A Quiet Meadow

Class Dojo is an app that can be used for classroom management and communication with parents.  I have been using the Class Dojo app for several years and our district encourages teachers to use.  I use it to communicate with parents.  I post class stories and different activities that are happening in the classroom.  I also send individual pictures to parents of their son or daughter.  Parents enjoy that and are always thanking me for great memories and pictures of their children. For classroom management I love the little cute monsters because parents and children can create thier own profile.  I get to add points if a child is behaving and I can also deduct points if the student is not following rules.  Parents get immediate notification through their phone or email.  This year I had 85% of the class in Class Dojo.  One disadvantage was that in order to creat an account parents have to have an email.  Some parents didn't h...

This course has exposed me to technology apps that I have never used.  I thought I was using technology in my classroom just by using my document camera, laptop, or Ipad.  When I started teaching, some of the teachers would say "as long as you turn on the document camera, play a song or project a video," I was using technology.  Well, times have changed, and technology in the classroom involves more that using a device.  Media specialists must be knowledgeable of new apps and new programs because of new technolgoy. I really enjoyed this course, because I had heard of so many awesome apps, but I have never taken the time to use them. I really enjoyed using Flipagram, because users can create a video with music.  The music is available in the app, and users don't have to purchase or download the music to add to the video.  I will be using Flipagram for the end of the year video at my school.  I also enjoyed creating an Infographic and the cartoon comic...

I think technology is everywhere.  Students, teachers, and librarians are using it in many ways either to connect socially, play games,  learning, and to use for assignments.  I think as educators or librarians, we need to find ways to implement it and use it effectively for student learning.  When reading the articles, I read about the media debate.  Richard Clark and Robert Kozma each had an argument that still continues to cause controversy. Clark's arguments include that the media's impact on instruction  doesn't change the learning. For example, if a student is reading a book or using a Kindle, both ways deliver the same instruction which is reading.  The question is, which is the best cost effective method, or which one is most cognitively efficient.  Which one saves money?  He believes that media has little impact, but Clark believes that sometimes the media could have an impact on learning. Clark's argument is that you have to test ...

Podcasts can be used in many ways. There are different types of podcasts. Some can be video, and others can be audio. Podcasts can be radio shows that can be available to download and accessible at any time. The article, Podcasting in Education, relates different ways to use podcasts in education.  Some ideas include lectures, communication with parents, student projects, and even professional development.  I was able to download all three Audioboom, Podmatic, and Soundcloud. For this assignment I used GarageBand. GarageBand  Some of my students used GarageBand to practice their Reader's Theatre play. The students practiced their lines, and then they recorded themselves several times. I did notice they did better everytime. I think creating podcasts helped these students listen to themselves as they read.  This helps them change their tone of voice while they are reading. The students in the podcast were 3rd graders practicing the Hare and the Tortoise. When it ...

I had the opportunity to create three different comics using three different websites.  It was a learning experience, because I had never created one before.  I used ToonDoo, Pixton, and Make Beliefs Comix. Comics can be used in the library and in the classroom in numerous ways.  Students will enjoy creating comics, working in groups, or just for fun.  ToonDoo By jjparadise24 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon    I really enjoyed using ToonDoon, because it was free and easy to use.  I like the fact that the comic was easy to create, and I believe students will not have any problems using this website.  There are numerous characters, props, texts, and backgrounds to use.  I even created a widget and added it to my blog.   I had no problems embedding my cartoon to my blog. To upgrade this website requires the user to purchase Tookens for $20.00 or they can be earned.  Pixton https://Pixton.com/ic:...

Youtube is a great tool to use when presenting students information or showcasing students with different activities. Some librarians upload videos to Youtube and that in return gives other librarians ideas.  I usually use Youtube to watch comical videos and music videos from my favorite artists.  This was the first time I actually watched videos that showcase a library with entertaining and informational videos.  Libraries don't always have to be quiet all the time.   NHS Library I think this video would be liked by students, because it shows a mascot visiting the library.  This video can encourage students to visit their library. Students that want to learn how to use online services can benefit from watching this video.  It shows students how to log in and shows them what resources are available online. The Unquiet Library This video shows activities in the library between 2009-2010.  I believe that if students participate in t...

Instagram is a great app to use when sharing photos with friends.  Some educators use Instagram to share photos of their classroom activities to parents.  When using Instagram, you can upload and tag people in the photos, you can follow people, or others can like pictures and follow your profile.  Videos can be also added to Instagram with special effects. I used Flipagram to create a video with music and special effects.  I shared it on Instagram.  Flipagram has amazing special effects to add to pictures or videos. The user can add text, emojis, or music. The following video was created using Flipagram, and I was able to share in numerous social sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter, Tumblr and many others. Flipagram video:  Instagram photo : #SHSU #GOBEARKATS #librarysciencestudent #shsulibraryscience #losfresnosunited A post shared by Juana Paradise (@jjparadise24) on Mar 12, 2017 at 10:17am PDT #l...

Infographics I had heard about Infographics but I had never created one before.   There are so many ways to present information and data through an infographic.   Many students find information boring but using an infographic with visuals will help them better understand the information presented.   I was able to explore three different types of web apps used to create an infographic.   They were all available for free with an option to upgrade.    I chose to use Easelly because I really liked the different templates and I thought it was easy to use.   I decided to visually display the writing process.   I wanted to insert more pics but they were a limited amount for free.   Infogram is mainly to display data using charts, graphs, and maps.   Many organizations use Infogram to display data.  This app is great for students to use when presenting data.     When I started my assignment I tried to sign up with...

Feed readers are so cool to use. This is the first time I've heard of RSS readers, and I really like how information is readily accessible. The information is organized with the newest updated posts available to be read. Instead of searching for your favorite blogs every time, you can create a collection and keep up with new posts.  I chose the RSS reader Feedly because it was free. Feedly is actually the most expensive, if you decide to upgrade, and the cost is $5.95 per month.  I figured that it was the most popular, because it can be used with IOS, the web, and Android.  This allows more users to download this application compared to other RSS readers. When using Feedly, I created a collection under Librarian Blogs.  I chose to follow five different website blogs and added them to my collection.  I also created a Tumblr account as well.  I decided to follow several school library pages.  My Tumblr account is as follows: https://www.tumblr....

Facebook and Twitter       Social media websites are a great way to promote libraries.  Facebook and Twitter are great websites to communicate to the community about what is happing in libraries.  Students and parents use these social media websites on a daily basis that they are more likely to check updates, follow a page, ask questions, or even just keep up to date with relevant information.  Recently Twitter has become more popular social media website, because our current president Donald J. Trump uses it as a form of communication.        When checking different school libraries using Facebook, I noticed that many pages were very informative and kept patrons informed about events happening in the library.  Since many people have Facebook accounts, this is a great way of communicating with patrons.  I believe it is a great advantage to promote libraries through Facebook, because it will...