Registration is now open for R23: 23 Things for Information Skills

Welcome to registration day for R23 : 23 Things for Information Skills.We're very excited about what's to come for the next couple of months and look forward to meeting everyone online.

Registration is an easy two-step process. In fact, if you're reading this by email then you've completed step one of the registration process already. Please read through these steps carefully, as well as essential information about how the course works.

How to Register

Step one: Subscribe to this blog. On our home page you will see an option to enter your email address to subscribe on the top right. This means that you will receive  our blog posts directly to your email inbox. That's it! you can now relax and wait for our next blog post to arrive into your email inbox. 

Click on this link to subscribe: Subscribe to R23: 23 Things for Information Skills by Email

Step two: Register your details with us. We will provide a registration form on this website for participants to complete after 9 September. We will be asking you for the address of the blog that you plan to use when writing the Reflective Practice posts during the course, and a few other optional details. Blogging is a core part of the course and essential if you want to apply for the digital open badges.

Don't have a blog? Don't worry, in Thing 1 on 9 September we will cover how to do set one up and advise you about which blogging platform might suit you best. If you already have a blog you can use it for your course. We recommend using a personal blog rather than an institutional blog. 

If you registered for our previous course in 2015 and plan to do this one you can use the same blog, but you do have to register again. You can skip Thing's 1 and 2 and go straight to Thing 3 on 16 September.

Registration will remain open for the duration of the course.

Because you can pick and chose which sections of the course to do, you don't have to register immediately. We would recommend completing the first step of registration so that you don't miss the blog posts that are published later in the course.

 

If for some reason you're email cannot receive a blog feed, or you would rather not subscribe by email we have an alternative suggestion. 

Use an RSS feeder

An RSS feeder is a tool that will scan any websites of your choice for new content and deliver that content to an inbox (not your email) for you to read at your leisure. RSS feeders are useful when you have a number of websites that you regularly like to visit to read new content. It can be time consuming to have to periodically check these websites for new content, RSS feeds cut out this work for you.
All you have to do is set up an account with an RSS feed service of your choice, bookmark the websites that you want to follow through that RSS feed service and then every time you log-in you will find all the content there waiting for you.
We recommend Feedly as a reliable, free RSS feeder. We use it ourselves to keep track of all the Rudai 23 participant's blogs. You can sign up for free using your email address. When you log into feedly, search for our blog using our web address www.rudai23.blogspot.com and click on follow. Everytime you log into Feedly any new course content that we publish will be waiting for you.
Feedly is also available as an app for android and apple devices. 

How the Course Works

Each module or 'Thing' will be taught through this blog via a blog post. The module will consist of a brief introduction to the topic, with information about some online tools. You will learn how to access and use these tools as well as read about some examples of them being used in a library setting. We will be using a mixture of images, links and embedded video to teach the modules. Depending on your firewalls you may not get all the content in your email inbox, and you might have to click on external links to access the content. 

You will then be set a task at the end of each module, usually to explore the tools discussed in the blog post. To read the post and carry out the task could take up to an hour or two depending on the content and how much you want to explore.

The course is divided into four sections 

 

You can chose which section you plan to complete and apply for a digital open badge once you've completed the Things for that section. The first digital open badge, Visual Communicator, has some optional Things.
You must write one reflective blog post about your experience of doing the group of Things for that particular badge and submit this blog post as part of your application for the digital open badge.
Only one blog post is necessary for each digital open badge, but because of the reflective nature of the writing you might find it easier if you write notes as you complete the tasks, or begin a drafted blog post with your thoughts while they are fresh in your memory.

Take a look at our page on badges for more information about the badges that you can earn. 

Take a look at our FAQ page and Helpful Hints page for more information on the course and things like password management.

Here is a link to a downloadable PDF brochure with more details about our four digital open badges and the content we will cover in them. You can also read about them here:

• Badge 1: Visual Communicator
• Badge 2: Online Networker
• Badge 3: Critical Thinker
• Badge 4: Engaged Professional 

Keeping on schedule

 

We have created a Google calendar of the schedule of the course. This is publicly available if you want to search for it in Google calendar. It's called R23: 23 Things for Information Skills. You will also find it permanently at the bottom of our blog homepage.

Here is how to import our calendar into your google calendars:

 

Open Google Calendar.
Next to "Other calendars" on the left, click the Down arrow .
Select Add by URL.

Copy and paste the fllowing link to the calendar into the field provided:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/1q8i94jttgoafjm8eh5r3o0ptg%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Click Add Calendar. The calendar will appear on the left side under "Other calendars."

You can then edit your notification preferences so that you know what's coming up.

 Work Offline

Once you have your blog set up you can easily submit your blog posts by email.

Here are some simple instructions on how to post by email using Blogger. Obviously this only works if you chose to use Blogger as your blogging platform.

Here are similar instructions if you chose to use Wordpress as your blogging platform.

Please feel free to comment on this or any of our blog posts if you have questions or thoughts about the course.

Good luck with the course.

