Videos and QR Codes in the Library

YouTube

YouTube is a wonderful resource tool that can be used to enhance learning in the classrooms and in our libraries.  It can add quality instruction and provide quality videos to reach a mass audience.  The following school library YouTube channels demonstrate how they utilize YouTube for educational purposes and keep up with 21^st century learners.

The NHS Library:

The video below shows how the librarian explains the steps it takes to get started with the library website and how to navigate it.   This is a very helpful video for students to reference back to, whenever they don’t know how to find the NHS Library website.   I would recommend having the link to this video on the school’s home page as well.

The video above shows the school mascot, Tiger, utilizing the library and having fun.  I am sure students would love to see this video, since it showcases the library and its resources, and they get the chance to see some of their friends there too.

The Unquiet Library:

The video below, shows the librarian demonstrating how to search Wikimedia Commons for copyright friendly photos, using a screencast video recorder.   This video is really helpful for students, as she presents how to find these photos and provides tips on how to access the page or what to do if the page is blocked.

The following video of a surprise and impromptu holiday choral performance would be best liked by students, because students like to watch their own performance and see how they looked or sounded.  The musical and cheerful performance sure engages the audience. 

The Pikesville HS Library:

The video below would be the most helpful to students of Pikesville HS, because it reminds them of the requirements and process of completing their FAFSA application.

The following video shows how students from Pikesville HS had fun and danced in the library.  The students would like this video the best, as it demonstrates how fun the library can be.

BBMS Media Center:

The following video can be the most helpful for students, especially if the school has new students enrolled.  The library media specialist reminds students of the policy and procedures of the library through short videos and a presentation.

The video below is one of the many “Overdue” book parody videos created to show students the importance of returning their books to the Media Center on time, yet it is comically done with students’ performance.  This video is a parody of Meghan Trainor “Me Too.”

A concerned that is often expressed at our campus is that YouTube is blocked for students, when using the district network. Fortunately, teachers do have access to YouTube and can show the videos as needed.  However, as librarian, I would embed the library YouTube videos on the library website, by using Clipconverter.cc, or any other free media conversion application.  I would recommend teachers to do the same and embed their videos to their teacher webpages. This way, students have access to these wonderful videos through a clean and ad-free site.

I would promote videos in my library by having students create their own book trailers or book talks to promote our library books.  Students can utilize the library’s set of iPads or Google tablets of this assignment.  I would post these book trailers or book talks on our school library’s web page or social media page.  Instruction students or staff on how to use the library’s databases and web resources, is another way to integrate videos in the library.

Animoto:

I created a book trailer for one of my favorite children’s book of all time, Corduroy by Don Freeman, using Animoto.  I created the video using Animoto’s free version.  It was fast, simple and easy to use.  

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Have you ever dreamed of being locked in a department store at night?  the endearing story of Corduroy paints a picture of the adventures that might unfold for a teddy bear at least) in such a situation.  When all the shoppers have gone home for the night, Corduroy climbs down form the shelf to look for his missing button.  It’s a brave new world!  He accidentally gets on an elevator that he thinks must be a mountain and sees the furniture section that he thinks must be a palace.  He tries to pull a button off the mattress, but he ends up falling off the bed and knocking over a lamp.  The night watchman hears the crash, finds Corduroy, and puts him back on the shelf downstairs.  The next morning, he finds that it’s his lucky day!  A little girl buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank and takes him home to her room.  Corduroy decides that this must be home and that Lisa must be his friend.

QR Codes:

Another great tool to use in the classrooms and in the libraries is Quick Response (QR) codes.   They work like a bar code, except they are made of a configuration of blocks that are scanned with a mobile device, such as smart phone or tablet that has a QR reader downloaded to it.  QR codes instantly take you to the desired destination without having to go through several links.  There are many ways to use QR codes in the library.  The following are just a few examples of how I would like to use them with my students.

• YouTube read aloud videos
• eBooks
• Presentation of projects/displays
• Scavenger hunts
• Short educational videos
• Book Talks
• Book Trailers

Scan the following QR Code to watch the Corduroy book trailer that I created using the QR Reader app on my iPhone.