Checkout Audiobooks!

We've recently added some new downloadable audiobooks to our collection thanks to a program called "Catalist Digital."  For the next month, I invite you to take this new program out for a spin.  Visit CatalistDigital.com and use the username: lorenahs (replace the "hs" with "ms" "es" or "ps" for other campus collections) and the password: leopards to access these audiobooks.

You can listen to the book online, but you'll also find that you can download these audiobooks to your iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, or your Android phone or tablet.  The free app is available in the App Store and GooglePlay.  This is a great way to listen to your books on the go, and a major help to students who are struggling with understanding difficult texts. 

If you decide you like the program, we'll be happy to make you a free student account.  You can request one by filling out the Contact form on the blog or by speaking with me or any of the media assistants.  (Be sure to include the name of your English or Reading teacher if you use the contact form.)

Diigo - Your Friend for Online Research

I'm not sure who came up with the idea of "Favorites" - probably Microsoft (if not, I'm sure they took credit for it) - but they have been a staple since web browsing really got started.  You go to the same websites a lot; you mark them as favorites.  That way, you don't have to remember the address or go through the great big Google search that led you there in the first place.

Favorites are great.  You can even keep them in folders for organizing, but the Web 2.0 revolution brought about some other challenges.  Favorites needed to be accessed across multiple devices.  It's not enough to be able to get to your favorites from your desktop.  Why can't you have the same list on your tablet, and your laptop, and your other laptop?  Some awesome innovators came up with a way to make that possible - and they coined the term "Social Bookmarking."  

With social bookmarking (through sites like Delicious), people could access their favorite bookmarks from anywhere, and they could even share them with friends.  The people at Diigo, however, have taken social bookmarking to a whole new level.  Imagine a simple toolbar that you can install on all your devices which allows you to not only bookmark, but annotate and highlight information from any website.  The best part - the next time you open that same page, the annotations are saved (on any of your devices).  This means you can take notes on THIS article at your computer at home, and then pull up the article and continue annotating at school.  

Imagine for a moment what this could do for your research paper/project organization.  Take a minute to watch this video to get a great visual of Diigo in action. 

YouTube Channel

 

The LHS Media Center now has a YouTube channel with how-to videos for some of our databases and apps.  You can access the channel by clicking the YouTube logo on the right of the screen at any time or by clicking here now. 

If you have any suggestions for videos to add to the YouTube channel (or if you've created something awesome that you think needs to be included), submit the link and some information about it in the Questions/Comments form on the left. 

We'll be adding videos throughout the year, so check back often!

eBooks Available for Checkout

The Lorena ISD Media Centers now have eBooks available for you to view online or checkout on your iPad or Android (version 3.0 or higher) Tablet.  Most of the ebooks are reference and nonfiction titles at this time, but we do have some popular fiction titles (such as The Hunger Games Trilogy). 

To access these ebooks, visit the Library Media Center Catalog by clicking "Find a Book" on the media center website.  To only look at our ebook collection, simply click the "Ebooks Resource List" that is located right in the middle of the page.  When you find one you like click on it.  You will be taken to a login screen, and you should use the same credentials you use for logging in to AR.

Once you are logged in, you will have the option to Read the Ebook Online, Check Out the Ebook Online, or (sometimes) Download the Ebook.  Here's some info about each of these options:

• Read Online - This is the same as reading a book while

Audiobooks - Free & Paid

If you enjoy audiobooks, add a visit to Audible to your to-do list.  Their service (powered by Amazon) allows you to download thousands of audiobooks to your smartphone, mp3 player, or even your Kindle.  You can purchase audiobooks like The Hunger Games at regular prices (between $20 & $30 a piece) or you can become a subscriber and download a book each month (along with some other perks) for a monthly fee of $14.95. 

That said, if you're into the classics (or have to read one for class), such as A Tale of Two Cities or Pride & Prejudice, you can get those audiobooks for the low, low price of FREE.  For a great list of most of the free titles available on Audible, check out this article from Open Culture. 

Audible is a great site to visit if you're better at listening to those AR books than you are at actually reading them.

P.S. - Just want free audiobooks?  Try LibriVox!

Destiny Quest Mobile App

Keep up with your library media center account on your smartphone!  With the new Destiny Quest app, you can renew your books, hold titles that you want to read, check your due dates, organize personal bookshelves, recommend books to others and submit book reviews.  In addition to these great features, you can also search the catalog to find library media center books and resources that you need. 

To get the app just search "Destiny Quest" in the app store of your iOS or Android device.  You'll need to input our catalog url: http://lisd-lib.lorenaisd.net/, choose your school, and then input your username and password (the same one you use for AR and computer logins). 

Coming soon, the app will allow you to check out and read our collection of ebooks on your device, though we are not sure when that will be available.  Until then, it's a pretty cool app by itself.  Check it out, and if you have any questions, ask Mr. B. or Mrs. Webb.

Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire

Amazon and Barnes & Noble are in the middle of an all out e-reading war. Their latest additions have expanded the ability of the e-reader to music, movies, gaming apps and much more. The Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire have given users more functionality at prices that are not as frightening as the iPad (which hasn't budged from its $500 mark yet). These tools are a viable option for someone who wants a tablet that has many solid functions but isn't ready to shell out more than $300. Here are some ads for each.

The critics are really split on which one is the better device.  The most consistent thing I have found is that the best device for you depends on you alone.  The Nook Tablet seems to run better overall - better battery life, smoother transitions, and so on.  The Kindle Fire has Amazon behind it - so there is more content available (though Amazon is pretty much your only source for that content).  Check out PCWorld for a detailed compare and contrast.

Click the "Read more" button to see some commercials for each, and you can find more specs from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.