Using Technology to Promote Pleasure Reading Cynthia Norberg, Librarian and Linda Petty, Tech Specialist Jack London Middle School, Wheeling IL Creating Screen Savers on a Mac 1. Select books to highlight. 2. Read reviews and/or book summaries to create book hook for each title. 3. Open PowerPoint, import book covers from Titlewave.com 4. Choose a slide background color to enhance the book cover. 5. Type your hook using an easy to read font, near the center of the slide. 6. Add call number box to each slide. 7. Save presentation under the format menu as a jpeg. 8. Save images in a screensaver picture folder. 9. Copy screensaver picture folder onto the Pictures folder of the computer(s) you will be using to promote the books. 10. Go into System Preferences to Desktop and Screen saver, under screen saver scroll down to Pictures Folder and choose your screen saver picture folder. 11. Manage your energy settings so the screen saver will start after 5 minutes. Setting up the screen saver using Windows Vista Use steps 1-9 above to make your images. Then open your Control Panel and go to Personalization, Screen Saver. Choose photos for your images. Under the Settings Menu choose use photos from and then browse to your picture folder. Select save.
Kiosks If you cannot get into your computers to manage your screen savers you could set up kiosks using the same idea as above. You would stop at step 6 of the screen savers directions then follow these steps: 7. Save your work as a PowerPoint presentation. 8. Go to Slide Show to rehearse timings and set your timings for each slide giving time to read what you have presented. 9. Next, Set Up Show to Show Type choose browse at a kiosk. 10. Select ok Podcasts We used ipods to create online book talks. 1. Select your book and create your text. You may write your own, use the book jacket summary, or go to any book talk website for suggestions. 2. Find a quiet spot and practice reading your text. 3. Using an ipod outfitted with a microphone choose Voice Memo in the menu. Press record and begin speaking. 4. After you ve completed your book talk, connect your ipod to your computer (itunes should open automatically) to sync the voice memo. 5. You ll need to change the format of this file to it upload to the web. To do that select the voice memo in itunes and go to the Advanced menu, choose Create AAC Version. This will create an m4a file. 6. Your podcast is now ready to upload onto your webpage.
Book Trailer We used imovie to create our Book Trailer 1. Select your book and create your text thinking of what kind of hook you will employ. 2. Looking at your text decide what images you would like to use. We chose PicSearch to locate images. 3. Copy your images into iphoto. 4. Open imovie and pull your pictures into the project area; arrange as needed. 5. Create your title slide. 6. Create your text over the images. 7. Create a credit slide for the pictures and music used in the trailer. 8. If you choose to use music for your trailer we suggest you use royalty free music. We used Incompetech.<http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html> 9. Download your music to itunes. 10. In imovie, open the audio menu and select your music to bring into your trailer. 11. Convert your movie into a Quicktime format and upload it to your web page. 12. Another option is to burn the movie onto CDs and share the trailers with your staff and students. For questions: Cynthia.norberg@ccsd21.org Linda.petty@ccsd21.org http://www.london.ccsd21.org
Your assignment is to create a READ poster promoting your favorite book. Resources needed to complete assignment: (All are available from the LMC) Digital camera with download cables Tripod Computer with Microsoft Word Color printer Presentation paper Directions to complete assignment: Day 1 1. Using one of the digital camera/tripod/cable set-ups provided by the LMC you and your partner will take a photo of one another holding your book so that the cover is visible. Remember what we have discussed about backgrounds, use of color, and placement of the text. Note: Each person will have one photo of themselves holding their book. 2. Download your photo to your server file. 3. Return digital camera/tripod/cable set-up to the LMC desk. Day 2 1. Open your server file. 2. Open a new word processing document using Microsoft Word. 3. Format the document with a.5 border on each side. 4. Insert your picture into the document. 5. Double click on your picture and from the pop up window, select the layout tab. Then choose the Behind the text option. 6. Resize your picture to fit the entire page. Grab the corner of your photo and stretch it to fill the page to your borders. 7. Select the WordArt option from the drawing toolbar, choose a style and type the word READ. Position the word appropriately on your page. 8. From the Insert menu choose text box. In the text box type your name and your book citation. Use a size 10 Arial font. Adjust the text color so that the citation can be read without difficulty. 9. Double click on the text box. From the popup window select 100% transparency AND No line. 10. Save your completed poster to your server file. 11. Print your poster to one of the designated color printers where the presentation paper is already loaded for you. 12. Look over the checklist below and when you have completed everything hand in your poster to you teacher. Your poster must include: Points Completed A picture of yourself holding a book you recommend 3 with the book s title clearly visible. The word READ in WordArt 2 Your name and the book citation information in size 10 3 Arial font at the bottom of the poster Printed in color on presentation paper and handed in at 2 the end of class on 10 Total points
Rowlings, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Created by Cynthia Norberg