effects to enrich the story.   Getting started with machinima is simple.  All you need, aside from a computer with a good video card, is a gaming platform, screen capture software, and music and sound effects software.  The great part about it is that most of these items are available for free.  Let’s look at what you’ll need.

Platform

Like a real movie, machinima relies on the acting prowess of its thespians – in this case, the avatars.  Therefore, you should carefully consider what acting skills your avatars will need and then choose a virtual world/gaming platform where the 3D characters have the appropriate animations.  If you play the Sims or War Craft, as you can see in these eclectic videos, you already have a bevy of avatars with myriad poses.

If, however, you have the time to create your own film set, complete with custom avatars, background, lighting effects, and camera angles, you should definitely check out iClone 4.  This commercial software will set you back $150, although the free edition provides you ample tools to make your own machinima movie.

Use Exit Reality, a browser plug in that renders the Web in 3D, if you’re looking to create simple machinima with a singular background, a steady camera angle, and avatars with limited movement.  Simply launch ER from your browser, choose a webpage, select a 3D backdrop, and have a couple avatars visit a website together.  You can record simple footage of, say, the two avatars walking around a building constructed from your library’s website and talking about all the cool services that your organization provides online.  Here’s a quick machinima vid I created of a woman strolling into a library to get a new card.

Screen Capture

You’ll need to record your machinima after you’ve scripted your scene.  I recommend using the commercially available Camtasia, which has a free trial, for capturing crisp video in a variety of formats.  If cost is a concern, go with Hypercam, which also has the ability to capture video directly from your computer’s video card.  Video recorded with this free software will be slightly grainy and watermarked, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Music and Sound

Need some ambient music and sound effects to bring your machinima to life?  Hop over to ccMixter.org for Creative Commons licensed music or their sister site, FreeSound.org for a wealth of sound effects.  The more adventurous amongst us might want to give Myna, a free music maker akin to Fruity Loops, a try.  I’ve had this tool in my digital sandbox for a while now, but only recently used it to make a few music loops that I’ll use in an e-learning course and game I’m creating.  Beware: it’s addictive!

Trainers are always looking for innovative ways for engaging their audiences.  Machinima allows us to craft compelling presentations and stories without needing arrogant actors or blockbuster budgets.  I invite you all to try out these resources for creating machinima and then come back and share your masterpieces with the rest of us.

Jay Turner

Jay Turner, Training Manager at Gwinnett County Public Library in Georgia, is responsible for all aspects of learning and development for a staff of 300+ employees. He considers himself a lifelong student, and delights in sharing his passion for learning with anyone willing to listen (much to their chagrin!) He is a library lifer, who began working in libraries as a teen and has worn almost every conceivable public services hat since. Jay’s diversity of experience helps him develop and deliver solutions that are creative, practical, and effective. He is a self-proclaimed information and tech junkie, who gets his fix by playing in his “digital sandbox” with new tools and neat ideas to make learning more accessible, more flexible, and more fun across any medium. He can be reached at jayturner[at]comcast.net.

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Google Moderator: Ask, Share, Respond, and Learn

July 1, 2010 By

Two years ago, friend and now newly minted school librarian Jim Randolph introduced me to Google Moderator, a terrific tool for crowdsourcing questions, comments, and ideas for a learning event.  Participants in a workshop, training session, keynote, or presentation can submit their questions or feedback before, during, and after the event via traditional text or with a YouTube video.  Participants can also vote on the questions or ideas they like best; consequently, the most popular questions move to the top of the moderation queue.  These responses and questions can also be easily shared via email, Twitter, or Facebook. You can set up your series to allow a participant to submit questions anonymously (although he/she still must be logged into his/her Google account) or to identify himself/herself.  If you are in a Google Apps for Education, Google Moderator is available for your use.  You can even incorporate Google Moderator into your own YouTube Channel!

How are organizations, businesses, and government institutions using Google Moderator to crowdsource issues and to invite participation?

So what might Google Moderator look like in a training or workshop environment?  Wesley Fyer used Google Moderator to encourage participants in “Digital Magic Tricks” workshop to vote on topics they wanted to explore in the session.
Last fall and then again this past January, I used Google Moderator as a “parking lot” for questions before, during, and after a virtual presentation to Dr. Lisa Tripp’s Florida State University 5313 students.  This was a great springboard for discussion during the presentation; I also liked that I could respond with a text response to questions as a follow-up even if the question was discussed during the virtual session.

