Final Reflection

I have been looking forward to taking this class for sometime.  In college, I majored in Information Technology and I worked as an IT consultant for five year.  I consider myself to be an early adopter of technology and I'll try anything techie!  I had very high hopes for this class that it would show me new technologies that I could use in my library and I feel I accomplished that goal.  Throughout the semester, there were technologies that I really loved, ones that caused me some frustration, and other I felt I could immediately implement into my curriculum. 

Which ones excite me most?

I have been an avid user of Animoto for almost a year now.  I actually discovered it last year when I was trying to find trailers on YouTube that showed characteristics of the Fantasy genre.  I couldn't really find what I was looking for so I decided to create my own.  At first I tried iMovie, but I got really frustrated and found it difficult to use. One of the other librarians I work with suggested Animoto because she used it for book talks.  Once I started using it, the free version wasn't going to cut it for me and I ended up buying a professional license. What I created actually surprised me.  Animoto helped inspire a creativity in me I didn't know I had.  Not only did I create a Fantasy Animoto, but I also created a Science Fiction and Mystery Animoto that was very well received by my students.  I've also used Animoto to promote my library and different events we've had going on.  Some of my videos have been featured on our student announcement video.  It's a winner in my book.

I loved the comic strips.  I wasn't aware that there were free site online that could create these.  This is a great way to pull kids into a unit and let them display their knowledge in a different way.  I am definitely going to play around with this technology more.  I think my students will love that their librarian can make cartoon strips!

Which ones were most difficult?

I feel the Infographics was the hardest for me.  It was very difficult to take a large amount of information and narrow it down to a series of pictures.  However, it is such an important skill to be able to synthesize a large amount of information.  However, I am already seeing an immediate benefit of this assignment because my Science teacher came to me asking for another way for our 3rd graders to disseminate their research information on the solar system.  I suggested an Infographic, and she thought that was a great idea.  So, in January, I will be introducing Infographics to the 3rd graders and showing them how to create them. That way when they start their project in Science, they will already know how to create the end product of their research project.

I really do like online book communities.  However, I feel a few platforms were difficult to use and were not intuitive.  I will continue to be a user of Goodreads, but not the other sites.  I did really like BiblioNasium for students and will propose this a potential add on to my teachers for their in class reading programs.



Which one would benefit students?

Podcasts have the wonderful ability to reach students anytime day or night.  I would of loved having the ability to go back and hear an instructor's lecture again.  I am hoping to incorporate podcasts into my curriculum.  I'm thinking in April using podcasts to celebrate Poetry Month.

I have already used the screencast I created for this class for my 4th graders.  Like a podcast, screencasts are available to students anytime day or night and appeal to both the visual and auditory learner.  I will be looking forward to using this technology more.  



Overall, I am very pleased with the different technologies I have learned throughout the semester.  I feel all of them lend themselves very well to a library environment and I look forward to using all of them.

Vine and Instagram

Instagram and Vine are great social media platforms to connect with students.  Instagram allows you to take pictures and short 15 videos to share with your followers.  Vine allows for short 6 second videos.  With a little creativity, both have great potential and can be used to grab your students attention.  In this post, I will show you a few ways to use Instagram and Vine to promote your library and get kids in the door.

New Books in the Library

The library collection is constantly changing.  While we have those books that have been here a while, there are always new, "hot off the press" books that we want to get into students hands.

Vine


Instagram

Library Novelties

I use timers to let students know when it is time to line up.  For the last couple of years, I had a pig timer named Wilbur (after Charlotte's Web).  Unfortunately, he stopped working this year and I had to get a new timer.  My students were so sad that Wilbur was retiring and insisted that I not throw him away, but give him another job in the library.  I even had a student who built Wilbur a pen so he would have a home.  I bought an owl timer and decided to let the students vote on his name, since they were so invested.  They named him Owlfonso and he also now has home built by a 4th grader.  I thought it might be fun to make videos with Wilbur and Owlfonso around the library doing different jobs.  This one is the two timers getting to know each other with a cameo by Diary of a Fly.  PLAYDATE!

Vine


Instagram

Library Contests

Every year our upper school librarian holds a contest in April celebrating Poetry Month.  These promotions could easily be posted on Instagram and Vine to get the word out.

Vine




Instagram

Student Highlights

Kids like to know what their friends are reading and what they like.  I like to call these "Book Selfies".

Vine

Instagram

Teens and Online Privacy

We all live in a world where oversharing is apart of our daily lives and privacy is a priceless commodity.  Teens are major players in the online world and research shows that they do care about their online privacy and reputations...kind of.  The Pew Research Center presented information on how teens deal with privacy issues, their online reputations, how teens feel about other accessing their information and age inappropriate advertisement.



