Cartoons and Comics

Many students love to draw and are visual learners. One way to effectively teach and engage these learners is by using cartoons and comics in lessons. In the past, I have asked students to create comic strips on paper for different topics in my history class, such as the Boston Massacre or the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This is one way they could demonstrate their learning. I also utilized paper comic strips in language arts, as a way for students to retell part of a book or to draft a story. The students were always very excited to create comics and came up with some amazing products. I am very excited to find and practice with online tools to create cartoons and comics. I enjoyed looking at this website: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/, to get some additional ideas on how to incorporate comics in my lessons. I loved the idea from this site of having ELL’s fill in the thought bubbles on a cartoon or comic for language practice, and also the idea of students creating cartoons about current events. Another helpful part of this site was it includes some lesson plan ideas to get you started using cartoons and comics in teaching. I experimented with three different tools to make comic strips, and it was so much fun!


ToonDoo

By cpatty23 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Before jumping in to create my comic, I explored the ToonDoo site a bit. There was not much guidance on the features of the site, so I had to figure things out on my own. You can view other comics, create comic books, and find other members (known as “Dooers”). I spent some time seeing how others were using the tool, and then began creating my own.  This tool was a little bit overwhelming at first, as there are a lot of ways to customize your comic.   After playing with it a bit, it became pretty easy to use.   I felt they were fairly generous with the backgrounds, props, and characters the site offered to use in the comics.  They offer many different characters and you are able to change the emotions and posture of each one.  Using this tool would definitely require providing some explicit lessons to use it with students as they might waste time learning how to use it, but I think the majority of students would pick this up really quickly with guidance.  

Pixton

After signing up for my account, I went to the creation page. There were a variety of layouts, including photo story, comic strip, and graphic novel.   Once I chose a layout, it asked me to choose beginner or advanced (advanced gives you more control), so I chose advanced.  I wanted to see what kinds of things I could do with more control over the comic strip.  While I was working, I noticed a link to how-to videos, which were extremely helpful in teaching me how to use Pixton.  These videos were embedded in the page where I was creating my comic strip, so I could watch them while I was creating.  Creating and editing were not quite as easy as they were in ToonDoo, but they provide enough premade backgrounds and characters as to not limit creativity.  I think students would be able to use this site but would again need some instruction.  I like that there are video guides that students could refer to as needed.  When I was signing up for my free account on Pixton, I noticed that they have an educator version that allows up to 200 students on an account for only $9 a month.  They also have a 30-day free trial of the educator version, which I’m planning to save until school starts.  There are a few differences between the teacher account and the personal account.  The teacher account keeps student information private and secure, includes grading and assessment tools, and allows students to record voice-overs on the comic strips.  I’m looking forward to trying the teacher version to see how these features look, and whether there are any other differences.

 

 

 

 

MakeBeliefsComix

 

 

 I liked that this program was free, but I felt that it was the most limiting of the three that I explored.  I think this would be good to introduce students to creating comics, but it doesn’t allow for much expression.   There aren’t many characters or backgrounds, and you can’t change their expression or posture.  As I tried to create my comic, I had a hard time manipulating things.  I also had a difficult time figuring out how to embed the comic, so I took a screenshot and saved it as a JPEG.  It was definitely the quickest of the tools I used, but not my favorite.

I know students would really enjoy creating comics and it would be a meaningful way to cement their learning.  As a teacher, I can use this during the upcoming year in my language arts class in a variety of ways.  On my campus, we have some amazing technology resources, so access won’t be an issue.  I think that it will be neat to try using these digital tools in lieu of paper comics, or at least give students a choice of the two options.  I would like to continue using comics as a way to draft writing and retell part of a book.  After practicing with online creation tools, I would also like to try using comics to review vocabulary and maybe as a way to differentiate for students.  As a librarian, I could do a professional development session on using cartoons and comics, create a display of student comic strips (maybe next to a graphic novel display?), and have students create comics in the library about many different things.  I think I will try out all three with my students to see which they like and work the best with, probably starting with ToonDoo.  I really enjoyed exploring these tools and cannot wait to share them with my students this year!

