Final Reflection

Upon enrolling for this course, I have to admit I was a bit nervous. As I read through the some of the assignment descriptions, my anxiety levels went up. Although I was familiar with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and had some knowledge about of some of the other Digital Tech tools, I had not actually used some of them. As I explored through each tool, I had to read, reread, and YouTube how to use some of them. Even though I encountered some technical issues as I was learning how to use them, and upload them to my blog, I managed to figure out what needed to be done. I just needed some time and a few trial runs to get comfortable with each one. As I completed each assignment, I discovered it was NOT as stressful as I thought it would be, and I really enjoyed learning about these great digital tools.

Which one was my favorite? I had more than one: screencasts, Animoto, podcasts, and comics. 

I was really excited about using screencasts. I had viewed many screencasts throughout my courses as an MLS student, and I always wondered how they were done. I was really excited after I learned how to create two of my own for this course. I know that as a future librarian, this is a great “visual tool” that I can see myself using to create useful guides and “how-tos” for students, faculty, and parents. 

In addition, I feel that Animoto, podcasts, and comics will also be beneficial to my students.

Students can use Animotos to create book trailers, or a book review on their favorite books, and I can use these trailers to promote books to other students by highlighting them on the school’s webpage. 

The comic strip tool can be used throughout the content areas. For example students can summarize what they learned in any of the content areas, such as showing how to solve a math problem, summarizing a story, discussing the causes that led to the American Revolution, and demonstrating lab safety, to name a few. 

I can see myself using podcasts to promote events such as literacy nights, book fairs, and also to highlight students, books, and authors. 





Although I did not find the online book communities difficult to use, I did find them a bit overwhelming in the sense that I wasn’t too familiar with all of them to be comfortable enough to really choose one that I liked the best. I’m still trying to decide, but they are great resources to refer to. In addition, I did like using the Infographics tools, and the fact that they can be used to explain complex data into one source. I can see students using this, but I feel that some will try to include too much, and therefore create a cluttered graphic. However, I can still see myself showing students and staff different ways to use it, and perhaps create a screencast for it.

Before this course, I knew how to navigate through the basic technological tools. Now after taking this course, I feel that this new knowledge I’ve acquired has sort of “bumped” me up to the next level. I’m not an expert by any means, but I'm much more at ease using these digital tools, and I feel comfortable enough to share with my colleagues and students. In my opinion, the best way to learn technology is simply just navigating and exploring through the different tools enough times to where you feel comfortable enough to say, "I got this." At least this is true for me.

Thank you Dr. Gross for your support and a wonderful learning experience!

Sandra C. Rios

Pew Report: U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015

After searching through Pew Research Reports, I came across one that caught my attention: U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015 by senior researcher, Aaron Smith.  In today’s technology age, it seems that everywhere we turn, someone is glued to their phone, myself included. According to the report, “Today, people increasingly are accessing online services and information throughout the day, whenever and wherever they happen to be — and smartphones are often the primary vehicle for this “on the go” access” (12). This report documents the continued growth of the number of Americans with smartphones. Smartphones have become one of the most sought out technology tools of our ages that provide us with the ability to stay connected by being able to access, share information, and communicate with others in our world. Smith also includes the demographics of smartphone users, and demonstrates how smartphone owners use their devices on a day-to-day basis.  

After reading Smith's Pew Report, I found that I fit into many of the categories noted in my Picktochart. I never really thought of as smartphones having an “emotional impact” on users. Smith states, “When it comes to the emotions that people experience as a result of their smartphones, “productive” and “happy” lead the way — 79% and 77% of smartphone owners, respectively, indicated that their phone made them feel this way at least once over the course of the study period” (41). On the other hand, 36% reported feeling frustrated, while just 15% reported feeling angry. I can say I feel more on the “productive” and “happy” side with my smartphone. As a matter of fact, I’ve been very pleased with my iPhone, that I just upgraded it this past week! Smartphones are here to stay.

