Final Reflection on LSSL 5391

Internet for School Librarians, LSSL 5391, has been a useful class for me. I have learned about a lot of different websites and programs that can be used in education. As a future librarian, I am trying to expand my horizons in technology. I feel that it will be my obligation to know what is out there and how to access it so that I can relay this information to teachers and students. I really enjoyed getting to learn about and create my own comics, podcasts, youtube videos, and infographics.

Some of the apps and websites we learned I have encountered before. One that I did not know of but enjoyed the most was evaluating the different infographic websites. Everyone loves infographics (at least I know I do) and I feel like this information will be really useful for me to use when I want to disperse information on almost anything. This is also an awesome tool for classroom teachers, so I'm sure I will be sharing these websites as well!

I also enjoyed creating my own YouTube channel. I use YouTube all of the time, so I know how user-friendly it is for tutorials. It is cool to see how easy it is to upload my own videos. I can definitely see myself creating YouTube tutorials for teachers and students in the future. Also, learning to do screencasts will benefit me in this same area. I think learning to do these things will be the most useful for my students.

Podcasts were probably my least favorite thing to make. I am glad that I got the experience of making one, but I felt as if I wasn't very good at making one. This gives me some insight, though. When a teacher comes to me wanting to learn about podcasts, I will definitely let them know what to look out for, like finding a perfectly quiet room to record in and that they might need practice with their tone of voice in order to sound more appealing.

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to do all of these fun projects. This knowledge will not only help me personally as a librarian, but will be useful to share with students and teachers!

Media and Technology Use in Education

How do media and technology use affect learning? This is a debate that has been going around for decades, with some good points made by Richard Clark and Robert Kozma. Clark argues that media is only the vehicle to deliver learning, so using said media does not guarantee that a student is going to learn and that information can be delivered through different mediums. Kozma argues that media can have different characteristics that are more or less suitable for learning things, depending on the material. Since media definitely have an influence, educators should worry more about how we can use media to deliver information more effectively for unique situations or tasks.

Both men make valid points. Technology and media can certainly impact learning and allow students to do and create amazing things. Technology allows students to express their learning or create new connections in fun and exciting ways. At the same time (and I feel like I might be burned at the stake for even writing this) I feel like technology does not always need to be present for true genuine learning. In fact, when forced, technology can take away from genuine learning.

This article is spot on, in my opinion. Take a second to read it. It’s short, I promise.

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future

I worked at a school during the year(s) that it rolled out the Bring-Your-Own-Device campaign. There was pressure on teachers to learn dozens of programs that may or may not be applicable to what they were teaching. There was insane pressure to incorporate use of the new tablets into lesson plans. Though shrouded as an effort to create more authentic learning, I really felt that this initiative was a bit misguided and ended up in a lot of time wasted both by students and teachers because there was so much pressure to bring technology into as many lessons as possible. Like this article states, “it is imperative not to allow the device to drive instruction,” While teaching to the test has a bad reputation, I feel like teaching to the device is equally wasteful yet educators are afraid to speak up about it because there is SO MUCH PRESSURE to integrate technology.

Before you rip my teaching certification from my hands, hear me out. Technology can absolutely help students express their learning. It can definitely capture the interest of otherwise disengaged students. It can help bring subject matter to life! Technology is ever-present in our world, and therefore it needs to be present in the field of education if we are going to set our kids up for success in the real world. But I have seen kids waste time trying to use an app that hardly fits a lesson plan, when the same kids don’t even know how to put a header or footer on a Word document.

I think this paradigm of wanting to incorporate technology in the classroom, yet not forcing it when it doesn’t actually enhance learning is where the job of a school librarian lies. Teachers are consumed with lesson planning and delivering content. They do not have time to learn how to navigate every possible app out there. Librarians, however, need to be in the know as far as what technology is available for teachers to use – whether it be hardware or software/apps. The librarian should be familiar with as many of these as possible so that she can recommend apps that would be useful to individual teacher needs, and help them navigate the new technology along the way.

