Videos and QR Codes in the Library

YouTube has been around for about fifteen years and is only growing in popularity with students. My own students utilize it in their free time to explore other countries, get directions for everything from making slime to unclogging the sink, learning more about their favorite musicians and celebrities, and even just to play non-interactive, addictive games, like “which is real.” On school time, they use it to host their video projects and creations. Our school district does not block YouTube, except in very specific instances, such as on iPads being used in the home.

For just one example of a video that may prove very helpful to students, view the following from the Media Specialist at Bonnie Bridge Middle School. Like many media specialists, he has gotten wise to the idea of using a brief video as a means for a comprehensive orientation in the library media center.



Regarding popular opinion and student engagement, students in the library might be most intrigued by an example like this, from the Norman High School Library. In this video, students don’t get a detailed orientation, but rather a musical recap of available services, from the OPAC to some online resources, when the school mascot comedically visits the library. I think in an elementary school context students might also enjoy seeing their mascot, or their high school mascot, do the same:



Videos can be used for virtually any activity in the classroom or library. I have pulled videos made by others to give students engaging examples of everything from processes to parts of speech. I have also created my own for lessons, explanations, and--of course--book trailers to promote reading and get students excited about various styles and genres of books.

I made the following book trailer earlier in the year using Animoto, and hosted it on YouTube. I wanted a visual representation of this novel that would entice students to read it because it was one of the twenty Lone Star recommended books this school year, and I was unable to find a ready-made official trailer for it from the publisher (sometimes, these are available). At the time, we were creating a poster with a single QR code that students could scan to get an overview of the entire book list. You will see that because I was using a free Animoto account, the watermark remains in the corner of the video:



This QR code links directly to the above trailer:

QR codes like this or the one I used on the poster to promote the book list come in very handy in a library where students have either personal devices, such as phones, or access to school devices such as iPads. I have also placed them under clear tape on tables for various activities, such as during coding week, when I wanted to easily direct students to various coding games to try. I simply labeled each QR code with text letting them know which game they were scanning. Further, they are very helpful for use with parents and guardians. I have placed them around in different locations at events such as open house in order to direct parents to sites such as our own school sites, or sign-up forms. Another great idea--our district campuses have increasingly gone to using them to reduce paper waste as well by providing codes parents can scan for online event programs, as opposed to handing everyone a paper program at the door. Overall, the use of QR codes to easily direct people to sites online, whether public or self-created, are limitless.