Sunday, June 14, 2015

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

There are a lot of librarians out there using videos and YouTube to not only get kids interested in the library, but to reinforce library lessons and get important information out there to everyone.

The Norman High School Library YouTube channel is a great one to follow.
Here's a great video that I think would get kids excited about coming to the library.  It shows what the library has to offer in a very fun way.




Another great video that gives important information about the library is this orientation video.




The Unquiet Library is another YouTube channel with some great videos. Here's an example of how this library shares new arrivals to their library collection.  I think students would really like to see this. It's a quick look at what's new to get them interested in the library.




This YouTube channel has a lot of great video tutorials for students that cover how to use research databases, copyright material, and embedding files. Here's an example of a powerpoint tutorial.  I think all of these are so helpful to students. They can access them at any time.




Pikesville High School Library also has a YouTube channel that has some great examples of how you can use videos in your library.  One example is how they showcase what is going on in their library.  I think students would like to see the pictures and videos of events that they were involved in throughout the year.  Here's one example:




This library also posts videos that are informational for students, such as course advisement and registration.  I also really liked that they posted introduction videos for teachers with information about their courses. 




BBMSMEDIA is another amazing YouTube channel to pay attention to.  There are some very creative and fun videos to view here.  I'm sure students would love all of the videos, but here is one that I thought was fun.



Here's an example of a video tutorial that this library posted to help students with GoAnimate and Glogster. This is a great way to make sure students have easy access to information to complete final projects.




All of these examples are great ways to get students interested in the library and excited about the events going  on there.  There are also so many great tutorials that students can access at any time to help them with research and projects. It's a great way to get information out there to everyone. 

In my library, I would like to create book trailers to get students excited about what's new in the library or to highlight a certain author. I would use the videos to  create tutorials to show students how to access and use the library page, search for books, and how to use our research sources. There are so many topics to cover when creating videos for the library.

Here's my first example!  A book trailer for the book The Testing, by Joelle Charbonneau. I made this book trailer to get kids excited about this trilogy.  It's a story that takes place in a dystopian society in the future.  This genre is very popular right now.


It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await.
 
Scan the QR code to view my book trailer for The Testing!
 
 
 
I found some great ideas of how to use QR codes in the library.  Here are a few of my favorites that I am so excited to try out in my own library!
 
1. QR codes can be made for a direct link to online databases such as dictionaries and encyclopedias.  Place the QR code right on the shelf in the reference section.  View this site to learn more and see an example!
 
 
 
2. Add QR codes to a display of what's new and hot in the library. The QR codes can link to book trailers!  Check out this blog to see some great ideas!
 
 
3. Let students record a book review!  Connect the audio recording to a QR code and attach to the spine of books.  There's an example at this site to get you started!
 
 
4.  Create a GIANT QR code to place in a big window in front of the school.  Link the QR code to the library webpage.  Visit this site to see a library that is already doing this!
 
 


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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Blogs and Blog Readers

Today I was exploring several blog readers to see what I liked best and what I thought would really work for me. I  explored these blog readers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After taking some time see how they all worked, I decided that I really wanted to use Feedly.  I liked the ease of use and the way it is organized.  It just made sense to me.  What really sold me on using Feedly was when I saw that little button that said save into One Note!  I was so excited about that!  I love One Note so much.  I use it every day for EVERYTHING!  It is my filing cabinet for all things professional and personal.  I also loved the Feedly app.  It is so easy to use and just makes it easier to access at anytime anywhere.  Perfect for me!
 
After setting up my Feedly account, it was time to start exploring!  I came across so many great blogs and began following them right away!  Here are a few of my favorites:
 
 
This librarian, Gwyneth Jones, posts about what she is doing in her library.  She shares ideas, photos, and links to resources.  I really started reading her blog because she was posting so many great ideas about makerspaces.  That is something I am very interested in. I also saw great ideas for book studies, videos and mystery Skype lessons.  I just really couldn't stop reading this blog!
 
 
 
Tiffany Whitehead is a librarian at a middle school in Louisiana.  Through her blog, she shares ideas for library activities, tech tools, as well as how to be a professional development leader.  I was interested in her blog because she shared videos, slides, presentations, and complete ideas that can be adapted and used in my own library. She is a great leader to follow.
 
 
 
Shannon Miller is the author of The Library Voice. I was able to be part of a Google Hangout session with Shannon Miller last year.  After that session, I have been following her on Facebook, Twitter, and through this blog.  She is a great resource for all librarians and anyone interested in educational technology.  I really like how she highlights technology on her blog and shares her ideas that she is using in her own library. She is also a great resource for makerspace ideas!
 
