Reflections

 Before this course, I must say I was quite hesitant about venturing out and trying new "techie" things such as websites, apps, and certain social media platforms. Life just seemed comfortable with the few tech things I had been plugged into. Now, I can actually say that because I was pushed to take risks and try new things, I have learned a wealth about the tech world. I ventured out and discovered plenty. I am grateful for Twitter and Feed readers that will allow me to be stay connected and in touch with librarians from various places that will help me grow personally and professionally.

Basically, I am appreciative that I get to surround myself with many educational leaders that will help me stay up to date with trends in the library and the world of literacy. I also enjoyed learning about alternative tools for learning and assessing such as: my own YouTube channel, podcasts, infographics, screencasts, book trailers, how the Twitter world operates, Feed readers and how they gather preferred reading content all on one place, comic strips, QR codes, not to mention, how to blog. Prior to this course, I had zero knowledge about how to even begin a personal blog. Now, I have aspirations to write and begin a personal blog because of this course and I can actually say I am better equipped as a teacher and librarian to take my students to greater heights in this tech world. Personally, I enjoyed learning and creating screencasts. I've always enjoyed watching them and now I can continue to create some for students as tutorials such as how to navigate through the online catalog, navigating through Ebsco, or simply showing how to complete an online assignment. I thoroughly enjoyed podcasting very much, maybe because I didn't have to see myself on video lol and probably because I felt comfortable and more at ease just recording my voice. The assignment that I really struggled with was reviewing several sites that allow you to create book trailers and create QR codes for them. All in all, I am ready to take this knowledge and implement it in my current classroom and future library.

Although they were great and learning experiences, the journey (this course) wasn't always easy, but with trial and error, I overcame and in turn learned that in the tech world there will be setbacks and headaches due to technical difficulties, however the positives will always outweigh the negatives. I'll close with a powerful point Hatmaker makes in "Food for Thought" in order for us to carry out the mission, we must begin "where they are" be willing to listen to the community and serve "their" needs whether it be now in the classroom or in the library.

Media Debate

   After reading the summary on The Media Debate , it appears as though many were anticipating the power of media in the future, in instruction, and in the learning process. Although Clark had a sound argument, as far as his stand on media, I'd have to side more with Kozma's arguments. Living in the day and age we live in, it's almost a given that instruction must consist of a certain media. Because 21st century students, or rather digital natives, were introduced to technology at such an early age, that is all they know, which means doing anything different from their norm would probably render ineffective.  I have personally witnessed how my own students are restless when I present instruction based solely on printed text. On the other hand, I have also witnessed how the incorporation of technology into my instruction has helped my students process information a lot better as opposed to simply a lecture. They are less fidgety and antsy when I deliver instruction that incorporates various forms of media, thus accommodating all students with various styles.  Personal connections are made, students are better able to comprehend the material at hand, and are engaged with the integration of technology.

  It is evident that they need to be stimulated in order to learn and be productive. I like that Kozma goes further and rephrases the question :  " How, do media affect learning?" and instead focuses on the question, ".....what are the actual and potential relationships between media and learning?"

   This again proves that media is more than just a tool and can render profound effects on learning. Our earlier reading in the course, Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, also confirms that media assists and goes hand in hand with the learning process. Furthermore, this is yet another reason why such media literacy standards exist in the curriculum that I must teach. 

Anderson, L.W., and D.R. Krathwohl. 2000. A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

The media debate. (2012, August 30). Retrieved November 20, 2016, from                  http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate 

Podcasts

Looking for a new way for your students to learn or to assess their learning. Look no further...podcasts are a great and fun way to do that!! Podcasts are digital, audio files that you can record or simply listen to podcasters speak about various topics. Podcasting will help your students become better listeners and will definitely accommodate the auditory learners in your classroom. ReadWriteThink offers great tips and lesson plans for using podcasting in the classroom. Podcasting in Education also offers various ways to use and implement podcasting in the classroom, which was very helpful in understanding what podcasting is and how it' s used in education.

 After stumbling upon (http://www.appsinclass.com/audioboo.html)apps in the classroom, I also learned various ways to utilize podcasts and am very excited about using and assigning podcasts for the following purposes:

• Sharing my weekly agenda with the students
• Students will use podcast to summarize the day's lesson
• Digital storytelling
• Language/pronunciation skills practice or ELL's

I have reviewed 3 different Podcasting websites for you and hope that you venture out and offer other creative ways to teach and assess your students.

