Message Design & Infographics

Infographics
Infographics are a great way to help simplify a complicated subject, or turn a boring topic in to an interesting one. I can definitely see this tool being used as an effective strategy to engage students during a lesson. With the fast moving pace of technology that our students are used to, this is an excellent way to grab their attention and get right to the point of what you are teaching.

After trying all three infographic online makers (Easel.ly, Piktochart, and Infogr.am) the one I liked the most was Piktochart. In my opinion, this maker was more user friendly than the other two, and a lot easier to understand and navigate while making my infographic. I also liked the fact that this site had ten templates to choose from that made it easier for first time users to get started.

My infographic focuses on the use of social media in the workplace. With the growing popularity of social websites, you constantly see people using their technology devices during the workday, whether for professional or personal reasons. The link to my infographic is: https://magic.piktochart.com/output/14735181-lssl-5391-piktochart

Blogs and Blog Readers

Feedly 
When I first read the term 'feed readers', I felt like I was reading something in a foreign language. I have never heard this term before, and I initially thought that it was like the news feed on Facebook or other popular social media websites.

After reading up on what a feed reader actually is, I was completely impressed with the idea of an app that allows multiple blogs that I'm interested in to be viewed on one screen. This is a great time saver for me, as I am not having to go back and forth between multiple websites to read about different perspectives that are all on the same subject.

The feed reader that I chose is Feedly. I love the way this app is organized, and it is pretty easy to navigate when adding different blogs to my feed. I enjoy it so much that I have two accounts set up: one professional and one for my personal interests.

Two of the blogs that I added to my Feedly are two that I also follow on Twitter: YALSABlog and School Library Journal. I enjoy their tweets and posts so much that when I saw them on Feedly I just had to add them. Their blogs always give up to date information that interests me and gives me ideas to try in my own library.

As a first year librarian, I was always looking for new ways to display books in my library, or to promote them using bulletin boards. This is the reason I decided to add Library Displays to my Feedly. This blog gives so many creative and innovative ways to display books. I am definitely looking forward to trying some this upcoming school year.

I am a big advocate for my library and am passionate about being an advocate for all libraries and the wonderful things that take place in them. This is why I added The Library Voice blog to my Feedly. This blog gives creative ways to be an advocate, as well as new ideas on technology, books, and collaboration with teachers and other staff members.

Although I am currently an elementary school librarian, I might one day decide to move up to secondary, which is why I follow The True Adventures of a High School Librarian. Getting insight on this profession through the eyes of someone who has done it for a while is a great way for me to see if being a secondary school librarian is a good fit for me.

I signed up for a Tumblr account when I was taking another class for my MLS degree. When searching for school libraries on this website, I realized that most of the schools that have a Tumblr use it to promote all of the different and wonderful things that are taking place in their libraries. There are also some pages that simply advocate for literacy and libraries. I follow a few pages, but am still working on adding posts to my account. Here is the link to my Tumblr page.

Facebook and Twitter Exploration

Facebook
I never knew how many school libraries have Facebook pages. When doing the search, I found so many different types of libraries, as well as different types of content on their pages.

The first school library page that grabbed my attention was Houston Middle School Library. Houston Middle School is a public school located in Germantown, Tennessee. This school's librarian has put a lot of time and effort into making this page innovative and interesting to all who visit. The main thing I noticed that the librarian posts are promotions for different reading programs and activities, such as the Barnes and Noble Bookfest that is upcoming. There are also links to different contests and information for the event. The librarian also posts different educational videos that deal with promoting reading literacy and different reading activities taking place on her campus. One aspect of this page that I really liked was using it to advocate for her library, whether it is to get help in the library, or if she needed donations to better her library for her students. I noticed that the librarian posts very frequently on the page, about 7-10 times a day, however there are not many comments or likes on any of the posts. This shows that the librarian is determined to get her library's name out there as well as all of the wonderful things she is doing in her library.

The next page I found grabbed my attention because it belongs to a school that is a suburb of Dallas, and is a pretty big campus as far as student size goes. The name of the school is Mesquite High School, which is located in Mesquite, Texas. I have to say that I was disappointed in what I saw on this Facebook page. There weren't many posts, about 1-2 posts every month. The posts that were made were about things directly related to the school. There were no posts about reading promotion activities/events that were taking place outside of the school. One positive thing about this page was that the videos that were posted showed lots of reading activities that were going on at the campus, which is one way to advocate for the library.