I also like using Google Moderator as a “parking lot” not only for questions, but for people to share resources, ideas, and inspirations to inform our conversations and tap into the collective intelligence in the room.  This Google Moderator series I used to support a recent workshop encouraged crowdsourcing our conversations about tools for participatory learning, tools for networked learning and content creation, tools for transliteracy, and tools for transparency, advocacy, and leadership.  Again, the option of responding to questions within this forum or simply using the questions as a springboard for group discussion gives you flexibility in creating and continuing conversations about learning.

I think it is also exciting to consider how your library program can use Google Moderator for formal learning experiences or to invite conversations from library patrons. You could also use Google Moderator to tap into the wisdom of your library community on a particular topic just as Google has done with the Google Tip Jar. I am planning on creating a series to incorporate into my LibGuides home page as well as my library website home page this fall; in addition, I plan to incorporate Google Moderator to invite participation, questions, and knowledge building through my research pathfinders/subject guides.

Here are some helpful resources to help you get started and to explore the possibilities of Google Moderator:

You will also want to check out this seven and a half minute video that provides a simple yet helpful overview of Google Moderator features.

How might you use Google Moderator for your next training session, unconference, formal presentation, or in your library program?

Buffy Hamilton

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Mind Maps for the Rest of Us

June 3, 2010 By

Sometimes, when I sit down to begin work on a project, it feels like there is a tornado whirling through my brain.  So many ideas begin to pour in that I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to remember them all!  I would have to say that ever since I became a mother a little over three years ago, this condition has definitely become more severe.

In the past, I have used the method of brain dumping to just get it all down on paper.  However, I found that when I wanted to bring all of the ideas together in some kind of logical order, it was difficult to do using a static list.  I can remember actually grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting each little line of thought from my notebook into a strip of paper and then spreading them out all over my office floor to create a flow for a user manual.

That lead me to my next endeavor – index cards.  I believe I was big into David Allen’s Getting Things Done philosophy at the time.  This was definitely better than small, hard to pick up slips of paper.  Still, I felt like I was left with a monumental stack of cards that just didn’t want to get into any kind of order for me.  And the environmentalist in me could not stand all of that waste of trees.

Enter the spreadsheet.  I would type each idea into a line in a spreadsheet and then cut / paste / click / drag my way into some kind of flow.  Again, a little too cumbersome for me.

A little buzz word was ringing in my ear periodically.  It would flit in and out saying “mind map… mind map… mind map…”.  I had seen mind maps here and there.  I actually attempted one on the whiteboard in my training room trying to mimic the way our Network Administrator would just let things flow through his marker.  Instead my whiteboard became a mass of erased and rewritten words.  By the time I was done with it, I felt like I had lost half of my ideas.  Plus, I then had to copy the whole thing to a piece of paper before my next class.

It’s truly amazing to see the works of art that others have put together.

You see, I’m not a very creative person.  It’s true; I admit it.  I am very mathematical and linear.  I always start my Basic Circulation classes with that fact when I hand out my test patron cards to the librarians to use during the training.  There are no funny, themed names like Sally Latefee (which in itself is no good, but I TOLD you, I’m NOT creative).  No, instead students will meet Test One, Test Two, all the way to the very exciting Test Fortyfive.  I always tell them that’s why THEY are the ones doing creative programming at their libraries and I’M the one teaching them how to use the computer!

Then, a glimmer of hope arose on the horizon this past week.  The name of this shiny gem…Mindmeister.  I actually looked at this a few years ago, but did not bother playing with it because remember, I’m not a creative-type.  I figured my brain just would not mesh with what I called in my head Mindmonster.  See where negative self-talk will get you?  I missed out on a few years of actually using this!

What was so painful to do on a whiteboard actually feels comfortable using this online interface.  It’s very easy to use.  The best part is that I can manipulate the information in any way I like.  I can add colors, change text size, bold items, even add icons to let my thoughts actually take shape.  Here’s their quick and simple tutorial:

A Tour of MindMeister from MindMeister on Vimeo.

Just for practice and to get familiar with how to use the software, I took my Circulation Manual and put it into mind map form. The red signifies the topics taught in Advanced Circ. Remember, I’m very new to this…

I’ve set up a new map where I’m brain dumping some ideas for a PC Troubleshooting class I’m developing. Each time I have a thought, I add it to the map. I’m currently sitting in on calls with our technicians to help me assess what needs to be covered in this class.

