Final Reflection

My Learning Experiences

This class has caused me tremendous sleepless nights, I must say, as I’ve pulled several “all-nighters,” working through the night in order to comply with all of the required assignments, but from the bottom of my heart, "It was all well worth it." I’m near the end of my journey in my LS Graduate program, and this class has been one of the most important classes I've taken. I think this course will help me immensely as a teacher and as a future Librarian. I’ve learned about the functionality of different technology gadgets, programs, and tools that I can’t wait to implement in my lessons with my students this upcoming school year.

I must say that the Journal readings and searching for 5 articles using the SHSU online library was a challenging assignment. I struggled finding the articles using our SHSU online library. I’ve had only used it two or three times prior to this assignment and I was not that familiar with it. I’ve always used my own data-bases, whether from the district I used to work before or from the McAllen Public Library.  It was good that I struggled because I became my own teacher and I learned to be resourceful on my own. I embarked on chatting live with our SHSU Librarian as she guided me on how to find a specific article, and after that I searched on my own. It was time-consuming. I guess some of us don’t like to step out of our comfort zones and that’s what happened to me. I’ve been using the data-bases I’m familiar with. I can connect this experience with my students, since I will better understand them when they encounter a subject, theme, or topic they don’t feel comfortable learning. There are ways to help them step out of their comfort zone like this assignment made me do. Now, I feel more confident if I have to use the SHSU Online Library again. I ended up using like 8 articles if I’m not mistaken for this assignment. It took me like two and a half days to complete. But, oh the feeling I felt when I finished, it was amazing. A feeling of worthiness and accomplishment since I figured it out on my own and with the help of the additional resource- SHSU Librarian.

Another assignment that I found challenging to do was creating the infographic, and that’s because I chose an easy template. I felt like I needed to “play around” with that program more, although in the end, I felt it was simple to create. I know that if I go back and experience working with the program some more I will understand it better.

Oh! I can’t forget the frustration I experienced trying to download Java Script when I tried creating a screencast using Screenr. I still can’t uploaded to my computer. This experience forced me to exhaust all of my means. I read everything provided by Java, as far as how to upload it and even reading all that additional information I still couldn’t upload Java, but I have to say I didn’t give up on the assignment in which I had to create two screencasts. I read the extra credit assignment information and the directions only stated that I had to create a Jing for 10 extra points. I was like …. “What in the world is Jing?” Again, this assignment encouraged me to do some research and I ended loving the experience. Not only did I create a Jing, but I also discovered Snag-it through TechSmith, which is an extension to Jing for additional or unlimited recording time of capture videos since Jing only allows 5 minute videos or screencasts. I ended up creating a screencast using Snag-it. I believe things happen for a reason, therefore if I would have not encountered the Java problem, maybe I would have not investigated “Jing.” By doing so, I’ve discovered a new tool that could help me in the future to create captures, videos, and screencasts.

The rest of the technology assignments were simple to do, all of the directions provided were thorough, and therefore it made my learning experiences much easier. What do I learn from this statement? I will make sure to provide thorough directions and create thorough lesson plans so that my students have a better learning experience as well. All of the technology assignments had tutorials, and if the assignment or tool didn’t provide a tutorial link, I googled for one before I embarked myself in using that particular technology tool to create my assignment.

I loved creating the cartoons and comics. I sure enjoyed learning how to put the characters, speech bubbles, and background settings in the template squares by double clicking on them. Learning the functionality of each icon and features on the different cartoons and comics sites was something new to me, but easy to understand. I loved using the three sites to create my comic strips.

Instagram was extremely easy to use. I learned that I needed an app to add text on the pictures. This was new to me too, but I was very happy when I found the Pic O Graph app that had gone free the day I uploaded it. I used the app to add text to my pictures before I uploaded them to Instagram. This is another excellent tool that I will use to promote reading and books, by showcasing pictures of books with text in them like the picture I shared on Instagram with The One and Only Ivan book’s page.

My favorite tool was Animoto, which I used to create the book trailer. I know my students will benefit from all of these tools as I plan to implement the use of each one in their own special way. But I know they will love learning from the future book trailers I will create as I plan to continue to use Animoto. I just discovered a fun way to promote passages, stories, and books. I know this tool will help me motivate students to pick up a book and read it. I know it will also help students think different of how they currently see books and their stories. 

The book trailer was easy to create. I uploaded images and pictures that went along with the book and I typed in some phrases and sentences that dealt with the book’s story. I then decided the sequence of the templates. After that, I chose some calm loving background music which I thought made a connection to the book’s theme. I finalized everything by putting the trailer together. It turned out really nice. I had always wondered how book trailers were made, but with so much studying and taking classes semester after semester, I had never made time to research on the making of book trailers. Now, I know, and I’m glad this was one of the assignments for this class.

  

As I’m going down memory lane, I know that all of the assignments I learned about and created during the entire semester will help me in some way or another. I know that I will implement the use of each tool depending on the needs of my students and topics discussed in my future lessons. But I feel better prepared and aware of how our technology world works. In other words, I feel I will be better connected to my students, as I now know a lot more of “their” and “our” technology world.

