Use Skype to connect with authors

• Virtual Author Visits in Your Library or Classroom - Skype An Author Network
  The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits.
  Tags: skype, author, books, librarian
  • The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits. 
  • - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google Reader Lists: Easy access to top bloggers' networks

• 
  
  Google Reader - Featured Reading Lists
  Several categories provide access to experts blog reading feeds. One very useful search habit is to find a trusted expert and follow their web 2.0 trail. Credibility by association is a step in the right direction.
  Tags: google, reader
  
  • Several categories provide access to experts blog reading feeds. One very useful search habit is to find a trusted expert and follow their web 2.0 trail. Credibility by association is a step in the right direction. - By Dennis OConnor
  • 
    

    Want to know what journalists, foodies, and tech bloggers read?

    Explore and subscribe to their favorite sites in Google Reader, where keeping up with news and blogs is as easy as checking your email.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Primary Sources: Great Online Class

The class was what I needed to help me get focused for school! « Random Thoughts: Change & Other Stuff

Primary Sources, Where have you been? Why have I never used primary sources? I didn’t use them because I didn’t know where to find the resources.I never considered all of the possibilities.

Tags: uw-stout, e-learning, online class, librarian, 21cif

• Primary Sources, Where have you been? Why have I never used primary sources? I didn’t use them because I didn’t know where to find the resources.I never considered all of the possibilities. - By Dennis OConnor

• 
  
  Learn how to locate authentic digital primary sources in multiple formats to enhance your curriculum. Develop age appropriate learning activities that promote higher level questioning and critical thinking skills while adding excitement to student learning through engaging activities. The course is especially helpful for teachers of AP classes, teachers addressing state and national standards requiring the use of primary sources, and teachers working with National History Day activities. Materials fromTPS Direct, the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources professional development program, will be incorporated in the class.

• Things are getting interesting
• Tags: edtech, classroom, learning2.0, shift, change, filters

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Fair Use in Media Literacy Best Practices

• Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Literacy Education | Media Education Lab
  Tags: media_literacy, copyright, fairuse, medialiteracy, creativecommons, fair use, 21cif
  • 
    
    The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education helps educators gain confidence about their rights to use copyrighted materials in developing students' critical thinking and communication skills. 

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google Educator Resourses for Web Search!

• Google For Educators - Web Search
  Tags: 21cif, google, search, lessons, educators
  
  Lots of classroom resources, lesson plans, three modules..... Ready to go!

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Digital Information to double every 11 hours?

• 
  
  • IBM software boosts info on demand - CNET News
  
  
  • So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction.
    Tags: 21cif, information fluency
    • So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction. - By Dennis OConnor
    • 
      
      
      Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM Software, said the company is investing in information management technology in response to an "explosion" of content in the form of digital documents, forms and multimedia.
      According to an IBM study, by 2010, the amount of digital information in the world will double every 11 hours
    • 
      
      
      To access that information, IBM on Tuesday released what it called a "Web 2.0 interface" designed to be the preferred front end of IBM's content management servers, Mills said. The software is based on Eclipse open-source technology--already used in IBM's Lotus software--and can run on different desktop operating systems.
  
  Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Can you cope? Digital Information to double every 11 hours?

• IBM software boosts info on demand - CNET News

  So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction.

  Tags: 21cif, information fluency

  • So many of the e-learning teachers in training that I work with complain about information glut. Clearly the only way to cope is to learn how to sift and filter the flow of information that we pay attention to. Diigo is one great tool, rss, Google news filters, subscribed tags; there are many ways to cope with the flow. Still IBM's statement that digital info will be doubling every 11 hours by next year seems like science fiction. - By Dennis OConnor

  • Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM Software, said the company is investing in information management technology in response to an "explosion" of content in the form of digital documents, forms and multimedia.
    

    
    According to an IBM study, by 2010, the amount of digital information in the world will double every 11 hours.
    

  • To access that information, IBM on Tuesday released what it called a "Web 2.0 interface" designed to be the preferred front end of IBM's content management servers, Mills said. The software is based on Eclipse open-source technology--already used in IBM's Lotus software--and can run on different desktop operating systems.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

A Lesson in Information Literacy

• College Lesson Study: A Lesson in Information Literacy

  Tags: literacy, 21cif

  • A Lesson in Information Literacy

    Each year librarians at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse teach a "one-shot" lesson in information literacy to 2000 students enrolled in an introductory communication studies course. Students attend the lesson in groups of about 25 in the library. Concerned about the quality of the experience, the librarians decided to make the lesson the subject of a lesson study. They wanted to better understand what students get out of the lesson and how to improve the experience so that students achieve proficiency in research skills and learn how to use libarary resources and services.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Bing & Google Side by Side: Compare Search Results

Bing vs. Google

• Tags: Google, Bing, searchengine, search, 21cif

  • Can't choose default search engine? Want to compare Bing & Google results?
    
