LinkedIn Learning‘s ‘Tumblr Quick Start’ video tutorials
Thing 15: Digital Curation
Storify, Wakelet, and the impermanence of digital
Storify is a online curation tool that allows users to create a timeline or story by embedding text, tweets, YouTube videos, SoundCloud tracks, news articles, webpages, Instagram pictures, Facebook posts, Gifs, Flicker images, and more.
Storify has been open to the public since April 2011 and became a hugely popular curation tool. However, it serves as an excellent example of the impermanence of digital curation. In December 2017 it was announced that Storify would shut down as of May 16, 2018. But anyone interested in gaining access to Storify 2, a feature of Livefyre by Adobe, will be required to purchase a Livefyre license.
Read Storify’s ‘End of Life’ Statement
Many Storify users are exporting their content onto their own devices in order to save and preserve curations they feel to be valuable, and are moving their content over to another platform in order to continue to share and participate in online communities.
The Storify’s created for our 23 Things Tweet Chats are now available on Wakelet, a curation tool originally created to help university students manage links, tabs, and resources.
23 Things for Digital Knowledge Tweet Chat 2016 – now on Wakelet
#23EdCH Nov 2017 – now on Wakelet
How to use Wakelet, by Mike Press and Barbara Mertlova, Medium, 2018
Tumblr
Tumblr is a microblogging curation site that allows users to post text, photos, music, video, GIFs, and links. It’s a fast growing and social curation site that allows as much or as little anonymity as its users want so they can connect with the world, or just select friends.
Users can follow other users and view content directly on a user’s page/blog or in their own content feed on their Dashboard.
Users can create and share their own content, or curate content on a particular topic or theme from elsewhere on Tumblr or the web by re-blogging.
One of the features of Tumblr is the way it creates communities, in particular Tumblr has a very strong anti-bullying, anti-discrimination, and anti-hate sentiment. Communities support and encourage individuality making it a great space for exploration and creativity.
Some Tumblr Suggestions:
American Museum of Natural History – The American Museum of Natural History in New York City houses more than 33 million specimens and artefacts relating to the natural world and human cultures.
RadioLab – RadioLab are a popular and widely recognised podcast which uses state-of-the-art sound design, mind-bending story-telling, and a sense of humour to ask big questions and blur the boundaries between science, philosophy, and human experience. Their tumblr is just as rich and fascinating.
People of colour in European Art History – The focus of this blog is to showcase works of art from European history that feature People of Colour. All too often, these works go unseen in museums, Art History classes, online galleries, and other venues.
Museum of Selfies – When Olivia Muus (curator) and a friend went to the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen she took a picture for fun and liked how this simple thing could change the artwork’s character and give their facial expression a whole new meaning.
Anyone can join in by submitting their own selfie at museumofselfies@gmail.com or Instagram #museumofselfies
How to complete Thing 15
Locate a Tumblr blog in your field or hobby of interest and share this on your blog.
OR
Search the web for stories about Storify and other content platforms that have closed down, and reflect on why it can be important to own and backup your own content.
Additional Resources
If you would like to set up an account on Tumblr and explore using it as a microblogging platform we’ve created the following guide: How to create a Tumblr blog (PDF). Additionally LinkedInLearning‘s ‘Tumblr Quick Start’ video tutorials are a good place to start.
Indieweb.org have curated a list of site deaths, when sites go offline taking content and permalinks with them. Read through the list here
Losing My Revolution: How many Resources Shared on Social Media Have Been Lost?, Hany M SalahEldeen, Michael L. Nelson, Cornell University Library, 2012
Thing 16: OneNote and ClassNotebook
OneNote is a digital note taking app that allows you to take notes (handwritten or typed), create and save drawings, screen clippings, pictures, dictation, and audio commentaries. The notes can be synced over multiple devices, (PCs, laptops, tablets, iPads, iPhones, etc.) Notebooks can also be shared and edited by multiple people.
It also has excellent OCR (Optical Character Recognition) across the platform. This means that any text in an image, screen clipping, or handwriting saved to OneNote is searchable. You can also use this feature to convert text in an image, screen clipping, or handwritten notes into a readable text file.
Class Notebook
ClassNotebook is an additional tool that allows teachers to create and share a notebook with a class, including individual student notebooks, homework exercises, grading, and feedback. It can include audio and video recordings, and has drawing tools to highlight, annotate slides, sketch diagrams, and take handwritten notes.
Where to find OneNote and Class Notebook
OneNote is available as a part of Microsoft Office and Windows 10.
Both OneNote and Class Notebook are part of the Office 365 package. Users can also download an offline version to use on their PC/Laptop/mobile.
Top tip: To sync up your mobile device One Note with Office 365 or your PC version you will need to sign in. To do this click on ‘Create New Notebook’ you will then be prompted to log in, use your Office 365 or other login details. Once logged in click on the folder icon at the bottom of the screen to access any Notebooks saved to your Office 365 or PC account.
Interactive Guidance Videos
These videos (click the screen to skip or move on to the next step) have been provided by Microsoft Office and provide a great introduction to using both OneNote and Class Notebook with three training/guidance options:
University of Edinburgh staff and students looking for more help can attend an Office 365 Awareness Session run by Digital Skills. Bookings via MyEd.
How to complete Thing 16
Try using OneNote on your pc/laptop/device.
Create a new Notebook, add some sections, pages, and try out the features. Use the Interactive Guidance Videos to learn your way around the platform.
Write a short blog post detailing your use of OneNote and how this may/may not be of benefit to you.
