QR codes in the library - an information literacy issue!

Librarian Laura Pressley  of Wake Forest University Library has created a nice LibGuide which gives more ideas on how QR codes can be used in other libraries: displays, audio tours, library tours, signage, in the library catalog, and to connect e-resources to the physical stacks.

Be sure to read the Library Success Wiki for more QR Code examples.

Listen to what  Wake Forest University Library is doing with QR codes.


QR Codes in Libraries from lauren pressley on Vimeo.

At the New Trier Library our latest display for Women's History Month has been augmented with QR Codes. Using their phones, students can scan the QR codes and find out more about historically important women.

Technology great : But libraries and books remain even more important today .

April 10th -16th is National Library Week. Author John Grishom, honorary chair, shares the value of libraries in his life and a personal story about helping to rebuild libraries on the Gulf Cost after Katrina.

Facing History website

Just pointing you toward a wealth of resources provided by Facing History and Ourselves: helping classrooms and communities worldwide link the past to moral choices today.

This site is filled with lesson plans, video clips and podcasts, plus more resources on a variety of topics including the Holocaust and Little Rock Nine. Currently, the home page features a video entitled "Do Something, Do Nothing". Choose to do something: review and share these resources.

Resources from Teaching about Japan - Earthquake and Tsunami

Libguides regarding recent news and the Science related to events in Japan can be found here:

• Info on Earthquake in Japan - UMass at Amherst (also used by Eastern Connecticut)
  
• Japan Disaster Outreach - Arizona State University
  
• Japan - Earthquake & Tsunami - College of the Mainland, Texas City, Texas
• Japan Studies - University of Washington Libraries

See also Lesson Plans and news from

• PBS NewsHour contains Lesson Plans and news
  
• The Atlantic's posting of news sources
• New York Times' Learning Network: Teaching Ideas: Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
  

Provided for parents and educators, these links (and their description) are taken directly from MindShift Blog -- add this blog to your reading list:

• Tsunami Visualizations links to science sites about the Japanese earthquake, as well as photos and videos, interactive maps, and news stories [from Carleton College].
  
• The British Red Cross pulled together an informative site about how to address the events with students, including the social and emotional effects of hearing about tragedies.
• A collection of Tweets, posts, videos, and photos collected by one teacher using Storify.
• Learning to Give is a website that offers classroom lessons about disaster relief organized by grade level.

AND more ideas on "Best Sites for Learning about the Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami" from Larry Ferlazzo - another blog to follow.

If you have some to add, post a comment.

A Way to Organize Your 'To Do' Lists

Russell Tarr shared this tool on Twitter today.  Check out the new & improved TeuxDeux - an online personal organizer. You may end up ditching your Google Calendar when you see this!

Features include:
TeuxDeux features include:
- week overview
- check off, delete, or move tasks
- someday bucket
- jump to a date in the future
- automatic rollover of unchecked tasks
- edit existing tasks
- sync with mobile version (iPhone app)
- Multiple accounts (iPhone app only)

Hoping someone develops an Android app for this.

TeuxDeux Part Deux from TeuxDeux on Vimeo.

Click to Call: New Gmail Feature

Starting today, you’ll see that phone numbers in your Gmail will appear as links!

What you need:  Google Voice and video plugin.

Call phones right from your Gmail by clicking.  You don't need to copy and paste your number or type it in to Google chat to call your friends.  Read more about the free convenient calling from the Gmail blog.

Makes you wonder if Google is collecting phone numbers from all your contacts.

Firefox 4: What You Need to Know

Today, Mashable previews some features of this soon to be released version that is six times faster and incorporates new sync and panorama features. 


The new sync features allow users to sync booksmarks, browsing history, passwords, form fill data and open tabs across mulitple computers and even a smartphone. 


Watch the short tutorial on how the panorama feature works:





Firefox Panorama: How To from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.