I have found in my career that often teachers either shove technology into a lesson in order to check a box, or avoid it altogether because they are too afraid to learn how to use it or that they don’t trust that it will work on the day of their lesson (and this is a realistic worry, but that’s what plan B’s are for!). I think that librarians need to encourage technology that authentically aids learning by promoting different apps/software/hardware available to teachers. Teachers should know what is available, and be able to receive tutorials from the librarian when they need help.  One way to do this might be a monthly spotlight on an app with a brief summary for teachers to read. Those who think it might be useful in their classroom can come in to find out more information. Another way is to always communicate with teachers when new hardware is purchased. A brief list of what the hardware can do should be advertised for teachers. I think this approach is best because it lets teachers know what is available without pressuring them to know everything out there and how to use it (which should be the job of the librarian!)
Librarians should do the same for students. Just as a librarian is willing to suggest books, they need to be able to suggest hardware, software, apps, websites, and other digital tools that can help students. Librarians also need to get a feel for the holes where students are lacking, like my example above of not being able to insert a header on a Word document. When the librarian assesses where the student population is struggling technologically, she can adjust programs to help them or pass along the information to subject area teachers who may be able to help.

And just like adding to or weeding a book collection, librarians must often take inventory often of what technology is available to students and teachers. It is in this partnership that the use of technology can truly help learning flourish.

Sources:

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future

http://anildash.com/2017/01/on-being-and-techs-moral-reckoning.html

Podcasts

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but to audio-learners, a sound or a spoken word might be worth more than that. Podcasts and audiobooks are an emerging trend that in recent years has become popular not only for leisure, but also for use in educational settings.

Once used primarily for students with visual disabilities, podcasts and audiobooks are making their way into general education populations. The ways teachers and students can use podcasts are endless. Their versatility includes use as instructional tutorials, commentary on social events, and even for story-telling. Podcasts are like the audio version of a blog, much in the same way that an audiobook relates to a print book. One podcaster, Mignon Fogarty, has used her podcasts to marry the two and has published an audiobook of a book that she had not yet written as described in the following article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07audio.html?ex=1336190400&en=457517b5a439228a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rsshttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07audio.html?ex=1336190400&en=457517b5a439228a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

One challenge in having students listen to podcasts is making sure that the speaker is dynamic and entertaining. Quality matters and a reader or podcaster’s voice can make or break it for students.

One reason to use podcasts in the library or classroom is that they can help auditory learners who might have a hard time sorting through the same information in text. Although listening to a podcast and reading an article can get students to the same destination, a podcast can be a refreshing change of pace depending on the source, students may continue listening and learning on their own, which is a big plus as an educator!

Podcasts can be used as a tool in the classroom both when produced by the teacher, and when produced by the students. Students can practice communication skills when creating podcasts, and they can be created to comment on any applicable topic. Many students have never been exposed to podcasts before, so teachers and librarians need to introduce the concepts to students before expecting them to create one of their own. A way to do this might be to have students listen to some example podcasts and then discussing how they are set up, what the speaker does, etc. Teachers should walk them through the process on their first podcast project, like showing them how to create notes or a script in order to plan our what they will say. Here is an article that contains a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a podcast: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-create-your-own-podcast-2843321

It is also a great idea to check out the school district’s acceptable use policy before any time students are publishing products online.

Another consideration for using podcasts in the classroom is the materials that are required to create a professional-quality product. Teachers will need to make sure that they are adequate computers and microphones available. They will need to make sure that these computers are well-equipped to create a podcast. I say this because I have found that unfortunately, some schools are behind in technology and the computers that they have available are slow or almost unusable for more than Microsoft word.  Headphones to cancel out noise should also be available if students are expected to record and edit their projects in a classroom setting with others editing at the same time.

 Some websites that allow users to create free podcasts include Soundcloud, Audioboo,  and Podomatic.

Audioboo – This is an app so it would require being downloaded on a device. This is a possibility for schools that have tablets available for students.

Podomatic – This neat website create a podcast feed much like Twitter or Instagram. This is cool because as students create their own podcast, they also will have access to other podcasts and may even begin following other podcasts. Podomatic is also available in an app form for students to download, but from the website they need to upload their sound files rather than being able to create them online.

Soundcloud – This website also allows users to follow podcasts on a feed. I think that it is probably the most popular site for podcasts, so students will have access to the widest variety of podcasts to follow. Users have up to 3 free hours of podcast time available. This is my website of choice for creating podcasts because it is easy to record straight from the website itself. Check out my podcast below, where I interview some fitness experts about my current workout of choice, kickboxing!

