End of Class 

Well, I made it to the end of my class!! I learned so much and feel that this has been one of the most useful classes that I have taken. Below I have a reflection about what I learned and also a comic strip to represent some of that learning. Enjoy!

Final Reflection

 

         When I first signed up for this course, I was extremely excited to learn about various ways to incorporate technology within a library setting. Although it is a little embarrassing to admit, before this class, I was not very knowledgeable about how to use technology with students. So, I was hoping to gain experience and understanding about different types of technologies as well as the best ways to use them.

          I am happy to say that I did learn quite a lot about many fun technology applications from this course. During the completion of the assignments, I started to become a little more comfortable about what types of technologies I could use in the classroom or library. Starting with the first assignment over feedreaders and blogs, I learned exactly what a feedreader was! I had never heard of one before, but now I know that using one can help me stay organized with relation to all the websites, blogs, and social media sites that I follow. Additionally, I became aware of some great blog sites that I feel will be quite useful to me as a future librarian. I found some of the blogs on my own but also discovered some interesting ones from other students’ blogs that I ended up bookmarking.

          The next two assignments took me a little out of my comfort zone as they required me to sign up for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and to create an infographic. Before this class, I was only on Facebook, and to be honest, I am not very active on the site. So, getting onto Twitter and Instagram was somewhat daunting. I do think that it will be good for me to know how to use the sites and to have a professional account, so I am glad that I now know more about them. I especially like knowing how to utilize the sites to reach parents and students and to advocate for a library space. With regards to creating an infographic, I was able to become familiar with different sites that help one make an infographic. I learned how an infographic can be used to show information in a fun way, and I believe that as a librarian, I can help students utilize infographics for various lessons.

          The next lesson over YouTube, Animoto, and QR codes was quite interesting. I have used YouTube for looking at videos and most recently creating videos but haven’t really followed any library channels on the site. Learning about ways that students can create videos with relation to books or the library was fun and educational. I really feel that students of any age would love to make videos! Using Animoto was a little difficult at first because I have never created a book trailer before and was new to the site, but I do think that I could utilize this site a lot as a librarian. It would be great to have book trailers on a library website to advertise new books in the library.

          Next, the lesson about creating comic strips was something that I am very excited about. Using three different sites, I came up with three different comic strips. Each site differed in the options it had, so each comic strip was unique. I can totally see students doing this with ease and enjoying it. I thought of all kinds of ways that a comic strip can be useful such as writing a summary of a story, showing a retelling of a story, representing a vocabulary word and its definition, etc.

          One of the last lessons included creating a podcast. I had created a few podcasts before this class but was not really familiar with doing a podcast with two hosts. I had to collaborate with another SHSU student, and we did not live close to each other. Luckily, a site called Podbean allowed us to do a podcast together from our separate homes. Within a library setting, students could create podcasts about books they recommend, or they could pretend to be interviewing an author. Either way, they would have fun.

          All in all, this course proved to be extremely interesting as well as informative. I have gained skills that I will use in my career as a librarian as well as many ideas about how to use technology with students. Technology is a big part of education in today’s world so I am grateful that I was able to participate in a class where the entirety of the information was about technology. 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

                                                   

What is it? According to Elfreda V. Blue and Darra Pace, authors of UD and UDL: Paving the Way Toward Inclusion and Independence in the School Library, UDL is "a research-based set of principles that provide a practical framework for using technology to maximize learning for all students" (2011). Together with Universal Design (UD), librarians are able to utilize the two systems to meet the needs of all learners. Some ways to use UD and UDL within a library setting include:

* Looking at physical access to materials in the library

* Determining the different types of media that need to be available in the library to meet the needs of all learners, including those with disabilities

* How ideas are communicated in the library (signs, Braille, font size, lighting)

* Making sure that library staff is knowledgeable about where to get materials or equipment for specific student needs as well as how to use said equipment

Guidelines for Universal Design

1. Provide multiple means of representation.

     - options for language and symbols

   - options for comprehension

   - options for perception

2. Provide multiple means of action and expression.

   - provide options for physical action

   - provide options for expressive skills and fluency

   - provide options for executive functions

3. Provide multiple means for engagement

    - provide options for recruiting interest

    - provide options for sustaining effort and persistence

    - provide options for self-regulation

*** Guidelines taken from UD and UDL: Paving the Way Toward Inclusion and Independence in the School Library

After doing some self-reflecting, I realized that I actually have used some of these guidelines without really thinking about it. Although I am not a librarian YET, I have utilized many of the guidelines in my classroom as a teacher. These include:

