Weekly Reader

Discouraging EDU Lessons from Netflix Streaming
"I like Netflix Streaming because I can watch the movie or TV show that I want, and on the device that I want, as long as it is available in the Watch Instantly streaming format. My changes in Netflix viewing habits, I think, tell us something about how our students will approach our course content in the future. We may not like it, but our students are going to behave with our course materials the way I behave with Netflix. If course materials are not available instantly and painlessly on all their mobile platforms, then they will spend less time with these course materials." -- Joshua Kim, Blog U: Technology & Learning, 6/16/11


Syracuse Sends Personalized Video Messages to Admitted Students to Stop "Summer Melt"
"Incoming freshmen at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications received a different kind of message welcoming them to the fall semester—personalized videos from two prominent alumni. On Friday, freshmen received e-mails with links to 30 second-long videos from Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare, and Contessa Brewer, an MSNBC anchor" -- Jie Jenny Zou, The Wired Campus, 6/16/11

2010 Environmental Scan (ACRL)
"Every two years, the ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee produces an environmental scan of higher education, including developments with the potential for continuing on impact academic libraries. The 2010 environmental scan provides a broad review of the current higher education landscape, with special focus on the state of academic and research libraries. The document builds on earlier ACRL reports, including the Top Ten Trends in Academic Libraries. The 2010 environmental scan is freely available on the ACRL website (PDF)." -- ACRL Insider, 6/16/11

Civil War Project Shows Pros and Cons of Crowdsourcing
"The University of Iowa is the latest to use crowdsourcing to let anyone online help do work once reserved for scholars and archivists—in this case, inviting volunteers to transcribe a trove of Civil War-era diaries. Like other recent attempts to tap the crowd for scholarship, leaders of the Iowa project are learning that free online help isn’t completely free." -- Jie Jenny Zou, The Wired Campus, 6/14/11

QR Code Dress Plays Video When Scanned
"Although QR codes have yet to hit the mainstream, there are some locations where they’re very appropriate: namely, the Webby Awards, which were held Monday night to honor excellence on the web." -- Lauren Indvik, Mashable, 6/14/11

The All-In-One on Engaging Your Audience: 11 Resources for Speakers
"As soon as you realize that speaking isn't just broadcasting with your voice and a microphone, you begin to consider engaging with audiences, from making them think and getting feedback from them to handling hecklers and simple questions. Here's our best advice on engaging audiences for speakers, from the vaults of The Eloquent Woman."  -- Denise Graveline, The Eloquent Woman, 6/13/11