Final Relection

I have had so many valuable experiences with technology this semester. I’ve learned a lot and plan to utilize many of the technology programs that I have learned to operate, in my own library. I also plan to advocate different uses of the technology for classroom use.

My favorite program was the use of screencasting through Screencast-o-matic. I eagerly anticipate the use of this program as it will be a very handy teaching tool that will save a lot of time when explaining “how to’s” of library resources. The podcasting programs are very handy as well but proved to be the most difficult applications that I encountered in the class. Classmates did suggest other podcasting programs that worked better for them and I plan to explore those options. I would like to utilize podcating for making announcements and other innovative class assignments.

Animoto is a fun program that I plan to use in my library upon getting in new books. I enjoyed creating the book trailers and I like the fact that there are time limits so they won’t be long and drawn out. They could be short, sweet and exciting for students to enjoy and look forward to. I plan to utilize the QR codes for easy access to the trailers as they browse the new collection. This is a very exciting idea!

I believe students would also love creating cartoons for classes. I plan to train teachers on it’s usage and encourage them to incorporate it into their lesson plans. I will also utilize and encourage the use of Symbloos for lessons. I have created a couple and found it to be a very useful teaching tool when giving students guidance and resources when researching.

It is also a goal to create an online presence for my library as well. I plan to create a website and include many of the technologies that I learned about during this semester on the website. Although social media sites are restricted in my school district, I will consult with my principal about the benefits of a social media presence for our library. And hopefully the students and parents could at least access it from home. 

I truly enjoyed exploring the different types of technology tools and feel prepared to effectively perform my job as a library “media specialist”. 

Media is the Message...

I found the reading The Media Debate to be quite interesting. Even though the debators had very different views on media and technology, I feel they both had valid points. Whereas I can relate to the point that Richard Clark made about media and technology being “mere vehicles”. I do believe that they are vehicles, but that vehicle does in fact drive (and influence) student motivation, student interests, and various levels of instructional capabilities.  So in this case, I am leaning more towards Robert Kozma’s theory. Kozma points out that there are many capabilities that make up the total media or technology program. These capabilities are what encompass the overall influence of student achievement.

Technology is a tool that supports learning. Kozma poses the question: “How does media affect learning?”. I believe that through the capability tools that Kozma lists, various levels of instruction may be embedded into technology and used for the purposes of learning, tutoring and guidance. Through these capabilities comes student achievement. However, the method in which the technology is used requires real world instructional support from teachers. Teachers decide how to implement technology in the classroom setting to optimize the student’s success.

The Media Debate took place in the 90’s. Through the years, many things have changed within technology. Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. I believe that in today’s society, it is apparent that technology influences student achievement. More educational programs are being created with every success story. Educators are even honing in on the educational benefits of social media. Students all have different ways of learning. Although I don’t believe that learning should be 100% technology based, some students learn more from it than they would by sitting all day in a classroom, listening to lectures.  There should be a healthy balance.

Technology offers the capabilities of experiencing hands-on (virtual) learning, auditory learning, gaming to learn, networking, etc. The possibilities are many and technology today helps to motivate students, captivate their attention and help them to learn concepts on individual levels.

References

http://elliefranco.blogspot.com/2009/02/media-debate-clark-vs-kozma.html

http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate

Podcasts

click on the picture to hear a brief lesson on Nursery Rhymes

Podcasts are useful tools in the classroom or library. it could be used to make important announcements, to initiate a read aloud, to give a writing prompt and to give instructions to an assignment. The podcasts could be posted on the library's website for students, teachers, or parents to refer back to as needed.

However, Podcasts are not as easy to use as Screencasts.  The program that I used was Podomatic. I was a little disappointed that there is no way to record directly to the website. Users have to record their voice in a voice recorder program first and then upload the recording onto the site. The recording has to be a MP3 file or the program will not read it. So, if it is not an MP3 file, the user will need to convert it and then upload the file. So, in that aspect it is somewhat difficult to figure out but the results are worth the time and effort.

(One other challenge is that Blogger didn't like Podomatic's embed code so I wasn't able to embed, I had to link the URL instead.)

