I can't believe I'm at the end of yet another track of AWESOME Cool Tools! It amazes me that every year, there are more motivating assignments to keep me exploring and learning. I've actually put off submitting this final assignment, because I know that there will undoubtedly be more assignments I'll want to try in the coming months, but then I realized, there's always next year :-)
What Did I Learn?
Well, lots! I think the thing I enjoyed most was making connections between the assignments in this workshop to other learning experiences I've had. Doing these assignments reinforced and often expanded my understanding of a particular topic. For example, I really enjoyed the Evidence Based Practice assignments, because that's a skill set I'm always looking to hone and improve, and your assignment resources tied in nicely with what I already know & use, while at the same time, giving me even more tools to explore.
What's Next?
I would like to participate in some of the "Unconferenes" and "Camps" that I discovered through the Online Learning assignment. For now, though, I think I've accomplished enough PD to merit me perhaps a month off! Between my post-grad SUNY Buffalo course last Fall, the Tell It On Tuesday monthly webinars I participate in, and this - I think I deserve some down time for further reflection before embarking on my next PD adventure.
What I do hope to do for the next few months, though, is to visit some of my peers' blogs to see what they've been working on. I love that you've compiled the spreadsheet for us by participants' grade levels and by locations. So convenient!
Final Reflections:
I absolutely LOVE learning this way. I appreciate that there are so many thoughtful and engaging assignments that I have the freedom to pick from - and that I can tailor my experiences to suit my specific needs. I think I glean at least one (usually more, though!) invaluable nugget from every topic I explore. I know my participation in this workshop enhances my teaching and, in turn, improves the lives of my students in very real and meaningful ways. I look forward to Track 5 next year. Thanks, Polly! And thanks to Jen Cannell at Questar for making this program available to us!!
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Thing 39: OER – Open Educational Resources
This was such a useful and fun assignment! I just spent the most delightful hour exploring the resources, and I'm pleased to say, I found some really good "stuff"!
I decided to start by checking out the "Understanding OER" introduction, and then I went right for the search tools. I explored the first four, OER Commons, CK12, OpenEd, and Curriki. I decided I would look for resources to enhance an upcoming 2nd grade unit I'll be starting next month on fables. In the unit, I introduce the history and key characteristics of fables, then we share 3 examples focusing on characters and morals. Next, we practice listening for morals, which can be tricky. I have found that to a 7 year old, when asked to identify a moral in a simple story, they frequently just retell a summary of the plot. Once we've gotten the hang of morals, we explore common human characteristics associated with certain animals, such as a lion being a ruler, a fox being sly, a turtle having perseverance, etc. And then we put it all together by writing our own book of fables. Teams of 2 use writing planning sheets to determine what moral they want to teach and which characters to include that would make sense. They also plan out the basic plot through problem and resolution.
OER Commons came up with just four results when I searched "fables" in lower elementary, two of which were excerpts from EngageNY, a third being a lesson plan, and the last being a video clip from PBS's "Between the Lions". Not a bad start, but I thought I could do better.
Next I tried CK12, but was disappointed that nothing came up for fables in elementary. The six results were all for grades 7 and up.
By far, OpenEd gave me my best results. I had 66 results, and although not all of them were relevant to my needs, a lot of them were! There was a nice mix of video clips, mini lessons, and assessments. I was really impressed! I will be incorporating some of this content into my unit for sure.
Finally, I checked out Curriki, but this was my least favorite. When I tried to search "fables" with the K-2 filter, the majority of the 48 results were geared towards pre-school. I'm not sure why. I double and triple checked my filter, and it was definitely selected. Furthermore, of those 48 results, most of them did not provide topic specific resources, but instead focused on general Common Core Standards. That said, there was one gem that I had not found in any of the previous three OER sites: a link to Library of Congress' "Aesop for Children" interactive book which "contains over 140 classic fables, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and interactive animations". That could be very useful indeed!
So in summary, this was a great assignment that really gave me some new tools for my arsenal! I'm excited to see how I can incorporate some of these OER resources into my teaching next month.
