Instructional Project:

Using the Internet as a Research Tool
for Innovation
by Debra Orellana

Innovation is an intriguing process which often goes by the term strategic design and at its root is brainstorming. The thought process for coming up with my instructional project came from my own brainstorming session for constructing the lesson plan. I thought why not have students participate in a brainstorming session as part of the hands-on activity for the instructional project? And the second part to the hands-on activity would be for students to actually explore online resources to find out if their inventions were already patented using Google Patent and Trademark search, typing Google "key words" or using the U.S. Patent and T.M. Office: Patft.uspto.gov.  The ability to divide the presentation into two lessons helped in constructing and organizing the PowerPoint presentation. The lesson was intended for eleventh grade High School to College students and adults.

To design the slides, Piktochart was used. It was easy to sign-up with a Google account and the choice of type, colors, basic shapes, and available backgrounds helped to keep my layouts somewhat coherent. Once a slide was created, I used Grab on my mac to select the portion of the slides to use and saved the slides as jpeg images. This made it easy to bring in the images into my PowerPoint presentation file. It was quick, although to go back and edit a typo in Piktochart was not as easy. I would use this process again if needed. The colors in Piktochart are vivid and the menu items easy to work with helping users create captivating layouts and info graphics to help keep students interested. https://magicpiktochart.com/editor.

The introductory slides for lesson goal 1. Learn the Internet Research Process, provided students with a circular diagram with the following six points:

• Questioning before conducting an online search
• Planning the sites to explore prior to going online 
• Gathering online resources and information
• Selection process, including sorting and categorizing data
• Integration of information into given lesson drawing conclusions 
• Evaluating results and repeating the process as needed
(Florida Center for Instructional Technology College of Education, University of South Florida, 2014). 

Lesson goal 2. described the process of innovation as defined by Jay Doblin in 1978: 
• Alteration: intentional changing a product not necessarily improving its design
• Improvement: finding and fixing a deficiency or flaw either caused by technical or human error
• Invention: a dramatic innovation that starts or changes an entire field(Doblin Group, 2014).

The assessment for this lesson plan was also included in the presentation, describing the requirements for a five page research paper.

In creating my instructional project, I had the opportunity to learn some of the educational processes necessary to create a student lesson plan while incorporating how to teach research in a technology-driven world. I really enjoyed this project and the resources provided for our class readings on how to construct lesson plans.

Using a Screencast to Create a Database Tutorial

For my Database Tutorial assignment, I used the Apple QuickTime Player to record a screencast recording. QuickTime is simple to use and affords three different recording options under its file menu: New movie recording, New audio recording, or New screen recording. I chose the New screen recording and plugged my Logitech headphones with built-in microphone into the USB input jack on my laptop computer. When one selects the New screen recording option, a screen recording window in dark gray pops up and includes the recording buttons, so I pressed the red center button and an additional window popped up asking, "Are you sure you want to start recording the screen?" And one may press the start recording onscreen button. The window disappears during the recording and from this moment on all screen movements, actions or selections and audio is recorded until one stops recording by pressing stop on the recording menu bar. All "takes" are conveniently stored in one's chosen file. Other QuickTime options are certainly available, but for the simple task of creating a screencast tutorial, it might be wise to keep things simple.

For my database selection, I wanted to explore the Women's Wear Daily Subscription Database made available to Dominican University Students via the Rebecca Crown Library. I had come across this database a while ago as I navigated to the WorldCat database and have always wanted to check it out, and I am happy I got the chance to do so for this assignment. While recording the tutorial, I wanted to keep my actions very basic in order to be able to explain them as they were happening, from selecting the actual screencast program--QuickTime, to selecting the Rebecca Crown Library homepage, to making my database selection. Once the Women's Wear Daily window opened, I explained a little about the menus and selections while exploring the database myself. I really enjoyed the process, and as I tried to keep my eye on the time, I wanted to include a snippet of the video in order to add another dimension to my tutorial, which is that of music and visuals. I then wanted to guide the viewers out of the database and back into QuickTime to show them how to end the QuickTime recording.

https://vimeo.com/103101548

QuickTime is basic enough to be able to explain its use to younger students, and the ability to create a movie can be easy making this a great media learning tool. The recorded video movie or audio clips can then be uploaded into other programs such as PowerPoint or iMovie for further use of editing tools or movie arrangement.

Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science course:

LIS 724-10, Professor Katie Kirsch, 2014.

