Videos and QR codes in the library

-
Youtube videos are a great way to promote your library. Kids of all ages know what Youtube is and probably even know how to navigate it successfully. There are so many possibilities on how to use Youtube to get students excited about the library:

  • Post (spoiler free) book reviews. You could even film the students giving reviews!
  • Livestream videos of you reading aloud at scheduled times
  • Film author visits
  • Record a Q&A skype call with an author
  • Create a screencast for how to utilize your library's databases or the library website
  • Film a pep rally for a soon to be released book
  • Vlog "a day in the life" of a librarian, or have a student vlog their day ("a day in the life" of a YourSchoolNameHere's student)
  • Post reading challenges, vlog updates
The following videos would be helpful for students:
The following videos would be the most enjoyable for students:


Recently, I read the book Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I really enjoyed it! It is a heartwarming (and heartbreaking, at times) story following a girl named Cath's freshman year in college.

From Rainbow Rowell's website:

"Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath it's something more. Fandom is life. It's what got her and her sister, Wren, through losing their mom. It's what kept them close. And now that she's starting college, introverted Cath isn't sure what's supposed to get her through. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?"

Part of the reason I loved this story so much was because it is so relatable. Nobody has life figured out their freshman year of college and it can feel like your world is turned upside down. As a Harry Potter evangelist  enthusiast (who Simon Snow's character is clearly based on) I especially connected with Cath's fears of being expected to "grow out of it" and leave the fictional world we love behind. I chose to create a book trailer with Animoto for Fangirl that can be seen here:



Creating this book trailer was surprisingly easy using animoto. I chose the template for "Teasers" and found all the images using Creative Commons. Once I uploaded the images to Animoto, I added text and it automatically calculated how long the slide should be displayed for. I chose a song and published and that was that! Simple. I then used a website called QR Stuff, linked my video, and it instantly created a QR code that I could download and upload here. Again, so easy! I love things that are effortless.

In regards to using QR codes in a school library, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few ideas on how to incorporate them:
  • Put them on a genre poster with links to the best selling books for each genre
  • Place them on the inside covers of books that have been made into movies and link the trailer (or book trailer like the one I created)
  • Use them to link to similar or related books
  • Link nonfiction books to articles written about the subject matter
  • Link book review youtube videos, or goodreads review page
  • If a book club exists for that book (or genre of book), link a flier
There is so much you can do to interact with materials using QR codes! How will you use QR codes in your library?


Comments

  1. Karla Díaz PargaOctober 26, 2019 at 9:09 PM

    Hi Stephanie,
    I agree with you in that Animoto was super easy to use. I loved it! Your ideas to incorporate QR codes into the library are great. I didn't know much about these codes before and I think it's great that another tool is available that can also be used for educational purposes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 27, 2019 at 9:51 AM

    I agree, Animoto was definitely easy to use. I found it actually kind of fun! I will for sure be using it again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ms.Ibarra NewsDecember 4, 2019 at 6:40 PM

      I agree with you as well, Animoto was very user friendly and I had lots of fun creating my book trailer. I look forward to using this platform in my career. QR codes are very easy to use and students love them.

      Delete
  3. UnknownDecember 6, 2019 at 3:36 PM

    Love your ideas for using QR codes. The possibilities seem endless and I'm excited to use them in my library - hoping it will make the kids more excited, too!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

-
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear Written by Lindsay Mattick and Illustrated by Sophie Blackall Bibliographic Data: Mattick, Lindsay. 2015. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. Ill. by Sophie Blackall. Toronto: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0316324908  Plot Summary: The true story of the bear we all know and love, Winnie the Pooh, is told through a bedtime story by the Great Granddaughter of Winnie’s original owner. In 1914, Harry Coleburn is a veterinarian who is called to war to tend to the soldier’s horses. On the way, he happens upon a tiny bear, who he buys and names Winnie. Although Harry is unsure of how their journey together will end, Winnie tags along with Harry and the other soldiers and wins over their hearts. When eventually Harry and Winnie must go their separate ways, Winnie wins the heart of another young boy, named Christopher Robin. Critical Analysis: Finding Winnie is a warm, heartfelt story told in ...
Read more

Review: Popcorn by Frank Asch

-
Popcorn by Frank Asch Bibliographic Data: Asch, Frank. (1979). Popcorn . New York, NY: Aladdin. ISBN 978-1-4424-6662-3 Plot Summary: It’s Halloween night, and Sam’s parents leave him to watch the house while they go to a party. Sam decides to invite his friends over, who all bring popcorn to enjoy at the party. Things get a little out of hand when Sam makes all the popcorn at once, and soon the house is overflowing with popcorn! Sam and his friends must act quickly to get rid of all the popcorn before Sam’s parents get home. Critical Analysis:  Just as with Asch’s other books, the straightforward title lets readers know exactly what they are in for, which is an extraordinary amount of popcorn. The real star of this book is the popcorn itself, taking on a mind of its own and creating chaos for Sam and his friends. Sam tackles the problem of the popcorn overtaking his house without any input from adults. Asch empowers readers to work through their problems, and respects his...
Read more

Historical Fiction Review: The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner by Laurence Yep

-
The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner by Laurence Yep Yep, Laurence. 2000. THE JOURNAL OF WONG MING-CHUNG: A CHINESE MINER. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 9780590386074 2. PLOT SUMMARY Wong Ming-Chung, otherwise known as Runt, begins his journal in October of 1851, when his Uncle Stone leaves to find riches and fortune in California during the Gold Rush. Runt’s family, like many others in China, are struggling to make ends meet. They hope that they will soon be Guests of the Golden Mountain- families that have money sent to them from family members who become gold miners in California- and their Uncle Stone makes this a reality. Uncle Stone wanted Runt’s older brother, Blessing, to join him in the mines, and Runt is terrified to learn that his family will be sending him instead of his brother. Runt’s journey to California is full of hardships from the moment he sets off, and the glimmering dream of easy money is soon proved to be a misconception. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Laurenc...
Read more