Videos and QR Codes in the Library

YouTube

From Calypso Gilstrap's YouTube Channel:

As silly and corny as this video might be for some at the high school level, I think this video is perfect for showing kids just what the library has to offer.  Tiger shows the students step-by-step what to do when you enter the library, what to do when you want to look for a book, how to check it out, and then how to return it.  This video can be a great introductory video for incoming students.  However, one thing I would like to incorporate is voice and have the mascot interact with the librarian more than just when a book is getting checked out.

As far as which video the students might like the best, it would probably be this video that shows the students how to use EBSCOHost.  Students are going to need to be accessing various kinds of information throughout their high school years, and sometimes need a constant refresher in how to access a database in case they get stuck.  Ms. Gilstrap also does an excellent job in this video explaining how to access the library's homepage from a home computer and the differences between the databases (EBSCOHost and EBSCOHost Web), as well as showing them how to create an MLA citation.

From The Unquiet Library's YouTube Channel:

Out of all the videos that were posted, I believe that the "Creative Commons 101 for Senior Project Slides" would be most useful for students.  It is clear The Unquiet Librarian is aware of the curriculum her campus has and prepares the students for that curriculum by providing them with resources that they will be able to utilize throughout the year.  I also think that this video is the most useful because even after the senior students graduate, they know of this resource that can help them on their future projects.

Though some students have a short attention span, I think this would be a video that they would like the best because the focus of the video is about one of their fellow students and what she was able to accomplish.  The topic that the student talks about also supports the idea that students should not be assigned a research topic, but allowed to choose their own.

Pikesville High School Library's YouTube Channel:

Though this library's YouTube Channel has various types of videos, I think the AP videos are the ones that students would find most helpful.  They get to hear from the teacher what the expectations are for the class, as well as what type of coursework they can expect.  The reason why I selected the AP English 12 video is because the teacher keeps her introduction short and simple before she passes the mic over to two other students.  What makes these students stand out from the others is that they talk about how the coursework they did helped make them a better well-rounded student.

I am so glad that I came across this video because this one is probably one that the students like best.  The fact that it's a student centered video captures the attention of the students, especially with the little bit of humor that they were able to toss in there at the beginning.  Also, many students may like this video because alludes to a TV show that they may be familiar with, "Pimp My Ride."  This 6-minute video portrays the events that take place in the TV show perfectly, and so the students may just get a kick out of it.  Also, it reinforces the idea that they need to be sure they are well organized.

BBMS Media's YouTube Channel:

It is important for students to know how to handle their works cited pages, as well as know about some of the resources made available to them online.  Once students get started with using NoodleTools, they will start to feel a bit more confident in their research skills which will make future research projects easier.

After watching some of these overdue videos, I would have to say that these types of videos are probably the most liked by the students.  These students are able to take something as mundane as reminding their peers to turn in overdue books and turn it in to something that the kids will be willing to remember - and possibly even talk about for weeks to come.

All these videos are wonderful as they either guide students or engage them with activities or events going on within the library.  One thing that I did notice overall with mostly all of these channels is that they all have videos that were posted more than two or three years ago.  I think it is important that if a YouTube Channel is going to be created, then it needs to be used consistently.

Animoto

I was a bit nervous in creating a book trailer, especially since I had such a hard time with Instagram earlier in the week.  However, I found that Animoto is really simple and easy to use.  You can pick your own style to fit the slideshow video you are going to create, as well as the music that plays along with your video.  You can also upload your own photos/videos or download them from the sites own stash of stock images.  There is also the use of Creative Commons, a great resource that provides licensed images and other materials.  As for the music, you can either select from the sites stock of music or upload your own.

The only downside that I found to this site is that in order to access the other features (such as the other backgrounds that the site offers), you have to pay a fee that is dependent on whether you pay by month or by year.  Overall though, I feel this site gives the user freedom to be as creative as they'd like to be.  I am definitely going to be using this site for my students when they need to create a book trailer.  I also found this video fairly easy to upload through YouTube.  I am always amazed at how everything becomes available to you at just the click of the mouse when your accounts are all connected.

The book that I have chosen to do a book trailer on is Kelly Oram's Cinder and Ella.

Synopsis:

It's been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother.  After a very difficult recover, she's been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child.  If Ella wants to escape her father's home and her awful new step-family, she must convince her doctors that she's capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own.  The problem is, she's not ready yet.  The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who's ever meant anything to her-her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.

Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble.  There's major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film "The Druid Prince," but his management team says he won't make the transition from teen heartthrob to a serious A-lister actor unless he can prove he's left his wild days behind and become a mature adult.  In order to douse the flames on Brian's bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee.  Brian isn't thrilled with the arrangement-or his fake fiancee-but decides he'll suffer through it if it means he'll get an Oscar nomination.  Then a surprise e-mail from an old Internet friend changes everything.

QR Code to Book Trailer:

In order to scan the QR Code, you'll first need to download a QR Code Reader app.  Whether you have an Android or an Apple phone, you need to go to your store app and type 'QR Code' in the search bar.  You'll get numerous apps to download, but you'll only need one.  And don't worry, plenty of them are free.  Once you've downloaded the app, go ahead and open the app and be sure to complete the sign-in process (if it asks for one).  From there, your screen should either have margins or a square that is meant to guide you in the lining up of the QR Code image.  As soon as the image is lined up within the margin, you will be taken to the book trailer.  You can then use your QR Code app to scan other QR Codes.

With the use of QR Codes, a person is given the freedom to use them in any which way they choose, such as a gateway that will connect people to websites, blogs, images, videos - the list is just endless.  Two ways that I plan on using QR Codes is for projects such as this - have students create book trailers with QR Codes that will be placed on the spine of the book - and to incorporate book talks through the use of blogs.