beccablog, teacher-librarian

Beccablog has moved to beccablog.bvswlmc.com.   Please update your readers.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks!

Well, Edublogs seems to be changing their offerings for free users of edublogs. I have been an edublogs user since 2006, so I am especially disappointed.  I now need to find a new blog provider that provides great features for a free user.

Any ideas of a better blog provider?  I am leaning toward WordPress or Blogger.

http://edublogs.org/forums/topic.php?id=8350

For most of the year, I thought I would have time to do this for my current school.  Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.  However, the other day I started on it again – for the new school. It took some time, but I think I got it to work.  It isn’t pretty or flashy yet, but it is a start to getting our website mobile.

Resources I used:

• Make Your Website an iPhone Application
• How to build a website for the iPhone with orientation detection
• Cornell University Library Mobile Site
• Mr. Hughes, BVW Business Teacher

For more links to other resources, click here.

If you would like a copy of the code I used on the site, send me an email and I can send to you or grab the code off my site. If you do not read html and other fancy code stuff, don’t worry – send me an email and I can show you how to code it for your library.  It sounds like it could be very complicated – but of all the code type things I have done, this is one of the easiest.

Now, once I code my site to fit for the iPhone, I then need to set it up so it can be “app-like”. *  Since I don’t want to pay $99 a year to Apple or hire a site to make it an app, it won’t be available on iTunes (unless I figure out another way… if so, I will blog later.)  So a user does this —

1.  Go to Safari on iPhone or iTouch.  Type in the URL (http://www.bvswlmc.com/ilibrary.html)

2.  Once the page appears, click the +  .

3.  Choose Add to Home Screen.

4.  New page pops up to Add to Home.  Title default (from your code above – you name it, but the user can change it.)

Notice the image on the left of the Title – it is either a snapshot of your site or HOPEFULLY it is an image/logo that you created.  (This is determined in your code above for your site.) *

5. Click ADD.

It will then be added to the screen of the iPhone/iTouch.  When a user clicks on the image, your site will launch with an opening screen of your image/logo.

(I plan on making a video to show users how to do this.  I have a feeling the students will pick this up pretty quickly.)

*Troubleshooting and other interesting info

1.  It can be expensive to create an app so it is placed in iTunes.  Gale did a great job with their app and it is available in iTunes.  I wanted to go this route with the library app, but at this time, I couldn’t justify the expense.  In addition, I would need to learn some crazy codes.   I don’t want Gale to be the only database students can grab information though.  (THANK YOU GALE for creating the app – hopefully more databases will follow.)   Libguides also has a mobile feature.  (Viewing these sites from a non-mobile device can make them seem very boring – but try it on an iPhone or iTouch.)  Now as I dive more into this, I am realizing there are many way to do this that are not as expensive.  So there may be more information to follow at a later time.

2. While making the app, I notice that my logo did not appear when I tried to “re-put” it on my iTouch.  It worked the first time with the site, but the next time, it just showed me the website as the logo – not my cool logo.  So I change the website URL and put it in my iTouch – it then showed the correct logo.  Moral of the story:  Don’t freak out if your logo doesn’t appear the second time you install it on your phone/touch – for users it will show up (I think).

3.  Text doesn’t show up on the computer browser.  However, it works on my touch.  I will play with the coding so it does show up.

Be looking for my current school’s app soon – I promised I would do one before I leave…

Help with the design of the new library web page.  I need specific assistance with the front page.

Go to http://www.bvswlmc.com

Then answer the following questions on this Google form.

Thanks!

When we opened West nine years ago, I remember creating a website at the beginning of the school year.  It was very basic, blah, and wasn’t really ready to go until a month into the school year.  In the wayback machine, I found the oldest archive of the site over a year later.  Much improved, but still very blah.

Years later, I am opening a new building and one of the first things on my super long list  - the web page.  I do the school web page for the new building and the school site has over 56,000 hits; I posted on SW Libguides links to naming the school alma mater, yearbook, store, and newspaper – it has over 400 hits in two weeks.  There is excitement for opening the new building and I want the library to be a part of that excitement.

