A Final Reflection
Which ones excited me most?
Animoto: creating a book trailer with Animoto was incredibly easy, and having students create their own book trailers or book reviews using this format would be great for book clubs and literature circles.
QR codes: I have used QR codes in the past, but they are a quick and easy way to incorporate technology in the library, as long as students have access to mobile devices. It would be a great way to have students share what books they are reading, highlight new books, or link to surveys for both students and staff.
Comic strips: Creating comic strips was my favorite activity in the course, and my favorite website to use was Pixton. While it does require a subscription to download or share your comic, the options for customizing your comic strip from backgrounds to body positions to facial expressions are almost infinite. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I know students will too. Comics could be used to summarize a book or even create a conversation between two main characters in different books. The possibilities are endless!
Which tools were the most difficult for me?
Blogs: As the main format of completing assignments in this class, I was uneasy about starting a blog. I definitely have a ways to go in terms of spicing up my posts and making them more interesting and visually appealing, but I did enjoy the learning experience. I also have a new appreciation for bloggers because it takes a great deal of thought and planning to decide what you want to say and how to say it in a public forum. I think having students start a blog is a great way to track their growth and allow them to reflect on their learning.
Podcasts: Creating a podcast was the assignment I was most nervous about, because I don't really enjoy hearing myself talk. I struggled to make the script interesting and concise so that I wasn't droning on and on. I found myself flubbing words and having to re-record several times. It was also a challenge to find a platform that allowed two users in different locations to combine their audio. I found that Anchor was the best option for this, and 100% free to boot. It also provided professional sounding transitions and background music options that I really liked and had a very simple drag-and-drop interface to combine the different elements of the podcast into one recording. There are tons of uses for podcasts, including book reviews by students, creating mock interviews of book characters, sharing library happenings with the community, and more.
Which tool do I think students will benefit from the most?
The answer is....all of them! My study of Universal Learning Design as part of this course focuses on giving students choice for how they learn and how the create products. Offering as many of these digital tools to students as possible will allow them to select an option that works best for them and optimize their learning. There isn't a single "best" tool, because everyone is different. Even within our class, favorites varied. I encourage you to try as many of these tools as you can and diversify education for your students.