Mining PEW- Teens, Social Media, and Privacy

Beaton, M., Cortesi, S., Duggan, D., Gasser, U., Lenhart, A., Madden, M., & Smith, A.  (2013, May 21). Teens, social media, and privacy.  PewResearchCenter Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved June 13, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2013/05/PIP_TeensSocialMediaandPrivacy_PDF.pdf

The report I read was about teens, the social media networks they are part of, and the issues they face while dealing with the importance of privacy settings on these platforms.  I totally agree that the “Internet” has replaced the telephone, television, game console, and just listening to the radio and I’ve learned that youngsters are not fond of doing such things anymore. Unfortunately, our teenagers are now wrapped around Internet use and social media networks instead of watching television or playing outside. I see it with my own kids, nieces, and nephews. I believe rules should be in place to try to control the amount of time our kids are on line. I believe proper training and guidance on how to safely use social media networks is necessary from our part as parents. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, our kids will access these networks and become members, therefore, if they are joining might as well talk to them about the risks they may have if these networks are not used properly and safely. Facebook and Twitter are the number one networks been used by teens, regrettably, many of the young kids today are not enjoying using Facebook since sometimes it is seen as a utility and an obligation rather than an exciting new platform that they can enjoy and claim as their own.

I learned that teens’ Twitter use has grown and that one in four (24%) online teens uses Twitter compare to 16% use in 2011. I found out that Facebook attracts about 77% of online teens and that 24% of teens are Twitter users. According to this study, eight in ten online teens uses some kind of social media, “Wow….that’s a lot of teens!” I knew kids used online media networks, but I didn’t think it was that many. I hope all of these teens are getting advice on how to properly and safely use these networks. I would have never thought Facebook was this popular among teens.

I also learned that overall, 82% of online teen users are considered social network sites’ users such as Facebook and Twitter. Could it be that some teens are falsifying their names and ages in order to become members of Facebook and that may be the reason why the percentage of Facebook use is high? Again, this percentage seems slightly too high and makes me wonder of how many hours these teens are online? Do they really have nothing else to do other than being on these networks? This report is helping me understand statistics on these social network platforms so that I know how to handle these situations with my own teenagers. I learned that teens visit the sites several times a day. According to this study, 42% of teens said they have visited the sites several times a day and 25% reported doing so once a day. Whatever the reason, reality is that 94% of teen social media users have Facebook profiles and 81% say Facebook is the one they use the most often. It seems that older teens continue to visit social media sites the heaviest. I believe that the older these teens get, the more acquainted they are with these social media networks, and the more they use them the more addictive to it they become. They may perhaps feel the need to be checking and checking to verify what others have said about their postings.

Furthermore, I learned that Facebook may have another face in some teens’ eyes. I now know that although many of these teens have a social media account it doesn’t necessarily mean that they like or care for the site. I understand that Facebook can be fun to use, but some teens do recent it. They associate Facebook with constraints through an increasing adult presence, high pressure or otherwise negative social interactions such as “drama,” or they can feel overwhelmed by others who share too much. I’m not a teenager, but I totally understand them, as I became a member of Facebook three weeks ago and it already caused me some turmoil with some relatives since I didn’t accept them as friends. In a couple of days, I’ve learned that it can cause drama.

I believe some teens rely on using other social media since their parents, aunts, older cousins may be part of Facebook. I understand them too, when they say that Facebook users may imply things even though that’s not what they meant to say. Therefore, many teens reported having different accounts and using different sites for different purposes. I think teens decide on what social media networks to join based on what it is they want to share. For instance, they know that in Facebook, they can pretty much share from a comment to a picture and a little too much; Twitter, they can share quick thoughts as they can only share so many characters; Snapshot, they can only share short videos and quick pictures, and Instagram is mainly for sharing pictures. In other words, based on what they need is that they choose their social media networks. Some have a profile in each one and divide what they want to share between the four. I believe if teens are doing this, this is a great idea because this way may make them feel more secure about not dealing with drama issues and in a way it helps them control who views their postings. Overall, I believe teens change from social media networks based on the interactions and experiences they encounter while on line with these networks. They may perhaps, want spaces free of adults and free of drama.

Some teens are posting too much personal information once they become members of these networks. This decision may put them in risky situations. 92% post their real name, 91% post a photo of themselves, 84% post their interests, 82% post their birthdates, 71% post their school name, 71% post the city where they live, 62% post their relationship status, and 20% post their real cell phone numbers. These are high percentages and makes me wonder of how safe these teens are from strangers getting a hold of them. Any "friends" can access their information and can locate them in real life. The social media platform asks for all of this information, but I think it’s up to the person whether to share all of their information or not. I further read and found out that 16% of teen social media users have setup their profile to automatically include their location in their posts. I believe they shouldn’t do that because strange people could access that information and find out where they live and they could break in into their homes if no one is home. The chance of that occurring may be slim, but why take any chances. Now, if teens are automatically allowing the setting's system to post their locations and their parents are reading the messages or posts then I think that’s is okay because this way the parents know where their child is at and they wouldn’t worry about their where-abouts.

