Animoto, QR Codes, and Cartoons

            In recent years, there has been an explosion of new technologies and practices being introduced in school libraries. Three of these are Animoto, QR codes, and the use of cartoons. The following are descriptions of my own studies of these new library science possibilities.

            Animoto is a video creation service. People use it for a variety of video production projects. One of the uses that librarians have found for it is the creation of book trailers. The history of book trailers stretches back to the 1980’s. (Vollans, 2016). Since then, the use of book trailers increased to the point that it is now a standard method of enticing students to try new books. I tried my hand at creating a book trailer. I chose John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars. I love that book. It made me cry when I read it the first time, and it made me cry again as I made the book trailer for it. Unfortunately, the book trailer itself makes me cry due to its horrendous production quality. At some point I’m going to go back and try to improve it; but, for now, I will let this particular sleeping dog lie. Here is the link to access it via Animoto. (Matthew 7:1) https://animoto.com/play/YB9pWJxd2CDPZzKgj76miw

            QR codes (quick-response codes) are another relatively recent phenomenon. They were developed in Japan in 1994 to track automotive parts in the assembly process. Now, QR codes are used in a wide variety of applications, one of which is as a link to websites and products on the internet. School libraries are using QR codes to provide a more interactive experience for their library users. Some uses include scavenger hunts; library contests; putting QR codes on book covers which lead to reviews by students and others; and Readers’ Advisory. These are just a few of the many ways that QR codes are being used in school libraries. When I become a librarian, I would like to use QR codes to add excitement to my users’ library experience.  

            I used https://www.visualead.com/ to make a QR code for my book trailer. You can scan the QR code with your cell phone to view the book trailer I made for it.  



            Here is the synopsis of The Fault In Our Stars from the publisher. “Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.”

            The final item I’m going to discuss in this blog is using cartoons. There are three services that provides ways for teachers, students, and librarians to make and use cartoons. These services are Fotojet; Pixton; and MakeBeliefsComix.

            I tried out Fotojet first. Keep in mind that when you, your teachers, and students are making comics you need to use copyright-free and royalty-free images. There are a number of places on the internet where you can find them, but Creative Commons is one of the best. I actually had a fairly difficult time using Fotojet. After I found Wikipedia Commons as a source of photos, I had better luck with image resolution (as seen in the last frame.)



            Out of the three services, Fotojet was best for using photographs to make comics. It’s not too difficult to make the comic, and they’re easy to save once you’re done. Also, there is plenty of variety on the internet of photos to use, as long as you find ones that aren’t copyrighted. Students should be able to easily use this app. A drawback of Fotojet is that it took a lot of work to get the resolution of the photos correct.

Next, I tried Pixton. I enjoyed this process more, but when I was done, it appeared that I would have to pay to get the comic that I had made. Here is a partial screenshot of my comic.



            Here is a screen shot of the page to which I was directed to get the comic.



            Pixton is easy to use. It offers a lot of bells and whistles to tweak the comic illustrations. There is plenty of variety in the app catalog to make a great comic. Students should be able to use it easily and will probably enjoy all the options they have. A drawback of Pixton is that there is no free option; and, without paying for it, there is no way to save what you make.

Finally, I tried the MakeBeliefsComix option. This is my favorite of the three options.


           

MakeBeliefsComix is the best overall option for students’ use in the classroom. It is very easy to use, save, and share through email and other options. There are a lot of character and image options that are built into the app.   

I would recommend to teachers that they can use these comic creation services to help with student creations and presentations. They are a good way to involve students at the upper end of Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. Students can create their own comic strips in all subject areas. Book reports in English class, lab safety guidelines in science, and the examination of current events in social studies are just a few of many ways that comics can be used by teachers and librarians.  

 

References

10 Ways to Use QR Codes in School Libraries. (2023). 10 ways to use QR codes in school libraries. https://www.qrcode-tiger.com/. https://www.qrcode-tiger.com/qr-codes-in-school-libraries

Burns, M. (2022). How to create a comic strip in Google Slides. Class Tech Tips. https://classtechtips.com/2022/06/23/comic-strips-in-google-slides/

Free Comic & Avatar Maker. Pixton. (n.d.). https://edu.pixton.com/educators  

Free video maker: Create & edit your videos easily. Animoto. (n.d.). https://animoto.com/ 

Free Visual QR Code Generator. Visualead. (n.d.). http://www.visualead.com/

Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. Penguin Group.

Gregersen, E. (2012, August 16). QR code. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/QR-Code 

Jensen, K. (2022). Using QR codes for RA: Helping patrons find new book recs in the stacks. Teen Librarian Toolbox. https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2022/05/11/using-qr-codes-for-ra-helping-patrons-find-new-book-recs-in-the-stacks/ 

Kirchhoff, H. (1988). Grab-bag of news, views on the b.c. book scene. Globe & Mail.

Owen, D. (2011). QR Codes in the School Library. Natlib.govt.nz. https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/qr-codes-in-the-school-library 

Photo Comic Maker. Photo Comic Maker - Make Funny Photo Comic Online for Free. (n.d.). https://www.fotojet.com/features/misc/photo-comic.html

Publisher synopsis of The fault in our stars. Penguin Books UK. (n.d.). https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/188200/the-fault-in-our-stars-by-green-john/9780141355078

Vollans, E. (2016). Think of it as a trailer… for a book - researchgate. Think of it as a trailer... for a book. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309624763_Think_of_It_as_a_Trailer_for_a_Book

When we share, everyone wins. Creative Commons. (2023, January 5). https://creativecommons.org/ 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Elizabeth GrossSeptember 18, 2023 at 7:40 AM

    Your first comic was hilarious even though I couldn't see the whole thing! The gist was there. Very nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marissa Lindsay MooreDecember 1, 2023 at 4:45 PM

    Hi Gilbert! I appreciated the background information you shared about the origins of book trailers and QR codes – that was new to me! Also, your commentary about the book trailer making you cry for a different reason than the book made me chuckle! I found Animoto’s free account challenging to use because there wasn’t much available. If you haven’t already, you should try Canva’s video tools! I like it so much that I later made one for one of my YA lit book reviews too! (I linked both in my final reflection because I never would have tried it if not for this class!)

    ReplyDelete

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