PODOMATIC
This particular podcasting website allows you to follow certain channels, create a feed, user friendly interface, no background music offered. One downfall in publishing a podcast was you could only add a file for upload and not record on the site directly.

AUDIOBOOM
This site was the most difficult for me to navigate through. I searched and searched for the create a podcast tab/option, I found none. I then proceeded to download the app on my iphone and after I created a sample to test it out, I couldn't find it on the full site on my laptop. It wasn't until I looked under profile that I was able to find it and then see an option to record a new one. After multiple attempts, it would not upload my podcast and indicated a "fail" message.

SOUNDCLOUD
I had much luck with soundcloud and was able to successfully record directly from the site. The interface was simple and easy to navigate. You're able to listen to various podcasts, search by genre, attach photos, stream music and you're also allowed 180 min. of podcasting with the free account. Personally this was the best podcasting tool to use. I gave it a two thumbs up!!

**Check out an assignment I plan on assigning through this podcast. Exit Ticket-Malala Yousafazai

Cartoons & Comics

I just recently learned about pretty cool websites and apps that allow you to make teaching,just about anything, more fun and engaging for students! In the article "25 Ways to Use Makebeliefs.com in the Classroom" Zimmerman offers ways to bring vocabulary, autobiographies, diaries and many more things to life with makebeliefscomix! He also has a plethora of resources and ways to implement and incorporate comix in homeschool lessons,  for different student populations such as autistic children, deaf and hearing impaired, special needs, and resources for parents as well. You will absolutely love it and so will your students!!

Just another way to change things up in your day-to-day teaching. I will definitely be implementing these practical, yet genius ideas in my classroom. I plan on using and assigning  comic strips based on their SAT voc. word lists, explaining the plot of a story, and definitely writing a mini-autobiography or memoir, as I am currently teaching about expository texts.

You will definitely appreciate these alternative ways of teaching, learning, and creating as opposed to the traditional methods of delivering instruction and assessing their knowledge on a particular topic! Check out the comic strips I created and learn about their pros and cons, and don't forget to give one a try! ***Click on the hyperlinks for a larger view of my comic strips.

My Toondoo Comic Strip

I found Toondoo to be a bit self explanatory. With its limited features due to a basic, free account wasn't to bad. It had a limited variety of characters and features you could do in each panel. Some difficulties I ran into was the text size and trying to get all the text to fit in without overlapping the characters in the scene. I also had a bit of a problem getting to the Home page and retrieving my saved Toondoo. Student might encounter difficulty as well. Overall, it was ok and not too shabby considering the options in creating a basic one. I'm assuming purchasing an upgraded version will allow for more of an elaborate cartoon strip.

My Pixton Comic Strip

Pixtoon was a lot better for creating a comic strip. It had a lot more options and features than Toondoo did. Although it took some practice, trial & error I was soon able to create a really net comic strip with multiple character offerings, props, backdrops, and editing features that Toondoo did not have. Students would definitely be able to use this one. Choosing between Toondoo and this one, I would definitely pick this one. Great website! I give it a big thumbs up!

My Makebeliefs Comic Strip

This one was rather easy to create after some playing around with the features and some tinkering. I loved that it had several options and features to add in order to create awesome animated comic strips! Students would enjoy using this site.The only downfall...you can't save, but you can email or print it. If I assigned one to my students, they'd have to email me theirs.

References

 Zimmerman, B. (n.d.). How to Play with MakeBeliefsComix.com. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/ 

Videos & QR Codes in the Library

YOUTUBE in the LIBRARY

  Because students are drawn to the tech world and constantly plugged into it, it's especially important that we continue to teach in a way that accommodates their technology driven selves. Youtube is pretty spectacular in that you can find videos in just about every category/topic imaginable. Some teachers and libraries are utilizing this vehicle as a way to to engage and communicate with students. Below are some techy libraries in action. Check it out!

  Norman High School Library

Most helpful for students: How to use Ebsco
I believe this video will be extremely helpful for students that may need a visual example as to how to navigate through Ebsco through it's various search fields when they need to read up on a particular subject or conduct research.

