Online Book Communities

There are various means to "shelve" and share book collections.  It can be used to display a proposed reading list or a recommendation of sort.  Here are a few online book communities that I have had a chance to play with along with my recommendations.

Goodreads

This online book community is really easy to work with.  You can get a synopsis of each book by clicking on the picture.  It is also tied to Barnes and Noble as well as a large assortment of other vendors.   This would be a good way for a group of people to keep up with what others are reading and their recommendations of the books each read.  Students would be able to use this as a classroom project, however most school districts will block this sight from their districts. 

Library Thing

This online book community is easy to use as well.  It seems a little better to view as compared to Goodreads.  It is easy to add books, but you can only do it one at a time.  You can add tags to the books.  Users can use change the amount of columns per page as well as the size of the book covers.  The book shelves can be arranged by authors, series, Melvil Decimal System and Lexile Measures. 

Shelfari

This was by far my favorite.  This tool is user friendly and visually appealing.  You can add followers via Facebook, Twitter, Gmail or Yahoo.    Users can import book lists as well as export book lists.  Users can establish groups as well.  This would be great to use the classrooms. 

Booklikes

Again, this is an easy program to use.  There is a drop down menu that is linked to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, as well as other book stores to check the price of the book selection.  It is also user friendly to add books and sort them from add date, read date, author, title and rating.  I love that you can add your shelf to a blog.  I don't like that font size is really small. 

Biblionasium

This seemed like the most appropriate tool to use for elementary age children.  It is very colorful and simple.  The books can be organized by displaying all books, favorites, recommended, required and classroom wish list.  Teachers and/or parents can even run reports on books read.  What I did not like about this tool was that there were a lot of books that I did not have access to, so I would have to enter one manually.  There were not any links to the book stores like Barnes and Noble or Amazon. 

Podcasts

                There are numerous uses for Podcasts, both in the classroom as well as the library.  It is referred to as an audio blog.  Teachers can use one to introduce a lesson ahead of time.  Maybe the background information, review, or definitions could be covered through a Podcast outside the classroom.  This frees up some more instructional classroom time.  Some of the students need a lot of repetition such as our ELL’s or special education students.  This instructional tool could be used to accommodate their learning needs.  Sometimes there is not enough time to cover the needed information, so an extension of the lecture can also be reviewed with a podcast.  Currently, some schools are using “flipped classroom,” which is when the teacher uses a podcast to deliver the lesson, so that the classroom time can be used for answering questions and doing projects. 

Librarians can use this tool in various ways.  With limited time and manpower, having podcasts can aid in assisting the students with topics that are easily answered.  Students can also upload podcasts of book reviews, so that other students might get a different perspective of a book. 

There are several free podcasting tools that students can use.  They are very user friendly and only require a microphone and a computer.  A lot of the newer computers already have a microphone built in, so it is even easier that one thinks to record a podcast. 

Here is an example from Soundcloud




Here is an example from Audioboo

listen to ‘Mikaela Saenz Podcast of Rodrick Rules’ on Audioboo

Webbing/Mindmapping

Spicynodes:  This easy to use Mind Mapping tool is extremely easy to use.  It has neat features that can be varied by user choice.  The font, background and color choice are a few of these features.  Users can also upload multimedia including music, audio, and photos to add to the concepts.  The maps can also be shared via twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and StumbleUpon, to name a few. 

 

 

 

Popplet:  This webbing tool is really easy to use .  You can create visual organizers with different styles.  Also simple in nature, users can add balloons or text boxes by a simple double click.  There is also a neat feature to be able to leave comments on other maps. 

Wisemapping:  With this webtool, users can embed images, use it as an ap on an Ipad or Android tablets, and add comments to other maps. 

 

The easiest one to use was Popplet.  This would be the one I would recommend to younger users because it is so simple to use.  Editing the map is very user friendly and easy to manage.  Spicynodes would be a great way to take notes and might be better for a high school population.   Wisemapping was really frustrating to work with.  I had a difficult time creating the map.  The tutorial was not existent.  It did not have many helpful hints to help the users.  I would definitely not recommend using it. 

 

Edwards, E. & Cooper, N. (2010). Mind mapping as a teaching resource. The Clinical Teacher, 7, 236-239.

 

 

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

Some of the following places have created a YouTube channel.  Within each channel, there are different videos that are uploaded for educational use.  Here are some of the following links to different channels.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNHSLibrary/videos

 

The NHS Library’s Channel-

Poetry for Students-This video seemed really helpful.  Any student was able to follow step by step instructions for library and poetry resources.  The instructor/librarian was able to give a lot of resources a student should use while working on their poetry assignment.  I think the students will get a lot of use from this video.  Students can definitely roll over some of the information to the different subject areas.

 

NHS Library Orientation-Although this is a short video, a teacher can use it prior to going to the library.  This will take away less time for finding books instead of having the librarian go over this during the orientation.  It would also be useful when there is a new student to the district.

 https://www.youtube.com/user/theunquietlibrary/videos

The Unquiet Library Channel-

Video Tutorial How to Embed a Prezi Presentation in Wikispaces-These types of presentation are great because they are user friendly.  Students can back up the video to repeat a portion of the presentation.  This is always helpful.  Embedding is something that students need to get a better grip of it.

Creative Commons Licensing: What Is It & Why Should I Care-I think the students should learn about this topic in more depth.  Students need to learn to give credit where credit is due.  This short clip help hint on some of the reasons why it is important to learn about licensing. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/pikesvillehslibrary/videos

2013-2014 Registration Process-This is a great video because, once again, when a student is absent, they can just review this video to obtain the information that is needed to register for the next school year.  Parents can also view this video.  It makes the life of the counselor a lot easier.  Students would definitely use this a lot. 

The Pikesville HS Library in Action Aug/Sept 2012-This type of video would be great to have going on any TV’s inside the school grounds.  Students will be able to see some snips of what is available at the library. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/bbmsmedia/videos

Taylor Swift hates overdue library books-This is a cute video done to attract teens and encourage students to be responsible and turn in books on time.  Students probably hit this video to see it creativity.

Overdue Games-This is a really cute twist on Hunger Games.  In this video, students are encouraged to make sure to turn in the books on time.

Overdue Twilight-LOVE IT.  Plus I love the song in the background.  Cute how it ties in the characters of Twilight into discussion on overdue books.

 

  Scan this QR code for a book trailer on perfect chemistry.

 

 

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

 

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

 

QR CODES

 

These are an awesome addition to the library.  You can have several of them around or outside the library for student/teacher use.  These can easily take the students to a particular website for use.  Pictures can also be used in the QR codes.  In math, reading, and science, we use them for vocabulary.  There are endless possibilities for teachers, librarians, or even students to use.