 

 

Online Book Communities

Online book communities allow users to connect with colleagues and fellow book lovers to share book reviews, find reading suggestions, and organize titles into different lists.  I do not have much experience with online book communities other than the occasional glance through a Goodreads list, so I was elated to have the opportunity to spend some time exploring these resources.  I took a look at five different book communities: Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, Booklikes, and Biblionasium.  After learning about the basic features on each site and practicing creating bookshelves, I took a screenshot of my profile with a program called Skitch (An AWESOME application that I’d never heard of before this experience but totally LOVE!).  Check out my findings and screenshots below!

Goodreads

Upon creating an account, Goodreads asks you to select your favorite genres and adds them to a feed that highlights titles in various genres.  I found this site a little tricky to navigate at first, but I was able to figure out how to create a new reading list and add books by searching for titles and adding them one at a time.  You can organize books into different shelves (by genres, theme, reading lists, etc.) and also mark them as to-read, read, or currently reading.  Once I got the hang of things, I created several different shelves including Hi-Lo books, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, and My Favorites.  It is very easy to sort books into different categories.  Goodreads allows users to rate books on a scale of 1-5 stars, and type out a review.  Once you rate a minimum of 20 books, Goodreads uses your preferences to provide book recommendations for you.  You can also connect with friends by searching or importing contacts from Twitter, Yahoo, or Facebook.  The biggest disadvantage I see to Goodreads is it would take a lot of teaching to use with students.  Another concern is student privacy.  Take a look at my profile below, which shows some information about me and features my recommended books for my 5^th graders:

 

 

LibraryThing
LibraryThing was initially a little overwhelming to me.  I noticed quite a bit of text on the homepage with a vast array of options and features.  This community definitely seemed to be geared more for adults and librarians in particular.  The first thing I did was look at my profile to see what I could add, and noticed that you can select favorite authors.  I picked a few of my favorites and visited their author pages in order to add them to my profile.  When I went back to my homepage, I noticed some guides to get started include this one: http://www.librarything.com/quickstart.php , which really helped it start to make more sense for me.  As I became more comfortable with the layout of this page by reading the guide and trying new things, I realized that they have some useful features including: book recommendations, connections with other users through groups, libraries or individual contacts, the ability to group titles into different collections, word clouds of authors and titles in my library, and authors currently in my library collection.  As a librarian, these features will be extremely useful and I’m looking forward to joining some of these groups in order to share ideas and network a bit.  I began browsing some threads in different groups and found people to be very supportive and helpful.  A few disadvantages of this site are that it would not be a good choice to use with students and it takes some time to really learn how to use the site effectively.  I also found the adding and organizing of titles a bit tedious, so I’ll have to keep playing around with it to see if there is a more effective method.  Here is my profile page showing a few of the things I added to my profile and collections:

 

 

 

Shelfari

Shelfari is very visually appealing and features a simple layout that made it easy to use right off the bat.  You can add contacts from Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Yahoo, or just search by name.  There are thousands of groups based on a variety of topics; I found many groups for classes and school libraries as I browsed through the education groups.  When searching for books, you can locate titles through a title/author search or search by subject, most popular, series, or featured titles.  Once you locate a title and are ready to add to your shelf, you are prompted to add information such as whether you’ve read the book, the date you finished reading, a review and rating, and tags.  By adding this information, you can contribute to the body of knowledge on a title that is shared by the community.  I think that students could use this site fairly easily; my only concern is that their information would not be private.  Another disadvantage is it seems you are limited to the 6 standard shelves…at least I could not figure out how to add my own.  Here is my profile and some of the books that I added to my shelf:

 

Booklikes

Once you create an account, Booklikes asks you to select your favorite genres.  This helps the site know what your interests are and they can use it to formulate recommendations for you.  I really liked that this site offered a tutorial right away, to help me locate and learn about different features.  There is a lot to learn about this site, and it is different from the other communities that I explored in that it is a blogging site.  One feature I thought was neat was the timeline of your activity.  I also like that it makes blogging really easy, with a bar at the top to select the type of post you want to share:

 

You can select how you feel about the post, add a description and a source, and even note whether this post is a review or a spoiler.  To add books to your shelf, you simply search for a title and check a box for the shelves where you’d like to put the book.  This process was quick and efficient.  There were a few titles that I searched for that did not exist in their database, which surprised me.  Despite the many appealing features, I think I’m unlikely to use this site right now.  Although I feel that this tool could be effective with upper grades, I do not think students at my campus would be able to use it successfully.  As for my personal use, I feel that the format of this site is similar to others that I’m already currently adding to my repertoire including Twitter, Tumblr, and Feedly.  Here is my bookshelf on Booklikes:

