March of the Librarians YouTube, 2007
As I watched this YouTube video, I was taken back to the Painted Desert productions that augmented the curricula of the 50s and 60s social science classes where I learned pretty much of what I know today about wildlife and geography. Now, of course, we have similar topics over-covered at Imax theaters where I have been bored numerous in a larger format about fish or alligators. While librarians watching March of the Librarians were no doubt amused, anyone else would have been catatonic. Gotta wonder what alligators in Louisiana would think about watching themselves and their habitat interpreted on the big screen?
My school district only lately allowed the use of YouTube. The County Office of Education had for decades provided a film library (need I say Painted Desert?) and then offered United Streaming/Discovery Streaming. Eventually, they were forced to recognize that YouTube and public media offered more content with excellent quality for free and they turned on access--just last year. Discovery Streaming will be a thing of the past next year as budgets tighten and younger teachers go first to their computers or iPhones to find content. Recognizing change and adapting to it is one of the challenges facing educators and librarians. Providing 24/7 access to information is only beginning to become a goal in my school district, which has been thinking 8/5 for quite awhile.
I looked at a lot of library tutorial because I see a need for them in my library, but found only a few that I thought were appealing. Examples of YouTube videos that I might model because they were brief, yet offered great information:
One I did like: The Library Minute: Top 5 Resources for Online Students
Most were either cut and dried (practical), or just too cute. Like a lesson plan, there needs to be a good anticipatory set--but the entire tutorial cannot just depend on that. Several had very good, or eye-catching, introductions, but then when into dry and boring screen shots with moving cursors and typed instructions. A little goes a long way. Another concern: Very fast pictures, fast-talking speakers, fast, moving through instructions. Or slow, droning voices, moving endlessly forward. Just because it CAN be done does not mean that it SHOULD.
I looked at a lot of library tutorial because I see a need for them in my library, but found only a few that I thought were appealing. Examples of YouTube videos that I might model because they were brief, yet offered great information:
One I did like: The Library Minute: Top 5 Resources for Online Students
Most were either cut and dried (practical), or just too cute. Like a lesson plan, there needs to be a good anticipatory set--but the entire tutorial cannot just depend on that. Several had very good, or eye-catching, introductions, but then when into dry and boring screen shots with moving cursors and typed instructions. A little goes a long way. Another concern: Very fast pictures, fast-talking speakers, fast, moving through instructions. Or slow, droning voices, moving endlessly forward. Just because it CAN be done does not mean that it SHOULD.
Animoto is embarrassingly easy to use. I "created" a sample using a few images on my computer: unfortunately there is no noticeable logic or sense to it. It was made from odds and ends of pictures on my hard-drive, several of them from Flickr and stored side by side in the folder. I chose a theme, clicked and downloaded, added a song from the Animoto inventory. I am looking forward to using Animoto--it fits my style.
The uses are astronomical both because it is so easy to use and because it can be so appealing to given audiences. The possibilities abound for use for advocacy, for advertising, for tutorials, for family photos. I am going to get serious and do an MLA citation Animoto for Senior Project next year. And a family album. As mentioned before, I am photophobic and hate (or am frightened by) photo/image/video. I can take 'em, I just cannot manipulate them. This looks like scrapbooking on steroids, but I will try it.
Honest, I'll fix it.
The uses are astronomical both because it is so easy to use and because it can be so appealing to given audiences. The possibilities abound for use for advocacy, for advertising, for tutorials, for family photos. I am going to get serious and do an MLA citation Animoto for Senior Project next year. And a family album. As mentioned before, I am photophobic and hate (or am frightened by) photo/image/video. I can take 'em, I just cannot manipulate them. This looks like scrapbooking on steroids, but I will try it.
No comments:
Post a Comment