Reaching the End!
Reflection
This semester was filled
with opportunities to grow! I had never created on such a large scale. I had played
with comics and video creation, but I learned so much about different ways to
share information and connect with others. I know that this is going to help me
in any position in education. Finding fun ways for students to share and
sharing in that way as well, shows students that you are also being vulnerable
and putting yourself out there. Technology is fun! Giving students more
opportunities to see that in school is a good thing!
- What
excited you most?
The most exciting
assignments were the ThingLink Library Floor Plan, the Animoto Book review, and
the Infographic assignment.
I had never heard of ThingLink
Floorplans. These floorplans are such a great way to get patrons comfortable in
a new space! I loved the capacity that they give to share what is on each shelf,
and what each section of the library offers. This is a great way to give
patrons more of an idea of what exactly can be found in each section of the Dewey
Decimal system. I listed off a few of the main subjects, but a librarian can
really take the time to get into a lot of detail, and even have a ThinkLink QR
code available in the library that patrons could explore while they were trying
to find books. I loved every part of this assignment; from creating the
template on Google Slides to finding the pictures that would illustrate the
different sections of the library. I would love to actually be able to use this
in a library!
The Animoto book review
assignment was so fun to create! I focused on creating a summary that was short
and sweet with images that captured a bit of what the story was really about. I
loved that they gave a great template to start off with and manipulate. They
make it very easy to create a professional-looking product that is easy to
share! Teaching students to use this platform would be simple, and it would
encourage them to create reviews to share with others.
The infographic
assignment was fun because it was a way to be creative with numbers. I see
graphs and statistics presented in articles all the time, but actually being able
to move them and compare them in a meaningful way was something new. The
infographic creators made it easy to find beautiful and captivating templates that
shared all the information that was necessary.
- What
was the most difficult?
There were a lot of assignments
that I would’ve wanted more time to really explore and understand. A few of the
assignments that I would’ve liked to have had more time to work on and explore
are the Universal Design for Learning and the Podcasts. The Universal Design
for Learning has a lot of parts and a lot of different possibilities. I would really
like to see examples of this in the classroom and in a library. Multiple
examples with students that have different needs would really bring the Universal
Design for Learning to life. I would like to feel confident with the
application of each section. This is only possible with more time.
A podcast takes a lot of
time to produce well. I enjoyed the idea of creating a podcast and talking about
interesting information I had been exploring, but it was all really rushed. I
would’ve enjoyed more time to write out a script with more detail, edit the
audio, and add other interesting elements.
- What
(in your opinion) would benefit students the most?
I think the tech tool
that has the greatest potential to positively impact students is YouTube and video
creation. Students are constantly watching videos and consuming this form of technology.
I think that empowering them to create in this way is exciting for them and can
help them find their voice. They can use this skill in so many ways throughout
their lives. In the library, they can be encouraged to create book reviews,
informational videos, humorous videos, or videos to teach skills.
In true digital technology fashion, we couldn't finish off the semester without exploring a fun new way to tell a story. I decided to try Storybird, and I'm really glad that I did! There are so many ways to tell stories and so many incredible illustrations to choose from! I had so much fun creating this short children's book about my adventures throughout the semester. (It's still being reviewed, but will hopefully be up soon! In the meantime enjoy the words to the story I wrote.) I hope you enjoy!
The New Frontier! By Tapia's Take
The explorer had heard a lot of things about this new frontier. She had even seen pictures and enjoyed what others had accomplished, but the time had come for her to make the scary journey from a bystander to a creator! (A spaceship was launching into space.)
The beginning of the journey was difficult. Everything was going so fast and there were so many things to keep track of. (A spaceship was zooming in space.)
The explorer spent a lot of time watching and learning from others. People are so creative! She saw how they made videos, shared information and events, made cartoons, and even respected other people's hard work by following copyright. (The spaceship was going around a planet.)
The time came to come out of the ship and begin to create for herself. This took a lot of time and effort, but the explorer stuck with it and put in the work. (The astronaut came out.)
Soon she wasn't as scared to have fun as she created. Finding pictures, adding music, and sharing her opinion all became easier the more that she did it! (The astronaut was having fun exploring among the stars.)
Soon enough, she had created and shared all kinds of beautiful products! She loved that she didn't just get to create, but would soon get to teach others about the exciting things this new frontier had to offer! (The Earth celebrated the astronauts return.)
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