Flipped

Flipped.

After reading about how one public library system used technology to “lure” teens into the library, I became inspired. The King’s County Library System used technology to their advantage to get teens involved in what they were reading. They set up a contest that involved having teens create a movie trailer to go along with the book of their choice that they had read. The contest took place over the summer which allowed for the teens to have more free time to work on their creations. When the King’s County Library System first launched this contest, they were only anticipating having at least 10 entries submitted. However, they were amazed when they received a whopping 38 entries. The overall quality of the entries was stunning. The staff was quite amazed at how talented and advanced teens were when it came to working with technology. The best part about the whole contest is the amount of teens that now use the library that previously had not been users. Teens are coming to the realization that the library is not just a place to come to to read books, but it’s a place that they can go to to engage in new technologies.

This article holds very true. I have found that in my own personal career that having students use technology to supplement their work can really get them inspired and motivated to excel. Having students create just a plan old paper and pencil book report can be dull and boring. However, the movie trailer idea that was mentioned above, along with other technologically inclined ideas, can really put a twist on the outcome of the work that is submitted.

Some other ideas for book reports might include having the teens create a wiki for their book. They could produce a music video based on their book. Creating a soundtrack would also allow for the use of technology to be implemented, at the same time as the book is being showcased. Podcasts and teen blogs, based on their books, could also be used to demonstrate understanding of the plot of a book that was read.

Jennifer Wooten. (2009, May). Flipped! School Library Journal, 55(5), 38. Retrieved September 24, 2009, from Social Science Module. (Document ID: 1694418941).