Teens are also taking into consideration, which pictures they post in their social media networks. Some stress out too much I would think. They worry about posting a profile picture because according to the study, the picture has to be better than the previous one. They post pictures in order to get “likes” and the more “likes” they receive the more popular they become on the network. They believe that this network’s popularity transfers to real life settings, which I learned that it does. I think they need to consider the pictures and messages they post because it could hurt them in the long run. I know that there have been times in which teens have used a compromising picture and tagged it onto their friends’ pages and have caused embarrassment to the person involved in the picture. If it’s an embarrassing picture, it may continue to be tagged on and cause teens to feel uncomfortable and they may begin to encounter self-esteem issues. The threat of such attacks is one reason teens get motivated to regulate their content. It is important that they are careful with what they decide to post, since they, like other Facebook members have different kinds of friends in their online social networks that can view mostly everything that gets posted or tagged. Based on the results of this study, 98% of Facebook teen users are friends with members of their extended families, 89% are friends with members who do not attend their school, 76% are friends with brothers and sisters, 70% are friends with parents, and 33% are friends with people they have not met in person. I will say that it is good for teens to be friends with their parents, so they can be monitored at all times, but in a way that the teen doesn’t feel over protected or that their privacy has been invaded. The same thing with having brothers and sisters as friends, they can help each other, they can learn to get to know each other better, and to be there for one another in time of need.  

I also read on privacy settings. Teens and adults have a variety of ways to make available or limit access to their personal information online. For instance Facebook, since it’s the most popular network, users can choose which people to friend or unfriend. They can choose to use default privacy settings or decide who can see certain parts of their profiles by restricting the view to individual posts. I believe posting restrictions on who can view their profile is good because then that tells me that the teen user is in control, but only when they keep up with the settings. But it is sad to know that only 3 out of 10 teens (30%) check their Facebook settings within a week and by not constantly checking their posting settings is how they can lose track of who can view their postings and their Facebook profiles. I learned that the majority of teen Twitter users have public accounts. While there are many similarities in use of social media, I believe each has its own affordances that shape how youth uses technology. This also affects the types of privacy settings that are available to them.

I also learned that teens with large Facebook friends’ networks are more frequent social media users and participate on a wide diversity of platforms in addition to Facebook. I believe they do this because they become dependent of the platforms. They become needy to hear what others are saying about them. They become too passionate of the network and what others think of them. I also learned that these teens share all of their personal information in all of these social media networks, which again I must say, puts them at risk from being followed by weird strangers. They become vulnerable for online sex-predators and parents are extremely worried for their teen’s well-being. To back up my believe, I read that 53% of parents showed concerned of their child’s interactions with strangers, 49% were worried of their teen’s reputation, 46% were worried that their child’s information may be available to advertisers, and 44% of the parents were concerned that their teen relating too much information may hurt them with future opportunities.

I am happy to say that I read on the importance teens place on taking steps on how they take care of their reputations. Some teens do take some steps into taking care of themselves in this matter. I found out that 59% have deleted or edited something they posted, 53% have deleted comments from others, 45% have removed their name from photos, 31% have deleted or deactivated their profiles, and 19% have regretted sharing something. It is important that teens do take care and worry about their reputations. Putting too much information on these online social media networks can lead to having a stranger contact them. I read that 17% of the teens involved in this study have experienced been contacted online by someone they didn’t know. It is a good idea to unfriend or block friends they really don’t know or have never met before. I agree with what other teens are doing to avoid been contacted by strangers. They are sharing comments in jokes or in coded messages that only friends will understand. Also, if teens post a fake name, age, or location it could help deviate some of these online predators. I’m also glad to read that some teens have decided not to post something online out of concern that it will reflect poorly on them at a later time. I would like to see more teenagers advising each other, since they are the ones viewing each other’s posts. They can help each other by advising one another if one has posted too much information, or information that could eventually hurt them in some way, or that it may attract a stranger’s interest.

The same way teens have experienced negative experiences, they have also experienced positive online encounters. I read that 52% of online teens said they have experienced online situations that have made them feel good about themselves, although it was older teens that reported this type of experiences. I’m thinking it’s probably comments and likes they must have received from their friends. If they posted a picture and received many likes that would definitely make them feel good about themselves. If they made a comment on a posting and others tagged it because they agreed with their comment then that may have caused them to also feel good about themselves. Other teens mentioned how been online has helped them get closer to someone else. I’m assuming someone listened to their concerns and the other person advised them on those issues and that may have made them feel connected to that person. They probably felt like they found someone that listens to them and understands them.

Reality is that many teen users don’t think of the risks involved when they exposed their entire life out for everyone to see when privacy settings are ignored. Teens could perhaps receive online advertising that is inappropriate for their age. Teens could perhaps be contacted by an online maniac and make them feel insecure. I think teens could even feel apprehensive and unsafe while out on the streets. Therefore, I am glad that many online teen users do unfriend and block people they don’t know or don’t feel comfortable with. They also go back and delete comments and compromising pictures that may hurt them in the future. Overall, many teen social media users do make the content they share more private and are conscious of who views what they post. If all online social media teen users would take all of the precautions mentioned above then they would not have to deal with being worried as to who views their content, how their information may be used, and best of all not having the experience of meeting a stranger online. They really need to learn how to use the different social media networks in a safer and more responsible way for their own good.  

