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Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Join Us for the 4th Texas Social Media and Rural Communication Summit Friday, April 22, 2022 (Earth Day) in Fort Worth, Texas



The Rural Communication Institute (RCI) and the Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) are excited to announce their co-sponsorship of the 4th Rural Communication Summit and the 4th Annual Texas Social Media Research Summit. 

This summit will take in person at the Tarrant County College - Trinity River Campus and virtually on Friday, April 22, 2022 (Earth Day). The theme is "Creating Pathways to Communication (How Social Media is Helping the Environment). Think about: Earth Day, Sustainability, Agriculture, Social Media, and Rural Communities. This conference will include interactive workshops, demonstration sessions, and panels focused on the conference theme. 

Please register EARLY!

REGISTRATION FEES:

FREE - Limited to the First 50 people.

Lunch will be available downstairs in the TCC Trinity River campus. Please bring money for lunch.

***


Here's the schedule:

9:30 am - Opening Session

10:00 am - 
Rural Track: COVID-19 Outreach - Innovative Health Outreach in Rural Areas
Social Media Track: When Social Media Meets Higher Ed Classrooms
Interactive Track: Hands-On Workshop: Design Your Own Social Media Campaign (Earth Day Edition) 

11:00 am - 
Rural Track: Using Social Media to Recruit Rural Teachers and Showcase the Rural Education 
Social Media Track: Social Media Research Paper Panel
Interactive Track: Should You Depend on Social Media and the Internet to Save Your Photos, Documents, and Video?


Noon - 
Lunch and Twitter Chat

1:00 pm - 
Rural Track: The Internet Is My Nana: Social Media's Role in Shaping, Archiving, and Disseminating Family Knowledge
Social Media Track: Focus on Strategy: Creating a Social Media Plan That Works for Your Library
Interactive Track: Social Media Mentor Session: Student, Researcher, Practitioner

2:00 pm - 
Rural Track: How Can We Help Rural Newspapers Thrive?
Social Media Track: You've Written Your Blog Post, Now What?: Ways to Use Social Media to Promote Your Blog 
Interactive Track: Roundtable Session: Remote Work, Rural Internet Access, & Inflation

3:00 pm - 
Goal Setting and Next Steps

***

CALL FOR PAPER, PANEL, AND TRAINING WORKSHOP SUBMISSIONS: - 
Our next large Social Media Conference will be on Friday, November 4, 2022. If you are interested in submitting a paper, panel, or training workshop submission is June 30TH. For more information, please click here - http://www.tinyurl.com/SocialMediaConferenceCall/.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to jtedwards@tarleton.edu.

To discover more information about the Texas Social Media Research Institute - @TSMRI, please click here - http://www.tarleton.edu/TSMRI/

To discover more information about the Rural Communication Institute (RCI) - @ThinkRuralComm, please click here - http://www.tarleton.edu/RCI/

Please share with others!

***

The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.

Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

8 Highlights from the Texas Social Media Research Institute (2020 - 2021 Edition)


This has an incredible year for the Texas Social Media Research Institute and the Rural Communication Institute at Tarleton State University. Here are a few of our highlights:

Highlight #1 - We worked on a research and community project highlighting the 2020 U.S. Census - The North East Texas Counts - Texas Communities Counts project. Thank you Hogg Foundation!


Highlight #2 - The 9th Annual Texas Social Media Conference (Yes, virtual for the first time!)



Highlight ‪#3 ‪- Hosting the Fall 2020 Facebook Live Education Series!


Highlight #4 - Moving to a COMPLETELY online weekly meeting for our undergraduate and graduate fellows.


Highlight #5 - Working with AMAZING Undergraduate and Graduate Fellows This Semester!


Highlight #6 - Launching the "Think Rural Podcast" with our partner organization, the Rural Communication Institute.


Highlight #7 - Attracting Additional Research Funding for Our Graduate Students

Highlight #8 - Having an AMAZING Social Media Board Leadership team!

