During the 2013-2014 school year, the middle school yearbook staff introduced Faith Lutheran to the Aurasma app.  This app allows students to scan special photos, which turn into videos that took place throughout the previous school year.

The yearbook staff learned of this “neat way to bring the yearbook to life” through yearbook conferences and a representative, said Ms. Diana Ballek, the MS yearbook advisor.  The yearbook personnel figured that this would work better for the students because all of middle school has iPads now. This app also works on smartphones.

With the advancement in technology, it seems logical to preserve that winning touchdown or a part of a school assembly in the yearbook, and not just in photos.

“We show the year not only through pictures, but through videos,” said Ballek.  “This is a convenient way to share our school year with everyone.”

Once downloaded, the app is pretty straight forward.  In fact, some of the layouts for this app resemble Instagram’s layout.

When the app downloads, the user must create an account and then search and follow the school’s username, which is: @2014-2015 Faith MS Yearbook. Afterwards, scroll down on the account.  There, the yearbook pages that have an Aurasma video are displayed throughout this section. Then a camera icon will appear at the bottom of the screen. After clicking on this icon, the device will scan the photo “and then a video will magically play,” said Ballek.

Any member of the middle school student body can send videos to the various members of the yearbook staff or to Ballek.  Then, each yearbook class goes through the videos and picks the best ones from the different parts of the year.  After choosing which videos to use, the staff then starts to attach them to the page layouts in the yearbook.

“Attaching these videos usually takes about five to ten minutes,” said eighth grader, yearbook editor, Hailey Carroll.

With this new way of looking back at the year, students have formed different viewpoints.

Eighth grader Kennedi Templeton feels that this is a good way to share the year, but doesn’t have “any interest in doing it.”

Along with these different viewpoints, seventh grader Olivia Magruder thinks this new format “is cool.” However, Magruder feels that this may also have some side effects.

“Some students may send in boring or stupid videos,” said Magruder.

However, boring videos aren’t a huge problem for the staff because each member has the final say as to which videos appear in the yearbook.

As for the staff and their leader, they feel that Aurasma helps promote the yearbook tremendously.

“It’s a good combination in still having a printed yearbook combined with the opportunity of seeing the year in action,” said Ballek.

With each passing day, the end of this school year draws closer; and that means that the yearbook will soon be published and handed out to the students. So, don’t forget to get the app and look at all the videos of the best parts of the middle school year!

Alos, stay tuned in advisory for more information.

Please click the link for a PDF version of the story: Aurasma Layout