Videos and QR Codes in the Library

These are the most helpful videos for students:

These are the videos that students would like the best:

How to use videos to promote the library?

One of the best ways to reach to the community is by using videos. A benefit from using videos is that every student that has access to the internet will be able to learn what the library has to offer. Librarians can use videos to train people on different things. Also to teach students about different things like how to research, how to manage certain websites. Etc. 

I would like to share a book trailer of the following book:

Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn't know coffee beans about love and marriage. That's where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her something really useful: un consejo increíble, some shocking advice. "You want me to do what?" Martina gasps. At first, Martina is skeptical of her Abuela's unorthodox suggestion, but when suitor after suitor fails the Coffee Test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can ever find true love. Soon, only the gardener Pérez, a tiny brown mouse, is left. But what will happen when Martina offers him café cubano?
After reading this sweet and witty retelling of the Cuban folktale, you'll never look at a cockroach the same way again.

Scan the QR code to view the trailer:

How would I like to start using QR codes in my library? 

When I started researching for how to use QR codes in the library; I discovered that there are many ways to use them. An example I can think of is to create book trailers, another one could be to put a QR code next to the research designated area in the library, and there students can find QR codes that will contain information about plagiarism, how to find information on databases and how to research correctly. I plan to have a comic section in my library; there I can have QR codes that will take the students directly to fun and appropriate jokes online. Nowadays technology is so advanced and believe it or not we have students that have the latest technology available. 

Blogs & Blog Readers

The blog reader that I decided to use is Bloglovin’. I like Bloglovin’ because it keeps you updated on all the information the blogs you are following are posting.  You can get the app on your phone. I checked the other ones on the list (Feedly, Bloglines, Newsblur, DiggReader, and Newsvibe, and I felt more comfortable with Bloglovin’ because it is easy to use.

These are the blogs that I am currently following:

A Leisure Moment is a blog written by Deitre Helvy. I decided to follow this blog because this blog presents meaningful reviews as well as reflections about literature to the readers. It contains reviews about children books, middle level and young adult fiction. You can find the following blog at: http://www.aleisuremoment.com

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer is a blog written by Kathy Condie Habel. As the title states Kathy loves to read, but not to write. What I like about this blog is that the reviews are simple and straightforward. On the reviews you will find her opinions about the book. This blog has recommendations on what to read, book blast and book tours. You can find the following blog at: http://www.iamareader.com

Library Educated is a blog where you can find book reviews, silly lists, author highlights, themed books lists, genre highlights and posts about the creator of the blog. Since I am a Science teacher I am curious about science things all the time. I like that under themed posts she has a section called space week; there she provides information about interesting things about the space. You can find the following blog at: http://www.libraryeducated.blogspot.com

Primary School Library Diva is a blog written by Tula Shamhart. Something interesting I found about this blog is that it has a section called book challenge. Here the students can pick a reading challenge and start reading the books on the list provided. This is something that I will consider to add to my blog whenever I become a librarian. You can find the following blog at: http://www.primarylibrarydiva.blogspot.com

Last but not least is Library Patch. This blog in my opinion is unique it has so much information that a teacher and a librarian can use. This blog is written by Sonya Dykeman. This blog contains lesson plans, research, teacher resources, virtual bibliographies and so much more. It also contains a section for freebies you can find online. You can find the following blog at: http://www.librarypatch.com

Tumblr is a platform where everyone that creates an account can post text, links, quotes, audio clips, videos and images. Similar to Twitter, posts made by people you are following will show on the dashboard. I created an account on Tumblr.  I plan to post things about science since I am a Science teacher; I think this will be a great place where students can find information about Science. Later on when I become a librarian I will create an account for my library. You can find my blog on: http://nancy031681.tumblr.com

Infographics "Teens, Social Media & Privacy"

Teens, Social Media, and Privacy. (2013, May 21). Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project RSS. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-Social-Media-And-Privacy.aspx

Do you think it’s important to know how teens are using the social websites, and how they feel about their privacy on such websites? The article Teens, Social Media and Privacy has the answer to these questions. This article talks about a survey of 802 teens that examines teens’ privacy management on social media websites. 

