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CATEGORY ARCHIVES: AUGUST 2014

Skills for Lifelong Learning after College: A PILReport

Matt Lee

Project Information Literacy has released a report on

phase one of its research into lifelong learning. The

six-page report re�ects on phone interviews with 63

recent college graduates who were asked “a series of

open-ended questions about their lifelong learning

needs, what sources they used for �nding

information, what best practices worked for ‘staying

smart,’ and which information skills from college were

transferable to them later in life.”

Results were divided into �ve preliminary trends,

which are summarized here:

Lifelong learning needs tend to revolve around

professional development. Learners may seek out

opportunities when preparing for new positions or to stay ahead at work.

Google is the primary research tool unsurprisingly. Learners dip into multiple sources to �nd and

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con�rm practical, directly applicable information.

Blogs are a valued lifelong learning source type because they provide direct access to authoritative

voices.

Learners identify personal best practices to facilitate lifelong learning.

Generalized critical thinking skills are, in some ways, valued above the speci�cs taught within a major in

the pursuit of lifelong learning.

Project Information Literacy will follow up on these preliminary trends with a much larger quantitative

survey on lifelong learning topics in the fall.

Back to August 2014

LearningExpress Set-Up for Libraries

In addition to renewing ELM content you’ve come to know and love, we have added three LearningExpress

resources:

LearningExpress Library

Learning Express Computer Skills Center

LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator

Please read the set-up information below carefully.

Further information on training opportunities and

usage statistics will be coming soon. If you have any

questions, please feel free to contact ELM Support.

Custom Link Access

LearningExpress has created links for every Minnesota library that will authenticate both remote and in-

library users into LearningExpress resources and provide usage statistics to libraries.

To obtain your library’s custom link to the LearningExpress resources, please contact ELM Support. It is

recommended that this link be placed on a secure page, but not required.

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Because the Computer Skills Center and Job & Career Accelerator are included as modules within

LearningExpress Library, there is only one link per library for all LearningExpress content.

IP-Authenticated Access

If you prefer to authenticate via IP address, use the links below after submitting your IPs to LearningExpress

via the Minitex MyLibrary IP Address Change Form.

LearningExpress Library: www.learningexpresslibrary3.com

LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator: www.learningexpresslibrary3.com

Learning Express Computer Skills Center: www.learningexpresslibrary3.com

If you use a proxy server, enter the following domains in the con�guration �le:

learningexpresslibrary3.com

learningexpresshub.com

If you don’t have a proxy server and want to provide remote access, use the Custom Link Access guidance

above to locate a link for your library to provide remote access to LearningExpress content. There are no

remote access usernames or passwords for LearningExpress.

Because the Computer Skills Center and Job & Career Accelerator are included as modules within

LearningExpress Library, there is only one link per library for all LearningExpress content.

User Registration

Content is organized on the LearningExpress Library landing page into Centers by subject area. Once on the

site, users simply select one of the Center icons to begin exploring. To access a tutorial, take a test, or

download an eBook, all users must register a personal account by con�rming their institution, providing

their name and email address, and by creating a password. These are required �elds. The email address will

become the username and will also be used for password reset, if needed. After registration, all returning

users simply enter their username and password in the Sign in to Your Account section in the lower right

corner of the landing page.

Questions?

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Please feel free to contact ELM Support at any time.

Back to August 2014

LearningExpress Content Updates

From LearningExpress

We are pleased to announce that LearningExpress Library, version 3.0 has new resources and a brand new

School Center with content aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Highlights of the new

resources include:

New School Center

On August 4, 2014, you’ll see a new School Center. It is organized and aligned to the Common Core State

Standards and includes many new resources and features. Resources will continue to be added in the

coming months. If your library has a direct link to the School Center, you will need to remove the existing link

and replace it with the new link that will take e�ect on August 4th. Instructions for direct linking can be found

on page 3 of the Logos & Images tab on the Administrator link, located in the grey footer of any page on

your LearningExpress Library website.

New Practice Tests and Tutorials

There are new practice tests and tutorials in the High School Equivalency Center for the HiSET and TASC

test, plus new practice tests and an introductory tutorial for the Spanish-language version of the 2014

GED test.

New eBooks & Flash Reviews

Our library of downloadable eBooks continues to grow, with new titles in almost every center and Flash

Reviews for Nursing Assistant/Nurse Aide, Pharmacy Technician, and TOEFL iBT .

