Videos and QR Codes in the Library

Welcome back, y'all! I hope you haven't missed me too much! I bring to you another blog post that is sure to amaze, excite, and inspire! :) No, but really now! You're going to LIKE this one.

I was wandering around YouTube the other night and I found some awesome library YouTube Channels that I think you should check out!

First, let me introduce the Norman High School Library channel. They have a few videos uploaded that would be very helpful for students and teacher alike.

I think the EBSCOHost screencast would be supremely helpful for students and teachers looking to do research.

I think the students would really like to see the Tiger visiting the library. It's a fun way to show the different services available.

Another great channel is The Unquiet Library. On this channel, you will see many videos including tutorials and project presentations.

They have an awesome video on what Creative Commons is and how to use it appropriately. This tutorial is very helpful to students that might have been using copyrighted images incorrectly.

This student project is quite creative and I think students would appreciate the humor. It would provide a good example of well done project.

Pikesville High School Library has a nice selection of videos and tutorials available on their YouTube Channel.

The FAFSA video is a great way to encourage high school students to apply and keep deadlines in mind.

I think students will like the Harlem Shake video that the Panthers Library did. It is quite entertaining and the students will enjoy it.

The BBMSMedia Channel has a lot of fun overdue book videos and tutorials.

This Noodle Tools tutorial would be very helpful to students that need to learn to cite for their research.

I LOVE all the overdue library book videos, but this one was really good!

I suggest you continue to look through these channels and look for some of your own. If you find some others, please comment and link me to them. Using YouTube in the library has infinite possibilities. Not only can you upload and share instructional videos, tutorials, and advertising for your library, you can also have students create projects to upoad as well.

Now as I was looking through YouTube I also noticed a lot of awesome book trailers. I decided to try my hand at making my own! I'm helping with a Bluebonnet Book Club at school and we recently read Space Case by Stuart Gibbs.

It’s a murder mystery on the moon in this humorous and suspenseful space adventure from the author of Belly Up and Spy School that The New York Times Book Review called “a delightful and brilliantly constructed middle grade thriller.”

Like his fellow lunarnauts—otherwise known as Moonies—living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon.

And he’s bored out of his mind. Kids aren’t allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they’re trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time—and the only other kid Dash’s age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games.

Then Moon Base Alpha’s top scientist turns up dead. Dash senses there’s foul play afoot, but no one believes him. Everyone agrees Dr. Holtz went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed, simple as that. But Dr. Holtz was on the verge of an important new discovery, Dash finds out, and it’s a secret that could change everything for the Moonies—a secret someone just might kill to keep... -- via GoodReads

Since I've been playing around with QR codes. Let's give it a try and scan my QR code to see my Book Trailer.

QR codes are AWESOME little shortcuts. If you are in a district that provides technology like tablets to students or has BYOD policies, you can easily create QR code scavenger hunts that provide useful information to students. It's an easier and faster way to get students or parents to a website that you want them to get to. I saw this while I was surfing Pinterest. A display like this would be great for piquing interest in new books or old books that are not circulating well. You can also create listening centers with QR codes that link to audiobooks. You can see this idea in action here. Honestly, there are TONS of ways you can use QR codes in the library to enhance your lesson. If you take some time to look around, you'll be able to find something that will work for you. If you come upon any great lessons or maybe you've created something awesome yourself, please comment and link. I'd love to check it out! 

Tootles!