Thing 16: You Pick!

I decided for "You Pick" to create an animoto video for Quarter 2, showcasing the things that happened in the library.

Making an animoto video each quarter is a great way to advocate for your library and to let others know what has been going on.

Here is the e-mail I sent to administrators, the BOE and my whole school:

Hi administrators, BOE and AMS,

 

Below is a link to a short animoto video that will update you on the classes and activities that happened during quarter 4 at the Algonquin Library.

http://animoto.com/play/pf2Sn4zWs1jb6Oit5Uu7dA

 

If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

Thank you,

Rebecca

Thing 15: App-palooza!

I decided to compare the Goodreads app with the Goodreads full version for App-palooza.  I have a Galaxy smartphone, so I was easily able to download the app.  We don't yet have an i-Pad, and my I-pod doesn't connect to the internet, so I'm able to compare the phone app with the full computer version.

As you can imagine, the app is much more limited than the full site.  On the app you can log in, read other's reviews and see their ratings, rate your own books and mark them as read or currently reading, as well as see and send messages, explore your friend's profiles and reading lists and view notifications.
However, I like that with the app, you can scan a bar code, and of course, on the full version on my laptop, I cannot do this.

I am glad I explored the Goodreads app and think it will be very useful when I've just read a book and want to quickly rate and enter the book as "read" or to look up a book we might want to read next for the book club.

This is a somewhat timely post, as I am on the Technology Committee for installing/creating policies around wi-fi in our district as well as creating policies around BYOD, (bring your own device).  BYOD policies will enable us to use apps with kids and for them to be able to use their own devices in the classroom, hopefully beginning one year from now.

Put a Library in Your Pocket is a great idea to kick off encouraging kids to install apps that connect them to their libraries, (school as well as public), wherever they go.  

I installed the EasyBib app and decided to give that a try.  We have been having problems this week with the full version of EasyBib.  Our school even pays for each student to have a subscription.  It has been doing all sorts of odd, glitchy things, about 5 different errors, to be clear.  After I downloaded the app, I can really see the value the kids would find it in, and it might be a back door way around the errors and glitches.  I love how the app can scan the barcode of your source, and kids would love the convenience of that too!  I was able to them email myself the citation, which kids could then copy and paste into Word to print.  I think I will tell the teachers about this app and perhaps kids might want to try it at home, (until we are wireless).  

I also installed the UHLS Public Library app to make looking up books easier and quicker.  I know that it's a free app but I found it annoying that at almost every step, a login prompt pops up, but it isn't needed to simply search for a book on the catalog.  Also, I tried to click on "Go to Standard View", but I kept having issues with this.  I wasn't able to see the standard view and I had to keep pressing Cancel on the login prompt or the back arrow.  Frustrating, and I never even got to see that the standard view looks like.

I see now that it's especially important to road tests these apps before they are recommended to students who may find them a frustrating experience.  I think Put a Library in Your Pocket would be a great way to kick off Open House, as the article you posted suggests!  I will have to work on that this spring and summer!

Thing 14: Social Reading & Book Stuff

I decided to explore Library Reads and a few other tools/articles, as I created an account for GoodReads for another "Thing" post.

http://libraryreads.org/

What a great and yet simple idea!  Having public librarians "nominate" just published books for adults, tallying the nominations and then showing a top ten list for the month.  

This idea has lots of possibilities for translation for use in schools.

Statistics could be examined to create a "most wanted" list of books at whatever level your school library is.  Or your list could be organized by genre, although, with 10 books, it may not need to be.  Students and/or teachers could write the book reviews.  You could also have a "guest reviewer" like the principal who reviews a particular book, not nominated.  

I have to say, I have also been enjoying using Good Reads.  I can't believe I didn't join sooner!

I read up a bit on social reading.  It makes sense that it would be the "next best thing".  Combining social networking apps and books seems like a natural fit.  You could easily host a Google hangout for a particular book.  

For the first time, I have my own classes this year.  We're reading Bystander by James Preller.  How cool it would be-if I could release the chapters we have already read in class and let students comment and annotate, leaving their initials and block.  Since my class is only 40 minutes, this would help bring the course outside of the school day, as time constraints are an issue.  If there wasn't enough time for students to share, this would be a much better way for them to share their thoughts.  Usually if time is an issue-I ask them to let me know what they wanted to say after class, but this isn't ideal, as it's either dismissal or my next class is coming in.  

I think the students would enjoy reading socially and being able to reply to each other and give their thoughts about the text.  I'm sure the author would find it interesting as well if they were able to peek in at reader's thoughts!

Additionally, it would also be fun for book clubs to use.  At my school I run a formal book club, with teachers that we hold for fun.  Not everyone is able to make it to all of our discussion meetings.  Social reading would help those who couldn't make it would be able to add their thoughts when they have time to.  Even if they weren't there, they could still feel like they were part of that book discussion.  

Reading about Kobo's app makes me think it would be a great reading incentive for kids, esp. the badge you can earn for your reading.  A platform like Subtext is like a "Pop Up Video" for books!  That might draw in even more readers if they knew they would get little bon mots from authors.

The article: A Taxonomy of Social Reading was interesting to read-to actually see how you could expand and collapse reader's comments, and how the last one was addressed to the author, and helped him to make a correction in his writing.  

I think I will figure out how to incorporate social reading into one of our book clubs!  What a way to connect kids with books through technology!