Then there’s this huge monster I’m creating for a Training Needs Assessment I’m working on. It’s just a place to gather all of the resources I’m pulling from as I work on my methodology for the assessment. It may look insane, but it is actually bringing me so much comfort to have all of the tornado down in software form. It makes sense to me and that’s all that really matters…

I’m hoping I get better at this over time. You can see a whole list of mind mapping software on Wikipedia. The Wild Apricot Blog also has a great post describing mind mapping and giving some how to instructions.

Here are some of my favorites that I’ve bookmarked over the years:

Non Profit Social Media ROI Mindmap

Robin Good’s Collaborative Map

Overdrive Interactive’s Social Media Map for Social Media Marketing

Overdrive Interactive’s Search Marketing Map

John Haydon’s The Shelf Life Of A Facebook Like Map

So what do YOU do to get ideas out of your head?  What process do you use?  If you use mind maps, would you be willing to share some with a newbie?

Stephanie Zimmerman

Stephanie Zimmerman is the Training Coordinator for the Library System of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania), a federated system with 14 member libraries, three branches and a bookmobile, which serves 490,562 residents. She designs and implements technology and development training and consulting to the member libraries. This includes training on Innovative’s Millennium Integrated Library System, Microsoft Office Applications, emerging technologies (i.e. social media) and various other areas. Her goal is to remove the fear of technology and help others to realize the amazing possibilities it provides. Teaching others to do things for themselves and see their excitement when they break through their barriers is her greatest reward. Stephanie has been a software trainer for 15 years. Her past employment involved training on federal and county government applications. She also worked for a private industry marketing company where she traveled across the country showing manufacturers and retailers in the consumer packaged goods industry how to use geodemographic targeting software. Always wanting to help others, Stephanie graduated from Millersville University (in Pennsylvania) cum laude with a BA in Social Work. She was also a student in the Computer Information Systems program at Harrisburg Area Community College. She is a member of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development). She is also a regular contributor to the T is for Training podcast which focuses on training in libraries. She was a trainer for WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach project and has done training for Commonwealth Libraries. She is grateful to have landed in the world of libraries. When she began her current job in January of 2004, there were no other library trainers in her immediate area. She turned to the social web to begin networking with other library trainers across the world and immediately realized her passion for social networking and social media. All of her continuing education has been done through these networks and she can’t help but push others to discover the immense opportunities available through online collaboration. Stephanie lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her family which includes husband, Bill (a self-employed stay-at-home-dad) and two children (ages 2 and 4 months). When she’s not being Mommy, or working, you’ll most likely find her singing. Stephanie can be reached at szimmerman[at]lancasterlibraries.org.

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Google Forms for Assessment, Evaluation, and Reflection

May 17, 2010 By

When I think about teaching and learning, assessment is probably the messiest area of the process for me. The longer I teach, the more I seem to struggle with feeling as though I am designing and administering assessment tools that not only measure and reflect the content and skills a student is mastering , but also capture the student’s thinking in the learning process.

One tool that I have found helpful in creating formative and summative assessments this academic school year is Google Forms, a free tool in the suite of Google Docs.  Google Forms allows you to create assessments that can be open-ended or objective in nature; you also can create survey style assessments in which learners respond to questions by ranking or rating their responses.  With Google Forms, you can create assessment questions in the format of:

  • short answer text
  • paragraph or multiple paragraph text
  • multiple choice
  • checkboxes
  • a list of answer choices
  • scaled responses
  • a grid style response

Once you have created your assessment form, you can apply a theme from the menu of choices and then share your survey either via a URL or you can embed into into a web-based tool that accepts HTML code.  Once participants are finished with the assessment, you can easily pull your data into a Google Forms spreadsheet; you can either work with your data within the Google Docs spreadsheet application or you can download into other third-party formats, including Excel and Open Office.  You can also choose to keep this data private or to share it with selected users; for example, when I use Google Forms to engage our Media 21 students in self-assessments, I can easily share the document with Susan Lester, my collaborating teacher, by providing her a private and direct link to the Google Docs spreadsheet that is generated from the data in the form.

