I have to say that out of all the Library Science courses I have taken over the past year and a half, I honestly learned the most from this class. From volunteering in an elementary library the last three years, and now being a librarian myself, I know a lot about the books and the automation system. Technology, however, is something that I have always found a bit intimidating. I knew how to scan a qr code, I had my own personal Twitter and Facebook accounts, I had made a podcast or two, but that was about the extent of it. I had no idea how to begin to create my own qr code, infographic, screencasts, book trailer, etc. Now I am pleased to say that I can do all of these things and more! Some of the assignments I had more success with and enjoyed more than others, but even if I didn't necessarily find the app or program to be a good fit for me, I now know enough about them to share with others who may find them to be something beneficial to use in their classroom.
I think my number one favorite thing that I learned this semester was how to use Animoto. I always admired the library sites where they had produced their own book trailers or videos and was really curious about how they did that. Now not only do I know how to do it too, but I can teach others how to use them and incorporate it into my own library lessons. Learning how to create a screencasts is something else that I have always wanted to learn how to do, and I'm pleased to say that we got that opportunity this semester. I think this is something that would be a huge asset when it comes to explaining to both students and staff how to utilize different sites and web tools. Like right now I'm thinking of making a screencast showing how to make a comic using either MakeBeliefComix or ToonDoo, two more amazing things I learned how to do in this class. Graphic novels are so huge right now, and humor is always a great way to connect with students, so I truly believe these tools would really be great additions to any classroom or library. Not only did I simply learn how to use these sites, but also many wonderful ways to include them in a variety of classroom or library activities.
One of the activities that I kind of struggled with was creating an infographic. Given the choice of three different sites, and all the options available, I was a bit overwhelmed. I was able to complete one, though it wasn't nearly as impressive as others I have seen. I just found it to be a very time consuming process and I, like other teachers, just don't have a lot of that right now. Perhaps with more time to play around with it I will become more comfortable and be able to utilize it in the future. Something that I didn't like at all, or see much potential for was the use of Vine. Like I said before, six seconds just isn't enough time for me to say what I need to say or get my point across. All that being said, just because I didn't care for these tools doesn't mean I'm completely writing them off. I think they're ideas definitely worth sharing with other colleagues who may have a fantastic way to use them in their own lessons.
While I wouldn't necessarily refer to myself as tech savvy now, I have a lot more knowledge about educational technology than I did four months ago. The most important thing I learned is that technology is constantly evolving and changing, and things that were "hot" or popular a year or two ago may not be at all relevant now. As librarians, we must be up to date on the latest technological advances and all the new tools that are available. That means we have to make a conscious effort to read, research, explore and test out all the new sites and tools so that we can share our learnings with others.