I decided to start by checking out the "Understanding OER" introduction, and then I went right for the search tools. I explored the first four, OER Commons, CK12, OpenEd, and Curriki. I decided I would look for resources to enhance an upcoming 2nd grade unit I'll be starting next month on fables. In the unit, I introduce the history and key characteristics of fables, then we share 3 examples focusing on characters and morals. Next, we practice listening for morals, which can be tricky. I have found that to a 7 year old, when asked to identify a moral in a simple story, they frequently just retell a summary of the plot. Once we've gotten the hang of morals, we explore common human characteristics associated with certain animals, such as a lion being a ruler, a fox being sly, a turtle having perseverance, etc. And then we put it all together by writing our own book of fables. Teams of 2 use writing planning sheets to determine what moral they want to teach and which characters to include that would make sense. They also plan out the basic plot through problem and resolution.
OER Commons came up with just four results when I searched "fables" in lower elementary, two of which were excerpts from EngageNY, a third being a lesson plan, and the last being a video clip from PBS's "Between the Lions". Not a bad start, but I thought I could do better.
Next I tried CK12, but was disappointed that nothing came up for fables in elementary. The six results were all for grades 7 and up.
By far, OpenEd gave me my best results. I had 66 results, and although not all of them were relevant to my needs, a lot of them were! There was a nice mix of video clips, mini lessons, and assessments. I was really impressed! I will be incorporating some of this content into my unit for sure.
Finally, I checked out Curriki, but this was my least favorite. When I tried to search "fables" with the K-2 filter, the majority of the 48 results were geared towards pre-school. I'm not sure why. I double and triple checked my filter, and it was definitely selected. Furthermore, of those 48 results, most of them did not provide topic specific resources, but instead focused on general Common Core Standards. That said, there was one gem that I had not found in any of the previous three OER sites: a link to Library of Congress' "Aesop for Children" interactive book which "contains over 140 classic fables, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and interactive animations". That could be very useful indeed!
So in summary, this was a great assignment that really gave me some new tools for my arsenal! I'm excited to see how I can incorporate some of these OER resources into my teaching next month.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Thing 38: Online Learning & DIY PD
I am a huge fan of online learning and DIY PD! I absolutely love everything about it - that you can customize your learning topics and goals, that it is can be so flexible, that there is an endless variety of resources and formats. This is really the ideal form that the internet can take; connecting a world of avid learners who can share and grow together in ways that were not possible even 25 years ago.
I already do a ton of online learning and PD, but really enjoyed exploring some of the articles and resources in this assignment. From Building a Personal Learning Network – 10 resources to add to your professional development toolbox, I was intrigued by "Unconferences and Camps", which is one of the few resources I have not yet explored. I investigated this topic even further in Edcamps: Remixing Professional Development. In this article, the author, Andrew Marcinek, hosted edcamps for colleagues, and they sound amazing! This is something I will definitely keep my eye out for in the future. I love the concept of turning "meetings into conversation" and leaving the agenda open for organic learning opportunities. Some of the best PD I have ever participated in has been more of a conversation; although it must be said, some of the worse PD I have participated in lacked any kind of prescriptive teaching and lead to confusion and frustration during the break-out work sessions. So it's a fine line between guided exploration and all-out free range learning!
This year I have enjoyed participating in a new online learning venue: "Tell It On Tuesdays", organized by my area BOCES SLS. So far I have attended two of these online webinars and am scheduled for a third on February 14th (I just wish it weren't on Valentine's Day!). These were supposed to be opportunities for member librarians to share areas of their own expertise with each other, but so far the first two I participated in were facilitated by professional organizations - TeachingBooks.net and CDLC. The next one will be the first facilitated by a colleague, so I'm excited to see how that goes. The first two had only myself and 1 or 2 other participants, which I think is really sad. I wish more people would make time to support this great opportunity, because otherwise, I fear it will not be continued next year. I do earn PD credit for participating, and I really enjoy the informal feel of these local events.
I have also taken two online post-grad classes through SUNY Buffalo. They were both a lot of work and required significant time and participation. One actually assigned hundreds of pages of professional reading each week! Both required daily participation in discussion boards, and both had written assignments, too. I would say these courses required MORE effort than a traditional grad class, but the trade-off was being able to log in from home when time allowed as opposed to having a designated meeting time and place. I will endure a lot of extra work for that flexibility!
I'm also a big fan of YouTube learning and just general online searching for professional information. Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to chart your own course and to become the professional you aspire to be!
And the biggest thank you of all goes to you, Polly, for putting together these Cool Tools workshops! I do some of my best learning in this forum, and there is always something new to explore. Here's to many, many more tracks of Cool Tools!!
