Cartoons and Comics

Fotojet

• Overall, Fotojet was fairly easy to use. I chose from the several free templates to start my comic strip. One thing I could not figure out is how to change my picture if I changed my mind. If I deleted the image it took away the box that was there. I did like the feature of adding backgrounds to your design to make your comic strip stand out. In order to save, you will have to upgrade your subscription, but you are able to download your designs for free. Fotojet is a great resource for just starting out and would be a great tool for students to use. 

Pixton

• I immediately notice the resources made available to the user and how the sections were laid out in play, plan, and feedback. The site was also very visually appealing to the eye.  For someone who was unsure how to start creating a comic strip, comic school came in handy. I did like the feature of creating your own avatar to incorporate into your comics. With Pixton, you are able to choose from several different scenes and not just plain backgrounds. Also, you are able to add actions to your characters as well as change the facial expressions to fit the character's words. The only downfall is that you have to upgrade in order to share or download your comic. I think it is great that you can add a rubric where students can rate their selves or their classmates. Pixton was very easy to use and student-friendly compared to others. 

Make Beliefs Comix

• I was not a big fan of Make Beliefs Comix due to not being able to resize the images or the speech bubbles and limited resources to choose from. The site itself seemed a little outdated compared to Pixton and Fotojet. I found it very hard to figure out how to create my comic and I think students would experience the same issues. It does give some ideas to pick from, but nowhere near the other two sites. There is not an easy way to search for specific pictures to add to your comic. There were not enough resources to pick from to help create a visually attractive comic strip. Being able to save and download your comic was fairly easy. It had several options to share to social media, download, or even email your comic to someone. 

Tellagami

• For some reason, I could not find the app in the apple app store. I did find a similar app that I tried. The app I used is called Plotagon. You are able to choose from free scenes and create your own characters. The app allowed you to add emotions to your characters and record your own voice or use one of the voices in the app. Also, you were able to position the characters in the scene. I did watch a YouTube video, "Let's create our first Plotagon video", to help with getting my characters to talk. Other than that, the app was user-friendly. 

Sharing Comics with Your Teachers-Colleagues
The following ideas could easily be shared with colleagues during weekly faculty meetings. The librarian could visit each grade level during their grade level planning time to share ideas and how they can incorporate comics into their everyday lessons and activities. The librarian can also invite classes to the library to demonstrate creating a comic with the class on a specific content area topic. 

• Comics are a great way to introduce one another at the beginning of the year. 
• Teaching new concepts
• Students can create comics using new vocabulary terms 
• Students could retell a story
• Create a book trailer to promote the book and grab the reader's attention

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

 Simple Video Ideas to Promote Your Library

• Promote programs happening in the library 
• Showcase new books
• Sharing book trailers, genre highlights, and library resources to help match students to the right books
• Highlighting student projects such as book trailers, book reviews, book club meetings, etc.
• Share events and information such as book fairs, family reading nights, author visits, etc. 

YouTube Videos for Student Learning and Pleasure

• theuniquelibrary
  
  
  
   
  
  The first video would be the most helpful to students because it will ensure they are using copyright-free images to add to their projects instead of using google images and correctly citing where the image was taken.
  
  The second video would be one students would enjoy the most because it is pictures of students using the library/media spaces. The pictures depict students as readers, learners, and collaborators. 
  
  
• pikesvillehslibrary
  
  
  
   
  
  The first video would be beneficial to students as well as teachers because it gives student personal reviews of a program called Socrative. Socrative is an app to engage students in learning by allowing them to choose an activity and also receive instant feedback on their learning. 
  
  The second video would be something students would enjoy because the library is known as a quiet place, but it doesn't have to be. The library is a great place for students to collaborate, explore, research, and create. The library is no longer a place where it has to be silent. 
  
  
• bbmsmedia 
  
  
  
   
  
  
  The first video would be helpful to students by providing a quick introduction to the library orientation. With busy schedules and time, this will allow students to start using the library without having to come on a fixed time for a face to face orientation before using the resources. 
  
  The second video wold be ones students would get a kick out of watching over and over. These overdue book paradoies are a creative way to get students to turn in their books without the negativity of hounding students to return their books back to the library. It keeps a positive relationship between the library and the students. Students also can create their own twist of overdue books using songs they listen to on a daily basis. 

Ways to Use QR Codes in the Library

• Link your library catalog 
• Link book trailers, reviews, and post on the shelf where the books are located
• Library Orientation Scavenger Hunt
• Link online content (e-books)
• Author Facts 

Book Trailer

Chase's memory just went out the window. Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name. He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl, in particular, is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets. Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be. From the #1 bestselling author of Swindle and Slacker, Restart is the spectacular story of a kid with a messy past who has to figure out what it means to get a clean start.

