#KwentoRP612 2017

Erica Gonzales has set up #KwentoRP612 over at Facebook. #KwentoRP612 is the celebration and commemoration of Philippine Independence by Filipino writers and creatives. Last year, it focused on flash fiction but, this year the social media campaign extends its reach and width to other art forms.

Below are the details of this year's #KwentoRP612:

Event: #KwentoRP612 2017

Dates: June 10-12 (Saturday 12am to Monday 12mn), 2017
Content: FB-length and Twitter-length fiction,poetry,art,and komiks (both original and fan-type), as long as they are Filipino in theme

Genre: All are accepted! (literary,romance,speculative in all stripes, parody, comedy,etc etc)
Feel free to post whatever you have here, or to hashtag so we can share it (remember to set the individual post to 'public' so we can all see).

It's that time of year again when we tell the world through good art and literature that (even with everything going on around us that we disagree with), we are proud to be Filipino. Please share the word.

*shares of material made for RP612fic is perfectly okay, btw. This place just helps to be a safe space for all, especially writers.

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!