Category Archives: iLibrarian

Farewell to iLibrarian

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After 7+ wonderful years of blogging for the OEDb, it’s time to say goodbye to iLibrarian. Although the iLibrarian blog will no longer be updated, I will still be blogging!

Please follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ellyssa and here on my blog (http://ellyssakroski.com/blog) for updates about my new ventures!!! And you can always contact me at ellyssakroski@yahoo.com.

It’s been an absolute pleasure blogging at iLibrarian, thank you to all of my readers for your loyal support and attention all these years. A post similar to this one will be going up on OEDb/iLibrarian in a week or two as well. Thank you!

Privacy Tip: How to Delete All Your Facebook Messages at Once

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Over the past month two of my Facebook friends have had their accounts hacked (that I know of). In both of these cases the hacker chose to go through the person’s Facebook emails to read all of their messages and then use that information to message their friends – posing as them. I was one of those people that each hacker messaged. It was a sobering experience to realize that someone could potentially have access to all of your personal discussions that you’ve had with family and friends, going back for years!

After this experience I decided that I wanted to delete all of my past Facebook messages so that if I was ever hacked, at least I could limit what they would have access to. But I discovered that this wasn’t as easy as you would think as there is no global “Delete All” option for Facebook messages and conversations. Instead, you must click into each conversation, click on the “Actions” button, and choose “Delete Conversation”. To do this for the hundreds of conversations that I’ve had on Facebook over the past several years would have been far too time-consuming. However, I did find an amazing plug-in for the Chrome browser called Facebook – Delete All Messages that did the trick.

The process is simple. Open up your Chrome browser and navigate to the plugin. Click “Add to Chrome” in order to download/install the plugin. It currently has over 82,000 users and I found it to be virus/bug-free as of two weeks ago, so I can highly recommend it.
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Once it’s installed, simply sign into Facebook. Open up the full messages window and click on the plugin icon that sits on the far right of the address bar.

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Then click “Launch”. It will delete all the messages on that entire page. If you have a lot of old messages you may need to scroll down and click Launch a few times until they’re all gone.

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But within a few minutes you should be rid of all your old conversations, and they will not reappear when the person messages you again. You’ll have a clean slate!

The post Privacy Tip: How to Delete All Your Facebook Messages at Once appeared first on OEDB.org.

The Latest in EdTech Trends: 70 Resources Roundup

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edtech

Trying to keep up with the latest in EdTech trends? Discover all the latest news happening in EdTech with this roundup post. And if you’re still getting up to speed in this area, also check out the post: 7 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2014.

    MOOCs

  1. Universities Rethinking Their Use of Massive Online Courses
  2. The Real Revolution in Online Education Isn’t MOOCs
  3. Moocs ‘will not transform education’, says FutureLearn chief
  4. Disrupting and Transforming the University
  5. Weekly Trend: The MOOC Revolution Changes Shape
  6. MOOC U: The Revolution Isn’t Over
  7. edX turns attention to high school MOOCs
  8. Why Free Online Classes Are Still the Future of Education
  9. Online Learning is Just as Effective as Traditional Education, According to a New MIT Study
  10. Invasion of the MOOCs: The Promise and Perils of Massive Open Online Courses (eBook)



    11. Big Data

  11. Big Data MOOC Research Breakthrough: Learning Activities Lead to Achievement
  12. Big data and education: the power of transformation
  13. Can Universities Use Data to Fix What Ails the Lecture?
  14. Big Data: An Evolution in Higher Education’s Technology Landscape
  15. Can Data Analytics Make Teachers Better Educators?
  16. Education is the Next Great Opportunity for Big Data
  17. The Modern Classroom: Students, Teachers and Data-Driven Education
  18. The Mathematics of Effectiveness
  19. Empower Teachers with Data and They Can Spark Change
  20. The Coming Big Data Education Revolution