New Computer Tutorials

We’ve added PowerPoint 2013 courses for basic, intermediate, and advanced levels, and a PowerPoint 2013:

What’s New tutorial. This extends the collection of Microsoft O�ce 2013 products (Word, Access, Project, and

Excel) for libraries that have Computer Skills and Popular Software Tutorials. We are also removing older

versions of Microsoft O�ce products.

®

®

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Updated Products

More than 35 products were updated to take advantage of all the new features in LearningExpress Library

3.0.

For a complete list of these changes, please check the Product update.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ELM Support.

Back to August 2014

Fall O�ce Hours with Hootman

Wednesdays @ 11:00am – 12:00pm

8/27 – 12/17

Ask ELM questions!

Ask for a quick ELM resource demo!

Ask about ELM content!

Ask about ELM usage statistics!

Ask about setting up ELM!

Ask about searching ELM!

Just show up at my online o�ce and ask anything

about ELM!

All of us in Reference Outreach & Instruction can be

reached for ELM questions and conversation anytime (mtxref@umn.edu/612-624-4150).

This Fall I’m piloting additional weekly o�ce hours when you can meet with me online through our Adobe

web conferencing software.

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It’s easy! Just register, and I’ll send you the link to my online o�ce. If my o�ce hours don’t work for you, just

let me know when you can meet.

Back to August 2014

New Kids InfoBits Interface

Kids InfoBits has a new look and feel. Take a look.

Use the Fact Sheets and Activities in the new ELM Learning Center for some guided exploration of the new

interface.

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Back to August 2014

Learn ELM on Your Time with the New ELMLearning Center

Matt Lee

The ELM Learning Center has been redesigned and updated. Use it to learn more about the ELM databases

on your own time. It contains:

One-page Fact Sheets that detail database content and functionalities;

Activities to highlight unique content;

Interactive Tutorials to guide you through databases; as well as

Videos, webinars, and more.

Use these resources to learn about a database new to ELM, such as LearningExpress Library; to investigate a

database with a new interface, like Kids InfoBits; or to dig into one that you’ve been meaning to learn more

about.

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Share these learning materials with your colleagues, researchers, or students. Share the site as a whole, or

download Word versions of our Fact Sheets and Activities and customize them for your library.

Back to August 2014

ALA 2014: Las Vegas, More Than A Strip

Jennifer Hootman

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This year’s annual ALA conference was held in Las

Vegas. I learned many things while at the conference,

but one of the coolest takeaways for me was

discovering the richness and diversity of the city’s

captivating history. Only getting to scratch the

surface of this complex history, I left wanting to

return one day to learn more.

My conference started with a tour of the University of

Las Vegas, Nevada’s Lied Library. The Lied Library

sta� was memorably hospitable and engaging. The physical space of the library was impressive and

beautiful. But what I found fascinating were their Special Collections tour and display, Oral History Research

Center, Digital Collections and the MultiTaction iWall demonstration, and in-house automated storage and

retrieval.

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In subsequent ALA events I learned more about UNLV holdings such as the Nevada Women’s Archives at the

WGSS all-membership meeting and the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project at the RUSA History Section

program. All of these resources, from digital collections such as Showgirls and the African American

Experience to interviews of those who lived and worked at the Nevada Test Site, are amazing resources for

researchers of all kinds. Take a moment to check them out.

Back to August 2014

eLearning Summit 2014: Open, Online, andDigital: The Opportunity

Matt Lee

Cable Green, the Director of Global Learning at

Creative Commons, set the stage for the 2014

eLearning Summit with his keynote: “Open, Online,

and Digital: The Opportunity.” There is a global crisis in

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terms of access to higher education. In the U.S., student debt is rising and perceived value is declining. But we

have opportunities to meet these challenges with the rise of digital collaboration and contribution.

Big opportunities relate to copying and distribution and modi�cation, and the lowered costs and economies

of scale associated with digital content. Green’s organization is of course a proponent of enabling the clear

and open use and reuse of content, and he pointed to a number of ventures engaged in that movement:

OpenStax College / http://openstaxcollege.org/

Free open textbooks and learning materials for introductory-level higher education courses.

Open Washington / http://www.openwa.org/

A network of community and technical colleges in Washington to share open educational

resources.

School of Open / http://schoolofopen.p2pu.org/

A global network of training providers on topics related to “openness” in the digital age.

Back to August 2014

eLearning Summit Session: Digital Storytelling

Carla Pfahl

I attended the session “Digital Storytelling” presented

by Scott Spicer, Cristina Lopez, and Pete McCauley,

University of Minnesota, at this year’s eLearning

Summit held on the beautiful University of

Northwestern St. Paul campus. They work with faculty on courses that include digital storytelling projects.