Lenhart, A. (2013, June 25). Teens, Social Media, and Privacy: Reputation 
     management, third party access, & exposure to advertising [PowerPoint
     slides]. Retrieved November 12, 2015, from Pew Research Center website:
     http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/06/25/
     teens-social-media-and-privacy-reputation-management-third-party-access-exposure-
     to-advertising/

1.  Teens do care about online privacy.
My Take:  This is music to my ears.  It seems like most kids today who grow up watching reality television share everything in hopes to get their 15 minutes of fame, regardless of the cost.  What they don't realize is that whatever they do online can been seen potentially by millions.

2.  Teens are still the main users of social networking sites.  They still prefer to use Facebook as their main social media platform.  Instagram and Twitter come in second and third.
My Take:  I'm not sure I agree with this.  Most teens I have asked don't use either one of these platforms.  More and more I am seeing teens I work with gravitate toward apps like Snapchat.  I believe Facebook caters to an older crowd (I include myself in that statement), and Twitter and Instagram are waning in their popularity. 

3.  Teens are sharing more than before on social media  They share information like their name, school and city.  Fewer are sharing more personal information like an email or phone number. The platform is a key indicator if they make their accounts public or private.  On Facebook, the majority of teens with make their account private or partially private.  However, if they are using Twitter, the majority of teens make their tweets public.
My Take:  This stat scared me.  It only takes one person to disseminate this information of a multitude of people.  Once this information is out there, no telling in whose hands it will end up in.

4.  Teens actively try to manage their online reputations.  The majority they will delete their own posts if they feel it will damage their reputation.  In additional, they will untag photos, delete comments and in extreme cases, delete their online accounts.  One regulatory used methods teens use to control their online reputations is to unfriend or block those who they feel threaten their online presence.
My Take:  I'm glad they are conscious of their reputations.  You see too many stories on the news of a teen making one mistake online and it ends up haunting them for a very long time.


5. Most teens are not very concerned about who has access to their information.  This may due to that fact that teens do not even know how third party vendors are using their information.  However, parents feel very different.  Most parents are very concerned about strangers having access to their child's information online.  Many parents are concerned how teens are seen online will have impacts on them in the future when they are trying to secure employment.
My Take:  Are you kidding me?  I'm hoping this is just a byproduct of being young and that feeling that you are invincible as a teen.  There is no 20/20 vision here. 

6.  Some teens (around 30%) have been exposed to advertising that is inappropriate for their age.
My Take:  I'm not surprised.  Advertisers are getting smarter and finding ways to get to teens.

When all is said and done, it is so important to show kids and teens how to use the internet and be good digital citizens.  I try to take every opportunity I can to talk about issues like these with my children and students.  You never know whose reputation you may be saving.

Slides: 26

Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships

I can remember the day when online dating was bordering along the lines of taboo.  But today, it is socially acceptable, and sometimes encouraged, to use online dating sites and social media platforms to meet people.  As a parent of a child who will be entering the "boys are cute" phase in the next couple of years, I am frightened by the dating world she will fall into, mainly because things have changed so much and technology is now used in their dating relationships.  I love the quote by C.J. Pascoe stating, "Young people are at the forefront of developing, using, reworking and incorporating new media into their dating practices in ways that might be unknown, unfamiliar and sometimes even scary to adults."(pg.14)   I can identify with the statement, and I am scared.  I don't know if I'm being an overprotective mom, but I feel like I need to stay one step ahead of my preteen daughter.  The Pew Research Center released a report on 10/1/2015 entitled Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships on how teens are using technology in their dating relationships.  Here are some interesting fact every parent should know:
  
Lenhart, A., Smith, A., & Anderson, M. (2015, October). Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping the World: Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships. Pew Research Center.

1.  Most teens date people they have actually met in person.  A quarter have said that they have dated someone they meet online.  They mainly use Facebook to meet other teens and sometimes Instagram.
My Take:  Keepin' it old school.  I like that.

2. Teens use social media sites to scout out potential prospects.  They generally use the "friend of a friend" approach and ask friends about their friends and who would be a good candidate to date.
My Take: It's always good to get a referral.

3.  Teens use social media sites to research about a potential romantic interest.  They will start with Facebook and venture off into their Instagram, Twitters, Snapchat, etc.  But, they prefer to do it incognito.
My Take:  It's always good to do a background check.

4.  How do teens flirt?  Besides the traditional way of talking to someone face to face, teens use social media by friending, liking, or commenting.  Generally speaking, older teens are more likely to flirt online than younger teens.  Sometimes the flirting can make teens feel uncomfortable, especially girls.  They will resort to blocking or unfriending those who feel like "stalkers".
My Take:  Flirting is online is okay as long as your stay within reasonable boundaries.

5.  Most teens like to be asked out on a date in person.  Girls prefer the boys to initiate contact. Older teens will ask for themselves, while younger teens will usually employ a friend to go ask the girl out on a date for them.
My Take:  Again, keepin' it old school.  If it's not broken, don't fix it.

