Monday, January 13, 2014

Now Live: Spring 2014 Instruction Workshop Series

The Carmichael Library announces the Spring 2014 Instruction Workshop Series. We've hosted sessions like these in past semesters, and now we introduce an expanded lineup on topics like blogging, using Twitter for information management, crafting online presentations, and more.



Instruction workshops are hands-on experiences where you learn how to create projects or manage information with online tools. You can come and ask questions, work on your own class assignments, or just observe. And because the sessions are informal, there's no need to make reservations. Arrive late or leave early. We don't mind! 

Earn Badges & AIM Event Card Punches

Now, this semester, if you attend an instruction workshop, you will get credit for AIM events.

Some professors may offer extra credit if you attend an instruction workshop session, but more often than not, you may want to come and learn simply because you're interested. However, you may also want to earn badges. If you attend a workshop, you are entitled to earn a badge (see the lineup on the above slideshow), and you may also opt in to our semester long badges competition. Those who accumulate the most badges will receive prizes, which may include print cards to be used in the library. We'll keep track on a leaderboard, which is displayed on the Instruction Workshop Series homepage.

Congratulations to Thomas Dunklin, who was our winner for the Fall 2013 semester!



This first session is tomorrow, January 14 in the EBSCO room.  Lauren Wallis will lead us in a discussion about using Apple and Android apps to do better research.

Spring 2014 Instruction Workshop Series Schedule

Apps for Research  - Jan 14, 5:00-6:00 PM How can you make the most of your iPhone or iPad to succeed academically? Lauren Wallis workshops some apps and shares ideas on using apps for research.

Informed Blogging - Jan 23, 4:00-5:00  Are you taking a class that requires you to write on a blog? Are you interested in writing for an online audience? This workshop will help you understand the Wordpress blogging platform. Andrew Battista will explain the conventions and technical skills needed to blog effectively.


Navigating WorldCat Local - Jan 29, 5:00-6:00 PM  Learn smarter organization strategies and search better with WorldCat Local.

Pedagogy and ARTstor - Feb 4, 4:00-5:00 PM Catherine Walsh helps us use ARTstor to organize information and image collections for teaching and personal research.

Curating with Twitter - Feb 13, 4:00-5:00 PM In this session, Andrew Battista will demonstrate how to organize and consume information via Twitter, a microblogging platform that limits user contributions to 140 characters. We will cover the skills of attention management and will explore supplementary Twitter apps and platforms.

Building Archives with Omeka - Feb 18, 5:00-6:00 PM Omeka is a content management system that allows users to digitize resources and display them in collections. Learn about Dublin Core and other elements of archival creation with Omeka.

Developing GIS Projects - Feb 27, 5:00-6:00 PM  GIS projects are visual representations on maps of complex social, economic, natural, and cultural patterns. GIS projects help students form questions about people and places and translate them into a map that represents data that shows some kind of change over time. In this workshop Andrew Battista will explore GIS projects with Google Fusion Tables.

Charting History with Timeline JS - Mar 5, 3:00-4:00 PM  Do you want to tell a story about how ideas or things develop over time? Timeline JS is a tool that allows you to display data as a linear, interactive narrative. All you need is a Google Account. In this workshop, Andrew Battista will share ideas about incorporating creative media sources into Timeline JS projects.

Technology for Presentations - Mar 11, 5:00-6:00 PM Learn how to use free online resources to enhance your next class presentation. Lauren Wallis will demonstrate using Prezi, Glogster, Storify, and Pic Monkey to support engaging presentations.

Editing and Producing with iMovie - April 2, 5:00-6:00 PM Involved in a movie or video project? Mike Price of the Digital Media Lab shows us how to edit videos and produce content with Apple's iMovie software.


Podcast Editing with Audacity - April 8, 5:00-6:00 PM  Learn to create and produce audio projects with Audacity, a free editing software. Andrew Battista will facilitate a hands-on editing workshop. You are encouraged to bring your own laptop.



Friday, January 10, 2014

Showcase: World Regional Geography Map Projects

The Fall 2013 semester marked another successful cycle of Geographic Information Systems Projects (GIS) at the University of Montevallo. In GEOG 231 World Regional Geography with Virginia Ochoa-Winemiller, students explored issues like immigration, wage earnings according to gender, education attainment, and economic growth in the wake of Disney World. The groups were instructed to identify several indicators and represent social changes over time via Google Fusion Tables. Here's a sample list of projects:  
In one of my favorite projects, Emma Schlesinger, Maggie Thompson, Lauren Davis, and Shyanne Erickson discovered that even though legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 has been passed, wage inequality across gender lines persists across the United States, and Alabama ranks near the bottom in terms of pay equality.

A map that represents home values in the U.S. The darker green represents higher percentages of homes (by county) that are owner occupied and worth less than $50,000. I made this map in five minutes.

In 2014, GIS studies in Montevallo are made even better by the Carmichael Library's permanent acquisition of Social Explorer. This Oxford University Press resource presents current and historical U.S. Census data and make it exceedingly easy to create visually appealing maps.

GIS is not just a tool of learning for Geography classes; just about any question or concept can be mapped. Get in touch with librarians at Carmichael if you are interested in exploring map-based  learning in your classes.

Monday, January 06, 2014

Learning Enrichment Center Hours for Spring 2014

The Learning Enrichment Center has announced its hours for the Spring term. The Center will be open Monday-Thursday from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The Center provides free tutoring services for the students of the University of Montevallo in a number of different courses. Services include individual tutoring, small group tutoring, and facilitated group study.

The Learning Enrichment Center is located on the lower level of Carmichael Library.  You can reach the Center by phone at (205) 665-6113 or by e-mail at enrichment@montevallo.edu.