    This is the right place to be. Just put your query in the search box and press Enter. You'll see results from both engines side by side.
    
    Search provider for Internet Explorer 7/8 and Firefox is also available - search both engines from your browser!

• Google Jolts Search Engine With Caffeine - New search tech under the hood?

  Tags: google, search

  • Google engineers unveiled the news in a blog and said that they have been working on this "secret project" over the past few months.
  • The changes may be more apparent to Web developers and power searchers, so Google is opening up a Web developer preview to get their feedback.

  • Another tester liked the fact that Caffeine also provides more results from social networking sites.
    

    
    "I've noticed more Twitter pages in the results with this version of Google. Quite like having that - makes it easier to find people and companies."
    

• information fluency @ Bing vs. Google

  Here's a side by side comparison of Bing Vs Google results on the term: Information Fluency
  
  21cif.com ( formerly 21cif.imsa.edu ) has been online for 10+ years and dominates the Google Search results. Nothing in the top ten for Bing? Google ranks our old url #1 and our new url #4. Give this a try for your self with the same terms? I'll bet you get radically different results from Google than I do. Since I've worked on the 21cif project for nearly 8 years, I know the materials well. Also Google has adapted to my search habits and provides me with more links relevant to my interest. On the Google page I'm given a link to my search-wiki results: http://tinyurl.com/21cif-search-wiki

  Tags: google, bing, search, 21cif

  • Here's a side by side comparison of Bing Vs Google results on the term: Information Fluency
    
    21cif.com ( formerly 21cif.imsa.edu ) has been online for 10+ years and dominates the Google Search results. Nothing in the top ten for Bing? Google ranks our old url #1 and our new url #4. Give this a try for your self with the same terms? I'll bet you get radically different results from Google than I do. Since I've worked on the 21cif project for nearly 8 years, I know the materials well. Also Google has adapted to my search habits and provides me with more links relevant to my interest. On the Google page I'm given a link to my search-wiki results: http://tinyurl.com/21cif-search-wiki - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Google Squared: Try it?

• Google Squared

  Just try it to see what it does. 8-)

• Explore Google Search

  Tags: Google, search, 21cif

  • Search is at the heart of everything we do at Google. Our engineers work every day to solve the hardest search problems, and thus improve your online experience. Here's a glimpse at what they do, the features they've built and the remarkable user stories that inspire our work.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Twitter & John Quincy Adams

• John Quincy Adams, Twitterer? - NYTimes.com

  Clever use of social networking tech. The initial take on twitter was that it just broadcast mindless sort personal observations. This use turns that idea around. Interesting way to teach a bit of history. What if we started tweeting Basho & Issa, the great Japanese haiku poets? Hmmm sounds like a fun lit project doesn't it?

  Tags: twitter, history

  • Clever use of social networking tech. The initial take on twitter was that it just broadcast mindless sort personal observations. This use turns that idea around. Interesting way to teach a bit of history. What if we started tweeting Basho & Issa, the great Japanese haiku poets? Hmmm sounds like a fun lit project doesn't it? - By Dennis OConnor
  • They may be two centuries old, but, written with staccato-like brevity, entries from one of Adams’s diaries resemble tweets sufficiently that they began appearing Wednesday on Twitter.
  • The diary, which Adams maintained until April 1836, is a rarity among the many he kept, in that the description for each day is no more than one line long. Historians believe he used the descriptions as references to longer entries in other journals.
  • Word spread, and the society decided to tweet the entries. They average 110 to 120 characters, below the 140-character limit imposed by Twitter, and there is nary an LOL or BFF among them.
  • The posts will link to maps that, using the latitude and longitude coordinates from his entries, pinpoint his progress across the ocean. There will also be links to the longer entries of other Adams diaries, which can be found on the society’s Web site, http://www.masshist.org/jqadiaries/.
  • The idea appears to be working. As of Wednesday evening, only nine hours after the first entry was Twittered, the post had more than 4,800 followers, and Mr. Dibbell said the number was climbing.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Librarian Blogs

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future - Learn-gasm

Interesting list. Who doesn't love lists? Scan for library blogs that may be new to you!

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future

As a modern day library student, you’re probably excited about discovering and experimenting with the new tools and systems that have changed the way we find, receive and catalog information. But with all of the new technology out there, it can be hard to keep track of everything beyond your own niche field of study. This collection of library and information technology blogs have changed that, and now you’ll be able to learn about all of the trends, developments, tools and resources available to librarians in every niche.

Battle of the e-readers! Who wins?

