The end of the spring semester has arrived! Reflecting back, it seems as though it flew by! I have to say that when I first took a look at the syllabus for this technology class, I felt like I could bottle up my anxiety. I'm not totally behind when it comes to technology, but I've been out of the classroom and loop for a bit, and I just haven't kept up-to-date with what all is available. I was also concerned about having to basically figure things out for myself. But once I dove in, I realized, that having the opportunity to explore and HAVING to dive into different technologies was really a great thing! I explored things that I probably wouldn't have explored on my own (podcasts) and I learned a valuable lesson: as a librarian/media specialist, I am going to have to step out of my comfort zone and try the new things, even if they make me sweaty! If I'm going to keep the pace with the "natives" and successfully reach the generations I'll encounter as a librarian, I'm going to have to let loose and get in there. This class really helped me do that. I'm glad that I had to explore even the technologies that I didn't just love. I appreciated that the assignments had us jump in. All that being said, there are technologies that we explored that I can absolutely say I can't wait to use, as a librarian and technologies that I don't see myself using as much.
My absolute favorite technology that we explored was probably the screencasts. I just think this is such an invaluable tool for librarians for many reasons. It's beneficial for students and faculty, alike. A librarian wouldn't have to spend precious time explaining things over and over to students, they could simply direct them to the screencast. And if a new teacher was hired after a training had already taken place (like in the middle of the year) they could use screencasts to get caught up. In addition, it's helpful for parents who might need some assistance of their own when they are trying to support their kids. Ultimately, I also think screencasts help patrons (whether students/faculty/or parents) realize what all the library has to offer.
Another technology that I really like was the Infographics. I actually had a harder time with this assignment because I was working on an old computer that couldn't update to a system that it needed to, in order to access the sites appropriately. This made me realize how important is is to keep your technology updated! I can see myself using infographics in the the future, to help get information out quickly to students and staff. I also think that infographics are appealing to students, for their own use for projects.
I wouldn't say that any of the technologies we explored were difficult, per say. I do think there are technologies that we explored that would be difficult to implement with students in a library, more so than in a classroom. For instance, I feel like Cartoons and comics would be very appealing to students, but I'm not sure how much time a librarian might have, to help students navigate those different sites, without the help of the classroom teacher. I could definitely see the benefit of teaching teachers about this technology, though, so that they could use it in their classrooms. Also, the social media technologies have the potential to be great assets for librarians, but I think as far as use by students, they are better suited for older secondary students, more so than elementary. I aspire to be an elementary librarian, therefore, I can't see myself using too much social media with students (since they are too young to legally have many of those accounts), but I could absolutely see myself using facebook/twitter/instagram to keep parents, faculty and the community updated on what's happening in the library.
All in all, I think all the of the technologies that we explored have some sort of benefit in the library. Whether the benefit is for adults or students differs among the technologies. I've realized that there is so much out there that can be helpful, useful, and motivating and that I will absolutely need to make it a priority to keep myself up to date about available technologies (probably by using many of the blogs I explored!)
In the early nineties, Richard Clark and Robert Kozma began the great "media debate" in which they argue that either media is just "a vehicle that delivers instruction" (Clark) or that "learning with media is a complimentary process." (Kozma). "Media" refers to books, television, computers, and multimedia.
Although there are parts of Clark's argument that I can understand, I have to side with Kozma. In reading more about Kozma's thoughts on media's influence on learning, I agree with much of what he says. From my own experiences as a learner and from my experiences as a teacher witnessing learning, I do agree that media is complimentary of learning. I very much agree that the learner and the medium interact to create new learning. That interaction is critical, if learning is to take place. And if the learner is disinterested in whichever media form is being used, little learning will be accomplished. What I find myself most disagreeing with, when reading Clark's argument, is that he states media does not influence student achievement. I wholeheartedly disagree. For instance, this class has required us to use various forms of media other than print- we've used video and audio. I can tell you right now, that personally, I learn much better when I can SEE demonstrations and hear explanations, rather than just reading a book about whatever the subject matter may be. Today, in education, there is a huge push for differentiation for students, which goes to show in itself that not all media is created equal and thus, student achievement will be influenced. Clark is right that there are many different media attributes that will accomplish the same learning goal, but where he is wrong is that we know what works for one learner, may not work for another, so the "delivery" method is actually pretty important.