1. Providing various types of activities for students to show their comprehension of a subject. (Guideline 2)

2. I have gone over important vocabulary words before a lesson and have broken words into parts during spelling lessons. (Guideline 2)

3. I have translated lesson language into a student's primary language using Google Translate. (Guideline 2)

4. I have used various types of organizers to represent information in lessons. (Guideline 3)

5. I have shown how to use literacy strategies when reading literature in other subjects. (Guideline 3)

6. I have shown students how to highlight important terms in articles. (Guideline 3)

7. I have shown students how to use sticky notes and organizers to represent and remember big ideas. (Guideline 3)

8. I have taught different lessons where there are examples and non-examples represented. (Guideline 3)

And many more!!!

There are also activities that could easily be added to my classroom which are related to the UD guidelines. Some of these include:

1. Providing other ways for students to respond besides paper and pencil.

2. Use more physical manipulatives in the area of language arts.

3. Use more concept-mapping tools.

4. Provide differentiated feedback related to writing or reading.

5. Provide guides for students to set their own goals.

6. Bringing in a different teacher/mentor to talk about a certain lesson in a different way.

7. Use varying colors on worksheets and layouts.

8. Prompting learners to restate a goal.

Finally, there are activities that I would like to incorporate into my classroom related to the UD guidelines, but these will require some time and/or help to implement. Some of these include:

1. Getting access to Text-to-Speech software

2. Getting access to alternative keyboards

3. Starting to use social media to express ideas and opinions

4. Having students set their own academic and behavioral goals

5. Starting to vary the levels of sensory stimulation

6. Starting to use peer tutors

7. Starting to use rubrics for projects and group work

How Do I Learn More??

    With relation to UDL, I am interested in learning about ways to implement the guidelines into a classroom or library, specifically ways that might use technology. Since UDL focuses on meeting the needs for all diverse learners, I would like to know more about the technologies that are used to help students understand speech or text. Thus far in my experience as a teacher, I have not seen these technologies being utilized nor have I utilized them myself. To be honest, I am not really sure where to start so that I can become knowledgeable about them. 

    After looking online at ideas for technology that assists with text and speech, I found some interesting things. First, on the website Software Testing Help, there are recommendations for the best text-to-speech software, with descriptions about each application so that anyone can make an informed decision. Next, an article on Reading Rockets, describes exactly what "text-to-speech" means and how it can be utilized to help students in the classroom. Then, on the website Understood, a general description is given, along with different tabs that a user can choose from to gain various information. Last, on ReadSpeaker, one can learn how text-to-speech came to be, the different populations that can benefit from its use, and the different types of text-to-speech (TTS). I still have a lot to learn, but these sites seem like a good place to start. 

 Podcasts

Over the past several years podcasts have become extremely popular. With large numbers of students and adults reading eBooks or listening to audiobooks, it is no wonder that many have started subscribing to podcasts as well. And why not? Podcasts can be about almost any topic and are now being hosted by athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, doctors, authors, and more. For those who learn by listening, podcasts are the perfect past time because they allow the listener to start and stop an episode when needed, they are available on various apps, and they cover a wide variety of information. 

Schools have even started utilizing podcasts in different types of situations. Teachers could use a podcast to deliver a lesson to a class or could have students use podcasts to record their discussion of a book, take notes about a nonfiction topic, or create an interview. Librarians could use podcasts to add to the library experience by creating book trailers to listen to, creating lists of new materials in the library, promoting the library, and letting students create book reviews. 

I decided to look at a few different sites that allow one to create a podcast. Here is what I found:

Anchor

This site is run by Spotify and seems fairly easy to use. After creating an account, one can go ahead and record a podcast. Some of the positive aspects of this site include:

* One can add songs from Spotify to the podcast

* One can use commentary from a previous episode in a new episode

* There are free sound effects that can be added to a podcast

* There is a way to set up a financial benefit with the podcast meaning listeners pay a small amount to listen

When looking for negative aspects, I honestly didn't really find any. I think that this is a good site for those just starting to create their own podcasts. 

