Final Vision Project Blog #1: Design Considerations
It’s just amazing how much can change in 10 weeks. As I look back I can’ help but smile (ok maybe laugh a bit too) at remembering my reaction when I read that I was to produce a final vision project based around the 21st Century Classroom. I sure panicked for a few weeks as I learned more and more about what is available to us in this Digital Era. I considered myself an ok person when it came to technology, I mean I got by just fine until I realized there was more out there than me turning on my computer and using my smart board at school.
Image Credit: Bitmoji
My first thoughts were on wanting to create something that would "allow students to express their learning (of a particular subject or concept) in a variety of ways." (Chandler, 2017) I wanted something engaging and at the same time give them the freedom to learn at their own pace. I had decided to create a Choice Board and had already started to plan how to go about it.
All that planning went out the window when I discovered Book Creator. I was hooked! I found the program when I was doing my research for my Reading Culture blog. One of my ideas was to create an Online Book Tasting to give parents the opportunity to participate in some of our Library events. I came across a case study written by Mira Campbell where a teacher-librarian and classroom teacher wanted to improve the reading experience for their students in the HS Program (Home School Program.) The main idea was to use Chromebooks and the Book Creator App and have students write down their thoughts about the books they were exploring using the app. They were using the “collaboration feature” in the virtual library, this enabled editing so more than one student could work on the same book at once. At the end of the event, they were to create a book trailer on their favourite book. I simply fell in love with the idea! You can read more about the case study here.
I wanted to create something that we could use at the library this year to get students excited about our upcoming Reading Link Challenge. This event is organized annually by our local public library and schools in our district can participate. Participants can sign up to read the 5 books chosen and then create trivia questions for each book. At the end of the challenge, all schools participate in a community wide trivia competition and the winner gets resources for their classroom library.
Every year we do have a fair number of participants; however, it’s mostly our strong readers that get involved. This year I want to make sure that every kid who wants to participate gets to do it no matter their reading level. To do that, I have decided to use various programs that will cater to all participants.
First things first, Promoting the event. We usually make announcements on the PA, print out posters and put them up around the school, and send emails to staff. This year I want to do something different! I will still do the above because there is no need to reinvent the wheel. However, I want to add a promotional video to show teachers during our staff meeting and show it to students when they come visit the library for book exchange. I am hoping to use Doodly to create a short video explaining what the Reading Link Challenge is and how participants can sign up.
Image Credit: Doodly
Second step is to create a place where students can enter their trivia questions, access the participating books, and find other activities. After careful research, I decided to use Book Creator to set up the virtual library. Initially I wanted to use Google Slides, but I found that Book Creator is more interactive, I can also choose fun formats for every book trivia collection. The program also allows me to insert videos, Audio files and pictures. What I also like about it is that it’s very user friendly so our participants will be able to work independently after one lesson. Book Creator also offers features which can support all learners. Participants will have the choice of using Voice-to-text, audio record, or type their questions. They can also use the Read-to-me feature to listen to their questions to check they make sense.
These past weeks have also taught me that I need to be mindful of the apps and programs I plan on using as not all devices are compatible with them. I was happy to learn that Book Creator is compatible with Chromebooks, Macs, Ipads and Android devices.
Now that I have narrowed down the main program I will be using, I needed to find a way to get participants easy access to the virtual library. After careful consideration, I decided to create bookmarks with a QR code and hand them out to students. I will also print signs to put up around the school and on windows so parents can scan the code and see what the challenge is all about.
I looked through a few QR code generator programs and found the one below to be very user-friendly.
Click on the image above to access QR Generator program
The next step in my plan is to add content to the virtual library. I plan on having a link to the participating books, each will have a book trailer to get participants excited about reading them and a direct link to the editable trivia pages. I will also add links to read alouds of the books in case anyone would like to listen to the story and follow along with their own book.
I was very intimidated by creating book trailers until I attended a live workshop for the iMovie app. I really liked how user-friendly the program was and how by using photos, I can create great book trailers! I was ready to look no further until I remembered that the trailers need to be accessible to those without Apple devices!
Back to the drawing board I went…I researched programs that would be compatible with other devices, including Apple. Below is a comparison chart of the 4 programs I think would be best suited for my project.
Table 1: FlexClip Vs. Moovly vs. Wave.video vs. iMovie Comparison Chart
Table Information retrieved from
here.
What I really like about the programs above is that they are SaaS compatible. This means that the programs use a software as a service provider or SaaS. This type of software is centrally hosted so you can use it in most devices. Programs like Dropbox, Netflix, and Google Apps fall under this category. I could also use YouTube to share videos, however, I found the process a bit more confusing than the programs above. I think that for my final project, I will be using 2 programs to create sample book trailers, I have yet to decide which two so stay tune!
There is so much to think about for sure….and to think that a few weeks ago I would have already panicked and hid under my bed to wait until after the project's due date to freak out some more!
Well, panic no more! I’m so excited to put everything I have learned to the test…I can’t wait to get started!
Do you have any other suggestions? I would love to hear them!
Stay tune…
The Duchess of Bookington
References:
Chandler, A. (2017). The flexible ELA classroom : practical tools for differentiated instruction in grades 4-8. Routledge.
Hi Karla,
ReplyDeleteWow! This sounds like an interesting idea. I recently did a book tasting at my school (2 sessions per class) and it was a huge success! I had never thought to integrate a digital component though. I look forward to seeing your final artifact!
Hi Rachelle,
DeleteThanks for your kind words!
what books did you use for your book tasting? I'm always looking for more suggestions on books to use on future tastings!
I like how you are working to combine multiple programs to make your vision come to life. I am looking forward to seeing your Reading Link Challenge promotions! Our school hasn’t participated in the past, but I would like to get it started next year, so all ideas are welcome! You’ve done a lot of research into different platforms and it is so thoughtful of you to make sure your information is available to everyone, no matter their device!
ReplyDeleteHi Jodi,
DeleteI do hope my Doodly video works ha! I have encountered a few set backs but I'm slowly working out the kinks and hope to have most of the issues resolved this week!
Don't hesitate to reach out when you are getting ready to participate in the Reading Link Challenge! I'm more than happy to help if you need it :)
Oh wow! What a great project idea for Book Creator, Karla (or Duchess ;). I think the students will love working with it. I haven't worked with any of the other movie apps other than iMovie, so I have no suggestions for you, sorry! It such a shame when applications can be used on different devices. Thanks for the reminder about Doodly, I'd like to learn how to use it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate!
DeleteI agree with you, it's a shame that some of the best applications can't be used on different devices! Hopefully the creators will start working towards something to make them accessible to all. I'm a bit nervous about my final product but I know that this is only the beginning so it won't be perfect but a great first stepping stone!
You have a very strong vision for your final project. I appreciate you sharing how your ideas have developed over time. Your comparison chart is an excellent model and takeaway for your reader. You are planning a multi-layered project that will showcase so much of your learning. I am excited to see this unfold!
ReplyDeleteThanks Darcy!
DeleteI'm quite nervous and have already encounter some bumps along the road ha! One thing I have noticed though is that I am now more confident when it comes to trying to fix or figure something out! Before this course I would panic and ask my 12 year old son to help me...I am now figuring things out myself! Sure takes a bit longer but I am learning lots!
The end product might not be perfect and will certainly have some kinks to fix but it will be a great first step towards a better product down the road!
I'm just about to read through all of your final vision project posts, and see where you take this great idea! I totally know what you mean about panicking a bit over everything that's available in the digital era. It's pretty overwhelming! I'm looking forward to see what you do with Book Creator and your book trailers.
ReplyDelete