Reflection

I’ve followed different kinds of blogs for several years now and have been inspired (one too many times) to do something a blogger has shared, like read a new book or redecorate my kitchen. I love the concept of being able to share and interact with others through a blog, but I never really thought of myself as a blogger. 

Instagram and Vine

I decided to start separate accounts for Instagram and Vine to use exclusively to communicate with my students. These are two more resources that can be used to spark student interest in the classroom. There are many uses for them, all you need to do is be creative and start playing with them before you introduce them to students.

Younger Americans’ library habits and expectations

from: Zickuhr, K., Rainie, L., & Purcell, K. (2013). Younger Americans’ library 
habits and expectations. Pew Research Internet Project. Retrieved July 30, 2014. http://libraries.pewinternet.org/files/2013/06/PIP_Younger_Americans_and_libraries.pdf

Contrary to popular belief, America's youth is more familiar with local library services than adults ages 30 and up. According to research from Pew Internet Project, Americans ages 16-29 are just as likely to visit and use library services than older adults. Because of their familiarity with technology younger Americans are also more likely to use their library's technology services, such as library website and online public access catalog (OPAC). 

Creating Screencasts

A screencast is a digital recording of a computer screen and is usually narrated. It is used to explain a process as it is being done on a computer. These can be used for a variety of uses, especially in education. As with podcast, these add a visual of the process or topic being taught. You can use them to explain a concept, a process, as a tutorial. Students can also create their own screencast as a form of assessment. Screencasting is simple and fun, they can last a few minutes or longer.

Toons and Comics

A great way to engage students is by using comic strips. Kids love seeing graphics and characters come to life. I've used comic strips before in my classroom and you can too. Here are several ways you can begin using them with your students.

• give information
• provide directions
• illustrate an idea ( vocabulary or idioms)
• rewrite or summarize a book/story
• illustrate a poem 
• journal response

There are a few free websites that can be used by virtually anyone to create comic strips.

Online Book Communities

Online book communities have become a lifesaver to many book lovers. They can be great organizational tools that allow you to keep a record of what you’ve read, liked, disliked, and plan to read. They provide users a way to share their love for books by rating and reviewing books they’ve read.  They can also serve as research tools when trying to decide which book to read next.  You can simply read what others have thought of that book and make a decision, but beware of spoilers. Many book communities also allow users to join book clubs, give book recommendations, and follow other avid book readers. If you haven't joined a book community yet here are several suggestions and my opinion about them.

Podcasts in Education

A podcast is a popular form of media that is used to record digital audio files that can be shared or downloaded via the internet. Podcasts in education can be used for a variety of purposes.

Videos & QR Codes in the Library

So it’s mid-July and we’re just one month shy from returning to our classrooms.  As I’m preparing for this new and exciting school year I started working on book trailers for some of the books we’ll be reading in class this year. Last year my students read Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. I could not believe how much students wanted to read the book; every day they begged to read it. I plan to start off the year with this novel and created a trailer using Animoto.com. I will let my students access the trailer through QR Codes. I love QR Codes and use them religiously for instructions, questions, photos, quizzes, etc. I swear that my students get so excited to scan the code and find out what the will be doing that day. 

Tumblr

Another first, I joined Tumblr, a microblog that allows you to follow people, share videos, photos, quotes, etc. 

How can you use Tumblr in the library?
Librarians can use Tumblr in addition to other social network sites that they might already be using.It is very similar to twitter and you can also follow and like posts. It is another way expand your social and professional network. You can create posts that highlight a specific book or new gadget at the library; or just about anything that will lure kids to the library. I found it to be a more casual setting where you can post humorous quotes, pics, or videos. 

Take a look at mine: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kvelaposts

Following Blogs on Feedly.com

About a year ago Google discontinued its blog reader which allowed me to follow my favorite blogs all in one place. I needed to look for an alternative so I decided to use Feedly.com. I choose feedly because it is visually appealing, simple to use and has some really cool features like cloud storage.  

Teens, Social Media, and Privacy an Infographic

Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Duggan, M., et al. (2013, May 21). Teens, Social Media, and Privacy. Pew Research Internet Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2013/05/PIP_TeensSocialMediaandPrivacy_PDF.pdf

While in their infancy, social networking sites have become an integral part of our students’ daily online activities. Taking note of this schools are now seeing social media sites as an avenue to spark their students’ interest. Their school websites now include tweets, Facebook pages, YouTube videos and blogs. These social feeds allow students to interact with each other, their teachers, and the outside network.

Got Tweeter?

I just finished setting up my Twitter account. I have got to confess that I was trying to stay away from this social site, but alas I joined the bandwagon and took the leap. I can certainly see the benefits of using this microblog as a communication and networking platform. It is fun, quick, and painless.  As with most networking sites, people and organizations can communicate ideas and information or promote causes, products, etc. Setting up the account was a breeze and I really liked that you can follow and communicate with anyone without having to deal with friend requests.

As an educator and library science student, I want to have as many opportunities to expand my professional knowledge base. Since I created a Twitter account I could not think of a better way to get started than by following some of the most respected names in education technology and library media specialists. Take a look at what they are posting.

School Libraries and the Power of Social Networking

Social networking sites are becoming more and more popular by the minute. Almost everyone with access to the web has at least lurked through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Today these sites are being accessed by millions of users at home or on the go through their mobile devices. They are a popular way of keeping in touch with friends and family, and  even up with up-to-the-minute news updates. The truth is that when used correctly social networking sites can become powerful marketing tools for individuals, businesses, or organizations.

Could my school library benefit from social networking?