 

Biblionasium

Biblionasium is a little different in that it is intended strictly for use in schools.  I set up an account and quickly browsed the features.  This site is awesome!  I’ve already created a group for my three classes this upcoming school year, and they are ready to add students.  I love that I can suggest books to my students as a group or individually, create reading challenges, and that the site helps them log their reading.  I’ve used reading logs for years, and this is a very neat way to have students keep track of their minutes.  For students without access at home, I’ll have to get them to log their time as they come in each day.  There is even a parent letter I can use to introduce the site to the parents of my students.  Students can write book reviews and share them with others (teachers can select to approve reviews before they are posted) and teachers can send students messages about their reading.  This site is also very kid friendly and I think that students would love it.  I’m so thankful to have found this resource and will definitely be using right away this year. 

 

Each book community has advantages and disadvantages, but the one that I like the most for student use is Biblionasium.  I think this is the most kid-friendly for 5^th graders, and that they will really enjoy using this tool to track their reading and participate in book challenges.  I also love the array of features for educators, as well as the consideration for student privacy through the framework of the site.  As for personal use, I likely will use both Shelfari and LibraryThing most often.   Though LibraryThings is complex, I’m very intrigued by the community and I feel it can be a valuable networking tool.  I most likely will use Shelfari for personal reading.  Online book communities are a powerful tool to engage students in a community of reading.  As a teacher and librarian, I can use online book communities to make connections, participate in discussions, discover new titles, and share thoughts about books I’ve read.

Podcasts

Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded to various devices or listened to on a computer.  Podcasts are typically created to share information with an audience, and have great potential for use in the classroom and the library.  I have created several podcasts for assignments in my library science program, but never for use in my classroom.  After spending some time reading more about podcasts and reflecting on their use, I am really looking forward to giving them a try in this upcoming school year.  

Podcasts are an easy way to get information to students and can be played as often as needed.  There are numerous applications for podcasts in both the classroom and library.  This is nowhere near an exhaustive list, but here are a few ideas for using podcasts in schools:

Teacher/Librarian Uses

• Sharing a course introduction or other general course information.
• Sharing information about library resources or how including how to use different resources.
• Recording mini-lessons for students who are absent, who need reteaching or language support, or have modifications in their IEP that could be served through a podcast.  This way, students can listen to the lesson as many times as they need.
• Recording mini-lessons on difficult topics for support.
• Sharing instructions for using a digital tool or resource.
• Recording test questions and answer choices for students with dyslexia and other qualifying learning limitations that require oral testing.
• Sharing feedback on a digital presentation.  I use Google Drive a lot in my classroom, and I could create a podcast to give students feedback that they could access outside of school as they work from home.
• Sharing instructions for homework or other assignments such as a term project.
• Sharing reminders or information about upcoming events such as a book fair or major school event.
• Communicating with parents.

Student Uses

• Recording instructions for understanding or carrying out a difficult concept (peer teaching and reflection). 
• Summarizing or retelling a story.
• Sharing their writing (as a publishing tool). 
• Recording booktalks.
• Interviewing other students, parents, or local experts (Examples - students could be role-playing for an assignment or interviewing a parent about their ancestry for a history project)
• Sharing findings during research projects.
• Presenting a persuasive argument (Examples - commercial for a product, their stance on an issue).

After exploring several podcast sites, I elected to use SoundCloud to create my podcast.  I love how easy it is to locate other podcasts to follow on this site, and to record your own.  They also provide 3 hours of free recording time, a generous amount in my opinion.  

In order to practice utilizing this tool in a meaningful way, I decided to create a podcast that my students can use in just a few short weeks when school begins.  I use Edmodo as a collaborative learning tool in my classroom, and helping students sign up is always challenging – this is one of those times I could use a few clones of myself!  Recording the instructions and providing students with access in this manner will make things run much more smoothly.  In this podcast, I explain how to create an account and the basic features students need to understand to get started on Edmodo.  Enjoy!