78 pages (Report) (155 pages read out of 150)

Mining PEW- U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015

Smith, A. (2015, April 1). U.S. smartphone use in 2015. PewResearchCenter Internet, Science & Tech. Retrieved June 24, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/

The report I read was on the use of smartphones in the U.S. for the year 2015 and the use of Internet via these phones. As I read the report, I learned that two-thirds of Americans out of the ones taking part in this study own a smartphone. I would have thought that that percentage would be higher, since everywhere I turn I see youngsters and other people with a cell phone. I agree that when we say “Internet use” most of us think of laptops, desktops, mouse, and keyboards to access the Internet. I know phones have access to the Internet, but I hadn’t thought about how people may do just rely on a phone’s data service to access the Internet. I learned through this study that 19% of 2,188 smartphone users (who took part in this study) rely on their smartphone for Internet use, therefore I was wrong thinking that people now a days only use their laptops or computers to access the Internet, and that’s not mentioning iPads and iPods, which I had forgotten to mentioned.

I never thought that income or education levels would affect owning a phone. I just thought that with cell phones taking over home phones, I just figured many people do what they need to do to get a cell phone like adjusting their financial needs, but never did I think it would affect owning one, more less education. Sometimes, many of us just go our way and don’t think of these things. I know those issues are present, but I just hadn’t thought about it in this way. I learned that those with relatively low-income or educational levels, youngsters involve, and non-whites are specially the ones more dependent of their smartphones. Again since income is low, they can’t afford other types of broadband services at home or other devices, therefore they rely heavily on their smartphone’s Internet.

The survey asked smartphone owners whether or not they had traditional broadband services at home, and second, whether if they had a reasonable number of options for accessing the Internet in general from any location. According to the study, 10% of Americans owned a smartphone but do not have any other form of high-speed internet access at home beyond their phone’s data plan. I was in “aw” with such a low percentage, I would have thought that people have other means to access the Internet besides their smartphone’s data plan. I wonder if they would survey people around the Valley, what the results would be. I also learned that another 15% of Americans owned a smartphone, but said they have limited number of ways to get online other than their cell phone. I ask myself, do many of these people know that our public libraries offer Internet services? Do they have friends that have Internet services that they could use? But those same questions make think, and ask, do they have a vehicle to go to the public library? So I think there are other issues involved too that have to be considered.

In addition, I learned that 15% of younger adults, ages 18-29 are heavily dependent on their smartphones for online access. I think this could be since they are just starting to live on their own, their financial means may be limited, and therefore, they can’t afford additional broadband access at home. They may just be starting their new careers. Youngsters are mostly on the go, therefore, they always have access to their phones I would think. Their lifestyles may be different than adults, again they may perhaps always carry their smartphones with them and that’s why they may be more dependent on their smartphones for Internet use. Also, about 13% of Americans with an annual income of less than $30,000 a year are smartphone dependent and 1% of people from households earning more than $75,000 per year rely on their smartphones. I believe this could be true since they have a higher income they can pay for additional Internet access at home and can afford to buy other devices like iPads, iPods, laptops, or desktops. They probably also have friends with these means.

I also learned that nearly 48% of smartphone dependent users have had to cancel or shut off their cell phone service for a period of time because the cost of maintaining it was a financial burden. I don’t consider myself low-income, but even I have changed plans to save money because broadband access services are expensive. I can afford to have Internet access at home, but I still look for a good deal to avoid being in a position where my services would need to be cut-off. I have satellite Internet service and it’s extremely expensive, but I have to have it otherwise I wouldn’t be able to access my online classes. Although sometimes I do access my classes via my smartphone, but a laptop is always better than a phone, the screen is bigger on a laptop. Therefore, I totally understand these people and their needs to sometimes having to shut-off or discontinue their Internet services.

According to this study, the smartphone has several uses. It specified that lower-income people use their Internet on their phone mainly for job hunting or submitting employment applications compared to higher-income users. I agree to an extent, I believe all users whether low-income or high income rely on the Internet on their smartphones for job hunting, get info on a health question, do on-line banking, look up real estate listings, look up government services, take a class or use it to look up educational content, or even submit a job application. Everyone at one point or another have used the Internet on their phones for such purposes, not just low-income people. I’ve used it for all of those purposes too. Young adults become part of this list, as they have also access their smartphones to use the Internet for these purposes as well. The study says that 85% of young adults who are dependent of their cell phones are also incorporating their mobile devices into information seeking and transactional behaviors, therefore I was right on my previous thought. I’m not surprise with this high percentage of youngsters accessing their phones for so many different transactions since accessing the Internet via their smartphones is quicker and can be done from any place, unless there’s no reception.

