Final Reflection

In my mind, technology and education have always gone together. However, I didn't quite grasp what it could be until this class. Technology integration is not just having students research a topic and present their findings. It is so much more. It can be used to differentiate for all learners and allows students to be self-directed learners. While some of the tools I've discussed in this blog were easier than others to navigate, they all challenged my thinking. I had tunnel vision when it came to certain tools such as Twitter and Instagram. I only knew them as a way to express myself, rather than as an educational opportunity.

Through these assignments, I have also learned a lot about myself. I found that I second guess myself quite a bit. Risk taking is a an important skill to model for our students, but found myself lacking. I worried about silly things like whether the comic strip was funny or if I sounded weird on Screencast-O-matic. With each completed blog post, I felt my confidence improve. Ideas would run through my head while at work, and I even shared my blog with some of the classroom teachers. With all of the different digital technology available, it can feel overwhelming, but the key is to find what works for you and your students.

I found the infographic to be the most difficult for me, but the most beneficial for kids. Trying to condense the information was a struggle because everything seemed important, but once it was complete, I found that it had endless possibilities for students. Animoto was an exciting find! It was so much fun to create and so easy to use. I have created several more videos since the initial blog. Our school had a volunteer appreciation tea, so I compiled all of the photographs from the school year and made a video to show during the event. It was a huge hit! I also made a promotion video for our school's Culture Night. In it, I showed pictures from the last two years activities and added an informational slide that additional information about the event. I was able to share it via our school's social media sites with ease.

With the speed in which new technology is being created, I am excited to think of what the future holds for our students. There are so many more opportunities for self-expression and creativity than I remember from my days in school. Giving students the chance to be innovative will positively impact not only their future, but ours as well. Networking has been played a big part both in this class and outside it. I have found many amazing ideas on other blogs and through various social media sites. I plan on continuing my learning through professional development opportunities and networking. It is important for library media specialists to lead by example, so I am ready to step outside the box and take some risks!

Podcasts

The importance of listening and speaking skills is crucial now, more than ever. I had never realized how many podcasts there are out there, or the fact that so many people listened to them. There is something special about not being distracted by images or videos; just listening to the sound of someone's voice. Although they have been around for decades, the ease in which they can be accessed and the variety of content is making them increasingly popular. Students are able to reach a wide range of audiences both locally and all over the world.  With the push for authentic learning and audiences, podcasts are a great educational tool! There is a wealth of educational information available to students through podcasts, but rather than just being a consumer of information, they can also contribute to the learning community.


Soundcloud

You can upload sounds or record sounds. It's relatively easy to use. I like that you can make it public or private (selectively shared with a link.) I saw that it also offered a schedule feature which would be helpful in scheduling future podcasts. It was pretty easy to sign up for, requiring only a valid email or Google account. There is a free account option which allows up to three hours of audio uploads. If you want to upgrade, you can pay $5 a month. To create your podcast, the user will need to upload their audio file. I wish this site had a direct record feature like the other two sites I evaluated. Just like with other podcast services, you can search for other users and topics using the search feature. Although this site was relatively easy to use, I didn't like that you could also search for music stations. I would want the students to focus on creating the podcasts.


Audioboo

Audioboo is a free social podcasting platform. The podcasts are limited to three minutes in length. One great thing is that you don't have to sign up to use it, but if you want to get track of your podcasts and share them, signing up will be needed. Once your podcast is published, you can easily share through Facebook and Twitter. This makes this particular app appealing because it can be more easily accessed by parents. You can add titles, tags, and a photo to the recording. One thing I would be careful with is that you can add geolocation information, so I would make sure to monitor that as students upload. Even though the app does allow the user to make the podcast private, the geolocation issue would deter me from picking this app.


Podbean

PodBean is a podcast publishing service which offers both free and premium accounts. With your free account, you can create up to a 90 minute podcast. You can customize the look of your podcast, choosing between a variety of themes. It also includes a sidebar for your widgets that you can customize. The search feature allows you to browse other podcasts by topic, which will make it easy to keep up with content that you are interested in following. Another great feature about this site is the support option. It allows you to watch video tutorials and put in a help ticket.

I have used this particular site several times, and it is so easy to use! You can upload mp3 directly to the file manager and upload them to the site. If you download the free Podbean app to your phone, you can use it to directly record your podcast. Overall, Podbean is my pick for the most user friendly podcast service. It is not overly cluttered, and is easy to navigate. I also liked the ease in which I was able to record my podcast directly, using their free app.

I used Podbean to make this book talk podcast:

Using Podcasts in the Library

There are so many uses that fit seamlessly with literacy. Here are some fun ideas I came across that I think would be highly engaging for the students:

-Create a news source for their peers about upcoming events in the school and community
-Summarize books they've read to show understanding on key concepts
-Create tutorials explaining how to access resources in the library
-Using podcasts as a way to do book talks would be fun and informative
-Interview people from a different country and share information about various cultures to celebrate diversity
-Record and broadcast group discussions from book clubs

They can also be a very helpful tool for classroom organization too!  For example, if student is absent and you need to find a way to catch them up with the class, you can create a podcast with the important information and share it with the student. You could even record the class discussions to keep track of student understanding. A podcast can be an audio newsletter sent out to the community, as a means of promoting all of the great things happening in your library!