I already do a ton of online learning and PD, but really enjoyed exploring some of the articles and resources in this assignment. From Building a Personal Learning Network – 10 resources to add to your professional development toolbox, I was intrigued by "Unconferences and Camps", which is one of the few resources I have not yet explored. I investigated this topic even further in Edcamps: Remixing Professional Development. In this article, the author, Andrew Marcinek, hosted edcamps for colleagues, and they sound amazing! This is something I will definitely keep my eye out for in the future. I love the concept of turning "meetings into conversation" and leaving the agenda open for organic learning opportunities. Some of the best PD I have ever participated in has been more of a conversation; although it must be said, some of the worse PD I have participated in lacked any kind of prescriptive teaching and lead to confusion and frustration during the break-out work sessions. So it's a fine line between guided exploration and all-out free range learning!
This year I have enjoyed participating in a new online learning venue: "Tell It On Tuesdays", organized by my area BOCES SLS. So far I have attended two of these online webinars and am scheduled for a third on February 14th (I just wish it weren't on Valentine's Day!). These were supposed to be opportunities for member librarians to share areas of their own expertise with each other, but so far the first two I participated in were facilitated by professional organizations - TeachingBooks.net and CDLC. The next one will be the first facilitated by a colleague, so I'm excited to see how that goes. The first two had only myself and 1 or 2 other participants, which I think is really sad. I wish more people would make time to support this great opportunity, because otherwise, I fear it will not be continued next year. I do earn PD credit for participating, and I really enjoy the informal feel of these local events.
I have also taken two online post-grad classes through SUNY Buffalo. They were both a lot of work and required significant time and participation. One actually assigned hundreds of pages of professional reading each week! Both required daily participation in discussion boards, and both had written assignments, too. I would say these courses required MORE effort than a traditional grad class, but the trade-off was being able to log in from home when time allowed as opposed to having a designated meeting time and place. I will endure a lot of extra work for that flexibility!
I'm also a big fan of YouTube learning and just general online searching for professional information. Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to chart your own course and to become the professional you aspire to be!
And the biggest thank you of all goes to you, Polly, for putting together these Cool Tools workshops! I do some of my best learning in this forum, and there is always something new to explore. Here's to many, many more tracks of Cool Tools!!
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Thing 37: Annual Reports
I was indeed lucky enough to attend Jennifer LaGarde’s workshops last Fall (2015) when a consortium of our regional BOCES groups hosted her for our annual meeting in Saratoga. And furthermore, I was even more lucky to sit right next to you, Polly, for the entire day :-)
I learned so much from Jennifer that day - but my two biggest take-aways were a) Things are way better in NY for libraries than they are in many other states and b) Reporting really matters.... a lot.
I came home from that day with a lot of big ideas and some great resources to investigate. Jennifer had us break into teams to take a closer look at a variety of Library reports: the good, the bad, and the ugly. At that point, I was giving my administrators just one annual report each year, and it was a pretty concise overview of basic statistics and a few highlights. In comparison to what we looked at in the workshop, I would lump it in with the "unimpressive" bunch at best.
I'm pleased to report that I decided to up my game after that revelation. Once I realized what other school librarians were doing to showcase their work and their value, I knew I could do better, too. So last year, I still stuck with one annual report, but I added some photos, lots of eye catching color, and an overview of not only what the kids were doing in the Library, but also a snapshot of what I was doing for professional development. Here's that report.
It was a hit! My admins loved it, and I asked them to share it with the BOE, too.
But then I took the post-grad class with Hilda Wiesburg this Fall (2016) about Leadership for Librarians, and it became evident that I needed to do even more. And that's the thing: no matter how good we are and how much we up our game - we always need to strive to be bigger, better, and go beyond. So this year I knew I needed to increase my visibility even more, and I know communication is key - so I decided to create quarterly reports instead of one annual report. Here are my Q1 2016 and Q2 2017 reports. They follow the same general format I went with for my annual report last year, including a tiny section for basic stats, grade level highlights, collaborations, and professional updates.
So I'm feeling pretty good about the direction I'm moving in regard to reports, BUT.... I know I could do it so much better if I used some of the fancy web tools available. Right now I'm making my reports in GoogleDocs just because we're a Google school and it makes it really easy to share and archive. That said, I already completed the presentation tools assignment (Thing 5) for my second time, but I still haven't found a free tool easy enough for me to use that would just create a nice report or newsletter. I've tried the templates in GoogleDocs, but they seem to lock you into one basic lay-out, which I don't want. I tried Bunkr, but had a hard time importing photos. I've used Prezi, but that makes everyone motion sick! What I really need to do is go back to my notes from Jennifer's presentation and explore some of the tools used to create some of the more awesome reports she collected. I think this is going to lead to a couple DIY posts because I know I want to check out S'more and LibGuides for starters. Polly - if you could direct me to maybe 2 or 3 more free tools that are fairly easy to use and that would help me to create more professional looking documents, I'd really appreciate it.