I’ve also learned that many smartphone users rely on their phones to access and follow along any breaking news and to share and be aware of what’s going on with their communities. I think this is an excellent way to use the Internet in our smartphones since it is important to keep up with what’s going on around us. We all need to be safe and be aware of any wrong doings near where we live, so keeping up with the news is a must. 68% of people part of this study use their Internet to follow any breaking news, which goes with the thoughts I just mentioned. Almost half of these people do it very frequently. 67% use their phone to share pictures, videos, or to comment on events occurring in their community. I honestly would think this percentage would be higher since I assumed mostly everyone does that with their phone. I then read that 67% of smartphone owners use it occasionally for hand in hand directions. I still think this is a high percentage of people although they say “occasionally.” I would have thought that now a day most cars have navigation systems.

The highest percent came to “texting,” especially among younger smartphone owners. 93% of smartphone owners ages 18-29 used voice calling or video calling too. But the feature highest used was emailing which requires Internet on their phones, 88% of smartphone owners used email at least once over the period of the study. This made email more widely-used smartphone feature than social networking, watching video, or using maps and navigation. I’m not surprised, I must say, that is one of the best features of accessing Internet through our smartphones, our email accounts, especially if we are always on the go.

Overall, I learned that youngsters use smartphones to avoid boredom, or to ignore other people. Sounds like my teenagers. I also learned that it is young people, non-whites, lower income people who are especially dependent on smartphones for online access and that it is young adults that most likely use their phone for navigation purposes either by car, public transit, or by taxi. Also, using the phone for news and community information is one thing everyone does and according to this study, it was popular across all ages. In addition to that, almost half of phone users have used their phone in an emergency. Despite clear benefits, 54% of people dependent on their smartphones thought it was not always needed and 46% said they couldn’t live without it. If you ask me: I believe I can live without my phone, but my reality is another one, unfortunately I’m a heart patient due to a heart problem I’ve had since I was 10 years old, therefore I must say, “I have to have my smartphone with me at all times.” It can literally save my life one day. Although sometimes I forget to carry it with me, but I shouldn’t.

60 pages (Report) (73 pages read out of 150)

Instagram & Vine

Instagram 

Instagram is a fun way to share pictures with your friends and family. Teachers and students are also using it in several ways in the classroom. All you need to do is upload the app from your phone, once its uploaded click on it, make an account and in seconds you are snapping pictures of your choice. These images can be saved onto your device or they can be posted directly to Instagram. I uploaded an app for my phone to add text on the pictures. I’m happy to say that it was an app gone free. The app was Pic O Gram, it is really simple to use. I had to insert the text first and then I shared the photograph to Instagram. I learned that with Instagram you can share the pictures via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr. Take a look at these pictures I uploaded to my Instagram account.

Vine

Vine is a fun way to create and share short, creative, looping videos in a simple and quick way. I learned that Vine is owned by Twitter, so you can log in via Twitter, too. I have a Twitter account, but I logged in using my e-mail address. Vine only allows you to record 6 second videos and it only begins recording when your finger is on the screen. You can press and release to assemble videos in three or more parts. That’s what I did to make my videos. Take a look at these three videos I posted on my Vine account:

My pets, Milo, Rocky, and Riley

My study area

My boys

How can I as a teacher and future librarian use Instagram and Vine with students in the class?

·       I love Art therefore I can post an image on Instagram and students can evaluate it and discuss its hues, patterns, and its visual texture.

·       Students may write a summary of their findings.

·       I could perhaps use an image as a writing prompt.

·       I could perhaps use an image to narrate an create a story during read aloud time.

·       I could perhaps post images of different eras and have students write about those eras.

·       Students could use pictures of things that represent them and explain to the rest of the class how each image represents them.

·       I could share images of my future library displays.

·       I may share images of the reading corners to promote the library.

·       Images of upcoming books

·       I could use Vine videos to say three or four words that describe a book by holding the book as I say those words. Perhaps it intrigues readers to read the book.

·       I could have students create Vine videos on antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms- Create a video in which one student says “make,” another one says “create,” the third student says “produce,” and a fourth student says, “All synonyms of invent.” Of course, they would have to say it quickly.

·       Students could perhaps draw the beginning, middle, and end of a story and create a 6 second video of the story by holding up the drawings of their story.

·       I could also create a video of the classroom (quick peeks) to motivate students to return to school after the summer break.

·       As a future librarian I could do the same by creating a video of quick peeks to different areas of the library.

