I have learned a great deal about technology this summer. I have encountered many different tools, some that I have had experiences with, some that are completely new to me. The leaps and bounds technology has made, even in the past few years is astounding. To be a successful teacher and librarian it is imperative not only to keep up to date with the new technology, but to understand the technology and understand the ways that our students can use the technology.
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.
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!
As educators there are times when we see something and think, "Hmm, I could use that in my library!" But when we get right down to it there are some logistical hiccups. Which tool is better? Which site will be the easiest for my students to use? How do I make sure that they understand what I am wanting them to do?
As far as ensuring that students understand what is being asked of them with a new tool, creating a screencast is a great way to show students how to use something new in a platform that they will understand. Also with a screencast students have the ability to go back and review the information when they need it, instead of trying to fumble through and remember instructions in the future.
I will be discussing three different modes of creating a screencast with three different technology tools that can be used in the library. I will discuss pros and cons of each of the tools for creating screencasts, as well as my personal opinion about using them.
Screencast-O-Matic:
The first screencasting tool I will discuss is Screencast-O-Matic. This is a free online service that allows you to create your own screencast using their recorder that you will have to download. Here is a screencast that I created using this tool regarding Popplet, a free online mind mapping tool that is also an iPad app.
Pros:
When you are about to record, this service gives you a count down to make sure that you know when you are to start talking and when your recording will begin.
As you are recording you have the ability to pause and pick up where you stopped recording.
When you are done recording you have the option to publish to YouTube, to the Screencast-O-Matic website, or to download the video as a file to your computer.
Free
Cons:
This site requires a download to use. If you are on a Chromebook or other laptop that has no hard drive you will not be able to use this service.
With the free service you have limited amount of storage on the site as well as a limited amount of recording time per video.
QuickTime:
On all Apple computers QuickTime is a application that comes pre-installed. This application not only allows users to watch videos but to create screencasts or use their webcams to record themselves. To demonstrate a screencast with this tool I will show students how to use a service online called ReciteThis, then I will upload my recording to my Screencast-O-Matic account.
Pros:
Pre-installed on Macs
Requires no downloads
Free
Cons:
Hard to use during recording. Very little options.
No progress or status bar while recording.
Not able to stop and restart while recording.
To share you have to upload to YouTube.
Adobe Spark:
Adobe Spark is a free online service where you can create videos or edit pictures. There are also free applications that work the same way. For this review I will be using the online service to create a tutorial of the website, ToonDoo.
Pros:
Free
Easy to use
Online and app
Drag and drop editing with text, icons, and image options
Variety of templates
Cons:
When creating this tutorial I had to take screenshots, convert them to .jpg then upload them to the tutorial.
No screencasting availability
Each slide of the video is set to 2 seconds, which is not very long. To change this you have to find the small button which will bring up a drag bar to lengthen each slide.
To share you have to download to your computer, then upload to YouTube.
Verdict:
If I were to choose just one of these services to use to create a tutorial for my students I would choose Screencast-O-Matic. This service was the easiest to use and it was the easiest to embed and share. The other two services were either too difficult to use or took too many steps to accomplish the same task. Adobe Spark would be a great service to create a BookTrailer or slideshow, but was unsuited for this specific task.
Social Media in the Library:
With students online and on social media more and more we as librarians need to get out there and get comfortable with these platforms. Two platforms that could be useful in the library that many students are using more and more and Vine and Instagram.
Vine allows users to create short videos and then plays them in a loop. Uses in the library could include having students explain something that they learned, explain how to do something in the library, or how to use a service the library provides. Teachers could use Vine in the classroom as a mini assessment by having students explain a concept they just learned, or provide a definition of a newly learned word. Librarians can use Vine to share what is happening in the library or to get students interested in upcoming events. Here is an example of a couple of Vines I created while in Mexico the past few days visiting family.
Instagram is another social media platform that students are frequently using. Librarians can use this platform to share with students and families what is going on the library as well as promoting upcoming events. During lessons teachers and librarians can have students post to Instagram a snapshot to summarize a lesson with a caption showing what they learned as an assessment or exit ticket. Also, teachers and librarians can use this as a tool to have students share as if they were a character from a book or from history to assess their knowledge of the book or historical period. To show student work librarians and/or teachers can embed the posts on the library website or share the account with families. Here are some examples of some of my recent posts, withe some using an app called PhotoGrid to overlay text on the pictures and to create a collage of a few pictures at a time.
Learning about different ways to help our students is something that we always need to keep up with so that we are doing our very best to meet all of our student's needs in the best possible way. I hope that these ideas are helpful to you and your students.
