Media (is) the Message

The Great Media Debate was originally sparked by the research of Marshall McLuhan in 1964. The debate took place in 1994, which was 30 years after the original statements were made. It was pretty incredible that a man in the 1960s was thinking in such an innovative way that he was considering the media and technology before it even reached the peak of popularity. The two men in this debate were Richard Clark and Robert Kozma, who were both professors. Richard Clark believed that learning is not influenced by media, but it is instead affected by the method in which information is delivered. Robert Kozma believed that when media is used carefully and intentionally, it can provide more meaningful information.

When first looking at this debate (or really the original thoughts of Marshall McLuhan from 1964), I felt like it was important to define the word media before making a conclusion. Media is defined by the Oxford Dictionary (2016), media is defined as "the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet) regarded collectively". Considering all forms of mass communication, I felt that I sided more with Robert Kozma because I believe that when there is purpose and meaning behind the media chosen to go with the material, it will be more effective for students. Media, especially apps and software, is not a "one-size-fits-all" category. The learning goals must be established before the specific media is chosen to present or research information. When I think of media, I automatically think of commercials. When companies brainstorm how they will advertise a new product, I believe media type is absolutely considered when deciding which route to take. Just as businesses want to sell their product, teachers and librarians want to give new knowledge and skills to students.

Designing lessons for students should definitely be planned with the type of media in mind. When considering the 21st-century skills students need, the use of technology may not always be the way to present information. Effective lessons can be planned with the use of paper media like articles and newsletters depending on the material being used.

Sources:

Media - definition of media in English. (2016). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from 

         https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/media 

The media debate. (2012, August 30). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from          

         http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate 

Podcasts

This week, I did some experimenting with different podcast websites and was surprised with my findings. Podcasts can be used for a plethora of purposes in the library, classroom, and school setting. I had a hard time finding one idea that I liked best since there were so many different options for creating a Podcast. I created several but then would see an idea that I liked even better and would change direction. Overall, creating a podcast was pretty simple, but I am sure there are tons more options if you are willing to pay for a membership with a hosting site since the free options were limited on size, time, and format.

The first site that I tried to use for podcast creation was SoundCloud, but I did not end up using it because of their membership. They offer a free trial but you still have to put in payment information and remember to cancel the membership within 30 days. I never remember to cancel, so I chose to find another option when creating my podcast.

On PodOmatic, their free option did not require any payment information, but I could not figure out how to actually record on this website. There was an option to add files but not one to record directly from the site. I used the app QuickVoice to record my voice and then uploaded it to the PodOmatic website. I loved their site and the embed player looked really great, but I could not get it to play once posted on my blog. It was extremely frustrating. I went with this website anyway because of their embed player layout. It looked much nicer than the other sites.

The third podcast website I tried out was PodBean. They were listed as one of the top results when I completed a Google search of best podcast websites. I didn't find much of a difference between PodOmatic and PodBean since their sites were very similar. The only downside was that the picture I chose to represent my episode was not the correct file format, so I chose a smaller picture. I created the same podcast episode on both PodBean and PodOmatic, but went with PodOmatic because their embed player looked much nicer. Unfortunately, I could not get either player to work when copied into Blogger. I am interested to see if there is a website that is all-in-one with recording and publishing because the only way I could do this for free was by using separate sites for each. I definitely think there are unlimited options with podcasts, and I plan to use them with students throughout this year to try out some of the ways I've read about during this exploration!

The podcast below is the one I created using the voice recording app called QuickVoice and the podcast publishing site called PodOmatic. I chose to create a podcast about the upcoming library events for December since I felt that parents and students could both listen to it. I felt that this was a great place to start but am very interested in creating podcasts with book discussions because that was going to be my next choice if I were stepping out of my comfort zone! Below my podcast are links to the websites I have used above. Thanks for reading!

(Excuse my voice! I've had a cold and just got my voice back this morning!)

The embed player was not working on my computer, but I put it below anyway with high hopes. Here's the link to the podcast just in case.

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/kgc01422394/episodes/2016-11-13T17_15_37-08_00




Websites from Post:

PodOmatic:
https://www.podomatic.com

PodBean:
https://www.podbean.com

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com

QuickVoice (App Store Only)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quickvoice-recorder/id284675296?mt=8

Cartoons and Comics

This week, I looked at some different sites where users can create cartoons or comics in a pretty simple way! Kids love toonbooks and comics, so I knew it would be a good skill to learn in order to reach students. While it is not something I have ever been a fan of even as a child, comics do present information in an easy-to-read and straight-to-the-point approach. I used three different sites to create the comics and have posted a few examples below.

After creating a budget proposal in one of my other classes, I chose to create a comic that went with that. My proposal suggested getting iPads for students to check out and take home since the school where I work is very low-income and resources are scarce for students outside of school. If the proposal were approved, I would print this comic to display in the library or post it to social media to advertise the new option for checking out the iPads. This comic was created using www.toondoo.com and was very simple to design. I like how easy this website was to navigate, but the characters and themes took a little while to load. I found a place to save the comic, but it did not have the option for saving it straight to your computer. I eventually just took a snippet of the comic so that it could be copied into this blog post.

When looking at the ways that educators can use cartoons or comics in their classroom or library (Zimmerman, 2016), I loved the idea of using comics for students who are learning English as a second language. I thought that one option would be to print out a comic with blank speech bubbles for students to practice writing conversations between characters. At first, I was really excited about using www.MakeBeliefsComix.com but felt really limited with the options. I was instantly excited about using their animated characters but then realized it was only a couple which had this capability. The backgrounds were really limited and most were in black-and-white. I preferred the speech bubbles on ToonDoo because they allowed for adjusting the speech bubble's size whereas this website did not. The comic was much easier to save, but I preferred ToonDoo after using both.

The last toon site that I used was called Pixton. It was instantly engaging because it offered a quick tutorial after logging in for the first time. The user-friendly format made this site very appealing to educators because it even had the option for creating comics for lessons plans or for student use. Pixton was my favorite site to use by far. I enjoyed being able to move the arms, adjust facial expressions, and even change the skin tones of my cartoons! The options were very open-ended and cartoons were fun to create. For saving the comic, there were many options to post to social media, save as an embed link, and share via email. When I tried to download the comic as a picture, it required a premium account. It would be simple to use the snipping tool or a screenshot if needed. I used the embed link to post the comic below.

TooDoo:
www.toondoo.com

Pixton:
www.pixton.com

Make Belief Comix:
www.makebeliefcomix.com

Using Comics in Education:
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/