 
 
Matthew Winner is an elementary school librarian.  He is the host of the Let's Get Busy podcast series.  The podcasts consist of him interviewing authors and illustrators of popular new books. He also has podcasts for The Best Books Ever (This Week).  I thought this was a great blog to follow because all the podcasts are posted there for you. It's a great resource to share in your library as book talks to get kids excited about books. He also has Vine video links as well as a Pinterest link to his pins. 
 
 
 
This is a great blog to follow for elementary school library lesson ideas. She shares her lessons and links to Teachers pay Teachers for any materials you might need for the lessons.  I love how her ideas are all put together with the book titles and lesson materials and links all together.  She also gives step-by-step directions for you to easily follow. She also had a lot of great ideas and resources for getting a makerspace started in your library. 
 
 
 
Here's a link to my Tumblr, where I share quotes, photos, and links to websites.
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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Teens and Facebook


Madden, M. (August 15, 2013). Teens Haven’t Abandoned Facebook (Yet). Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/08/15/teens-havent-abandoned-facebook-yet/



This article from the PEW Research Center discusses the evolution of different social media outlets for teens, especially Facebook. The research indicates that teens are not giving up on Facebook, but their use of it is changing. Many teens in the research group indicated that they may be moving away from Facebook due to a more adult presence, negative interactions from other users, and unhappiness about friends who share too much. Despite these complaints, few teens have closed down their Facebook accounts.
Teens also stated that most of their social media interactions are not negative and that the receive support from other peers on social media. Even though teens are moving on to use other social media platforms, they are not abandoning Facebook.  They are spreading out their social media interactions among several platforms.
I think it's interesting that even though teens have some negative attitudes towards Facebook, they still continue to use the social media platform.  In fact, the article states that their data shows that very few teens have abandoned Facebook. The article also says that teens spread out their social media presence among several spaces.  Teens say that they can share pictures and thoughts on Facebook, yet they still use several different platforms to share large amounts of information. It's a lot of busy work to be a teen today!
 
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Friday, June 5, 2015

Technology Leaders to Follow on Twitter

Twitter is a great platform to share new and interesting information to so many followers.  As an educator, it is a great way to quickly find great resources and ideas to get you planning creative lessons. Following other educators, technology leaders, and librarians is a great way to stay on top of what's new and relevant in education today.  It's a quick resource that everyone can easily be a part of.

These technology leaders have some very helpful and interesting information to share.  This is what I really took notice of when checking out these amazing leaders...

Jim Lerman
@jimlerman

Many of Mr. Lerman's tweets have links to great resources that you can download for free.  I checked out SEVERAL of his links and downloaded lots of  free resources! This is just one of the great resources I checked out. It's a free ebook with dozens of story starters to use in your classroom.  I think it can be adapted for any level.  Great find!


Gwyneth Jones
@gwynethjones
 
Ms. Jones does a great job of showcasing what is going on in her library by tweeting instagram pictures of what the students are doing.  I am very interested in makerspaces, and she had several tweets highlighting what she has going on at her makerspace right now.  Here's one great example of a duct tape makerspace.  Such a great idea!
 
 

 

Buffy Hamilton
@buffyjhamilton
 
After checking out Ms. Hamilton's tweets, I decided she just gets straight to the point of what she is thinking about and shares her thoughts about newest trends in the library in an honest and up-front way.  You really don't have to wonder what she is thinking about the trends of today. In this tweet, she responds to an article about "library pods." A new way of thinking where they now have 6 small grade level library pods instead of one large library.
 


 
Tony Vincent
@tonyvincent

Mr. Vincent tweets about what's new in educational technology. Focusing on new apps, websites, and resources for teachers! This is a great resource to favorite and go back to when you are searching for something new to motivate you and your students.


Linda Braun
@lbraun2000

Ms.Braun works in a public library and tweets about a broad range of topics that influence young adults, parents, and educators.  She shares the latest news for technology, education, and libraries.  I loved this tweet that is a great reminder about the use of technology.




Kathy Schrock
@kathyschrock

Ms. Schrock tweets about new products, programs, and tech ideas being used in education today. I found her tweet about a great TabDub video that I thought was so amazing. My students would love to do something like this!




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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Facebook for the School Library

How are libraries using Facebook?
 
