Mad Library Science!

Welcome to the very first installment of the Georgia College LITC's "Mad Library Science" blog postings.

What exactly do we mean by "Mad Library Science," you say? We're glad you asked...

At the encouragement of an educator in the Baldwin County school system (and alumna of GC), we are going to be posting information here on helpful educational technology. Some of these technologies are going to be new and exciting, and some will be not so new...but exciting nonetheless.

Just look here on the blog for posts with the "Mad Library Science" label and you'll find something that can help you as an educator, or even as just a person who's interested in useful technology.

For our first technological recommendation, we're going to introduce you to the wonderful mobile app that got this whole idea started: DocScanner.

DocScanner is an app (short for 'application' for those who may not speak the techno lingo) that allows you to turn your iPhone, Android phone, or mobile device using the S60 software platform into a scanner.

Yes, you read that correctly; it turns your phone into a scanner.

Once you've installed the app on your compatible mobile device, you simply open DocScanner, designate what type of file you want to save (JPEG graphic, PDF document, or OCR editable text file), where you want to send it (your Dropbox or Google Docs account), and then you take the best picture you can of the item you're scanning. That's it.

The implications are incredible with this kind of technology:

• Take a handout from your meeting and turn it into a digital copy that can be accessed anywhere.
• Turn a fun paper handout from a conference into a reusable activity for students.
• Create a digital copy of your example project for display in the classroom.
• Move one step closer to being "paperless."
• Bypass a compatibility issue with technological equipment in your classroom to make your resources work.

By the way, that last bullet point is exactly what our educator friend did with her copy of DocScanner. It's just one application of cool new technology that can be a great tool in real life.

DocScanner isn't free, unfortunately, but it is a fairly inexpensive piece of software for all that it does. DocScanner costs are:

• $4.99 for the iPhone version in the Apple App Store 
• $1.99 for the Android version in the Android Market 
• $1.99 for the S60 version in the Nokia OviStore

For more general information, visit the official DocScanner site at www.docscannerapp.com.

Thanks for stopping by; we'll see you next month with another technology tool in our next installment of Mad Library Science.

Finals Week in the LITC

Finals Week in the Library & Instructional Technology Center

*Need to de-stress? GC students are invited to the LITC to create their own stress-relieving squeeze balls. Activities begin on Tuesday, December 6^th at 10am and will continue until supplies run out.

*Board Games are now available at the LITC! Check out games and take a break from studying...just not too long of a break…

*The LITC is also offering “Food for Fines”. In this incentive, the LITC forgives $1 per can/box/package of non-perishable food item that is not expired (up to $25 per student). Promotion does not apply to lost/missing replacement fees or media equipment fines. Food for Fines begins December 6^th and continues through December 9^th. Food items will be given to a local charitable organization.

*Finals Hours: December 5-8   7:30am-2:00am

New READ Poster

The LITC is proud to present our first READ poster to promote literacy and to highlight the campus community. Our first poster depicts Amelia Pelton (Georgia College Director of Dance) and dancers from the Nutcracker Ballet.

Finals Week in the LITC

Finals Week in the Library & Instructional Technology Center

Need to de-stress? GC students are invited to the LITC to create their own stress-relieving squeeze balls. Activities begin on Tuesday, December 6^th at 10am and will continue until supplies run out.

The LITC is also offering “Food for Fines”. In this incentive, the LITC forgives $1 per can/box/package of non-perishable food item that is not expired (up to $25 per student). Promotion does not apply to lost/missing replacement fees or media equipment fines. Food for Fines begins December 6^th and continues through December 9^th. Food items will be given to a local charitable organization.

Finals Hours:

December 2       7:30am-9:00pm

December 3       10:00am-9:00pm

December 4       Noon-2:00am

December 5-8   7:30am-2:00am

Lynda.com!

The LITC, with funding from the Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee, is providing a new online training resource, lynda.com, for all Georgia College faculty, students and staff. Lynda is the leading provider of software training videos online. The Lynda Campus subscription-based Online Training Library® provides on-demand access to training videos on software, digital design, and digital media techniques.

Lynda provides straightforward training that can help you learn, master, and apply digital tools and techniques. You can search and learn topics by subject, software, vendor, and author.  Whether you want training in Microsoft Excel basics or the latest web design and development, motion graphics, you can learn software skills with access to more than 58,000 online video tutorials.  New training materials are added monthly.

All faculty, students and staff can access the service, on campus or off, by going to http://lynda.gcsu.edu and entering your MyCats password. For support contact the serve help desk at 478-445-SERV (7378).

New Activities and Exhibits in the LITC!

New Activities and Exhibits in the Library & Instructional Technology Center:

Ceramic Exhibit: Professor Sandra Trujillo’s Ceramics I class’ work is exhibited on the second floor of the LITC. The artwork incorporates the coil building technique based on the class’ study of historical ceramic forms from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

International Center Photography Competition: The winning photographs are displayed on the second floor of the LITC. Come see beautiful images from study abroad trips and other student traveling experiences. Congratulations!

National Novel Writing Month Library Write-In (NaNoWriMo): During the month of November, Georgia College’s Library & Instructional Technology Center will host a National Novel Writing Month Library Write-In. The goal of participants is to write 50,000 words in 30 days/nights in the space provided on the first floor of the LITC. So grab your laptop, tablet or notepad and head to the LITC and write YOUR novel. Not only will you be helping yourself by interacting with other creative people and broadening your own perspective, you may also win a prize and be featured on the LITC’s webpage!

New Books: Alpha Psi Omega generously donated multiple books for the “Leave A Book, Take A Book” kiosk. Thank you for sharing!

Congratulations to Shannon Morris!

Congratulations to Shannon Morris, Georgia College Museum Curator, for being

named Museum Educator of the Year, 2011 by the Georgia Art Educators Association.

Art Class Installs 3-D Exhibit in LITC!

Art Class Installs 3-D Exhibit in Library & Instructional Technology Center

Georgia College’s Library & Instructional Technology Center (LITC) collaborates with Assistant Professor Crystal Wagner’s students to showcase their artwork in the atrium.

Assistant Professor Crystal Wagner’s 3-Dimensional Design students recently created and mounted their projects entitled, “Emphasis Cubes” in the lower level of the LITC’s atrium. Wagner states that the “project was inspired by artist Louise Nevelson, an American sculptor known for her monumental, monochromatic relief assemblage sculptures. Each student constructed two cubes, 15 inches x 15 inches x 3 inches deep. In one cube, they were confined to borders, while in the other they were encouraged to consider opportunities for breaking the square.” After creating their artwork, the students installed their work in the first alcove of the LITC’s atrium. Installation took around six hours, and Wagner stated that “during the installation process, the students worked closely together to create one large composition from their individual pieces.”