In the end, I couldn't agree more with Kozma when he states, "Understanding how learners interact with and use the unique capabilities of each medium's format is essential to understanding the effect of media on learning."
References:
The media debate. (2012, August 30). Retrieved April 15, 2016, from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate
Kozma, Robert B. (1994). The influence of media on learning: the debate continues. School Library Media Research. Volume 22, Number 4. Summer 1994.
I love listening to podcasts! I have, for quite some time. But let me just tell you that the idea of making an actual podcast makes me a little sweaty, just like when I had to make a screencast. I don't know why I just really don't like having to do voice recordings. But I had to conquer this monster in a different grad school class, an slowly but surely, I'm getting more and more comfortable with creating my own podcasts. That being said, this past week, I got to look into some different ways that podcasts can be used in the classroom/library, and I'm realizing how important it could be for me to really get over my anxiety when it comes to podcast making.
There are so many ways that podcasts can be used in the classroom! I think taking some of those ideas and using them in the library is a great idea too. I visited the site, http://podcasting-in-education.wikispaces.com/#x-Finding%20Podcasts , to get a better idea of some ways that podcasts might be used for teaching. Some of the ideas this site discussed included things like:
publishing student work
student projects
distributing school assignments
peer teaching
archive lectures
interview guest experts
create oral history
audoio tours
public safety message
school happenings
and professional development
I loved all of these ideas! A few things that I think could translate over to the library would be things like having students publish book talks about different books. They could also "interview" characters from books. Podcasts could also be used to discuss library happenings. In addition, librarians could use podcasts to update teachers and staff on resources they might find useful in the library, if there isn't time to actually have a school-wide meeting.
Now, I also visited the site, http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-podcasts-30109.html , which had some good things to say as far as how to prepare for using podcasts in the school. I feel like this site listed some drawbacks that could hinder schools/teachers/librarians from using podcasts. For one, I do think that podcasts are better suited for an older crowd- I'm not sure how elementary student friendly podcasts might be, unless a teacher or librarian is assisting the student. The point was brought up that anyone can post to podcasts so there will most likely be inappropriate material out there. This being said, it's a great opportunity to teach about cyber responsibility, just like when using social media. This site does bring up the point that in order to create podcasts, one must be pretty well prepared- that goes for teachers/librarians as well as students. I did like the tips they shared about how to prepare for making your own podcast (as far as gathering the information, creating a script, and recording in short clips so that it's easier to edit).
All in all, I think that podcasts have the potential to be a great tool, but I think that it's one that, if used with students, will take a lot of time to do. For a classroom teacher, I feel like this is not as big of a predicament as it might be with a librarian, who only sees students possibly once a week or once every other week. However, I do see the benefits of a librarian creating his/her own podcasts to share with students and staff. I think that it would be a quick way to share information with a large amount of people, without having to carve out a specific time during the day/week/month to meet. It could be worth trying for a monthly podcast that librarians could even email out to teachers, where they explain different topics (resources available, copyright issues, new books available, upcoming events, etc).
This past week, I explored three different podcast makers- Soundcloud, Auidoboom, and Podomatic. In the past, I've used GarageBand, but sadly, my Mac died a quick death and I've since been using a PC. Below are my podcasts, where I discuss the book, Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry.
Soundcloud:
Of the three podcast sites I used, I like Soundcloud the best. Soundcloud was easy to navigate.
Soundcloud has no timelimit for one podcast, but there is a limit on how many free hours you get. It's also fairly user friendly.
I did not really like Audioboom. At first it was easy to navigate and complete a podcast, but upon listening to the podcast, it's TERRIBLE. It sounds like something is broken. I tried to go back and fix this problem,but could not figure it out. Here is the recording from Audioboom: (listen at your own risk)
And finally, Podomatic. This one was my least favorite because you have to upload a file from your computer- you can't just record directly. I like being able to just hit a button and record from the podcast site. I felt like Podomatic had too many steps, in order to create something simple. (For some reason, the code to embed would not work, so I've included the link) http://wseewald13.podomatic.com/entry/2016-04-08T14_21_02-07_00
All in all, I think the podcasts could be used in various ways in the classroom and library. I think that in order for students to use podcasts in the library, there would have to be some overlap in classroom time, because most librarians probably don't have the amount of time it would take with students, to teach them and then let them create. I do think that librarians could absolutely use podcasts themselves, for students and staff.
