New Tech Tool Review: ScreenPal

 

What is it?

ScreenPal is a screen recorder and webcam tool that makes it easy to record and edit the videos you create. This tool is especially helpful for librarians and teachers to create tutorial videos for your students and to be able to speak & navigate while doing so. The videos can easily be shared by copying a link to ScreenPal or uploading to Youtube.

Pros:

• Free version allows you to upload 15 min videos to Youtube
• Easy to use!
• Can easily pause recording and begin where you left off
• Gives you the ability to create your own content

Cons:

• Costs to record longer videos and for editing features

Overall:

I highly recommend using Screenpal for your next tutorial for your class! Even though it costs to use all of the features, there are plenty of things you can do to make your tutorial for your class in the free version.

New Tech Tool Review: Padlet

 

What is it? 

Padlet is an app/website that makes collaboration easy and makes it look good whether with a team or with a classroom. It features boards and sandboxes that are customizable to what you need and how you want to convey information. You can use padlet for immediate in-person feedback and lessons or it can be used remotely. This is a way to engage your team or class by asking questions on the padlet board, creating lessons, creating an interactive bulletin board, and much more!

Pros:

• Easy to use and user friendly
• Customizable templates, no starting from scratch
• Templates are visually appealing
• easy and fast way to gain feedback
• engaging for the students/participants
• Free version available
• great collaborative tool

Cons:

• There's a cost in order to use it to it's full potential
• Everyone participating needs a device and access to internet

Overall:

I really enjoy using Padlet in order to engage students in library class and in professional development workshops that I facilitate. It's a great way to get instant feedback and to collaborate. Even participates/students that don't normally want to be called-on are opting to participate since they can type their answer and submit it, rather than speak it. There are many ways to incorporate Padlet into elementary library classes with it's collaborative nature. However, this also can be used for MS/HS libraries as well. For example, the ms/hs librarian can have a virtual bulletin board where students can access through a link on the library website. By doing this, the librarian can keep students up to date with new library updates and books. 

I highly recommend using Padlet!

 

New Tech Tool Review: TeachingBooks

 

What is it?

TeachingBooks is a website that aims to enrich the reading experience for educators and kids alike. On the educator side of the teachingbooks website, educators can search for specific books or browse the website's collection depending on what the educator is looking for. Once you find the book, the webpage for that book contains a lot of resources specifically for that book. Resources includes information on the book such as awards won, book resume, book description, book talk, author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more! On the student side of the teachingbooks website, students can play book related games, find books that they may like, create a reading list, browse diverse books, and more! 

Pros: 

• It's easy to use for educators and students
• Encourages reading and literacy
• Many free resources and information
• A large selection of books on the website
• promotes diverse books
• QR codes are available for the book webpages

Cons:

• Some premium features and resources require a membership
• May not have the book you're looking for

Overall:

I love using the teachingbooks website. All of the book information and resources are things that I can count on to be accurate and appropriate. Teachingbooks can easily be used in the library by using the lesson plans and activities, playing the author interviews and book talks to the library class, and putting the QR codes for the book inside of the physical book to encourage the reader to learn more about the book and books that are related to that one. 

I highly recommend using the TeachingBooks website!

New Tech Tool Review: Novel Effect

 

What is it?

Novel Effect is an app where read-aloud books come to life. Within the app, I select the book I'm reading to my library class and while I'm reading the app makes sounds and effects according to what I'm reading and the page I'm on. It's easy to connect to a Bluetooth speaker since it's an app on my phone or tablet. Students love the unexpected sounds and effects that it makes throughout the book!

Pros:

• Makes lots of different sounds and effects while reading
• Easy to connect to a speaker
• A lot of books to choose from
• App has categories of books that it recommends
• Fun and interactive way to read a book out-loud

Cons:

• Costs money (my school gets it free through our BOCES)
• May not have a book on there that you want

Overall: 

The Novel Effect app is a great way to make reading books out-loud fun and exciting. As a librarian that is a bit shy, it takes some pressure off of me to have to make different voices or sounds while reading. I love that it recommends books based off of popular categories and how it follows the pages I read so that the sounds and effects are relevant to that page. If I stop reading for some reason, it stops until I resume my reading. I love that it does this automatically and doesn't continue on without me. Students have loved this being incorporated into our story time. 

I highly recommend the Novel Effect App!

New Tech Tool Review: Weebly

 

What is it?

Weebly is a free website builder that is simple to use and customizable. It has many templates that you can choose to build your website from and easy-to-use tools. Weebly appeals to educators, bloggers, and business owners. 

 Pros:

• Has free version that works for educators
• easy to use
• templates to choose from
• Can keep track of multiple weebly sites through one dashboard/log-in
• can put links into images easily

Cons:

• Upgraded version isn't free (mostly for business owners though)
• time consuming to set up
• Must use template to build website

Overall:

For educators, Weebly is a great resource to build webpages for your students in order to have things in one place. For example, as a librarian, I can create a webpage for each unit I teach in library classes. By doing that, all of the links and information is in one place and students can access it at any time even once we've moved on from that particular unit. Even though it can be time consuming to set up, editing information within weebly is easy and fast.

I highly recommend weebly! 

New Tech Tool Review: Bookflix

 What is it? 

Bookflix is a website that students, librarians, and teachers can use to view videos based off of books and book read alongs. This website pairs two activities together that are based on the same topic. Typically, it's a read along book video paired with a e-book. There is also the option of Spanish and lesson plans to go along with the book pairings.

Pros: 

• Free to use!
• Spanish Option
• Visually appealing and sound effects
• Free lesson plans to use
• Keeps students engaged with books

Cons:

• Must have Internet 
• It's unclear how often new pairings/books are added

Overall:

Bookflix is a great tech tool to use in the library! Students can use it individually on their tablets or computers or the librarian can put it up on a large screen for the whole class to view. This tech tool is especially useful for when library class gets cut a bit short due to other school wide activities happening that day so that you don't have to start a new lesson when there clearly isn't time to do so. Bookflix is also nice to have written done for a substitute teacher plan. 

I highly recommend Bookflix!

Tech Tool Review: Microsoft Teams

 

What is it?

Microsoft teams is a team collaboration app that allows team members to chat, conference call, store files, and so much more! There is an education side to Microsoft teams that allows teachers to create classes with their students in order to collaborate on one platform. 

Pros:

• easy to use
• allows collaboration
• keeps things in one place
• Can be used as a communication tool when team/class is in different locations

Cons: 

• The app is used exclusively with Microsoft--not available to use if your school district doesn't participate.

Overall: 

I was able to use Microsoft teams this past school year as a school librarian in order to increase my communication with high school students. High school students tend to have a busy schedule and they don't have a lot of time to come into the library. Using Microsoft teams, I was able to communicate with them about new books in the library and I was even able to send out surveys to them about what books they'd like me to purchase and how to improve the library. The surveys had great success when I did this. I was also able to share with the high school students the days I would be in the library since I was working 50/50 between two school districts.

I highly recommend using Microsoft Teams!