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/