This past week, I explored and experimented with a few different cartoon and comic strip making sites. I haven't ever created my own cartoon or comic, but I've seen them used in different presentations, for other classes before. It was a good experience and I know that students will love this tool, as well!
I visited the site, http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/ , which had dozens of ideas on how to use comic strips, not only in school, but at home too. They even have lesson plans for teachers! I loved reading the lists of ways to use comix in the classroom (it made me miss being in the classroom so much!). There are seriously a ton of ways to use comic strips in the classroom (and even in the library)! My top four favorite, that I can't wait to try out are:
1. Practicing new vocabulary words- create a comic that uses new words learned
2. Understanding literary character perspectives- have students assume the roles of two of the characters with each on'es personality and voice and have them interact with each other.
3. Story boards- illustrate a book that has been read, kind of like a book report. Summarize and comment on what was read.
4. Autobiographical/biographical introduction- use the comic strips/cartoons as a means of introducing yourself, or even introducing characters from books
Below are three of my comic strips, with my evaluation of each site that I used to create the comic.
ToonDoo:
ToonDoo had a lot of options and variety of choices for backgrounds, characters, and text, for making your comic and it was relatively easy. All you have to do is click and drag. I had a huge problem with saving my work and being able to access it. I tried creating multiple comics, but every time I saved, when I went back to download the comic, all my saved toons had the message, "under image processing." I ended up screen shotting my comic, to add to my blog post. As soon as I can figure out this problem (I'm certain it's user error, but I haven't had luck solving my problem as of yet) I'd like to play with this website a little more, as I know it offers a lot. I can see this site being very useful for students, since it's easy to navigate and use.
Pixton:
This site is fairly easy to navigate, but it's not as simple as ToonDoo. It also has a more limited variety of characters and other items to choose from, but it doesn't hinder the comics from being interesting. I did like that there were options for creating a "comic strip," "storyboard," or "graphic novel." I think these options lend themselves well to the different projects that comics could be used for in the classroom and library. I decided to stay with my introduction theme for making the comics, but I think this site would be a great tool for doing a book review or book report. I think students would find this site fairly easy to use, but probably not as easy as ToonDoo.
MakeBeliefsComix:
This was probably my least favorite of the sites I explored. But it's also the cookiest, so I feel like it would appeal to students. I did like that you don't have to create an account to create a comic, you just jump right in. This comic creator felt much more limited than the other creation sites. I think this could be a good think when just getting started, since you aren't overwhelmed with all the choices, but it's definitely limiting on what all you can do. It is easy to use and that is a big advantage. I would say this site might be the easiest for younger students, since they won't get caught up in having to make a lot of different choices. Also, everything has to be short and sweet, so again, I think that lends itself to being used by younger aged students. It was very easy to save work and share.
Final Thoughts:
All in all, this was a growing experience for me. I can definitely use some practice in creating comics and I need to figure out what my issue is with ToonDoo- especially because that was probably my favorite comic making site, and one that I would like to use in the future. I can see comic strips being a really awesome and fun tool to use in the classroom. As for using comics in the library, I could see using them as a librarian to get kids interested in certain books, piquing interest about characters, and maybe for advertising an upcoming event or explaining a certain library process. I could also see the benefit of having students create comics for books and then posting them around the library or school, for other students to see (kind of like a book advertisement of sorts). And of course, I can see using comics as a means of introductions for either the librarian or other school staff. I'm looking forward to seeing how my fellow classmates say they will use comics in their libraries, in the future.
In today's world, videos are huge when it comes to helping anyone (not just kids) learn. When I want to do something for myself, one of the first places I go for help is YouTube. People have actually made careers out of explaining how to do things on YouTube! Our students are no different. In fact, they are making their own videos as well! This week, I had the opportunity to explore some YouTube channels, Animoto, and created a QR code for my Animoto video. I felt somewhat confident that I'd have a pretty easy time with this assignment, since I have a little experience with YouTube, Animoto and QR codes, but I did run into a few bumps. All in all, I got to see some pretty great videos, add to my list of ideas for things I want to implement in my library when I become a librarian, and I got a little more comfortable with different aspects of technology.
