Final Reflection

This course was one of the best ones I've taken at Sam Houston State University.  I never knew all these technology websites and apps were out there.  This course has been an eye-opener.  As much as I thought that I was up-to-date with technology out there, I was wrong. There are so many that are so user-friendly, fun and appropriate for the classroom and library.

• Facebook- I believe every school libraries hold have a Facebook account.  There are many teens who own a FB and they would benefit from a school'd FB.  It could be used to remind students of assignments due, upcoming events, or share with others the great things the school is doing for their students.

• Twitter- Even though I am not too familiar with Twitter, I know it is such a great way to communicate with library associations, authors, teachers, etc.  

• Pinterest: Pinterest is such a great way to get ideas for creating an inviting environment for your classroom or library. You can organize your Pinterest by creating Boards.  For example, "Bulletin Boards" or "Book Displays" and then pin pictures of ideas that you might like.

• Blogs:  I was never really into blogs until I took this course. I realized that I can learn a lot by what people post in their blogs.  For example, if someone was to read my blogs I created for this course, many people would learn about apps and websites that I have recommended.   

• Youtube: It's really sad that some districts, like the one I work for, block Youtube from its users.  Youtube is really a great way for students to view videos on topics that they are learning. It is also a great way for the librarian to make announcements.  Last week, before emu students took he STAAR test, I showed them several video on my iPad about students singing that they will pass the STAAR test. They really enjoyed it!

• Animoto: I loved using Animoto! I was a little scared about creating my own book trailer, but once I was able to play around with it, I realized it was very easy and fun to use.  I can't wait to use it in my future library!

• Podcasts: Podcasts are great for creating small announcement or presentations.  I enjoyed creating one about parts of a book for the little ones.

• Shelfari: Shelfari was my favorite book community to use.  I liked that it's linked to Amazon. For example, if I have a book on my "Want to Read Shelf", I can just click on it and it'll take me to the Amazon website so I can purchase it. Pretty neat!

• Toon Doo: Toon Doo is a great website if you want to make your class a little more fun.  You can create announcements or short presentations with this fun way!

• Tagxedo: Best word cloud website! I am really looking forward to suing this site to create posters for my library!

• Screencast-o-matic: This website was very similar to Screenr, but was my favorite for the simple reason that a circle is created around the pointer when presenting your screencast. I like that the circle catches the viewers attention.  

• Paperli:  I liked how Paperli creates your own newspaper accruing to the categories you pick. I get an email every morning reminding me that my paper is ready. It is such a nice way to keep me informed.  

• Instagram and Vine: Both of these apps are awesome! As a teacher or librarian, you can share pictures and videos about events, upcoming events, or events that are happening at your school.  

I strongly recommend all of the above websites and apps for any teacher or librarian out there looking to integrate more technology into their lessons or classrooms.  

Teens and Online Video- Mini Pew #6

Lenhart, Amanda. (2012). Teens and Online Video. Pew Research Center.http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_Teens_and_online_video.pdf

Recently, video chatting has become popular among teens.  37% of internet user teens use a video chatting app with girls being more likely to use it than boys.  27% of internet user teens record and upload a video.  I found these percentages to be a little on the low side. I would have expected them to be higher.  With almost every teen out there with a smartphone, taking videos and uploading them to their social media network account seems like those numbers are wrong.  Maybe teens are really thinking twice about what they are uploading for, practically, the whole world to see.  It would be nice to see teachers and librarians teaching students about apps that are out there that can be safe for them to use when uploading their videos.

Page Count: 13

Teens and Libraries- Mini Pew #5

Raine, Lee. (2014). Teen and Librarie sin Today's Digital World. Pew Research Center.http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/04/2014-4.9.14-Young-Amers-Reading-and-Libraries-Texas-Librarians_pdf.pdf

Surveys and research in this presentation show that young readers (ages 16-29) are considered instrumental readers because they read for school or work and when trying to conduct any type of research.  Also it is proven one more time that teens use a desktop computer or laptop more than a smartphone or tablet.  72% of teens used the library in the past 12 months and 23% asked a librarian for help.  This surprises me since it is also proven that many teens use their computers at home to conduct research.  Speaking for myself, I would only visit the library if I needed an actual book.  I rely on my Kindle app for reading books, and databases and the Internet to do research.  I liked how in this survey, 81% of teens suggested that there be library "redboxes" around their town.  I had never thought about his idea and I'm actually liking it.  It would be really neat to drive-up to a convenient store and be able to "rent a book". The public library in Brownsville is about 9 miles away from where I live.  It would be extremely nice to have a "library red box" at the convenient store a block away from my house.

Page Count: 40 

Teens and Technology- Mini Pew #4

Lenhart, Amanda. (2013). Nine things You Need to Know About teens, Technology and Online Privacy. Family Online Safety Institute. http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media//Files/Presentations/2013/FOSI%202013_Lenhart_Teens_Privacy-FIN_PDF.pdf

Most teens now-a-days are smartphone owners and users.  A typical teen had about 300+ friends on their Facebook.  On FB, their settings are usually private, while public on Twitter for those who have one.  While teens are exposed to these two social media networks, parent safe becoming more concerned.  They are mostly concerned about their behavior, people they meet, future opportunities and their reputations.  This article got me thinking! Even children are now using Facebook. I asked my third graders if anyone had a FB account and 5 agreed they did. This scared me a bit! I know that as a parent, I would not allow my 9 year old to have a Fb account.  Yet these parents do? With all these advances in technology and social media network, I am now wondering what will be out there when my 2 year old is 9!!