    21. Gamification

  21. Gamification: Why It’s Good
  22. Using Gaming Principles to Engage Students
  23. The 15 Best Gamification Resources for Trainers and Educators
  24. Gamification and Game-Based Learning: What’s the Difference?
  25. A Guide to Game-Based Learning
  26. Gamification of Education Infographic
  27. Game On: Why Gamification Works
  28. Digital Badges for the That-Was-Due-Last-Week-Student
  29. Are Serious Video Games Ready For School Time?
  30. Gamification 101: Introducing Gamification in Education



    31. The Flipped Classroom

  31. Flipped classrooms test new ways of learning
  32. Starting a Project-Based School
  33. Flipping Your Classroom? 5 Technology Details You’ll Need to Succeed
  34. Flipped Classrooms Can’t Be Passive Environments
  35. Transforming the Lecture Space
  36. 27 Ideas for Flipping The Classroom: Infographic
  37. The Top 5 Blended And Flipped Classroom Tools
  38. Summer Reading List: What You Need to Know To Flip Your Classroom Next Year
  39. Flipped Learning – turning traditional teaching on its head!
  40. Flipping the classroom – from the student’s perspective



    41. 3D Printing

  41. World’s first live concert with ’3D-printed band’
  42. Colleges Offer Hands-On Tech Engagement
  43. 7 Hands-On Projects That Use 3D Printers
  44. Making Sense of Makerspaces: Do-it-yourself ed tech opportunities abound for some schools.
  45. New Future Takes Shape for 3D Printers in Schools
  46. NASA Educator Sees Bright STEM Future in 3D Printing
  47. 3D Printing Made Cool: MIT Students Print Ice Cream
  48. 3D Printing – Coming to a Classroom Near you (Sooner Than you Think)!
  49. How (And Why) To Get Started With 3D Printing In The Classroom
  50. High school students in Texas create prosthetic hand for young boy



    51. Mobile learning

  51. Six Tips to Implement a Mobile Learning Initiative
  52. 50 Resources For Teaching With iPads
  53. Mobile Learning: Resource Roundup
  54. 9 Ways Mobile Learning is Moving into Academia
  55. 50 questions to start your mobile learning strategy
  56. 10 Mobile Learning Stats You Need to See and Why
  57. Trends | K-12 Students See A Brighter Future Learning with Tablets
  58. The merging of Informal and Mobile Learning
  59. 3 Ways Mobile Learning Stands Out From Other Learning Technologies
  60. The Ultimate Guide to Mobile eLearning



    61. Digital Textbooks

  61. There’s Something Missing From This College Bookstore: Books
  62. Digital textbooks for increasing educational outcomes
  63. Students Fail to Embrace Digital Textbooks
  64. Changing how people learn with digital textbooks
  65. Speak Up: The current state of digital learning
  66. This University Has a Revolutionary Idea to Make Students’ Textbooks Free
  67. Experts share tips on digital textbook transition
  68. Realizing the Promise of Digital Textbooks
  69. El Paso uses digital textbooks for high school science
  70. 10 Reasons Why Students Aren’t Using eTextbooks

The post The Latest in EdTech Trends: 70 Resources Roundup appeared first on OEDB.org.

The 4 Flavors of Makerspaces

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Did you know that there are many different types of makerspaces, each with their own set of unique characteristics? This was news to me until recently so I thought I’d pass along my research on what I found were the important distinctions as well as important links.

FabLabs

fablab

Amsterdam Fab Lab at The Waag Society

A FabLab is a type of makerspace that was created by the Center for Bits and Atoms headed by Prof. Dr. Neil Gershenfeld at MIT. It began as an outreach project to provide access to modern means for invention such as electronics equipment, laser cutters, routers and milling machines in order to enable makers to create nearly anything. There are currently over 200 FabLabs in over 30 countries around the world.

Learn More:

 

Hackerspaces

hackerspace

NYC Resistor Hackerspace

Also called a hacklab or hackspace, hackerspaces are places where computer programmers, makers, DIY’ers and artists converge to collaborate and socialize. Hackerspaces have been around since 1995 with the founding of c-base in Berlin which according to Wikipedia is one of the first independent, stand-alone hackerspaces in the world, not affiliated with a school, university, or company. Hackerspaces were originally started by computer hackers however they have since expanded to encompass many other activities such as creating physical objects, conducting instructional workshops, etc. There are currently over 1,800 hackerspaces in over 20 countries around the world.

