It's the first day!

It is the first day of school. I wish that last year I had written down what it felt like to be in a school for the first year. This year feels strange. I'm here and everything seems kind of familiar but I feel like I know more. I guess that's good.


 My bulletin board for back to school involved our summer reading challenge. Students sent me pictures of themselves reading over the summer and when they did they got an entry to win a prize. Each picture was an entry. I then put them up on this bulletin board. I think it's pretty cute. I might laminate the material to use again.

It says "Where did you read this summer?"

We'll see how much interest there was in the summer reading program and then revisit it this upcoming year. It's strange to think about next summer on the first day of school.

First day. Year 2!

Here I am again. It's September and school is starting next week. This is my second year as a library media specialist. I think I'm more nervous this year than last year. What I hope to do with this blog (or whatever it may be), is create a chronicle that follows what I do each year. I want to look back and understand what I've accomplished. I hope to give other librarians and teachers ideas on the way. I think that we have a unique job in a school, one that's important.

Presentation and confrences

Talk about the presentations you saw in this strand this week.  Discuss not only the topic but the presentation style as relates to the good and the bad of presentations.


The web conference that we attended this week was very informational. I've watched several of the videos on the k12connection.org website. There were a great many of them that I found interesting and I loved the different styles that the presenters chose. Several of them jumped out at me and have inspired me for my own presentation. I think the ones I took the most away from not only had interesting topics but melded text and audio well. 

The first presentation that I found interesting was the session called Blogging with Little People. It integrated an interesting story with fun visuals but with an important topic. This presentation was a little out of the norm compared to the others. It created an introductory story for viewers to move through and then goes into the meat of the presentation. This could be a good way to capture viewers. There were a few cheesy animations and sound effects but that can be forgiven because they content is very well written and described. It discusses how blogging can be used in the classroom with all students.

There is also a very informational conference called How to Create a Wordpress Website in less than 20 Minutes. This presentation used the technique of a voiceover on with screen shots and indicators. The narrator would describe the process of creating the website and then add arrows and highlight parts of the page. This would be great for powerpoint presentations. It used simple instruction slides and made lists. The narration was also very easy to hear and follow. 

These are something I would take away and use in my own presentations. 

Google Searching and Podcasts

Podcasts were a big part of my life for several years when I had a long commute and a large library fine. They helped me through those months by accompanying me in the car on my way to anywhere. My favorites were: This American Life, Stuff You Should Know, and Radiolab. Each of these podcasts have things in common; they offer a great story centered around a theme, interesting and educational facts, and a compelling narration. Each week a different topic is discussed and examine through a variety of lenses. What a great way to learn something new! If I could teach students how to use this tool half as well it would be a resounding success.

Podcasting can be a fun tool for both students and educators. This would be a great way for students to create original, meaningful content that also tests their knowledge. Incorporating this into lesson plans could be a simple task for either individual or group projects. Podcasts have a great versatility because they can be used for many different assignments and purposes. Book reports, informational tutorials, journal reflections, and reviews can all be done through podcast and then posted to the schools webpage.

Creating online work, as we've discussed in previous weeks, can be beneficial for several reasons. The first is that it increases the sense of accountability for students. If their work is posted online for anyone to see, they may put more effort into the final product. Greater access to online projects can create 24 hour access to the classroom learning. It also gives students exposure to a different technology that could be useful in the future. This is definitely a tool I will consider using in the library. Hopefully there will be opportunities to collaborate with classroom teachers  to create podcast projects.

Searching the internet has always been a tricky thing to teach in libraries. This is on reason that pathfinders have been created, to cut down on endless possibilities and wrong turns. Students need to have the skills to search successfully and evaluate websites for merit. Google is an important force on the internet but it's at the judgement of the teacher how they want to incorporate it into their lessons. A cursory lesson on safety and searching practices should be preformed at a very young age. Online school databases might aid in finding relevant materials that are also safe for students.

Future of Technology in the Classroom

New technologies are emerging every day.  The education community embraces new technologies, sometime very quickly.  When thinking about what is coming, and this can only be done in the most abstract way, what considerations do you think need to be taken into account by educators and librarians as they decide whether or not to adopt a new technology.

This week focused a great deal on iPads and their use in the classroom. Tablets are a relatively new technology but they have gained traction and hold in our everyday lives. Touch screens are everywhere and can be seen on computers, phones, televisions, and tablets. Most students are use to this technology and are ready for it to be incorporated into the classroom. I think there are several concerns that teachers and librarians should address before adding such technology to their curriculum and lesson planning. The first would be the longevity of the device, the ability to supply the device to an adequate number of students, and the impact of the device on student learning. 

When a new technology is released the knee jerk reaction of many is to go and buy it. We thrive on the new and popular. The question for schools when considering purchasing these items is "How long will this really last?" This question has been asked and answered for desktop computers, televisions, projector screens, and tablets. Will the cost of the item make it work the lifetime of the item? iPads are released every few years but the older models can still work for quite a while. How long would they last in a school environment though? This is something a school should consider heavily before purchasing 300 of them. 

And can the school really supply 300 iPads? This is another key question. How many devices would be adequate to serve the population of students in your school? How would they have access to the devices? Does every student get one and if so how do you track their use? Do they get signed out of the library? Can they leave the library? If you can only supply 10, how would this impact curriculum? Most schools can't afford to give each student a tablet. It's important for schools to have an action plan for the devices they can buy, if they are set on it. 

The third concern that should be addressed is how the devices would be used in the daily life of a teacher. Is it really beneficial to the curriculum and learning for students? A questionnaire could be sent to teachers discussing how they might use the devices. This could guide purchasing and policies. 

From several discussions with school media specialists, many have said there is no budget for such devices and even less demand. This could change rapidly. We never know how the demand will change or how these devices will be used in the future. 

