Instagram and Vine

Instagram and Vine

Instagram

https://instagram.com/p/-R0FP7jE3Toh_ZKFjPm2ncnaFXUBHt8LDGuX40/

I absolutely love using Instagram. I never thought of using it to display students work and to promote things that are happening in the library/classroom. I enjoy how quick and easy Instagram is to use. Once an account has been created the user has the ability to capture images and share them through several social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr). The user also has the ability to link all their existing contacts to their Instagram accounts to being following them. I have had an Instagram account for several years, but I never thought of using it to share some of the great things that are happening in the library and in the classroom. In order to add text to my photos, I used another program called PIC COLLAGE. This program allows the user the ability to add text, stickers, and even frames to your photos to make them stand out. I really enjoyed combining both programs together to share all the great things that are taking place at our campus. I believe users would be able to use Instagram with no trouble once an account has been created. The photos I used for Instagram were taken in my library during Hispanic Heritage Month. I allow teachers to send students to the library to display all of their hard work. I really enjoyed being able to share my students work with others through Instagram.

 

Vine

https://vine.co/v/iuwEzgBixql

I had never heard of a program like Vine before. At first I was a bit confused about putting together a video, but I was able to figure out how to successfully add a video after playing with the program. Signing up for vine was very easy after the program has been downloaded to your phone. When the program opened the very first time it actually scared me because a video just begin playing without me having to click on it. Then I realized the user is given the option to mute the audio, so I did that to avoid any other videos just playing on their own. I feel this program provides users with the ability to display student work as well as share important information with other staff members or students. I enjoy being able to share a book with a group of students using Vine. I believe users would be able to upload videos to Vine easily. The user is also given the option to record directly through the Vine program which I found to be a pretty neat feature because no other programs are required in order to record directly to Vine. I decided to Vine to introduce the book  “The Dot” by Peter Reynolds to my students in PreK-1^st grades and they loved being able to see the book in a different way on the computer.  Overall, I enjoyed learning about how to use this program.

 

I really enjoyed using both programs and I will continue to do so. I feel Instagram is an excellent way to promote all the things that are happening in your library. I have a Top 20 Readers Club and I would like to use Instagram to take pictures and include them on our library webpage to give these students some recognition for all their work. Another way to use Instagram would be to display the different projects students work on throughout the year. Vine can be used to introduce a new book to students by allowing the teacher to record herself reading the book. Another way to use vine is to allow the students to read the book and record them while doing so. The teacher can even introduce a topic (the water cycle) through the use of vine. Students would enjoy learning about information from a video instead of simply listening to the teacher talk. I believe both of these programs are excellent programs to promote students work, promote the library, and a great resource to be able to share information with others. I will continue to use Instagram and Vine to promote all the activities taking place in my library.

 

Screencasts

Screencast

Screencast-o-matic

http://v2.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coXlbeho4m

The registration process was very easy to sign up for screencast-o-matic. The process of creating a screencast is very easy. The user simply has to press record and the program gives the user the opportunity to record. I really enjoy how the user is able to search for the content to include in the screencast. The user is able to expand or collapse the screenshot to capture the images that will be used in the screencast. This program allows the user to simply point at the areas that are going to be emphasized in the screencast. Then the program automatically highlights the areas with a yellow circle demonstrating the key points of the screencast while recording the user’s voice that explains the screencast. Once the user is satisfied with their screencast, the user then uploads the recording and the user is able to share their screencast with others. I really enjoyed using Screencast-o-matic and I feel this is an excellent resource to use both in the library and the classroom.

Screenr

No registration was necessary for Screenr. After looking around the webpage I noticed there was nothing that needed to be downloaded. I proceeded to click record and I was taken to a page that was detecting my computer’s Java software. Unfortunately, my computer didn’t have an updated version of Java so I was unable to access the program. A message indicating that Screenr would no longer be available after November 11, 2015 also appeared due to the fact that the Java software that is required has become outdated.

 

Jing

http://www.screencast.com/t/Trr4sdQKqWX

 

http://www.screencast.com/t/Gba6fhd0

This program requires the user to download the software to their computer before being able to access it. The great thing about Jing is that it offers the user a tutorial explaining how to create a screencast through Jing. Once I downloaded the program I watched the tutorial and proceeded to the website that I wanted to use in my screencast. I decided I would be explaining how to use our district databases. I took a shot of the homepage and the page that lists all of the databases. That process of creating the screencast was fairly simple. However, I was unclear on how to put it all together. I was looking all over the place trying to figure out how to upload images to Jing when I realized after searching and finally clicking on the Help icon that another download is required. It took me a good 20 minutes to figure out that I needed to download the downloader to upload anything. On my first attempt, I was able to upload my images but I did it in the wrong order. I tried changing the order but was unable to do so. At that point, I decided I would delete everything and start over. Well after finally getting the downloader to launch I was able to upload the images but I was unable to place them both together in one folder. Wow! This was a lot of work! I personally would not recommend using this with children because it is very challenging to actually use. Not to mention all the space that the program takes up on my computer. Overall, I found Jing to be a difficult program to work with and I feel students would have some difficulty creating screencasts.