Check out how Jessica Hagman, Ohio University librarian, embedded this Google Form for assessment into this LibGuides page:

http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/content.php?pid=70327

Home – Eng 151 – Tutorial Quiz – LibGuides at Ohio University via kwout

Here is an example of how I used Google Forms to engage our 10th grade Media 21 students in self-reflection and self-assessment on their most recent presentations:

http://sites.google.com/site/media21spring2010/company-blog/wednesdaymay122010

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 (Media 21 Spring 2010) via kwout

Google Forms are not just for librarian who work with teen or adult patrons!  The Birmingham (MI) Public Schools’ elementary school librarians Julie Green (author of Super Smart Information Strategies: Write it Down) and Kristin Fontichiaro (editor of 21st-Century Learning in School Libraries) collaborated to create a second grade fixed-schedule unit bringing together the inquiry process as described in Debbie Miller?sTeaching with Intention with age-appropriate resources about seeds, embedded in a wiki.  After their multimedia explorations, students reflected on what they had learned about research and what they had learned about the content area. Google Forms made it easy to integrate the reflective assignment into the wiki space, and the results, gathered behind the scenes in a single spreadsheet, facilitated quick analysis of student responses.

http://pembrokemedia.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/THINK+ABOUT+IT!

pembrokemedia – THINK ABOUT IT! via kwout

You can see a snippet of their data form that Google Forms pulls into the Google Docs spreadsheet below:

Not only can you use Google Forms for assessing student learning, but you can also utilize Google Forms as a pre-workshop or pre-training tool to assess participants’ prior knowledge, and consequently, incorporate that information into your instructional design.   Polly Farrington recently used this Google Form to administer a pre-assesment to her Tech Camp participants:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=0AhxnF_2-Y445cHkzOVhfRTA5MjFkaFFINzN1WXJyVWc&hl=en

SLS Tech Camp Survey via kwout

In addition, you can use Google Forms to assess participants’ evaluation of your teaching and workshop/training session to improve and craft your practice as a trainer or instructor:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=0AhxnF_2-Y445cHkzOVhfRTA5MjFlU1VzWFB5UDRrYlE&hl=en&pli=1

workshop evaluation via kwout

This video, while not geared for a library setting, is a quick and helpful overview of the process of creating and publishing a Google Form for assessment:

Google Forms makes it easy to collect and share qualtiative and quantitative data for evaluating student learning as well as library instruction.  If you are using Google Forms as a means of assessment in your library program, how are you incorporating this evaluation tool?  Please share your best practices here in the comments section of this post.

Buffy Hamilton

Filed Under: Cool Tools, Resources for Trainers Tagged With: ,

How Free and Open Source Software Can Help

April 22, 2010 By

ALA’s Library Instruction Round Table issued a call for presenters this month to participate in their conference program, “Capitalizing on Technology: A Teaching Technology Fair” during the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. June 24-29.

Here is their Program Description:

Using technology in teaching is an ever changing process and keeping aware of new technologies can be daunting. Come discover how using free or open source software can enhance instruction. Presenters will discuss and demonstrate using various technologies in their instruction. Attendees will then be able to talk with librarians who use free or open source technology. Even if you just want to learn more about how free or open source software is being used, this session will help you capitalize on technology.

First of all, if you’re going to the conference and attend this program, please share with us what you learn.  I will not be there and can’t wait to see what comes out of this program.

Next, this made me think of all of the free and open source software I use to actually do my job and would like to share my list with all of you.  The easiest way to do this is to go through the sequence of what I open when I get to work in the morning and then other applications I use throughout a typical day.

After I turn my computer on and log in, I open our Spark Instant Messaging client.  This is used internally in the IT Department (of which I am a member).  Throughout the day, we communicate to each other using this open source IM client.  We let each other know where we are or where we are going or when we are back (no clunky in/out board for us!).  We ask questions of the group for clarification, or we can just chat individually with someone.  We send important links, and a myriad of other communications throughout the day.  The techs can even jump in with questions when they are out in a library troubleshooting or installing new equipment/software.  This has cut down on departmental emails and has strengthened our teamwork approach.

Next I open Outlook, which we all know is NOT free.  After that, I launch my Firefox Browser.  This is my browser of choice, and I have it customized with many

Greasemonkey scripts (allows for customization of the way a Web page displays using small bits of JaveScript) and other Add-Ons; all of which are free.  Here’s a screen shot of a few of them…

Meebo is a Web based IM that lets me log into my IM networks from any computer with a browser and internet connection.  So my Google Talk, AOL IM, Messenger and a host of other IM/Chat clients can be accessed all at once in a single buddylist from anywhere.  Because I use the meebo firefox extension, this loads automatically when I launch my browser.  I have also placed the meebo me widget on all of my blogs and on other sites I’ve used for workshops as well as within our Intranet so that anyone can reach me anytime instantaneously when they need assistance.  Another great way to avoid email.