Buzzsprout

This is another site that appears easy for beginners to use. Some positive notes about this site include:

* Very easy to sign up for an account

* One can edit/create the look of the podcast page

* One can set up monetizing in connection with the podcast

* There is a section where one can read blogs, look at videos or listen to other podcasts that offer information about podcasting

The only negative note I have about this site is it looks like the space is limited to a certain amount (2 hours) per month. 

Podbean

This is the site I am most familiar with as I have used it a few times to create podcasts. Out of the three sites, this one seems the most advanced. Some positive notes are:

* One can share podcasts by either a link or through social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube

* One can add their podcast to a number of podcasts apps including one for Podbean, Google, Spotify, and I💓Radio

* One can customize what the background will look like on the website or app for the podcast

* On the app for Podbean, one can collaborate with another person to do a combined podcast

The main thing I noticed that was negative was this site seems a little harder to figure out than the other 2 podcast sites. 

Click on the link below to hear my podcast about book bans. I collaborated with another person named Devan. Since we have both used Podbean before, we decided to record our podcast using that site. However, I would recommend that beginners start with one of the other sites I mentioned.😊

Podcast

📚📚📙📘📗 Let's fight to keep books in libraries!!

 Creating Cool Comic Strips

It is no mistake that graphic novels are very popular with students of all ages. They offer a different type of reading experience yet still contain strong plots, characters, and themes. One of the reasons that graphic novels are so attractive to students is the layout of the text and illustrations. They resemble comic strips, which allows a student to read something different than the regular chapter book. 

Since graphic novels are such a huge hit, teachers and librarians can use the comic strip idea to teach various lessons. Students will enjoy creating their own comic strips as a way to represent different ideas. Some good sites that allow one to create a comic strip are:

- Pixton   

https://share.pixton.com/qhjk2uh

This site is pretty easy to use. I created a comic strip without much trouble, and I believe that students from second grade on could use this site as well. There are plenty of details for one to choose from including:

1. Characters with choice of skin, hair and eye color, outfit, pose, expression, etc.

2. Background with choice of scene, abstract or photo upload

3. A wording section which allows words to be added in captions or a speech balloon

- Fotojet

Fotojet was more limiting as to what one can choose to use in the creation of a comic strip. Unlike Pixton, there are already templates available that look like comic strips. The user just has to choose how many boxes he/she wants in the strip, but the most allowed is 6-7. Additionally, I found Fotojet more difficult to use than Pixton. The user has to fit the photos he/she wants into the boxes of the template and then has to figure out how to fit the text in as well. There are no choices to insert characters into the comic. For these reasons, I think that older students from 5th grade on could use this site. 

- Make Beliefs Comix

I liked the Make Beliefs Comix site for a few different reasons. First, it was easy to use. Next, it has all kinds of information available on the site such as ideas for writing and journaling, story starters and lessons for special needs students. Then, there are a variety of options one can choose from to use in a comic strip and the illustrations really resemble pictures from a comic book. Last, one can create a comic that is up to 18 boxes long. That is a good amount for students because it is sometimes hard for them to condense their ideas. I feel that students in third grade and up could use this site. 

Ways to Use Comic Strips in the Classroom 

Well, I have shared a few sites that allow one to create comic strips and now I am going to share some ways to use comic strips as teaching tools in the classroom. Just look at the list below!

- Have students use comics to create a summary or retelling of a book

- Have students create short stories by using comic strips

- Create comic strips to learn about a new social skill or to explain why bullying is bad

- Have students use comic strips to list different synonyms for commonly used words (each box could be a different synonym with a picture)

- Have students use characters from a story and create a new ending 

- Have students create comics about news events

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!!!

There are all sorts of ways to utilize comic strips in the classroom- just spend a little time searching and you are sure to find some terrific ideas!

 Videos and QR Codes in the Library

   It can sometimes be helpful to show videos in the library to give students information or guide them through a particular process. On YouTube, there are numerous videos that can be utilized for various lessons. Below are a few that I think could be helpful for a range of grades.

