You Tube, Animoto, and QR Codes

Hi there! Today, I will be looking over and reviewing a few different uses for technology in the library. First, YouTube is used in education for teaching lessons, recording learning experiences, and guiding students through activities. In the library, there are many procedures and tools that can be explained through YouTube. After looking over a few channels by schools, I have listed the most helpful and enjoyable videos for students on each of the channels.

The Norman High Library
Most Helpful: Getting Started with the NHS Library Website
Most Enjoyed by Students: Tiger Visits the Norman High Library

The Unquiet Library
Most Helpful: AP Exam Study Book Suggestion
Most Enjoyed by Students: The Students Become the Teachers

Pikesville High School Library
Most Helpful: Pikesville High School FAFSA
Most Enjoyed by Students: The Panther Library Shakes

BBMS Media
Most Helpful: Bring Them Back Overdue Book Parody
Most Enjoyed by Students: Dr. Katherine and the Book Hoarder

When looking at each channel, I sorted by most popular videos within each channel to see which videos students watched more often. Using that information and considering the content of the video, I made the list above based on these criteria.

Another tool used in the library is Animoto which allows users to create videos using pictures and text. I have created the book trailer below, but there are many options for using it in the library.




QR Codes create a unique code to scan linking users to a site or program quickly. They can be used for scavenger hunts, research sources, and linking directions or videos throughout the library. I look forward to using them frequently, especially for directions or tutorials for library services. It would be simple to create cards with QR codes with links to screencasts or videos to guide students through library procedures and resources. Below is a QR code to link to the above Animoto book trailer. It was simple to create using the website QR Code Generator (www.qr-code-generator.com).

Instagram, Vine, and Screencasts

          While I have seen Vine videos and used Instagram for social and personal reasons, I have never considered using them for educational purposes. After looking at the links provided, I was surprised with the possibilities. It took me an extremely long time to figure out how to insert the embed link into the Blogger page, but I was successful after many tutorials. (Too bad the Instagram picture is huge though!)

          When considering how to use Vine, I was surprised with how simple it was to create a video that was only six seconds yet it included the information I needed. I thought about the new books I just received from Scholastic and how they often go unnoticed if they aren't featured properly. A Vine video is perfect for this! It took several attempts to get the timing and video to look like I wanted, but I was happy with it in the end.

           For the screencasts, I used both Jing and Screencast-O-Matic. Both were extremely simple to use and did not take long to download at all. I felt that I like the user-friendly layout and was surprised with the simplicity to navigate. I had always wondered what people used to create tutorials online! I am thrilled to know how to use this function and could find it extremely helpful when explaining information or technology to teachers, parents, substitutes, etc. I used the Jing program to create a tutorial for finding the online library catalog for the district where I work. I used Screencast-O-Matic for creating a Popplet using the website rather than the app. After using both programs, I really and truly could not decide which one would be my favorite since they were so similar. I could not get the Jing video to convert to a video file, so I wasn't able to put it on the Blogger after many attempts and uploads. The Screen-O-Matic is my favorite program simply because of how quickly it uploaded to my blog.

A photo posted by Kaylin Chaudron (@mrschaudronlooksatbooks) on Oct 23, 2016 at 3:13pm PDT

 

Sources:

Instagram. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2016, from https://www.instagram.com/

Screencast-O-Matic. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://screencast-o-matic.com/

Vine. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2016, from https://vine.co/

Infographics

Infographics are extremely popular across the internet for sharing statistics, charts, and information in a visually-appealing format. I had always been curious about how they were created when seeing one on Pinterest or social media. When creating the infographic, I chose to use the information from the report called Parents, Teens, and Digital Monitoring by Monica Anderson. Most of the report contained statistics that were surprisingly high for what I expected. After watching several different videos on how to create the infographic, I was impressed with how simple it was to design one using Piktochart. 

I tried to create the infographic online using Easel.ly and Infogr.am, but their layouts that were available for free were not as appealing for the information I needed to include. Pie charts, bar graphs, and maps were not suitable for the research findings in the report. Easel.ly had a design that I liked, but the site took a long time to load and was glitchy when trying to click on the different blocks. For what I needed, Piktochart worked really well to present the information. I feel that I could have created the infographic just off of their guided steps while designing it for the first time. The page had tips and guides to walk you through the process. I look forward to using infographics for my students and in the library now that I know how simple they can be to create.

Blogs and Feed Readers

Feed readers are convenient and simple to use for quick and concise blog reading. After downloading the app called Feedly, I was amazed at the streamlined look of the feed and how simple it was to use. The blog posts were arranged by top stories in chronological order. I chose to follow several blogs and created folders to organize the blogs by the content. For easy browsing and reading, I created folders for school library, library organization, school librarians, and public libraries. The following blogs are a few that are frequently featured on the home feed screen for posts that are the most popular.

The Library Voice
http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/

This blog posts a variety of information that spans from technology to library organizational tips and lesson planning. I followed this blog because of their most recent post about using Omniboard to promote creativity. The blog is very easy to read and the author, Shannon Miller, has a wide variety of experience in both the classroom and library.

In the Library with the Lead Pipe
http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/

As you may suspect, the name of this blog was intriguing enough to add and see what it was all about. This blog, written by various bloggers, covers such a large variety of posts ranging from diversity in library staff to library framework. Users may submit posts on the blog to be reviewed and approved by the editorial staff.

Letters to a Young Librarian
http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/

Written by Jessica Olin and occasional posts from other bloggers, this blog was absolutely perfect for someone who is new to the library. Her blog contains a variety of information that serves as advice from an experienced librarian to new librarians. She walks through her first month as a librarian and details some insights she gained from her experience. Her blog also contains excellent information about assessment and library framework. Because of the name, I chose to add this to my feed reader to see her recent blog posts.

YALSAblog
http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/

From grants to book week celebrations, Young Adult Library Services' blog presents a vast variety of information about events and publications. The posts are professionally-written by a variety of bloggers which contributes to the array of information. I chose to follow this blog because I was already familiar with the organization and knew they published credible and reliable articles.


Librarian Problems
http://librarianproblems.com/

Since the other blogs I have listed are all educational and involve some forms of professional development, this blog is more of a guilty pleasure since I have found myself amused by the memes posted daily. Filled with library memes, it is both entertaining and amusing while sympathizing with the small frustrations and celebrations that are experienced in the library.

Overall, Feedly makes blog reading so much quicker than looking at each blog individually. I utilize the folders for all aspects of life since they can be separated to look at blogs that cover so many subject areas. It is very organized and efficient. In addition to setting up a Feedly account, I also began using Tumblr to see blog feeds as well. I enjoy seeing the different posts since they are not always text-heavy posts but usually feature photos, memes, and graphics.

My Tumblr Account URL:
http://mrschaudronreads.tumblr.com/