I know that we neglected to add something! Please write anything we did not include on the list in the comments section below. :) 

- The Texas Social Media Research Institute

Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Monday, May 17, 2021

App Review - Duolingo

App Review - Helping You Decide If The App is Worth the Download

Learn the (duo)LINGO

I do not consider myself very tech savvy, especially when it comes to the ga-zillion social media apps streaming from device to device. No, I am just a fish in this digital sea fighting the current stream of what we call social media communication.

My mission: to try out a new app. Not a mission I chose to accept but was more a requirement taking me out of my comfort zone. The zone of email, text, and candy crush which is the extent of my social media expertise.

Diving into a plethora of apps to choose from, I stumble across the ones promising to help me learn a completely new language in three easy steps. Well, maybe not that easy, but easy promises none the less. I choose Duolingo. Why? Because the logo was cute.

Duolingo Logo
Figure 1

Let's get started. I only have a few weeks to figure this out. The app opens for me to decide what language I would like to learn. I admit the opportunity to learn uncommon languages is nice. I think this option is great for those planning a business trip or dream vacation. Besides the typical language learning offers you would see, like Spanish, French, German, there are some that surprised me. Swahili, Navajo, and even Yiddish (about to be launched)! Interesting.

However, after perusing through the over 35 possible choices, I chose Scottish Gaelic. It seemed to be the right fit for me seeing as how I am half Scottish.

A few questions for data collection (how I heard about, and why I am using it) then I choose my daily goal. Regular option. Click. Beginner. Click.

Immediately I am tasked with choosing a picture of a boy from a list of 3 (girl, boy, cat) all with the Gaelic name under each. A lovely voice pronounces the Gaelic word for boy, balach. I repeat. Check my answer, and yay for me. I got it right. 

Screenshot from Duolingo
Figure 2

Two questions later, I am "writing" a phrase similar to early elementary readings of "See Jane Run". I click the speak icon a few times to hear the phrase in Gaelic and then make my choices from the list below. Cat and boy. Correct.

My sixth question is all on my own. Nailed it.

Daily goals are measured in XP (experience points). You get so many for completing tasks and bonuses. You have to keep the streak going each day or you may have a reset.

After creating a profile (name optional), you will land on your home page which resembles a type of vertical "tree" of phases for you to accomplish. The first phase is your introductory phase. There are seven more phases to complete before moving on to the tiered level of crowns within which are multiple phases.

Screenshots for skills
Figure 3

Overall, the idea behind the app is very good. It is considered one of the best FREE apps for learning a language according to PC Magazine. "Unique features and a clear structure make it a reliable place to learn new languages" (Duffy, 2020).

It is multi-faceted. Not only is it designed for individuals, but it also has been used by homeschool groups and classroom instructors. Common Sense Education has a five-star rating based on the reviews of educators. The overall consensus is that Duolingo is a "rigorous, appealing tool for supporting language instruction at all levels" (Bindel, 2021).

Student raising hand
Figure 4

According to Duolingo, they truly believe anyone can learn a language using this app. Their design was created to imitate more of a game platform rather than textbook learning platforms because, like most would agree, having fun while learning is a good idea.

Duolingo's mission is simple. Personalize education, make learning fun, and be universally accessible. The research behind their learning platform is accessible from the website. Publications and data are within reach to read and see for yourself.

Although I may not speak fluent Gaelic at this time, I found the thought of learning using this app to be quite enjoyable. Of course, I need to be more committed to applying the app every day. That is where I found it to be tricky. Without reminders, which you choose to allow or block, it is difficult to truly get all the benefits of learning a language.

I can definitely see the success Duolingo may have in a classroom or homeschool setting, or with someone who is learning a language for necessity- work or a trip to a foreign land. For me, because I am not invested in it, it was not grabbing my attention. The idea was there, but my lack of commitment was not.

