Final Reflection

I created an online book of my final reflection using Bookcreator. 

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My Technology Experience in LSSL 5391

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When this course began, I felt confident that I knew enough about technology. Now that I am at the end of the course, I do have to say that even being "tech-savvy", I still had a lot to learn, and I am proud of the work that I completed throughout this course!

This course taught me the importance of staying up to date with technology and the many ways technology can be incorporated in classroom settings and in libraries. I also gained new confidence that as a librarian, I will be capable of collaborating with classroom teachers. I can't wait to start implementing the new applications and information that I gained throughout this course as a classroom teacher and as a future librarian.

Most exciting:

• Instagram, Facebook pages and Groups, and Twitter
• As someone who keeps up to date with social media, yes, I was VERY excited for this module! Not only did I enjoy this module because it dealt with social media apps that I use on a daily basis, but I was able to view them from a different perspective. I enjoyed looking through the important technology accounts that were presented to us in the module and I now follow the accounts on various social media apps. When I am on Instagram, I am constantly saving posts with new technology ideas to incorporate in my classroom and future library. Even on TikTok, I am always looking for videos of how teachers and librarians incorporate various technology tools in their instruction. This module helped me see social media from a professional view point!

• Comics and Cartoons
• I was excited for this module because recently more of my students have come to love reading graphic novels and I wanted to learn how to create a comic strip. I am a visual person and being that I work with young students, using comic strips is a fun way to relay information. This module taught me that comic strips can be used to promote an upcoming event, teach a certain subject/content, present rules, and can be used to highlight important information for parents! When I first started the module I didn't know there would be so many reasons as to why I should incorporate comic strips in my classroom/library or even how to get started to create one. Now, I have three websites I can use to create comics and I can't wait to start making them for my classroom and I am looking forward to my students creating their own!

Most difficult:

• Blogs and Blog Readers
• Now for the difficult modules....I definitely had a hard time with this one! First, I had no idea what I was supposed to do because I had never heard of a RSS reader. I had to do a lot of researching and I found myself getting frustrated MANY times because I couldn't grasp this new information. It wasn't until I started working through different RSS readers that I finally understood their purpose and the module became a bit easier for me to complete. Now that I have tried my hand at different feed readers, I love that I can store all my information in one place. I learned to appreciate this module because I can now use a feed reader to store blogs with valuable information and I can easily come back to them. Also, I found new teacher/librarian blogs to follow and I now follow more professional accounts on my social media apps. Although I had a very difficult time working through this module, I learned how beneficial feed readers are and I will appreciate it in the long run.

• Screencasts
• I know what you're thinking. "Screencasts? Really? THIS was hard?" For me, I think I had the MOST difficult time completing this module because I am an introvert. To create my screencasts, I had to practice countless times to make sure I was saying everything I needed to. While recording, I had to keep reminding myself to talk slow because the more nervous I get, the faster I start talking. This lead me to do about 20 takes PER video, so yes, I had a very difficult time completing this module. Also, I was having difficulties with some of the screencast tools which added to my frustration of trying to work through my nervousness. Nonetheless, I learned the benefits of incorporating screencasts and the many ways they can be used in a classroom and library.

Most Beneficial for Students:

• Infographics
• I have always used anchor charts in my classroom, and I now have a great technology tool that I can incorporate for visual support. Infographics are not only valuable for a classroom setting, but I learned there are many ways they can be incorporated in the library. Although I had a hard time picking what information to use in my infographic, the website I chose to use (Piktochart) made it easy and fun to create. I found infographics to be (one of) the most beneficial tools for students because it helps reach students who are visual learners. Also, since infographics highlight important information, reluctant readers would enjoy learning new information through this type of format. Not to mention that infographics can be used to present information to parents, which I am sure they would appreciate having new/valuable information stand out to them through the use of a visualization.

• Videos and QR Codes in the Library
• I couldn't just pick one that was beneficial! Although older students may already know about YouTube, younger students are now starting to enjoy it. I have had many students talk about watching YouTube videos and some students who are "YouTubers". I was excited for this module because I wanted ideas on how YouTube could be used in an educational way. By working through this module, I was able to view using YouTube videos from a librarian perspective by following the various accounts that were brought to our attention. I have seen many of my past students enjoy learning by having visuals/videos included in my instruction, so having YouTube videos created for them to refer to would be very beneficial. Also, from a librarian perspective, YouTube would be an eye-catching way to present new information. When working through this module, I also realized there are ways to combine screencasts and YouTube into my library, and this can not only benefit students, but parents as well. QR codes was another tool discussed in this module and I learned there are many ways to incorporate them. Using a QR code can give students quick access to information or can be used to send students to a certain website when it is scanned. Also using QR codes for instruction will keep students engaged. Another great thing about using QR codes is that any person with a phone camera is able to scan the code. While working through this module, I learned there are many ways to incorporate YouTube and QR codes in a classroom or library setting. An added bonus to working through this module was learning about/using Animoto. It was a completely new experience for me, and this would also be a great video tool that I could share with my students.

This course reminded me that even though you may feel comfortable and confident in something, there is ALWAYS room to grow! I took something that I knew very well, for example YouTube and social media, and I was able to expand my knowledge and I now see them as educational tools. This course made me very excited to get back to the classroom and incorporate new technology tools, and prepare myself to incorporate them as a librarian.