Learn More:

 

TechShops

techshop

TechShop

TechShops are a chain of for-profit spaces which offer public access to industrial tools and equipment such as welding equipment, sewing machines, woodworking equipment, 3D printers, and more to build their own projects. They charge a membership fee beginning a $125/month. They currently have 8 shops in the US with their flagship shop in San Francisco and future locations in Dublin and Munich.

Learn More:

 

Makerspaces

makerspace

Milwaukee Makerspace

Makerspaces are creative, DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn. The usually have 3D printers as well as electronic equipment available, some also have metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts equipment available. They are used by schools and libraries to provide valuable skills in math and engineering to children and patrons of all ages.

Learn More:

 

 

And even more resources are available here:

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50 Library Stories You May Have Missed in September

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September was back-to-school and back to writing for many librarians.  Blogs, journals, and news outlets were jam-packed with library and information stories ranging from articles about makerspaces, digital collections, 3D printing, and free technology for libraries as well as some offbeat topics such as medieval selfies and snapchats from Harry Potter!  Check out these 50 posts, infographics, and articles to get you caught up on what’s happening in the LIS world.

  1. 15 Geeky Back-to-School Supplies
  2. 28 Snapchats From Harry Potter
  3. Stay Focused! 5 Tools to Avoid Distractions
  4. Polling the Classroom: 4 Free Polling Tools to Keep Students Engaged
  5. 25 Great Resources for Breaking into Academic Publishing
  6. 15 Free Technologies for Libraries
  7. New OverDrive app eliminates Adobe authorization step
  8. (Rethinking) Makerspaces
  9. Engaging Adventures with Gamification
  10. Rosa Parks papers go to Library of Congress
  11. Librarianship: A philosophical investigation
  12. 6 Ways To Become a Power User of the Public Library
  13. The Case for 3D Printing
  14. 9 great books on library marketing
  15. For library web developers: Performance and austerity
  16. Collect library fines with an online payment app
  17. Long Nights build library use
  18. Digitize old slides on the cheap
  19. Collaborating with your public librarian
  20. Makerspaces can make new patrons
  21. Libraries balk at OverDrive changes
  22. 48 Library Stories You May Have Missed in August
  23. Getting into schools for booktalks
  24. Eight fun children’s libraries
  25. Self-service library technology
  26. New Austin Public Library will have food demos
  27. Seed libraries: Challenges and opportunities
  28. Teaser for new series, The Librarians
  29. Artist uses LC images to animate his GIFs
  30. Utica woman organizes refugee library in Thailand
  31. Czech National Library digitizes rare collections
  32. Younger Americans and public libraries
  33. Checking out America’s libraries
  34. Getting staff and patrons to accept RFID tags
  35. Serving adults with special needs in the children’s library
  36. Libraries that lend tools
  37. OSU seeks help transcribing Cold War letters
  38. Library jobs math
  39. Massachusetts librarians work to ensure privacy
  40. The Loeb Classical Library goes digital
  41. Jane Austen fans break world record
  42. The Value of Information Professionals
  43. Five best language translation tools
  44. New York insists on more school librarians
  45. Library student helps create Ebola tracking site
  46. Create an online catalog with Google Drive
  47. ProQuest digitizes Thomas Edison
  48. Famous historical book bannings
  49. Art painted on discarded library books
  50. Medieval selfies

The post 50 Library Stories You May Have Missed in September appeared first on OEDB.org.

A Quick Guide to the Flipped Classroom

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flipped

The flipped classroom is a teaching model in which the traditional lecture and homework assignments are reversed. Students watch video lectures before class and the class session is made up of exercises, discussions, and problem solving with students receiving personalized attention from the professor. This model has grown in popularity over the past several years

Definitions

Articles

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Twitter Hashtags

Pinterest Boards

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Videos

 

 

 

 

The post A Quick Guide to the Flipped Classroom appeared first on OEDB.org.

