Yet more from the Information Resources Academic Development Group

Louise Preston

Within our team in Information Resources, we have a wealth of experience and a real diversity in skills and knowledge. Everyone, in every workplace wishes they had more time for professional development, and within Information Resources, we carve out an hour, every six weeks, to get together to talk about our work and focus on our development, as part of our Information Resources Academic Development Group (IRADG). Louise Preston looks at what's happening in the IRADG.

I last blogged about the IRADG back at the end of 2014 and the group had a small hiatus whilst I was on maternity leave.

However we are back and stronger than ever (or something like that!). We rotate our meeting topics, as we are such a diverse group, with alternate meetings focusing on searching and the interim meetings focusing on teaching and research respectively. This allows us to address the needs of everyone in the group, whilst acknowledging that the vast majority of us got into the role through information science and librarianship roles.

It has been really useful having Mark and Naila, as newer members of Information Resources at the meeting, as they bring knowledge and expertise from their previous roles that add to our experience.

So far in 2016, we have spent some time grappling with the advanced capabilities of Endnote (as we have relatively recently moved to Endnote from Reference Manager) and spent time discussing the development of teaching and training materials for online learning, and the pedagogical differences between face to face learning and online learning….and it’s only the start of March!

In our next session we are planning to discuss the following paper about the role of stakeholders in systematic reviews Recording and Accounting for Stakeholder Involvement in Systematic Reviews.

Information Resources, despite being a small team, always provides a team member to participate in the “Gone in 60 Seconds” slot, as part of our larger section meetings, with our colleagues in Health Economics and Decision Science – this month Angie Rees is going to talk about the ScHARR Health Utilities Database. This ensures that the work we do gets regularly shared with our colleagues in ScHARR.

Our future plans include a session on development of models and searching to populate these, from our very own Suzy Paisley and a catch up on all the conferences and seminars we have been attending and presenting at in 2016.

So as you can see, as well as focusing on our day to day jobs, we all enjoy taking the opportunity to get together and learn from one another!

App Swap Breakfast #2 - Curation Tools

The second App Swap Breakfast (ASB) took place with CiCS and looked at curation tools. As with the first ASB there was a good turn out with lively discussion that looked a few more issues relating to the use of apps and smart devices in the University. One issue that had arisen before the second ASB was that of presenting apps on a big screen. Many staff had experience of presenting slides and Web tours using their tablets and smartphones remotely using such as Haikudeck and Nearpod amongst others. Actually projecting apps onto a screen is not so straightforward but luckily a kind soul in our Corporate Information and Computing Services sourced us a cable in time for our iPads. It raised another of many questions, what cables, projectors and other infracture does an organisation need to do this fluently? Does it need cables given we are increasingly able to present wirelessly? For our session to get the apps on screen we did need a cable, but another question had arisen in my mind. How can we screencast and capture apps, especially when trying to demo them. Recently Apple announced that this will be possible on their new Yosemite OS, although early tests showed it was still not perfect for capturing apps. Even sites like Techcrunch and their tech reviews still often have a person holding the phone or tablet whilst showing the app to camera, but hopefully that will all change. That said, this approach is not all bad.

At the ASB Daniel Villalba Algas from the Department of Politics explained how he used Evernote to capture everything from meeting notes to useful Web links. Evernote is a simple note taking application that is available in a range of different devices, it is even available on the University's managed desktop.

Daniel explained to the group and writes below that he uses Evernote to take quick and simple notes that he later uses to produce more complex documents. Daniel listed some of the key benefits of the app:

• It allows you to record one hour of sound for note so if you are going to a meeting or conference you can record the sound while you are taking your notes. Daniel said that he was aware of his department’s students using it to record lectures while they are taking notes.
• You can also attach images to a note if it is easier than typing.
• With all these systems it is useful if you can sort and manage your notes and in Evernote you can create notebooks, tags or event link a note to a specific location so it makes very easy to find the notes that you are looking for even by geographical information.
• Comments are stored in the cloud so you can always have access to them regardless the device that you are using.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote

I looked at two tools I have championed for the last few years that help teach students and staff organise and manage their research papers.

Mendeley

Mendeley is a social reference management tool that has its own alternative metric for measuring scholarly papers. The application is available across most platforms as official and unofficial versions, with a desktop and Web version being the mainstay of the software. The mobile version sits in between both versions in terms of functionality and usage.  For any student or researcher working on the go and in possession of a tablet the app allows them to save new references and attached PDFs with the option to read these PDFs. Unlike the desktop version there is no option to annotate or highlight the PDFs, but nevertheless it is a useful reader. Users can tag references and access their references and papers within their groups.