They provide support to faculty not familiar with the technology and process to produce the digital projects.

They help faculty identify how a digital storytelling project will �t within the structure of their course.

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According to Spicer, Lopez, and McCauley, digital storytelling consists of a multimedia format with a mixture

of di�erent formats including short video, audio, text, graphics, voice-over, digital comic book, and

screenshots brought together to tell a story. The educational bene�ts of digital storytelling are students

gaining a deeper understanding of the subject they are researching and reporting, having the gift of their

own voice to tell the story, sharing their work publicly, and having the students be more engaged in the

subject they are learning about. The presenters mentioned that when students know their work will be

shared publicly, they put more e�ort into the work and that it’s a great platform for students to live what

they are learning instead of passive learning.

For the faculty member, it requires careful planning and rethinking of a course. To integrate a digital

storytelling project into a course, the faculty member should have clear learning objections. McCauley

explained that students should be aware of the expectations of the process and completion of the project.

She gave an example of learning objectives for the project:

“Upon completion of their digital stories, my students will be able to:

-decode meaning created by the interaction of verbal audio, images and music and genre;

-provide constructive feedback based on the seven elements of digital storytelling; and

-present complex ideas and concepts to intelligent audiences that don’t possess technical knowledge.”

Through their work, Spicer, Lopez, and McCauley have identi�ed four main genres in which students typically

work:

personal narrative

documentary style

screen capture/tutorial

public service announcement/psa

Having a faculty member choose one genre for the project was helpful for being able to control projects

better, allowing for one rubric or set of criteria to evaluate projects, and ensuring ease of use from a

technology standpoint.

Other helpful tips they had to share about working with digital storytelling projects were to have students

evaluate each other’s work (they found students responded positively to openly sharing their ideas and

thoughts about the di�erent projects) and to carefully structure the assignment in order to help di�erent

types of learners and skill levels. Having a work�ow and checking in with the instructor after completing the

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di�erent steps will help the student produce a high-quality media production. The work�ow process they

identi�ed and use is:

Plan – writing the storyline, getting feedback, criticizing constructively, determining what the structure

will look like

Capture- recording, identifying where they are going to get their resources for all this, going on-site

Edit – bringing all of the capture to a place to view and put together

Publish – �nalizing the �le to share with instructor, class, family, community at large

Another aspect touched upon in the session was what are the elements of a great story. It is the job of the

instructor to explain to students why it is a good story. The student may know it is a good story but it is also

important to articulate it well. The central piece is the gift of their voice in the storytelling process. Other

formal elements important in good storytelling are having all elements work together to synthesize

meaning, pacing, and to leave breathing room which will invite audience members to make meaning.

They have found that this has been a creative way of using technology and a way for students to take

ownership of their work. Because students knew their work was going to be shared and made publicly

available, they were more engaged in the process. It has also helped to build management and leadership

skills. Allowing students to openly communicate with each about the process, they were able to o�er more

positive feedback and encouragement along the way.

Links:

Digital Storytelling eLearning Summit presentation

College of Education & Human Development Digital Stories

Student Media Assignment Examples

Digital Storytelling YouTube page

Back to August 2014

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eLearning Summit 2014: Minnesota Partnershipfor Collaborative Curriculum

Matt Lee

With the cost of textbooks and classroom resources

soaring, and school budgets unable to keep pace, it’s

no surprise that school districts are looking for

opportunities to build course content in-house. What

is surprising is the scale of a new initiative in Minnesota responding to this trend. A growing collaborative

called the MN Partnership for Collaborative Curriculum aims to modify existing curriculum and build new

curriculum aligned to Minnesota standards and to share that curriculum with school districts statewide.

151 Minnesota school districts have committed to being a part of the collaborative, forming a pool of teacher

curriculum writers and peer evaluators. The goal is to create 40 courses covering social studies, science,

math, and English language arts in grades 3-12. Twenty of those courses are scheduled for completion this

September.

Jessica Wiley of the MN Partnership for Collaborative Curriculum presented the project at the eLearning

Summit. The audience was a mix of current partners, interested teachers and administrators, and curious

librarians. As the curriculum is “some assembly required,” participants were encouraged to think about how

it might bene�t them, and how they might contribute. If you’d like more information on the Partnership,

visit http://mncollaborativecurriculum.org/.

Back to August 2014

One-Second Poll: Hours Spent on P.D.

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One-Second Poll: Hours Spent on P.D.

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Thanks, as always, for taking part in the poll. And here are the results of last month’s poll:

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Back to August 2014