Students would probably like best: Freedom to Read
Through this video students will gain an appreciation for reading whatever they desire and learn about various books that are frequently challenged and even banned!
 
  The Unquiet library

Most helpful for students: Library on Wheels
I think this is a fantastic way to promote literacy and take the books to them. Sometimes students don't find the time or take the time to visit the library, so I think this is the perfect way to remedy that! Plus, this will prevent a lot of late fees.

Students would probably like best: Greek Mythology Vids.
Students will enjoy watching each others' projects as they creatively present about Greek Mythology.

Pikesville HS Library

Most helpful for students:  Financial Aid Workshop
This would be especially helpful for students who need guidance/assistance in the process that need a refresher or simply those who couldn't attend.

Students would probably like best: Hip Hop Day
Students celebrate Black History Month with Black literature and Skype with the Flocabulary rapper.

BBMS Media

Most helpful for students: How to write an annotated bibliography
Students will find this helpful and visually informative when needing to create an annotated bibliography.

Students would probably like best: Overdue "Hotline" Parody
Student will get a kick out of this catchy parody all while getting the message.

* These are all fantastic ways to promote the library, events, and literacy. I plan on doing the same for mine in order to showcase book club members, author visits, book club activities, acquisition parties. I believe this will create a safe, fun and learning environment for all to visit!!

QR CODES in the Library and classroom

QR codes have become a thing now in education! They are even a bigger deal because according to Andrew Miller they can facilitate an online search a lot faster, saves the trees, accommodates 21st century learners, it creates an interactive way of learning in the classroom along with many other great uses in the classroom! I definitely plan to start putting these ideas into action! Below is a novel for which I created an Animato book trailer for.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/QR-codes-teaching-andrew-miller


Wonder by R.J. Palacio is an incredible story that I enjoyed reading to my students last year. It is a powerful story about acceptance, friendship and kindness. Scan and take a look at my book trailer!

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.
Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

*Cover image and synopsis from Good Reads.

Scan QR code to view an Animoto book trailer on Wonder by: R.J. Palacio

Instagram, Vine & Screencasts

     After exploring this week's technology applications, fortunately, I was already familiar with those apps. and already had an Instagram and Vine account. Upon reading up on WeareTeachers blog about the various ways and learning how learning can be incorporated through those applications was pretty awesome.Typically, one does not think of having these type of accts. for classroom use! I was immediately and especially intrigued with how students can share/recommend books, allow for an "inspiration fairy"(student) to handle the Instagram account and post pictures for classroom writing inspiration, and also post about students' accomplishments. When I first got a Vine acct., I got one to also monitor my daughter's activity. As a result of the acct. activation, I was exposed to all sorts of videos, although some were humorous, some were very crude posts. That would probably be a concern , however.

      I also read up on Teachthought and Readinghorizon blogs that dealt with Vine and how it can be implemented in the classroom, again I was surprised. The blog offered a lot of great ways for educational purposes such as: announcements, showcasing fundamental concepts, flipped classroom use, recreate scenes from books, memorization of critical concepts, etc. I will definitely be utilizing these apps. and implement as many of those ideas through them. Perhaps, I can even try doing the same for the apps. Snapchat and Twitter, since those happen to be the most talked about and trending apps. nowadays.

     Here are my first posts for both Instagram and Vine.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BL7BiOjAKFH/?taken-by=radrachc7 

https://vine.co/u/1402074050142052352

ADOBE SPARK

      In addition, I learned about screencasts and how they are powerful visual tools that can be used in the classroom. I tried out Adobe Spark and navigated through it with ease. It was pretty self explanatory. I also like the features that it offered such as adding themes, music, and images and icons from creative commons as an alternative to uploading photos, which I thought was a fantastic feature preventing copyright infringement. I plan on creating more like these before  I introduce a new topic or novel in order to engage and hook.

Below is my Adobe Spark video over a book trailer I created. Great visual tool!It was a fun tool to play with!