Earn your fourth digital badge on the new Rudaí 23 online course

No man is an island according to John Donne, and this is certainly true when it comes to the information professional. We are a vibrant, collaborative and involved community, always willing to share our knowledge with each other. In order to tap into that knowledge bank, we need to be an ‘Engaged Professional’, so titles our fourth digital open badge. Read about our first open badge Visual Communicator here, our second badge Online Networker here and our third Critical Thinker one here. Our final badge ‘CPD Champion’ is a special reward you can apply for if you complete the previous four.

The Engaged Professional badge comprises four Things; Thing 19 Podcasts, Thing 20 Advocacy and Engagement, Thing 21 Professional Organisations, and Thing 22, our final Reflective Practice. This set of Things is designed to help you reflect on the profession as a whole and the part you play in it.

The beauty of Podcasts is that they suit the multitasking librarian. They are digital audio files delivered through the internet, similar to a radio show.  While walking your dog or stacking the library shelves you can catch up on professional subjects and current activities in any field. A great Irish podcast is Librarians Aloud, especially episode three which details our first run of Rudaí 23 in 2015. In Thing 19, as well as curating a list of worthy Podcasts, you will discover the tools and ability to create your own.

Now is the most important time in our history to advocate. In this digital era, we have seen a tendency to disregard the library and its staff, falsely assuming everything is available online, or everything online is authoritative and all encompassing. We have been introduced to Open Libraries, debilitating budget cuts, library closures and the like. It’s important that the public knows the role the information professional plays and how essential it is. Unless we advocate for our libraries, and rally those around us to do the same, they will no longer exist. We also need to advocate for ourselves. Thing 20 will help you ensure that your value and worth are appreciated in your organisation and your position flourishes.

Save our libraries campaign

Information professionals have learned by now that it is our collective voice that has the largest impact. It is crucial that we are part of a professional organisation. Being so will keep you informed, give you an opportunity to network with likeminded colleagues, provide a forum to exchange ideas and a platform to boost your career through CPD activities. It is through our immersion in the Western Regional Section of the Library Association ofIreland that we created Rudaí 23. Thing 21 will introduce you to some of the main professional bodies you should be aware of, such as the Library Association of Ireland, and hopefully lead you on the path to further learning opportunities and library joy. Eligibility to apply for this LAI certified digital open badge requires you to complete a Reflective Practice with Thing 22, your penultimate module.

Thing 19: Podcasts  January 6^th 2018

Thing 20: Advocacy & Engagement  January 13^th 2018

Thing 21: Professional Organisations  January 20^th 2018

Thing 22: Reflective Practice Write January 20^th 2018

Subscribe to our blog to get updates about Rudaí 23 and receive the modules straight to your email!

Earn your third digital badge on the new Rudaí 23 online course

Internet map, The Opte Project / Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 2.5 

Welcome to the third installment in our series introducing our Rudai 23 digital badges, focusing on our Critical Thinking Badge. You can read about Badge 1 (Visual Communicator) here, and Badge 2 (Online Networker) here. 

The popularization of the internet, now in its third decade, has put the ability to produce and circulate information into the hands of pretty much anyone. This has upsides, of course, including the ability to share one’s intellectual or creative work and to have access to a huge diversity of information sources. Yet the downsides include those expressed most recently in the cultural shorthand of ‘fake news’ – information of any quality, including outright, misleading falsehoods, now circulates with dizzying speed and to potentially devastating impact. 

As stewards of information, information professionals are subject to a special imperative to be able to think critically about the information universe overall as well as their own digital ecologies. This badge will require contemplation and engagement with tools to help with four distinct aspects of critical thinking as it pertains to information. We’ll start with a lesson touching on the legal side of one’s digital presence, including the ins and outs of Creative Commons digital licensing. We’ll then take a fresh look at Wikipedia, considering it as a potential tool to sharpen one’s information evaluation skills. Thing 16 will involve taking a look through tools that can help manage your personal information – and therefore, your time – to help with your efficiency as an information worker. These will include apps like Flipchart and Evernote. Finally, in Thing 17, we’ll look at tools you can use to help share your work if your critical thought about information extends to a presentation or piece of writing about your insights that ought to be shared with others, so tools like SlideShare and ResearchGate. 

Along with a snazzy, Library Association of Ireland-accredited digital badge, after completing this suite of Things, you’ll have sharpened your critical senses when it comes to information. You’ll be that much better at navigating the hot mess of the 21st century digital environment, and better able to help others to do so, too. 

Thing 14: Your Digital Footprint, eg. Creative Commons, 02/12/2017 
Thing 15: Evaluating Information, eg. Wikipedia, Wikibrarian, 09/12/2017 
Thing 16: Personal Data Management eg. Flipchart, Evernote, 16/12/2017 
Thing 17: Sharing Your Work, eg. SlideShare, ResearchGate, 23/12/2017 
Thing 18: Reflective Practice, 23/12/2017

Subscribe to our blog to get updates about Rudai 23, including our next post, about our fourth Digital Badge (Engaged Professional), out next week! 