One disadvantage to having a library Facebook page is the fact that it may not be seen by many students or other patrons if it is not promoted regularly. If you work at a low-income school, like I do, you might even run into the problem of students not having access to internet or technology except for when they are on campus. On the other hand, I think having a Facebook page, or any other social media page for your library, is one of the best ways to promote your library in this digital age. When you post on a regular basis, and your posts are beneficial and inspirational for your patrons, you will see the benefits of using a Facebook page.

Twitter 
I recently rejoined Twitter about 6 months ago. I had an account a long time ago, but did not see its appeal or value as far as staying connected with others, as I did with other social media sites. However, over the years, Twitter has become more popular so I decided to give it another try. This time around, I decided to use it only on a professional level and follow those who are in or on the same career path as I am. This has been a great decision for me as I get so many ideas from the many Tweets I receive daily, many from the educational leaders in the library profession. Here are a few of my favorite Tweets from some of the new educational leaders that I just recently started to follow:

I started following Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) after reading all of the innovative ways she integrated Bloom's Revised Taxonomy with different technology applications and devices. I have become very intrigued and interested in her tweets. I consider her a master of all things new and improved when it comes to educational technology. Most of her tweets show the importance of educational technology and why it is so important that we all stay up to date on technological advances. I enjoyed reading her latest blog entry about the online tool IFTTT (If This Than That), which allows you to connect 2 online services together to cause another event or task to happen.

Linda Braun (@lbraun2000) is a past president of YALSA. Most of her tweets are directly related to YALSA. She is a huge advocate for the organization as well as reading in general. She retweeted a video from the CL Alliance that was truly inspiring and motivating. The video is about using maker spaces in the hospitals for children who have lengthy hospital stays. This video is truly encouraging as it shows kids dealing with lifelong illnesses getting the opportunity to develop and create hands on projects.

The Daring Librariain (@GwynethJones) is my new favorite blog and Twitter page to visit. Her page grabs your attention and pulls you in as soon as you click on it. This Twitter page is one that young adults and adults can both relate to. One of her recent blog posts about her BYOD (bring your own device) charging lockers that she uses in her library is absolutely brilliant. I could see this type of charging station being very popular in many libraries.

Textbook Chart

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3qFw5e_ojcuX2VWUlFQWTlNenM/view?usp=sharing

Ready for a Brand New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street" Became the Anthem for a Changing America (2014 Outstanding Books for the College Bound)

Kurlansky, M. (2013). Ready for a brand new beat: How "dancing in the street" became the anthem for a changing America. NY: Riverhead Books

Dancing in the Street was a song that came out during a time America was changing with people fighting racial discrimination and fighting for equal rights. Kurlansky writes in his biopic how this song was made, and goes into the history of the artists, producers, and record company that made this song a hit. This book is very entertaining as it discusses how this one song appealed to teens of all races across the country, and became a hit for many years to come. Great read for those interested in knowing more how music had an influential part in America's history during and after the Civil Rights Movement.

Wonder (June 2015 NYT Bestseller List)

Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. NY: Random House

There are so many themes present in this novel: self-acceptance, prejudice, and bullying, just to name a few. R.J. Palacio tells the touching story of August, a ten year old boy who has a facial deformity. In the past, August has always been home schooled by his mom, but now his parents are ready to send him to a private school, Beecher Prep. Although he is apprehensive in the beginning, August begins to make friends and starts to enjoy school. There is one boy, Julian, who can not stand the way August looks, and continuously makes hurtful remarks towards him. Despite all of the verbal and sometimes physical abuse, August ends his school year on a good note and is even awarded the Beecher Award which is given to students who are considered notable in certain areas throughout the school year. Readers in grades four and up will enjoy this lovable story that teaches them how to face their fears and overcome their challenges, no matter what their situation my be.

The Shadow Hero (2015 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens)

Yang, G.L. (2014). The shadow hero. NY: First Second

This graphic novel is based on a comic series from the 1940s, The Green Turtle. Yang does an excellent job of reinstalling this character for the 21st century. Hank, the main character, is a nineteen year old working in his father's grocery store. After his mother meets a superhero, she is determined to turn Hank in to a superhero as well. After his father is killed by people he owed money to, Hank sets out to avenge his father's death. This novel is full of action and thrills, as well as laughs that will make this a story one will not be able to put down.