Cartoons and Comics

This week we are looking at Comics and Cartoons and how we can incorporate them in our schools. I was able to check out three websites: ToonDoo, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix.

ToonDoo: I have created a ToonDoo before, and since then I feel that it has expanded on adding more selections to use. I think the kids will enjoy choosing what to incorporate in each panel. I was able to show some vocabulary words on The Giver since this is what we are reading in my classroom. I feel that it was fairly easy to use, I just had to get reacquainted with the icons, but I feel this was one of the best to use. Here is the example:

MakeBeliefsComix: This was my first time using this website. I felt that out of the three this was the easiest to use. It was very simple and to the point, all it took was a drag and drop. There were also different options to use, and I know the kids do enjoy having choice in the mix. Here is my example:

Finally we have a Pixton: I felt this one was the most difficult for me because I didn't find it to be very Mac-Friendly. As I was editing I wasn't able to scroll down easily, so you will see the mistakes I made. I think the kids would like building from a template and seeing all the examples that are there, but I felt it was better used as a launching point while the other two are good for creating from the bare-bones. Here is my example:

I think adding Comics and Cartoons in the classroom is very helpful, especially to pair with novels. I feel that students would be able to add more to their work than I did, especially because they like to customize things, so it would be worth giving a try!

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

Both YouTube and QR Codes can be helpful in a school library. The following are some examples of how YouTube can be successfully used in a school library, and through these four schools we can take a few ideas away with us:

YouTube:

Norman High Library
1) Most helpful for students: How to Use EBSCOHost
2) Students would like best: Norman Public Schools Celebrate Your Freedom to Read

The Unquiet Library
1) Most helpful for students: Tutorial Video: PowerPoint "How To" Basics
2) Students would like best: Learn About the Author's Den Creative Writing @ The Unquiet Library

Pikesville HS Library
1) Most helpful for students: The Birthday Party Paperslide
2) Students would like best: AVID Pimp My Binder 2012

BBMS Media
1) Most helpful for students: MLA Citation Review
2) Students would like best: Caroline Director's Video 1/20/17

What I took away from these examples is that I would like to add what activities students are doing in the library (events, games, meetings). Also, I find that adding "How-to's" for things the students would need would be one of the best things to add. This way they can do the activity at their own pace while also getting the necessary help.

Animoto Video/ QR Code

Animate Video is a program that lets you create book trailers of your favorite books, as well as other things, to help promote your library. I have done a practice video that you can see if you scan the QR Code below, and it is of the book "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman. We read this book during one of my class periods, and the kids enjoyed it a lot.

Book Synopsis by Goodreads 

Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

Gaiman has delivered a wonderfully chilling novel, subtle yet intense on many levels. The line between pleasant and horrible is often blurred until what's what becomes suddenly clear, and like Coraline, we resist leaving this strange world until we're hooked. Unnerving drawings also cast a dark shadow over the book's eerie atmosphere, which is only heightened by simple, hair-raising text. Coraline is otherworldly storytelling at its best.

Animato Book Trailer:

I have use Animoto for book trailers that my students did for our Annual Literacy Fair. They enjoy being able to customize their video, and they do feel pride when they are showing their video to their families. Here are a few examples they have done: 

Padlet Period 1
Paddle Period 3
Paddle Period 7 

Screencasts, Instagrams, and Flipagrams

In doing this project, I was little nervous when it came to trying new things (Flipagrams and Screencasts). Since I have an Instagram, it wasn't so scary, but I felt that I was a little overwhelmed in trying something different. Because of this, I decided to start with Instagram:

Instagram:

I do like Instagram, and to be honest before this I didn't really think about using it in the classroom, but I did find that it is a great way to showcase student work. That's what I decided to do with it this time around. My kids made QR Code Bookmarks that revolved around a self-selected book they read, and many did a great job, so I wanted a way to showcase their work and Instagram did it for me!


Book Suggestions Instagram

Flipagram:

I really enjoyed reading the blog by Mr. Parkinsonict  when he suggested using Flipagram to showcase what students were reading. I decided to try it with a few projects my students did instead, but I feel that this is something I want to continue to not only see what popular books are being read, but to also making sure our students are following our classroom procedures in having a book with them to reading during our silent sustained reading time.

