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Final Reflection

Looking back at this semester I can honestly say that I have gain a wealth of knowledge from this course. Before this course I was familiar with some of the components included in the modules, yet I was introduced to many things that I had never used or felt comfortable using in my library before. Being able to see the blogs of my classmates allowed me to see different perspectives and ways of implementing this new technology in my library. Which new technologies excited me the most?  Although I really enjoyed and learned from all the assignments my favorite was creating cartoons and comics. There are just so many different ways that you can use them. Graphic novels are extremely popular at my library right now, and this could be a great way to have students create their own and share with others. I also really liked Flipagram. This was my first time hearing about this app and I liked the ease of use. I plan to use it in my library newsletters. I found QR codes to be really neat...
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Media (is) the message?

Media (is) the message? Is the medium truly the message? No, in my opinion we can use different mediums to deliver our instruction or message. So much emphasis has been placed in incorporating technology into our lessons without a true understanding of why we are doing it. As mentioned by Eric Sheninger, "schools are going all in with 1:1 or BYOD initiatives with no real plan for implementation and evaluation of effectiveness" (Sheninger 2015). Just because we provide each student with an iPad does not guarantee student success. Direct instruction and meeting individual needs for each of our students is the key component for student success. Don't get me wrong, I do feel that technology can have an impact on how students learn when used intentionally. Having done some research as to why we are using certain apps and website is a good place to start. Assuming that all students are tech savvy is another misconception many educator make. We must also teach...
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Podcasts

Podcasts What are some of the benefits of using podcasts in the library? Encourages librarians and students to work together. Podcasts allow you to use multiple learning styles in a single format. Podcasting also helps to engage our students in active learning. Using podcasting allows students to enhance their creative skills. Everybody seems to learn more when they are having fun! Personal Reviews For this assignment I was going to use Podbean to create my podcast since I was already familiar with it. However, I decided to try out Soundcloud and Podomatic to see which would be the easiest to use with my students. I was quite surprised to find that all three are very similar. They are easy to use and free. If I had to chose one out of the three I would have to say that Soundcloud was my favorite. I recorded the conversation on my iPhone with the voice memos and then I email it to myself. From my email I downloaded to my laptop and then to Soundcloud. It was ...
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Cartoons and Comics

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ToonDoo Evaluation Was the comic strip easy to create? This site was very easy to use. Toondoo lets you create comic strips and cartoons easily with just a few clicks, drags and drops. Was it easy to save? Once you create a free account you can easily save your comic strips. You then have the option of sharing or printing your comic strip. Did the site offer enough variety? This site offers a great variety of characters and backgrounds.  Unlike some cartoon sites, which only allow you to import images, ToonDoo offers an ample library of clip art and the ability to doodle your own pictures. The site also has some nifty ways of encouraging users to participate: In addition to making their own comic, users can also like other creations or add captions to other users' cartoons, if the owner allows it. Would students be able to use it? Although I really liked this site and found it easy to use some of the images that I found under characters were definitely ...
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Videos and QR Codes in the Library

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YouTube is widely used by our students starting in elementary. Creating a channel for your library can be a great way to promote events, book talks and book trailers with students. I noticed many of the videos uploaded on these channels were created by students. Once again this can be an engaging way to promote our library services. The NHS Library 1) Most helpful video for students: Norman Public Schools Celebrates Your Freedom to Read 2) Video that students would like best: Tiger Visits The Norman High Library The Unquiet Library 1) Most helpful video for students: Finding and Using Wikimedia Commons Images 2) Video that students would like best: New Arrivals, April 2012 Pikesville HS Library 1) Most helpful video for students: Registration Process 2) Video that students would like best: The Panthers Library Shakes BB MS Media 1) Most helpful video for students: MAP...
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Screencast, Instagram and Flipagram

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Screencast-o-matic Screencast-o-matic was very easy to use. I had seen several videos done by my professors and I never knew that making a video could be that simple. I am really excited about using this to create short tutorials for students and teachers about library resources available. Showing them exactly where to look and click will have a tremendous impact on the actual usage of the resources. I can email the link to them or even embedded them on my library webpage for everyone to see and use. Here is a link to my first screencast: MackinVia Tutorial Instagram Instagram can be a great tool to use for promoting events happening at your library. This year I used it to promote our display of Bluebonnet Books. Although I currently don't have an Instagram for my library I do have a personal account. I am hoping to start a library Instagram account, once I get clearance from my district. Instagram seems to be more popular than Facebook amongst young users, therefor...
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Blogs and Blog Readers

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Blogs and Blog Readers Trying to keep up with blogs on multiple sites can seem like a never ending task. If you try visiting all those blogs individually, you will be wasting a lot of time checking the sites every day for new content and you’re going to be missing out on content that might be more useful to you. Having a blog reader can make a big difference. After comparing three of the best RRS feed reader apps I decided that Feedly was the best fit for me. Mostly because it was free and very easy to use. Feedly  Cost: Free According to Zapier, when Google Reader was being discontinued, Feedly gained 3 million new users in less than a month. It's not hard to see why Feedly is popular—its clean and simple interface is a perfect solution for the casual reader who wants to see all of their websites in one place. Feedbin Cost: $3.00 a month According to Zapier, once you’ve subscribed to your favorite sites, you can use Feedbin’s tagging system to orga...
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