I explored a few different YouTube channels used in libraries. I've included two videos from each channel that I visited. For each channel, there is a video that I think students would find most helpful and a video that I think students would like best. Exploring these YouTube channels gave me some helpful ideas for the future.
The most helpful video for students: I think this channel had a few good helpful videos. The video that I think is most helpful is the Getting Started with the NHS Library Website. This video does a lovely job of touring the website so that students know what is available and how to access different resources.
The video students would like best: I think one video students would probably like best is the Tiger Visits The Library video. The school mascot visits the library and uses various resources. It's funny and informative, as it shows different aspects of the library and resources available.
The Unquiet LIbrary channel
(found at: https://www.youtube.com/user/theunquietlibrary/videos )
This channel had so many good videos! There were so many helpful videos to choose from, it was hard to pick just one that would be most helpful! I like that they covered a variety of subjects for tutorials. The most helpful video would depend upon what type of project a student was doing.
The most helpful video for students: I think copyright issues are such a big issue, I chose one of the videos tutorials on how to find creative common images, in the video Finding CC Licensed Images in Advanced Flickr Search , using Flickr.
The video students would like best: I think the video students would like best is the Scenes from The Unquiet Library because it high lights students in the library and happenings.
The most helpful video for students: This channel had a lot of helpful videos to choose from, as well. I think one of the most helpful videos, for the library, is the Snapshot of The Panthers Library because it does just that, gives a snapshot of all the things the library has to offer.
The video students would like best: I think one of the videos students would like best is the The Panthers Library in Action- Fall 2013 because, again, it shows students in the library and what they've been up to that year.
Bonnie Branch Middle School Library YouTube channel:
(found at: https://www.youtube.com/user/bbmsmedia/videos )
This channel might be one of my favorite of the four that I explored. It's also the most updated.
The most helpful video for students: There are many Noodle Tools tutorial videos on this channel. I like Noodle tools because it's a great citation generator and I think this will really help students with copyright and intellectual property issues. I picked the Noodle Tools- How to Create an Account because that is where one would need to begin, in order to use Noodle Tools.
The video students would like best: This channel has a number of parody videos about various problem issues in the library (mainly overdue books) that I think are entertaining and funny. I think one of the best videos is the Overdue Games video.
I would use videos in various ways, to promote my library. I love the idea of using book trailers! I think this is a great way to get kids reading books they may have not ever picked up, otherwise. When I was exploring YouTube channels, I saw that one library used videos as a way to do book reviews. I like this idea, as well. I also think that video tutorials are beneficial for students and teachers, alike. I believe that videos are a great attention grabber, as well as an easy way for people to learn, rather than having to read through various directions and look at still pictures. I feel similar to videos as I did the screencasts in my last blog. I thought the YouTube videos where the students were involved (especially the parody videos, were so funny and creative. That could be a fun project for the future). There are so many ideas for how to use videos in libraries, as shown on the many YouTube channels I explored this week. I'm excited to try out some different things, when the day comes that I am a librarian.
I decided to make a booktrailer for Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. This is one of my all time favorite books, and one I've enjoyed using as an ELA teacher.
Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
"Ten-year-old Annemarie JOhansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemaries is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life."
Exploring QR Codes:
You can scan the QR Code below, to view my booktrailer.
I would like to use QR codes in the library for various things. I could lead students to booktrailers I've created (or other students have created), there could be a QR for a direct link to the library website, a QR code for upcoming events, or one that leads to a bio about me or other teachers and/or administrators at the school. When I was reading about how to use QR codes in school libraries, I saw ideas like, using them for a scavenger hunt, embedding author information, and guiding students to curated material.
Using YouTube, Animoto, and QR Codes in the library really has many benefits. I think the students and teachers will appreciate all three (and teachers will probably use these techie tools in their own classrooms, after they see how fun and influential they can be, in the library!)
