It's Academic

Recently on the ILI-L, there was a thread about innovative ways to enliven library instruction sessions. I really enjoyed reading about what some librarians are doing to engage and motivate students during the usually short time that librarians have to show what the library has to offer and to teach and facilitate research skills.  Among the ideas offered in the postings, three in particular caught my interest: Animoto, Popplet, and Prezi.

Animoto  is a great tool for easily creating videos and presentations. Anyone can create a free 30-second video with an Animoto Lite account. There are three additional fee-based account types and a free iPad app, too.  Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus account. On the ILI-L, one of the posters wrote about playing  an Animoto video while students arrive and get settled.  It sounded like a wonderful idea to add pizzazz and an upbeat tone to the library session before it actually begins.

I tried out the Lite account. Using Animoto’s stock video and music, I quickly created a video, “Getting Connected to the PSU Libraries” to show basic library contact information.  With the music,  graphics, and looping feature, I think the video will add spice to the session before it even begins. To view the quick and (very basic) video I created , follow the link below.

http://animoto.com/play/hSMnPbTg5nyHqxq2kk6Ccg

Popplet is another useful tool for creating visuals.  It’s a fast, easy, and free way to produce colorful diagrams/concept/mind maps using text, images, videos,  and links.  There is also a free Popplet app for the iPad.  To get a good idea of the various ways to use Popplet,  be sure to view the “Checkout our preview video” on Popplet’s homepage.

To become familiar with Popplet, I used it to create a basic visual diagram, “Steps for Writing a Research Paper.”   To see it, click the link below.

http://popplet.com/app/Popplet_Alpha.swf?page_id=54391&em=1

Prezi offers an innovative way to produce presentations that are very different from the typical PowerPoint presentation.  I would say a Prezi presentation is quite “action oriented” with its zooming and scaling features.  You can even import your current PowerPoint or Keynote slides and “Prezify” them.  There are three account types, and the middle one is available for free to educators.  I plan to work on my first Prezi presentation in the near future.  For a brief overview of Prezi,  check out the following:

http://prezi.com/recyyolzxm3e/how-to-create-a-great-prezi/

What types of innovative tools do you use when conducting library instruction?  Has anyone used any of the above tools?  Would anyone like to share examples?