Smith, A. (2015). U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015. Retrieved from Pew Research Center website:
http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/03/PI_Smartphones_0401151.pdf


59 pages 

For my first Pew Report, I created an Infographic using Infogram. This time I tried using Picktochart. They are both easy to use, and offer a variety of free templates. Here’s a Picktochart of my findings on: "U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015": 

Instagram and Vine

Instagram

Instagram is a popular photo sharing app for smartphones. Why not just post your photos on Facebook or another social network? Instagram’s main purpose is sharing photos and or videos with friends. Instead of having extra features other sites have, it offers users the option to filter a photo using different effects, such as contrast or saturation. In addition, you are able to link to other networking platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. I had not used Instagram, but my siblings and my boys have an account. They were excited to learn I finally created one. 

I will definitely be creating an account just for the library. My goal will be to promote and highlight current events such as book fairs, sharing kids’ successes, quotes, new book arrivals, and book reviews. Teachers can use it to highlight activities and/or projects in their classroom. The possibilities are endless.


The bulletin below highlights the reading club I sponsor. 

And the Series Challenge is well underway!

A photo posted by @snd_rios on Nov 17, 2015 at 3:43pm PST

THANK YOU for supporting our Book Fair!

A photo posted by @snd_rios on Nov 16, 2015 at 8:44pm PST

Gotta love Charlie Brown!

A photo posted by @snd_rios on Nov 15, 2015 at 3:00pm PST

Where it all began...

A photo posted by @snd_rios on Nov 15, 2015 at 2:56pm PST

Vine

Vine is a video sharing app. Users can share a six second video clip that loops over and over. All you need is a compatible smartphone to download the Vine app, which is owned by Twitter. I had never created a Vine until now, and I have to say it was pretty easy. When you are ready to make your first Vine, the app will walk you through all the steps. The app tells you to hold your finger down on the screen for about 1-2 seconds, and then you do this two more times. Vine will then put the three, two second videos together. It’s that simple.

I like the idea of using Vine in the library to highlight upcoming events, show snippets of books coming in to the next Book Fair, create mini book trailers, highlight new books, or even those that haven’t been circulated as often. Teachers can use it to show the scientific process, math algorithms, and highlight vocabulary in all content areas. I like the fact that it's quick and to the point. Students can use it to create teasers to books they've read. I can see it a great resource for academic vocabulary because of the constant "looping." 

My students are working on their Science Fair projects this week. They enjoyed the Vine on the Scientific Method.

Screencasts

A screencast is a digital video recording that captures actions taking place on a computer screen accompanied with audio narration.  My first experience with screencasts was through my MLS courses. I can say they were very helpful in explaining what was required for our coursework. I was able to explore and create two screencasts using Screencast-o-matic and Jing. I tried Screenr, but the site said it was no longer available. Here are my findings for Jing and Screencast-O-Matic.


Jing


Creating a Jing account is free, but you do have to download it to your computer. I liked that it appears on your computer screen as a little "semi-sun" on the top center of your desktop that is readily available for immediate use. Upon opening the site, it offers a tutorial on ways to do different things like how to capture an image or video, how to share a screencast, and so many other individualized tutorials for selected topics. I liked that you are able to pause as you're recording, but I did not like that you are only given five minutes to record. Even though I was able to pause during the recording, I found myself running out of time. I had to do several takes, but I had fun in the process. In addition, I tried uploading the screencast using Google Chrome and Firefox, but I was having issues with Flash Player, and was only able to link it. 

The beginning of every year we have parents that have questions on how to go about the process of signing up and logging in. Here, parents can view their child's progress, attendance, and are able to receive notifications when grades fall below a certain range. I decided to I create a screencast to show parents how to request an account, and how to login after they've set up to the Parent Portal. I know when I've had parent conferences, I've shown parents how to do this, or our secretaries have scheduled appointments to assist them as well. This will be great to upload to the school's website so that parents can create their logins on their time.  