Page Count: 12

Mobile News- Mini Pew #3

Mitchell, Amy. (2012).  The Future of Mobile News. Pew Research Center.  http://www.journalism.org/files/legacy/Futureofmobilenews%20_final1.pdf

With technology advancing, many people now-a-days use their smartphones for various reasons.  After reading this article, I realized how important it has become to own a mobile device.  We can download apps from newspapers or news channels to keep us updated with information, either locally or nationally.  Our mobiles are like mini portable computers.  With it, we can do numerous things: send and receive emails, get the latest news, play games, shop, connect with others user social media networks, read books, etc.   In this article, it stated that 53% of mobile users check their mobile devices for any new news before 8 a.m.  So true! A soon as I wake up, around 6 a.m., that's the first thin I do. I check my local news app, CNN app, Facebook, and the Weather Channel app.  It didn't surprise me that this article stated that Tablets are mostly used by children and mainly used for reading.  My nieces and nephews own Tablets and that what they do! They use them to read and play games.  All in all, we depend on our mobile devices a little too much!  I know I depend on my iPhone a little too much!

Page Count: 71

Facebook News- Mini Pew #2

Mitchell, Amy (2013). The Role of News on Facebook. Pew Research Center.  http://www.journalism.org/files/2013/10/facebook_news_10-24-2013.pdf.

It was no surprise for me to learn that 68% of Facebook users mainly use the site to check up on family and friends.  That's the primary reason why I have one. I have family in Mexico, Nebraska, and Indiana, and Facebook has helped to keep us united and up-to-date with the latest family gossip! I found it very hilarious when 52% of its users complied when they family and friends posted about bragging or complaining about their lives or posting numerously throughout a single day.  in my opinion, this does get a little annoying. I've actually had to delete a couple of people because of their posts invading my wall! 65% of Facebook users use it to keep them updated with local news information.  I am one of those 65% using FB to keep me updated with news.  That is actually how I found out when Paul Walker died.  On my FB, I have local news cast pages and a Brownsville page which keep me updated with what goes around in Brownsville on a daily basis.  I was surprised that 53% of FB user use it on their mobile device. I would assume that percentage to be higher since many of us live off of our cell phones.  It's actually on a desktop computer or a laptop where most users, 88%, use FB.

Do you have aFB?
For what reasons do you have a FB?

Page Count: 25

Instagram and Vine

I love Instagram!! I've had an Instagram account for a while now. I set one up because I have several friends who do not have a Facebook, but do have an Instagram.  I enjoy the pictures they upload and they enjoy mine! Now, Vine, I had never used before. I usually upload videos in Instagram as well so I didn't see the need for having a Vine account.  But after having to download it for this assignment, I realized that it's a great app to take short videos of important moments, or just for fun moments.  It's very similar to Instagram when it comes to recording. One just has to press on the screen whenever we want to record something or someone.  I really like how you can hashtag on both Instagram and Vine.  For example, a librarian may hashtag an upcoming event (#bookfair or #literacynight) and we can view what others around the world are doing for the same topics.  Librarians and teachers can definitely use these apps for advertisement, announcements, due dates, upcoming events, or simply just to show the love for what we do. =)

Information Curation

APPS

WEBSITES

The above apps and websites are great to be up-to-date with the latest news.  I found all three apps to be very useful. Zite was more user-friendly while I found Google Currents to have more of a variety of news and choices.  Flipboard was pretty neat also, nice aesthetically, but it would get me confused. Instead of swiping the screen, I would go back to the previous screen and I just couldn't get the hang of it.  I would recommend and, personally, use Google Currents.  Of the websites, Scoop It was becoming my favorite until I began to explore Paperli more further.  I liked how Paperli had various tabs on the top of the page and one can click and find various sources on one single topic.  Paperli is my favorite and is the one I would recommend!

Screencasts

I always asked myself how the professors in my Master's courses created screencasts, but I never imagined it was this easy!! Both sites for making the above screencasts were user-friendly and easy to navigate through.  They are very similar. The only difference I saw was that Screencast-o-matic can be used with a webcam.  Also, once the screencast is complete, I like how there is a circle around the pointer on the screen to show viewers where and what the speaker is talking about.  That is the reason I prefer Screencast-o-matic, the circle around the pointer will work well with elementary students.  I had so much fun creating these and am looking forward to creating more!

Playing With Words

Wordle

- This word cloud website was extremely easy and fun to use.  This site would be easy for students to use because its features like color, shape, and text box are user-friendly.  I used my school's mission statement and I really liked how my cloud came out.  I like how these clouds put emphasis on strong words.

Tagul

-Tagul was harder than Wordle to use.  But there were some elements that I liked about it.  It had more fun shapes to pick from.  I also liked how on certain words, you could pick for the font to be bigger.  I liked this feature because it puts emphasis on the words we want the readers to focus on.  For this word cloud, I used BISD's mission statement.

Tagxedo


Tagxedo was so much fun to use! I like the color schemes and variety of shapes that it offers to its users. I like how it allows you to keep or remove a certain word. This is definitely the site that I would recommend to my students! As you can see, for this cloud, I used the lyrics to Firework from Katy Perry and used the musical note as my shape.

Quips and Recite This are great for expressing ourselves. Sometimes I find myself trying to write a quote on a certain picture, and now, I know Quips will help me do just that.  Recite This should have more variety of backgrounds. 

Tagxedo and Quips are the two programs I would use with my students.  They were both very easy to use and had more personalization options for its users.  I see myself using these programs to create fun, expressive posters for my future library.