"The Unquiet Library" Channel

          (Found at https://www.youtube.com/user/theunquietlibrary/videos)

                            

Most Helpful for Students                            Video That Students Will Like Best

 

"Pikesville High School Library" Channel

(Found at https://www.youtube.com/user/pikesvillehslibrary/videos)

                            

Most Helpful for Students                             Video That Students Will Like Best

"BBMS Media" Channel

(Found at https://www.youtube.com/user/bbmsmedia/videos)

                       

  Most Helpful for Students                        Video That Students Will Like Best

Besides the videos above, there are other reasons to show videos in a library. Some ideas include:

• Students creating book trailers or book reviews

• Showing students clips of movies or games relating to a specific lesson

• Showing music videos to listen to lyrics and relate that to poetry

• Showing BrainPOP videos or other resource sites to teach certain skills

• Creating a news show or daily announcements

Book Trailer

I decided to make a book trailer about The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald. I think that it is a good book to use to teach specific morals and themes to young students. The following is a synopsis of the book from Amazon.

Meet the good egg. He’s a verrrrrry good egg indeed.
But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten.
As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect.
So, he decides enough is enough! It’s time for him to make a change…
Dynamic duo Jory John and Pete Oswald hatch a funny and charming story that reminds us of the importance of balance, self-care, and accepting those we love (even if they are sometimes a bit rotten).
Perfect for reading aloud and shared story time!

To view the book trailer, scan the QR code below!!

                                       

Besides using a QR code for a book trailer, QR codes could also be used for:

• Connecting a student to a book list that contains titles similar to the one he/she just read (QR code is by the book or on the book)
• Reserving a space to study or work on a project within the library space (for older students)
• Connecting students and staff to a website/blog/social media site that promotes the library and explains the services provided
• Having some sort of scavenger hunt to locate certain types of books (each QR code could provide a clue)
• Having some sort of library contest

Infographics: Which Sites are Best? 

Recently, I heard the term "infographic." I wasn't really sure what this was, but it was easy to break the work apart to figure it out.  

Info=information   Graphic= some sort of visual representation

Just to make sure, I looked at dictionary.com to view an actual definition. "Infographic" is listed as "a visual representation of information in the form of a chart, graph or other image accompanied by minimal text, tended to give an easily understood overview, often of a complex subject."

After learning what an "infographic" is, I was curious about how to create one. I looked at three different sites that help the user create infographics among other types of visual graphics. Here is what I found.

Piktochart

• Home page has various choices for the user including infographics, presentations, posters, reports, flyers and more. "More" has choices such as resumes, newsletters, and invitations.
• A user can start a new account by using Google information.
• Under the "infographics" category, there are a lot of examples to choose from.
• A user can also choose the infographic he/she wants by choosing the type of information he/she wants represented. Some of the choices are comparison, data visualization, a list, and process.

As a first time user, the site seems fairly easy to navigate and use. 

Infogram

• A user can start a new account by using Google information.
• On the home page, there are choices such as infographics, reports, slides, dashboards, social media, and posters. **Some of these are different than Piktochart's choices.**
• Under the "infographics" category, there are tons of examples of templates to choose from. 

This site seemed a little less user friendly than Piktochart, but that is just my opinion. 😊

Easel.ly

•  A user can start a new account by using Google information.
• The home page is very simple, with the choice to "start a new project." ** This is way simpler than Piktochart or Infogram.**
• Once starting a new project, the user can decide what type through a subcategory that lists choices such as resume, timeline, process, report, real estate, food, social media, etc.
• When a user chooses a subcategory, there are template that pop up. The templates are not very large. ** The templates seem to be shorter with less information than the ones shown on Piktochart or Infogram.**

Out of the three sites that I looked at, this one seems to be the easiest to use, not only because of the simplicity of the home page, but also because the templates are shorter. I believe that Easel.ly is a good place to start when trying to become familiar with infographics. Below is a link to an infographic I created on Easel.ly.

https://www.easel.ly/infographic/ao49k9

The information represented on my infographic comes from the Pew Research Center website and is specific data related to the usage of online dating apps.

Vogels, E. A. (2023, February 24). About Half of Never-Married Americans Have Used an Online Dating Site or App. Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/02/24/the-never-been-married-are-biggest-users-of-online-dating/

School Libraries and Social Media 

   

 With all of the social media sites that are available right now, schools have begun to create accounts. School librarians are often the ones who are in charge of keeping up with these accounts so it is important to stay current on what is appropriate and useful when posting information. Some of the most popular sites that are being utilized by librarians include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I will be discussing some of the advantages and disadvantages to being on each site.

