Videos and QR Codes in the Library

Videos

By looking at several different school library Youtube channels I am posting some of my favorites that I think will be most helpful to students and which they would like the best.

NHS Library

Getting Started with the NHS Library Website -

This is a great tool for students to use that shows them how to use the library website and how to find the resources that they might need.





How To Use EBSCOHost -

This video is a great tool for students to view to help them to locate information that they might need for research.  It tells them how to log into and complete searches using EBSCOHost and that they can be accessed at home or at school.



Tiger Visits the Norman High Library-

I added this extra video because I thought it was fun and that the students would enjoy watching it.  It also gives them a great look at what's available in their library.  Cute idea to promote the use of the library.





The Unquiet Library



Finding CC Licensed Images in Advanced Flickr  Search

This is a great video that shows students how to find Creative Commons Images that can be used for projects.  How to read the license information and how to pick the photo.




Tutorial Video for Tillery: PowerPoint "How To" Basics

This is a great video to show students the basics on how to create a PowerPoint presentation.   Students can use PowerPoint to complete a project.




Pikesville HS Library

This library did not have as much to watch it   and it seems to be lacking current videos.  I did however find the following two videos interesting and informative.


2014-2015 Course Advisement

This is a great resource for students to use to make their course choices.  I think that all schools should do this and that students would really like it.





Hip Hop Day @ The Panthers Library

This is a great video showing what is being done in the library.  What a creative way to bring something that the students are passionate about and engage them in learning.  Students seemed to be engaged and enjoying the lesson.



Last but not least the BBMSmedia

This Youtube channel has so many great student created videos.  It's great to see what students can do and motivates me to use this in my library when I get one.

Bring Back Your Books (Going Down For Real) Parody

Students would love this.  I know that my son in junior high would really get into this and it's great that the students are being creative and it's being shared.  How fun!



Twilight Overdue

Another great student created video about overdue books that students have to understand the Twilight books to be able to create it.  I love all the overdue book videos on this site.





The librarian also has book reviews that he puts on the channels for students to view.

QR Codes

I recently read the book Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I have always had a soft spot for
books about children with reading difficulties since my best friend has dyslexia. I remember her feeling dumb because of it and feeling helpless to get her to understand that she wasn't and that I admired her for how hard she worked.  I made so many text to self connections during reading.  I created a book trailer which is a great way to encourage students to read a book and gives them a chance to see a little about what the book is like before reading.  Please scan the QR code below to see my book trailer.  I hope that you enjoy it as much I as did making it using Animoto.

The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

QR codes are a great tool to use in the library.  There are so many ways to engage your students. They seem intimidating but are actually very easy to create and use.  Some examples of using QR codes in your library are:

Creating a Dewey Hunt

Listening Centers

Book Trailers

Research

Library Media Scavenger Hunt

Library Tours

On the covers of books put- author interviews, student projects, web resources, book trailers

Marketing with Parents

Summarizing Books

Check out this link to Library Girl's site to learn more about QR codes

Happy scanning!

Blogs and RSS Readers

I started following librarian blogs as soon as I started on my MLS in the Fall of 2013.  They are a great source of information and can help you to grow your professional learning network.  

I have used Bloglovin for a few years now and love the ease of using it and being able to quickly scan and see who has posted by looking at the picture and blurbs and deciding if I want to read further instead of having to go to individual blogs to read their latest post.  

I checked out other RSS readers such as Feedly.  I did like some of the items that they have available and being able to save articles into Evernote was a great addition.  I was not as fond of   News Blur, it seemed like it would be better suited for a business professional, It just was not as user friendly and felt more corporate to me.  Everytime I tried the Bloglines site it was down and I was not able to review it.  I really love Bloglovin for it's east of use. 

I have been following several blogs for a couple of years now and my favorites are:

Abby the Librarian

She is a youth librarian.  Her blog is great because is has many wonderful ideas for book talking, collection development, etc.  You can find her blog at  http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/

The Library Goddess

This blog is one of the first that I found after starting my MLS.  I always enjoy reading about what she is doing in her library.  She talks about technology that she is doing with classes and has started a Book Talk Tuesday.  You can find her blog at http://valeriebyrdfort.com/

Library Displays

This is a great blog with picture of displays for your school library.  I really love it for ideas for the library.  There are ideas for elementary to high school displays, which is great because it covers areas that I have not taught before.  It's always great to see things and think, why didn't I think of that.  You can find the blog at  http://schoollibrarydisplays.blogspot.com/

The Adventures of Library Girl
 

This blog has so much wonderful information.  It is a place that I go when I need information about many topics.  I really love her blog about her Livebinder that she created to help you create your own PLN   You can find it at http://www.livebinders.com/ /play?id=441748

She has great information on reading aloud, her and her friend have created #2jennsBookClub on Twitter that they talk about YA literature.  This is a genre that I was not familiar with before starting my MLS.  She also talks about ideas for principals, so it's great way to help you advocate for your library and the things that you need to make it great for your students and staff.  You can find her blog at http://www.librarygirl.net/

The Library Voice

There are so many great technology ideas that can be used in the classroom as well as the library.  I am very excited about some recent posts with GoNoodle and Biblionasium.  I am using GoNoodle in the classroom and kids are loving it and it's really helping them to take breaks and focus on our lessons when we are done.  They love watching their creature grow.  She is a person to  watch to get information  on what's new and happening.  Shannon's blog can be found at  http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/

 

Tumblr

Tumblr is another great site to go for blogs.  I am following a lot of my blogs that I already follow on Bloglovin.  I had not been on Tumblr before but I quickly joined and created my own.  I love how it is so visual.  I reminds me of Twitter but with more pictures instead of words. It's a great place to continue to build your PLN. 

You can follow me at http://charlottepolk71.tumblr.com/

I hope that you find these blogs and the ways to follow them as interesting and informative as I do, happy reading!

Teens and Technology-2013

After looking through the PEW research site I was curious about how teens access the internet and started with an article from 2013 titled - Teens and Technology 2013.  It's about how more teens are using smartphones and how that has influenced their accessing the internet.  I also found it interesting that more girls access the internet through their smartphones than boys.  It happens in my house, I will jump on my Iphone or Ipad and search something because it's faster than booting up my computer like my husband.  I'm looking forward to reading more about teens and technology and finding if there are any changes in 2014 with the percentages of how teens access the internet. I know that with today's fast paced society we are on the go more than we are at at home.  Having access to the internet through smartphones makes life easier, finding information, shopping, paying bills, etc. is always at your fingertips.

The article I read was 19 pages long.