So in sum, I'm heading in the right direction, but my journey is far from over.
I learned so much from Jennifer that day - but my two biggest take-aways were a) Things are way better in NY for libraries than they are in many other states and b) Reporting really matters.... a lot.
I came home from that day with a lot of big ideas and some great resources to investigate. Jennifer had us break into teams to take a closer look at a variety of Library reports: the good, the bad, and the ugly. At that point, I was giving my administrators just one annual report each year, and it was a pretty concise overview of basic statistics and a few highlights. In comparison to what we looked at in the workshop, I would lump it in with the "unimpressive" bunch at best.
I'm pleased to report that I decided to up my game after that revelation. Once I realized what other school librarians were doing to showcase their work and their value, I knew I could do better, too. So last year, I still stuck with one annual report, but I added some photos, lots of eye catching color, and an overview of not only what the kids were doing in the Library, but also a snapshot of what I was doing for professional development. Here's that report.
It was a hit! My admins loved it, and I asked them to share it with the BOE, too.
But then I took the post-grad class with Hilda Wiesburg this Fall (2016) about Leadership for Librarians, and it became evident that I needed to do even more. And that's the thing: no matter how good we are and how much we up our game - we always need to strive to be bigger, better, and go beyond. So this year I knew I needed to increase my visibility even more, and I know communication is key - so I decided to create quarterly reports instead of one annual report. Here are my Q1 2016 and Q2 2017 reports. They follow the same general format I went with for my annual report last year, including a tiny section for basic stats, grade level highlights, collaborations, and professional updates.
So I'm feeling pretty good about the direction I'm moving in regard to reports, BUT.... I know I could do it so much better if I used some of the fancy web tools available. Right now I'm making my reports in GoogleDocs just because we're a Google school and it makes it really easy to share and archive. That said, I already completed the presentation tools assignment (Thing 5) for my second time, but I still haven't found a free tool easy enough for me to use that would just create a nice report or newsletter. I've tried the templates in GoogleDocs, but they seem to lock you into one basic lay-out, which I don't want. I tried Bunkr, but had a hard time importing photos. I've used Prezi, but that makes everyone motion sick! What I really need to do is go back to my notes from Jennifer's presentation and explore some of the tools used to create some of the more awesome reports she collected. I think this is going to lead to a couple DIY posts because I know I want to check out S'more and LibGuides for starters. Polly - if you could direct me to maybe 2 or 3 more free tools that are fairly easy to use and that would help me to create more professional looking documents, I'd really appreciate it.
So in sum, I'm heading in the right direction, but my journey is far from over.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Thing 36: Evidence Based Practice – Collecting Data
I started to explore this assignment by reading through the Jan/Feb 2015 Issue of AASL Knowledge Quest and exploring Lyn Hay's 2013 slides. Both reinforced the importance of identifying and collecting relevant data to support the value of the work that we do each and every day.
My conversion to EBP started back in 2012 when my school district hired a new superintendent/principal that decided our school needed a whole new make-over in light of Common Core mandates and APPR regulations. This was my wake-up call that I needed to start collecting measurable data, and that the best way for me to do this was by revisiting my learning objectives and determining how to show student growth.
It should come as no surprise that this new school leader was not popular among staff, and her changes were viewed as unrealistic, unachievable, unfair.... But I will tell you one thing for sure, I became a much better educator as a result of the hard work I put into self-assessing my program and then carefully redesigning it such that every learning outcome had measurable goals and students produced tangible products. It really changed everything for me.
One helpful source not listed in the resources and tools for this activity are the rubrics and books by Charlotte Danielson that so many schools now use for APPR. When my school adopted Danielson back in 2012, these became my guiding beacons on how to survive in this new educational landscape that seemed to be shifting faster than NYSED could post updates.
When I first read Danielson, I was horrified that I was a "2" (Developing) in most measurable categories - and that the evidence of a "2" in my eyes seemed quite respectable in most cases! The evidence for a "3" (Effective) seemed at that moment as unattainable as lassoing the moon. And "4" (Highly Effective) - well, let's face it - I could not even visualize what that looked like in the real world. I will never forget a speaker who came to our school during this transition, who said, "4 is not a place where you live; it is a place you may visit from time to time".