6.  When it comes to digital platforms, text messaging is the most common ways teens reach out to each other on a daily basis and girls use text messaging more than boys.  They do enjoy being together face to face and talking on the phone.  But, when that is not possible, they are big users of video chatting. 
My Take: Daily communication is apart of developing a relationship, but keeping it within reasonable boundaries is important.  

7.  What kind of information do they share online?  Funny and humorous information leads the way with other innocuous information like what they are thinking about and what they are doing.  Very few share their religious and political views.
My Take: Keep it funny and humorous.  Everyone needs a good laugh during their day. Don't share everything.  Keep the "mystery" alive.

8.  Teens like immediate responses to their text messages, photos and tweets.  Failure to do so is considered avoidance and that something is wrong.
My Take: I know I like a quick response, but people are busy.  Just because it's not immediate does it mean that something is wrong. 

9.  Teen feel social media can help connect with their romantic interests, yet it only has a minimal impact on their relationship.  It's mainly used to connect on a more emotional level.  However, on the flip side, it can promote jealously and some feel that it makes their relationships too public.
My Take:  Not sure how I feel about this one.  I feel social media does play an important part in teens relationships.  

10.  How do teens break up?  Most feel the most acceptable way is to break up face-to-face.  Using the telephone to breakup comes in second.  Using text messaging and social media platforms are considered undesirable and the worst is changing your relationship status on a social media site.
My Take:  If you are going to breakup, do it face-to-face.  It builds character.

11.  Few teens have a hard time with the breakup and will display controlling or abusive behavior toward their ex.  They do this by sending enormous amount of text messages in a short period of time,  accessing their online accounts, impersonating someone else, deleted an ex's social media site, or uploaded embarrassing photos.  In extreme cases, they will also monitor their whereabouts through GPS technology. 
My Take:  This is very scary and parents do need to communicate with their teens to let them know they are there to support them and help them.

Needless to say, as more apps and social media sites are created, things will continue to change in how teens use technology in their romantic relationships.  Recently, national news has covered stories where teens were using stealthy technology to communicate with each other that would make any parent's blood run cold.  Don't panic.  Open communication with your teens will help them navigate this complicated landscape of dating and relationships.  Keep your kids close and keep their technology even closer!


Pages: 76

Screencasts

Screencasts are great ways to connect with students at anytime.  You can create almost any kind of video that students can access anytime day or night. As always, it is important for you to check out both before deciding which one suits you best.   For this post, I used two sites, Screencast-O-matic and Jing.

Screencast-O-Matic (http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/)

Here is a link incase the embedded video doesn't play: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coXfD0hXzR

Inital Setup - Screen-O-Matic was easy to register for.  Registration is typical for web applications in that you use your email and create a password for your account.  A free account allows for a 15 minute screencast.  You can opt to use your webcam, publish to YouTube or download your screencast is several different formats.  If you want more editing features, then I suggest you opt for a Pro account that costs $15 per year.

Recording - Recording is quick and painless.  You just click "Start Recording" and you set the screen outline to record.  Hit record and your off.  Once you are done, you can hit to the stop button and review your screencast.  You  have three options once your video is ready: publish the video to YouTube, publish to screencast-o-matic, or download your video.

My Thoughts: I have used Screen-O-matic before and I like it.  I think it is easy to use. I really liked how it highlighted my cursor and mouse click on the screen.  You also have the option to use your webcam.  My only complaint was a Java script that kept making it difficult for me to view my video.  I could never get my video to download, but at this point, I don't know if it is related to the Java script or my Mac workstation being stubborn.  However, I definitely feel I will use this in future.

Jing (https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)

Destiny Quest

Initial Setup: Like Screen-O-Matic, Jing allows you to capture images and videos on your computer screen and share them via the web.  Jing is a free download and no registration is required.  I used Chrome as my internet browser and I was able to easily install Jing and launch it through my Applications.

Recording: Once I launched the application, the Jing symbol appears and quickly moves to the top right hand side of the screen.  I selected "Capture" and then set what part of my screen I wanted to use.  You have two options at this point: to capture an image or video.  I chose video.  After a three second countdown, my recording began.  Once I was finished, I clicked Stop and I was able to review my video.

My Thoughts:  I've used Jing before and I've noticed that the Technology department at my school will send Jing links out periodically.  Like Screen-O-Matic, I think Jing is easy to use and would be a great option to create online videos.  My one complaint is that Jing did not give me an embed code to use for this blog.  It only gave me an embed link.  While not a huge drawback, it does require my readers to leave my site in order to view the video.  I would rather them stay on my page and view the video from my blog.

