I love the idea of using a tool such as audioboo to create podcasts for book reviews. They’re fun for the reviewer to create, and fun for the student who’s looking for a book to read. And of course, if a student is considering a book, they’re more likely to give it a try if they hear their friends talking about it!
I also like the idea of using QR codes with audioboo to tell prospective readers more about a book. Many kids have smart phones and this would easily enable them to access a podcast book review, rather than having to go online to find it. Qr codes seem to be overused these days, but this is a great example of how they should be used. A QR code may catch their interest, make them curious and want to scan it to see what information is available. Until mobile visual search tools come along, this is an easy, effective way of providing more information.
Screencasting with tools such as Screenr and Screencast-o-matic is a great way to give students access to short tutorials. Currently I use Vision (classroom management software) to “take over” each computer and show an entire class the different steps they need to go through, but a screencast would allow them to view it at any time, and without my having to be there! The ability to add voiceovers makes these screencasting tools even better. This would be perfect for short overviews on how to use our different databases. As soon as I get access to a microphone I’m going to create a quick screencast on how to use easybib.
Thanks for sharing your ideas about this topic. Have fun making a screencast. Do share it with us!
I love the idea of podcasting book reviews, too — and tried it with PhotoStory (which was easy for students to master) and recorded with ScreenR. Now the dilemma is whether to direct readers from the OPALS catalog to ScreenR, or to create another web page to host the podcasts?? I prefer not to leave students on websites that are not school-sponsored, but it does seem easier that way…..
For the time, they are on a page in the Library website, but with almost 100 students podcasting, the page could get full, or I would need several pages. Some day this will seems like a ridiculous problem, I know.