Facebook

I looked at several different school Facebook pages to determine what types of things they post about. Some ideas included:

• Bulletin board ideas and photos
• Posts about new books being added to a library
• Questions about how to use specific books in lessons
• Ideas for author visits
• Photographs of library layouts
• Links to products being sold on Teachers Pay Teachers

One specific Facebook group that I am a part of is called Learning Librarians and it is run by Cari White. She is also the owner of one of the blogs I posted about last time. You have to ask permission to join the Facebook group but it is worth it. There are tons of ideas posted on there.  

When considering the advantages and disadvantages of a librarian using Facebook, here are the conclusions I came to. Using Facebook can be good because many people are familiar with it and already have accounts. This is helpful because these people can follow the posts by the librarian. Additionally, there are many groups that one can join or follow to gather ideas. A librarian can learn many things from looking at other library pages. The use of Facebook might not be good because more and more people are starting to use newer social media sites. Younger parents and students may not be on Facebook so they may not always see information that is posted there. 

Twitter

When browsing through Twitter, I began to follow several people who are librarians or technology experts. These include John Schu (librarian), Paul Hankins (teacher), Linda Braun (consultant and educator), Gwyneth Jones (social media consultant), and Jim Lerman (educator and author).  After reading many posts from each of these people, it is obvious to me that they all have a lot of knowledge to share. While a few of them (Paul Hankins and Gwyneth Jones) like to share personal photos of their dogs and favorite movies/songs, the majority of the posts have to do with books, libraries or technology. Some of the common ideas posted include how to handle book complaints, summaries of new books that were read, lists of various ways to use technology, and different videos of library related ideas. Below are some of the tweets from each person listed above.

1. Jim Lerman @jimlerman (Likes to post all kinds of lists that can be useful for librarians)

https://twitter.com/jimlerman/status/1594736985968607232?s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw

https://twitter.com/jimlerman/status/1594736985968607232?s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw


2. Gwyneth Jones @GwynethJones (Likes to post all types of things including personal, books she reads, and technology)

https://twitter.com/GwynethJones/status/1621486696779882497s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw

https://twitter.com/GwynethJones/status/1612554462089940992s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw


3. Paul Hankins @PaulWHankins (Loves to post about his dog as well as books)

https://twitter.com/PaulWHankins/status/1611709194779910144s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw

https://twitter.com/PaulWHankins/status/1619317657022636032s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw



4. John Schu @MrSchuReads (likes to post about books)

https://twitter.com/SaadiaFaruqi/status/1622951214198722560s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw

https://twitter.com/MrSchuReads/status/1623077438396792832s=20&t=PpRyKhOGvuMSjFby2BfMrw

When considering the advantages and disadvantages of a librarian using Twitter, I came to the following conclusions. Twitter is great to use because one can easily retweet a post that he/she likes and that tweet will appear on his/her home page. This helps to combine ideas from multiple people in one place. Additionally, Twitter seems to be a tad more popular than Facebook with the younger population. This might make it better for school librarians to use. In terms of disadvantages, Twitter has a limit on how many words can be tweeted at one time. Although that might not be an issue for many people, that is something that needs to be considered when deciding whether to use it as a platform for a library or school.

Instagram

Instagram is probably the most popular social media site used by students among the three I have mentioned in this post. It is easy for them to post pictures and videos and then share them with limited commentary. This makes it a good platform for librarians to use when trying to stay connected with students and share information with them. Additionally, librarians can share pictures of books, library displays, bulletin boards, books, and activities with other librarians. Despite these advantages, I have found Instagram a little difficult to figure out. I recently joined and had some trouble determining how to start a post and embed a video. Other librarians in my age group might have the same problem with the site. Nevertheless, there are lots of cool ideas from other librarians that I would like to share below.

Book Display Ideas

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKpbvBrSni/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmMJRPTL4wP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkhUTzHJ8Cf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Lesson Ideas

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoDpVMRM26G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmuHDK_M0oE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClmvIyssan8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Book Reviews

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch-DpKRr0jw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Video: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cncbo3nMiKi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoSo072jk_Q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Some bulletin board ideas that I love! See below:

                                               

     

 And finally.... a link to my Instagram page.

https://www.instagram.com/kkbluetraveler/