That said, I turned to evidence as my salvation. I read Danielson's examples for evidence and I put a lot of thought into how I, too, could produce such results. That first year - 2012 - only 5 members of the faculty in my school achieved an overall score of "3" (Effective), and I am immensely proud to say that I was one of them.
Joyce Valenza speaks so clearly on how we can collect evidence. In both her articles, "Evolving With Evidence" and "Capturing Evidence" she lists lots of great tools. Unfortunately, many of these tools do not work well with elementary aged students, especially in situations where library time is fixed scheduled and lessons are taught in isolation. What I find works best for my K-3 students is more traditional, print evidence. For example, I do a lot of biography work with my 2nd graders, so my students create their own interview questions (creating "wonder" questions is such an essential part of the inquiry process), then interview someone during Thanksgiving Break, then they take the interviews and convert them into short biographies. They produce both a rough draft and a final draft. We culminate by "publishing" our own book of biographies. Now in that unit alone, I have TONS of evidence of student learning and engagement: 1) the student generated questions, 2) the transcribed responses, 3) the rough drafts showing revisions, 4) the final drafts incorporating corrections, and 5) the book itself. Who needs an exit ticket when you have all of that?
Likewise, my 4th graders participate in a "Library Passports" unit where we "travel" to various sections of the library and learn about NYS resources. In this unit, they are learning how to navigate our online catalog independently, how to filter search results, how to identify and evaluate resources (print and digital), and they explore a variety of resources, both print and electronic. For each "stop" on our journey, they have an activity sheet and they complete an independent activity before they earn a "stamp" on their passport, By the time we're done, they've accessed tons of great resources and have impressively thick packets showing exactly what they achieved - more evidence!!
And it would hardly be a blog post if I didn't mention NoodleTools at least once :-) My 5th and 6th graders are constantly engaged in projects recorded in NoodleTools, and I could not have a better record of research skills - from using sources responsibly to synthesizing information - it's all there - time stamped and recorded.
I will end by saying that thanks to that one highly unpopular administrator back in 2012, I really learned how to be an effective educator by adopting EBP. Change is hard - and scary - but it is also necessary and can be a very good thing. I'm glad I changed my ways even if it was one of the hardest years of my life professionally - and I'm still changing and evolving every day. Each year I learn about more great tools thanks to workshops like this, and I make it a point to incorporate what I learn into my practices. I am so much more proud of the work I do now than the work I did prior to 2012, and part of that pride is because I'm not only proving to my administrators the value of what I do - I'm proving it to myself, too. And the best part is that the students are the real winner in this situation. I am engaging them in relevant learning that will have an impact on their lives, and that's what this should all be about.
My conversion to EBP started back in 2012 when my school district hired a new superintendent/principal that decided our school needed a whole new make-over in light of Common Core mandates and APPR regulations. This was my wake-up call that I needed to start collecting measurable data, and that the best way for me to do this was by revisiting my learning objectives and determining how to show student growth.
It should come as no surprise that this new school leader was not popular among staff, and her changes were viewed as unrealistic, unachievable, unfair.... But I will tell you one thing for sure, I became a much better educator as a result of the hard work I put into self-assessing my program and then carefully redesigning it such that every learning outcome had measurable goals and students produced tangible products. It really changed everything for me.
One helpful source not listed in the resources and tools for this activity are the rubrics and books by Charlotte Danielson that so many schools now use for APPR. When my school adopted Danielson back in 2012, these became my guiding beacons on how to survive in this new educational landscape that seemed to be shifting faster than NYSED could post updates.
When I first read Danielson, I was horrified that I was a "2" (Developing) in most measurable categories - and that the evidence of a "2" in my eyes seemed quite respectable in most cases! The evidence for a "3" (Effective) seemed at that moment as unattainable as lassoing the moon. And "4" (Highly Effective) - well, let's face it - I could not even visualize what that looked like in the real world. I will never forget a speaker who came to our school during this transition, who said, "4 is not a place where you live; it is a place you may visit from time to time".
That said, I turned to evidence as my salvation. I read Danielson's examples for evidence and I put a lot of thought into how I, too, could produce such results. That first year - 2012 - only 5 members of the faculty in my school achieved an overall score of "3" (Effective), and I am immensely proud to say that I was one of them.
