There are so many great new technologies out there it can be truly exciting to see how some of them can be used to help promote the library. What used to be boring and tedious is now something eye-catching, funny and most of all, memorable.
One of the best videos I saw was of the Norman High School mascot visiting the library and using some of the resources there. It was cute, funny and very helpful. I am sure students will love this humorous little video featuring their mascot. He found books on tigers and information on the database. He also spent some time in the library studying, playing a game of chess, showing students where the nookbooks were and how to check them out. When he was finished, he even put the books back into the book drop. Good for you Tiger!
Another great video from this school was the Norman High School orientation video. Definitely a lot more formal, but just as effective. Students were given a chance to hear about library times and resources. Students were also treated to a view of what the library looks like, what resources are offered and what students typically do there. I thought it was simple but effective.
The Unquiet Librarian offers a definite change of pace. Her website is filled with student interviews, minilessons on bibliographies, senior projects, embedding voice threads, embedding prezi presentations in wikispace and finding and citing images from creative commons. With so many helpful links, it was hard to pick the best one. However I would have to go with one of the student reflection videos because the focus is on the students themselves which will make it more interesting for their peers. I also liked it because it will get students to think critically about their work and how they can improve in it.
This next video was rather loud, but very engaging. It was a simple video of students eating lunch and returning their books. The librarian was hard at work with her cart for check-ins and check-outs. The message was simple: have your books ready, the librarian will be there waiting to check them in or check them out for you. The idea was genius. What is usually a downtime is now a chance to take care of some housekeeping.
The library at Pikesville High School is very busy. Students are studying, reading, presenting, researching, tutoring and preparing for projects. Each video has high tech music and graphics, highlighting the technology being used in the library. Each are equally effective and engaging because of the many students featured. Students will be sure to try out some of the resources and look to moments when they might featured next.
The last website, from BBMSmedia, was filled with hilarious videos, (mostly about overdue library books). Each one was highly creative and done completely by students. They had songs with special lyrics, skits and great singing. I went with Bring Them Back, a Frozen spoof. This song is highly popular with elementary through high school age. I think it would give kids a laugh and interest them all the same time.
Another great video from this website was a teacher book review. He talked about strong female leads in books. It was informative and interesting. I think kids would enjoy hearing and seeing their teacher on film and would probably investigate further into it.
QR Codes and Book Trailers
From investigating some of these creative websites, I got to noticing some of the great book trailers out there. I looked further into and found that animoto.com has some great tools that can make a book trailer in relatively little time. With beautiful pictures, video clips, styles and music to choose from, it becomes fun and easy to make a riveting book trailer. Below is a short synopsis taken from the book, "If I Stay."
In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident;
You'll have to check out my minute and a half book trailer. I am completely new to the idea of book trailers, however being a novice, I made a little trailer in about an hour. With some practice, I could see myself getting faster at it and I'm sure with some time I could get pretty good at it. Addicting and fun, you'll have to try animoto.com. In a way you will feel like you are creating a mini-movie.
Of course what better way than QR codes to get the book trailer out there? One of the newest ideas out there, QR codes are becoming more and more popular. They are being used for remind apps, voice threads and now even embedded videos. You can quickly generate a code through QR generator. com, and voila! You're ready to go! Students, teachers and parents can check out the latest book trailer from the library and get a feel for a story they may have heard about, but want to hear more about. Students can create their own, perhaps as a final project based off their favorite book. Other students could scan the code and see the book trailer for themselves. It becomes a great tool for captivating students and interesting others in books.
I looked into how libraries around the country are using QR codes and found that many do book displays with QR codes. You would think it would only be used for high school, but I found libraries that also use it for elementary age students. Another interesting idea I found was that librarians have used them as a quick orientation for students. This could be great for students who are new to campus, or maybe started midyear and would like to know more about where things are at. Another innovative idea I heard about was doing a scavenger hunt with QR codes to find materials in the library, a quick little way to orient students as to where to find materials in their library.
Students love technology, no matter the age. With a little time and some know how, (from a media specialist), a book can take on an exciting new perspective that will have all students talking!
the music and video in your book trailer really conveyed the "impossible choice." Nice! You are right about kids liking to see their teacher on video. It seems to be a good way to "flip" the classroom, too~
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your booktrailer. It really made me think about the book again and how much I loved it. Great job using pictures and sound to create the feelings and mood of the book.
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