This past week, I was required to explore the social media platforms Instagram and Vine. In addition, I needed to make a screencast. Working with Instagram seemed like the easiest task for me, because I have a personal Instagram account that I use pretty regularly. I feel pretty comfortable with Insta. But then I started to sweat a little when it came to creating a Vine account. This is going to sound so lame, but I honestly have not heard of Vine before. Perhaps this is because I'm not a huge Twitter user? I truthfully only started using Twitter for my technology course. So I had to do a little reading up on Vine. Lastly, the screencast definitely made me sweat because it requires me recording my voice and essentially making a little video... thankfully where you don't have to actually see me sweat! I am not a huge fan of hearing my recorded voice, but more on this later, when I review my screencast experience.
So first off, I created an Instagram account that I can use as a librarian, in the future. For right now, I made it as kind of a "family library" account, where I've posted about books that I like for my own kids (since I'm not actually a librarian yet... and I'm not actually in the classroom right now, since I'm staying at home with my baby).
A photo posted by W. Seewald (@seewaldslibrary) on
I think Instagram would be a great tool to use in the library, in various ways. I can see it being used in similar ways as facebook or twitter. I think it would be even more beneficial in secondary libraries, as ways to really draw students into the library. I read a few articles online about ways to use Insta in the classroom, that I REALLY liked. There were suggestions for projects, like making an account for certain characters (like, what would you find on their accounts, if they had Instagram), showcasing student work (you could definitely showcase books of the week/month or student picks, in the library), how famous people in history would use Insta... I think there are a lot of possible ways to use Instagram in the library. I'm not too sure how many views an elementary library account might get, with students who most likely won't be using Instagram yet, but perhaps it could be useful for parents? I know that many parents ask about book recommendations for their kiddos and this could be a way to make such suggestions. Also, it could be used as a way to showcase ideas of how to keep kids actively reading during the summer.
Next, I played around with Vine. Like I said earlier, I had to read up on this outlet. And then I wasn't exactly jazzed, because your videos are limited to 6 seconds. It's kind of the same reason I don't exactly love Twitter- I'm a verbose person naturally, so I don't like for my words and thoughts to be limited. BUT I do understand the positive side of having to get a point across quickly... especially if your audience is a kid- those short attention spans need info in a short and sweet presentation sometimes. The funny thing about my first experience with Vine is that I had to use my husband's phone, because mine had died. I asked him if he had Vine on his phone and he literally downloaded it yesterday! Ironic? He's a teacher/coach and stays pretty up-to-date with technology, as he uses it with his students and athletes. He uses Twitter WAY more than I do. I think it's because it's a very popular form of social media with his students and athletes.
Here's my first attempt at creating a vine (emphasis on FIRST ATTEMPT... I will be playing around with this, in the future, for ways to use it more effectively in the library....)
Obviously, this isn't exactly what I would use, it was just my first attempt at playing with the app. I really liked an article I read on 8 Ways You Can Use Vine To Teach Reading Comprehension, where it listed ways one might use Vine. Again, just like with the other social media outlets I've played with, I think Vine could be used in various ways in the library. It could definitely be used to bring attention to a certain book, it could be a little teaser for a certain book, Vine could be used to video library happenings, or display certain book collections available in the library. Like with Instagram, I think this form of social media might be more beneficial in a secondary library, than an elementary library- especially because it would have to be parents that logged into the app. The minimum age for Vine is 17, so elementary age students would not actually have access to this outlet. In that case, Vine could be used to show what students are doing in the library (as long as student's faces are not shared, or there is permission for their faces to be shown on websites...) In the secondary setting, I think students could really have some fun with this form of media, for various projects. Librarians could use Vines to bring attention to books student's might find interesting, or to display other aspects of the library that some students might not be aware of. Again, this form of media is going to take some getting used to, for me, but I think it has a lot of potential.