Which Wearable Technology Will You Be Adopting?

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Wearable technology has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past few years and has finally reached the consumer. Although not yet at the tipping point with the mainstream user, early adopters and the tech-savvy are certainly taking advantage of these smart devices. iLibrarian’s readers are always on the cutting-edge of new tech developments, so let’s find out which of these new devices you’ll be embracing over the next year or two?


The post Which Wearable Technology Will You Be Adopting? appeared first on OEDB.org.

15 Geeky Back-to-School Supplies

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One of the best parts of the new semester is shopping for all of the geeky gear that’s available for students (and teachers!)  Here are 15 suggestions of truly geeky back to school supplies.

 

Backpacks and Bags

Every student needs a bag that shows their personality and pop culture preferences and these are all great choices. But if you don’t see one you like, check out 40+ more geeky bags here!

 

1) Star Wars Darth Vader Lunch Bag with Sound

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Represent the Dark Side with this Sith Lord lunch bag which makes Vader’s signature sound effect.

 

2) Aperture Laboratories 80’s Logo Messenger Bag

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If you’re a Portal fan, this Aperture Laboratories sling bag is perfect to carry all of your testing supplies, I mean school books!

 

3) Firefly Kaylee-Inspired Messenger Bag

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With two side pockets, two pockets under the front flap, and four small pockets that line the interior, this is the best messenger bag in the ‘Verse! Based on Kaylee’s coveralls in Firefly.

 

 

Hoodies

The hoodie is a fundamental item in every student’s wardrobe. And there are now many geeky creations to choose from.

4) Assassin’s Creed Hoodies

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Gamer geeks everywhere will want one of these Connor Kenway jacket hoodies. Available in 3 different colors, the garment is not guaranteed to increase stealth or stamina.

 

5) Time Lord Hoodie

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Billed as “What the High Council wears on casual Fridays”, this stylish hoodie is sure to impress Dr. Who fans everywhere.

 

6) Captain America Men’s Fleece Hoodie

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Marvel fans assemble for this stylish yet comfortable hoodie jacket!

 

7) Star Trek The Next Generation Uniform Hoodie

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We can’t have a Star Wars-inspired item on this list without also mentioning these amazing Star Trek: The Next Generation hoodies. Make it so!

 

Actual School Supplies

 

8.) Mimibot Pop Culture Flash Drives

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Mimoco creates USB flash drives inspired by pop culture, artists, or legendary figures such as Albert Einstein. Sizes range between 8GB – 64 GB for these adorable drives.

 

9) The Smartphone And Tablet Virtual Keyboard

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This futuristic Bluetooth device projects a full-size keyboard onto any flat surface. It will connect to most any Bluetooth-enabled device including iPad, iPhone and most laptops.

10) LIX 3D Printing Pen

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This amazing pen will bring your imagination to life by creating actual 3D objects as you draw them! Check out this brief video for a demonstration:

 

11) Ramen iPhone/iPad Dock

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Who eats more ramen than students? The answer is no one!!! Which is why this iPad and iPhone dock made of a bowl of ramen is the perfect addition to any student’s school supplies.

 

 

For the Dorm Room

12) Star Trek Borg Cube Fridge

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The perfect appliance for any dorm room, this Borg Cube will cool all of your food collective-ly! As a big Star Trek fan, I personally will be ordering one of these for my own home!

 

13) The NASA Sleep Promoting Light Bulb

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For the space fan who wants to get a good night’s sleep. This hi-tech bulb is used by NASA to help astronauts sleep in space by encouraging the production of melatonin.

 

14) The Caffeine Craver’s Colossal Coffee Cup

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And for those times when you don’t want to sleep, this giant coffee cup that holds 20 servings is guaranteed to keep you up! Great for those all-night study sessions!!!

 

15) The Barisieur Coffee Brewing Alarm Clock

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What’s guaranteed to wake up students first thing in the morning? Coffee being brewed while their alarm clock is going off!! This one is genius!

 

 

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