Podcasts

Podcasts are like personalized radio stations for today's generation. The fact that podcasts can offer an array of information or just be used as a platform for those who want to voice their opinions, ideas, or for librarians to promote literacy is amazing! Podcasts rely on the listeners' imaginations as they have no screens for visuals like a television show does!

Librarians can use podcasts to promote books, perhaps even do a weekly or monthly book review or even create an online book club and have podcasts on the selected book; that would be a great way for teacher-librarians to use podcasts as an educational tool. Moreover, a librarian can create podcasts promoting the library, informational podcasts, how to search the library catalog for a book, to promote Reading Events, or even teach students how to create one for their classes! 

When creating podcasts as a librarian, always make sure to follow your school district's school policy and be in accordance with the American Library Association regulations.

There are so many features that I like about podcasts, the fact that they can be used for educational purposes is by far the best. Also, the personalized touch of content is great, as you can create the content exclusively for your purpose, lessons, review, topic or opinion. 

In addition, podcasts are growing in popularity, and new teacher-librarians can easily create them, as many are free and easy to download or subscribe too. Soundcloud, Audioboo, and Podomatic were all fairly easy to sign up for, I just created a user profile and provided my email address.

Some challenges that can occur with podcasts are that you need to set up a routine for your listeners, versus having it a sporadic times. It is important to set a timeline, will you be creating podcasts daily, weekly, bimonthly or monthly? The length of your podcasts also has to be set in accordance with your target audience and demographics. Being an effective pod-caster takes some work, so be ready to work hard to establish an effective routine based on your goals and objectives. 





This program was very easy to set up, I created a basic account and was able to publish my podcast with ease. There are five simple steps to follow when creating your podcast using Podomatic:
1. Select the media for your episode (then proceed to upload your file, the length of your file will determine the waiting period).
2. Enter a title and description (make sure to have a good title that will attract your targeted audience)
3. Add an image (this is optional, but you can upload a picture that is related to your podcast)
4. Choose a quality level (there are three quality levels to choose from, so it is up to you)
5. Publish! You can choose to make it private or public.
All in all, I would rate it at a beginner level in user-friendly usability, this program was fairly easy to use.

Below is the link to my podcast using Podomatic:
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/cmontes/episodes/2018-11-17T19_44_22-08_00

To subscribe to this program was easy, I just signed up for it, and created a user profile. There are three different options for those seeking to create a podcast, two of them have a fee. Also, I found it easier to use on my Iphone versus my laptop, since the features and layout is much more user-friendly on the phone. AudioBoom has a sidebar from which you can go to your home screen, your radio, downloads, follows, playlist, and settings. To create a post you go through your profile and then do your recording and then upload to publish your podcast. This program took fairly long it took about 5 minutes to completely upload my file versus Podomatic which did it like in 10 seconds and Soundcloud took like 3 seconds to upload the audio. You also have the option to share your podcast, copy the link or URL address as well. Overall, I would rate it at am intermediate level in user-friendly usability. 

Below is the link to my podcast using AudioBoo:
https://audioboom.com/boos/7090522

The layout of the website for Soundcloud makes it easy for the user to access its features with ease. On the top information bar it has its options: Home, Collection, Try Pro, or upload your file. Once you click on upload it gives you the option to upload your file, you then name and describe your podcast, upload and then simply publish-you can choose to make it public if you want. For the most part, Soundcloud is easy to navigate, I think it is geared to intermediate level users, podomatic was the most easiest to navigate.

Below is the link to my podcast using Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cristal-montes-577943825/podcast-lesson-on-the-elements-of-fiction-by-cristal-montes


I used all three programs and uploaded my podcasts to all three, so that I could effectively evaluate which of the three would be the easiest to navigate. I chose Soundcloud as the best option for my podcast, it is the most well known programs out there; students are more likely to already be familiar with it so it will be easier to capture their interest. I have used Soundcloud before, so I was able to use it with great ease and publish my podcast within seconds!

Finding educational podcasts is very easy to do, you can search with in Soundcloud, Podomatic, and AudioBoo or simply do an internet search and you will find an array of educational podcasts that you can subscribe to and listen to them!

Ted Talks Daily podcasts brings you the latest information, it is accessible through Apple podcasts, Google play and RadioPublic. 
https://www.ted.com/read/ted-podcasts

A great podcast is Hardcore History: each episode is done by Dan Carlin and provides information and quality research. You can find this podcast in https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast By Jennifer Gonzalez

This is a great podcast in which educators, administrators, students and the community can discuss and learn. You can find this podcast in https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cult-of-pedagogy-podcast/id900015782?mt=2

Cartoons and Comics

Graphic novels play an important role in the literary world! Without comic books, some readers would not be able to enjoy all the wonders that reading has to offer! It is important to always have books that all of your patrons will enjoy. 

ToonDoo

http://www.toondoo.com/Home.toon

To access ToonDoo you need to create a free account. This site is very colorful and very visually appealing, especially for the young user. The drop-down menu for each category makes it user-friendly. To create a comic, you first select a layout based on how many panels you want to have. All of the accessibility features, characters, backgrounds, props, Text bubbles, and special features are easy to access, simply by clicking the desired image. It is very easy to save your comic strip, you simply title it and then publish it, you can choose to make it public, keep it private or share with friends. There are limited backgrounds, but that's where customization comes in place and you have the option of uploading your own personal images. Students as young as 3rd grade through high school will be able to use it fairly easily. 