Kelly Qualls is a senior Communication Studies major at Tarleton State University. You can contact her via Twitter @KellyQualls89

Duolingo is available through the app store on iPhone or iPad as well as on Google Play.

Works cited

Bindel, A. (2021, February 15). Duolingo Review for Teachers. Common Sense Education. https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/duolingo#:~:text=Pros%3A%20Comprehensive%2C%20clear%20lessons%20guide,differentiation%20and%20thoughtful%20classroom%20instruction.

Duffy, J. (2020, July 8). Duolingo review. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/duolingo.

Photo Credits

Figure 1: "duolingo" by tuaulamac is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Figure 2: "Gaelic has now been launched on Duolingo." by viralbus is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Figure 3: "Duolingo Greek for English speakers finally available (in βήτα / beta) Ζήτω 🇬🇧" by dullhunk is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.

Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Friday, May 14, 2021

App Review: Goodnotes

App Review - Helping You Decide If The App is Worth the Download

Digital Note Taking Done Right
By Robin Hicks

It’s 2021; it’s a technology run world, so what good is it to us Gen Z students with massive amounts of loose notes scattered around our desktops. It’s chaos. That’s exactly how founder of Goodnotes, Steven Chan, felt while studying math in Australia. 

Where It All Began
When the iPad was released in 2010, Chan saw this as an opportunity to solve the frustration of regularly losing his notes. He thought what if he could use this new iPad invention to take digital notes, where he could easily make changes and then digitally save them. After researching different apps and evaluating their features, Chan decided none fit his needs and therefore would create his own. 

A year later in 2011, Goodnotes was released by company Time Base Technology. With minimal promoting, word-of-mouth by current users pushed a steady increase in downloads, and since the launch of the Apple Pencil in 2015, the number of users has increased exponentially. 

Fast forward to 2021, there are millions of monthly users, 2 office locations in Hong Kong, which remains as the app's home office, and London, with a team of 34 members, and localization of 13+ languages.

Screen shot of Goodnotes
Highlighted Features

Search your Handwriting: Search any key word to find every place it appears in any of your notes in your library – written or typed. With new innovative handwriting recognition software, you can find anything you have saved quickly and efficiently. 

Annotate PDFs and PPTs: Freely edit and annotate PDFs and PowerPoints without having to change the typed text – it’s perfect for quickly signing any documents, writing in the margins on lecture slides, or highlighting important facts in an article. 

Organize your Notes your Way: You have the ability to build as many folders and subfolders needed, and guaranteed that no matter how many notes, PDFs, and files you have, they can be easily found.

Personalize your Notebooks: There is an assortment of paper templates including graph paper, dotted for bullet journaling, and standard lined paper, as well as already crafted weekly and monthly planners. It is also simple to add your own custom templates or import bought templates from notebook creators via Etsy. 

QuickNote - Instant Notes: This feature allows you to first take notes and create a notebook later. With a simple double tap, you have a black page; jot down that grocery list, a quick thought or that phone number you need for later.

Open Documents Side by Side: This feature makes multi-tasking the easiest it’s ever been with the capability to read an article on one side of the screen and take notes on the other. Or to simply drag and drop material from one page to another. 

Access your Notes on the Mac: With the Goodnotes app you can download the Mac version at no extra cost. With the Mac app you can always view any of your notebooks from wherever you are. 

Easily Share your Notes: With the capability to share your documents with the given shareable link, you can work on the same notebooks with multiple people. This makes collaborations easy and efficient.

All your Notes, Always with You: Goodnotes is compatible with all Apple products and has an iCloud sync feature, making easy access to all of your notebooks at any time. 

Other great features that are included are drag and drop support, flexible scrolling direction, PDF hyperlinks, document tabs, pen up mode, share and export, import, image tool, text box tool, zoom window, lasso tool, and shape tool. 

Positives and Negatives
After doing research and virtually speaking with other Goodnotes users, I have found nothing but positive reviews of the app. As always, technical difficulties will arise, but seeing as though the developing company and the team of Goodnotes employees have a positive working relationship, I see nothing but continued growth for the app. 