JING: Parent Portal Screencast

Screencast-o-matic

To sign up for Screencast-o-matic, all you have to do is use an email and create your password.  It was very easy to use, and also offers a quick demo tutorial that explains the process very clearly. Right above the tutorial, you have the "start recording" tab. After clicking on this, you are taken another tab that says "record screencast." Next, you are ready to size the screen the way you want it, and you're ready to start recording.  As a first time user, I had no problems creating my screencast. I really liked the fact that I had no time limit pressures. In addition, you can pause during your recording, just in case some of your content takes time to upload as some parts of mine did. Overall, it was easy as well.

For my second screencast, I decided to create one for my students on using Google Slides. They are already submitting assignments on Google Classroom via Google Docs, so this is the next assignment I'm going to have them do in the next couple of weeks using the novel we are reading. It was really easy to upload on my blog, and I just uploaded it on my Google Drive for my students. Can't wait to try it with them! Today, I met with the high school librarian I'm interning with, and I watched her do a staff development on various services offered through her library. After her session, I told her about Screencast-o-matic and offered to help make a few for her web page. She was really excited because she has never done one, and is eager to learn.

There is so much you can do with Screencasts, and both programs I explored had something great to offer. As a future librarian, I can definitely see myself using screencasts as a way to create trainings for students, staff, and the community as well. As far as which one I prefer, I'd have to go with Screencat -O-Matic because the recording time is not as limited, and the ease of uploading the screencast video was quick. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but after creating two of them I feel I can only get better as I create more.




Image retrieved from:
https://www.google.com/search?q=screencasts&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=971&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMI7uWWxOaEyQIVBhc-Ch32qgWS

Cartoons and Comic Strips

Growing up I loved to read the comics in the local newspaper. Today our students enjoy reading graphic novels in print as well as on their tablets.  In this age of technology, you can enrich their learning with cartoon and comics online created by them. Not good at drawing? Not a problem. Computers now make this job an easy task with the click of a button. I explored the following three cartoon and comic sites: Pixton, ToonDoo, and MakeBeliefsComix. Here is what I learned:

Pixton

Creating an account for Pixtoon was easy and free.  The first thing I did was create my character.  You have the option to save your character and name it. In addition, you can change body positions, add facial expressions, and re-size the them. You can even turn the head 360 degrees! I really had fun with this part, note the character at the end hitting her forehead. LOL!  After I created my characters and named them, I chose the background. There are a variety to choose from, as well as different props. Next, I added the conversation bubbles, easy as well. The scene I created was a true story about my nephew's conversation with my sister when he was around five or six. LOL, too cute. 

I think that Pixton is user friendly and has many options of which to choose from. I really enjoyed creating my characters and customizing them to my liking, and I feel that it is easy enough for students to use.  Saving the comic was very simple and it stays stored in your account. You can publish, share with friends, and e-mail it to yourself and friends, or share on social media. There are also many other options of which to choose from, but you have to have a paid account. Overall, I think this is a great site and can't wait to use it with students!

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ToonDoo

Creating an account is easy and free, unless you pay for the ToonDooSpaces. However, it took a long time to load, more than 40 minutes. After a while I changed browsers, but no luck so I gave up, and tried again the next evening. With a fresh frame of mind I updated my Adobe Flash player, and it uploaded to 99%, and then after about a minute it loaded. I clicked on the toolbar and these options appeared: ToonDo maker, Bookmaker, Tools, Compleetoons, Dooers, TraitR, DoodleR, and Shop. I clicked on the ToonDoo Maker and was given the option to choose my layout, and chose the two square layout. I mostly had to figure out how to create it, no mini tutorial offered. After I chose one of the characters, I dragged it to the square, and again it took longer than three minutes for them to upload to comic square. It was a little frustrating and I continued just playing with it until I figured it out. This site also offers a variety of backgrounds, (which didn't take long to upload) and props, I added a cake and party hat on my alien. Adding the conversation bubbles and expressive words were easy. This was a riddle one of my students shared with me the other day. I thought it was cute. 

