Tag Archives: Tech

Academic, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Services, Special, Tech

Learn to build your own Android app

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Look how cute he is! Let’s build an app!

There are many interesting apps available for library use, and we are looking at some of them this week. But what if you want something that is unique to the special needs of your library? What if you want to stretch yourself and your tech skills by trying something new? What if you just don’t want to pay for an app??

You might be the perfect audience for this (free!) Udacity class!

Android Development for Beginners How to Make an Android App gives you some training in Java and programming for Android. “This course is designed for students who are new to programming, and want to learn how to build Android apps. You don’t need any programming experience to take this course. If you’ve been using a smartphone to surf the web and chat with friends, then you’re our perfect target student!”

Your library may want to reach out to patrons in a way that works for them, and speaks to them with tools they are already using. “Android powers over 80 percent of the world’s smartphones, and represents an incredible opportunity for developers everywhere. The next billion people coming online will interact with the internet for the very first time on a mobile device. Building for Android gives you the best opportunity to reach these users and make an impact — both in your community, and on the world.”

You may not need to connect to everyone in the world – but you do want to connect with as many of your potential users as possible; and an app you create may be one tool to help make that happen!

 

Academic, School Media Specialist

Use Cloudschool to create & publish multimedia lessons

 

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Make lesson planning easier!

Cloudschool is a platform that allows teachers to create and publish multimedia lessons. It is also free!

This article from the blog FreeTech4Teachers explains how both teachers and students can benefit from using Cloudschool. Instructors can choose how they want their lessons to appear, by using text, pictures, audio, and videos. They can download and print copies of their lessons, or share them online with other instructors. Students are able to access their lessons from anywhere, and can see their grades and feedback easily.

The platform also has a way for instructors to ask discussion questions, and have students answer them within Cloudschool. There are lots of special features, like visibility control and keeping up with current grade level curriculum.

Watch this short video for an introduction to Cloudschool:

 

 

 

General

Encryption tools: VeraCrypt vs. Bitlocker

Broad_chain_closeupSo what is encryption and why should you care about it? You can read LifeHacker’s explanation but put simply it’s a way to protect your data and files from others being able to read them. Like a decoder ring for your computer files where only you know the password.

LifeHacker recently highlighted 2 options for the Windows OS: VeraCrypt and Bitlocker. VeraCrypt is open source while Bitlocker is the Microsoft built in product. Both are good but VeraCrypt seemed to win the hearts of LifeHacker. From improved security, ease of use, and freely available, VeraCrypt seemed the way to go.

But in the end, they recommended that the use of something is better than nothing when it comes to protecting your files.

Read the whole article now!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/keezlpu, licensed under CC BY 2.0
General, Public, School Media Specialist

Capture the school year in review on video

Sticking to the scriptWhat better way to sum up the school year than with an interactive video summary? Lucky for us Richard Byrne of FreeTech4Teachers.com wrote about and created a how-to video to show us how!

In the blog post, Byrne mentions that you can use YouTube’s photo slideshow tool, Stupeflix or Animoto to create audio slideshow videos. But Byrne seems most excited about Wideo. With that tool, you can insert interactive buttons into each frame of your video and the buttons can link to any webpage allowing users to click on them when watching your video.

Check out the video below or read the whole blog post now:

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/nptavrl, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

 

General

Best antivirus tools of 2016

passwordUnfortunately antivirus tools have become a necessity when buying a new computer or upgrading your existing one. But with the deluge of choices, how do you decide which one is right for you? PCMag to the rescue with their list of 42 of the best antivirus utilities. The list ranks them using common features and even links to more detailed PCMag reviews when you’re ready to narrow your search. With prices, features, and testing results the deluge of choices just got a little more manageable!

Read the whole article now.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/ozh4sn8, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0