The first site I open in my browser is Basecamp.  (Actually, using the Morning Coffee Add-On, these sites open automatically into separate tabs when I click the icon on my browser).  This is the open source project management software my department uses.  We started with a free version, and now we do use a paid version.  I love this.  It keeps me on task for all of my projects and trainings.  The templates are the best.  If I teach a class on a rotating basis, I can just pull in a template of each task and step I need to do to prepare for, conduct and follow up for a class.  When working on projects with others, I can clearly see the scope of the project, what my tasks are and when they need to be completed, and everyone else’s tasks.  Again, this has added better communication and teamwork within our department.

Gmail, is what I open next.  What can I say except that I absolutely could not live without it.  The labels, filters, and ability to add in so many other features makes this the email client of choice for me.  Many times, I have contemplated forwarding my work emails into Gmail for better organization, but I have not taken that leap to date.  Instead, what I have done, is signed up using my Gmail account for all of the listserves, Google groups, Yahoo groups and others.  This way I can filter all of those out into labels (think folders on steroids) to read when I have time.  Also, if I want to use a vacation message in my professional Outlook email, all of those groups will not have to read that because I did not sign up for them using my Outlook account.  Truly, there is nothing more annoying than seeing someone’s vacation message all over the place…

SurveyMonkey is my next stop.  It is great for creating surveys, but it can do a lot more than that!  We do not have a Web programmer at MPOW.  I needed a free and easy way to handle registrations for my training classes.  The ideal would be an online form that would feed into a database.  I was tired of people just sending me an email to sign up for a class and then placing that information into a spreadsheet.  So, a few years ago, I began using SurveyMonkey in a creative way.  We do have the paid version here, which allows me to use logic and export results directly into Excel.  Staff click a link on our Intranet to register for training.  It takes them to a survey I created that contains almost 30 pages with logic built in.  They only see on average about 5 of those pages as they register.  Each class option leads them down a different logical path of pages.  Each class has pre-requisites and I didn’t want to have to keep checking with people when I used to use email to see if they had the skills necessary for a class.  They would fail to include that information in their email even when asked.  The registration survey forces them on a logical path for each separate class.  So, to take Microsoft Word Level 2, it asks them if they have Basic Windows skills or have already taken the Basic Windows class.  If they aren’t sure, it links them to another survey where I have built a Basic Windows Pre-Test.  After that, it asks them if they have Word Level 1 skills or have already taken that class.  Again, they are linked to a pre-test if they aren’t sure.  This has made registrations a snap now and I rarely have to follow-up with anyone.  Feel free to take a look at this and test it out if you like here (Don’t worry, I created a copy of my true registration, so you can fill in whatever you like and it won’t get mixed up with the real data).

I check my account daily to see who has registered for classes or who has completed a Pre-Test that I need to process and send results.

The last site I open is our Intranet.  We use an open source wiki from MindTouch as our Intranet.  We do pay for support.  Before we moved to this a few years ago, we had one person who could post to our Intranet which was a static Web site he maintained using Dreamweaver.  Everything had to go through him and it sometimes took a few days before information was posted due to his workload.  Now, ANYONE can post to the Intranet with a few clicks.  The user interface is super easy to use.  Plus, there is the opportunity to build community with a comment box on every page.  We are currently working on a redesign to put some procedures into place and to make it easier to find stuff.  We pretty much just slapped it together in the beginning.  We may be doing things backwards, but at least people can get information out quickly and cut down on the tremendous amounts of email that used to fly around here.

Now for the random array of many other free and open source sites that help me in my work…

I love Doodle for helping me to coordinate dates for training classes or meetings.  This is a free, Web-based scheduling tool.  I used to schedule classes randomly and sometimes only get 1 or 2 students sign up.  I changed this model to one where you have to sign up to be put on a waiting list for a class.  Once I have 4 people signed up, I use Doodle to coordinate the best date for those 4 people.  Once that date is determined, I then broadcast the selected date to everyone and usually more people then register.  My training room accommodates 12 people.  This method has been very effective.  I’ve been doing this a little over 2 years now and I teach classes less often but pull in more people.  This wastes less of my time and students’ time and allows me to do more one-on-one trainings.  See how beneficial a free little Web ap can be?