This site took me way longer to upload the templates than the other two. Once I was done with my cartoon, I wanted to save it, but could not find the save button until I clicked on one of the above tabs (in the "start here" tab).  Although I was a bit frustrated with the "slowness" of the site, I really did like that it was colorful and  the features it offered such as: variety of backgrounds, characters, texts, shapes, props, and clip art, which would allow any user to create a variety of comics. I only used ToonDoo Maker, and still need to explore this site further before I say more. As far as ToonMaker, other than it taking time to upload images, I really did like the features I used. However, in my opinion it was not as user friendly as the other two comic sites I explored. I think students might have a harder time using it.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
Make Beliefs Comix


Signing up for Make Beliefs Comix is easy and no registration is required, since it does not store your comics, instead you print or e-mail it to yourself. This site provides a"how to" demo video that highlights the main steps to create your comic. On the home page below the comic strip, there are two buttons to enter the site, one in English and the other in Spanish.  It also states that you can type your comic in other languages such as: French, German, Portuguese, and Latin. Once I clicked on the "enter here" button it took me straight to the template. There are a variety of options to choose from for your character, backgrounds with detail or just plain colors, words, and other objects. The characters are mostly limited to black and white, and a few are in color, but did not have a wide variety. However, I liked the fact that you can choose from various actions, and have the option to flip the characters and re-size them. 

Although this site didn't offer too much variety, it was fairly easy to use. I feel that it is good for students to use since it requires no set up and is very basic. Our students have their own e-mail accounts and can easily send it to themselves. I also liked the fact that it offers valuable information such as lesson plans and tips for teachers, and parent links and tips. Overall this is a good site and user friendly. I feel kids would enjoy this one as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed creating comics in these three sites. I am already thinking of how to implement them into my lessons. My fifth graders read two class novels every semester, and they can extend on their reading by writing a different ending to the novel, or creating a summary of it.  In Social Studies we are covering the events leading up to the American Revolution. This would be a great way students can give an account of these main events.

As a future librarian, I can create comics to promote events happening in the library such as Literacy Night and Book Fairs to name a few. Which one would I choose for my students? I'd probably begin with Make Beliefs Comix and then show them how to use Pixtoon, which is the one I preferred for my students. However, since some kids are tech savvy, I'd want to expose them to ToonDoos as well. I think as with any new technology application, the more you use it, the better you get. That being said, it depends on the user and their preference. That's why I like to give my students choices, they're old enough (5th), but I can see where the lower grades would start at a more basic level.

Tellagami was very easy to use. I simply just downloaded the App on my iPhone, then followed their easy step by step instructions. After recording, I sent it to my e-mail, and also had the option to save on my phone. 

Online Book Communities

Do you absolutely love reading and want to share your joy? Online book communities are a great way to connect, review, select, get recommendations, track your reading habits, and manage books with other book lovers. Online book communities give readers the ability to create and customize lists to fit their needs. Here are five online book communities that I have reviewed, I have to say, I found several that I liked. Check out these online communities to see which one suits your needs best.




Goodreads has more than forty million members, and is the largest social network for readers. Not surprised, this is a free website for book lovers. Members can share books, track what they read, make lists of what they would like to read, plan to read, and recommend books. Others can comment on your posts or you can keep the profile private. You can also rate books, provide reviews, join a discussion group, start a book club, and even share your own writing.

You can register with your e-mail, or Google, Twitter, or Facebook accounts. To add new books, click on "create a shelf" tab on left and name your shelf. Next, use the search function and type in book title, then click the green “Want to Read” button, here you have the option to rate the book as well. After, adding books to my shelf, I browsed through the site's features. The top tabs include: "friends," where you can add via Facebook, G-mail, Twitter, "recommendations," you can rate 20 and get recommendations, and the "explore" tab, which over a vast amount of other links such as giveaways, popular, choice awards, e-books, genres, a "fun" link that includes quizzes and quotes, and a community link. I must say I spent a lot of time on this tab!

