This document provides an overview of various cool tools that can be used by academic reference and instruction librarians. It describes screencasting, screen recording, and animated tutorial sharing tools like Jing, Screenr, Screencast-o-Matic, and ANTS Project. It also lists repositories of online teaching materials like MERLOT and Learnist. Dynamic presentation tools including Prezi and Projeqt are mentioned. Finally, the document discusses tools for use in the classroom like Google Docs, Bubbl.us, PollEverywhere, and Google Forms and recommends keeping up to date through blogs, colleagues, conferences, and the NCLA Technology and Trends Roundtable Blog.

1. Cool Tools for Academic
Reference/Instruction
Librarians
Jenny Dale
UNC Greensboro
Image credit: Tools by zzpza on flickr. [CC BY 2.0]

2. Tutorials!

3. Do you ever make tutorials?
A. All the time!
B. I’ve tried it before.
C. No, but I’d like to.
D. Never, and I don’t ever want to.

4. Jing
• What?
– Free downloadable screencasting software
• Where?
– http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
• Why?
– Free! Easy! Fun!
– Create screencasts or screencaps on the fly

6. Screenr
• What?
– Cloud-based screen recorder
• Where?
– http://www.screenr.com/
• Why?
– Free! Easy! Web-based!
– Create screencasts and share instantly, even on
iDevices

7. Screencast-o-Matic
• What?
– Cloud-based screen capture recording
• Where?
– http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
• Why?
– Free! Easy! Records up to 15 minutes!

8. Image credit: Wheel by Pauline Mak on flickr. [CC BY 2.0]

9. ANimated Tutorial Sharing
Project (ANTS)
• What?
– Repository of library/research tutorials
• Where?
– http://ants.wetpaint.com/ (project website)
– Videos uploaded to YouTube and Blip
• Why?
– Repository of tutorials that are not library-
specific
– Easy sharing and embedding

10. MERLOT
• What?
– Peer reviewed online teaching and learning
materials
• Where?
– http://www.merlot.org/
• Why?
– See what’s already out there and what’s been
done well

11. Learnist
• What?
– Like Pinterest, only fewer pictures of food
• Where?
– http://learni.st
• Why?
– Find relevant boards and share them with
students and colleagues
– Create your own boards to organize useful
websites, tutorials, and videos

12. Dynamic presentations!
Chemistry Day 001 by pennstatenews on flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]

13. Prezi
• What?
– Free Flash-based and web-based presentation
tool
• Where?
– http://prezi.com
• Why?
– Creates slick, dynamic presentations
– Good for classroom, professional
development, and even self-paced tutorials

14. Projeqt
• What?
– “dynamic presentations for a real-time world”
• Where?
– http://www.projeqt.com
• Why?
– Easily integrate images, videos, PDFs
– Take an existing presentation and make it fancy

15. In the classroom and beyond!
Classroom in the Afternoon by Thomas Favre-Bulle on flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]

16. How often do you teach or train?
A. Teaching is life, the rest is just details.
B. I teach fairly often.
C. I teach once or twice a semester/season.
D. I never teach.

17. Google Docs
• What?
– Cloud-based document creation and sharing
• Where?
– http://drive.google.com
• Why?
– Create interactive class activities that can be
shared publicly and edited by students

19. Bubbl.us
• What?
– Free, web-based concept mapping software
• Where?
– https://bubbl.us
• Why?
– Students can create their own concept maps in
class to help brainstorm keywords and search
terms

21. PollEverywhere
• What?
– Free online survey tool
– Accepts responses from web interface as well as
mobile devices
• Where?
– http://www.polleverywhere.com
• Why?
– Real time assessment data

22. Google forms
• What?
– Easy to use form-creation tool
• Where?
– http://drive.google.com
• Why?
– Great for assessment and surveys
– Could be used to create dynamic online
worksheets

23. How do you keep up to date with
technology and tools?
A. Blogs
B. Colleagues
C. Conferences
D. A combination

24. Keeping up through NCLA
• Visit the Technology and Trends Roundtable
Blog:
http://nclatechandtrends.wordpress.com
for information on upcoming webinars and
other professional development events!