Joyce Valenza speaks so clearly on how we can collect evidence. In both her articles, "Evolving With Evidence" and "Capturing Evidence" she lists lots of great tools. Unfortunately, many of these tools do not work well with elementary aged students, especially in situations where library time is fixed scheduled and lessons are taught in isolation. What I find works best for my K-3 students is more traditional, print evidence. For example, I do a lot of biography work with my 2nd graders, so my students create their own interview questions (creating "wonder" questions is such an essential part of the inquiry process), then interview someone during Thanksgiving Break, then they take the interviews and convert them into short biographies. They produce both a rough draft and a final draft. We culminate by "publishing" our own book of biographies. Now in that unit alone, I have TONS of evidence of student learning and engagement: 1) the student generated questions, 2) the transcribed responses, 3) the rough drafts showing revisions, 4) the final drafts incorporating corrections, and 5) the book itself. Who needs an exit ticket when you have all of that?
Likewise, my 4th graders participate in a "Library Passports" unit where we "travel" to various sections of the library and learn about NYS resources. In this unit, they are learning how to navigate our online catalog independently, how to filter search results, how to identify and evaluate resources (print and digital), and they explore a variety of resources, both print and electronic. For each "stop" on our journey, they have an activity sheet and they complete an independent activity before they earn a "stamp" on their passport, By the time we're done, they've accessed tons of great resources and have impressively thick packets showing exactly what they achieved - more evidence!!
And it would hardly be a blog post if I didn't mention NoodleTools at least once :-) My 5th and 6th graders are constantly engaged in projects recorded in NoodleTools, and I could not have a better record of research skills - from using sources responsibly to synthesizing information - it's all there - time stamped and recorded.
I will end by saying that thanks to that one highly unpopular administrator back in 2012, I really learned how to be an effective educator by adopting EBP. Change is hard - and scary - but it is also necessary and can be a very good thing. I'm glad I changed my ways even if it was one of the hardest years of my life professionally - and I'm still changing and evolving every day. Each year I learn about more great tools thanks to workshops like this, and I make it a point to incorporate what I learn into my practices. I am so much more proud of the work I do now than the work I did prior to 2012, and part of that pride is because I'm not only proving to my administrators the value of what I do - I'm proving it to myself, too. And the best part is that the students are the real winner in this situation. I am engaging them in relevant learning that will have an impact on their lives, and that's what this should all be about.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Thing 35: Evidence Based Practice – Getting Started
I was lucky enough to have just completed an on-line post-graduate class facilitated by Hilda Weisberg this Fall (2016). She is an amazing educator and inspired human being who is such an asset to our profession. It was a privilege to discuss librarianship and best practices with her and my classmates.
The course was Leadership for Librarians, which is something not very many of us is comfortable with - me included! It is far easier to stay in the background and to do our important work quietly and effectively without bringing too much attention to ourselves or our programs, but Hilda made it clear that we need to be leaders in our schools and communities to showcase what we do; to prove our value to our stakeholders. One thing is clear: a strong leader definitely uses Evidence Based Practices as part of their long-term and short-term goal setting.
In this class, we wrote our Vision and Mission statements and then created 3-year action plans designed to accomplish our visions. During this course, I had an epiphany where I realized that I was an outstanding manager, but only a mediocre leader. I have all the tools I need to become a better leader, but I have to put the pieces all together to realize my potential.
Evidence Based Practice is a big part of how we gain confidence and "tell our story". All of the authors featured in the "Resources to Explore" portion of this assignment - Hilda Weisberg, Jennifer LaGarde, Joyce Valenza, Ross Todd - all indicated in their posts, presentations, and articles a common thread: we know what we do is important, and we know we're having an impact, but how do we SHOW that with solid evidence?
Ross & Hay did a fantastic job giving concrete examples of what evidence-based claims look like in their AASL 2015 presentation. They are specific, but not necessarily based solely on figures, because let's face it - sometimes it's near impossible to put a figure on something intangible like "understanding". If we formally pre- and post-tested every skill we taught, we'd lose at least 1/3 of our instructional time. This is not to undervalue assessments, because they are indeed immensely important in both informing our instruction as well as providing data on student achievement - but sometimes the assessment is simply the product of the learning, not a formal test on if you know the vocabulary or if you can replicate the usage of the skill out of context.
