Screencasts, Instagram, and Flipgram: Visual literacy


Today on the blog, we are talking about 3 visual web applications and how they can benefit you in the classroom.

First up is Screencast-o-matic:

Screencast-o-matic was relatively easy to use, but I did have some issues in general getting started. I had some issues with the amount of storage space available on my computer. I had to download the recorder launcher about 4 times before it downloaded properly to be able run the program. After finally being able to open the application- I then had more storage issues. Every time I would start a recording it would get stopped around 50 seconds in because I did not have enough storage on my computer. After a few hours of cleaning out my computer storage, I was finally able to create a screencast.


The process of making the screencast was honestly pretty easy and simple to use. I decided to create a screencast for my students in the new school year. This screencast shows how to find and use the library's online catalog (Destiny Quest) using the school's website.

Instagram

Instagram is a social media site that can be used pretty easily. This application focuses on images and the sharing of images. Instagram is a very popular social media application among the students that we teach- which would make it very useful for the current teachers and media specialists. I have seen it used as a promotion of the library or a classroom using book selfies or "shelfies". There are many different uses for it. I chose to make a post about my school library's reference and non-fiction section. This was inspired by pictures I took for another assignment- evaluating the reference section for students. I chose to use Instagram's new application of posting multiple pictures in one post. Next time I might try posting videos to the "my story" application of Instagram.

A post shared by Mrs. Carpenter (@classymrscarpenter) on

Flipagram:

Lastly, I tried flipagram an application that takes photos and creates a video. This application was also very simple to use. I was able to select various photos and put them into the application. It also had the option to use your camera or video to upload into the application. After I have chosen the pictures I was allowed to choose music (I opted to not pick music) and use the filters (much like Instagram) to improve the pictures. I chose some of the same pictures that I used in my Instagram post to see how the two application would present it differently.


Overall analysis:

I really liked all of the applications that we tried out this week. If I had to pick one application to use- I would choose Instagram. Instagram is an application that students are already very familiar with which lends to better use and incorporation in the classroom. Also, since the previous updates, it offers a lot of different uses like the traditional posts, collage posts, multiple pictures in a post, and the new Instagram stories. Again, I would be likely to use all of the applications, but for these reasons I would probably use Instagram the most.

Comments

  1. Mesmi ReadsJuly 7, 2017 at 2:43 PM

    Kaitlyn,
    Great videos, I agree with you most students are familiar with Instagram. So they would feel more confident in using this app. We as educators want students to feel confident and that will yield more participation and better final products. I had never used any of the apps but after playing around with them, my favorite was fliapagram . It was very easy and fun to create videos using my personal photos. I shared the video with family and soon they too were creating and sharing videos as well, it was a lot of fun. Nice Job on your post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jennifer EspinozaJuly 9, 2017 at 8:08 AM

    Hello Kaitlyn.
    I really liked how easy it was to use Flipagram, but I had such a hard time using Instagram. However, I do plan on incorporating both apps this coming school year. Many students are accustomed to using technology and keep asking if there's any way to utilize them in their assignments. I also plan on using Screencast-O-Matic as a way to differentiate learning and even provide 'flipped' classroom lessons.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 9, 2017 at 4:30 PM

    Hi, Kaitlyn,
    I'm sorry you had storage problems with Screencast-O-Matic. That's something we would have to consider if we ask students to create products with this tool. It might be frustrating for them also. I love your Flipagram idea for library use! That's something I would love to do! Thanks for the great ideas and reviews.
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJuly 30, 2017 at 10:42 PM

    Hi, Kaitlyn,

    It is so frustrating to spend hours trying to figure something out/solve a problem. I had the same issue when trying to upload my podcast from my computer... I still couldn't get it to work after several hours of trying. There is definitely something to be learned from those frustrating moments with technology... lessons we can tap into when helping students and teachers.

    ReplyDelete

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