Screencasts, Instagram and Flipagram

Instagram

Instagram has been a personal favorite of mine for several years. I love to follow other teachers and see what interesting and creative things are happening all around the United States. It is also a great place to follow authors to hear about book promotions.  For this assignment, I created a “library” account called “The Learning Librarian”. My personal account is full of family pictures which I wanted to keep private.

Instagram would be perfect for showcasing student work, school events and projects. Students could be put in charge of what was posted instead of the teacher. It would also be a great way to create a place for book recommendations, creating writing prompts or sharing marker experiences. Instagram is constantly updating the features of this app.  

One important aspect of Instagram is protecting student’s privacy, so a private classroom account would be necessary with the teacher vetting followers. In the district where I work, Instagram is not allowed on any district issued device. One of the ways our elementary teachers achieve some of the same type of projects listed is by using the app Pic Collage or iMovie.

Here is the link to my library account: https://www.instagram.com/thelearninglibrarian/

Flipagram

This was my first time to use Flipagram. It was so simple to install and use. I was able to upload pictures I took of a recent field trip and made it into a slideshow. Then I took some pictures of the storybook pumpkins that were decorating the school halls and made a slide show and added music. It was simple to use and I was happy with the results.

I can easily see students having a blast with this app. This app would lend itself to documenting school activities like field trips and programs. Students could show off ideas from Designing Dolphins, Challenge Lab or Genius Hour. Other ideas include using the app for students to reflect on what they have learned, retell stories or create book promotions.

Student privacy would again need to be considered along with following any district restrictions. It is not allowed on Elementary devices in the district. 

Here is the link to my library account: https://flipagram.com/Thelearninglibrarian

View on Flipagram

Screencast-o-matic

I also enjoyed using this website. Screencast-o-matic allows users to create videos of their computer screen making it very simple to create how to tutorials. It was easy to use and I liked the basic features that you can utilize for free. I demonstrated how to login and use PebbleGo and showed some of the various features available to the students. I felt awkward talking but I can see how this site can be utilized for teachers and students. You can create the needed videos and store them on a Youtube channel for easy reference. It does have a 15 minute maximum per video with the free features. 

Jing

Jing is a similar program as ScreencastOMatic allowing the user the create a video of their computer screen. The program requires a download from the web. The access the ability to create longer than five minute videos, you have to subscribe to the paid service.

I enjoyed exploring Instagram, Flipagram and Screencast-o-matic equally. Each has a different feel and can be used for different purposes. I don't think I could pick a favorite. I also learned how to embed Flipagram and Screencast-o-matic in Blogger. This gives me another avenue to share what is happening in the library.