Final Reflection

In this class, I have learned many new ways to incorporate technology into the library. Through this 10 week course and going through the various assignments, I have mastered the use of technology like never before. Without having to use some of these tools, I would have never attempted to look at or try some of them. I have learned how to engage students more in learning, how to make things easier, and how to use technology to help students learn in many diverse ways. I have learned how to operate many technology tools that will become both lifetime and useful tools in helping my library to run smoothly.

I really enjoyed learning about all the teaching tools and how to implement and use them in the library as well as the classroom. Some I have encountered before and others were totally new to me. Some of my favorites were Screencasts, Vine, Instagram, Animoto, QR Codes, and Comic and Cartoons. I guess podcasts are my least favorite because I am a visual learner. I like to see some action with what I am listening to or learning about. However, the podcast my son did for is one of my favorite podcasts, so I can also see how it could be a beneficial tool.

I think the Instagram, Jing, Vine and Screencast assignment were the most difficult for me, but as it goes: the ones that are the most difficult turn out to be your favorite or greatest strength.

In closing, I believe that the students will benefit from all of these learning tools. I believe that to be a good librarian you need to be open to new ideas in technology. I will need to look at new tools as they become available and see what the positive use would be in the classroom and learn how to use it well so students can get the most out of learning. I have really enjoyed this class. It has been fun and rewarding. Thank you Dr. Gross and classmates.

Media (is) the Message?

After reading the debate summary of Richard Clarke and Robert Kozma, I realized that the technology debate will go on forever. Technology changes everything and we, as educators, need to consider how technology changes thinking. The new tools for communication that have become part of the 21st century no doubt contributes to thinking.

As the debate goes on, we educators continue to implement technology. I have to agree with Kozma that stated, “technology can make a particularly significant contribution when coordinated with the training of teachers to integrate technology into their teaching, with applications that draw on the unique capabilities of technology, and with supportive curricular, assessment, and school contexts that advance complex problem solving, creative thinking, and life-long learning--skills that are needed to support an information society and knowledge economy".

As educators we have to think how and when to incorporate new media into instruction. Kozma said that if we do not strive to understand the potential relationship between media and learning, then one will never be made and we are unlikely to ever understand the prospective for such a relationship (Kozma, 1994)

I believe like Robert Kozma, that technology does influence learning, in the way we learn, when we learn, and what we learn. We must allow our minds to remain open for the possibilities of connections of technology and learning.

In the end, as educators we need to know what the educational need is, problem, or gap for which use of new technology might potentially enhance learning.

 Just as the debate will go on, for every new advantage a new technology has to offer, there is a corresponding disadvantage and thus the cycle continues to go around.

Sources:

Deubel, P. (2007, November 08). The Great Debate: Effectiveness of Technology in Education -- THE Journal. Retrieved July 19, 2016, from https://thejournal.com/articles/2007/11/08/the-great-debate-effectiveness-of-technology-in-education.aspx

Brown, M. J. (n.d.). If Technology is the Medium and Instruction is the Method: Then Do Media Influence Learning? Retrieved July 19, 2016, from http://www.lehigh.edu/~mjbg/portfolio/pdf-pospaper.pdf

Podcasts

This blog is about using Podcasts in the classroom. After exploring and listening to podcasts, I found that there are numerous ideas for using Podcasts in the classroom. Some of the ideas I found that would be fun to use are: book talks, literature circles, meet the author, diaries, science logs, art critiques, and oral histories.

+  Book talks - Are brief overviews of books designed to raise the interest of potential readers. For book talks we as teachers and librarians should model a book talk podcast before we ask students to do one.

+  Literature circles - Teachers or librarians can list several books and let the students sign up for a discussion group. Groups may read different books by the same author and then compare the recordings to find similarities or patterns. Exchanges can also be made with other classes, on the same or different books.

+  "Meet the Author" reports - Recording "Meet the Author" reports as podcasts allows the classroom community of learners to construct a library of peer-produced author biographies that could be used in a variety of extension activities.