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

YouTube
YouTube is a website that is used to upload and share videos. I have used YouTube to share screencasts and other videos I’ve created for my library science coursework. YouTube is another way librarians can connect with students and the community. I explored several YouTube channels from different libraries, and was very impressed with what I found. Librarians are finding innovative ways to utilize YouTube and adding value to their library programs. Below are some of the channels I visited and two videos from each that I enjoyed:

The NHS Library (Norman High School) I noticed that this channel has several great tutorial videos to explain and guide students in using library resources. There are also several promotions of an event called Tigerpalooza.

   

I think this video would be the most helpful for students, as it provides guidance on how to use EBSCOhost. I LOVE the idea of sharing this type of video on YouTube so students could access it at anytime (even for those late night projects!).

   

I think students would love this video because it parodies a very popular song and a popular book series. It was created as a promo for their Tigerpalooza, fitting with other videos in the channel that are Harry Potter themed and promote fundraising for Tigerpalooza.

The Unquiet Librarian
It is difficult to choose one “most” helpful video from this channel because it is full of wonderful tutorials and resources for students. There are mini-lessons and screencasts to help students use library resources and digital tools. I am very impressed with the commitment to help students use and access library resources.

This is one of the wonderful tutorial videos on this channel. This one is a screencast that teaches students how to find images using Wikimedia Commons. Again, I love that students have 24/7 access to this type of tutorial.

   

I think students would really like this video. It is a compilation of pictures of students at work in the library, and I think they would enjoy photos of peers using the library. 

Pikesville HS Library (Pikesville High School)

In this channel there are a lot of video picture slideshows, several videos of fun events in the library, and some other resources such as course advisement and encouragement to fill out a FAFSA.

   

I think the most helpful is this course advisement video. It tells students what credits are required, explains classes they can take, and what they need to graduate as required by colleges. Course/credit plans can be confusing, so this is beneficial for students.

   

This fun video shows seniors celebrating their upcoming graduation by dancing on the tables and throwing papers in the library. Students would love this and it shows the library is a fun place. 

BBMS Media 

The videos in this channel are mostly funny parody videos about overdue library books using things such as Frozen, celebrities, and popular songs. There are also book reviews by who I am assuming is the librarian, and fun videos to promote reading. Here are two I really liked:

   

I think one of the book reviews from this channel such as this one for "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" would be the most helpful for students. It gives them an idea of which books they might like to read that are available in their library.

 

I think students would really like this video because their peers are in it, and it uses a popular song to promote reading. By sharing videos of student work, promoting school and library events, and providing screencasts or other videos demonstrating how to use library resources, librarians can advocate for the library program while greatly benefitting library users. 

After exploring these school library YouTube channels, I’m very interested in creating tutorials of library resources (and digital tools) to upload for my students, as well as a video for library procedures. I also like the videos that show students in the library, either through photos of students working or fun activities and library events. I think it would be neat to feature student-created book trailers and book talks as well. 

Book Trailer and QR Codes 

Book trailers are a wonderful way to get students excited about reading. I’ve used book trailers in my classroom for several years both as a tool for promoting reading and as a way for students to share their reading. Though we typically use iMovie to create our trailers, I have a bit of experience with Animoto as well. For this entry, I used Animoto to create a book trailer for "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. I read this book last spring for my children’s literature course and fell in love with it. Below is the book cover and synopsis from the publisher:

”In this Newbery Medal-winning novel, Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are being such as ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other.”

 And here is the QR code that will lead you to my book trailer for "The Graveyard Book." Just scan with a QR reader and it will take you to the video:

QR Codes have so much potential for use in the library.  I have used QR codes in my classroom for the past two years.  For example, I have done a "Lewis and Clark Adventure" in which students walk around the school with the iPad, and visit different posters with QR codes on them.  Each poster represents a leg on the journey, and students use the QR scanner to pull up pictures of the plants and animals that Lewis and Clark discovered.  They then have to draw them in their adventure journal.

I think in the library I will use QR codes to share videos of student book talks or book trailers.  It would be neat to have a display of books with QR codes next to them that linked to student or even teacher recommendations.  I could also have QR codes posted by library computers with quick reminders of how to use library resources, such as signing into DestinyQuest or logging into the library databases.  I liked the reflection dice using QR codes.   As I researched, I saw some libraries that were using QR codes to pull up reference sources, or to link to the library catalog to help users find resources on their mobile device.  This is an area I will continue to read and learn more about as I transition into librarianship so I can use QR codes in meaningful and innovative ways.