NOTE:  I also tried to use another recording web application called Screenr.  Unfortunately, due to a Java component,  I was not able to launch the application.  Chrome, Safari, and Firefox web browsers would not accept the Java installation.  Screenr will no longer be available after 11/11/2015.

Which will I use?
I think I will use both applications and it depends on where I'm putting my video.  I do really like that Screen-O-Matic gives me an embed code and I can use my webcam if I want to .  This would probably sway me in using it more than Jing.  However, if I'm sending an email, Jing would probably be the application I use.  I've already embedded my NoodleTools screencast on my LibGuide for my 4th graders.

Comics and Cartoons

Comics and cartoons are great ways to engage kids in learning.  Some kids who shy away from picking up a chapter book will gladly pick a graphic novel and read.  There are several websites that allow you to make your own cartoon strip.  They are ToonDoo, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix.  For this post, I will create a cartoon at each site and evaluate it's initial setup, ease of use,  functionality and availability of content.

ToonDoo (http://www.toondoo.com/)

Initial Signup: ToonDoo has a typical registration process.  Signing up was easy and requires an email, user name and password.  There are two different types of accounts: a free account or an account you have to pay for called ToonDoonSpaces.  I opted for the free account.

Easy of Use: ToonDoo was very easy to use and I believe it is the most intuitive of the three sites I evaluated.  Comics are built though a series of drag and drops and selecting the the menu options is easy.  I think students would be able to navigate this site with very little instruction.

Functionality: Once you select "Create Toon", you can pick from 15 different layouts.  Creating your comic strip is a matter of drag and drop where ever you want it. A toolbar at the bottom allows for formatting options like shrinking, enlarging, flipping and rotating.  You can also create your own images by selecting the Doodle Toolbar or import pictures, but I found it a bit cumbersome and sometimes my images wouldn't show up in my gallery.  Maybe this is user error? I'm not quite sure at this point.  Once you are done creating your comic, saving is easy.  You give your comic a title, a description, tags, and also make your comic public or private.  Click Publish and you are good to go.

Availability of Content:   I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of content available in the free version of ToonDoo.  There are many categories to choose from and within each category, multiple images are available.  The few items that are not available are grayed out in the free version, but overall, they have a nice catalog.

Pixton (https://www.pixton.com)

Initial Setup: I originally had a hard time with registering for Pixton because my school network blocked it.  If this happens to you, be sure to contact you network administrator.  Once I got my network issues figured out, I registered for a "Fun" account and created a password using my email.  I created a character to represent me and then created my first comic.

Ease of Use:  Pixton was easy to use and provides a series of steps to help.  This would be very beneficial for beginners and I think students would be able to easily create comic strips.  I was able to create a first draft of my comic very quickly.

Functionality: I found it a little difficult to maneuver my characters.  I wanted to switch my characters around and change the way the were standing or sitting, and the slightest move of my mouse would drastically change the characters.  I was getting a bit frustrated with this, but ultimately was able to get my characters the way I wanted them.  I probably would only use this with students if they had access to a computer with a mouse.  I wouldn't find this tool very easy to use on an iPad.

Availability of Content:  Pixton has a decent amount of content.  The the availability of settings was very impressive, although everything else (characters, the ability to download, etc.) was a bit limited because I was using a free account.  If you are considering Pixton as a comic editor, I would definitely splurge for a subscription account.

MakeBeliefComix.com (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/)

Initial Setup:  No initial setup was required which is unusual for a site like this, which in my book is a big bonus.  A user goes directly to the homepage and can start creating a comic.

Ease of Use:  I did not find this site very easy to use.  It was very cumbersome and I found myself getting frustrated.  If I did not have to evaluate this site for an assignment, I would of given up. I would not use this site with students.  It is not very intuitive and is not very forgiving when you make a mistake.

Functionality:  Functionality is limited to a few standard functions like changing the size, arranging objects in the box, flipping characters and deleting. Overall, I would consider the functionality as basic and not up to par to the other two sites evaluated for this blog post.

Availability of Content: Content is very limited.  You can select from a range of characters in both color and black and white, few settings and bubble words.  Talk and think balloons are available and can be inserted into each window, but other than that, not many other options are available.

My Choice: ToonDoo
I would definitely use ToonDoo as my comic editor.  Besides the fact that it was not blocked from my school network, it was the easiest for me to use and it had a wide range of content avialble on the free account.  I would definitely consider paying for a subscription in the future if I felt it would add value to my curriculum.

Comics in the classroom
Comics could be a great tool in the classroom.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Book teasers: Students create a comics around their favorite book.  This would be a great way for kids to encourage kids to read different books.
2.  Vocabulary: Students could create a comic around a vocabulary that would visually depict a word and it's meaning.
3.  Reflective writing: Students could upload images to reflective on what they've read or other observations that have made throughout the day.

Tellegami - Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper Book Teaser