Pixton

https://www.pixton.com/

To access Pixton you need to create an account. This site is designed in a clean-cut style, it is aesthetically pleasing, and would appeal to older students, grades 7-12th graders. To create a comic strip you have to customize each panel, this site does have limited features, and not a lot of variety in characters, themes, or backgrounds. The comic strip was moderately difficult to create, younger students might find this a bit challenging to do. To save it you would have to upgrade your subscription. Overall, this site would be most beneficial to middle school to secondary students. 

MakeBeliefComic

https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

It is very easy to access MakeBeliefComic, all you do is type up the website and start creating your comic strip. This site is very bright and colorful and grabs the user's attention. It has a scrolling menu in which you can choose characters, masks, balloons and prompts, greeting cards, words, objects, and backgrounds. It is fairly easy to use, I can see students who are in the first grade all the way through high school students being able to use it and navigate the site without much assistance. Once you create your comic strip you have the option to print, email or save it and you can also publish it, as well. However, there is not a big variety in characters and backgrounds, but you are still able to make a quality comic strip with the free features it offers. All students would be able to use it since it is a free site and you don't have to create an account. 

As the librarian, I would dialogue with my teacher-colleagues regarding how comics can be used in the classroom to help students with low reading levels and/or those who are visual learners. Highlighting that there are graphic novels based on all genres of literature and that they contain the same elements found in prose combined with film features to help students develop literacy. Moreover, graphic novels help students develop varied insights and to make inferences based on their interpretation of the images. Essentially, graphic novels are of high interest to students and can help increase world connections through them. 

Fun Fact: I am the Department Head of our English Department at Martin High School in Laredo, Texas. My mentor is our school librarian Mrs. Deborah Garza-Garcia (who won librarian of the year in our district last school year) and in speaking to her, she said our Martin High School Library has 3,874 graphic novels making it the largest collection of comic books in our school district. 

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

With technology having such a dominant presence in today’s schools, YouTube and QR Codes are great resources that can be used for educational purposes to promote the library! QR Codes are amazing, they can be used to promote new books and have print outs of them all around the library so that students can scan the codes and see if they would like to read that book!

The best Youtube videos from the NHS Library Channel are:

1. The most helpful for students: How to Use EBSCOHost- this video provides a step by step guide for students to find articles or resources that they need.


      https://youtu.be/BezObVKkqOo

2. The video that students would like best: Tiger Visits The Norman High Library is the video that students would enjoy the most because it is their mascot visiting their library and making it a fun experience! 

https://youtu.be/NeUhXLvFAi4

The best Youtube videos from the Unquiet Library Channel are:

1. The most helpful for students: Tutorial Video for Tillery: PowerPoint "How To" Basics this video is excellent as it provides a step by step guide for all students, especially for those who do not know how to use power point or it can also serve as a great review as well.
   
      https://youtu.be/CFlaZyGa2vo

2. The video that students would like best: Scenes from The Unquiet Library August 2012 this is a great video that shows quick snap shots about their library in a fun and energetic manner. 
   
      https://youtu.be/wdqhiFBbNEs

The best Youtube videos from the PikesvilleHS Library Channel are:

1. The most helpful for students: Snapshot of The Panthers Librar video is the most helpful as it shows the students what is available in their library, like Edmodo and YouTube.

        https://youtu.be/zat-1kHF5sY

    The video that students would like best: Back to School Night video would be the most entertaining one for the students, it is very upbeat and the music and effects are attention getters. 
       
       https://youtu.be/dNHBur9Muiw

The best Youtube videos from the BBMSMedia Channel are:

1. The most helpful for students:  NoodleTools- How to use a pre-formatted database citation can help students when they are citing their sources for their research papers.

       https://youtu.be/gUQ136Ae22o

2. The video that students would like best: Belle - Beauty & the Beast - Overdue Library Book Parody is a fun and engaging video, it is about overdue books and the lyrics were changed to match the topic!

      https://youtu.be/E4eLQMPtDYw

Promoting literacy is a must, just like movie studios create movie trailers to hook viewers and audiences, I as a future librarian, will use YouTube to create book trailers, promote literacy events such as Family Reading Night, make videos on how to use the library resources and how to access the library’s online catalogs.

Animoto is a great tool to create book trailers with. I created my book trailer on the book Jumanji written by Chris Van Allsburg.

      Synopsis:

Jumanji is a 1981 fantasy children's picture book, written and illustrated by the American author Chris Van Allsburg. The book is about a magical board game that implements real animals and other jungle elements as the game is played; thus the dangers which the players have to overcome in the  game also appear in real life.

This is the book trailer I created using Animoto: https://animoto.com/play/CJntGx1q01NEjkps1bfoDA

QR Codes stand for Quick Response Codes and can be created for many different purposes. QR Codes can be used as great instructional and educational tools such as, promoting book trailers, reviewing lesson units or chapter summaries of a book, a research paper or just a quick review for library patrons on frequently asked library questions.

Here is the QR Code for the book trailer I created for the book Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg. Scan it with your phone and enjoy!