Information Galore

     Have you ever seen a graphic that represented information, data, or knowledge in a quick and clear format? This is an infographic! Infographics are great tools to use when presenting content because they can be persuasive, eye-catching, and easily read/understood. Not convinced? Check out these three different programs and give them a try yourself!

    After creating a free account on Easel.ly, it was very self-explanatory as far as where to start. I have very limited knowledge when it comes to graphic design, so I decided to start by browsing the public templates instead of creating a design from scratch. Immediately I noticed the abundance of template choices and how colorful they all were - so many caught my eye! However, upon further investigation, I realized that most of the templates required the pro version which cost money. After noticing this limitation, I decided to head on over to a different program and see if there were more choices available without the need to spend money. 

    Upon creating a free account with Infogram, I was quickly drawn in by the various project options including infographics, reports, slides, dashboards, posters, social media posts, email headers, YouTube thumbnails, virtual backgrounds, whiteboards, and more. So many of these ideas intrigued me, and I found myself down a bit of a rabbit hole browsing what options were available for things such as email headers, virtual backgrounds, and whiteboards. My teacher-brain definitely recommends checking out the virtual backgrounds for your future classroom needs! 

    The infographic templates provided a variety of choices, but the colors did not stand out to me as much as Easelly; many of the designs included muted or dark color options which is not as appealing to me. Also, similarly to Easelly, most of the templates required an upgrade to use, so what initially appeared as a large selection was quickly narrowed down to roughly 25. I decided to check out one more program option before officially giving one a try with my own research. 

    Just like Easelly and Infogram, Piktochart also had the option to create a free account. After making an account, I was asked to chose where I work. Surprisingly, being an educator for students under the age of 13 was not an option, which makes me think that students under the age of 13 are not permitted to use this program themselves. 

    Piktochart has several different visual options including infographics, presentations, posters, reports, flyers, and social media posts. As was the case with Easelly, the infographics are very colorful and offer a variety of different design options. When browsing through, it appears to have a much bigger selection of templates that are offered with my free account which is a huge bonus. Unfortunately, the downside of having so many options is that is starts to become overwhelming, and different designs start to blend together in my head. Also, my easily-distracted brain started to see infographic templates that would be perfect for other educator-related projects, and my mind started to drift away from my original infographic purpose. 

    After regaining focus, I started zooming in on the details of the different templates available. The research I planned to present came from an article shared by Pew Research Center titled "Among Many U.S. Children, Reading for Fun has Become Less Common, Federal Data Shows," so I wanted an infographic template that would provide quality options for displaying data about children's interest in reading based on different ages, genders, and races/ethnicities. I settled on a template that appeared to be for employee satisfaction data because there is a resemblance between the type of data collected on employee satisfaction surveys and the type of data collected in the article about children's feelings towards reading for fun. 

    Having gone through all the steps to create the below graphic, I will be the first to admit that it was not as easy as I had anticipated. I consider myself pretty technologically savvy, but using Piktochart did require some knowledge of how computer programs typically operate. There were quite a few instances of trial-and-error through button-clicking, but I am ultimately proud of my finished product! 

    A few notes of caution:

1. Many of the icons within the program require a pro membership.
2. Figuring out what was locked and unlocked on the template required a lot of trial-and-error.
3. Knowledge of electronic chart making is helpful.
4. A free membership only allows two downloads, so make sure you are completely satisfied with your graphic before downloading. 

P.S. For a slightly more interactive experience (specifically the graphs), view my infographic online!

References

Schaeffer, K. (2021, November 12). Among many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows. Pew Research Center. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/11/12/among-many-u-s-children-reading-for-fun-has-become-less-common-federal-data-shows/ 

    

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram... Oh my!

    We live in a social-media-rich environment - pretty much everyone knows how to use at least one social media platform and accesses said platform daily. Like with anything, there are negatives to social media, and a quick Google search will surely highlight these aspects (i.e cyberbullying, too much screen time, inability to communicate face-to-face, creating fake/perfect personas, etc.). However, social media has the ability to be a great tool, especially for school libraries, because it is a way to share news with multiple people at one time and connect with users in the community beyond traditional email and paper. Social media allows one to highlight different aspects of life through text, photos, videos, links, and more. It allows others to receive updates and interact regardless of location. Ready to bring your school library into the 21st-century with social media? Let's chat about three of the top platforms! 