The app is free and has an official IOS version, whilst there are unofficial Android versions, Mendeley say they are working on an official version. There is also a version for the Amazon Kindle which allows you to read papers in your Mendeley database.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mendeley/id380669300?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kmk.Referey

http://www.kinsync.com/

http://dev.mendeley.com/

The next tool I looked at was Readability which is more of a PDF reader than anything. The real value from Readability is by using it on your Web browser as it allows users to turn webpage articles into clean looking PDF type articles that you can read offline on your tablet device. Readability is able to turn a website from the one below into the pdf below that. It is a great way to stockpile interesting articles you may discover browsing the Web or Twitter and turn them into a reading list.

https://www.readability.com/apps

Before Readability

Afterwards

Claire Beecroft talked about two apps she uses to create and discover materials as part of her teaching. Claire captures below what it is she likes about these two apps; firstly the micro-podcasting tool AudioBoo and the journal browsing app Browzine.

Audioboo:

Audioboo appswap - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Audioboo is an app for Android and iOS and can also be used via  browser. Its free. You can record up to 10 mins of audio and embed the results in a neat little player in MOLE. Great for distance/blended learning, i.e: introducing a module, LO’s or a discussion topic, or for setting assignments or doing topical things related to current affairs.

audioboo.fm

Browzine:

Browzine is an app that allows you to ‘browze’ the e-journals at your institution. It links to the Uni’s e-journal subscriptions and allows you to browse broad subject categories for journal titles, then more specific sub-categories. Nice for current awareness and a more serendipitous approach to search. Reminds me of the old days of directories like Yahoo. http://thirdiron.com/browzine/

The third App Swap Breakfast will focus on sound and vision an will hopefully take place in July

App Swap Breakfasts

Back in January I was lucky to speak at the UICSA Event 'Changing Landscapes' at The Edge in Sheffield about ScHARR Bite Size. At the time I was in the process of handing ScHARR Bite Size - which I'd run for over three years to the ScHARR Staff Development Group' and was wondering about a follow on series I could investigate. At the conference I saw a brilliant presentation by Fiona MacNeill, Joyce Webber and Betheny Hewitt University of Brighton on App Swap Breakfasts.

App Swap Breakfasts are as you imagine a gathering based around breakfast time to talk and swap useful Apps. I thought this was a great idea and one we could replicate at The University of Sheffield. My thoughts were, although the Brighton model is based around teaching and learning, but it could be extended to every facet of the academic community to include research, communication and collaboration, why not, as there are so many useful apps out there and so little time to properly investigate them.

From my own personal experience I know many colleagues had tablet and smartphones and were only using a small number of apps beyond the core ones of email, Web browser, calendar and document viewer. I myself only use a small number of the few dozen productivity and professional apps on my iPad. The idea is also re-enforced by personal experience in that I was encouraged by my colleague Claire Beecroft to use the Turnitin App to undertake some essay marking rather than on my PC. Claire spent five minutes showing me the various tools within Turnitin, the marking rubric, the audio feedback and just how easy it was to navigate and leave comments and notes. So instead of sitting at my desk amongst the usual distractions of people coming into my office, checking emails and the Web, I was able to settle down in a chair and mark my essays in comfort. So all it took was for a colleague to sit down with me for five minutes, something I'm all too aware of in my role as trying to get others to adapt to new technologies and ways of working. So hopefully we can achieve what Brighton have done with this brilliant idea and share those apps we find useful that others aren't aware of, or have installed but not tried over an early morning coffee and croissant. What's not to like?

ScHARR Bite Size for Teaching #27 - What the CICS Learning Technologist Team can do for You! 31st October - 2.30pm, Eric Wilkes Room

ScHARR Bite Size for Teaching continues with a brilliant CICS LTT double act - head of CICS LT Sarah Horrigan is joined by Senior Learning Technologist Graham McElearney. As always there will be cakes, please come eat, meet with colleagues and learn something new or your money back! 

Opening up our practices - Going Google

View more PowerPoint from Sarah Horrigan-Fullard

Posted by Andy

I thought I'd share this wonderfully visual presentation by the University's Sarah Horrigan from this year's Google Apps for EDU European User Group meeting. It gives an insight into why we're Google, what we're doing using Google and where we're going with Google and beyond at The University of Sheffield. 

ScHARR Bite Size for Research #15 - Video and Podcasting in ScHARR - 2.30pm - October 5th - Eric Wilkes Room

Posted by Andy

with Andy Tattersall and Chris Blackmore

The use of video and audio content within Universities is becoming increasingly
common as we move further down the path towards a digital world. This is
especially the case with blended and elearning as a means to deliver content and
engage with students. Video and audio can also be employed as a valuable and
effective marketing tool for our department and courses through mediums such
as the University’s streaming video server 'uPlayer', YouTube and potentially iTunesU. It can be
applied in our research and gives a quick snapshot of what ScHARR does that in
the past meant pages and pages of text. Andy Tattersall and Chris Blackmore will
 look at the benefits of audio and video and show the work they have already
 done in support of ScHARR’s IHTA P&R course amongst other things. In the
session they will share the many things they have found out along the way as to
what makes a good and bad video.

IR Technology Bite Size

Posted by Andy

ScHARR Library are launching a new series of short 20 minute 'coffee break' sessions to give staff and PhD students a taste of the many tools, websites and techniques you can employ to work smarter. Ask yourself these questions...

Have you ever wanted to be more flexible with your work?

Have you ever wanted the ability to stay in touch with your research areas any where on the globe?