An Apple tablet could pit iTunes against Amazon - CNN.com

• This is a speculative blog piece based on rumors of an Apple tablet computer that may (or may not) be released this fall. I've been dreaming of the ultimate e-book reader and the freedom to use low cost specific chapters from text books in my onilne classes. Will Apple satisfy those dreams? ~ Den
  
  What can Apple do better with e-books? For textbooks or anthologies, Apple can give iTunes users the ability to download individual chapters, priced between a few cents to a few bucks each.

  Tags: e-book, apple, 21cif

  • Reading in the 21st Century is changing. I crave a hybrid technology that combines the joys of a traditional book with the power and reach of modern tech. This might be the next step in the evolution of e-books and online reading. We'll see! - By Dennis OConnor

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.

Open The iPhone?

• Why The FCC Wants To Smash Open The iPhone - washingtonpost.com

  Opening the iPhone would make educational apps much easier to publish. Apple's monopoly means e-text-book readers and classroom use of hand held computers (which is what the iPhone and iPod reall are) have to pay a toll to Apple.
  
  Right now, Apple's approval system is cloaked in mystery. Developers have no way to market their products without 'official' approval. Opening up the iPhone and by extension opening up wireless networks around the country will drive down high prices and bring connectivity to more inexpensive computing devices.
  
  I hope this FCC investigation is the domino that kicks open the door to the clouds of connectivity that are already out there!

  Tags: cloud, google voice, apps, iphone, e-learning, 21cif

  • Opening the iPhone would make educational apps much easier to publish. Apple's monopoly means e-text-book readers and classroom use of hand held computers (which is what the iPhone and iPod reall are) have to pay a toll to Apple.
    
    Right now, Apple's approval system is cloaked in mystery. Developers have no way to market their products without 'official' approval. Opening up the iPhone and by extension opening up wireless networks around the country will drive down high prices and bring connectivity to more inexpensive computing devices.
    
    I hope this FCC investigation is the domino that kicks open the door to the clouds of connectivity that are already out there! - By Dennis OConnor
  • Opening the iPhone would make educational apps much easier to publish. Apple's monopoly means e-text-book readers and classroom use of hand held computers (which is what the iPhone and iPod reall are) have to pay a toll to Apple.
    
    Right now, Apple's approval system is cloaked in mystery. Developers have no way to market their products without 'official' approval. Opening up the iPhone and by extension opening up wireless networks around the country will drive down high prices and bring connectivity to more inexpensive computing devices.
    
    I hope this FCC investigation is the domino that kicks open the door to the clouds of connectivity that are already out there! - By Dennis OConnor
  • Right about now, Apple probably wishes it had never rejected Google Voice and related apps from the iPhone. Or maybe it was AT&T who rejected the apps. Nobody really knows. But the FCC launched an investigation last night to find out, sending letters to all three companies (Apple, AT&T, and Google) asking them to explain exactly what happened.
  • The FCC investigation is not just about the arbitrary rejection of a single app. It is the FCC's way of putting a stake in the ground for making the wireless networks controlled by cell phone carriers as open as the Internet.
  • Google must secretly be pleased as punch. It was only two years ago, prior to the 700MHz wireless spectrum auctions, that it was pleading with the FCC to adopt principles guaranteeing open access for applications, devices, services, and other networks. Now two years later, in a different context and under a different administration, the FCC is pushing for the same principles.
  • On the wired Internet, we can connect any type of PC or other computing device and use any applications we want on those devices. On the wireless Internet controlled by cellular carriers like AT&T, we can only use the phones they allow on their networks and can only use the applications they approve.

  • FCC cites "pending FCC proceedings regarding wireless open access (RM-11361) and handset exclusivity (RM-11497). That first proceeding on open access dates back to 2007 when Skype requested that cell phone carriers open up their networks to all applications (see Skype's petition here). Like Google Voice, Skype helps consumers bypass the carriers. The carriers don't like that because that's their erodes their core business and turns them into dumb pipes.
    

  • But dumb pipes are what we need. They are good for consumers and good for competition because they allow any application and any device, within reason, to flower on the wireless Internet.

  • The FCC also wants Apple to explain the arbitrariness of its app approval process:
    

    4. Please explain any differences between the Google Voice iPhone application and any Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications that Apple has approved for the iPhone. Are any of the approved VoIP applications allowed to operate on AT&T?s 3G network?5. What other applications have been rejected for use on the iPhone and for what reasons? Is there a list of prohibited applications or of categories of applications that is provided to potential vendors/developers? If so, is this posted on the iTunes website or otherwise disclosed to consumers?6. What are the standards for considering and approving iPhone applications? What is the approval process for such applications (timing, reasons for rejection, appeal process, etc.)? What is the percentage of applications that are rejected? What are the major reasons for rejecting an application?
    
    
  • Why does it take a formal request from a government agency to get Apple (and AT&T) to explain what the rules are to get on the wireless Internet?

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Information Fluency group favorite links are here.