Blogs and Blog Readers

Blogs are a great way to read about topics of interest and connect with like-minded people. I have tried blogging in the past but haven’t ever kept up with it. Still, I enjoy reading the blogs of others and learning more about them and the topics they write about. There are some fabulous blogs with very relevant and interesting information about education, libraries, and technology.

Although I’ve heard of Tumblr and Digg, I didn’t fully understand their purpose. I had the opportunity to learn more about these and other blog readers by checking out some of the most popular blog readers out there. I spent a little time navigating each of the following: Bloglovin’, Feedly, Bloglines, Newsblur, Digg Reader, and Newsvibe. As I learned more about the purpose of blog readers, I got very excited. Using a blog reader helps organize blogs of interest in one spot, saving much time and effort. I also easily located new blogs to follow.

Out of all the blog readers I explored, I chose to stick with Feedly. Though they all had beneficial features, I really liked the layout on Feedly and found it easy to locate blogs by searching for title, URL, or topic. I also really liked the “must read” feature, which allows you to organize blogs of priority in one space. Another helpful feature is the ability to organize different blogs into collections. As a librarian, I might have a collection for technology, another for books or literacy organizations, and one for blogs of colleagues. As I searched for blogs to follow, I found this great resource, “Top 50 School Library Blogs:”
http://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/top-blogs/school-library/

After spending some time looking through them, I chose these five to follow:

http://www.mrschureads.blogspot.com/ 
Mr. Schu is an elementary librarian who posts book trailers as a means to promote reading. I love using book trailers and will use this as a resource to find great book trailers to share with my students.
http://www.booklistreader.com/
A collection of blogs maintained by Booklist, a group affiliated with The American Library Association. High quality content includes book reviews, reading lists, audiobooks, and Q&A. This is a great source for finding high-quality literature and following discussions about books.
http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/ 
This blog is authored by Tiffany Whitehead, a librarian from Louisiana. In this blog she shares her experiences as a librarian including lessons, library events, current issues, and promotes her Webinars. I think it will be helpful to read about her successes and challenges as a librarian to inform my practice.
http://www.libraries.wright.edu/noshelfrequired/ 
No Shelf Required was created by Sue Polanka, and focuses on e-books, audiobooks, and e-reading devices. Lots of great information about best practices with e-books and other related issues.
 http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/
The Daring Librarian blog is authored by Gwyneth Jones, a technology expert and educator. I already follow her on Twitter and really like her posts. She shares wonderful information about applying technology in meaningful learning activities and also shares wonderful resources. '

Tumblr is another blogging site that allows you to read, create, and post microblogs. I spent some time looking at how school librarians are using Tumblr and the types of things they are posting. Many of the school librarians were posting reading lists and promoting individual titles through book quotes and book covers. I also noticed many sharing humorous memes and other quotes about reading and library use, such as this:

http://mhslibrary.tumblr.com/post/67408516250/thelibrarybug-which-can-sometimes-be-so-very

And this:

http://chhslibrary.tumblr.com/post/121184670474/yall-we-mean-it-turn-in-your-books-before

I think these types of posts are meaningful for students and in a “language” that they speak. Social media and specifically microblogging are a great way to connect with students. Many of them are already using these platforms and it would take little effort for them to give the library blog a follow. There is a lot of potential with Tumblr and I am absolutely planning to stay active and become more familiar with it so I can someday use it in my library. Until then, I will keep following other school librarians to get some great ideas!

Below is a link to my Tumblr account. I had to pull myself away! I can foresee spending a lot of time on this site! https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mischiefmanaged023

Infographics and Mining PEW

PEW Presentation:
Rainie, L. (2014, April 9). Millennials and Libraries [Slide Presentation]. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/09/millennials-and-libraries/

I have made infographics for several classes in the Library Science program, but have not had much formal learning related to infographics. This opportunity to learn more about infographics was very exciting, because I feel that infographics can be very effective as learning tools. As defined by expert Alberto Cairo, infographics are a way to visually represent of qualitative and/or quantitative information. He likens some infographics to “nice looking posters” in which the designer simply includes numbers or words without creating any new knowledge. Cairo says in order to truly be effective, infographics must show a deeper analysis of data to let readers broaden their understanding of the issue being discussed. The visual representation of patterns and connections in data are key elements of an effective infograph. Cairo defines the job of the infographics designer as organizing information so that patterns become evident, with the goal of saving readers time and effort in interpreting data. Finally, Cairo cautions designers to be purposeful in the types of graphs and visuals they use in the infographics, and provides some considerations for planning a good infographics.

