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Apps for Scholarly Research: Implications for Discovery and Learning . Robin Canuel , McGill University Library robin.canuel@mcgill.ca Chad Crichton , University of Toronto Libraries ccrichton@utsc.utoronto.ca. LOEX 2013 - Nashville, Tennessee. Learning Objectives. Participants will…
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Apps for Scholarly Research: Implications for Discovery and Learning Robin Canuel, McGill University Libraryrobin.canuel@mcgill.caChad Crichton, University of Toronto Librariesccrichton@utsc.utoronto.ca LOEX 2013 - Nashville, Tennessee
Learning Objectives Participants will… • Discover the value of mobile applications for scholarly research in a variety of disciplines. • Appreciate the breadth of teaching and learning opportunities afforded by mobile technologies. • Understand the ways in which mobile technology and apps are impacting the future of research and teaching.
Introduction • Mobile technology and information literacy. • Rapid development of the mobile environment over the last two years. • Changing nature of how people work with their mobile technology.
The Mobile Explosion and Apps • Pew Internet & American Life Project (2013) - 87% of American adults own a cell phone, and 45% of American adults now have a smartphone. • January 2013, 26% of American adults own an e-book reader, and 31% own a tablet computer. • EducauseCenter for Applied Research (ECAR) - 62% of undergraduate students owned a smartphone, 15% owned a tablet, and 12% owned an e-reader (Dahlstrom, 2012). • Horizon Report (2013) - Identified tablet computing as having a major impact in the near-term (next 12 months).
There’s an app for that! • Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store have more than 800,000 apps available to download. (Apple, 2013; Paul, 2013)
Mobile Applications for Academic Research • Can be incorporated in to teaching and research activities • Access information • Data collection • Working directly with content and creating new content
Library Workshop Mobile technology for academic purposes • Connectivity • E-formats and DRM • Accessing content • Managing content • Productivity apps
Productivity Apps • Reading • Citation management • Cloud based storage • Writing and note taking
Reading • Adobe ReaderFree! • BluefireReaderFree! • Good Reader$4.99 • Read and manage your articles and eBooks • Highlight, and draw or write, on the PDF • Annotation tool which allows you to write notes, and save or email them to yourself
Reading • Ebrary • OverDrive • BrowZine • Read and manage your subscription-based articles and eBooks • Institutional Subscription required
Citation Management • EndNote$1.00 • MendeleyReference Managerfree! • SenteReference Manager (Mac)$19.99 • Synchronize your Libraries • Access your references and articles on the go • Allows you to add reference to your library from several websites • Edit and tag your references on the go! • Also easy to share references with others
Cloud Based Storage • DropboxFree! • Google DriveFree! • EvernoteFree! • Synchronizes with your main web based accounts • Access your documents and media from anywhere in the world!
Writing and Note Taking • Documents to Go – Office Suite$9.99 • Pages (Mac)$9.99 • EvernoteFree! • With Docs-to-Go you can access and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, as well as other file types • Evernote is a great note taking app, but you can’t edit office documents • Evernote also allows you to take pictures, and record sound
Mobile Search and Data Collection Searching for, and collecting, information and data on an internet-capable mobile device: • Textual (keyword search and writing) • Spoken/mic (audio/voice capture and searching) • Camera (image capture and searching) • Location-aware services (GPS and Compass) • Barcode and QR code scanning • Augmented reality
Discipline-Specific Specialized Apps • GPS_LoggerFree! • The Night Sky$0.99 • iBird Pro HD$9.99
Discipline-Specific Specialized Apps • Patent SearchFree! • Layar - Your city 100 years agoFree! • Wolf-GISFree!
Activity Question – Brainstorm: What innovative and creative ways can you think of to use apps to facilitate mobile learning and research, and the development of mobile information literacy? In particular, consider the discipline-specific research and learning activities of your faculty and students that might benefit from mobile apps, including activities for which specific apps may not have been developed yet.
Opportunities for Research • Researchers can continue their work outside of the office/lab • Reference sources and other data available at a researcher’s fingertips • Apps sometimes allow for downloading data to the device • Researchers can record, collate, and analyze data they collect in a wide variety of formats. • App developers continue to create unique tools to assist researchers
Opportunities for Teaching • Building awareness and promoting the potential of these technologies to our students and faculty. • Workshops to teach students and professors about mobile apps, and the unique implications of working in a mobile environment. • Beyond teaching the fundamentals, librarians can also encourage the adoption of mobile technology by faculty to take their own teaching activities outside of the classroom. • Guides to mobile apps, and finding aides designed to help researchers to navigate the hundreds of thousands of apps available for use.
Mobile Apps Committees • Review free and vendor-supplied apps • Make recommendations for promotion or purchase of apps • Develop descriptions and instructions for using library-supported apps • Develop marketing strategies and training sessions for library-supported apps • Work with the website team to develop a web presence for apps • Assess the impact the selection ofan app would have on departments
Conclusions • Keeping researchers informed about current trends in mobile technology. • Learning about and promoting mobile apps. • Facilitate the use of apps by researchers and students. • New apps are being developed every day, many of which can be used for academic purposes. • As experts in information literacy, librarians are uniquely placed to assist faculty and students in navigating the vast repositories of apps available for mobile devices.
Roundtable Discussion Mobile learning - from 1:00-1:30pm in Ballroom 1 • Is your campus creating apps related to the library? • What apps are folks using for class related work that they did not have to develop? • Does your library have a mobile website and if so, how are you using it/referencing it during instruction sessions? • Are your mobile developments tending more toward app development or flexible web sites that work on mobile devices?
http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/classroom-tablet-600.jpghttp://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/classroom-tablet-600.jpg http://www.widencollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/thank-you-screen.jpg THANK YOU!
References Apple (2013). Apple updates iOS to 6.1. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/01/28Apple-Updates-iOS-to-6-1.html Bowen, K., & Pistilli, M. D. (2012). Student preferences for mobile app usage (Research Bulletin). Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/student-preferences-mobile-app-usage Canuel, R., Crichton, C. & Savova, M. (2012). Tablets as powerful tools for university research: Teaching the relevant skills. Library Technology Reports, 48(8), 35-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/ltr.48n8 Dahlstrom, E. (2012). ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology, 2012 (Research Report). Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/ecar-study-undergraduate-students-and-information-technology-2012 Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). NMC Horizon report: 2013 higher education edition. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/publications/2013-horizon-report-higher-ed Paul, I. (2012). Google Play Store: 800,000 apps and overtake Apple AppStore! RssPhone.com. Retrieved from http://www.rssphone.com/google-play-store-800000-apps-and-overtake-apple-appstore/ Pew Internet & American Life Project. (2013). Adult gadget ownership over time. Retrieved fromhttp://pewinternet.org/Static-Pages/Trend-Data-%28Adults%29/Device-Ownership.aspx Rowinski, D. (2013). Google Play will beat Apple App Store to 1,000,000 apps. Readwrite mobile. Retrieved fromhttp://readwrite.com/2013/01/08/google-play-to-hit-1-million-apps-before-apple-app-store Walsh, A. (2012). Mobile information literacy: a preliminary outline of information behaviour in a mobile environment. Journal of Information literacy, 6(2), 56-69. http://dx.doi.org/10.11645/6.2.1696 Zickuhr, K., Rainie, L., & Purcell, K. (2013). Library services in the digital age. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/Library-services/