Lastly, I explored screencasts. I was introduced to screencasts in my first grad school class. I've found since I began grad school, that screencasts are pretty popular among professors. And I am EVER so grateful! As I began my online grad-school experience, I was fairly anxious about having online classes where I don't get to be face-to-face with my professors and peers. I was especially worried that I would not understand explanations of either assignments or information, because I'm a pretty visual person, and learn much better by seeing something explained, and not just reading about it. Screencasts have been a HUGE help! Now, I LOVE watching other people's screencasts, but actually creating my own screencast made me feel a little uncomfortable. I am so critical of myself when I hear my recorded voice! And I don't want to sound like a robot reading off a script, but I don't want to fumble my words and make zero sense either. Basically, I'm insecure when it comes to public speaking (unless it's in front of 5-10 year olds) and apparently my brain feels like voice recordings are a form of public speaking. So I sweat it! I TOTALLY see the benefits of screencasts, and I'm glad that I've been stretched and made to actually create one, so that I can get over my anxiety. I think this is an incredibly helpful tool for students and parents alike! I know that as a teacher, parents are always asking how to do certain things or for help with certain things. Creating a screencast would be a wonderful way to explain things for parents, or even for students to reference for a reminder, if say, they got home and forgot exactly how to access something on the computer or the exact process of completing a task for homework. They could simply visit the screencast and then complete the task they need to complete at home. I love how this tool allows you to be with your students at home, in a way. I can imagine that this would be incredibly helpful in difficult math classes in high school, for explaining how to complete certain equations... I think I would have been a little more successful in high school math, had I had access to screencasts and my teachers taken advantage of such technology. As for using screencasts in the library, I LOVE the idea of using them to help remind students how to access certain parts of the library website, like how to put a book on hold or search the catalog. For younger students, this can be difficult to remember, and having to explain it to 22 second graders, every time they come to the library, could get old quick! Also, I think screencasts are a great tool to use to help teachers! I've moved around a lot and I feel like I've had to teach myself about the library in a lot of the schools I've taught in. It would be insanely helpful for new teachers (or teachers who suffer from pregnancy brain and constantly forget little things... like ME), to have a place to find screencasts on how to navigate the library site and ways to help students, as well as screencasts that inform teachers what all the library and the school technology has to offer.
For my screencast, I used screencast o matic, which is what many of my professors have used. I've found that there are actually quite a few websites that you can use to create screencasts. I'll probably be playing with other sites, in the future, just to see what all is offered, out there. This was my first screencast to make, and as I was simply experimenting, I kept it short and simple. (Also, I have a very hoarse voice right now, from a horrible cough, so I'm sorry about that)
(A note about this particular screencast: I noticed, after viewing it in my blog, that it is blurry and not exactly easy to see, so this is something that I am going to have to troubleshoot in the future)
All in all, I've found that when I'm required to actually create accounts and really use the technology I've been learning about, I get a little more comfortable, even though at first I may have been stretched a bit. I like the idea of using Instagram and Screencasts, but Vines are going to have to grow on me. My goal is to be an elementary school librarian, and lately I find myself struggling to figure out how to use some technology (mainly social media platforms) for the age range I would find in such a school. I can see using the technology to reach parents and the community, as well as new teachers. Of the three mediums I experimented with this last week, I think screencasts might be my favorite, simply because of the way they can help ANYONE who might use the library cite (students, teachers, parents, admin, community...).
I chose to create my infographic using easel.ly because I found that their free templates lend themselves to the data I wanted to use. Infogr.am seemed pretty similar to easel.ly, but easel.ly appeared to be easier to use (perhaps because the demo video I watched, explained the site a little better for my understanding). I liked Piktochart, but I didn't find that the templates would be useful for this particular data, at least not the way I pictured it in my mind. I think I might like to use that site in the future, though.
I could see myself using infographics in the library for things like introducing genres, detailing what each section of the library holds/where you could find something in particular, and displaying book collections (i.e. Bluebonnet books or other award winning lists that students like to read from). In addition, I think this is a great tool to use in the classroom, because it really helps students digest information found. All in all, this was a useful assignment because I think infographics really catch students' eyes and portray information in a quick way, rather than giving out long winded informative literature.
Below is the infographic I created using data found from Pew Research Center.
I chose this data to use for this assignment because we started out talking a lot about social media use in schools, namely Facebook and Twitter. We've also discussed Tumblr briefly. I found the percentages for which social media sites were most used, helpful, because it lets me know which of the sites would be most effective, when reaching my students, in the future.
Pew Research Center data found at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/