Oh how I sing the praises of Jing!  I can use Jing to capture anything I see on my computer screen and share it instantly.  This can be as an image or a short movie.  As much as I wanted to be able to use Captivate years ago, I never had the time to really learn and use it effectively.  I even went to a 2-day course and didn’t get the hang of it.  That was before all of these free and easy screen casting and screen capture tools started popping up everywhere.  I began using Jing about 2 years ago and may have to get a pro license soon.  For now, everything I’ve done has been for free.  My first use was when we pushed out Outlook Exchange to all of the member libraries.  I created an entire library of how-to videos and posted them to our Intranet.  Then, I started just sending out little videos of how-tos when questions would come up.  I can literally throw on my headset, hit a button, have the video uploaded online and a link or embed code ready to go in 10 minutes.  It’s that simple.  Plus, they have great video tutorials in their help area to get started.  However, if you’re someone who likes to do a lot of editing, forget it.  This is about quick and one take.  For professional tutorials, guess I’m going to have to eventually learn one of the others…

You gotta love Dimdim‘s slogan… “Why meet when you can Dimdim?”  I’ve only used this a few times so far, but it’s free and pretty easy.  It lets anyone host and attend live meetings, demos and webinars using just a Web browser.  The free version only allows for a small meeting.  So far that’s all I’ve needed it for.  I’ve also used it to share a screen to show someone how to do something.  Looks like we’re going to be using GoToMeeting now as we just purchased an account.  Something new to learn but at least I can begin doing large scale webinars.

Have I mentioned that I’m a Google junkie?  Google is also my home page for any browser I use.  This past year I made the switch from Bloglines to Google reader as my RSS Feed Reader.  There really is no going back.  I love being able to put multiple labels on a feed and easily share items.  I’ll never be able to actually read everything I have in there, but somehow what’s really important floats to the top and I get the information I need.

Told you, Google junkie… I use Google calendar for many things.  We use it right here on ALA Learning to figure out who posts when.  I like to keep everyone informed about all of the great (and many of them free) library-related training opportunities that abound outside of our System.  I cull information from many feeds and listserves into one big Library-Related Training Opportunities Google Calendar.  It’s easy to just paste information into the calendar and insert a little HTML where needed.  I use a widget on our Intranet and the full calendar embed code at the bottom of my blog.

The theme continues… Google docs helps me to collaborate with people here at MPOW and all over the globe.  This is another tool that we use here on ALA Learning to keep some sense of order to this team blog.  I also like to use the docs or spreadsheets when I’m sharing data gathered from questions I’ve raised in groups or listserves where people want to see the results of my query.  One usually cannot attach documents or pdfs to listserve posts, so giving a published Google doc link is helpful.  See an example here.

Remember I mentioned that we do not have a Web programmer?  Well Google Forms, which are a part of Google docs, are a wonderful way to create forms for placement on Web pages.  I use this on our Intranet as a way for people to report any continuing education/training they have received throughout the year.  Our supply request form was created by our Collection Development/Technical Services department and has again cut down an tons of emails.  You can also set up simple surveys using a form.

I haven’t had time yet to really learn how to do a podcast using Audacity, getting a good mic, mixer etc etc.  I occasionally fill in as host of the T is for Training show and have gotten very familiar with Talkshoe.  This is a service that lets anyone easily create, join, or listen to live interactive discussions, conversations, podcasts and audioblogs.  I think a great use of this would be if I recorded a weekly training tip that I could then share with everyone via my blog and the Intranet and of course iTunes.  Talkshoe does all of this quite easily.  If you want to know more about it, ask the pro, Maurice.

Honestly, I could keep going and going.  There’s Skype and Slideshare and Scribd There’s the Blogger and WordPress blogging platforms I use.  I won’t even get into the free social networking stuff (think twitter, facebook, flickr…)  These are much more familiar than the items I’ve discussed.

So tell me, what free and open source software do you use to make you more effective and efficient in your job?  Please comment and let us know.  I can’t wait to learn about new gems out there!