I also took a lot of meaning from the TED Talk by David McCandless called The Beauty of Data Visualization. In this presentation, McCandless demonstrates how data patterns can be presented in infographics by sharing multiple visualizations of data. During his presentation, McCandless compares data visualization to a clearing in the jungle; as people are overloaded with information, data visualization is a mental relief. Essentially, he feels that making information understandable is the main benefit infographics. I absolutely agree and feel that this is I highly recommend watching this video, located at: https://youtu.be/5Zg-C8AAIGg. The podcast, TED talk video, and other resources were extremely helpful in guiding me to make an infographic for a PEW research article that I read.

In order to design my infographic, I explored three different programs: Infogram, Piktochart, and Easelly. I have used Piktochart for past assignments and wanted to try something different for this product. I found Easelly a bit easier to use than Infogram, so I went with Easelly for this assignment. Easelly has a lot of free templates and features, and customizing the infographics on their site is very easy. There were several tutorials available on YouTube to help me understand the basics of Easelly as well.

 As I was exploring the PEW Internet and American Life Project website, I found a presentation called “Teens and Libraries in Today’s Digital World.” This presentation contains a lot of interesting data that is relevant for school and public librarians, as well as educators in general. I was surprised to learn that today’s teens read as much or more than adults. Considering teens are “plugged in” to social media for a large chunk of time each day, it surprised me that they have time (and interest) to read more than any adult age group except those above age 50. I was also surprised to see that so many people believe that the digital environment will change teens for the worse as they grow into adulthood. Teachers seem to be embracing digital tools and understand the importance of information literacy, but many still believe that our digital society is creating troublesome behaviors and even changing the way brains function for the worse. After viewing the presentation and reflecting on the information, I began looking for patterns and correlations in the data, and planning on how to represent it in my infographic. Below is my infographic:
There are many possibilities for infographic use in schools, from staff presentations to data reports. I am the most excited about the possibility of having my students create infographics, and after gaining more familiarity and confidence with the topic, I am planning to try them in my classroom this year. I think students would benefit from creating infographics during research, and as a librarian I can present this technology tool to teachers for use in their curriculum.

 Pages (Slides) Read: 40

Facebook

Facebook is a popular social media tool that is used by millions of people around the world. As the popularity of the platform continues to grow, many businesses and organizations have created Facebook pages in order to connect with users and customers. School libraries have also embraced Facebook as a tool to connect with the community and to interact with students and parents in order to promote library services. I explored several school library pages on Facebook and made some observations about how each school approached the management and use of their page.

Out of the five school library Facebook pages I looked at, two were high schools, one was a middle school, and two were elementary schools. I wanted to observe how librarians approached using Facebook at different grade levels. I noticed that the elementary school libraries had a much higher amount of interaction as far as likes and comments on their posts, and I wonder if this has to do with parent involvement at that age level. I was disappointed to see that at the middle school and high school level there was little involvement from users, because there were some really good things being posted for students. I wonder how the library can market and promote the page at those levels to increase involvement. Below are the five pages I looked at along with a brief description of the types of posts that I observed:

Pasadena High School Library (358 likes) - https://www.facebook.com/PHSLibraryTX
Types of posts: Promotion of newly arrived materials, links to book trailers, quotes about reading, book lists, and reminders to turn in overdue books (including a parody of “Let it Go” called “Bring them Back”). Lots of amusing memes related to the library and reading uploaded as well.
Interaction: Not much interaction, did not see any comments and only a few likes here and there.
My thoughts: I thought the posts were very interesting and relevant for students, and I wonder how the page is being promoted and how aware students and teachers are of the page. I think students respond well to humor and I like that the librarian used memes and other funny links to promote literacy. I also like the idea of sharing book trailers through the Facebook page so that both students and parents can be exposed to different books.

Carlsbad High School Library (484 likes) - https://www.facebook.com/carlsbadhighlibrary
Types of posts: Library hours, supporting of student groups such as cheerleaders and the track team, a post congratulating graduates, book trailers, links to reading lists from other websites. Also posting links to articles for students, information about the importance of reading, and using e-books during summer (offering help getting accounts set up)
Interaction: Little to no interaction, a handful of posts have a like or two.
My thoughts: I was very impressed with the quality of the links the librarian shared, and I was again surprised by the low level of interaction. I am beginning to wonder if it is due to the grade level because the other high school page had little interaction. I also really liked that the library supported student groups and seemed very much the heart of the school.

