Blogs & Blog Readers



I’ve been working on this blog for about a year now. While I have really liked having a place to share book reviews, tech reviews, and such, I don’t have much following. I like knowing that my thoughts and expressions may be helpful to someone doing a search. I do, however, follow several bloggers but had never thought of using a feed reader to keep me updated. I typically got the “notification” from the bloggers social media account that they had a new post.  
There are many types available, the one that seemed the most user friendly to me was Feedly.  I liked that this was FREE, available as a web app, but also could be used on android & iOS.  There is a paid part of this app, but with being allowed 100 sources, I don’t see myself having to use the paid version (yet). Users may sort their sites into self selected categories.  This blog reader has the option of sharing my feeds with others. The advantages of using a blog reader are great as I am able to see all of the new/unread posts from the blogs/sites I follow in one place.  This has been great for me as I can catch up on reading when I have the time.  
I was able to create the account pretty easily and set up some library and librarian blogs that I follow. I was able to use actual site name/url, do a term search, and even a hashtag search.  Searching terms and hashtags allows a user to find other related blogs to follow and add to the reader. I did notice I had some issues (that remain unsolved, so I’m still researching how to fix and will update you) adding several blogs that I follow and truly enjoy their feed.  
Here are 5 of the blogs that I am using my blog reader to help me stay updated on:
https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/ The Library Voice by Shannon McClintock Miller 
This blog is a great one to see a large variety of things being put in place in a public school library.  Shannon McClintock Miller is the Innovation Director of Instructional Technology and Library Media at Van Meter Community School in Van Meter, Iowa. She is also the Future Ready Librarians Spokesperson working with librarians throughout the country.  

I like having this on my blog reader because of the news feed that this organization shares. I enjoy the variety that is offered, from announcing award winners to news from other library organizations, this is great to stay up to date. 



This blog is a great way to know what is happening in the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association, part of ALA).  Readers can be up to date in the organization & llearn about their services offered throughout the country.


http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/ Mr. Greg Schu (Schumacher) 
Mr. Schu is a school librarian who shares many book reviews and videos/trailers with others. His passion for books and reading are great. He travels around the country sharing books with students. I enjoy this blog as he shares a variety of written book reviews, and also includes book trailers. 


Great variety of book reviews on children’s books. I like the way this is organized and can be searched.  Readers can find reviews on books sorted by readers’ suggested age, subject, and even trending subjects. The blogs do have affiliated links if a reader wishes to buy a title using the link, the blog will earn a small commission on your purchase.

 Do you have any blogs/sites that you recommend I follow?

 On another note; I created a Tumblr account to gather ideas from fellow librarians, book lovers, and edtech tips. My handle is @MartindalesMusings, feel free to follow. (https://martindalesmusings.tumblr.com) Tumblr is very new to me and I'm still learning to navigate it, do you have any tips to share? What about cool accounts to follow?


Comments

  1. AbunzMay 6, 2020 at 12:12 AM

    I thought I commented on every blog, and I think I missed this one. I wanted to comment on thechildrensbookreview.com/ I thought I was the only who loved this book review sources. You are correct it is organized very well. I like to peruse through here often. The only concern, I was using this as a source, and someone told me that anyone can write a review so it isn't considered a reliable source?? Any thoughts? That still won't steer me away from the wonderful insight this site shares. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Podcasts

Image
Podcasting is a great way to listen to a variety of things and also share about things you know.  Podcasts are not only radio show topics, but also include cooking, crafting, podcasts for dog lovers, devotionals, edtech, educational, and yes, even podcasts for those who enjoy Pokemon. If there is something that interests you, there is most likely a podcast for you to listen to.  Librarians and teachers can use podcasts for simple things such as book talks, but they can also be used for someone who is being interviewed for their thoughts about a book, and can be used for book club discussions. Instructional materials for the library can also be recorded in the form of a podcast.  The possibilities are truly only limited as you wish for them to be.   Here are a couple of good reasons to using podcasts in school:      ~Flexibility-podcasts are open 24/7 & on different devices      ~Most peo...
Read more

Comics, Comic Strips, & Avatars in the Library

Image
As the popularity of Graphic Novels rises, we as media specialist librarians should use the format of comics to our advantage.  Students already are drawn to them (no pun intended) and using comics, avatars, and graphic novel styles to present information is bound to get their attention. I used several sites and apps to create some that I thought would be helpful for me in my library.  Here are some questions I was able to answer about each. 1. Pixton Evaluation of the site Google Sign-in Teachers can create classes and students can join in class. Not a huge variety of backgrounds on the free version. Were the comics easy to create?  Had to learn their set up, but it was not bad. Could change facial expressions of the characters. Can change poses of each character individually “Words” are easy to add, can choose from different formats-speech, shout, whisper, thought Easy to save?  Can download, print, or share. D...
Read more

Reflections of LSSL 5391

Image
I absolutely loved taking this class. I was already comfortable with technology and tried to incorporate it into my library lessons weekly; but this course allowed me to take it a step further. It allowed me to view and use some of the programs and apps in ways I had not before, I also really liked being able to see the ways that other students/my peers used both the same apps/technology I’ve used but differently, and the way they found new apps/technology to complete tasks in similar ways. I enjoyed reading about the ways that they made an app complete a similar task, but  much more efficiently than what I had found.  I am the type of learner that learns best by “doing,” and this class really allowed me to do that.  One fellow classmate shared about “Fotojet Online Graphic Designer” on their “Comics & Cartoons” blog and I liked that they shared about an app similar to ones I used, but this one had different options. I think that sharing in discussion boards and bl...
Read more