23 Mobile Things PH SG: Things 17, 18, 19 - Research & Productivity Tools & File Sharing

I have been terribly busy the past weeks. School ended last May and I'm officially on summer vacation.

But.

So, I am catching up on 23 Mobile Things PH SG.

Things 17, 18 and 19 are all familiar tech tools. I have been using Evernote since 2011 as a way to synchronize files on the school library project I am involved in for Sambat Trust UK, a charity that set ups school libraries. Evernote keeps me on track on reports and updates, feedback and news from the charity's director and field coordinator. Since there's a mobile app, I get news from them real time. It's been pretty efficient.

I've downloaded Workflowy in my iPhone. It's very similar to the productivity tools that came with my iPhone apps when I bought it. But it's good to give it a try. Hootsuite is another productivity tool that I use to campaign for the school library projects of Sambat Trust UK. It saves me a lot of time in posting to all my social media accounts. Sadly, much as I want to try Buffer, I need an iOS7 upgrade in my iPhone. I am not yet ready to upgrade for economic reasons.

When Dianne De Las Casas and I were working on Tales From the 7,000 Isles: Filipino Folk Stories (my first book published in the US), we synced work through Dropbox. It was amazing. Now, Dropbox comes with an app. I tried downloading it but, like Buffer, it needs to run in iOS7.

I'm not jumping in the bandwagon.

Here's what I'll do: this summer, I'll include a review of useful apps  that can be used by teachers and students. I'll have the list published in the school's newsletter and posted in the school library's web portal. Indeed, the role of librarians have shifted from keepers of information who provide access to users to facilitators of technology to assist users in the responsible and efficient use of tools for thinking.

Promise, I'll post projects I do and learn from 23 Mobile Things PH SG.

And yes, I am on summer vacation.

23 Mobile Things PH SG: Things 15 ,16 & Catching Up on Things 13 & 14

I'm a returning mentor for Thing #16: Ebooks & Ebook Apps this week on 23 Mobile Things PH SG. It's a fun week since there are two things going on in 23 Mobile Things apart from mine. Thing # 15 Adobe ID is also up for reading and discussion.

It's a smart move for Joan Wee and Karryl Sagun to put these two things together in the same week as these two things are connected. Mentor Persues Rex Molina provides a thorough and practical use of Adobe ID to access Adobe Ebooks, while I lend insight and strategies on using ebook apps and setting up an ebook collection in the library. I come from the school library background, while Mr. Molina brings forth his experience in an academic library setting. It's going to be an exciting convo this coming Saturday, May 17 at 10.30AM Manila time, I predict!

To make Thing 16 more exciting and engaging (I hope), I'm giving away copies of my books for the first five librarians who will do and submit any of the three activities I designed.

As for the past Things, particularly 13 and 14, I updated the links in About Me and added apps like Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler and Blogger in my account there. I'm relearning Tumblr all over again. I discovered I have a microblog in Tumblr: In Between Shelves. Now I'm thinking of using it to tell the back stories on my published books, or share success stories on reading, books and my library advocacy. We'll see. I've really no intent in using Tumblr for specific library work, so I suppose I'll optimize it for developing my personal and professional learning network (PLNs).

23 Mobile Things PH SG: Thing #14 Curating

I have no intention of getting our school library a Pinterest or Tumblr account. Not yet.

But, Thing #14 made me go back to my Tumblr account and resurrect it by posting something new.

I use my Pinterest account as a social media tool for my blog posts so that my blog content reaches a wider audience. Since Pinterest looks great with photos, I am compelled to include good photos on every post I make. At least, I think the photos I take are good enough.

Apart from Pinterest, my blog is also linked to Scoop.it which is networked to my Twitter account.

What I plan to do is find a way to link my blog to Tumblr. I can continue using my Tumblr through blogging. But, again, this will have to wait for the time being.

