Wouldn't it be great if complicated technology concepts were explained in a simple way that's easy to understand? Imagine how something like this could assist you in training sessions for patrons or staff. Well look no further, Common Craft creates explanatory videos "in plain English" that cover topics like money, society, and technology.
 
In this free webinar, Stephanie Gerding from TechSoup will interview Lee LeFever, from Common Craft to learn more about their learning videos and how they are created. We will also hear how librarians are using these videos to support the needs of their community.

Wednesday, November 18, 11 a.m. Pacific time (12 p.m. Mountain time, 1 p.m. Central time, 2 p.m. Eastern time)

Space is limited, register today!

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TechSoup is about to embark on a grand series of events to help nonprofits learn and demonstrate ways to effectively tell their stories. Some of my favorite causes have captured my loyalty and heart strings through amazing use of video and images. Last year, I blogged about what a hoot the AARP voting video was. I not only signed up for their list (even though I'm far from their 55-year-old target age), I also forwarded it to everyone in my address book. I did the same for The Story of Stuff and The Girl Effect, which we've also mentioned on this blog in the past. Elliot blogged about a group that gives cameras to local groups around the world in order to share their stories. Our partner in Canada featured tips on creating digital stories at a recent Net Tuesday event.

The use of telling stories through photos has also been discussed here various times, with tips on different photo-sharing and slideshow tools discussed. All of these are great examples of using video and images to tell compelling, poignant, and memorable stories about the important work nonprofits contribute for the benefit of the world.

These stories don't need to be fancy or expensive. You don't need a professional videographer or even a professional grade camera to capture video or photos. One of our newest partners, Flip Video, joined TechSoup's donation program this week and is offering low-cost, handheld video cameras to nonprofits for this very purpose. Learn how to use them as well as how to craft your digital story, with these three, upcoming webinars.

You keep hearing how mobile phones are a great way to reach a large audience of people, but how can your nonprofit or library use this technology, and where do you start?

Join Kami Griffiths on Thursday, July 16 for a webinar about using mobile technologies for outreach and education. She will interview Adam Shyevitch, Teen Initiative Director at Boston After School & Beyond, who will share information about how their organization is using mobile technology for their outreach efforts. We will also hear from Michael Sabat of Mobile Commons, a company that develops web-based applications to launch interactive mobile campaigns including text messaging, voice calls, and web-based components.

I'm certainly no expert on the ins and outs of tech at our organization. I'm fortunate that we have an incredible team of IT/tech experts here who not only know and specialize in different parts of our overall systems, but additionally, can communicate in everyday terms about them.

There's a real benefit in having some tech expertise in-house at a nonprofit or library. A recent study released by NTEN indicates that those nonprofits which spend
money on training their IT staff are more satisfied with the results of their staff. Whether you're the IT Director, a network administrator, the operations person, or the staff member who just happened to be the one appointed to fix small problems with computers on-site, it's helpful to have resources to find answers.

Obviously, we think of a lot of the articles, forum threads, and blog posts here at TechSoup as a good resource for nonprofit tech info. But we know there are many other sources for learning both basic and advanced skills whether you prefer to do it online or off.

Join TechSoup and Microsoft Learning experts on Wednesday, June 10, 11:00 a.m. Pacific for Roadmap to Microsoft Training Resources for a virtual tour of resources to get the most of our using Microsoft applications.

Being a proficient computer user can save you hundreds of hours over the course of a year. But learning to be proficient is easier said than done. There is an abundance of free training resources out there, but navigating those sites and understanding how to find what you're looking for can be a challenge.

This webinar will walk you through several resources from Microsoft that will help you, your staff, or your constituents get the training they need to use Microsoft software more confidently.

Technology and youth can go hand in hand… if you have the right tools, techniques, and training. This webinar will highlight the work of two successful nonprofits that are using Adobe and other software to engage their youth. They are teaching skills that not only captivate the imagination, but create general technology awareness, and build skills for developing a college portfolio and securing internships.

Kami Griffiths from TechSoup will interview Erika Padilla-Morales from Streetside Stories and Will Hammond from BAYCAT on Thursday, May 28 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific to learn more about their programs and what makes them successful.

If you are considering integrating multimedia technology into your youth program, now is a great time! TechSoup has a few Adobe products available at a greater discount and to organizations that may not normally qualify for Adobe. Click here for more information, orders must be placed before June 30.

Space is limited, register today!

Sarah over at the MaintainIT Project blogged about ways that libraries have used online trainings to lower costs, increase efficiency, and reduce travel.

She's got a quick-hit-list of resources for libraries and nonprofits too with ways to recruit free experts to help conduct webinars and trainings, inexpensive tools to use for creating online training opportunities, online spotlights from the MIT Project which gather expert insights and stories to share, and links to webinars that tell people how to conduct a good webinar! Definitely worth checking out.

And if you haven't already looked through Jim's earlier post on the topic, he's got some other terrific resources (including a link to this week's new TechSoup article, Learning About Technology Online).

Are you interested in conducting webinars but not sure how to get started? Well, here's a great resource to help you understand what goes into conducting them and how to get started.

In this TechSoup Talks! webinar, Kami Griffiths from TechSoup interviewed Emily Inlow-Hood, formerly of WebJunction and Shawn Cardinal, from ReadyTalk, to share their experiences of conducting webinars and what they've found to create interesting, engaging presentations.

Here's a comment from one participant:

View the recording and check out a full list of recorded webinars here.

Thursday, March 19, 11:00 a.m. Pacific

Learn how you can utilize online conferencing tools to deliver training, conduct outreach, raise awareness, host a conference, or build community with only a phone or VoIP headset, computer, and an Internet connection. The webinar will cover:

• best production practices for delivering webinars;
• other organizations who have used webinars to develop awareness and build online community;
• and how to inspire participant interaction and engagement before, during, and after the webinar.

This is a free webinar and space is limited. Sign up today!

A couple weeks back, IntraHealth International — a supporter of TechSoup Global — launched a terrific new collaboration with great music artists, technologists, and health care workers in order to further benefit programs for urgent health needs in Africa.

The InterHealth OPEN Initiative has brought together a cadre of famous artists including Youssou N'Dour, Nas, Peter Buck from R.E.M. (a fav of mine), Duncan Sheik, and others to help raise awareness and support of putting open-source software technologies directly in the hands of health care and aid workers around the globe.

Pape Gaye, IntraHealth's CEO explains the Initiative best:

The IntraHealth OPEN Initiative will foster a new generation of technology professionals, eHealth workers, and national leaders who understand, use, and support open technologies to improve health," said IntraHealth's CEO Pape Gaye.

Open source technologies let us address health challenges collaboratively with African developers in the lead," said N'Dour. "If we invest in open source development training in Africa we will be supporting self-sufficient health professionals able to use technology and customize programs to address their critical health challenges.

TechSoup Global is proud to be part of the OPEN Council in support of this truly important work to improve public health around the world through better use of technology. Check out this YouTube video starring Youssou N'Dour and other artists participating in the charity album to learn more.