+  Diaries - Podcasts could provide reactions and perspectives to historical events and people. Have students record their own perspective about a particular event, expedition or period in history.  The podcast could even help illustrate  the changes that took place during the course of events, period or expedition. 

+  Science logs - Gathering data during an investigation is an important part of learning in the science classroom. The recorded investigation notes in a podcast can be used to facilitate a peer review of data for an added level of reflection and review.

+  Art critiques - An art instructor could use podcasting to model and engage students in art critiques. Have students record art critiques in small groups and to compare different personal reactions.

+  Oral Histories - Teach your students to be recorders of their own history.

After exploring the four different podcast tools: Soundcloud, Audioboo, Podomatic, and Garage Band, I realized that students can access the information made on podcasts anytime they want to. This type of media will encourage students to develop their own podcasts with their own personal interest in mind. After exploring these ways to create podcasts and having a Mac I decided to use GarageBand for my podcast.

Clink on the Finding Dory link below to hear my podcast over a movie review my son did for me on Finding Dory:

Finding Dory

Source:

Ideas for Podcasting in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2016, from http://fcit.usf.edu/podcasts/index.html

Cartoons and Comics

This lesson was a lot of fun! I think students will be engaged in lessons more if we incorporate using comic and cartoon applications in teaching and learning. Comics have the ability to meet the needs of students in a variety of learning styles. These short comics can represent paragraphs worth of written material in a manner that is enjoyable and effective for the early reader or challenged reader. 

Below is my link for my ToonDoo!
http://www.toondoo.com/View.toon?param=10275972

This ToonDoo application was a lot of fun and the most enjoyable for me. I loved the freedom and choices of characters and backgrounds offered in this one. It was easy to save and embed the link for viewing in my Blog. It offers ample library of clip art and the ability to doodle your own pictures. Teens can use the format to express complex emotions, while younger students are reinforcing basic reading skills. It is also a great way to pair pictures with the plot and can help students learn how the elements of a story work.  


Pixton had limited characters and backgrounds to work with. It was my second favorite of the three to make comics with. I loved the way you could move the characters into different positions to get the mood across. This cartoon was easy to save and embed the image right into my Blog. I think students would find this a great way to express themselves and not have to have any technical skills to produce the comic. When students see the finished comic they will be at awe because they were the writer, creator and producer. Below is my Pixton comic!





MakeBeliefsComix was my least favorite. It was very limited and you didn't have much freedom to create with. With this application students can't use own original work. But the animated characters would be very easy to use with very young elementary students.You can however select the panel you want to use before or during creation. You do not have to create an account on this application and so you can not save your work and work on it another day. You can e-mail the link of your comic to a friend, where they can view your comic by clicking on the link that is e-mailed to them.

Below is link to my MakeBeliefsComix!
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=13569419C1984067

As librarians and teachers, by using cartoons and comics in lessons, we can get the attention of students who might be bored by offering them an outlet to express themselves in a creative way. It enriches reading, writing and thinking. It presents what is essential. There are many different ways to use these applications. Some might be to promote sequencing of events, create book reports, timelines, storytelling, to show easy to follow instructions, pre-writing tools, character analysis, and many more ideas. By using comics and cartoons in the classroom we can help students to analyze, synthesize, and absorb content that may be more difficult when presented in only one way.

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

By creating YouTube videos, you can help teach and promote library services in a great way to allow parents and students to become involved. Students could be able to create videos and parents could be able to visit the library channel and watch the videos. While looking through the channels provided I found some that I thought would be helpful to children and also ones they would like best.


Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeUhXLvFAi4
Tiger Visits the Norman High School Library 
I thought kids would love seeing their school mascot go to the library to read. Great way to promote reading!
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BezObVKkqOo
How to Use EBSCOHost
This would be a very helpful video for students to know how to use one of their databases.
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q7RjsFNFRs
New Arrivals, April 2012
This YouTube is great way to promote new arrivals in the library and will be helpful for students to find the new books.
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XtB77pHRs
Mini Lesson for Ms. Salas and Students: Finding Creative Commons Images
This video would be very helpful to students when looking for images for different projects that are copy- write friendly.
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XtB77pHRs
Wii Like to Party @ The Panther Library
This video shows that other fun learning can take place in the library.
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqltFH1GQDo
The Panthers Library in Action-Fall 2013
This video shows students using many different learning styles in the library. Makes you want to go to the library! 
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLHp-fXywAE
Return Them, Maybe
Great video for getting students to remember to bring their library books back.
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMRHfYmaO0
AllIDOIsRead
Fun video for promoting reading.
Channel-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYS7t4vYsQw
Overdue Games
Very creative way to get books back on time. Great video! 

Animoto- is another activity to use in classroom and library. This is an amazing way to promote books students have read or teacher favorites. It is something teachers can use that allows students to create a more interesting book report. The book I decided to create a book trailer on is Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney.

In this sixth installment, young adult novel by Jeff Kinney, "Cabin Fever" follows the misadventures of Greg Heffley as his attempt to earn money for Christmas gifts gets him into trouble at school just as a massive blizzard sets in. Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he's innocent, or at least sort of. The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts, he's going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside a cabin with your family for the holidays?

Scan the following QR code to view the trailer.

By using QR codes in the library students are using, thinking, creating, and exploring techie tools. In the library you could have students create book trailers and put the QR codes on business cards and stick them above the bookcase to get students interested in reading the book. Other ideas I found mentioned in my exploration about QR codes are to use for scavenger hunts, use to guide students to author information and websites, and use them to promote your school library. Lastly, use them to guide students on how to use library equipment and services.

Instagram, Vine and Screencasts

Instagram, Vine and Screencasts

By stepping out of our comfort zone and using different teaching tools such as Instagram, Vine and Screencasts we can create a teaching environment that  is fun and engaging for students. Using social media in the classroom and library can help keep parents informed as well as highlight events or even post completed assignments that students have turned in. By using these 21st learning skills and promoting them in the classroom and library we can keep our students up-to-date on the newest trends in technology.

The first tool I explored was Instagram. Instagram will be great for sharing students work and keeping parents in the loop about what is going on in the classroom and library. I had heard about Instagram from my own children, but had never explored it or had an account before. First, I created an account and learned to use pictures from my photos already on my phone from the 4th of July celebration we had in our town.

Here is an example of my first Instagram using a photo of my family watching fireworks at John Stiff Park in Amarillo, Texas.

Vine is a six-second video showing creativity in a continuous vine. It could be used in the classroom or library to model how students should execute a task, announce homework to students and parents, market a school's upcoming events to followers, "tease" new units for kids and families and many more ideas.

Here is a video using Vine that I created and posted on Vine.

Screencast-o-matic is a fun and easy to use software that creates a video from your screen. You simply create an account, download it to your computer, open it up and begin recording. I did buy the Pro for $15.00 a year to have the drawing tools. I really liked the 3 second count down feature, because I knew right when to start recording. I can see using this for student tutorials or even recording a lesson and posting it so patents can watch the video with their child at home or for students who have missed school can watch a lesson that was missed.

I created a simple Screencast on how to access our school's library catalog. 

Jing

I explored Jing as the second screencast. It was a bit more confusing to use. I watched the tutorial and learned about the little yellow sun icon you had to click on and it gives you 3 rays to use for creating your screencast. To create my screencast I clicked on the first ray with the plus sign to create my screencast. With Jing you have the option to capture an image or a video. Jing also provides you with a 3 second count down before you begin recording. After creating one of each I prefer Screen-o-matic. It is more user friendly and I think students could pick up on using it faster.

I created a screencast on Jing on how to explore a Website called Teen Ink that students will love to use. Please click on the link labeled "Jing" below:

Jing