Cartoons and Comics

ToonDoo.com

This website was very easy to navigate to and the interface inviting. A lot of color and message to click on so that you can get started with creating your cartoon comic strip. When you click on the register link and create the credential so you can begin creating a comic strip, it tells you that the email is already taken even through it is you first time. I tried different emails and password and the same message occurred. Just through trail and effort, I went to forgot password and used credential from the last register attempt, and it allow me to create a new password. After logging in, it was straight forward with creating a comic strip. The art work to choose from was average and the tools to create the comic was easy. Not the best artwork to choose from but ok enough to create a comic strip. It would not allow you to add cells and it also did not have good background content.

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By valeriedaigre | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon
 

Pixton.com

Pixton website and sign up and in process was fast and easy. Signing up with a free account was quick and straight to the point. Received an email to verify the account and the next moment I was in the website selecting backgrounds and characters. The interface to search for content was intuitive and easy to manage through. I was very pleased with fining the content for the idea in my head for the comic strip. It also allowed you to add more cells when you are creating your strip. This site also allows you to copy the embedded code for future blogs, websites, and social media post that you may like to do. This was easiest and most user friendly cartoon comic strip creation website.

 

Makebeliefscomix.com

This site was the very fast to start creating a cartoon comic site because you did not need an account to create the cartoon comic site. This site allowed you to jump right into creating a comic strip. The only draw back that I notice right away was that you must remember to download your comic strip after you are done creating it because their is now way to save it on the website. They don't host accounts. The user interface to create content was very easy to use, and straight to the point. Like another website used to create a cartoon comic strip, this one also had mediocre art work. it was also not that easy to find the content you wanted. This cause for a little frustration and creativeness in the final outcome of the comic strip.

The comic strip cartoon can be used in various ways to help aid students in how they can better us library services. The cartoons can be posted on school library webpage, social media, and other web content that attracts students. The cartoon comic strips can also be printed to had out to students. This could be used for instructions, awareness, and directions for students. It is a very creative way to bring content and new information to students in a fun way.

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

After careful review of several library videos, I was able to decide which videos would be most interesting and helpful in a classroom setting. It was hard to choose only two videos on some Channels because each of the videos were high quality and seems to be able to grasp the attention of not only the students but faculty and staff as well. The BBMS videos are my favorite. 

The Unquiet Library:

Videos that seemed most helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=415J3oFvoMw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFlaZyGa2vo

Students would most like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwhbWmkCm_0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwhbWmkCm_0

The NHS Library:

Videos that seemed most helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeUhXLvFAi4

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

Students would most like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeUhXLvFAi4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4keTSTLklU

Pikesville HS Library:

Videos that seemed most helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esKCAk_t6v0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZreOw5S1h7k

Students would most like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3aZMkPnRI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3iihdaYAf0

BBMS Library:

Videos that seemed most helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OOFsGvc-gM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydaMN3417g

Students would most like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydaMN3417g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIpc4Hnj_HU

Animoto

I truly enjoyed working in this program! It was so easy to use and I will be using it in my library throughout the school year. I anticipate creating book trailers for new books or books that I would like to highlight each month. I like that the program limits the time to two minutes. Videos would be just long enough to capture the reader's attention and get them interested. 

I used Animoto to create a trailer on a book I just recently read, Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick. Below is the QR code to the book trailer: 

Screencasts, Instagram and Vine

The two programs that I chose for my screencasts were Screencast-o-matic and Adobe Spark. I found that they are two totally different programs. Screencast-o-matic allows the user to go in and give a full lesson with few boundaries or time limits. I noticed that Adobe Spark does give time limits and will signal when the user is getting close to the allotted time limit.

It would depend on what type of presentation I am giving as to which I would choose. If I am wanting to present detailed information as opposed to a short preview, I would use Screencast-o-matic.

I did like the fact that Adobe Spark was easier to navigate than Screencast-o-matic. If there was an error in the narration, I could easily correct it by deleting and rerecording only that section of the presentation.

Screencast-o-matic



Adobe Spark




I was able to start an Instagram account and a Vine account. I have heard the students talk about Instagram and I can see how both programs would be entertaining for them. In an effort to grasp the students' attention, I pondered ways of using these programs in the classroom.

One way of using Instagram in the classroom is to save pictures on the class Instagram page and have the students to use the pictures as writing prompts or inspiration for Art or Science projects. Vine could be used to help introduce a subject or to evaluate the students' interpretation or understanding of a particular subject matter. Below are some things I posted to my new pages:

A photo posted by Valerie Daigre (@vdaigre) on Jun 29, 2016 at 10:30pm PDT