Screencasts

Screencasts are a tool used by many students, professors, and teachers to present narrated information. A screencast is a digital video that records the actions on the user’s computer screen, while the user is narrating, therefore the presenter’s voice is recorded in addition to the information on the computer desktop. I’ve explored using Screencast-o-matic, Screenr, Snag-it through TechSmith, and Jing to create screencasts. Read and learn:

Screencast-o-matic

Screencast-o-matic was extremely user friendly. I created an account, I then logged in, and Screencast-o-matic provided a quick tutoring video as to how to manage the site and create a screencast. I upgraded my account so that I could have unlimited recording time. It turned out to be as simple as following these quick and easy steps:

       1.    Open up the site, Microsoft word doc, PowerPoint presentation, or the information you want to create a screencast about  

       2. Have Screencast-o-matic open and click the red button (the record button) in order to access the screen features

       3.    Place recording frame around the information you will create screencast by clicking and dragging the recording frame to fit your information or if you want the whole desktop screen- you can do  that too

       4.    Click the record button, the screen will display a quick count “3, 2, 1” and after the 1 appears begin narrating and your screencast begins to take life

When you are done, save screencast, provide a title and Screencast-o-matic will provide a URL link and an embedded code for sharing, or option to save as MP4. I usually save mine on Screen-cast-o-matic and then I upload them to YouTube. I then share the Screencast-o-matic link or the YouTube link. The following screencast I created using Screencast-o-matic:

Screencast teaching students how to search the online catalog

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/c2l1jUe08A

Screenr

I tried creating a screencast using Screenr, but unfortunately I couldn’t. I logged in into Screenr and I quickly read the main page. I thought, “Oh wow! This is going to be a piece of cake, as its directions seemed very simple.” Screenr provided a one minute tutoring video. I learned that Screenr is compatible with Mac and Pc.  Its directions were:

       1.     Click record button

       2.     Put recording frame where you needed

       3.     Choose Mic and click record

       4.     When finished click done

       5.     Add message and publish- either to an iPhone, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter

It turns out that without the newest version of Java Script Screenr will not function. I tried several times to upload Java to my laptop and I just couldn’t. I’m a very determined person, therefore I struggled uploading Java for about 2 ½ hours, until I decided to share my experience with all of you and maybe someone can explain to me how to upload Java correctly. Since I couldn’t access Screenr, I used Screencast-o-matic and created the following screencast:

Screencast problems uploading Java for Screenr

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/co1ZiNfrce

Jing

Like I mentioned before, I am a very determined person, and since I couldn’t use Screenr, I investigated Jing and learned a few things. After a while of doing research on it, I uploaded Jing and I quickly created a capture and a screencast using the video option on Snag-it through TechSmith, which Jing routed me to, when I needed more recording time. I noticed that Jing allowed only five minutes of recording time. I tried creating my screencast twice, but I couldn’t do it on five minutes, therefore I upgraded my account to unlimited recording time, and it was how I was able to record my screencast using Snag it. The capture on Jing is like a screenshot and I learned that it is similar to Skitch. Jing and Skitch, both have comment boxes, bubbles, arrows, numbers, and tools to change font and color. These tools are used to add comments and/or arrows of information you would like others to know on your capture. Using Jing to create a capture was extremely easy. All I did was to look for the yellow sun shape found somewhere along the top of my computer screen after I had uploaded it for free.

Steps on how to use Jing

 1.    Click on create capture (first ray shape)  

2.     Place/ click/ drag frame where you needed

3.     Let go and the capture is captured

4.     Decide if you just want it as a capture (screenshot) and save it

5.     Or if you want to add comment boxes, arrows, or numbers to show your thoughts

I apologize for my mistake "cpature" should have been spelled as "capture."

The following is the link to my Jing Capture or view the screenshot below.

Jing Capture URL

http://screencast.com/t/yYwWdN618P4

Snag-it through TechSmith

Now to use the video capture option on Snag-it through TechSmith, I uploaded the tool first. It is similar to Jing. Jing has a yellow sun shape that’s found at the top of your computer screen, Snag-it does the same, but it’s a black small square with a red recording button in the center top. It is also found at the top of the computer screen next to Jing.

Steps on how to record video/screencast using Snag-it

      1.     Click on Snag-it square

      2.     Click red recording button

      3.     Place/ click/ drag frame where you needed

      4.     Let go frame and the screen will display a quick count “3, 2, 1” and after the 1 appears- begin narrating and recording your video as a screencast

      5.     Move your cursor to explain any important details in your presentation

When you are done, click finish recording and Snag-it will allow you to save to Screencast.com, Camtasia Studio, YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, and to TechSmith Relay. I saved mine to YouTube, but the uploading took about five minutes.

The following is my YouTube link to a screencast I created using Snag-it through TechSmith:

TechSmith Snag-it Screencast on how to create a comic strip

Now that I’ve experienced creating screencasts and captures using Screencast-o-matic, Jing, and Snag-it Video through TechSmith, I believe I will continue to use Screencast-o-matic since it saves time saving screencasts, it is simple to use, and I’m very familiar with it. Snag-it was simple to use but videos’ saving time take too long, while Screencast-o-matic is quicker. I do have to mention that the video (image quality) of Snag-it is better than Screencast-o-matic. Unfortunately I can’t say much about Screenr since I was not able to access it to create a screencast, but just the thought that I couldn’t upload Java since it requires it, it had me pretty frustrated. Although, I think it is as simple to use as Screencast-o-matic based on what I read, but I will not know for sure until I experience using it. While I created my capture with Jing, I learned that it was challenging adding the comment boxes, arrows, and numbers as I had to click quite a few times on the tools. I found out that since I clicked two or three times it would add the comment box two or three times. I had to delete them. I learned that it takes a while for icons to load up to the capture. I did not like that- time consuming. Jing could be used to create videos or screencasts lasting less than five minutes. Overall, I will continue to use Skitch to create screenshots rather than Jing and I will continue to use Screencast-o-matic to create any future screencasts.

Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons and comics are fun and creative tools used to teach students different subjects. They are now been used in education. Using comic strips allow students to use their imagination and in the process, they become creative writers. They also learn to express themselves and practice communication skills. Many people use cartoons and comics to create comic strips of everyday life experiences. These experiences also help create new ones. Imagination is what brings these characters to life. I brought some funny characters to life by using MakeBeliefsComix, ToonDoo, and Pixton. These sites were easy to use and were a lot of fun. I sure enjoyed this experience.

MakeBeliefsComix

The MakeBeliefsComix did not require for me to create an account. I logged in straight into the website, clicked begin comic and within seconds I was creating my comic strip. This site provided directions on every icon. It provided a few characters, but enough to start a comic strip. It provided easy to follow directions on how to choose characters, how to work the panel prompts, how to use arrows to select emotions, choose object scenes, and to choose background colors. On the left hand-side panel it provided icons that helped scale, move, and flip the characters, words, and the speech balloons. It only allowed me to create a three square layout comic strip. The only thing I didn’t like about this site, it doesn’t save the comic strips. I saved mine by forwarding it to my email. I found the site to be extremely user friendly and the directions were of great help. Students would definitely and easily enjoy using this comic site. Check out my comic strip I created on MakeBeliefsComix: “Drama Queen”

ToonDoo

On the ToonDoo site, I had to create an account. It was extremely easy to register, and within seconds I was logged in with the user name I had created when I registered. The layouts were easy to choose from. I chose the three square layout. I chose the characters, but it was challenging as this site provided a lot of characters to choose from, which made it hard to decide. It provided different backgrounds to choose from, different props, different speech bubbles, and different body movements and facial expressions that can be added to the each character. This site provided a lot of “everything” to help you create your comic strip. Everything on this site is fully colored. As I created my comic strip, I learned to use the tool bar and its icons on my own. There were no directions as I clicked on each icon. I learned to change colors, flip, rotate, shrink, rotate, and delete characters, images, and words based on the previous comic site I had used since the icons and images were similar. I used the same background throughout my comic strip and all I had to do was click on the corner of the template and check off the corner square and in seconds the next template was duplicated or clone. This site also allowed me to change posture and face emotions on my characters. Even though there aren’t directions on each icon, I believe students would still be able to create comic strips using this site. It was simple to use. The ToonDoo comic site does provide option to save your comic strip. It allowed me to save my comic strip on the site, on my account. Check out my ToonDoo comic strip: “Tennis Dream”

Pixton

Pixton requires an account, therefore I created one. I couldn’t access my account right away. I had to wait for the Pixton site to send me an email confirmation message and then I verified my account via the Pixton’s message. I clicked on new comic and right away the site offered two options: Beginner Comics or Advanced. I chose beginner since I’m new at this. It allowed me to choose from different characters and different settings. It also provided me with the opportunity to create my comic strip by using one, two, or three characters. I chose three characters. After that I clicked on begin comic and a template was created with the three characters and the setting I had chosen. The layout also had the speech bubbles ready for me to type in the characters’ words. I doubled clicked on characters and speech boxes to move them from different locations. Pixton also provided me with icons to change characters’ body postures and facial expressions. Pixton does allow for the comic strip to be saved. I saved it privately and the site generated a link for viewing my comic strip, but I still took a screenshot of it. Check out the comic strip I created on Pixton: “The Missing Book”

 How to use cartoons and comics with students?

I read on some excellent ideas on how to use cartoons and comics with my students. I believe the students will find it fun, interesting, and most important it will be a new learning experience. I believe I may use cartoons and comic strips to teach and practice beginning, middle, and end reading skills. Students perhaps could summarize stories by focusing only on beginning, middle, and the end. They could create a comic strip of the story’s beginning, middle, and end. I would like to have students create an autobiographical comix about them at the beginning of the school year to break the ice. They could also tell me about three major events that they experienced during the summer using a comic website, perhaps MakeBeliefsComix since it doesn’t require an account. I perhaps could also have students create a comix using new vocabulary words. The characters in the comic strips could be using the new vocabulary words. Another way students could use cartoons and comics could be by having them write three ways on how they would like to improve in reading. I would have students create a comic strip explaining their three goals. These three sites were really good, but I think I would continue to use MakeBeliefsComix using the school computers. I really like that this site provided detailed directions on almost every icon. Students do need detailed directions and MakeBeliefsComix sure meets this need. 

Online Book Communities

I’ve explored a couple of online book communities such as Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, Booklikes, and Biblionasium. These are social cataloging websites for shelving books. Each and every one of these provide virtual bookshelves, which allows the user to put their books in shelves either by titles, book ratings, favorite reads, future reads, and by additional shelving titles the user may create. These online book communities were easy to work with, although some had more tabs than others and took me some more time to figure out, but I still managed to place my books in the shelves I wanted them to be in. Read the extra comments I’ve added in each of the different color boxes to help you navigate each cataloging site.

