Videos and QR codes in the Library

This week I have been reviewing different ways to use videos and QR codes in the library. A librarian could very easily build a collection (stored on YouTube or elsewhere) to help students with login procedures, to show how to use databases or how to use various applications. QR codes can help provide easy access to video links and databases, especially for younger students who haven’t mastered spelling yet!

YouTube

YouTube can be such a great resource for students and teachers. Older students can use it to display their creative projects and teachers can use it to promote books or place instructional videos. These are four different YouTube channels I visited and the videos I enjoyed from each.

Norman High School Library

My favorite video features the librarian giving detailed instructions on how to use EBOSC to preform research and even how to find information for a citation. Perfect for students who are working on a research project and need help using this database.

Older students would enjoy the video about banned books. Student would enjoy seeing that some of their favorite picture books were banned along with what they might be reading now.  Hopefully it would make them wonder why these books were challenged.

The Unquiet Library

This channel had a wider selection of videos to aid students with using programs, how to site sources and how to get the most out of the web tools at their disposal. I think this video about Creative Commons would be extremely helpful to students and teachers by helping explain difficult copyright issues.

This site features many different types of student work including interviews and creative projects. I think students would enjoy seeing their classmates featured online.

Pikesville High School Library

This YouTube channel also features creative works by students. There are also feature videos of select staff members explaining the courses they teach.  There were several videos to encourage students to seek financial aid for college. This one was done by the students.

This one featured students during back to school night. It was fun and artsy and featured many students and teachers. I think the students would enjoy looking for themselves or their classmates. 

Bonnie Branch MS Media Center

This channel was my favorite because it was current and really focused on the creativity of the students. There is so much imagination displayed here! The librarian also creates videos on how to use the resources provided by the school. This one explains subscription databases and how to access them even from home.

My favorite (and it was hard to choose) was this Beauty and the Beast Parody for overdue library books. There are many variations on this theme, so it must be a fun activity at the school.

YouTube videos definitely can help improve library service for older students. If how to videos were available, students could watch the videos as needed to help them complete projects. I also like how students were able to be so creative. It is a great way to motivate students and promote books and exciting events around the school. YouTube is not allowed on elementary devices in my district, but teachers could utilize it by creating videos to enrich lessons.

I created a book trailer for The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer using Animoto. I had fun playing with the site and trying out the various features. Here is a summary from the publisher:

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle. 
     With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

I used visualead.com to create my QR code. It was very easy to sign up and use. This site let you choose your preferred format, but seems to limit the number of QR codes you can create. Also, when you scan the code, it has an advertisement before it plays the video. I utilize the app i-nigma on my phone to scan codes. This is what students are allowed to use in the district where I work.

I can see so many uses for QR codes at all school levels. In the elementary level, our school utilizes QR codes in the library frequently. They are placed in the library so that students can scan and easily access school subscriptions like Pebblego, Tumblebooks, National Geographic and World Book. This allows the youngest users (Kindergarten) to quickly get online and get to work. It also helps those struggling with spelling not to be as self-conscious. I have included some pictures.

Pocket charts are around the library so during flex time or library lessons, students can easily access what they need. There are also QR codes that link to specific books on Storyline Online (http://www.storylineonline.net) which is a site that features videos of actors reading selected picture books out loud (with permission from the publisher). This is used by different grade levels during literacy centers.

Our librarian also created this interactive board to help with an upcoming lessons on famous landmarks. The student can scan the QR codes by the picture and read a small blip about  the landmark.

QR codes can definitely by utilized by librarians. The possibilities are endless!