Sock Puppets App and Learning to Listen

Little eLit, a blog I frequent for ideas and inspiration, is devoted to exploring the use of new media in children's services at public libraries. In a February blog entry on Little eLit, librarian Allison Tran shared how she uses the Sock Puppets App at her public library to reinforce behavior guidelines for little ones during storytime.

As many school librarians know, getting students to settle down and focus is an ongoing issue for every grade level. While older students might need a gentle reminder or two, students in Pre-K and Kindergarten need something that really grabs their attention. I heeded Allison's example and used the Sock Puppets App to remind students in these grades to settle down quickly upon entering the library and to be respectful to the librarian (me) and other students.

Admittedly, I probably went a little overboard on this video. I did purchase the full version of the Sock Puppets App ($3.99) because it extends the recording time from 30 seconds to 90 seconds. The full version also allows me to save the video to the camera roll on my iPad, whereas the free version only allows sharing through social media or email.

For the beginning, middle, and ending segments of the video, I used the Intro Designer Lite App (Free). The videos from both the Sock Puppets App and Intro Designer Lite App were imported into iMovie  ($4.99). I used the recording feature in iMovie to add my voice to the beginning, middle, and ending segments. I did have to play with the volume of the music and my narration to make sure my voice was louder than the music.

And finally....viola! I uploaded to Vimeo which is not blocked by the school district.

The Pre-K and Kinder students quietly enjoyed the video yet clapped at the end. They still aren't quite used to hearing my voice in a video at the same time that I'm in the room, so they aren't sure whether to look at me or the screen at first.

I plan on creating one or two more different versions of listening and behavior tips to play at the beginning of each storytime in order to allow for a little variety.