23 Mobile Things # 11 and # 12: Augmented Reality & Games

If you missed my post on Thing # 11, here is the link to the Book Love activity I did using ThingLink. It's my second favorite as Flashissue happens to be the first. Overall, what I am having fun with in 23 Mobile Things is the process of creating stuff using things. Ooops. That sounds vague.

I mean, I enjoy learning about the apps introduced every week and I enjoy it even more that I'm capable of creating content using the apps for personal and professional purposes. I have been using Flashissue as the library's e-newsletter for over a month now and teachers reply back to me on resources I recommend and apps I feature in the newsletter.

Last week, I had a ball exploring ThingLink. I discovered it as a cool tool to feature books I've read and recommend these to library readers. I like these two the best, so far, since I found the apps so easy to use. I learned making the e-newsletter in an hour with all the basic bells and whistles. The same with ThingLink. But, content really matters big time. While these apps allowed me to blend technology, content matters.

Now that Thing 12 has been up since last week, I'm trying to figure out how to use games in the library. One thing I know for sure, this is one Thing in the 23 Mobile Things that I need to put aside for now and go back to during the summer. The apps recommended for Thing 12: Games look easy to learn. No coding needed. But, a certain degree of logic and a knowledge of basic design, plus a clever story is needed to put one end with the other.

My list of to dos for 23 Mobile Things is getting longer. Just saying. Time management is the key here. I have learned in the past that technology use and integration must be well thought out. Never jump into the tech bandwagon immediately. Study. Strategize. Experiment. Assess. Evaluate. And yes, I'll bog to document my learning experiences in 23 Mobile Things.

Annotating Videos Using Videonot.es

Since my participation in 23 Mobile Things PH SG, I've been having fun using apps and websites for my personal and professional work. One of these apps and websites is Videonot.es. It was a recommended website during Thing #6: Photos.

Videonot.es allows you to annotate videos. You can pause and annotate or go back to scenes and segments for review. All you need is the URL of the video, your Gmail address and you're good to go. Annotating is one skill that allows you to see or visualize thinking. By writing or taking down notes as you watch and listen to a video, you document learning.

Here is a sample annotation I did for a grade 10 class. The film is Blade Runner and Steven Benedict did the analysis. This is for the Philosophy class and the teacher allowed me to show the class how to use the website.

Book Love: An Interactive Book Talk on Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I made an interactive book talk feature on a recently read novel, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I used the app ThingLink. View my page here.



Thank you, 23 Mobile Things PH SG! You make me look so good.

I think I'll be doing lots of interactive book talks like this. I've called it BOOK LOVE.

23 Mobile Things PH & SG: Recap of Things 7, 8, 9 and 10

Keeping up and catching up on lessons and activities on 23 Mobile Things PH & SG, here are my thoughts and insights on Things 7 - Communication, 8 - Calendar, 9 - QR Codes and 10 - Social Reading.

Thing 7 - Communication via Hangout

Participants were introduced to Hangout, a chat and video conferencing app. I joined the convo that Saturday using my mobile device. I was able to chat and do video conferencing with librarians from Manila and Singapore. I met Joan Wee and Yunyun Wirawati on video conferencing!

Hangout is another app librarians can use for off shore guests, meetings with other professionals that are geographically far apart, and instant messaging for internal communications between librarians in big learning communities. I think Hangout can also be used for an Ask-a-Librarian service.

Thing 8 - Calendar

I've always used my mobile's built in calendar but I still write down my schedule and activities for the week and the whole month. Seeing the list of To Do's helps me visualize tasks that need to be done but writing down specific activities for a week makes me remember the task better.

For Thing 8, I'll do an almanac of sort on a monthly basis, post this up in the library's newsletter using Flashissue and share this with my learning community. I'll tag #23mthingsphsg, of course!

Thing 9 - QR Codes

I've heard and seen QR Codes and I know what they are. But using them is something I need to explore more on.