Although it was not difficult to create a shelf and add books, I found that some of the other online book communities were easier to navigate through. This one took me a little longer to figure out. I really liked the extra links I mentioned above, and the neatness of the shelf.

Works Cited

Chandler, O. (2015). About Goodreads [Webpage]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/about/us

LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for book lovers. It helps you create a catalog of books you own, books you've read, or would like to read. Your books are organized into collections, and have the option to add them manually through search, or import them from other services. It allows users to search, sort, tag, and use the Library of Congress and Dewey systems to organize collections. LibraryThing searches the Library of Congress, Amazon sites, and more than 690 world libraries. You can access your catalog from anywhere, even from your mobile phone. 

You can classify your collection by creating a wish list, books read, and currently reading.
LibraryThing connects people based on books they share, and recommends books to you.

Signing up is free up to adding the first 200 books, and all you need is your email, it's that easy. After I entered the site, adding books was easy. Just click on the "add books to your library," and type in the title of the book. Each entry has as a work page.  In this page you can edit facts about the book, and switch book covers.  In addition, each book also has a link to customize your list, whether it's on your "wish list," "to be read," and "currently reading," to name a few. You can also connect with the author and find out some information about him/her, such as events. Other features on the side tab include links to: "reviews," "communities," "lists," and "helpers."

I found this site very user friendly and easy to navigate through. Adding books to shelf and customizing was quick and simple.  I liked this one, but the only setback I saw was the price. To upgrade, it would cost you from $10- $25, after adding 200 books.

Works Cited

About LibraryThing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.librarything.com/about

Shelfari introduces readers to a global community of book lovers and encourages them to share their literary preferences with peers, friends, and others around the world. It is owned by Amazon, and is a place for authors, aspiring authors, publishers, and readers. Shelfari has  various features to help groups connect with each other in a fun and engaging way.

Some of it's features include: building virtual bookshelves to express your likes to friends and to the world, discover books that are popular within your circles of friends, rate and discuss books online, find people with similar reading tastes, online book groups to further explore literature, share ideas, and  interact with, and learn from authors.  

I did have an amazon account already, so signing in to Shelfari was quick.  It is very user friendly, and I created my profile and began adding titles to it, the process was effortless. It is simple, just type in the title of the book in the search box on top, and a list appears. Click the "add" button, then it asks if you read it, then if you "own it, or it's on your "wish list." It proceeds to let you add "character description," add "tags," and you're done! Even though users create only one shelf, I still liked the clean and "uncluttered" look of the page. Users can scroll left and right to view their shelf, and books are categorized by: "plan to read," "reading now," and "I've read" tabs. You also have the option of "editing" and can rate and add comments. I really liked this one as well.

Works Cited

About Shelfari. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.shelfari.com/Shelfari/AboutUs.aspx

Booklikes is a free reader's blog platform that is aimed at writers and book bloggers. You can create new shelves, make custom reading statuses, and import books from Goodreads. 

Your profile offers a stylish and your shelf displays in several rows, and adds a next page if need be. 

BookLikes states that users can discover great books by exploring book blogs and book reviews. Users have the ability to write reviews, recommend and suggest great reads by “liking” and “reblogging” favorite book reviews, collect books and personalize bookshelves with a design and book sources, add as many shelves and books as you wish , meet the book lovers, writers, reviewers, bloggers and explore their reading world, follow those with a similar reading taste, inspire others with quotes or post photos of authors you love, get engaged in book discussions, and share your reading life.

The initial set up for BookLikes, was quite easy as well.  To add books, just type in the title at the top right corner of page. A list of books appear, then just click on the book you want to add and a summary of the book appears, and right below it, a "+ shelf" tab appears, and you click on that.  Then you have the option to add to your personalized shelf, and choosing "read," "planning to read," or "currently reading."  You can also click on "post" to add text, quote, a video, or links. An advantage that I found to BookLikes is the fact that it has a little icon that is simply just the letter " i" in a circle.  If you drag that button to your bookmark toolbar, it will allow you to add books directly from a website to your BookLikes blog. I like that the shelf looks neatly organized. In addition, the site includes links to: book clubs, discussions, events, giveaways, goodies, daily deals to name a few. I spent quite a bit of time exploring the great daily deals, which link directly to Amazon. It could be dangerous! Lol. At least for me it was.


