Extra Module- eBooks and Games

For this extra module, we were asked to read a selection from a children's eBook and answer 12 questions that pertained to it.  The purpose is to show us how eBooks can be used for reading appreciation and comprehension.

I really liked the structure of the iMapBook site and how friendly it appeared.  The eBook we were assigned, "Weightless", was clearly marked sitting on the "bookshelf".  I clicked on the icon and was shown a preview of the book.  As I clicked further along and began reading the story I noticed the brevity of each page.  This could be beneficial for young readers who have a hard time focusing on what they read.  After every few pages I would be prompted with a simple question about the reading.  I found this also helpful as it forces the reader to continually check their knowledge of the story and be able to use critical thinking to analyze the story.

I did notice something odd.  Once in a while, when I clicked on the next page, the text that began seemed incongruous to the story.  It seemed as if I was missing a page or portion of the text.  I was able to glean whatever was missing but it was slightly distracting.

Overall, I can imagine the use of eBooks and games like the iMapBook would be welcomed by students and teachers alike.  Students would find the ability to read at their own pace encouraging and teachers could benefit from using them as teaching aids to help excite and motivate their students to read more.

Module 5- Makerspaces

In this module we were asked to explore the concept of maker spaces and how they are being used in libraries and schools today. We were also asked to choose two assignments from a list pertaining to maker spaces. One of the options was to visit a maker space in person and report and reflect on the experience, and if that wasn't possible, to visit a maker space virtually and write about it.

Because of scheduling conflicts, I was unable to physically visit a maker space, so I decided to do the virtual option.

The first one that came up when I did a Google search was the maker space for The Evergreen School in Shoreline, Washington. This appeared to be one of the most elaborate and state of the art maker spaces I have encountered. The whole flooring area is equipped with different technological and craft resources. Students can make videos, record podcasts, and cut board games all within the confines of the same building. Organizational tools are supremely important in a maker space of this size, and the school has been creative with ways to maximize space and categorize materials. Though other libraries may not have the luxury of space as this school, it does provide examples of how best to use the space you have.

I attempted to create a poster to illustrate these features. After trying Adobe Spark and Microsoft Word, I found I was easily able to accomplish the design I wanted using Keynote.

The second assignment I chose was to create my own game using the program, Scratch. Because my theme for the semester has revolved around history I decided to make a game about Ponce de Leon searching for the Fountain of Youth. I wanted to have my sprite (Ponce de Leon) touch rocks and when he did, they changed costumes (or appearance). For this I watched a Lynda.com tutorial get an idea about how to use the program. While it was helpful for touring around the site, I found it limiting when it came to explaining how to do the kind of game I wanted to make. I went out and did a Google search for Scratch discussion boards to see if anyone had this problem before. After some more reading I was able to figure out that the rock sprites needed to have the water glass sprite and crab sprite included in their possible costumes. Then I needed to figure out how to make the water glass and crab appear randomly beneath the rocks. With my husband's help, I was finally able to accomplish this.

Overall, I can see how Scratch could be used in an educational way, both in content and in coding. The program tries to be as self-explanatory as possible and the different colors helps to make snapping assets together easier. However, I wish the whole program was a little bit more intuitive.

In this module we were asked to explore the concept of maker spaces and how they are being used in libraries and schools today. We were also asked to choose two assignments from a list pertaining to maker spaces. One of the options was to visit a maker space in person and report and reflect on the experience, and if that wasn't possible, to visit a maker space virtually and write about it.

Because of scheduling conflicts, I was unable to physically visit a maker space, so I decided to do the virtual option.

The first one that came up when I did a Google search was the maker space for The Evergreen School in Shoreline, Washington. This appeared to be one of the most elaborate and state of the art maker spaces I have encountered. The whole flooring area is equipped with different technological and craft resources. Students can make videos, record podcasts, and cut board games all within the confines of the same building. Organizational tools are supremely important in a maker space of this size, and the school has been creative with ways to maximize space and categorize materials. Though other libraries may not have the luxury of space as this school, it does provide examples of how best to use the space you have.

I attempted to create a poster to illustrate these features. After trying Adobe Spark and Microsoft Word, I found I was easily able to accomplish the design I wanted using Keynote.

The second assignment I chose was to create my own game using the program, Scratch. Because my theme for the semester has revolved around history I decided to make a game about Ponce de Leon searching for the Fountain of Youth. I wanted to have my sprite (Ponce de Leon) touch rocks and when he did, they changed costumes (or appearance). For this I watched a Lynda.com tutorial get an idea about how to use the program. While it was helpful for touring around the site, I found it limiting when it came to explaining how to do the kind of game I wanted to make. I went out and did a Google search for Scratch discussion boards to see if anyone had this problem before. After some more reading I was able to figure out that the rock sprites needed to have the water glass sprite and crab sprite included in their possible costumes. Then I needed to figure out how to make the water glass and crab appear randomly beneath the rocks. With my husband's help, I was finally able to accomplish this.

Overall, I can see how Scratch could be used in an educational way, both in content and in coding. The program tries to be as self-explanatory as possible and the different colors helps to make snapping assets together easier. However, I wish the whole program was a little bit more intuitive.

Module 4- Desktop Publishing

To prepare for this assignment, I watched the video about using Microsoft Word as a document publisher.  I chose to use Word because it was readily available on my desktop and I had never used it to make flyers or posters before.  I decided I would use a template for the paper document but then attempt to build my own for the e-flyer.