Reading Projects 2015

Screencast-o-matic:

The first time I ever came across a screencast was during my time as an SHSU student. One of my professors used it to show us how to create a MARC record, and I must say that it was very helpful for me. I feel that this would be great to incorporate in the classroom in order to show students how to create using certain websites or apps. Personally, I have had to sit down with each class to show them how to create their Edublogs, Animoto, and Padlet accounts, and doing multiple times a day can get redundant, so I feel that by creating a screencast-o-matic the students and I will be able to work better. I feel that while this is playing I can help students problem-solve should they need me rather than just being up by the projector explaining it and having to trouble-shoot at the same time. I decided to show how to create a QR code since we did do this as one of our class projects.

How to Make a QR Code Video

Introduction to Me Reading Video

How to Create a QR Code Video 

Last Thoughts:

I enjoyed each of these apps, but I feel that my favorite was the Flipagram because I feel this is the one that I would use the most in class. I feel that my students would feel most comfortable using this as well, and although I did find that the screencast-o-matic is useful, I feel that this is something that I would be using less often than the Flipagram. One thing is sure though, I did feel proud to have tried new things, and see that I am able to take away from the experience to share with my kids!

Inforgraphics

In creating my first infographic I tried the following three sites: Easel.ly, Piktochart, and Infogr.am.

Piktochart:

I had continual trouble logging-in to Piktochart, and once I was there I saw that in order to get more templates I needed to upgrade my account ($39.99 per year). I felt that Piktochart would be a good tool for companies who do multiple presentations, but I felt that students wouldn't be able to get the most out of this tool.

Infogr.am:

Like Piktochart, I felt that Infogr.am would be better suited for formal presentations rather than for classroom use. It deals more with showing graphs and data, and it does have limited templates. Upgrading your account would cost about $19 a month! I feel that it would not get the kids excited to use this tool often.

Easel.ly:

Out of the three I decided to use Easel.ly instead of the other two sites. I found the Easel.ly was more user-friendly for me. They have MANY templates to choose from, and I feel that the students would be comfortable using it since it has a lot more tool buttons to help us out. Best of all, upgrading your account would just cost about $3 a month! I had a lot of fun creating my infographic on modes of reading, and I am already thinking of how to incorporate it in my classroom. Here is my infographic:

(You can also find it on: https://www.easel.ly/viewEasel/5138455 )

Feed Readers and Blogs

This was my first time ever hearing about a feed reader, and I am happy to say that I enjoyed it immensely! A feed reader, for those like me who had no clue they existed, is an app that can be used to help you stay up to date with all the blogs you follow; it holds all of them in one place so that you can easily browse through them without having to open and close different browsers. The feed reader I chose was NewsBlur because of how it allows you to create folders for your different blogs.

Pros:

• Has folders that you can customize for your needs
• Allows you to add blogs easily through their URL
• User friendly
• Easy to delete blogs added to wrong folders

Cons:

• I had trouble maneuvering while using my mac when it came to creating an account and choosing blogs that are preselected by NewsBlur, so this was a con for me, but for others it might not even be an issue. 

In the end, I chose NewsBlur because I felt that it was very simple to use, and it saved me time when it came to adding sites and viewing my saved blogs. There are other feed readers, but not all are free, most are not costly, so I am sure you will find one that fits your needs. 

Here are a few blogs I chose to follow:

1. Tays Junior High Library Blog: https://k0401955.edublogs.org  The reason I chose to follow them is because I am a middle school teacher, so I feel that a lot of the content they add is helpful to me and my students. They also share great ideas that can be implemented into the library.   

    2.  Tompkins High School Library Blog: https://tompkinslibrary.edublogs.org. Tompkins High School Library is another great resource to follow if you are looking for ideas to try out in your library. It shows activities such as Blind Date with a Book, ebook reading contests, and bracket contests that can be used in other libraries as well. 

3. The Library Thing Blog: http://blog.librarything.com/main. The reason I chose to follow The Library Thing's blog is because it shares great book reviews and who doesn't love hearing about new books?? :)

4. Literacy Station Inspiration: http://www.literacystationinspiration.com/. This blog is a great teaching resource because it shares both lessons and handouts that can be used when planning as well as shares websites that can be used when you are looking for new curriculum or technology for your classroom. 

5. School Library Displays Blog: http://schoollibrarydisplays.blogspot.com/. This is a fun blog to follow because it gives you great ideas for book displays. I always love seeing how to incorporate new displays in the library, so this is a great resource to add if you like the same thing!

One more thing, follow me on Tumblr! 

https://kra024.tumblr.com