Tag Archives: 23 Mobile Things

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

23 Mobile Things:Half-Way Point Reflections

icon_23_100px1On April 1st we hit the half-way point of the 23 Mobile Things program (http://23mobilethingsmn.org/). For those of you participating, its been a great chance to spend time on your personal and professional development. We all know that library staff need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology tools. We need to take time to learn how the tools can be utilized in or with our libraries and to know the tools being used by library patrons.

We at CMLE want to take a moment to thank everyone for taking part and sharing all the wonderful things you have been learning. In our region, we have 86 people registered and 5 have already finished! Data on our participants include:

  • The average CMLE participant is 20% completed.
  • The average active CMLE participant is on Thing 9 or 40% completed.
  • Tumblr.com is being used for blogging by 16% of the participants, while blogspot.com and wordpress.com are popular with the rest.
  • Not surprisingly, 25% of you chose to use “23” somewhere in your blog name.

We’ve seen comments from participants on other participant’s blogs; continuing to support our fellow colleagues in this community endeavor.

For those that are in the program, we encourage you to continue blogging, tweeting, and posting about your experiences. If you’re struggling for motivation, feel free to skip around. Find that mobile thing that motivates you. Remember the end date to complete all 23 Mobile Things is June 15th. If learning more about mobile devices isn’t enough, we remind you that registered Minnesota participants are eligible for prizes!

Tip: See what people are saying on Twitter about 23 Mobile Things by following the hashtag #23ThingsMN  and join the conversation!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

23 Mobile Thingy Doers

icon_23_100px1Have you been reviewing the progress of your fellow CMLE bloggers? Don’t know how?

Go to the main 23 Mobile Things site at http://23mobilethingsmn.org/ and look down the right frame until you see CMLE. When you click on that, you can see all of the bloggers in our region….it is a moving target, but last count it was over 80 blogs!

As you scroll down the list, you may see little badges with numbers on them. One person has completed 10 Things already, a number of others have completed 5 Things. Me thinks some of you may not have claimed your badges and just need a little reminder! And ahem, I will never expose you to the world, but some of you created a blog, but don’t have a single post there yet! What’s with that?

According to #6 of the FAQ’s on the main page….here is the badge information!

6. Are there prizes?
Yes! Participants who complete the entire course will receive a completion incentive. You must register your blog as described in Thing 1 and complete all Things by June 15, 2014. Only registered Minnesota participants are eligible for prizes.

Plus, badges! Each time you complete a group of five things (in any order), send us an email at minn23@gmail.com with your name, region and blog name and we will add a badge next to your blog on the blog list by region. If you have another place to display a badge, let us know that, too, and we will send you the badge to display. You can see the badges in the right sidebar.

Twitter                                                  Additional reminder: Tweet with us! #23ThingsMN

Academic, Check this out:, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Only 10 Days Left to Register for 23 Mobile Things!

The clock is ticking, and we would really like to see you register by February 15th for this fun, self-paced program. Do you vaguely remember something about this program, but forgot the details? Read our recent blog post with everything you need to know to get started!

Do 23 apps or  June 15th as a program end point just sounds like too much commitment? No worries, register for the program and do as much or as little as makes sense for you. After all, even if you learn about one new app that makes your personal or professional life better, you are still ahead of the game! And, who knows, you may be having so much fun, that you go ahead and try another, and another, and win prizes too!  See you all online!

23 Mobile Things Logo
23 Mobile Things Logo
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

23 Mobile Things Update

icon_23_100px1Our Mobile Things participants are off to a great start!The adventure has started!

Registration opened on Jan 15; more than 300 people have registered to participate in 23 Mobile Things. And in the CMLE region, we currently have 56 people registered. A few individuals in our region are dangerously close to earning their first badge for completing five of the Things. I can’t help but notice that  many 23 Things On a Stick “grads” (from five years ago) have signed up for this version of the program. Individuals tell me that they enjoy learning at their own pace, in the privacy of their cube when they really mess up! I often learn the most when things don’t work out quite as I had planned! So, don’t be afraid to try things and take a winding trail if needed to meet your learning goals. But what if you mess up, and get really stuck? Now it might be time to look over your cube wall to your colleague! See how far they are in the program, and whether they may have the same problem. And, if you get really stuck, you can always email  us at minn23@gmail.com. When you get yourself out of the ditch, be sure to post about your struggle, as you may very well help someone else out as they read your blog post!

Reminder: 23 Mobile Things is open to all staff in Minnesota libraries, as well as their Boards & Friends. It may be helpful to find a group to connect with via your blogs or in person to provide mutual support & encouragement. You can see all of the registered blogs in a region by clicking on a region’s name in the sidebar of the site. Here are those who have registered in CMLE . Tip: See what people are saying on Twitter about 23 Mobile Things by following the hashtag #23ThingsMN  and  join the conversation.

Registration runs through Feb 15 and the program ends Jun 15. We estimate that it takes about an hour per app to do the program, so whether you are doing it on “library time” or on your own time, plan to spend about 25-30 hours over the course of the 6 months.

If you are undecided about the program, read the Welcome & the FAQs to get a sense of what’s ahead. Then fire up your device, register, & get appy!

Adapted from a recent  post by Metronet, the Twin Cities multitype library system.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Blogging Terminology Guide

Image by AJC1. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by AJC1. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

If you are registered in the 23 Mobile Things program, Thing 1 involves setting up a new blog, or refreshing an old blog! Whether you are new to blogging or you wonder how much you really know about blogging, the Free Technology for Teachers site offers a short guide to blogging terminology.  For instance, do you understand the use of a permalink? Check it out here ; perfect your blogging skills to rockstar status!