Creating My First Pathfinder

Creating My First Pathfinder

by Debra Orellana

In creating a pathfinder, I selected the topic of starting an online small business. I used the platform List.ly because it includes several layout viewing schemes for each list created such as list, magazine, gallery and minimal. Working in the list format provides a linear outline scheme which is very helpful in viewing the overall page layout. The curation mode, lists items in numerical order whereas the option newest begins the list with the last entry. List.ly also provides a template allowing copy input, image uploads and the inclusion of links, as well as additional options.

The majority of links and resources provided in my pathfinder is intended to guide readers to sources that educate on key small business concepts such as the U.S. Small Business Administration Office. The language is engaging and friendly so as to relate to readers unfamiliar with business terms in hope that they will pursue their creative business venture. Also included in the pathfinder are suggestions for readers to inquire about business at local colleges and libraries since many resources besides books may be available, for example The Chicago Public Library provides small business resources information and workshops at certain local branches.

Pathfinders are a smart and efficient means to organizing key concepts with the inclusion of additional related lists, links, tags and images, all functioning as a kind of online archive to be accessed when needed and most importantly, to be shared.

Please visit my List.ly pathfinder:

"How to Create Your Own Online Shop"

http://list.ly/l/PJA

Librarians Love to Share
by Debra Orellana

Learning is an ongoing process, sometimes we learn a lot of new things and concepts without even realizing it just happened. This kind of learning is good because it is automatic. Then there is the kind of learning one must initiate, or apply discipline and motivation to in order to manage time, weigh goals
and measure the outcomes. Because this type of learning is not automatic, it offers greater rewards within its process of attaining achievement and its outcome, experience.

As librarians we may take on many roles, information leaders, researchers, guides to library resources and programs and most importantly the role of teacher. Becoming a librarian is having to learn all the other roles to a certain extent, and what these entail. The process is an investment in achievement. Taking on many roles reflects the fact that as professionals, we have already
invested time in ourselves in order to help others.

Librarians are in a sharing profession, seeking information knowledge. It is important to keep
current in certain areas of librarianship such as technology so that this knowledge could be shared with library patrons. Being able to help and teach others is an investment to society and worth every effort. 

Digital Storytelling; a Team Effort!

Digital Storytelling--It's a Team Effort! by Debra Orellana

Having worked with team members Ashlie and Stephan was a great experience.
We collaborated from the onset in creating our first Digital Storytelling project
using i-Movie for Mac. Agreeing on a topic focused on library programming and promotion,
we chose to tell a story about the different kinds of collections made available at
The Chicago Public Library-Harold Washington Library Center--Special Collections.

The process of creating a Digital Storytelling project within a team provided a great opportunity for

members to learn collaboration, time management, collective agreement or disagreement and
member contribution efforts in order to reach the team's goals and outcomes. Through i-movie's design, team members can work in a platform open for exploration, suggestion, dialogue and the experience of creating and manipulating images, sound and video on a computer screen. Our team shared ideas and received helpful tips from our Professor in learning how to save and access an audio clip. Having a nice Digital Storytelling project at the end was a bonus! 

Using i-movie to create a "visual short" is a great promotional tool for libraries to
utilize in order to project during a class or program or post their finished program on
social media or a local cable community channel. Libraries may want to provide this kind
of software on their library computers and offer workshops for patrons wanting to learn
how to create their own Digital Stories.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

I must admit, there was a period in my life (circa fifth grade to college) where having to do a class project within a team environment caused disdain and sometimes downright panic. My headstrong inner child "I-don't-play-well-with-others" always surfaced, but now I understand why. 

 

I was a creative child and visual thinker and I felt compelled to either not share my ideas or need others to accept them. If there was a group project in class, it bothered me to have to accept other ideas and if it wasn't my way, forget it, I would not participate or contribute. This behavior of defending my ideas stuck with me through art school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Instead of having an opportunity to grow out of this immaturity, the behavior became a prerequisite in the art environment I was in at the time. It was an artsy, introspective environment which tolerated this kind of behavior since it was actually important to be able to critique and justify one's own creative work and to defend one's ideas. So there I was in front of my art class, still a headstrong "I-don't-play-well-with-others" type person, defending my work. But it was ok, because nearly every other art student channeled their inner "I-don't-play-well-with-others" too. It was a highly competitive environment, cat-y, with an air of snootiness. It would be a long time before I realized this about myself and accept to change. 

 

Now years later, how sad this was, to have missed out in sharing with other students. It would have been a much more creative environment if all the art students collaborated on team projects as well, and shared their ideas instead of competitively keeping them secret. I admit, it was very selfish. 