Do you want to learn about new tools and websites and just don't feel you have the time?

Do you want to form new networks and find people with similar research interests from any where in the World?

Do you want to find the hot topics in your area?

Do you want to create innovative presentations, learn better search techniques, have access to documents any time on any PC and manage your references whilst discovering new research?

Imagine Swine Flu returns, an Ash Cloud leaves you stuck abroad, Regent Court has a power cut - could you still work effectively?

Do you only have 20 minutes free and fancy a cake to go with that mid afternoon hot drink?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, read on....

The sessions aim to be about 20 minutes long and are presented by ScHARR's team of Information Specialists. Over the course of the next few months we hope to show you some of the latest tools that can help you to work more flexibly, efficiently and smarter. All we ask is you give at least one of them a go, all you need to do is turn up with a beverage and we'll supply the tubs of bite size flapjacks and mini rolls.

Bite Size Session #1 - November 10th - 2.30pm - Eric Wilkes Room - Go beyond Reference Manager - Mendeley

Billed as the iTunes for scientific research, Mendeley is one of many next generation reference management tools. Andy Tattersall will give a brief insight into what Mendeley does and what sets it apart from its counterparts, especially traditional reference management tools such as Endnote and Reference Manager.

Foe more information go to:

http://uspace.shef.ac.uk/groups/ir-bite-size/blog/2010/11/03/ir-bite-size-1--go-beyond-reference-manager-with-mendeley--10-november--230pm--eric-wilkes-room

http://www.mendeley.com/

http://uspace.shef.ac.uk/groups/ir-bite-size/blog/2010/11/04/ir-bite-size-1--mendeley

Future sessions:

All 2.30 pm till 2.50pm in the Eric Wilkes Room

Bite Size Session #2 - December 1st - Claire Beecroft - Prezi

Prezi- Prezi is an on-line tool for creating presentations using 'zooming' to make the presentation more entertaining and more user-friendly. You can zoom in on text and images to highlight key areas and improve student engagement and understanding. It is very quick to learn and you can store your Prezi's both on and off-line, share them or make them private, and copy a completed Prezi so that you can make minor amendments and re-use it for a different purpose! It's fab, its free, and it kicks PowerPoint in to touch. Its the single easiest way to give your teaching or research presentation the 'wow' factor and you can learn it in less that 20 mins- what's not to like? 

Homepage: www.prezi.com

A Prezi about Prezi: http://prezi.com/7okmswx_ex40/

Twitter group for Prezi support: http://twitter.com/#!/prezi

Wikipedia entry on Prezi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prezi

Facebook group for Prezi:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prezi/52193296770

Bite Size Session #3 - December 15th - Anthea Sutton - PBWiki, uSpace Documents and Disposable Web Pages

Fed up of email attachments clogging up your inbox? Collaborating with others on a document and struggling to know which is the most recent version? Spending lots of time collating comments on a document? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this could be the session for you!

This session will cover several ways to make collaborating on writing documents a whole lot easier.  You may already be familiar with Uspace but did you know you can upload documents allowing others you are working with to edit and add comments.  In addition, in this session we will also look at the Wiki PBWorks, which is a free online workspace which allows the easy creation of a project website which can be used for discussions and to upload documents to name a few functions. Finally, we will show you how to create disposable web pages – web pages that are easy to create and that can be set to self-destruct after 90 days – great for any short-term project work you want to do.

So, come along, see what’s what, and help make email attachments a thing of the past!*

January 12th 2011 Andy Tattersall - rss for Research

January 26th 2011 Angie Rees - Pubget / Louise Guillaume - Google Scholar

February 9th 2011 Andy Tattersall -  Professional Social Networks

February 23rd 2011 Andy Tattersall - Visual Social Bookmarks

Can any PhD supervisors please inform your students of these sessions. 

The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book

Posted by Andy

Mainly aimed at school level educators, but this is a useful and FREE collection of case studies and projects on how to employ Web 2.0 in to all levels of education.

• 87 projects.
• 10 further resources.
• 52 applications.
• 94 contributors.
• The benefits of using Web 2.0 applications.
• The challenges of using Web 2.0 applications.
• How the folk who ran these projects handled the issues...
• ... And what they recommend you do if you run them.
• What were the learning outcomes?
• And did I mention that this is free?!

	Download
	Amazing Web 2 Projects.pdf

Health Libraries Group Conference 2008

Photo by tizef

Posted by Anthea

ScHARR Information Resources was well represented at the recent HLG conference held in Cardiff on 21-22 July.

Andrew Booth presented on "Reshaping support services for the X and Y generations" and chaired one of the parallel sessions.

Claire Beecroft had a poster session on "Developing the skills of library para-professionals using a blended learning approach: Precept-Lite!".

Anthea Sutton had two poster sessions, produced in collaboration with Diana Papaioannou & Anna Wilkinson respectively:

"Systematic review searching: an evaluation of methods"

and

"The FOLIOz Experience: tailoring FOLIO e-learning courses to an Australian audience"

For more details on the conference, including links to presentations and posters, please see the HLG Conference website.