Videos and QR Codes in the Library

YouTube
YouTube is a great resource to use not just in subsidizing your teaching, but it also adds to the library atmosphere. YouTube has many videos in the style of book trailers that will grab the reader's attention. Some videos are more for entertainment purposes, while others are meant to inform or instruct. Below are few different YouTube pages that are guaranteed to add to your library. 

The NHS Library (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNHSLibrary/videos)

 Students Would enjoy this video for it's entertaining read alouds.


This video would be helpful for students to learn how to use CQ Research



The Unquiet Library (https://www.youtube.com/user/theunquietlibrary/videos)

 This video is entertaining for students, simply due to the fact that it is of a performance that happened in the library.
This video is more helpful for students to learn how to find images in Wikimedia
Pikesville HS Library (https://www.youtube.com/user/pikesvillehslibrary/videos)

 Students will enjoy this video because of the celebration going on.
This video will be helpful for students because it informs students on how to fill out a FAFSA
BBMS Media (https://www.youtube.com/user/bbmsmedia/videos)

 Students will enjoy this video because it entertains students with information on overdue books using Star Wars. 
This video will be helpful for students because it informs students on the proper way to store headphones.
However helpful YouTube can be, some school districts choose to block the site for various reasons. Yes, this will make things more difficult for you, but there are still ways to upload videos either directly onto your library web page, or using other sites, to allow students access to videos. Although it isn't ideal, it is also not the end of the world having YouTube blocked.
Animoto
When talking about videos to use in the library, it is not always easy to find exactly what you are looking for. In cases such as these, one may need to create their own videos. Animoto is a great site that helps create videos easily and professionally, and the best part is that it is a free service. I created a book trailer of one of the summer books I am currently reading; Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I don't pretend to be a video editor and I will be the first to admit that I am not very good at video creations, however with Animoto, it is much easier to create a video and make it look half-way decent.

Below is the video trailer I created. Enjoy!


Resistance By Jennifer A. Nielsen 
"Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people."


QR Codes
QR codes are a great way for students to quickly access information. All students need to do to access a QR code is to open up their camera on a device and it will automatically pop up with the information. My school district uses the site flowcode, which is a free to use site that helps you quickly create qr codes. Currently I am a high school English teacher, and I use QR codes in my classroom on a regular basis. My students know to pull out their device and scan the qr code projected on the board at the beginning of class. Many times the code will lead a student to a work of literature or instructions for what we are doing for the day. I love QR codes because I can use less paper in class and students who are absent can still access the information for the day. I will just post the QR code on my Canvas page. 

Here is the QR code for my Animojo video 
In the library, QR Codes can be used for many different things. I would use them similar to how I use them in the classroom. If a class comes in for a lesson, I can have the instructions on a qr code. I can also have a book trailer linked as a qr code. I can even list the library expectation as a qr code. Many different for this versatile tool. 

Comments

  1. Concepcion GonzalezJuly 24, 2020 at 6:29 PM

    Hi Erin! Thank you for sharing! I agree that videos do at a positive vibe to the library. It does grab readers' attention. I, like you, dislike that districts block YouTube. I know that was my district for years. It seems that this past year they got past that and opened it up, which is great for instruction and I know will be beneficial for the library!

    ReplyDelete

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