Joyce Valenza lists ways we can capture evidence of our students' learning, and I was thrilled to see NoodleTools and Google Classroom listed among the resources. I already lavished praise on NoodleTools in my previous post, but seriously - this is the BEST tool EVER! My administrators and families are always so impressed with what students can accomplish with it, and I love that everything is recorded and time stamped and that students can collaborate and we can all share comments, etc. If you're not using NoodleTools, you should check it out. Perhaps you're happy with just Google Classroom, but I still think NoodleTools adds an important layer that does not exist on the Google platform. Also, Joyce's exit questions are excellent and offer a great jumping point for our own information gathering. And like Hilda, Joyce also sees the strong connection between leadership and EBP.
In sum, my quarterly reports have become better thanks to participating in Jennifer LaGarde's workshop sponsored by my local BOCES groups last year (I enjoyed sitting next to you that day, Polly!!), and my vision has been solidified thanks to Hilda Weisberg's guidance in my grad class - and now I'm just putting my plan into action, one measurable step at a time. EBP is an important part of this process and one that guides and shapes everything I do professionally.
The course was Leadership for Librarians, which is something not very many of us is comfortable with - me included! It is far easier to stay in the background and to do our important work quietly and effectively without bringing too much attention to ourselves or our programs, but Hilda made it clear that we need to be leaders in our schools and communities to showcase what we do; to prove our value to our stakeholders. One thing is clear: a strong leader definitely uses Evidence Based Practices as part of their long-term and short-term goal setting.
In this class, we wrote our Vision and Mission statements and then created 3-year action plans designed to accomplish our visions. During this course, I had an epiphany where I realized that I was an outstanding manager, but only a mediocre leader. I have all the tools I need to become a better leader, but I have to put the pieces all together to realize my potential.
Evidence Based Practice is a big part of how we gain confidence and "tell our story". All of the authors featured in the "Resources to Explore" portion of this assignment - Hilda Weisberg, Jennifer LaGarde, Joyce Valenza, Ross Todd - all indicated in their posts, presentations, and articles a common thread: we know what we do is important, and we know we're having an impact, but how do we SHOW that with solid evidence?
Ross & Hay did a fantastic job giving concrete examples of what evidence-based claims look like in their AASL 2015 presentation. They are specific, but not necessarily based solely on figures, because let's face it - sometimes it's near impossible to put a figure on something intangible like "understanding". If we formally pre- and post-tested every skill we taught, we'd lose at least 1/3 of our instructional time. This is not to undervalue assessments, because they are indeed immensely important in both informing our instruction as well as providing data on student achievement - but sometimes the assessment is simply the product of the learning, not a formal test on if you know the vocabulary or if you can replicate the usage of the skill out of context.
Joyce Valenza lists ways we can capture evidence of our students' learning, and I was thrilled to see NoodleTools and Google Classroom listed among the resources. I already lavished praise on NoodleTools in my previous post, but seriously - this is the BEST tool EVER! My administrators and families are always so impressed with what students can accomplish with it, and I love that everything is recorded and time stamped and that students can collaborate and we can all share comments, etc. If you're not using NoodleTools, you should check it out. Perhaps you're happy with just Google Classroom, but I still think NoodleTools adds an important layer that does not exist on the Google platform. Also, Joyce's exit questions are excellent and offer a great jumping point for our own information gathering. And like Hilda, Joyce also sees the strong connection between leadership and EBP.
In sum, my quarterly reports have become better thanks to participating in Jennifer LaGarde's workshop sponsored by my local BOCES groups last year (I enjoyed sitting next to you that day, Polly!!), and my vision has been solidified thanks to Hilda Weisberg's guidance in my grad class - and now I'm just putting my plan into action, one measurable step at a time. EBP is an important part of this process and one that guides and shapes everything I do professionally.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Thing 34: Digital Tattoo & Digital Citizenship
Here is a topic I have put a lot of thought into especially this year. I had explored Common Sense Media's Digital Literacy & Citizenship curriculum in the past, but never successfully incorporated any of those pre-made lessons into my own isolated Library Skills curriculum. I can't say why - it just never seemed to fit, and because I only have access to each individual class about 30 times in a school year, I really work hard to create a curriculum that is custom aligned in a scope and sequence fashion to our unique mission and vision. This is not to say that I didn't feel digital citizenship is important or relevant, because you bet it is! I just didn't really know where to insert it in a way that would enhance the other skills and units that I wanted to cover.
Then I discovered Citizenship in the Digital Age thanks to Questar III's Jane Bentley's ROAR (Revisiting Our Area's Resources) article posted in September or October 2016. Being written by the same folks who tackled the indispensable IFC (Now Empire State Information Fluency Continuum), for some reason, this was a document and curriculum I could sink my teeth into!