Screencasts

 

Using Screencasts in the Classroom

Teachers, librarians, administrators, and students can benefit using screencasts. Here are a few ways screencasts can be used: 

• Students can create tutorials or presentations to share their learning. 
• A screencast can reinforce basic concepts. 
• Teachers can share their instructions when they are absent. 
• Administrators can share information prior to a meeting. 
• Students can create content using a digital tool and then narrate their story in a screencast. 
  
  

Screencast-O-Matic

The first video I used Screencast-O-Matic to record how to create a book talk using google slides. Before you can start recording, it does ask that you download the app to your computer. I was able to adjust the screen of what I wanted to capture and record. The free version only captures narration, but you can upgrade to capture computer audio. Screen-O-Matic allows you to take a screenshot or create a video by recording your screen, webcam, or both. After I was done recording, I had options to edit my video, save video, upload to Screen-O-Matic, upload to YouTube, or upload to Google Drive. I chose to upload to my Google Drive and noticed it did take a few minutes to publish the video. When it was complete, Google still needed to process the video before I could access it through the Drive. I did have the option to download to the computer.  I noticed you do have to upgrade to manage your video projects, see past uploads, and edit videos.

Loom

The  second video I used Loom to record how to place books on hold using Destiny. Loom allows you to record your face, just the screen, or both with audio. You are able to download your video, embed it, or share via a URL. Loom offers a Pro Version which is free for teachers and students. With loom, you can make an unlimited number of 45 minute videos on the free education account. Loom can be used via a Chrome extension, desktop app as well as an iOS app. 

Conclusion
In the end, after using Screen-O-Matic and Loom, I really liked Screen-O-Matic due to its ease to use the screen recorder that enables you to capture any area of your screen. For student use, I like the 15 minute limit that you are able to record. This will ensure students are using the most important information to get their ideas across. I also liked the highlighted cursors which made it easier for your audience to follow along.

https://youtu.be/mX4Ix2FiPSU

https://www.loom.com/share/17b90a9865ed45758830db2d87e6903b

Infographics

Do you have an infographic?

An infographic is a collection of imagery, data visualizations like pie charts and bar graphs, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic. As in the example below, infographics use striking, engaging visuals to communicate information quickly and clearly.

                                     3 TyPES

Easelly offers 3 different pricing plans for students, individuals, and businesses ranging from $2-$5. You can try easelly for 7 days risk-free money-back guaranteed. With the standard features, you have access to 320+ templates, over a million icons and photos and can export in PDF, JPEG, and PNG formats. Easelly offers great templates and flexible features which anyone can learn through visual and textual design, but the site's free version provides limited themes and images. I was discouraged to keep using easelly due to having to upgrade for the template I wanted to use. Overall, this tool can help anyone connect with content in a meaningful way. 

Piktochart offers 3 different pricing plans ranging from free to custom plans. With the free account you are limited on the storage for image uploads, downloads, folders, but you do get unlimited access to templates, images, illustrations, icons, charts and maps. Design quality and inspirational templates are at the top with anyone creating professional looking infographics with just a few clicks. I found this tool to be quite easy and user friendly compared to the other two. I was able to create my infographic immediately without needing tutorials. The only downfall is limited downloads before having to upgrade. 

Infogram offers 5 different pricing plans from basic to enterprise ranging from free to over $150 a month. With the free account, you have access to 37 interactive charts, up to 10 projects and 5 pages per project, publish content online, import data, and object animations. Infogram offers a friendly interface and easy for non-technical people to navigate the wide variety of visualizations, charts, and graphic elements. The downfalls of infogram is having to be online to use the tools, can't create complex visualizations, and limitations on customizing the templates. 

Overall: I chose piktochart because it reminded me a lot like Canva which I use daily for work. I was able to use one of the templates to work with and had my final design done in minutes without needing design experience. The tools and site where very user friendly and I was able to make changes to my template quickly. I found inserting the data to create my bar graphs from my source to be quite easy. The setup of the graph was already there, I just needed to change the information to match mine from the article. 

References

7 surprises about libraries in our surveys. (2014, June 30). Pew Research Center.

            Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/
            
            2014/06/30/7-surprises-about-libraries-in-our-surveys/

Nediger, M., & guide, s. (2021, October 19). What is an Infographic? Examples, Templates, Design Tips. Venngage. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://venngage.com/blog/what-is-an-infographic/