Thing 10 - Social Reading

I mentored this Thing and the convo on Social Reading and there were wonderful discussions. One idea that cam about was the important role librarians bring to the fore in using Social Reading apps and in moderating book clubs. I recommend a blended approach or an integrated approach towards Social Reading to keep the balance of print and ebook use. The principle being that library users learn and apply a variety of learning modes when reading. A balanced reading program prompts readers to use their brains' capacities, left, right or round about.

Social Reading apps are cool. Reading can be fun despite its complexity. We learn through reading on a personal level, but when we reach out to other readers and join a reading collective, we are able to innovate and create, and reflect on our own thoughts. The individual experience of reading is elevated in the universal.

It's been an exciting ride learning from peers in 23 Mobile Things PH SG. Thirteen more things to go!

From Me to We: On Social Reading

Social Reading can be defined as the sharing of reading experiences through electronic means. With ebooks and social media, social reading becomes an engaging discourse of a collective group of people who've read the same books or are reading books that others already have. Technology plays a big role in this shared experience of reading in the sense that readers from varied backgrounds and age group, separated geographically can come together and simply enjoy talking about books.

It doesn't sound entirely new since libraries have been running book clubs and activities that engage and connect readers to the book since when. But, as mentioned above, when technology comes in, the reading experience expands to a wider audience. Ideas are generated. Thoughtful discourse happens. Our brains are sharpened to think in micro and macro levels. We recognize that we're not alone. The "me" time that personal reading affords a reader becomes a "we".

As a concept, social reading is a delightful way of enjoying reading and loving books all over again with people who share the same passion as you.

As librarians, we can participate in the social reading experience by being READERS first. We must read. Period. Format is not a question. Second, we need to be capable of shifting our reading modalities to print and digital formats. Form follows function. This would imply that we need a working knowledge of reading purposes. When do we read deeply? When do we read for leisure and enjoyment? Why do we read at all? What reading devices do we use for deep reading and for light reading. When we're aware of this purpose of reading, comprehension is easier to reach no matter what kind of reading implements we encounter.

Last, librarians need to understand the implications of social reading and the use of technology in facilitating this engagement. It can help us improve our services and define programs that are contextually based on our users. You might wonder what these implications are. Join us then in 23 Mobile Things PH and SG as I'll mentor Thing #10 this coming weekend. There's an online convo being brewed. We'll let you know when it's ready to be served via the website, the Facebook page and Twitter (#23mthingsphsg).

I've identified websites on social reading in the 23 Mobile Things PH SG site, but here are more links about social reading and online book clubs:

ReadUps - create your own reading club where you can discuss books read and recommend some.
Copia - buy and share insights on books read.
Book Drum  - publish book reviews and get comments and feedback; interactive maps and music included in featured book reviews that won awards
Book Lamp - reader, meet your (book) match!
Open Bookmarks - the ins and outs of social reading

Happy reading and see you online!

Book Talk Video Using Vine

Learning loads from 23 Mobile Things PH and SG!

23 Mobile Things PH & SG: Thing # 6: Videos

I'm still learning from Thing #s 4 and 5 and here comes Thing # 6 -- videos!

I have accounts in YouTube and Instagram and have used its video apps both on laptop and mobile devices a few times. However, I think I should explore using videos to promote and market special events and collections in the library. Now that's a long term plan to put in a year's strategic plan for the library. The technology is just there but the content will take a while to build it.

For this week's Thing, my attention was directed towards Videonot.es.

Tried annotating my video of a read aloud session. 

My work in the library entails guidance in using technology in instruction too. I'll recommend Videonot.es to my co-teachers and at the same time, I'll use it too to better understand the technology. The freeware/app can also be used by students who view and watch educational videos from YouTube. It's the annotation feature that I'm drawn to. 

As for updates on my use of Historypin, I have uploaded some photos of my travels. I've pinned some too. Then, I can create a Channel or a Tour. So far so good, I think.