Stephanie Zimmerman

Stephanie Zimmerman is the Training Coordinator for the Library System of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania), a federated system with 14 member libraries, three branches and a bookmobile, which serves 490,562 residents. She designs and implements technology and development training and consulting to the member libraries. This includes training on Innovative’s Millennium Integrated Library System, Microsoft Office Applications, emerging technologies (i.e. social media) and various other areas. Her goal is to remove the fear of technology and help others to realize the amazing possibilities it provides. Teaching others to do things for themselves and see their excitement when they break through their barriers is her greatest reward. Stephanie has been a software trainer for 15 years. Her past employment involved training on federal and county government applications. She also worked for a private industry marketing company where she traveled across the country showing manufacturers and retailers in the consumer packaged goods industry how to use geodemographic targeting software. Always wanting to help others, Stephanie graduated from Millersville University (in Pennsylvania) cum laude with a BA in Social Work. She was also a student in the Computer Information Systems program at Harrisburg Area Community College. She is a member of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development). She is also a regular contributor to the T is for Training podcast which focuses on training in libraries. She was a trainer for WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach project and has done training for Commonwealth Libraries. She is grateful to have landed in the world of libraries. When she began her current job in January of 2004, there were no other library trainers in her immediate area. She turned to the social web to begin networking with other library trainers across the world and immediately realized her passion for social networking and social media. All of her continuing education has been done through these networks and she can’t help but push others to discover the immense opportunities available through online collaboration. Stephanie lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her family which includes husband, Bill (a self-employed stay-at-home-dad) and two children (ages 2 and 4 months). When she’s not being Mommy, or working, you’ll most likely find her singing. Stephanie can be reached at szimmerman[at]lancasterlibraries.org.

Filed Under: Cool Tools, Free Stuff, Resources for Trainers, Technology, The Training Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Join Us Tomorrow for T is for Training 45 at 2pm Eastern

April 22, 2010 By

Join us for our 45th episode which will most likely include the following subjects:

Computers In Libraries 2010 - Reports from those who went in person or attended virtually.  What did you learn, how did your presentations go, favorite and least favorite moments…

Thoughts on the use of the backchannel when presenting.  Are you for or against?

Competencies and Training Needs Assessments – how do you do it, have you done it, what works and what doesn’t work…  We’ll be discussing WebJunction’s wonderful resources.

The full post, including participating instructions is here.

Hope to see you then.  Especially those of you who attended CIL2010.  We’d love to hear your reports!  Everyone is welcome and it’s YOUR input that makes for a great show.  If you cannot join us, catch all of the episodes in the handy sidebar on the right hand side of the ALA Learning Blog.

Stephanie Zimmerman

Stephanie Zimmerman is the Training Coordinator for the Library System of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania), a federated system with 14 member libraries, three branches and a bookmobile, which serves 490,562 residents. She designs and implements technology and development training and consulting to the member libraries. This includes training on Innovative’s Millennium Integrated Library System, Microsoft Office Applications, emerging technologies (i.e. social media) and various other areas. Her goal is to remove the fear of technology and help others to realize the amazing possibilities it provides. Teaching others to do things for themselves and see their excitement when they break through their barriers is her greatest reward. Stephanie has been a software trainer for 15 years. Her past employment involved training on federal and county government applications. She also worked for a private industry marketing company where she traveled across the country showing manufacturers and retailers in the consumer packaged goods industry how to use geodemographic targeting software. Always wanting to help others, Stephanie graduated from Millersville University (in Pennsylvania) cum laude with a BA in Social Work. She was also a student in the Computer Information Systems program at Harrisburg Area Community College. She is a member of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development). She is also a regular contributor to the T is for Training podcast which focuses on training in libraries. She was a trainer for WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach project and has done training for Commonwealth Libraries. She is grateful to have landed in the world of libraries. When she began her current job in January of 2004, there were no other library trainers in her immediate area. She turned to the social web to begin networking with other library trainers across the world and immediately realized her passion for social networking and social media. All of her continuing education has been done through these networks and she can’t help but push others to discover the immense opportunities available through online collaboration. Stephanie lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her family which includes husband, Bill (a self-employed stay-at-home-dad) and two children (ages 2 and 4 months). When she’s not being Mommy, or working, you’ll most likely find her singing. Stephanie can be reached at szimmerman[at]lancasterlibraries.org.

Filed Under: Cool Tools, Free Stuff, LearnRT News, Professional Development, Resources for Trainers, The Training Life Tagged With: ,
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