Screencasts, Instagram, and Flipagram

Instagram

It has taken me while to get on board with Instagram. Instagram is a photo sharing app that lets you share your pictures or videos publicly or with your followers, as well as through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  I have had an account for a few years, but I have never really used it. Now that I was assigned to see how it could be used in the classroom, I’ll think about using it but don’t really see the point when I already use Twitter. I also played around with text on the photos. I added AutoCap so I could add text. It had a lot of different fonts and colors to choose from. You could even add speech bubbles.  I did have a hard time figuring out how to get them into Instagram. It just seems too much work, instead I’ll stick to the regular captions.

There are several uses that I can share with my teachers to use it in their classrooms:

• To showcase student work
• To highlight a student of the week
• Review content taught in class
• Have an online discussion using visuals
• Use it to encourage their students

I have thought of some uses for the library as well:

• Share book recommendations
• Share new books that have come in to the library
• Show students reading
• Showcase what is happening in the library

Verdict: Using Instagram is another way to stay connected with students and parents, but I will probably stick with Twitter.

Here is are a few of my Instagram posts.

Flipagram

I really like Flipagram. It is really easy to use and you can also send it directly to your social media such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  I had actually never heard of it, but after playing with it, I think I may be hooked. It is another fun way to take your photos and combine them into a presentation with music or audio. I also had some problems with trying to add captions to the photos, but I think with a bit more practice, I’ll figure it out.

Some fun things students can do with Flipagram in the classroom or library:

• To show or promote what is happening in the classroom
• Share field trip photos
• Plan a story
• Summarize or retell a story
• Show steps in a process

Here is my sample of a flipagram that I made using pictures from our Dr. Seuss Day.

https://flipagram.com/f/15KfX0tCa5g/embed

Verdict: I really like this and can't wait to use with my students.


Screencasts

In several of my classes, my professors have used screencasts to introduce information or the syllabus to the class. I actually enjoy following along. A good screencast can go step by step in a process to show the user how to do something. I decided to try  out Screencast-o-matic and found it really easy to use. I watched a few of the tutorials to get myself started and just jumped right in. I played around with the recorder before actually making my own complete screencast. I think this is something I will continue to use as professional development for the teachers on my campus, whether sharing our school databases or other new programs our district wants us to roll out. 

Teachingbooks.net Screencast

Overall, I really like screencast-o-matic and Flipagram. I couldn't pick a favorite because I would be using them for different things. I can use the Flipagram with my kids in the library, but will use Screencasts for my teachers to teach professional development. I  could possibly use screencasts for my elementary kids but they need to be able to practice each step as it's shared with them. So I am not sure they are ready for that yet. I'll keep playing with it and as i get better at it, I may find uses for my students.