    Facebook is one of many social networking sites available on the internet that make is easy to connect with family and friends by sharing photos, videos, links, text updates, and more. It's also a great platform for receiving news updates, connecting with like-minded individuals by joining interest-specific groups, and supporting businesses and organizations through their pages. 

    Using Facebook is just one way school libraries can reach a broad audience with a simple click. However, it does not appear to be an extremely popular platform. A quick search within Facebook shows an abundance of schools that have Facebook pages but not a lot of pages dedicated specifically to school libraries. With a little more digging, I found that there are a lot of high school libraries with Facebook accounts but not a lot of elementary, intermediate, or junior high library accounts. In addition, many of the school library pages do not include an abundance of posts beyond promoting their summer reading program and a few sporadic programs that occurred throughout the school year.

    Benignus Library (@benignuslibrary) in Klein ISD is one school library page that is updated frequently. With 233 people having "liked" the page and 249 people following it for updates, each post has great potential to reach a large audience. The school librarian regular posts reminders about reading programs such as the example below that is showcasing the Klein ISD Reading Express - A Summertime Storytime Series. Other posts include video highlights of the library winning a grant and when their "Name That Book" competition team found out they were advancing to the next round. The librarian also showcases student work such as writing poems using wordless picture books and using block coding to play a game of soccer. While many posts have a few interactions (i.e hearts and likes), most do not include comments. 

Advantages

• Share a variety of content (photos, videos, links, text, etc.)
• Easy format to use 
• Connect with other like-minded pages (i.e. other districts, schools, and school libraries)
• Reach lots of people at one time 
• All individuals receive the same updates
• Information, unless deleted, remains on one, searchable page
• Creating a Facebook account is free
• Posts can be shared from other pages (i.e. district or school pages) and, if allowed, patrons can share posts from the school library page to their personal page which can increase exposure

Disadvantages

• Predominantly used by adults, so many students (esp. elementary aged) will not have access 
• Algorithm limits users from seeing updates on their individual timelines which means some users would have to navigate to the specific page to see updates 
• Users must have their own Facebook account to access the platform
• Due to the public nature of social media, the librarian will need extensive knowledge on the district's social media posting policies as well as student release information if student faces are used in any pictures or videos 
• Advertisements are very prevalent on your personal timeline when browsing

While I have several Facebook accounts including my personal Facebook page, two groups for my small businesses, and a small business page, I've only just begun an account for my library journey. Follow me here: Teaching By The Books (My plan to change this over to my school's library Facebook page once I have met with my new principal and receive the green light!)

    

    Another social networking site available on the internet is Twitter. Like Facebook, Twitter can be used to receive news, connect with businesses, and stay in-touch with friends and family. This platform aims for simplicity and "highly skimmable" content, so text posts are limited to 140 characters. 

Advantages

• Creating an account is free
• There are thousands of Twitter users, so your potential audience is high
• Many celebrities use this platform as their go-to social media source
• Free from advertisements that can clog up feeds
• Limited message size (although this could be viewed as a disadvantage depending on the tweet)
• Links are easy to share
• Hashtags can be used strategically to attract new visitors

Disadvantages

• Videos cannot be uploaded
• Not as effective for sharing photos compared to other social media sites
• Many inactive and fake users 

    As you create your very own Twitter account, one of the first things you'll have to ask yourself is, "Who do I want to follow?" This can seem very overwhelming as you venture off into the Twitter world. Let me help ease the burden just a little by highlighting a few of the biggest names in educational technology today: 

Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock)

    Kathy Schrock's Twitter biography states that she is an education technologist, presenter, adjunct instructor, influencer, and geek from Cape Cod, MA. A quick scan through her most recent tweets highlights new blog posts, TED talk videos, upcoming opportunities to hear her speak, and fun activities/websites such as Morsle (which I've already tried and become slightly addicted too). 

Linda Braun (@lbraun2000)

    Linda Braun is a learning consultant, educator, and teen advocate. Her Twitter feed consists predominantly of retweets or tweets that highlight other Twitter users. One downside of highlighting other Twitter users is that many accounts are not set to "public" which means users who do not follow those specific people are not able to see the post she is highlighting. I did appreciate her tweets and retweets where the news articles were easy to access, meaning that when I clicked the link she posted or shared, it took me right to the source. For example, her tweet below highlighted a very interesting article from The New York Times about how teens around the US have met life's challenges in the midst of a pandemic. Read the full article here. 

