Wikipedia defines a Podcast as "an episode series of digital audio or video files which a user can download and listen to. It is often available for subscription, so that new episodes are automatically downloaded via web syndication to the user's own local computer, mobile application, or portable media player." Podcasts have become very popular with librarians, teachers, administrators, and parents. It is a great tool to use at school which will allow administrators, teachers and librarians to promote their school, classroom or library. Parents and students can tune in at their convenience to listen to what is happening in the classroom, in the library, or at school in general.
I found a great article that talks about the best education podcasts of 2017, https://www.edutopia.org/article/best-education-podcasts-2017 it contains great podcasts that we can listen to as educators.
Since I needed to create a podcast I explored several different options available to create my own podcast. The three podcast that I explored were Podbean, SoundCloud, and Pod-O-matic.
I found PodBean the easiest to use, I have used it before and just logged in to my account and created my podcast. First time users will find it very user-friendly, they can sign up easily with Facebook, Twitter, and a Google account. Once they create their account and sign in it is very easy to create a podcast. I created my podcast from my iPhone and was able to publish it from my phone as well. I created an example of how teachers can use Podcasts to communicate with parents. Teachers can have students talk about what they are learning in the classroom, students can explain themselves to their parents what they will be learning each week. In the podcast I created my son is speaking about what he was actually learning in his classroom last week and he also spoke about special events that were happening at school. Parents can log in at their convenience to listen to the podcast and be informed about what is happening in their child's classroom.
This is a picture of my 5 year old son who spoke in the podcast. He absolutely loved helping me, he enjoyed speaking about what he was learning in class.
The following is my podcast: https://mariagedinburg71.podbean.com/e/podcast-5391/
SoundCloud allows users to create a free account, it is very easy to create an account using an email. It allows users to 180 minutes for free and if more time is needed the user can upgrade their account for a small fee. When I logged in I found it pleasing to look, easy to navigate, and easy to create a podcast. I did create a podcast on SoundCloud, but definitely prefer Podbean. I think I prefer Podbean because I was able to create and publish the podcast a lot faster.
Pod-O-Matic allows users to sign up using their email or Facebook account. Once there account is created it offers users the option of using the free account or upgrading to the Pro account for a monthly fee of $8.32. This monthly fee will allow users to use 2GB of storage which I feel this is more for serious podcast users. Pod-O-Matic was easy to navigate, but in my opinion it was not as easy as Soundcloud and Podbean. One feature that I did find great was when students create their own podcast it shows the five steps the user will take to get the podcast published
Overall all three of these podcast websites are great, but my absolute favorite was Podbean. It was so easy to create my podcast with my son and publish it quickly. Even though Podbean was my favorite any of these websites will allow teachers and librarians to create a podcast with students and use them in different ways.
Cartoons and comics are becoming more and more popular with students. There was a time when comics were banned because they were viewed as dangerous, today comics are enjoyed by students everywhere. There are many different websites we can go to create our own comics and use them in libraries and in the classrooms.
ToonDoo is a free website that allows you to create your own comics, all you have to do to use this website is sign up. When I first tried to use ToonDoo I had a very difficult time with the website. The page would not load, a message would come up saying not available could not load. I spent 10-15 minutes going to this website and no luck. I decided to try the other websites, the next day I tried again and I was successful, the page finally loaded. Once the page was loaded it took me a long time to create a login. Once I was finally able to use ToonDoo I was a little frustrated with the amount of time it took me to create a login and actually log in. . It was a little difficult to figure out at first, but once I knew how to begin making my own cartoon it was easier. It has many different clip arts available to use, the search option is great. Once you're able to actually get the page to load and log in the website to create a comic is user-friendly with lots of clip art options. I recommend this to be used by middle school and high school students. This is my ToonDoo comic:
Pixton was a little more difficult to use, I had a difficult time finding the clip art that I wanted to use. It is not easy to navigate, I spent quite a bit of time finding and placing the clip art that I was going to use in my comic. This website is also free and has many templates available to use depending on the subject. It allows you to search by subject for the template you want to use or the comic you want to create and it does allow you to publish and save. Recommended for high school students. Below is my Pixton comic:
Make Believe Comix does not require a login, all you do is go to the website and begin creating your comic. I did not find a way to save and return later to finish it, I had to create the comic and paste it into my blog all at once. It is quick and easy since there is no login required, but there are not many options of pictures to use in your comics. This website might be easier for elementary students as a quick assignment. This is my Make Believe Comix:
*Has anyone seen my science experiment? *POOF *There it is!
I created comics using ToonDoo, Pixton, and Make Beliefs Comix. I found I liked ToonDoo the best, I did have a very difficult time logging in, but once I logged in I found it gives more options in clip art to create your own comic. The other two website I found to be very basic and not very appealing to use. If you want to create comics with your students or for your students these websites are great, it is just a matter of finding the one that you enjoy using the best. All three allow you to create comics and use them for many different things, you can create comics to engage your students in lessons, use as group assignments so students can collaborate, use them with LEP students to learn vocabulary, or simply use it as a fun activity.
The internet has become a huge part of everyone's life, Americans spend almost ten hours a day engaging in gadgets. As educators we need to be using technology to get students engaged and involved, most students and teachers today are searching YouTube for videos, music, information, and so much more. When we allow students to use their own technology devices or the school's devices we are meeting the learners' needs and getting them involved and engaged. I have experienced students' reactions when using technology, they absolutely love it! I teach first grade students and they make connections to lessons they are learning with videos they have watched on their parent's phones or on their own . If they create their own videos or if we, as educators, create videos and share them with our students they would definitely be interested and involved in their own education.
Swish Swish by Katy Perry Overdue Library Book Parody
This cute video encourages students to make sure to return their books to the library. Remember once your done with your book return it, this is the message the librarian at this school want all students to remember.
Pikesville High School
This video was created to encourage students to sign up for FAFSA. Signing up for FAFSA is an important part of any college students and this video helps students remember that they need to sign up. Students in this video did a great job creating it!
Tiger Visits The Norman High Library
This was my favorite video, it is an entertaining way to show students everything availiable to them in the library and everything they can do when they are at the library. This video will definitely grab students' attention and the library from this high school has gotten her point across.
The Panthers Library in Action-Fall 2013
This video gives us a look inside the Panther Library at Pikersville High School.
Ways to use videos to promote the library:
-Introduce the librarian
-Give a tour of the library
-Promote new books in the library
-Return overdue books
-Create book trailers to promote books
-Promote events happening in the library
Book Trailer:
I created a book trailer on the website Animoto. Animoto was something I had heard about on my campus, but never used it. I absolutely loved it, it is very easy to use and has many templates to choose from to make our video look great. It also allows you to add pictures, text and music to the video to make it more engaging. The book I created the book trailer on was The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly B. Bradley. Once I completed the video I uploaded it to my YouTube and created a QR code to allow students to watch it on their devices.
Synopsis: "Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?"
QR Code to my book trailer:
QR Codes:
I have used QR codes as a teacher, I use them in centers and my students absolutely love them. I have used them, but never created a QR code, I was pleasantly surprised to know it is very easy to create one. Knowing how easy it is to create QR codes makes me very excited to begin to create them to use in my class and when I become a librarian. As a librarian we can use them in many different ways, they allow quick and easy access to links in the library. Students can access book trailers, YouTube videos, and so much more.