After doing a quick search on Facebook, I discovered MANY schools that had active Facebook pages.  Many of the schools had a large amount of followers with very high ratings.  I took some time to preview some of the posts from several different library pages. I noticed that there were several "likes" for many of the posts, but very few comments on the posts. I also noticed that most of the library pages had frequent and up to date posts.
 
WHAT are libraries posting?
*Book reviews
*Pictures and comments detailing what is happening in the library. (special guests, special events, classes)
*Links to other blogs or websites with important information on books and curriculum
*Updates on upcoming events (book fairs, parent involvement nights)
*Posting throughout the summer with summer reading book lists and activities
*Downloads of reading handouts


ADVANTAGES of having a library Facebook page:
*Facebook is EVERYWHERE! It's a familiar tool. Most parents and a lot of students are on Facebook.  Having a Facebook page for your library is a great way to get everyone more involved in what is happening in the library.  It is easy to get information out there in a quick and easy way. 
*Easily accessible and convenient for patrons to check daily
*Constant positive communication with parents and students
*Allows you to share new books and materials quickly
*Gets students excited about new book arrivals, or positive book reviews that interest them
*Students can get involved and write their own book reviews

DISADVANTAGES of having a library Facebook page:
*Monitoring the comments and possible other posts that could be tagged to the library could be daunting.  Making sure the comments are positive and appropriate is a must.
*Keeping up with the content you add, the need to post frequently
*Possibly limits face-to-face communication with students and parents
*Keeping up to date with security settings that change frequently
*Making sure when posting pictures and activities in the library that students are allowed to be photographed and parents are ok with adding the pictures to social media

My thoughts...
Having a Facebook page for your library might be a little daunting at times, but I think the rewards could also be amazing. I think keeping in touch with parents and students and sharing the positive things going on in the library is a great way to stay connected and get others more involved.
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Sunday, November 16, 2014

Author Studies


Selznick, B. (2007). Wonderstruck. NY: Scholastic.
 
This is the tale of two children in two different places who have many questions about their lives.  They set off alone on a journey to get answers about their lives.  Through the amazing artwork and thoughtful text, we are taken on a journey that weaves through time. We slowly learn about the characters and many mysteries are solved.
 
Great lessons and resources:
 
 
 
 
Creech, S. (2001). Love That . NY: HarperCollins.
 
Love that dog is a simple story told by a young boy who writes short poems to his teacher.  Even though Jack hates poetry, he learns to understand poems and write short poems with great emotion. As he writes his poems, we slowly learn about what is important to him and events in his life that have been hard for him.
 
Great lessons and resources:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Fantasy


Gaiman, N. (2008). The Graveyard Book. NY: HarperCollins.
 
Bod is a young boy the lives in the graveyard.  He was raised by the ghosts that haunt the graveyard. He has to quickly learn how to understand how be among the living and the dead and survive the dangers that lie in  both worlds.
 
Great lessons and activities:
 
 
 
 
Holm, J. (2014). Comics Squad: Recess! NY: Random House.
 
This is a hilarious graphic novel that has many short stories from all your favorite author's from this genre. Each story  includes every student's favorite part of school...recess!   This is a very entertaining and quick read...comic book style!
 
Great lessons and activities:

 
 
Collins, S. (2004). Gregor the Overlander. NY: Scholastic.
 
Gregor is a young boy that starts his usual chore of doing laundry in his apartment building when something amazing happens.  Gregor and his baby sister fall through the grate in the laundry room and land in a mysterious world far underground.  The strange world he lands in is on the brink of a war.  Gregor now begins a journey to save the underworld and find some answers of his own.
 
Great lessons and activities:
 
 
 
 
 
Hale, S. (2008). Rapunzel's Revenge. NY: Bloomsbury.
 
Rapunzel's Revenge is a graphic novel that is a bit different from your typical Rapunzel fairytale. Rapunzel doesn't wait around to be rescued from the tower, she rescues herself.  She then teams up with Jack to rescue others and do good deeds all over the land.
 
Great lessons and activities:
 
 
 
 
Landry, D. (2007). Skulduggery Pleasant. NY: HarperCollins.
 
Skulduggery Pleasant is a walking, talking skeleton.  He is also a sarcastic and talented detective for the magical world that is all around us but don't see.  With the help of a very crafty 12 year old, Stephanie, they work together to save the world from the evil magical leaders that threaten to destroy it.
 
Great lessons and ideas:
 
 
 
 
 
 
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