Adobe Spark Book Trailer 

SCREENCAST-O-MATIC

      Screencast-o-matic was another application I tried out. I can honestly say I've always wanted to know how to make one especially since our professors use them quit a bit. It is definitely and has been a helpful tool in learning how to do or perform specific tasks. Since  I had the learning opportunity to do so, I thoroughly enjoyed this application. I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed when I first created an account, but was relieved when I found the tutorials on how to use it. Although there are limitations such as a 15 min. recording time limit, no editing tools, such as drawing and zooming, and overlays, I was still able to accomplish what I needed to do with the free features available. I look forward in using this application when needing to teach my students how to use Google Docs....that was last week's challenge when I had to walk over to each student's Chromebook and show them how to use the tools. A screencast over that would have my life a lot easier!! Try it...it's pretty awesome! Although, it took some tinkering with, I loved this one the most because you could screen share everything you are doing,step by step, whereas adobe spark is simply a video creation of slides.

Below is my screencast link over a class novel project using Padlet.

Screencast-0-matic How to over a novel project 

   

Infographics

In the education world, presenting new information and having students present is inevitable and with that comes new creative ways to present. After learning about a cool method in presenting information from http://www.dailyinfographic.com, I learned that infographics are visual tools that offer great ways to present information by summing up key points in a clean professional looking manner. Not to mention, visualizing information when presenting new information is also necessary because, as Laufenberg states in "Teaching with Infographics","...so that we can see the patterns and connections that matter and then designing that information so it makes more sense, or it tells a story, or allows us to focus only on the information that’s important. (Schulten,2010)

As I began my exploration for websites/programs that allow for the creation of infographics, I reviewed Infogr.am, Easel.ly, and Piktochart. I found that Infogr.am wasn't exactly what I needed to present my information. Infogr.am seems to be cutting edge for solely data presentation in the form of graphs,charts, etc.and although it had a simple interface and was easy to understand,I wasn't necessarily bought with the free and public templates.In my opinion, they weren't visually appealing for the visual person I am, plus who doesn't appreciate a good visual! Easel.ly and Piktocharts were equally amazing. Their free templates were a lot more visually appealing and had an array of options in creating that beautiful, professional- looking presentation that one looks for when needing to present information. Needless to say, I went with Piktochart because they had the appropriate graphics for the information I needed to present from Pew Research Center. I believe these visually stimulating infographics are exactly what will continue to enable 21st century learners to continue to delve into digital learning. Give one a try!

Here is the link to my infographic on "Book Reading 2016" from Pew Research Center.

https://magic.piktochart.com/editor/piktochart/17157850#

References

Perrin, A. (2016, September 01). Book Reading 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/01/book-reading-2016/

Schulten, K. (2010, August 27). Teaching With Infographics | A Student Project Model. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/teaching-with-infographics-a-student-project-model/comment-page-1/

Blogs & Blog Readers

With endless amounts of content out there, it can become pretty overwhelming and time consuming trying to catch up with all sorts of news from social media, to blogs, to local/ world news. After reading Cassidy's article, I made a really interesting discovery...the fact that feed readers exist, which allow for all preferred sites on one page is pretty awesome and convenient. Isn't that wonderful!! After looking into several, I decided to go with Feed Reader Online because it was free and the simple, clutter-free interface was user friendly which was pretty convincing. Give one a try!! Below are some blogs that will be sure to keep you in the know with the most up to date technology (apps/webs) and library news!!

Blog #1

http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/

This was a top hit as I searched for "school library blogs". Her name is Tiffany Whitehead and she is a librarian at Central Middle from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has been recognized plenty due to her many achievements in technology and as a librarian. Her post on her home page, unfortunately, has passed. It was an invitation for a free webinar for future and current librarians who aspire to be future ready librarians. Another eye-catching post was titled, "Ditching Dewey". I was immediately intrigued and read up on other posts about how she experimented by putting her fiction section by genre and the success she saw because she mentions the students loved it and helped facilitate their search. Other topics range from cook reviews to digital citizenship,to Makerspace and other apps, to technology, to library lessons/procedures, etc.

Blog #2

http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/

I decided to add this one to my feed as well. Because Shannon Miller's has 27,325 Twitter followers, I thought I'd give her blog a look and I'm glad I did.She is a teacher librarian speaker, consultant, author, among many other titles. She has a lot of great apps and websites that will definitely keep students engaged. One that I particularly found interesting was a website called Ormiboard where studnets can showcase their knowledge through creative storytelling. Not to mention, a real neat app called Bloom's allows for different types of postings such as announcement, events,volunteer help, parent conferences, etc. A really cool and informative blog indeed!