Alan November (@globalearner and @NLearning)

    The Globalearner account no longer shows any tweets, but the account is listed as the lead for November Learning which provides consulting services, workshops, and rich resources through a  Building Learning Communities Conference. This account has not been active in the tweeting world since August of 2019. Back when they were active, their tweets included articles about leadership, blogs on ways to inspire change, and other helpful tips for teachers such as the blog post by Bill Ferriter shown below. Read the full blog post here. 

The Daring Librarian (@GwynethJones)

    Gwyneth Jones, also known as The Daring Librarian, is probably my favorite person featured here. If you read my last blog post, I highlighted her blog among five of my favorite library-themed blogs, and I also follow her on Instagram (TheDaringLibrarian). Her tweets feature a variety of content including podcast showcases, upcoming books to read, favorite shows, important topics in the world of reading (i.e. banned books and censorship), student highlights, and other funny/relatable content. One tweet that really spoke to me and my personal experiences was a link to one of her blog posts titled "Dealing with Difficult People in the Workplace." I particularly liked the motivational memes and the tip on how to handle passive aggressive people. Check out the tweet itself below!

Jim Lerman (@jimlerman)

    According to Jim Lerman's Twitter profile, he is an architect of ideas and implementation - an educator, designer, author, speaker, and project director - based out of Greenwich Village, NYC. Many of his tweets offer practical tips for technology use such as photo editing, PDF annotators, Kindle tricks to improve reading, and Android shortcuts (just to name a few). He also has some fantastic literacy-based tweets like the novel list and writing strategy shown below. Check out the full novel list here. 

    

So what does this mean for my library?    

    Since Twitter is a platform I am not as familiar with, it would not be my go-to right away in terms of promoting my school library. However, the district I am moving to, Klein ISD, uses Twitter regularly - the district itself has a Twitter handle, the KISD Library program has a Twitter handle, every school has a Twitter handle, and most school libraries have a Twitter handle. That being said, I am definitely going to need to learn and become more comfortable with this social media platform. With this much use in the community, the value and benefit of having my school library on the platform is tremendous. Follow my new journey here: @Mrs_Sonnier. 

    Instagram is at the top of my list when it comes to social media platforms, especially for school library promotion. It is a free photo and video sharing platform with a highly visual component that catches the viewer's attention. Just like Facebook and Twitter, this platform provides users with a way to connect with friends and family, it also allows users to learn news stories, support businesses, and connect with like-minded individuals. 

    Instagram, as well as Facebook, has several different ways to share content including posts and stories. Posts are stored on your homepage for others to view as long as you do not delete them, while stories are only visible to others for 24 hours unless you save the story to your page's highlights. 

Advantages

• Posting content and engaging with other peoples' content is easy
• Share photos and videos
• Lots of filters available for photo editing
• Connect with others who have similar interests
• Free accounts
• Lots of options on stories including adding links, polls, questions, music, donations, and countdowns
• Posts from Instagram can also be shared to Facebook and Twitter
• Hashtags can be used strategically to attract new visitors

Disadvantages

• Best viewing platforms are iPhone and Android apps 
• All posts must be first tied to a photo or video
• Feeds can become clogged with advertisements, sponsored posts, and follow suggestions 
• Heavily trafficked for business purposes

    

What does my love of Instagram look like?

    I use Instagram daily. I have a personal account, two small business accounts, and an account chronicling my journey towards becoming a school librarian. At least one of these accounts receives an update from me each day, and I check all accounts for activity regularly. 

Teaching By The Books

    I snagged my Instagram username the day I was accepted into the MLS program at SHSU and have been documenting my journey, mainly through book reviews, ever since. I plan to transition this account into my library account to continue sharing book reviews, library lesson ideas, bulletin board displays, reading quotes, and more! 

    In addition to posting my own content, I follow lots of other teachers and school librarians on Instagram. Through these other accounts I have gathered fantastic ideas for teaching and learning including:

• Making books that haven't been checked out in a while appealing to students
• Creating infographic templates as bookmarks
• Using STEM activities in the library and classroom
• Connecting art with literacy
• Creating meaningful anchor charts 
• Using clay in makerspace activities
• Finding new books to feature (often tied to activities and freebies that can be used in the library and classroom)

Follow me on Instagram today!

Check out my highlights: Librarian Life, Puzzling, and Favorite Reading Quotes!

Find new book recommendations like this one!

What is my social media plan?

Use them all! If you start with an Instagram account and connect it to both a Facebook page and a Twitter handle, you can essentially post in one place but be seen on all three platforms! This is a win-win-win because you will be making yourself visible in more than one location, providing a better chance that your content will be viewed by those in your community and beyond :)

Feed Readers - Feed Your Blog Reading Soul!