Works Cited

About booklikes. (2015). Retrieved from http://booklikes.com/about

BiblioNasium blends technology with personal connection to create a supportive, engaging space for reading success.  It is for kids and serves as a guide for parents. BiblioNasium's mission is to instill good reading habits at a young age; to promote reading as a social activity, and to connect kids, parents and teachers to create a virtual “reading village.”

Biblionasium offers things that the others do not, such as online reading logs, where children can track their reading, including the date, level, number of pages and length of session.  The online reading logs provide teachers and parents with a paperless tool to monitor and assess progress. There was also a class set up feature for teachers that the other options did not offer.

I feel Biblionasium is great for schools because it's age appropriate and safe for students, since the social media part is teacher controlled. In addition, online reading logs can be accessed by the teacher, student and parent. The students can also find books on their guided reading level, and teachers can track what students are reading. One benefit of this site for educators is that you can create reading challenges for your students, either as a whole group or just a set number of students.  I feel this is invaluable as this provides differentiated instruction for all users. I can see the value that this site has for educators, reading specialists, students, parents, and librarians, as well  as a site that students would enjoy better than the other sites mentioned above.

Works Cited

About biblionasium. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.biblionasium.com/about_us

In conclusion, after analyzing each option, I considered the ages of students, which social media site is appropriate for their individual and class needs, as well as privacy and safety factors. For educators, Biblionasium would be the best choice for an elementary school setting. Some of the other sites like Booklikes and Shelfari would be great for middle and high school students. Although all sites are great, it depends what the user prefers. I had a hard time deciding which one was best for me personally, since I had not explored these sites in depth until this assignment. In my opinion, I feel that as I continue to navigate through each site a little more, I will be able decide which suits my personal needs best. For now, I will continue to have fun exploring each one.

That being said, which one do you prefer?

Podcasts

“Podcasting” comes from combining the words “broadcasting” and “iPod. You have the ability to listen to a podcast like a radio, but it differs because you can subscribe to the podcast just like a blog. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is the distribution method for podcasts, and can be transferred to any portable player to listen to at your convenience. Some of the podcasting platforms I explored through were:  Soundcloud, Audioboo, Podomatic, and Audacity. Although, I navigated through the other platforms, I was most familiar with Soundcloud because I had used it for one of my MLS courses. 

Our district currently uses podcast to broadcast board meeting minutes on their webpage, and at the campus level, it is used to relay messages to parents and teachers about upcoming events. I had not considered the possibility of using podcast in the classroom, but after reading and viewing many examples I see what a useful tool it can be. 

These are some of the ways podcasting can be incorporated in a classroom: event reminders for parents, school assignments, newsletters, to record student projects, reports, reading summaries, and math strategies. In addition, the library can use it to promote upcoming events, newsletters, book talks and reviews, storytelling, research, interviews, highlighting students work, and informational seminars.

I can see the many ways I can implement this in my class and in the future with my library. I love highlighting and showing off student work. For my podcast, I decided to have my students share a few "Thank You" poems they wrote to honor and thank our Veterans. They will be reading these at our upcoming Veteran's Day assembly. They did an excellent job and were very excited to share! 

Due to limited internet connection at my campus, I could not open my Soundcloud account from my laptop, and therefore I had to record my students on my sound recorder first. Then, at home I let the recording play so that Souncloud could pick up the recording. I also viewed a tutorial on how to embed the Soundcloud to my blog.

Sit back and enjoy!

Works Cited:

http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/230/what-is-podcast/
http://podcasting-in-education.wikispaces.com/#x-Finding%20Podcasts

Image retrieved from:
https://www.google.com/search?q=veterans+day+2015