Videos and QR Codes in the Library

This week we are exploring more types of videos and a different way to get your viewers to your products. To begin with let's take a look at some videos several school libraries have produced for their students.

Norman High Library -

Tiger Visits the Norman High Library

Getting Started with the NHS Library Website

The Unquiet Library (High School Library)-

The Importance of Choice for Igniting StudentPassion and Learning Through Research Projects

FindingCC Licensed Images in Advanced Flickr Search

Pikesville High School - 

Pikesville High School FAFSA

Back to School Night

Bonnie Branch Middle School - 

Kids in the Hall - asking What is Your Favorite Food?

Hotline Overdue Drake Library Parody

I also would like to show you a school near me, Gulf Shores Elementary, that is using videos that their students have produced and posted on SchoolTube - 

The Wee Pig, Medium Size Sheep, Huge Cow and Princess Goldilocks 

Of these videos, the one that I would recommend as most helpful to students depends on the age of the students you serve and whether you are asking if the finished product is the useful part or whether the production of the video is the useful part. If I were a high school librarian wanting to know which video gave my kids information they need I would choose the Pikesville High School FAFSA video, it does a great job of alerting the kids of the need of getting their FAFSA completed and it is fun to watch. If I wanted a project for my kids to produce I would definitely go with one similar to Bonnie Branch Middle School's "Kids in the Hall" video. They would have many opportunities for planning, interviewing, editing, and using data from a survey all in one project - it is awesome! I also love the story retelling opportunities available with a project similar to the Gulf Shores Elementary video. The video I believe the students will like the most would be any in which they see or hear themselves. Kids LOVE to see themselves on the screen! Any chance they have of being seen is of great interest to them - at least it is in elementary school. If it is different at other levels, let me know!! :)

Another type of video that is useful in your library would be the booktrailer. Booktrailers come in many forms, but the most common is that of the preview with a cliffhanger. When done properly this is a great technique for getting kids in the library to check out some books they may not have noticed without the trailer. There are some awesome productions on Youtube created by teachers and students, such as this collection where elementary students give advice to would be booktrailer creators - Student Book Trailers Examples by students and teachers at Diplomat Elementary School. If you use your Smartphone to scan the QR code below my book information you can view the trailer I attempted this week using the free version of Animoto, which is an incredibly easy-to-use website for making videos!

Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

QR Codes are simply a digitized picture of a URL. There are several free QR code creators on the internet, like the one I used, QR Stuff, it is so easy you might think you did it wrong, but believe me - it is just that easy. You copy the URL you want to link, and you paste it into the box on the website and click on download. There are lots of options you can take advantage of as well, but it can be just that easy! I found several libraries that are using QR Codes for activities. One fun scavenger hunt I found has the kids looking for books in a Pokemon Go! fashion. This one is from one of our favorites, The Daring Librarian - Gwyneth Jones, she includes all directions for her project at this blog post - Pokemon Go QR Code Library Scavenger Hunt.

Resources

Animoto: Make great videos. Easily. Join the millions of businesses, photographers, and families who use the power of video to share what matters most to them. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2016, from https://animoto.com/

Dahl, R., & Blake, Q. (2004). Charlie and the chocolate factory. New York: Knopf. 
QR Stuff. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://www.qrstuff.com/

SchoolTube. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://www.schooltube.com/

APA formatting by BibMe.org.