Cartoons and Comics

 Fotojet

About me...

The Fotojet site is good for collages, and formal documents (invitations, etc), but you can’t create an actual comic strip.  The site also limits you if you don’t have a paid subscription.  I downloaded my comic collage above, but I couldn’t share the link. 

 

Pixton

How to open a bank account:

I like Pixton’s ability to actually make a comic strip. You can control your background, characters, and conversation.  The problem is you can’t save or share it without a paid account.  I snipped these pictures of the comic I created.  If students are willing to do that, then it is great!

 

 

MakeBeliefsComix

By far my favorite!  I had such fun creating this comic.  Kids would love to turn in assignments in this format.  It is so creative!   It was easy to use and gives you lots of choices on starters, characters, backgrounds, etc.

 

I would share comics with my teacher-colleagues by creating a weekly or biweekly strip of useful information about technology, books, etc. that they could use in the classroom or pass on to their students (like the examples above). The makebeliefscomixs was very easy to insert into this document or you can email them from the site. 

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

 People today young and old alike love watching videos.  I see my students and even my own children watching everything from how to decorate a cake to how to solve a math equation. My husband sends me these silly videos of people falling off of things or tricking someone to eat a hot pepper.  I myself have looked up videos on how to fix various things around the house. I will take advantage of this new pastime by using videos in several different areas in my library.  I will create instructional videos about how to use equipment, skills when doing research, and any other helpful information I can pass to my students.  I will share videos of fun and exciting things happening in the library.  This may interest a student who might not visit the library on a regular basis. 

Here are some Youtube channels and videos and my recommendations on each:

Theunquietlibrary

This video students will like the best:

Media 21 Cohort 2011-2012 Celebration Video

This video is most helpful for students:

Finding and Using Wikimedia Commons Images

 

Pikesvillehslibrary

This video students will like best:

Wii Like to Party @ The Panthers Library

 This video is most helpful to students:

PikesvilleHighschool FAFSA

Bbmsmedia

This video students will like best:

Issues by Julia Michaels Overdue Library Parody

This video is most helpful to students:

NoodleTools - how to create a book citation

One way to use videos in your library is by creating book trailers.  Again people love anything visual.  One of my favorite books of all time is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  (I know, but I am fascinated by the whole beautiful and good vampire thing.)  Just in case you have been under a rock the last 17 years, here is the synopsis: 

   

 "Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the         most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen,         Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.

    Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he         lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers      find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

    Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our     instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite." ( Amazon.com)

Please scan to view my book trailer for TWILIGHT (I was completely creative, no pics of characters from the movies!)

QR codes are another great tool for the library.  You can make book trailers or any other information about a book (reading level, synopsis, AR points)  I would make a display that I change periodically, highlighting different books I think students would enjoy, but might not pick for themselves.  I would do a QR code with information and a book trailer to spark their interest. 

I could do a QR code with information about the library.  I could link the library catalog, social media pages, the informational videos I discussed earlier, or even link e-books to QR codes.  

 

Screencasts

 Screencasts

What is a screencast?

A screencast is a digital video recording of your computer screen and usually includes audio narration. Screencasts are just one of many different types of instructional videos.  When you look at a tutorial for something in Google, you are more than likely watching a screencast.

Screencasting not only saves you time answering the same questions over and over, but as teachers, we know that viewers recall a video better than when reading the instructions.  Kids love watching videos.  I know my personal kids spend hours watching videos.  The more entertaining you make it, the more like they will watch it.

I worked with two different screencast sites for this post.  The first is Screencast-o-matic and the second is Snagit.

 

Screencast-o-matic

Screencast-o-matic is a free screen capture utility.  It has a subscription option that is $1.50 per month.  I made a how-to video on finding books on my school’s online catalog, and it turned out fine.  It was easy to use.  Some pros: video editor, mobile companion apps, and online storage and publishing.  Some cons: no OCR functionality, only exports images as PNG files and no scrolling capture.  Here is the video I made with screencast-o-matic:

 

Snagit 2022

With Snagit, I had to use the free 15-day trial to use it.  It has two main components: the screen capture tool and the comprehensive editor tool.  There is good software support from TechSmith (the creator). You can simultaneously record your screen and yourself with a webcam. You can control the size and placement of the webcam. Some pros: easy to use, seamless screen recording capability, picture-in-picture video, unified format for different OS, multiple capturing options.  Some cons: some plans are a bit expensive (no free version available, only 15-day trial), video editing lacks advanced functionality.  Here is the video I made with Snagit 2022:

Overall, I liked screen-o-matic the best.  I don’t need a lot of fancy features, so if you need something simple, this is the screencast software for you.  If you are looking for more advanced features, look into purchasing Snagit.  

Infographics

 What is an infographic? An infographic is a big picture that summarizes a topic. It is a one-page publication that presents information in a graphic way. Simple icons, symbols, maps, and charts combine to explain the data. Text is only used as labels or to briefly describe facts. The viewer explores the content by studying each section of cartoon-like images.

Why Use an Infographic?

An infographic is a simple but powerful way to communicate. There are many reasons to use it:

• catches the interest of the viewer
• outlines many facts in a compact space
• conveys data quickly using images
• informs without lots of written information
• engages the viewer to think about the topic because they must explore each part
• makes a complex issue easy to understand

 

I reviewed three different web apps that can be used to create infographics.

1. Piktochart

Piktochart is free with paid optional upgrades. It has great step-by-step tutorials. It is easy to use. You can pick from several different formats, including a traditional infographic size, presentation size, poster, and report. You can create your own style or select from templates. There are a limited number of free templates.

2. easel.ly

Easel.ly is free with paid optional upgrades. It has special pricing for teachers and students. It has a free design sandbox you can play in without even registering for the service. It is easy to use. When you begin on their main page, just pick one of the many templets they offer. You can search their library by category. You can also start from scratch. It provides a variety of tools such as backgrounds, shapes, text, and charts.

3. infogr.am

I chose infogram to create my example for the blog. It is free but has paid plans. The paid versions offer SQL connectors, data analytics, link tracking, and engagement analytics. These are in dept, so if you want to go above and beyond, this is a good one. Its ease of use is intermediate, but I did a simple infogram and it wasn’t difficult to maneuver. It is good for numbers and data. The artwork is limited. The free users have fewer choices. I couldn’t download my graphic, so I am including the link for it to be viewed.

 

When I began looking through these three, I randomly choose inforgram  to create my infographic. After looking a bit closer at the other choices, I would have used easel.ly. Here is the link to my infographic:

What Forms of Books do Americans Read?

 

References:

Faverio, M., Perrin, A. (2022, February 2). Three-in-ten Americans now read e-books. Pew Research

Center. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/01/06/three-in-ten-americans-now-read-e-books/

 

Love, C. & TechnoHella. (2021, February 17). What is an infographic? TechnoKids Blog. Retrieved 

        March 6, 2022, from https://www.technokids.com/blog/technology-integration/what-is-an-                      infographic/.