LSSL 5391 Final Reflection

Final Reflection

At the start of this course, I was very nervous because I didn't know if I would be able to keep up with all the technology that encompassed this course. I was pleasantly surprised that I was not only able to get the hang of the technology tools of this course, but I was excited and eager to learn more about them. I was so proud of the projects that I had created in this course that I often found myself showing my co-workers and telling them all about the technology tools that we were using.

The technology tools that were most exciting for me were Animoto and QR Codes. I was in shock to see how easy Animoto made it to put a quick video together with music, pictures, and text descriptions. I really think this tool is useful not only for teachers, but for students to use for presentation purposes. I also really enjoyed making QR codes. QR Code Generator made it easy to create a QR code for my book trailer that I made. QR codes allow the process of accessing desired information to be quick and effective. 

The technology tools that were most difficult for me were the comic tools: Toondoo, Pixton, and Make Beliefs Comix. I was really excited to create these, but I was disappointed with how confusing and complicated each of these tools were. I know students would love to create comic strips, I just wish these tools made it easier for users to utilize.

The technology tools that I feel are most beneficial for students are screencasts, and YouTube videos. These videos provide students with information that they can visually see. The great thing about these videos is that students can go back and watch these videos as many times as they want and can rewind, if needed. Students can also use these tools to be creative and develop their own videos for presentation purposes. 

Overall, I learned so much in this course this semester. This course allowed me to feel more comfortable with technology and not be so scared to try new tools. I feel eager and excited to know that I can use any of these tools now, and in the future as a librarian. 

Here is my Animoto video of my final reflection of LSSL 5391.

Podcasts

Podcasts

Podcasts are an innovative tool that teachers can use to create engaging content on topics learned in class. Students are able to listen to podcasts at any time and any location. If students are struggling with a concept, they can go back and listen to the podcast as many times as needed. Podcasts can also be used by students. Students can create podcasts to present information learned in class.

Podbean

I have used Podbean multiple times throughout my graduate school career. Podbean has always made it easy to upload my podcast to my channel. I always liked how Podbean resembles a social media website. Podbean allows each user to choose their profile picture for their channel along with a cover header that is displayed at the top of the page. Each time you are uploading a podcast, you are given the option to choose a picture and add a description. Podbean requires you to create an account, and allows you to have 5 hours worth of content, unless you upgrade. 

Click here to listen to my podcast that I uploaded through Podbean.

Soundcloud

Since I have only used Podbean to upload my podcasts, I decided to try other Podcasting programs. I created an account with Soundcloud because I know it is widely used. To my surprise, uploading a video is simple and quick with Soundcloud. Soundcloud has a modern layout that contains large buttons with descriptions to make it easy to navigate around the website. The only downfall is that Soundcloud only allows you to have up to 3 hours of content on the free plan. 

Audioboom

I created an account with Audioboom and enjoyed that the website was vibrant in color with large and easy to read text. I searched for quite some time for a place that I could upload my podcast without having to pay for it, and then realized that this wasn't an option. You must pay $9.99 per month in order to upload your podcasts to this program. 

Overall, I think podcasts are a great way to incorporate technology into your lessons. I think they put a fun twist on student learning that students would appreciate. Podbean and Soundcloud were both great programs to use to upload your podcasts. Sadly, I did not get to try Audioboom, since there was not a free plan available. 

Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons and Comics

Comics are a fun way to deliver information through images and text. They can be incorporated into classroom instruction to make learning more enjoyable for students. I think comic strips put a fun spin on reading text from a book. An educator is more likely to keep the attention of their students through comic strips than through reading text from a book or article. 

I explored three different websites and created a comic strip on each of them. The programs I used were Pixton, Toondoo, and Make Beliefs Comix. I had never created a comic strip before so it was fun being able to learn and be creative while trying each program out.

Here is the comic strip I created with Toondoo:

This comic strip was my first comic strip I have ever created. Since this was my first, I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of buttons and icons that this program contained. I couldn't help but think that if I was this overwhelmed, how would the students feel? After playing around with it for a little while, I finally became more comfortable with creating my cartoon. I like the various options of characters that it provides, along with several expressions for each. The amount of icons this program had made it hard to see where the save button was. When I found it, I noticed that you had to hover over the icon to read that it was save button. You must create an account to use this program.

Here is the comic strip I made with Pixton:

I enjoyed using this program because I felt like it was more modern and life-like looking. You are able to create your own avatar, which is neat. This program is clear and easy to use with large buttons and colorful features. The only downfall about this website is that is contains limited options for users with the free version. You can only create 2 characters to use in your comic strips and there are only four backgrounds to choose from. This program allows you to easily download and save your cartoon, with a large button that said "download." This program requires you to create an account.

Here is the comic strip I made with Make Beliefs Comix:

This program does not require you to create an account. I really liked all the fun character options that this program offered. I can see students having fun creating comics with this website. The only downfall about this website was that you had to press a button before moving items around or increasing/decreasing the size. This program was a little bit harder to save my comic strip. The only way to save your image is by clicking the "save image to disk" which allows you to download the image to your computer. 

Comic strips can be incorporated into the classroom in many different ways. Comic strips can be used for: delivering information, presenting information learned, or just as a fun icebreaker. Teachers and students can create comics to make learning more entertaining and effective.