Cartoons and Comics

I created this comic for the Toodoo account. Toondoo was so much fun! I liked that it was straightforward and easy to operate. There was a help button, in case you need some assistance. This was by far my favorite of the three sites used to make comics. I think using cartoon and comics is a great way to encourage reading and writing in a classroom. Students can make up the name of the characters, as well as the setting and of course, present conflict and solution. Students could also use it to create a book trailer, creating a "must read" list from fellow students. This would give students an opportunity to write with a purpose. I think everyone can benefit from this site, especially at the beginning, so they can create their own comic fairly easily and build their confidence. I would definitely recommend using it in kindergarten and first grade for sure.


https://Pixton.com/ic:ks4jesrc                             

Pixton.com is also a site to make comics. This one was a bit harder to use, in my opinion. I'm sure older kids (5th grade and above) would have no problem figuring it out.I liked the backgrounds, the characters and of course thought bubbles. On this site, you could change the color of the props (all three books are made with the same image,however they were all black books to begin with). I liked the you could manipulate the images, by changing their size and color, as well as what to "flip" and bring to the front. This site would be adequate for upper elementary. I did like that it gave you some templates that you could use. There is a character map, sequence of event, conflict/plot, cause and effect just to name a few. It also shows ideas to use it in a variety of subjects. For example in math there was one made on "quadrilaterals", which shows a shape and then there is a caption box for students to describe the attributes of why it is a quadrilateral. I still had a lot of playing with this, but it isn't one I would start beginning students on.

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=41618685C2195674

Makebeliefscomix.com was by far my least favorite site. It did have an abundance of characters, which I think would appeal to students, but this site had too many different things to look at, so I feel like students would be all about the cartoon characters and lose sight into the writing.. The different words was by far my favorite part. This site wasn't user-friendly and I found myself getting frustrated very easy. For example, if you want to delete something, you have to go to the delete button on the menu bar on the left, click "delete" then go to the frame where you wanted to delete something and click the one item you wanted to delete. This would be my last choice of the three sites I used. 

https://tellagami.com/gami/E38B3B/

Tellagmi.com was so much fun, although the different hair, clothes, etc had to be purchased, so I stuck to what was free! Check out my gami for "The Picture with no Words" by B.J. Novak. If you haven't already read this book, it is a MUST! I like the idea of using tellagami for book trailers, book reports, really it could be used in all subjects. The think I liked most was that it would bring out the shy kiddos. They would be able to make there avatar and choose a background, clothes, etc but have the safety net of not having to stand in front of the class to present information. They would still have to present their information, but might be more confident in only recording themselves, where it is just the student and the iPad, using it as a shield to hide behind. 

Tellagami would definitely be the first one I implement as the school librarian. I would start with a small group and then present their "gami" for others to hear the reviews of the book.

Videos and QR codes in the Library

 

• Personally I liked the video, "Books with Strong Female Leads". I thought it could be very helpful celebrating Women's History Month.  The link is: https: //youtu.be/_OXrDuNlHco

• I also thought the "Hotline Overdue" would really appeal to the kids! Here is the link for that: https://youtu.be/lydaMN3417g

 

Nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

Like the Skin Horse, Margery Williams understood how toys--and people--become real through the wisdom and experience of love. This reissue of a favorite classic, with the original story and illustrations as they first appeared in 1922, will work its magic for all who read it.

Scan the QR code to see the book trailer

 

Ways to use QR codes in the library:

• Dewey Decimal System Scavenger Hunt
• Recommendations for books
• Book Trailers

RSS: Really Simple Syndication

I have always wondered how people kept up to date with all the different blogs they were reading. I wondered how they had time to check them all each day and remember them all. That is when I learned about the RSS feed reader. It's an app that will allow you to set up all of the blogs you follow in to one place. Then you can customize it, categorize your feed, get updates of new blog posts, but you can mark them to read later. After reading the article, "The 10 Best Best Apps for RSS, News and More",   I chose to use Feedly, first because it was free and was very impressed. As Cassidy explains Feedly is designed to be a simple way to build on newsfeed, and the interface is clean and simple. It  was all of those things. I loved how easy it was to use. I would recommend it to anyone who is just starting using a blog feed. 

Blogs I chose to follow: 

Lessons from a Laughing Librarian: Sara is a librarian that loves to try innovative things and share them. Each Tuesday she shares technology. I like that she's real and admits that things don't work. She also includes a Friday Wrap Up, reviewing the week. I love the photos she posts. Check out her site: http://lessonsfromalaughinglibrarian.blogspot.com/

Library Patch: I love the information about the signage. My library is dull and boring so those were very important to me. I want to add a pop of color to update our library. Check out her site at http://www.librarypatch.com/

Letters to a Young Librarian:What an absolute gem of a site for new librarians. The advice is so real and deals with everyday issues, instead of just the ideal situation. Before you check out her site, make sure you have plenty of time! http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/

Mighty Little Librarian: She has many insightful posts and conducts webinars which are extremely helpful. Check out her site  http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/

Mrs. ReaderPants: She does book reviews and shares library ideas. She discusses genre-ification. Check out her site: http://www.readerpants.net/

Check out my tumblr: https://tstamm.tumblr.com/