This blog was edited on 6/10/15 to reflect upgrades to the site.
The Library section of the Theatre Education Community is what I like to consider a hidden gem. This area doesn't get nearly as much traffic as the discussions and blogs, but there is enormous potential.
Any type of finished product can be posted as a library entry. The best part is that it's not limited to Word Docs. You can post YouTube Videos, Power Point Presentations, audio files like sound effects, a series of photos, etc. Before I go into the "how-to's" check out some fantastic examples that already exist, like Matt Conover's entry here:
Social Media Workshop Deck & Video
Matt led a workshop at last year's Thespian Festival, then added his visuals to the Library so that workshop attendees could revisit the materials later and he could expand his message to anyone who wasn't able to attend his workshop.
Shira Schwartz shared a Theatre History assignment along with a grading rubric:
Theatre History
Matthew Ward posted a beautiful Power Point of some Phantom of Opera pieces he planned to sell:
Phantom of the Opera
Have the wheels started turning? Do you have something to add to the library? Let me walk you through it:
1. Log in. As usual, you'll need to be logged in to your account before you can participate.
2. Update your profile. Add a profile picture so that it shows you as the "owner" of the resource you will be posting.
3. Hover over the "Community" tab in the main navigation bar and choose "Open Forum" (or "My Communities" to explore other groups you belong to).
4. Next to "Latest Shared Files" click on the green "add" button.
5. Fill in the required fields, shown in red below. Here's a brief explanation of each field:
TITLE: Remember that all Community content is searchable, so be sure to give it a title that accurately describes what you will be posting.
DESCRIPTION: Not required, but recommended. Give a brief summary about your resource.
LIBRARY: A library is associated with each Community group. This allows you to choose the Community best suited for your resource (most likely Open Forum).
ENTRY TYPE: This will determine the next steps in the library process. It will walk you through exactly what you need to do for each specific type of entry. For example, adding a YouTube video is quite different from adding a Word Document.
6. Once the fields are filled in, click on the blue "Next" button and it will take you on to the next step, uploading your file. Click on "choose" to find the file on your computer. Once the title shows in the box, click on "Upload Files" to add it.
If you have more than one file, repeat the process in all three boxes. If you have more than three files to group together, click on "add another file" until you have adequate space.
7. The name of your file(s) should now show up as "Existing Files." Click on "Next" to write a description for each file, or click "Finish" to post the resource to the Community library.
8. How your file will look when complete:
As always, don't hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance
with this task or have any other questions. You can reach me through
the Community or by email at gbutsch@schooltheatre.org.
Did you miss my other "Community Tips" blogs? Use the handy links below to become a Community expert!
Searching Community Content
Writing a Blog
Participating in Discussions
Adding Photos to Blogs or Discussions
Also, don't forget that we have video tutorials in our Community Help Library (https://www.schooltheatre.org/newtocommunity) in case that's more your speed. If you have ideas for more Community Tips, let me know!