This summer I have reviewed many different technology tools, and discussed ways to use these tools in schools with students. Here are a few of my favorite tools and ones that I think that students will like the most.
- Online Comic Creation
- Comics, and comic books have made a comeback in popularity in recent years, a great deal of this to do with the amount of movies being released by Marvel and DC. Letting students create their own comics as a way to demonstrate their learning is a definite way to get them interested in learning and the topic at hand. There are many different comic creation sites, many of which I have reviewed in a recent blog post. Through many of these sites students have the opportunity to manipulate the characters, types of thought/talk bubbles, scenery, props and more. Students can create these comic strips for many different types of projects for all subject areas, and when they are done, the possibilities are endless!
- Social Media
- More and more students are on social media, so why not use these different platforms to promote the library and the services we provide. There are many libraries on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, sharing ideas for other libraries, letting students/families know what is going on in the library, and more. In the blog post I created about this topic I share information about different libraries that have pages of their own.
- Video Creation and Sharing
- There are many different ways to create videos and many different things that you can create videos about, for example, you can create a tutorial screencast for your students to teach them about a new tool, or you can create a fun book trailer. I have loved creating screencasts, and I think that students would love to create screencasts to help their peers. With many students having devices creating QR codes for our videos is a great way to share vides with our students. One idea with QR codes that I find interesting, and that I would love to implement this year, is placing a QR code linking to a book trailer, within the front of the book.
- Link to blog post discussing these ideas
I hope that I have shared good information with you, and I hope that through one of my posts you have learned at least one tool that you can share with your students. Being a teacher is not only about teaching, but about learning as well. So as the new school year starts, happy learning and teaching everyone!