23 Mobile Things PH&SG: Thing # 3: Email Marketing

Thing #3 is Email Marketing.

This is all I can say about this week's topic: It is new technology for me and it's taking me a while to learn the whole thing. I've done a couple of Enewsletters using FlashIssue and MailChimp. I sent this to 23 Mobile Things' email add and I'm a bit successful. I think. My blogging experience helped me figure the navigation and design of both apps but this is new stuff for me. Blogger is indeed old school. And yes, I feel old too. Hahaha!

But, I'm a self declared learner for life so I'll keep trying until I figure things out completely in MailChimp and FlashIssue. I can use either apps to repackage and reformat information needed to disseminate to readers in our high school library. Apart from news and updates on readers' services, I can use the Enewsletter as tool to communicate Information Literacy Skills topics. For example, an introduction to the research cycle may take one whole period to teach. That's an hour. As follow through, an e-newsletter will help me remind students on relevant concepts about the research cycle. The cool thing about sending this e-newsletter is that, I can make a mailing list and presto! The e-newsletter is sent to recipients.

I take it that there are two prerequisites here: one is learning the apps; two is the digestion of content. Oh Father Time, please be a friend!

E-newsletter using FlashIssue

Ecampaign using MailChimp

23 Mobile Things PH&SG: Thing #2 Photo Apps

It's all about Photo Apps in 23 Mobile Things PH & SG this week.

I'm not a big Instagram fan and I only post in IG when I feel like it but I definitely love taking photos. So you'll find all sorts of pictures in my IG account should you visit me there or choose to follow me. However, recent upgrade in my mobile has made IG more interesting as I can use Pic Collage, post it on IG and link the post to Twitter. Twitter then sends the link to FB. Ah, social media magic!

Collage of new books posted in IG

Should you visit the 23 Mobile Things PH & SG website, you'll read about a blog entry of Hedren Sum from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has recommended a slew of Thinking as it asks relevant questions on the use of the said technology. More than knowing how to use technology, understanding the why of using technology is just as important.

Here are my answers to the questions:

When was the last time you printed out photographs you have taken? What could be the reason behind this?

I have not printed out any of my photos. But I might. I'll Tweet and tag #23mthingsphsg.

How could your library use photographs to promote library services, events and activities?

I used Pic Collage to combine photos of new books. I sent this to our school's mailing list. By day's end, we received five book reservations!

Do you have a permission form available so that when you take photographs of clients or events, you have their agreement for those images to be used and shared online?

This is a good suggestion and I'll try this out.

How easy is it for clients to contribute digital photographs to your library collection (eg. local history)?

This question prompts me to look at the library's photo collection. For now, all are stored in digital folders and in CDs as back ups. But, yes. It is good to revisit procedures on how the community can take part in building the library's collection.

A sample of my book spine poem to entice high school kids to join the contest. Posted in IG too.

Thanks to Karryl and Joan for this wonderful initiative, and to Hedren for the content he provided in Thing #2! I had fun answering the questions.

23 Mobile Things PH & SG

Filipino Librarian Karryl Kim Sagun and Joan Wee of Singapore teamed up for 23 Mobile Things PH & SG, a self paced online course that provides discussion and interaction on 23 mobile things that libraries can use to deliver services. Scheduled to run on a weekly basis for 23 weeks, participants register, log-in and engage with moderators and co-participants in the course from all over the world. Started in 2006 by Helen Blowers, 23 Mobile Things has been replicated by librarians from different countries like Denmark, Australia and New Zealand.

Today, January 17, is the start of the first 23 Mobile Things discussion. Thing #1 is Twitter. Aaron Tay from the National University of Singapore Libraries moderates.

If you have not registered, you can still catch up. Register in 23 Mobile Things. Once you have registered, join in the conversation in Twitter by using #23MThingsPHSG.

I will be moderating Thing #10 and Thing #16. See you online!