Videos and QR Codes in the Library

I explored Youtube videos, Animoto and QR codes. I am familiar with all three but this was my first time actually creating my own booktrailer using Animoto and generating a QR code for you to view it. This was fun and exciting because I have more ideas to help with my library to get the school community excited about what's happening in the library. For example, sharing new and upcoming books or sharing information that students need to know about research.

YouTube

NHS Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjpxzgZQkZM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEEvnsuHQZ0

The first video shares how to access the library website. It gives step by step directions and highlights special features to make it easy to search around. I also shared a fun video that students would love because of the upbeat music and it was about the Harry Potter Series.

The Unquiet Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XIMgryIYEo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_5t11aMd5Q

This library shared a lot of tutorial videos that will be helpful to students. I chose one that showed students how to locate copyright friendly photos. I also shared another video of a student sharing how she created mind maps.

Pikesville HS Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2z35rOwbLk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwoklsadBc4

I saw videos of teachers sharing information about their specific classes they taught. It would be helpful for students to know that information and match a name with a face for the class they will be taking. The students would also love watching videos shared by other students giving information on how to prepare for college.

BBMSMedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps8TUylUepQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jo1RLPoD6s

The first video I chose shares information about how to cite information and that would be helpful for students especially as they learn about how to research. Students would also love the parody's for overdue books. I thought that was a fun way to share with others that it's time to look for those overdue books and turn them in.

Animoto

Animoto is a service that allows you to create a slideshow using pictures and video clips. Animoto was very user-friendly and it had a brief tutorial before you got started creating your own. When you are ready to create, choose a video style and there are several free options to choose from. You can also pick from a selected list to play a song during your slideshow. From there you add pictures or videos you download. There is also an option to add text to your pictures/videos. Make sure your slideshow is in the order you want it played. You can preview your video and then share it for others to view!  I created a book trailer about the book The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I chose this book because I did a book study with some of my students using this book. This would have been an excellent activity for my students to create a book trailer to share with other students to read.
                                        Scan the QR code below to view my book trailer.

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

QR Codes

QR code is short for Quick Response code and this code can store a lot of information that can be pulled up using a tablet or cell phone. I chose the QR Code Generator QR Stuff to share my book trailer that is found above. It was very easy! My code was generated in 4 steps using this site. QR codes can definitely be used in the library!  As I researched more about the use of QR codes in the library, I found a Wiki called Library Success that listed a lot of additional great ideas. Here are a few ideas that I liked: use codes to direct patrons to contest information, use codes on bookmarks that highlight popular authors/books, post codes on bookshelves, posters and other print media to share book talks to help peak interest of books that are available and posting codes on popular books to recommend further reading.

Instagram, Vine, and Screencasts

 Instagram and Vine are two social media sites that allow you to share online with others through pictures and videos. On Instagram, you can post pictures and also share short clips of video. On Vine, you create short videos that loop. Instagram and Vine can both be used in the classroom and library. The We are Teachers blog post shares some very interesting ways that Instagram can be used. For example, showcase student work, share reading recommendations, and document student progress. I am very familiar with Instagram and have used it for personal use for years now.  I have a bookfair coming up so I think I will use this as a way to promote my event. I used Instagram to create a public service announcement to share with my students about getting a public library card. The picture shows my daughter when she received her library card. I also shared my enthusiasm of new books arriving in the library which happens to be my first official library purchase!

This was my first experience with Vine and I loved it! It allows you to be more creative since you only have about 6 seconds to share through video.  Vine can be used in the classroom to document your experiences with a project and also create fun book trailers. I used Vine to share Dr. Seuss books and show the book check out process.

Screencasts are digital recordings that show what is happening on a computer screen that you want others to view. In the world of education, students and teachers can use screencasts to share information. They can present content material to also be viewed at a later time for review. It can also be beneficial in a flipped classroom where students listen to a screencast at home for homework and then use class time to do further research or collaboration on difficult tasks.  I used Screencast-o-matic to share with patrons how to access the library catalog and ebooks. I would definitely suggest using this particular screencast because it was very user-friendly and I didn’t have to download anything. 

A photo posted by Stacey Royal (@sdroyal) on Mar 9, 2016 at 6:33pm PST

This is my first year as a librarian and this has been an overwhelming yet exciting year for me!

A photo posted by Stacey Royal (@sdroyal) on Mar 9, 2016 at 6:05pm PST

A photo posted by Stacey Royal (@sdroyal) on Mar 11, 2016 at 8:34am PST

Infographics

Infographics help to create a visual representation of real information. I am new to the world of infographics but I can see it useful for sharing data easier. There are three sites that you can use to create one. I looked at Piktochart, Easel.ly and Infogr.am. I decided to use Piktochart to show data from the Pew Research Center about social media usage. I chose this one because of the variety of themes/templates and the variety of icons and images. I think the hardest thing was deciding on a template because I wasn't comfortable venturing on my own and starting from scratch. I was able to navigate pretty easily through the site. I showed some statistics of the trends of different demographic groups, but I think I went a little crazy with the colors of the different graphs. I think next time I will try and stick with the same color scheme so that it will blend together. Below you will find my Piktochart infographic.

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