Holland Middle School Library (103 likes) - https://www.facebook.com/HollandMiddleSchoolLibrary?ref=br_rs
Types of posts: Hours for summer (would post to tell them a few days ahead of time that the library would be open), book fair reminder, photos of author visit, photos of library events, school events.
Interaction: Little interaction, very few likes or comments. Probably the lowest all pages that I looked at, but could be due to the limited audience.
My thoughts: This page has less frequent posts; I love that photos of the author visit were posted and that the page posted reminders of important school and library events. I think parents would appreciate seeing these reminders via Facebook.

Valleyview Elementary School Library (225 likes) - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Valleyview-Elementary-SchoolLibrary/268578196509269? ref=br_rs
Types of posts: Pictures of library as the profile and cover photo, a picture of an end of year celebration of a 2nd grade class with their circulation numbers and links to view the students recently completed research projects, links to view work from a 5th grade class and praise for their hard work, photos of students who won a monthly recognition award for following library rules. Pictures of students working and researching, pictures of students on a reading field trip to the nursing home to read to the elderly. Pictures of library lessons and extension activities after library read alouds.
Interaction: There was quite a bit of interaction on this page, with some posts having over 40 likes and many having multiple comments. It seems that including photos of students increases interaction from parents. I wonder if the age of the students is a factor in parent interaction. It is obvious through the comments that the librarian is valued by this community.
My thoughts: I really loved this page, I could tell through the librarian’s comments in posts that the librarian really loved working with students and is passionate about the library. I liked that the page featured a range of grade levels and classes, and the librarian found ways to praise each class.

Curry Elementary School (510 likes) - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curry-Elementary-School-Library/337676823020238?ref=br_rs
Types of posts: Movie trailer based on books, memes about reading, videos to promote reading, reminders to turn books in. Also posts such as book fair reminders and pictures of the fair, lesson ideas, ideas to promote reading at home, and reminders of upcoming school events.
Interaction: A high amount of interaction through likes and comments. The librarian asked for donations to pay for students trophies for accelerated reader and community responded with offers to help.
My thoughts: I really like the varied types of posts including lesson ideas and how parents can help promote reading at home. I think this type of post makes the page useful and encourages parents to check in on the page.

One advantage of using Facebook is access - many people already use it. It is likely that most parents and students (depending on the community and age level) have an account and would not have to create anything new in order to view posts and access the library’s page. They would be able to see important announcements and events directly on their news feed. Another advantage is ease of use; Facebook has made operating a page for an organization fairly simple and user friendly. You can set the hours of operation, decide on privacy settings, My biggest concern/disadvantage for using Facebook is that caution must be used to keep the page secure. I was able to find these pages through a quick search, and on some pages I had access to student pictures, names, and the location of their school. Though some settings are available to limit who can access the page, it is hard to determine how best to manage this. I noticed on one page that a librarian asked for monetary donations from the community, and several business responded. If the librarian had the page set as private, I’m not sure if those businesses would be able to see it. There are definitely positives and negatives to maintaining a school library Facebook page.  I truly enjoyed the opportunity to view how other librarians are approaching Facebook as a way to interact with patrons.

Twitter

 When Twitter first became popular several years ago, I was dismissive of its value.  I felt that with such limited communication (140 characters), there was really no reason to use it.   Once I began working on my Master’s degree through Sam Houston’s library science program and was encouraged to use Twitter for my courses, I was amazed at how the educational community has embraced Twitter.   There are so many educators from all over the world on Twitter having powerful, meaningful discussions and sharing wonderful resources.   In this post, I highlight my experience reading through the tweets of some of the biggest names in technology on Twitter. 

Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) is a well-known technology expert who posts often about conferences and presentations as both attendee and presenter.  Many of her tweets highlight new or emerging technologies, or promote useful features of existing technologies.  One of Kathy Schrock’s tweets that I really liked links to a neat feature that can be used with Chrome to provide the reading level of any web page.  This technology would help a librarian find appropriate web resources to meet the needs of students with diverse reading abilities such as ELLs, students with disabilities, dyslexic students, and students at risk in reading.