Honestly, I decided to use the template for the paper version by accident.  I found a template that included a section of customizable contact information slips and because the flyer I wanted to create was for a class, I thought this would be helpful.

I changed the template by adding my information and switching out the images.  I also added some shadowing and WordArt for my heading text boxes.  I tried to play with the margins to have the color reach the bottom of the page but when it wasn't looking right, I decided to leave them alone.

I then saved my paper flyer as a PDF and made the drive out to the nearest print shop.  Much to my disappointment, I realized the text box and the strips I used for the contact information got clipped from the bottom.

I knew I wouldn't have a chance to get back to the print shop but I still wanted to figure out how to fix my problem.  I moved the text box up a bit and then I was able to see it in the PDF form.  I still haven't been able to figure out how to make the contact slips appear completely, even after having my tech-y husband take a look.

Meanwhile, I decided to focus on the e-flyer.  I rewatched the video about Microsoft Word and tried to follow along to create my own e-flyer.  The video showed a version of Word that didn't totally match with mine but I was still able to use some of the tools and enhancements it used.

The trickiest thing I tried to do was change the shape of the clip art images.  I didn't want to just have boring squares, so I began trying to figure out how to fill the shapes with the image, similarly to the technique I used in the Keynote presentation.  After trying to figure it out on my own for a while, I decided to go out and see if I could find a tutorial.  Finally, I found one that explained I had to go the Shape option on the toolbar and select the "Picture" tab.  There was then an opportunity to choose a clipart image, however, none of the images were labeled.  I had to select and preview a series of images until I found the ones I needed.  It was time consuming, but I was glad to finally have the images in different shapes.  I think it made the simple e-flyer appear a bit more interesting.

Module 3- Audio/Video Presentation

I have to admit I went into this project with a false sense of security.  I have experience working with audio equipment from the few times I helped run audio on some local films.  I've also dabbled in podcasting a few times.

I have less video experience, but the little I do have involved shooting and editing some silly movies.

I did all of these activities for fun yet I learned just enough to feel comfortable with the basics.  I thought this project was going to be a piece of cake-- that is, until I got food poisoning.

My family and I left on Friday to head up north to meet up with my in-laws in Myrtle Beach.  We decided to stop for the night in Savannah and I figured I would use one of Savannah's various historical markers as a backdrop for my audio and video project.

The next day, after getting some footage around the beautiful city, we stopped at a hip bakery for some breakfast sandwiches.   Once we had finished eating we began shooting a little more just to make sure I had all the footage I needed.  I should mention that my husband is a professional videographer and although he did offer some pointers on how to hold the camera, I made sure that I decided what shots I wanted.

We got back in the car and began the rest of our journey.  My husband and I were grouchy and the baby was being extra fussy as we finally pulled into the campground that his family was staying in.  We had only just begun to say our hellos when my husband and I felt suddenly ill.  We mistakingly thought we were just exhausted from the road and that we just felt sick because we skipped lunch- being full still from our rich breakfast.

Within a few hours, we began to really feel our worst.  All Saturday night was spent in and out of the bathroom.  Even the poor baby got sick.  We were three pitiful creatures.

By Sunday my husband and baby were finally starting to feel better, but I wasn't in the clear yet.  I slept most of the day and into the night.  On Monday, I was able to finally eat a few crackers and keep down water.

I also began watching some tutorials on Audacity and iMovie on Lynda.com.  I had never worked with these programs before, and although I figured they might be similar to other programs I have used, such as ProTools and MovieMaker, I wanted to make sure I had a basic grasp before I began importing my video files.

Today I recorded the script in Audacity and I edited the stammers and hesitations to make one clean track.  I then opened iMovie and began snapping the clips together that made the most sense.  I edited the clips down or expanded them to make sense of the voice-over.  I added some title effects and brought in a music bed to soften the flow.

Module 2- Presentation Media

Well, this has certainly been a learning experience.

When I first read the details of the assignment, I panicked.  I had used PowerPoint on several occasions but only to the degree that Professor Austin described: putting together a simple bulleted list of ideas that I would speak to or simply send with a picture or two.  I had seen other presentations that used different media and in my work at the library I am often tasked with sitting behind a computer and watch training presentations.  But I had never thought about trying to anything more advanced than that.

At first I was thinking of just using PowerPoint again for this assignment.  I was familiar with it and thought most people would be.  But since the point of this assignment was to break out of your comfort zone and try something different, I decided against it.  Instead, I would try out Keynote.  I had never touched it or seen it before, but since I use mostly Mac products, I thought it might be good to become aware of a different presentation tool.

Of course, I needed to teach myself how to use it first.  I went on Lynda.com and watched a few tutorials.  When I had a pretty good grasp on it, I turned to my instructional plan.  I had originally thought of doing an exploration of a genealogy website but as I began storyboarding, it just didn't make sense.  Instead, I turned to a subject I enjoy (local history) and instead mapped out my slides to cover a sampling of the local historical and artistic attractions around Sarasota.  

Keeping in mind the theory of 7 that Professor Austin mentioned, I tried to pull away from using too much text.  Instead, i challenged myself by playing with images and animation, installing links, and creating a self-paced exploration.  It was a challenge but I was pretty pleased with the results.  I was able to apply the instruction that I had seen in my Lynda.com tutorials and actually enjoyed seeing the results.