Recording your voice on the app makes creating a podcast so much easier and quicker. Be sure to use a service that has this feature. Without it, younger students might struggle a bit with having to record, download the audio file, and then upload it to the site. The challenge of creating podcasts would be ensuring student privacy. As noted about Audioboo, it's important to make sure any geological information is not used. Additionally, with limited technology access, it can be a bit more time consuming to consistently update podcasts.


Want to listen to some other podcasts?

To help you locate educational podcasts, most podcast services have search features that allow you to search by topic. Edutopia also offers a list of the top educational podcasts each year. Looking for other great podcasts? Check these out!

Wow in the World
(This kid-specific podcasts focuses on science topics)

Book Club for Kids
(book talks for kids)

Brains On
(Range of topics based on curiosity)

Cartoons & Comics

As comics first came on the scene, there was a lot of controversy. While popular with readers, these comics, resembling cinematic storytelling, were though to be a disgrace to traditional literature. It was feared that they would be more harm than good, possibly leading to aggression and anxiety. However, studies found that readers were able to relate to the characters and events in the comics, as well as sometimes find comfort in a format different from a traditional story.

Comics are still popular today amongst readers of all ages. Many have been made into movies, adding another element of enjoyment as the comics are brought to life. Comics can seamlessly be integrated into education because many students are already familiar with the format and seek it out in the form of graphic novels. Some ideas include pairing comic books with classic literature. Students can take a traditional book and rewrite it in a comic format. They also include phenomenal examples of onomatopoeias! Just like with any tech tool, the creator is only limited by their own imaginations. 

                                                                         

ToonDoo

Check out my first comic, made with ToonDoo:

ToonDoo was exceptionally easy to use. I was pleasantly surprised at how many options were available with the free account. There are a wide variety of characters, backgrounds, and additional props to make the comics unique and exciting. Another feature I thought would be beneficial is the ability to go back and edit your comic. This would be a very supportive tool for students' writing. We encourage reflection and revision, so being able to continue making adjustments is invaluable. I also liked that there are different sharing options such as directly uploading to social media sites, email, downloading as a png, and embedding the code. 

One thing I didn't like was that some of the options are hidden until you click the play button on the main screen. In addition, after creating my comic, I struggled to find my way back to the main screen after saving my work. Although I think this site is student friendly, this might be something that would be worth guiding the students on initially, or it could be solved by creating a how-to screencast prior to the activity.

Pixton

Here is my comic created on Pixton:

When first starting with this comic tool, a tutorial pops up, helping the user figure out how to create their comic. This was a huge help because this site offers a lot of creative options for your comic. I loved the extra options like choosing the expressions on your characters' faces and changing their poses. It offers key word searches in each step which makes the feature easy to use. I think older students could use this site independently. It does offer some pre-made templates, but many of those features don't work without upgrading.

I was a bit bummed that I could not download my comic without upgrading my account. However, your creations can be uploaded to social media, embedded, and emailed without issue. 

Make Belief Comics

Here is my comic created with Make Belief Comics:

This app was one of my least favorite to use. While it was nice not having to sign up for an account, the choices in backgrounds and characters left a lot to be desired. There were not many options that were related to each other, so trying to create scenes was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. I didn't find the selections very interesting, and I don't think students would enjoy this comic creator as much as the others named in this blog.

In addition, it wasn't not the most user friendly, as I kept having to delete parts of my creating because you can't move stuff from one panel to the other. I spent a lot of time having to click through just to figure out how to use it. I did like that I could save, print, or email the comic I created, but it did not have any social media options or codes to embed.

Tellagami

Here is the booktalk I made for This Is Not My Hat 

by: Jon Klassen

This app for the iPad is a fun way for students to create books talks, books reviews, and any product that only requires listening. Some ideas includes basic how-to videos, newscasts, and character reflections. It was so easy t use because there are not too many choices in the free version, but what it allows is enough content to make your video great. You are able to create and customize your character's appearance, as well as their expression. There are clothing options and backgrounds included in the free version too! While upgrading will offer a lot more possibilities, students of all ages can still make great use of this tool.

After creating your character, you can include either text or record your own voice. The sharing options were exceptional, allowing: email, social media upload, text message, and the embedding code. One thing that was disappointing is that the app is currently waiting to be updated by the developers, so the app only works with an outdated version, less than 11.1. Hopefully they will update it soon!

Sharing with Teachers/Colleagues

There are many ways to share ideas with your educators! Uploading content comics to my newsletters and emails is a great way to promote comic use and important information. Sometimes, seeing an example sparks inspiration. It would be fun to upload a comic regularly to my library website, in order to just share a laugh together. 

I would also create QR codes for the comics and place them around the campus for everyone to access and encourage use of other tech tools. These comics are also a great way to encourage collaboration by creating comics together with my fellow educators. I would offer support to help my fellow educators learn how to access and create using these tech tools.

References:

Lepore, J. (2015). The secret history of wonder woman. Scribe.