A Chrome extension by @crafty184 to compute the Flesch-Kincaid readability of any Web page: http://t.co/KfctSq0jy2. Thx, Chris!

— Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) May 31, 2015

Linda Braun (@lbraun2000), a former president of YALSA, seems to frequently post links to articles, and videos about how technologies are being used by librarians, students, and educators.  Her posts are very relevant and useful for librarians; my favorite was a link to an article from School Library Journal.  This article explores 3D printing, the amazing possibilities with this new technology, and the librarian’s role in interpreting legal issues for patrons related to 3D printing such as copyright infringement. 

3-D Printers: Understanding Copyright, Fair Use, and More http://t.co/BXWzRAQYKG

— Linda W Braun (@lbraun2000) May 27, 2015

Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) is a former teacher currently working as a technology consultant for schools in the United States and around the world.   He is an extremely prolific poster on Twitter, with tweets about technology, conferences, lessons, guides, and applications of technology.  One of my favorite tweets of Tony’s was an article about excuses people use when stealing photos from the Internet.   This was meaningful to me because I’ve seen many teachers and students use some of these same excuses when copying and pasting images, and I feel this article would be great for a librarian to share with faculty members. 

💩 10 bogus excuses people use when stealing photos from the internet → http://t.co/L6b9LbFK7F #iste1000 #iste2015

— Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) July 1, 2015

Buffy Hamilton (@buffyjhamilton) is a librarian who runs a blog called “The Unquiet Librarian.”  Though she frequently tweets about things of a more personal or political nature, she also posts relevant articles, links to blog posts, and interesting thoughts about librarianship.  As I was scrolling through her tweets, I noticed that she had retweeted a story with video from Library Journal.  The story was about a school being built in Abilene, TX that will feature library pods staffed by teachers and librarians rather than a centralized library.  I lived in Abilene for several years so this really caught my interest.   After watching the video from one of the news stations in Abilene, I think that this is a funding issue and that the school board is trying to save money by going to a model that will eventually phase out the librarian position (even though they claim it isn’t).  This was definitely alarming to me.

What a stupid idea. How about a LIBRARIAN for every pod instead? https://t.co/wSnOdkCyiK

— Buffy J. Hamilton (@buffyjhamilton) May 30, 2015

The Daring Librarian (@GwynethJones) is a librarian and technology expert.   I noticed that she frequently tweets about educational technology, makerspace, and reading, and responds often to peers and colleagues who have tagged her in a tweet.   One tweet that I really liked is shown below:

It’s OK to Date New Technology, You don’t have to Marry it! http://t.co/3VPtiJ5mhF via @lynch39083 pic.twitter.com/XYc9e5nYjk

— The Daring Librarian (@GwynethJones) June 16, 2015

The tweet linked to this article: http://www.theedadvocate.org/its-ok-to-date-new-technology-you-dont-have-to-marry-it/ 

I really liked this article because it discusses implementing new technologies in a library program in small doses (i.e. pilot programs), rather than jumping into all the latest trends immediately.  I think this approach would be beneficial so you can determine what is working or not working for your students before you commit too much time or funding.

Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) is an author and technology leader.  As I read through his profile and tweets, I noticed a lot of posts about educational technology and digital tools.  There are also links to tools that help teachers integrate technology in meaningful ways, and many references to Makerspace.  I was able to have experience implementing Makerspace during my library internship, so I was interested in these articles and videos I found in his tweets.  One that I especially liked was a link to an article that discusses how Makerspace empowers and inspires confidence in students. 

What We Learn from Making ^ Usable Knowledge ^ by Bari Walsh http://t.co/YTf1RnJ8Cq pic.twitter.com/ysfkS9oh5G

— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) June 22, 2015

Twitter is a very dynamic and useful tool for librarians and educators.  I am looking forward to continue making connections with other librarians, teachers, and literacy organizations.  I would definitely recommend that librarians use Twitter to network with colleagues.   There are many opportunities to build knowledge by joining in chat sessions about technology and literacy where great discussions occur.  Librarians could also create a Twitter account for the school library and tweet out book recommendations, newly arrived materials, contests, book trailers, and other items of interest to students and teachers.   Twitter is a great resource for librarians to learn more about new technologies and their implications for a library program, to make connections with colleagues, learn what is going on in other libraries, and to stay up to date with current practices.