So I have the front page done along with creating accounts for the many 2.0 sites it links.  I am thinking of creating a survey to provide feedback.  I really won’t know how ‘well’ the site works until we get students in the building using the site.  I am sure many things will change.

Which brings me back to … I can’t wait to have a colleague in the library to share the nervousness and excitement of opening this building.  I have been so lucky to have a great partner in the library at West - so I know how valuable it can be to have someone share ideas and work through the many obstacles and triumphs.

Check out the page so far… http://www.bvswlmc.com

I’m going to create a survey right now to get feedback.  Check back for that – any input would be appreciated!

Here is the library logo (for the new library – Southwest).  I purchased the tree on istockphoto and then a talented friend of mine (soon to be a graphic designer – although this shows she is already) was able to make it specific to Southwest.  I had to enlarge the library for web, but for print  ”the” and “library” will be much closer together.

I am not really good at the marketing and design of things – but this is a great start.  I have visions of using the ‘tree’ in the physical library as well as on the web.

I recently read Joyce Valenza’s post about library website for high school.  She showed many examples of high school library web pages that display 2.0 tools and other ways to interact with students.  While I love the ideas presented, I fear that by adding a high volume of things to a small space on the page we are losing some design aspect and losing our students in the mix.

I do not claim to be a great web designer – I am self taught using the many tutorials available online.  Through the years, I have redesigned our site many times and now have the opportunity to design a new library site with opening the new high school.

I have reviewed the Google Eye-Scan test of websites and other documents (see below) to gather information about how to best have a user find information.  Although I still feel like I don’t know exactly what I am doing, I have used  the information for designing our sites.

That is why I love the libguides site – clean and organized approach to 2.0 tools specific, customized to an assignment.  I use our main page to be much more general while the libguides is customized to the assignment.

I do believe in making a site interactive and including 2.0 tools.  I just believe that we should be intentional about the placement and design of such tools on the site.

Resources:

Google Eye Scan 2009

F-Shaped Pattern 2006 Post

Golden Triangle

Eye Tracking Study Reveals 12 Website Tactics

Web Design Principles (Slideshare)

Wikis -
I like wikis. It used to be love, but it is now more of a like situation. I use them, but not as much as in the past. Google docs has taken over that collaborative need in many ways. Our students have email accounts with Gmail and have access now to Google docs. I seem to like those much better for the collaborative aspect.

However, wikis have been a great management tool to post student project links and great for student projects in setting up their own web pages.

Examples of wikis used with classes and/or teachers (using wikispaces):

Public Domain Links http://bvwpublicdomain.wikispaces.com/ (I set this up a long time ago and continue to add to it.)

Power2Publish http://power2publish.wikispaces.com/ (Used this for a presentation – rather than a typical powerpoint.)

BVWAnimoto http://bvwanimoto.wikispaces.com/ and BVW Calculus http://bvwcalculus.wikispaces.com/

(Post student projects.)

Africa Trunk Wiki http://africastudiesbl1.wikispaces.com/ (Students created a ‘wikipedia’ of an Africa Trunk of Treasures. )

Assessment for Learning (AFL) Professional Development class http://afltech.wikispaces.com/ (Posted links for our training with teachers.)

LibraryThing has been an invaluable tool for us and with the redesign of the fiction area this year, it has been amazing.  We love to post the widgets on our webpage.

See an older post about how Blue Valley West High School Library uses Librarything.

Slide sharing is a great instructional tool.   I seem to be repeating myself from the other 23 things posts when I mention how I love to embed these into libguides. But looking at Slideshare today, I noticed some new and improved features (at least new to me) that I can’t wait to use…

*Slideshare playlist – can display all your presentations and documents.  I think I will post this on the front of the Libguides page.

*Presentation pack – it seems very similar to the playlist.  Not sure if I will use the playlist or the pack for the Libguides page.

*Add slideshare to your Facebook profile.  Good idea to add this to our library facebook page.

* Sidebar widget – could add this to my blog.

I have not used Animoto for instruction like Slideshare, but I have used it for student projects.  Here is a wiki with links to student Animoto projects.



| Get your SlideShare Playlist