Earn your second digital badge on the new Rudaí 23 free online course

Earn your second digital badge on the new Rudaí 23 free online course

Second Digital Badge: Online Networker Badge 

Welcome to the second of our series of four blog posts that explains all 23 things in this updated Rudaí 23 online course. 

Check out our first blog post here on how to earn your Rudaí 23 Visual Communicator badge. 

Today we are going to show you how to earn your Rudaí 23 Online Networker badge.

Firstly, I would suggest that you do follow Rudaí 23’s blog, add in your email address on the right hand side of the website and hit submit. Doing this will allow you to get regular updates as the course progresses, which will act as a gentle reminder as the weeks go by.

Date for the Diary: 28^th of August is registration day, details will be available soon.

Networking is to “interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts”. Transfer this onto online capacity and you become an online networker. These terms networker & online networker are not new to the LIS community. Dalton (2013) has written about new professional’s attitudes towards Twitter, Maleeff & Hicks (2015) have written with encouragement on how to develop your networking skill, Monagle & Finnegan (2016) have explored the connection between social media and independent continuing professional development within the LIS community.

Online networking is very easy, you can begin by focusing on one or two social platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn to build your profile. You could expand your networking circle by setting up a profile on ResearchGate where you can showcase your academic writing, and link in with other researchers that have similar interests to your profession. Within each thing for online networking, we cover some of the platforms mentioned and more. Each thing has been designed to give you the skills to be a competent online networker.

To begin thinking about online networking take a look at what it is you are doing already, what would you like to change? Are you using social media for personal reasons only and wish to transfer into a more professional space? Things to get you thinking could be your profile picture (no selfies). Think about the content you wish to share but more importantly the content you wish to engage with. Think about the conversation you wish to have with likeminded people online, maybe you are a school librarian and wish to reach out to teachers for information? Thing 10 will introduce you to networking tools, like Twitter. From there we will look how to build your professional brand through tools like LinkedIn. The most interesting part of building an online network is the many projects you become involved with. For that purpose, we will lastly look at how online collaboration tools such as Slack can help you develop a virtual relationship through team building.

So what do you have to do?

1. Complete a task for each module, each task will be at the end of each blog post.  

2. Write a reflective blog about modules 10- 12 and post it to your blog in order to apply for the Online Networker badge.

3.     

         Remember: Each badge is certified by the Library Association of Ireland, this is a great achievement and if you are a new professional it will look great on your CV going forward.

Here is the time line for the modules on Online Networker in November.

11^th November Thing 10 - Networking Tools

18^th November Thing 11 – Your Professional Brand

25^th November Thing 12 – Collaboration Tools

25^th November Thing 13 - Reflective Practice 

Good luck with Online Networker Thing 10-12 in November. We look forward to learning with you. 

Earn your first digital badge on the new Rudaí23 free online course

More than half of the world’s population are ‘visual learners’. This means that you can get your message across to these people more effectively by using some type of ‘visual’ in your blog post, web page, poster or social media post. Evidence from social media platforms tells us that posts with visual or multimedia content engage more users than ‘plain old text’ so the modules in this section of Rudaí 23 are designed to give you the skills to be a competent visual

communicator.

There are many elements of visual design that you need to be aware of and start to consider when preparing content for the internet. The font and colour you choose and a well-proportioned layout incorporating some white space are the basic building blocks of visual content for the web. Over the next few weeks the modules for the Visual Communicator badge will introduce you to copyright free image sources online, ensuring that you have access to free-to-use photos and images for your blog or poster. Once you’ve completed the compulsory Image Banks module in mid September you then choose which of the two routes to certification most appeals to you to achieve the Visual Communicator badge.  Option 1 introduces tools that are popular in the creation of digital posters and short videos that can be used in teaching or promotional work. Option 2 covers a very exciting opportunity to create your own online exhibition using free blogging tools, or learn a little about the Omeka platform if you want to take it a little further. Digital exhibitions are not solely a visual medium, you can incorporate audio and audio-visual material to tell your story and even simple online exhibitions, of a just few pages, can be very effective.

When you complete Option 1 or 2 below and demonstrated that you have engaged with the learning material in the Visual Communicator section of Rudaí23 you will be entitled to apply for your first digital badge of the course:

Option 1:

Thing 3: Image-banks e.g. Flickr, Pixabay Sept 16th 2017
Thing 4: Communicating Visually Using Photfunia, gyphy, 
RIPL, Google Photos Sept 23rd 2017
Thing 5: Presentations Using Powtoon and screencasting tools Sept 30th 2017
Thing 6: Reflective Practice Write about Things 3, 4 & 5 Sept 30th 2017

OR

Option 2:

Thing 3: Image-banks e.g. Flickr, Pixabay Sept 16th 2017
Thing 7: Online Exhibitions Aurasma, Layar, Omeka Oct 7th 2017
Thing 8: Infographs Using Canva/Piktochart Oct 14th 2017
Thing 9: Reflective Practice Write about Things 3, 7 & 8 Oct 14th 2017


Good luck with the Visual Communicator modules in September and October. We look forward to learning with you.