I Love Kickboxing Interview

Cartoons and Comics

Who doesn’t love a good comic? They can be just as fun (and useful!) as an educational tool as they are in our free time.  This week, I checked out some free comic creation websites, but before I get into reviewing them, I want to talk about some ways that comics can be used for learning in a classroom setting. There are a lot of ways that educators can incorporate creating comics to support or demonstrate learning. Makebeliefscomics.com is a free comic-creation website with lots of lesson plans and educational ideas on the topic. Some of my favorite suggestions of theirs include:

·      Using comics to write an autobiography – this can be done as a writing prompt or as an icebreaker at the beginning of the year

·      Using comics to practice new vocabulary words correctly

·      Making a comic diary – writing comics that reflect your own life frequently and collecting them in one place

·      Creating comics on any topic as a group to work on collaboration skills

·      Writing comics in a foreign language that students are studying

·      Creating comics that comment on local or national politics

·      Using comics to imagine a literary character’s perspective

These are just a few simple ways that the creation of comics could be used in the classroom. As you can see, this fun idea applies to all sorts of subjects from Language Arts to Government to Foreign Language.

MAKEBELIEFSCOMICS.COM

This comic-making website does not require registration which is a big bonus when working with students. That simple registration page can sometimes take forever for students to figure out! Creation of comics is quick and easy. You are able to pick your character and then select from about 4 choices of emotions. This gives you some flexibility in character expression. They have a decent amount of props, backgrounds, and characters to choose from, but some of them don’t go together. For instance, some characters/backgrounds are black and white while others are colored.

Once a comic has been created, it cannot be saved through the website. Students have the option to either print their comic or email it. I personally took a screenshot of the comic I created. This could be a problem in using this with students since many don’t have a functional email and most schools don’t have color printers available for free, however I felt that taking a screenshot of my comic did the trick and students could easily do the same.

Another bonus of this website, even if an educator isn’t using it with their students, is that they have a lot of articles with cool ideas about how to use comics. There are ideas like those I listed above geared toward educators, but they also have ideas for homeschool, lesson plans, and writing prompts.

Here is my makebeliefscomics.com comic:

TOONDOO

I did not like the initial set up of their website. It was really busy with bright colors and graphics everywhere, and it just didn’t seem very professional. I found that it wasn’t as easy to navigate as the other two comic-creation websites I visited.

There were options to pick layouts with different numbers and sizes of frames. This option was a little different from the other two websites that simply had the option to add panels as the creator went along. I was disappointed even in naming my comic- they don’t allow for many characters and my desired title “A Day in the Life” was too long. I wasn’t impressed with the background options available, so I made my comic have abstract backgrounds. I couldn’t figure out how to share my comic that I created, though ToonDoo does give users the option to print the page. I simply took a screen shot of my comic to save it. Overall, I didn’t like the interface or graphics of this website. I found it very childlike and did not feel it helped me to produce a professional looking comic.

I did find one plus to using ToonDoo, though. The option is available to upload your own photographs for your comic. This might be useful if students wanted to act out the comic and take pictures of it, then upload and add their own captions and word bubbles.

Here is the comic that I created using ToonDoo:

PIXTON

This was my favorite comic-creator by far! The registration process was quick and painless with tutorials available to walk users through each step, from adding a title, to selecting a character. To keep the creation process moving quickly, users can create and customize a character and then give them a name, so it is easy to have the same character on multiple panels. Speaking of which, figuring out how to add a panel to my slide was the only thing that took me any time at all.

The comics that you can produce on Pixton are of really professional quality in my opinion. They offer a really wide variety of characters, all customizable, as well as poses for these characters, and tons of backgrounds. I easily made a 6-panel comic and was able to create additional characters halfway through the process. I would definitely use Pixton with students for two reasons: first, I think that Pixton gives enough options that students won’t have to modify their story plan in order to fit the backgrounds/characters available. Second, I love the professional look of the comics created on Pixton, and I think that students would feel very proud of their work using this website.

