Battle of the Technologies!!!!!

To Instagram or to to Vine.....?

Let's explore Instagram.  "Instagram allows members users to upload, edit and share photos with other members through the Instagram website, email, and social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook,Tumblr, Foursquare and Flickr."  Therefore, technology is ultimately all connected and relevant towards each other.  Prior to this semester I was skeptical about al these various applications and online exchanges; however, when you are intentional and know exactly how to use it to your ADVANTAGE, it becomes magical.  Students today are not growing up with the same technological advances that we were exposed to.  It is imperative that we keep up with them.  Through Instagram, I was immediately infatuated with the idea of posting updated news of the library.  You can make signs, or posters and then be able to upload them on Instagram by taking a picture.  You can also be creative and take screenshots of online photos that would dive into the scope of the library.  It's a great way to promote the library!  And best of all, it was very easy to use. 

For my Instagram photos I decided to take photos of the covers for the Black Lagoon books, followed by a quote from the book.  Excellent way to entice the reader!    

"To keep the books in alphabetical order, Mrs. Beamster bolts them together."

A photo posted by Julie T. (@t._julie) on Nov 20, 2015 at 7:45am PST

"It's very quiet today. Usually, they say, there's a lot of screaming. Maybe she's in a good mood."

A photo posted by Julie T. (@t._julie) on Nov 20, 2015 at 7:39am PST

Who doesn't love these books?

A photo posted by Julie T. (@t._julie) on Nov 20, 2015 at 7:31am PST

Moving on to Vine.   "Vine is a video-sharing app. But it’s not just any video-sharing app. It’s designed in a way for you to film short, separate instances so they can be linked together for a total of six seconds. Each short video plays in a continuous loop, and are viewable directly in Twitter’s timeline or embedded into a web page."  This application was heard of, but I had never used it before.  Though I like the idea of the tool, I found it more difficult to navigate through the settings of the videos.  For example, I was determined to incorporate music into my video; however, after much persistence, I decided to leave it for another time.  Sadly to say, I was not too happy with my finished product.  I decided to explore the internet for answers, "How to incorporate music into a Vine video."  Apparently, in order to do so I needed to download additional apps that would download and support the music.   I present you with first Vine video.  Hope you enjoy!




Finally, I leave you with a question?  Will you use Instagram and Vine......?  If so, how will you assure that the usage will be maximized to the student's learning (as a librarian)?  

See you next time friends!