Blog #3

http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/

And, of course, I couldn't pass up this blog. Since my discovery of her on Twitter, I am obsessed, maybe because of the "daring" in her blog name... I love how everything she does with her students is intentional and with purpose. Her latest post involved Pokemon, and what kid isn't raving about those colorful and adventurous throwback characters. Additionally, I love how she incorporates technology into almost everything she implements in her center and with students! Lots of fabulous ideas!!

Blog#4

http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/

I also became acquainted with his Twitter account and was instantly hooked and I as I searched for school blogs, his blog popped up. I began reading and browsing through his content and found many great ways that I can use in my classroom as well in order to spark my student's interest in literature. His blog consists of a very creative setup that incorporates book reviews with their respective book trailers. Because students have become quite the techy learners, I believe this is a perfect way to hook them!

Blog #5

http://libraryashleyschool.blogspot.com/p/library-displays.html

This is a wonderful blog about school library displays as well as posts about library lessons and sprinkled with a few book reviews. The blog showcases various displays which are beautiful and offers a lot of creative ideas as far as how to display literature visually. These displays are definitely something I'd like to replicate in the future. Ashley's library does a fantastic job presenting displays,fiction and nonfiction alike.

References

Cassidy, V. (2015, September 22). The 10 best feed reader apps for RSS, news, and more. [Web log]. Retrieved from https://zapier.com/blog/best-rss-feed-reader-apps/

I also discovered the world of Tumblr and created an account! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/radrachc7

Facebook & Twitter

As mentioned FB and Twitter are wonderful platforms for educational purposes as well. More and more students are making it part of their life in order to stay connected with others and in the loop of the things, which is why it is important that we as educators connect with them and speak their lingo and do life as they do. The school libraries I discovered on FB are doing a great job of creating a page in efforts to connect with the school community.Posts range from school announcements as well as community announcements such as outreaches and various drives, as well as posts on books, encouraging students to vote for books they'd like to see/purchased in the library. Most pages did not have any comments, but several likes and video views. Through my discovery I was able to visit school libraries all the way from Frankfurt, Germany, which was pretty cool to see! Wow! The power of the Internet! Some of my favorite pages that I visited were Carmel School Library from Carmel, Indiana. That librarian posts several videos, using PicPlay, and on in particular was of students and teachers visiting her library/orientation where winners were also announced in the video of a contest she was holding during their visit. I also came across Oak Grove M.S. from Hattiesburg, MS where the librarian posted pics of a book festival she held in which she hosted Karin Perry. That was pretty neat to see a familiar face at an out of state library's event . Another page I loved was Larson Elementary School Library in Wasilla, AK. That librarian also had a lot of creative bulletin board display posts. This is definitely a wonderful tool to keep students, teachers, and the community abreast of all happenings, as technology becomes an integral part of daily living, and as with all forms of social networking sites,the filtering issue is a difficult one to achieve for students and parents who want to stay in the loop and in the know of things. It is almost impossible and inevitable to not view inappropriate content to a certain extent that are somehow embedded within the appropriate sites. Not to mention, possible comments that may be inappropriately posted if not frequently monitored. Twitter also has a plethora of educational technology leader accounts that can be very beneficial. Kathy Shcrock definitely lives up to the tech guru that she is with her impressive techy lists and findsand how the can be implemented into the clasroom and well as to imrove one's quality of life w technology. These tech leaders provide informative educational articles, posts to ponder about, book reviews, retweets about other insightful posts about how to have successful book talks(see below), which I really enjoyed and will implement in the class as well. In addition, posts about innovative tools and tech finds that can improve learning/teaching. I gained a vast knowledge through their accounts and am eager to learn from some of the best!

Oh libraries-"must ensure r most vulnerable children do not miss out on supports & opps afterschool prgrms provide" https://t.co/4BS3e5qR6D

— Linda W Braun (@lbraun2000) September 9, 2016

John Schu @Mrschu retweeted this great post!

The power in individual book talks, using a stack of books. https://t.co/kJBBxHMRyh

— Noreen Holt (@NoreenHolt) September 11, 2016

10 ways technology transforms student learning via @AnnaFyen https://t.co/K0QAnZciM5 pic.twitter.com/nHeA3a6RhX

— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) September 8, 2016