Here is the comic I created using Pixton (definitely inspired by true life events!):

I will definitely be using comics in the library and the classroom in the future. Leave a comment below to let me know what you think!

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

There are a wealth of programs available to easily create, share, and watch videos.  Here are some of  my thoughts on how YouTube and Animoto are and could be used in libraries, as well as how to use and incorporate QR codes.

YouTube

It is interesting to see how libraries can utilize YouTube differently. I explored a handful of YouTube channels belonging to high school and middle school libraries and found videos ranging from screencast tutorials to student-created videos. One channel, the unquiet library, had tons of videos with tutorials on how to use computer programs like PowerPoint, easy bib, and Wikimedia commons images. Here is an example of one of their tutorial videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1oOQJuXRkw I think that these types of tutorials can be helpful to make and publish, especially when a teacher has assigned a project that requires the use of one of these programs. YouTube tutorials are great because students (with internet at home) can access them 24/7, and the teacher doesn’t have to repeat herself 30 times. For this reason alone, I plan to use YouTube as a librarian! Lastly, YouTube screencast tutorials are a great idea because students can pause them when needed and follow along on their own screens. This is ideal for every class because students always work and process information at different paces.

Though screencasts are tremendously helpful, I think that the most popular videos are student-made and focused on topics that are meaningful or interesting to students. These types of videos are great because the students making them learn about filming, editing, uploading, and all of the technicalities involved with video production. They can also get viewers excited about certain topics. One student made a video where he interviewed different classmates about their New Year’s resolutions, incorporating things happening in the lives of students into his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwdnQs2y5Hk&t=54s  

Another video from a different channel featured the seniors pretending to take over the library to throw a seniors-only party. This video encompassed the senior pride that comes about each year in high schools and even though it is definitely just for fun, it had tons of views! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTqy_KdeAPc

There were also student-made videos that disseminated information in a fun way, like a Hunger Games parody having to do with overdue library books. Though these movies are hilarious to watch, they can still send out information to students and remind them to turn in overdue books! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYS7t4vYsQw&t=50s

Animoto

Animoto is a great, free resource for students to make short videos. It is widely used in English classrooms to make book trailers, but can be used for many other educational projects. It is incredibly easy to navigate the dashboard and quickly create a quality product.

As a librarian, this would be a useful tool for highlighting and advertising books for students. These days, digital media is the best way to reach students and a video trailer is a great way to increase student interest.

I used Animoto to create a trailer for Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. Here is the synopsis of the book from Amazon.com “In the rigid theocracy of Salem, Massachusetts, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town. In a searing portrait of a community engulfed by panic - with ruthless prosecutors, and neighbors eager to testify against neighbor - The Crucible famously mirrors the anti-Communist hysteria that held the United States in its grip in the 1950's. A Tony Award Winner for Best Play.”

This QR code will take you to the link for the video trailer of The Crucible that I made.

I think the video trailer would definitely pique student interest more than the blurb written inside the cover of the book!

QR Reader

Incorporating technology for 21^st century learners is critical, but using a smart phone or device that students are already using is especially helpful in increasing interest. Students who can already navigate their phones or tablets have a baseline of confidence in the technology, and this can allow them to learn new programs more quickly. QR codes are a tool that can be used with devices that students already have.

I used http://goqr.me/ to generate a QR code. This was my first time creating a QR code, and it was incredibly easy to do. You just copy and paste the link and voila, you have a QR code. As an educator, this is definitely helpful if you are having students go to a specific website that is long and complicated to type.

As a librarian, I think QR codes would be helpful in getting students to visit the blog or school library website. Students always want a shortcut, and simply scanning a QR code on their own personal device is just that.

Another example of how QR codes are being used in the library comes from http://www.follettsoftware.com/LibraryConnections/post.cfm/reimagining-classroom-projects-in-the-digital-age where a librarian posts QR codes below highlighted books. Each QR code takes students to a video of the book trailer. This would be neat to do, especially since using Animoto as mentioned above is so easy and quick. What a great way to increase student interest in leisure reading!

Librarians are also using QR codes for things like scavenger hunts, audio files, and additional information on a topic. The possibilities are endless! Knowing how easy it is to generate a QR code, this will definitely be a helpful tool when I manage my own library.