Reflection

Which ones excited you most?

I never thought of using Instagram as an educational source. Though, once I began with the assignment I discovered that there is a network of professionals using this social media platform. Teachers and librarians are able to share, display, and communicate how to help students succeed.  One can find bulletin, activities, and integration of technology ideas. When I created an Instagram account for this class I thought that it would be difficult. Yet, I found so many cool teachers and librarians posting innovating ways to reach students. There are numerous ideas that appear with a quick search. It can also be a supporting avenue for some educators to reach out to others going through similar situations. I thought that after completing the assignment my website would acquire spider webs. That has not been the case I kept posting and have by surprise made some followers. Along with this I also learned how to create a screencast and it was one of my favorite things to create. I do not like getting in front of the camera, but with this I did not have to and I was still able to make something that was useful to my students. 

Which ones were most difficult?

My least favorite would be the info graphic. I worked on it so much only for my link not to work because I forgot to change the settings to public. The websites to create them were challenging to maneuver, well at least for me. Changes and inputting graphs took me many tries and a few tears. I also had trouble when adding text, for some reason on my computer it would shift the whole info graphic when adding a text box. I can see however how useful this source can be. It has a lot of visual appeal and contains the main points of a topic. They are eye catching and once one learns how to create one they can be used for many things. The one I used I asked my technology trainer if she could enlarge it and I use it as an anchor chart for my class. However, there are going to be certain websites that I might not like, but others will. I think that it was a learning experience and it’s a source that others should be aware of.

Which one (in your opinion) will most benefit students?

The one that I think would benefit most students would be the YouTube, Animoto, and QR Codes. YouTube is extremely popular with all ages and I think a useful tool that anyone can use. Students do not have to create an account to access content. It comes in a mobile application that makes it convenient. Teachers, students, and librarians can use it to share information. There is no membership fee so it’s free for anyone to use. I had never used Animoto, but as a librarian I can see how it can be a fun and easy way to promote old, new, and popular readings to students. QR codes are also a tool that can be used in the library and classroom. It is a way for students to easily navigate to where you need them to be.