Just announced! There will be a MidMN EdCamp on June 10th at the St. Cloud State ISELF facility.
Registration information and details are at http://www.edcampmidmn.org/
CMLE staffers hope to see you there!
All posts by John
Strong school networks make happy students
With more schools moving to a 1:1 or BYOD environment, many times the school’s network is forgotten. The network is at the heart of Steve Zurier’s article on EdTech. The network is what enables students to get online, it makes education more interactive. Besides devices, schools also have to think about where the content for instruction is coming from. Teachers and school libraries are starting to use more online textbooks and eBooks. Schools want teachers to use the latest online resources and video tools.
In the article, Brad Casemore, research director for data center networks for IDC, offers three factors IT managers should keep in mind before embarking on a network upgrade:
- Consider moving to the cloud.
- Reduce costs by virtualizing everything.
- Retrain the network staff.
Do you have other ideas? Is your school’s network ready for thousands of devices? Can it handle hundreds of videos streaming to classrooms? Share things that have worked for you in the comments below!
Google vs. the Internet Archive
“In the last five years, starting around 2010, the shifting priorities of Google’s management left…” the archival projects of Google Groups, Google Books, and Google News Archive “…in limbo, or abandoned entirely.”
So begins the recent reflections by Andy Baio of Medium about the change in Google’s mission from one of preservation to one focused on the present and future. Luckily, for users and preservationists everywhere, the Internet Archive has picked up the torch.
The Internet Archive is known for archiving the web, and it’s Wayback Machine now indexes over 435 billion webpages! The Internet Archive also hosts:
- Books
- Videos
- Audio recordings
- TV News
- Software
Why wouldn’t we want to support this independent, nonprofit organization helping to preserve our online history?
YALSA Book Resources for Teens with Depression
Suicide has become a growing problem in the United States – Traci Glass of YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) says, “according to the National Alliance on Mental Health, approximately 2 million U.S. adolescents attempt suicide each year in the United States. . .” Glass wrote her piece, ‘Dealing with Suicide & Depression in Teen Literature‘ for YALSA’s blog, The Hub, in an effort to help teens and the adults in their lives approach a difficult topic.
. . .I thought I’d highlight my five favorite new books that deal with suicide – I think all of them treat it with respect and a thoughtful nature.” -Traci Glass, 1-23-2015
Glass provides these books as resources for teens with depression in the hopes that they will help adolescents better understand their thoughts and feelings, and feel more comfortable talking about them.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/osx9zyq, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Libguides 2.0: your library’s next website?
In a recent lita (Library Information and Technology Association) blog post, Michael Rodriguez, Assistant Professor at Hodges University, talks about his small university’s migration to Libguides 2.0.
Libguides is an easy to use Content Management System used by many thousands of libraries worldwide. It is developed by SpringShare and promises to be an ideal tool to market library resources and services.
In the article, Rodriguez talks about the migration from version 1 to 2 of Libguides. He also talks about some its benefits:
- Mobile responsive
- Modern code
- Custom URLs
- Hosting
- A-Z Database List
- Customizations
- Dynamic design
Are you already using Libguides v2? Still on version 1? Or are you thinking about taking the leap? Share your story below!