After exploring the different programs, I really enjoyed using Screencast-o-matic because the program was very easy to use. I was able to begin recording my screencast immediately without having to download a lot of additional things to my computer. The main difference I have noticed with the other programs is the large amounts of items that need to be downloaded in order for the program to work. I was surprised when Screenr wouldn’t work because the Java software on the computer was outdated. A person who is not very computer savvy would have a lot of difficulty trying to download this program and would probably give up once they encounter the Java software problem. The reason I didn’t like Jing is because the user must download the software to their computer before being able to utilize the program. The main difference I noticed was Screencast-o-matic is easier to use and doesn’t require a lot of additional items to be downloaded in order for the program to work. The other programs require the user to download software to the computer which might create problems for the user if there is not enough storage space to actually save the program to the computer’s hard drive. Overall, I really enjoyed using Screencast-o-matic because the program is very easy to use. The user is able to create an account and start recording screencasts immediately. I feel this is an excellent resource that can be used to share important information with others both in the library and in the classroom.

Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons and Comics

ToonDoo:

http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/9400912

ToonDoo offers the user the ability to sign up for ToonDoo’s free account or ToonDoo spaces which provides the user with all the resources the free option has plus a few more. I really enjoy when users are able to preview the program before using it, and this option was not available for ToonDoo so that is something I disliked. I would have preferred seeing an example before beginning to make a comic strip to get an idea of how to use the program. The sign-up process for ToonDoo was very easy even for young users. Once I figured out where to start, I was able to choose the layout for my comic strip. I begin by choosing a background and then I added characters and some text to my comic strip. I believe the comics were very easy to create after playing with the program for a while. I didn’t have any trouble saving my comic strip. I believe TooDoo offers a variety of resources to successfully create a comic strip. I believe students would enjoy working with ToonDoo because it is another way for them to be able to communicate their thoughts and ideas through a comic strip.

Pixton

https://Pixton.com/ic:qxaguc8m

The sign up process for Pixton was very easy once you verify your email account. I dislike having to verify my email account, I prefer being able to have access to the program immediately after signing up. I really enjoyed how the program offers a variety of setting and characters to choose from.  This made the process of creating a comic strip very easy because I didn’t have to brainstorm what background I would be using, I was able to simply choose one. After choosing a background the user is able to choose a character for the comic strip. I really enjoyed the way a text box automatically appears once a character is added to the comic strip. I believe this is a great feature for the program because the user doesn’t have to look for a text box it automatically appears. I feel the comics on Pixton were very easy to create, but I don’t feel a variety of objects were available to make the comics interesting. Overall, Pixton is a great and easy way to make comic strips. The process of saving the comic strip is extremely easy because the user simply has to click on the green check mark below the comic strip. I believe students would easily be able to use Pixton to make comic strips.

MakeBeliefsComix

This program provides users with a tour of the program. I believe this is a very helpful in explaining to users how exactly to use the program to create a comic strip. Another thing I liked about this program is the user doesn’t even have to sign up. The user can view the tour, and then begin making a comic strip immediately. The user is able to choose a background for the setting from the preselected backgrounds available. Once a background is chosen the user can add characters, text, and even other objects to make the comic more interesting. I believe the comics are easy to make with this program and children would be able to make comic strips to express themselves. However, this program doesn’t have the ability to save the comic strip. The user must print and email a copy of the comic strip in order to save it. This is the only program that allows the user to save the comic strip to a pin drive which can be helpful if a printer is not available. I believe the variety for this program was very limited in comparison to the other programs I visited. Overall, I believe children would be able to make comic strips with this program.

I have always enjoyed reading the comic strips from the newspaper but I had never thought of actually creating one. I enjoyed creating comic strips with the different programs I visited. I would love to have students create an alternate ending to a story and then create a comic to present their alternate ending of the story to the class. I will be using Pixton because I feel the comic strips were very easy to create and save. I will first model how to use Pixton with my students and then I will allow them to create their very own comic strip to share with others in the library.