While I found nothing but positive things about the app, the one downfall is that this app is exclusive to Apple product users and is going to cost you initially $7.99 for the download. While you don’t have to pay for the downloads to other devices sharing an iCloud domain, the price may deter users. Especially with free competitors like Microsoft OneNote and the numerous Google platforms combined with Google Drive. 

Should You Use Goodnotes?
Let’s face it, as the world of technology continues to improve, the more the use of paper goods like loose-leaf paper, textbooks, newspapers and encyclopedias is going to decrease. This app takes a huge leap into the future of note taking and to top it off it is super user friendly. I would highly suggest Goodnotes to students, but also to professionals who need to keep an easy to access schedule, or professionals who are always needing a way to keep their ideas readily accessible. It also removes the need to carry paper notebooks and planners around. 

After the fast download, it takes no time to learn the way around the app and features you can utilize. And if you still don’t understand exactly how to do something, Goodnotes has a Blog with numerous articles that could answer your question, and don’t forget our trusty old friend Youtube and even TikTok. 

Where to Find Goodnotes 5?
Access Goodnotes 5 through its website (https://www.goodnotes.com), @goodnotes.app on Instagram and Twitter, or check the Apple store on your device.

About the Author: Robin Hicks is a Senior Public Relations and Event Management major at Tarleton State University. 

The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.

Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Remember to Register for the 9th Annual Texas Social Media Conference!

Thank you for your interest in the 9th Annual Texas Social Media Conference (#TXSocialMedia #socialmedia @TSMRI). The Rural Communication Institute (RCI) and the Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) are excited to announce their co-sponsorship of the 9th Annual Texas Social Media Research Conference. 

This conference will take place on Thursday, October 29, 2020 and Friday, October 30, 2020 and it will be in a virtual format for the first time. The theme for this virtual conference is “Distance Learning Doesn’t Have to Be Scary”. This conference will include interactive workshops, demonstration sessions, and panels focused on the conference theme.



The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.


Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Call for Proposals/Presentations - The 9th Annual Texas Social Media Conference (Due October 16, 2020)



This year, the Texas Social Media Conference will be FREE and it will be VIRTUAL (via Facebook Live). We are excited about this wonderful opportunity!

This year's theme is "Distance Learning Does Not Have to Be Scary"

Most sessions will be for individuals representing the following organizations (but ANYONE is welcome to present and attend). 

Target Audiences - School Districts, Colleges, Teachers, Parents, Community Educators (Agrilife, etc.), Workforce Education

Here are some potential topics:
 
- Virtual Audience/Classroom Engagement

- Education During a Pandemic (COVID19)

- Research During a Pandemic

- Higher Education and Social Media (Focused on Student Services/Academic Affairs/University Marketing)

- Live-streaming and Social Media

- Local and State Governmental Utilization of Social Media (Crisis Communication, Best Practices, Expert Panels, Developing Brand Advocates, etc.)

- Social Media and Teaching/Instructional Design

- Social Media and K-12 Campus/District Administration

Additional Information: Possible forms of submission include: panels (including roundtables and discussions), papers/abstracts, and training workshops. Submissions are due no later than OCTOBER 16th - http://www.tinyurl.com/SMCCFP/

Also, registration is FREE - You can register here - http://tinyurl.com/TXSMCREGISTRATION
*All conference sessions will take place in a private Conference Facebook group.
 
If you have any questions, please contact the Texas Social Media Research Institute via e-mail (texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com) via e-mail or telephone (254-307-8211).
 
Call for Sponsorships: ***We are also seeking conference sponsors (departments, small businesses, and organizations) campus and community sponsors). If you are interested in co-sponsoring this conference, please contact us.***

The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.


Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Monday, November 18, 2019

Rural Transportation and Communication (Grad Scholars - Group 4)


The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.


Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com
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