The classes in art school did not promote collaborative team effort. Most of the projects did not require to work creatively with team members, and now that I think back, it was a big loss to the students and the school itself. Students (especially those creative ones) truly missed out in being able to develop the skills needed to work with others in team environments, necessary in a good work environment. To be able to contribute collectively and feel happy about it, creates something special. 

 

Making a Traditional and Digital Flyer

Designing a Library Flyer
by Debra Orellana

Promoting Teen Tech Week sparked my interest after exploring several other library
celebrations to use in designing a traditional flyer and its digital version
(using the Smore website).

Brainstorming before creating the traditional flyer helped in developing a visual
and contextual theme. Anime characters popular with teens was the concept for making
the background creature with Gremlin-like eyes and smile using the shapes option
in a Word doc. I used electric neon-like greens and yellows reminiscent of
the early digital glowing numbers seen in Casio calculators in the 1970s.
I counter-balanced the first hues with a complimentary color of purple for the eyes
and the text box background color. By using bright colors and the anime-eyed character,
I hoped to add a sense of excitement.

Traditional flyer:

I also wanted to create movement by placing the headline and body copy at a right angle to capture some teen spirit and increase their curiosity. The next step was to write the copy in a way that would include enough information without requiring too much reading. To break up the key ideas of the flyer, the use of questions in small glowing type was used as pointers to the left of its corresponding information.

In designing the digital version of this flyer using Smore, it was tricky in trying to re-design the layout of my traditional flyer. Smore does not offer many options in designing a layout, but this could be a good thing given the types of electronic gadgets that could potentially receive the Smore flyer message. In this context, it might be best to keep things very simple and streamlined. In order to bring in a picture into Smore it needs to be a jpeg. or tiff file, so I did some file conversions using elements of my original anime gremlin design. I uploaded the character into my Smore flyer which added the original flyer color scheme, and I am pleased with the final digital flyer result, although there is no neon-like greens available for use.

Digital flyer:  https://www.smore.com/3fgwc

Creating My First Book Trailer

Creating My First Book Trailer
Using I-movie
by Debra Orellana

Selecting a book to promote for a Book Trailer film was the 
best part in starting the project.

[Assignment for the following course: LIS 724-10 Media Services and Production, 2014: Professor Katie Kirsch; Dominican University Graduate
School of Library and Information Science, IL].

Considering the time limit of no more than 2 minutes, a book trailer should make a quick impression and pack enough excitement or interest in hope of

getting someone to read the book! I selected the story of Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson, Finland: published in 1957. 

Children and adults will escape to the world of Moomintrolls, creatures and beasts, all taking on roles and characters not unlike humans. A Moomin is a wonderful "being" that could draw the emotion out of any age through adventure. Jansson's ability to create sophisticated characters yet maintain some of their undomesticated attributes is great.

After making my book selection, I labeled some digital folders: images (a folder for collecting any visual that might be useable), book trailer images (a folder for the final selection of images to use in the trailer), audio folder (background music, narration aiffs.) and a text folder. I began my search online for Moomin-related facts and images, and luckily came across an audio clip at www.soundcloud.com of Hugh Dennis reading a page of the story. Because this assignment is for non-commercial use, I ripped a snippet of the narration to incorporate in the trailer. I was also very lucky in finding images that pertained to that portion of the story being read! Having enough materials to get my project started, I opened a new project file in i-movie for mac. Using I-Movie is somewhat easy in that it allows a drag-and-drop environment for image and audio files, making it less cumbersome in organizing the movie progression or montage.

I wanted to begin the trailer with a pop of color and show Moomintroll the protagonist of all tales Moomin, but I also wanted to include quick, brief facts about the book in general. Because it would be a fast short, legibility was very important to keep in mind when designing the text panels. To create the textual layouts for the "facts" portions of the trailer, I used Mac Pages since this would provide a greater selection of fonts and is much easier to work with. Once a text layout was completed, I used the program Grab to select the portion of the Pages layout to use in the I-Movie, then saved the file in my text folder.

After bringing in a few images in I-Movie to begin the trailer, I soon dropped in the background music. I chose the Japanese bubblegum band, Crayon Pop because of its energetic beat, fun, young and contemporary. The images were synced (somewhat) to the underlying beats by nudging and changing the image lengths and tweaking the fade-ins and outs. I was able to drop in bits of the narration audio tracks read by Hugh Dennis in order to add another element to the "book trailer experience". My finished Moominland Midwinter book trailer is a little under two minutes in length, and is ready to save to file. 

"I hope you enjoy meeting the Moomintrolls!"