Collaboration and presentations

You have read about what Berger said about Content Collaboration and what Harris et al said about instructional planning and  technology integration.  What do you think?

Content Collaboration

This week we discussed several ways to foster participation and interest in the class room through content collaboration. We've talked about several of the ways to include students in the classroom in the past. These include: wikis, blogs, diigo, and group spaces. The main objective of these sites is to draw students into a discussion outside the walls of the classroom and create original content. 

In the past I've voiced concerns about how technology can be troublesome in terms of privacy and conduct in the classroom. The current standards set out by the American Association of School Librarians urge librarians to foster collaboration between students and exchange ideas openly. As we progress through the course I've seen several safe ways to help achieve these goals. 

The wiki is a clear contender for safe and effective collaboration. Wikispaces allows teachers to create classroom websites that are monitored by the teacher and updated by the students. Discussion forums can be created and assignments can be posted. These pages can be commented on by students and elaborated on by the entire class. Wikis are incredibly adaptive and interactive. They're able to fit the needs of the classroom. Blogs are more like journaling. They're not as adaptive but can help students find a confident voice.  

Regardless of what fosters collaboration, the point is to foster it at all. Help students create new ideas through collaboration. I'm confident there are safe ways to establish interactive web spaces for students. 

Llennon, . TPACK. 2012. Chart. Wikipedia
CommonsWeb. 27 Oct 2013. <http://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tpack.jpg>CommonsWeb. 27 Oct 2013. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tpack.jpg>. Reproduced
by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org

TPACK

Another topic we discussed this week was TPACK or Technology Pedagogical and Content Knowledge. The diagram to the right shows the basic concept of TPACK which is identifying the various knowledge areas educators must have to competently integrate and teach technology in the classroom.

These three area overlap and contribute to each other to affect the way an educator creates content. Planning around educators knowledge and how to best meet the educational needs of the students. This could mean varying lesson techniques and incorporated different types activities to reach out to different types of learners. I recently went to a training on Digital Literacy and the adult learner. The first half of this training focused on how to reach out to the learners based on the different ways in which they learn best. 

Presentations

The last segment of this week was focused on presentations and how they fit into learning. The powerpoint this week focused on how to set up slides and effective powerpoint creation. I enjoy making powerpoint presentations. I'm currently teaching a series of technology classes at the library I work at and Powerpoint is a major tool I use in these classes. I try to vary the activities and how I teach them but powerpoint gives students a clean way of getting the facts. The powerpoint gave tips on slides including: creating maximum impact with few words, making bulleted lists, and using apt images. 

I think Prezi is a good tool for presentations as well but they have their place. They are better for self guided presentations because they advance naturally. Powerpoint presentations feel more forced and stale but are easy to navigate for beginners. 

Digital Citizenship

You have read about Digital Citizenship.  Do you as the teacher librarian, school library media specialist, whatever your designation, see yourself having a role in educating students in this area?  Can you see yourself as a champion for this type of education?  How do you feel about student education in the area of the 3Cs?

To start I'd like to discuss cyber safety and the role of the librarian. The internet can be an unsafe place for those who don't know its dangers. Children are especially vulnerable to this danger because they don't know what it is that can go wrong or how they are in danger. Of those children, those who are most endanger are the ones who are an at risk population in reality. From the learnings this week I've discovered that a lot of the unwanted solicitation of children is through chat rooms and instant message. Some of the perpetrators are minors themselves.  

The Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies video went over some important information regarding the current state of internet safety. As a librarian our jobs are to be part of a team that teaches children how to safely navigate the internet. Although we're part of a team,  "Parents are the best intervention point for bullying and sexual solicitation" (Palfrey). This means reaching out to parents as well as educators. What we must refuse to do, is nothing at all. If we don't teach them how to prepare for a digital world we're doing them a disservice. We must "...educate our kids so that they can interact with the dangers of the world."(Palfrey)

This brings us to the nine factors of Digital Citizenship. The nine areas hope to ensure that students are able to function in a digital world and there are many ways that librarians can help with this. Hopefully our schools will be brimming with technology that students can explore and implement in their studies. We hope to be in a unique and special position of meeting students when they're on the search for information. We can assist them in their quest and teach them how to be good digital citizens at the same time. I think a good way way to do this would be to approach it in three ways: direct instruction, passive information, and outreach. 

Direct classroom instruction in the library through a planned curriculum can help give students a basis of knowledge on what it is to use technology in an appropriate way. This means setting aside part of your day with students to instruct them on citizenship topics. This doesn't have to be a lengthy presentation but rather 5 minutes set aside on the topic of piracy or copyright. Passive information should be used to reinforce direct instruction. This could be in the form of handouts or book marks. This is to keep the information fresh even when they are not at the library. The third would be outreach. This means reaching out to other teachers to allow them to teach a mini unit in their classroom. Perhaps teaming up with the technology teacher to create content. It also means reaching out to parents to make them understand the basis of the curriculum and why we're teaching it. This would be my approach to teaching this in the classroom.

Contact, content, conduct, the three C's of digital citizenship. I think an overarching curriculum can address all of these issues while teaching more digital skills. The three C's can help decrease the occurrence of bullying and cyber harassment.  Although the data is still pending on whether this type of bullying is increasing, it's important for students to understand there is a type of decorum and behavior they should display online. 

Overall I think these are important issues for librarians to discuss but with a measured approach they can be addressed easily. We are strapped for time in the library but by teaming up with classroom teachers we might be able to reach more students. 



Palfrey, John, perf. ISTTF: Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies. Perf. Dannah Boyd. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2009. Film. 17 Oct 2013. <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/5032>.

Ribble, Mike. (2008-2009) “Passport to Digital Citizenship”.   Leading and Learning with Technology. 14-17.