The main social media websites discussed on this article are:

It is very easy to understand that social media is consuming our teens’ time. It is imperative to understand and explain to our teens; what they might encounter using social media websites. Social networking has increased in recent years. It is very common to see teenagers using their electronic devices to connect to social websites.

I created the following Infographic using easelly, here I can create and share visual ideas.

Click on the image to download

107 pages read

Favorite Tweets

I have never used twitter, but it is amazing to learn new things every day. So I decided to give it a try. I just learned that here I can connect with friends, important and famous people. I can watch events unfold, in real time, from every angle. I really like Twitter. The following tweets are from knowledgeable people in technology & education.

Linda W. Braun @lbraun2000

According to Fast Company (2014) “Barbie has held many positions long before real-life women did. She was an astronaut in the 1960s, a CEO in the 1980s, and a presidential candidate in the 1990s.”

Tony Vincent @tonyvincent

An iPad can be the teacher’s pet.

Buffy Hamilton @ buffyjhamilton

Trust, privacy and safety are critical to learning in an open online world. Connected Learning (2014).

The Daring Librarian @GwynethJones

According to Sheninger (2014) "In the world of education, technology often becomes a “solution looking for a problem.” Since most technology is not initially designed with education in mind, it has to be “fit” into the world of education." 

Jim Lerman @jimlerman

“A blended learning environment means you’re mixing technology with standard teaching practices in order to enhance education.” From www.edudemic.com

Kathy Schrock @kathyschrock

Online tools and web 2.0 applications

School Library Facebook Pages

Today I went to Facebook and searched for different Facebook pages about school libraries. I decided to pick three. It is important to advertise your school library through the things that people are on nowadays. Like it or not Facebook is part of our generation and if we use it in a positive way, we can impact lives.

The first page that I went to was the Whitman Middle School Library, located on 9201 15^th Ave NW Seattle, Washington. The Whitman Middle School Library Facebook page is a place for community members to read book reviews, watch book trailers, and learn about what’s new at the library. This page has 119 likes. Here they post information about the library as well as information regarding to the school. They also give thanks to all the people that voted for different funds, and they share links to cool stuff, like the download of free books during summer. Something that I do not like about this page is that they disconnect completely from Facebook during summer. They have a post that says that they will not start posting until September, this could turn people down and lose interest on this Facebook page. This page does not have any reviews. URL for this page: https://www.facebook.com/wildcatreaders

The second page that I went to was Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School Library, located on 1020 Marlbrook Dr Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This page has 130 likes and something that caught my eye right away was a picture that they have under photos. This picture is to encourage students to study and to wish all students good luck on the EOC exam. This page contains information about the library and also about different events going on at school; as well as recognizing different teachers and advertising the book fairs. This page has 8 reviews all of them show 5 stars. URL for this page: https://www.facebook.com/smamslibrary

This is the picture that caught my eye:

Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School Library (2014). [Photograph]. Retrieved from

        https://www.facebook.com/smamslibrary/photos_stream

The third page that I went to was Dartmouth Middle School Library, located on 366 Slocum Rd North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. This page has 113 likes. This page is designated to help students find a great book to read or conduct ethical research. On this page we can find digital resources, new book releases, currents research projects and upcoming events. This page has a 5.0 rating. Here students are also welcome to share what they think about the books they read. It has a post that shares the library annual report. URL for this page: https://www.facebook.com/DartmouthMiddleSchoolLibrary

Overall I think that sharing the information from your library via Facebook is a way to show that we can use technology in a positive way. If children are using the internet in a positive way; parents don’t have to be concerned, because they know that it is for academic growth. Like I said at the beginning social networks are part of our culture. We must adhere to what the students are experts on. It is more likely that the students will see the information if we post it on Facebook than if we put it on the newspaper. Of course we have to also put it on different sources because there are people that are not computer literate. We must be advertising the library through all the sources so we can promote more reading not only to children but also to adults.