Goodreads

I didn’t spend a lot of time shelving my books with Goodreads. It was extremely user friendly and I did not have a problem navigating the site. The main feature that I benefited from and made my uploading of book titles quick was that it allowed me to upload my books straight from Amazon using my account. Once I logged in using my Amazon password, I chose the books I’ve purchased from amazon and automatically the book images loaded up to my main shelf. While I was still on my Amazon account, I was able to mark the book as read, to read, currently reading, or book owned. The books were automatically shelve as I had marked them. I added the owned shelve. I like the view of the “my books” page. It is easy to follow and read. I think my middle school students would enjoy shelving their books using Goodreads.

LibraryThing

As I became a member, LibraryThing asked me to type in the author’s name of a book it showed me to verify I’m not a robot. After that, it provided with the option to connect to social media such as Twitter and Facebook. It asked me if I needed to view a tutoring video to manage site, I think this is a great idea for those of us that are new to the site and don’t know how to navigate through it. It allowed me to use Amazon.com, but it didn’t have access to all of my books saved under my Amazon purchases. I had to search each book I needed by typing the title of each book- one at a time. It was time consuming. It allowed me to shelve my books in the following shelves: wishlist, currently reading, to read, read, owned, and by favorites. When I typed in the book title of a book I had already shelve, it prompted me that the ISB# had been duplicated. I like this feature.

Shelfari

Shelfari provided three pre-created book shelving categories. It provided me with plan to read, reading now, and with I have read shelve. I didn’t add any other shelves as these three worked for me. It allowed me to access Amazon.com to upload my books, but not my personal amazon book purchases or amazon wish list like Goodreads did. Shelfari was simple to use too, but I had to search books one at a time by typing in on the search bar the book’s title. It was also time consuming. As I found each book, the system took me through different windows before the book could be saved in the shelf I had chosen for it. It asked me to shelve the book, share the book, write book extras, then it took me to my edition tab, and finally I had to tag the book. I had to go through these five windows before the book could be shelve. If I chose to shelve the book in the “read shelf” it provided extra options in reference to the book. It asked dates for when the user began reading the book and when the user finished reading the book. The main page looks awesome after all the books have been shelve. 

Booklikes

Booklikes asked me for prefer reading genres like Goodreads and Shelfari, as I was subscribing to its site. Before I could start shelving or adding books to my account, I had to create a book blog. I had to go back to the main page a couple of times to unchecked the box for book blog, but it would still take me to create a blog, therefore, I created the book blog. Only then it allowed me to start searching for books to shelve. The shelving page had two search bars for searching books. I couldn’t find books using the bottom search bar, but I did using the search bar found at the top of the page. The books I searched for did not automatically showed up on the book shelf I had chosen, as I was shelving them, but until I clicked on the name of the shelf. I also had to find books one at a time by book title. In order to rate a book, I had to click on the advanced shelf and it also offered a window to write a book review. I really like the appearance of the page. It’s very pleasing and appealing to the eye. Over all it was simple to use, but time consuming.

Biblionasium

The Biblionasium pages are very kid friendly and beautifully designed. I tried signing in as a teacher, but I couldn’t, as I don’t have a school email account, therefore I signed in as a parent. As a parent I was able to add my ten your old son. This allowed me to recommend books to my son’s account, perhaps when he signs in he could view my recommendations and get motivated to read the books I recommended. I like this option. Kids can create their own account too. I noticed that Biblionasium only allowed me to shelve my books in three shelving categories: I have it, it’s a favorite, and we own this book. I tried to add another shelving category, but I couldn’t figure it out, therefore I didn’t add another one and used those three categories only. I learned that I can only search for books ages 2-13. It allowed me to save a book for older readers, but I had to type in the name of the book and upload a book cover image from my computer files. I believe that elementary students (Pre-K – 6^th Grade) would benefit most from this site.

I believe Goodreads was the most user friendly out of the five online book communities I’ve explored. The other ones were simple too, but Goodreads was even easier to use. Although each one can serve the needs of different grade level students, Goodreads will serve the needs of my Middle School Students. I only have 45 minutes with each of my classes, therefore time is precious and Goodreads will definitely help with making the experience easier and less time consuming. I would need to make sure that my students have an Amazon account, so they can use it to upload titles straight from their accounts like I did.  Amazon allows the user to use the option, “pick-up my Amazon buys” and in a matter of seconds the books upload to the main shelf. I find this option easy and convenient. I also like Shelfari. I like the feature where the user may add a character description to help others that may be interested in reading that book. It also helps the students practice their characterization reading skills. These two sites offer the user to set reading goals (books per year), set recommendations, rate books, view recommendations from others, and allows user to select prefer genres. These are options that would most benefit my students to continue to practice their reading skills. It is challenging just choosing one, but I believe these two would meet the needs of my students.