    Feed Readers: What's the Big Deal and How Do I Choose One?

    Do you like to read blogs but find it tedious to go to each of your favorite blogs to see if there is a new post? You need to create a feed reader! Never heard of a feed reader? Don't fret! Up until a few days ago, I hadn't heard of this either. Feed readers are tools for avid blog readers where you can create a "one-stop-shop" for all the blogs you follow. Before you hop on in, let me give you a little background on some popular feed readers. I recommend dipping your toe into each one in order to find the perfect fit for you and your blog reading needs. 

    When analyzing some of the best, free feed readers (because who doesn't love something free?), I used Lindsay Liedke's post "6 Best Free RSS Feed Readers (2022 Edition). Liedke does an excellent job providing pictures of the feed readers, along with a brief description and an easy link to access the tool. 

    Immediately, I was drawn to some platforms over others. NewsBlur, FeedReaderOnline, and Feeder were at the bottom of my list because their overall look gave me "email inbox" vibes. With two personal email accounts, two small business email accounts, and two school email accounts, I was not interested in something that followed a similar set-up. However, that's not to say they don't have positives and would be great choices for other blog readers! From there, I dipped my toe into Feedly and Inoreader, first. I made accounts with both and found a few different aspects that worked really well: 

• Feedly has an AI research assistant named Leo who helps to keep your feed clutter free. It also has an easy search feature that allows users to quickly create folders for the different blog themes they follow. 
• Inoreader drew me in right away because of the way the feed highlighted pictures similarly to Pinterest and Instagram. 

    Ultimately I chose to use Good News as my feed reader for a variety of different reasons:

1. There are several different display options, so it can be customized to fit your personal preferences. 
2. Creating a "School Librarian" feed reader separate from other readers was easy to do. 
3. Adding sources for blogs I follow required one, simple step. 
4. The settings allow me to open articles in new windows (always a plus in my eyes), hide articles I've read, and refresh my news stream every 15 minutes.

Create your own Good News account here.

Liedke, L. (2022, May 16). 7 best free RSS feed readers. Blogging Wizard. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://bloggingwizard.com/free-rss-feed-readers/ 

Found My Feed Reader! Now Give Me All the Blogs!

    Finding blogs that fit your needs and desires can be overwhelming because there are so many blog writers out there. If you are like me, a school librarian with a passion for all things libraries, reading, and technology, you have come to the right place! Let me take a moment to get you hooked on a few of my favorite blog writers that check the boxes for your interests (and mine):

1. The Library Voice - This blog is written by Shannon McClintock Miller, the Director of Innovation Instructional Technology and Library Media at Van Meter School in Iowa, as well as a Future Ready Librarians Spokesperson, Capstone Author, and more! Her blog's slogan is "A place to be heard through creating, technology, connecting, reading, collaborating, and noise," and her posts include podcast episodes with authors, choice boards for virtual library activities, and technology resources such as how to create a Google Classroom. 
2. Watch. Connect. Read - Head on over to this blog to explore children's literature through interviews and book trailers. John Schu, writer and editor for this blog, provides book reviews, author and illustrator highlights, book trailers, read aloud videos, author interviews, and more!
3. The Trapped Librarian - Laura, a recently retired elementary school librarian with 32 years of elementary teaching experience, has written this blog to help librarians make the library the center of the school. Her blog includes posts about bulletin boards and displays, classroom managements, collaboration, library advocacy, professional development, library events, and technology tips. There is a little bit of everything for those currently practicing as school librarians, those about to begin their new career, or those thinking about making the change. 
4. Mrs. ReaderPants - Leigh Collazo is a librarian and teacher that has taught in Texas, China, and Mexico. Her earlier posts predominantly focused on book reviews and thematic booklists. However, she has added to her librarian toolbox with posts that include lesson ideas and management tips. Her rationale behind the additions is that librarians need to share ideas with one another and rely on more than the professional book reviews that are widely available. 
5. The Daring Librarian - This blog includes all the things school librarians want and need to know, such as rights of readers, representation within the collection, presentations and printables geared towards newer librarians, and all things technology (websites, apps, etc.). Gwyneth A. Jones, author of this blog, is also a Future Ready Teacher Librarian, Ed Tech Leader, and Google Certified Innovator (just to name a few of her amazing accomplishments). This award winning blog is sure to have something for everyone!

**Shameless Plug: In addition to following me on this blog, head on over to my Tumblr for even more library fun!