Like Common Sense Media, CDA offers a K-12 scope & sequence vertically aligned curriculum, but I just liked the more familiar format of the CDA document, and I felt it was somehow easier to modify and customize to my specific needs.
So this year I created a new component to my 5th grade curriculum that features lessons based on the 5th grade CDA Digital Citizenship Guide. That guide itself is SO helpful and actually pulls in components of the IFC - it's just the best thing EVER! And each set of grade level lessons include specific learning outcomes and a list of Common Core and IFC standards addressed - it's just a thing of pure beauty!
Now all that said, I do love this document whole-heartedly, but would I use it as is? No way. Some of the activities were not the greatest and the links and videos sometimes lacked pizzazz, but that's okay. I like to customize my lessons, so all I really needed was the clear outline and a chance to read through their examples, and then I was ready to run with it on my own!
I am smack in the middle of implementing my brand new Digital Citizenship "unit" as I type. I combined it with my lessons on web site evaluation (based on IFC benchmarks) and will follow it up with setting up student accounts in NoodleTools, an online research organizer. I'm focusing on the two major components of digital citizenship as identified by the CDA: responsibility and safety, and it seriously could not be working better!! NoodleTools is tied with the IFC as the best thing ever because it reinforces everything students need to know about effectively using resources (print and electronic) responsibly, and setting up the accounts reinforces the notion of digital safety because we spend a whole class learning how to create strong IDs and PWs to keep our accounts secure. I am loving this because my 5th graders are super engaged, the learning is absolutely relevant, and I feel like I'm giving them skills and tools that will truly have an impact on the rest of their lives. This is what teaching is all about; this is why I love my job!
I could continue to extol the many great qualities of both the IFC and CDA, and, of course, NoodleTools (by the way, NoodleTools' note card format is identical to IFC benchmark assessment 4:5!!), but let me briefly address "Digital Tattoos" or digital footprints. The thinking points in this activity asked us to consider student privacy and "over-sharing". In a nutshell, yes, I do believe employers and colleges have a right to research potential candidates - even their social media presence. And I do feel that they should be able to include what they find in their over all evaluation of candidates. I understand that people post things for different "audiences" using different "voices" and language, but if it can be easily found online, then no, it is not private. What people choose to post online is definitely a reflection of their judgement and character. Absolutely. And this is why teaching digital citizenship is so very, very important. People need to realize the consequences for their words and actions, and they need to be mindful of the persona they create online.
Then I discovered Citizenship in the Digital Age thanks to Questar III's Jane Bentley's ROAR (Revisiting Our Area's Resources) article posted in September or October 2016. Being written by the same folks who tackled the indispensable IFC (Now Empire State Information Fluency Continuum), for some reason, this was a document and curriculum I could sink my teeth into!
Like Common Sense Media, CDA offers a K-12 scope & sequence vertically aligned curriculum, but I just liked the more familiar format of the CDA document, and I felt it was somehow easier to modify and customize to my specific needs.
So this year I created a new component to my 5th grade curriculum that features lessons based on the 5th grade CDA Digital Citizenship Guide. That guide itself is SO helpful and actually pulls in components of the IFC - it's just the best thing EVER! And each set of grade level lessons include specific learning outcomes and a list of Common Core and IFC standards addressed - it's just a thing of pure beauty!
Now all that said, I do love this document whole-heartedly, but would I use it as is? No way. Some of the activities were not the greatest and the links and videos sometimes lacked pizzazz, but that's okay. I like to customize my lessons, so all I really needed was the clear outline and a chance to read through their examples, and then I was ready to run with it on my own!
I am smack in the middle of implementing my brand new Digital Citizenship "unit" as I type. I combined it with my lessons on web site evaluation (based on IFC benchmarks) and will follow it up with setting up student accounts in NoodleTools, an online research organizer. I'm focusing on the two major components of digital citizenship as identified by the CDA: responsibility and safety, and it seriously could not be working better!! NoodleTools is tied with the IFC as the best thing ever because it reinforces everything students need to know about effectively using resources (print and electronic) responsibly, and setting up the accounts reinforces the notion of digital safety because we spend a whole class learning how to create strong IDs and PWs to keep our accounts secure. I am loving this because my 5th graders are super engaged, the learning is absolutely relevant, and I feel like I'm giving them skills and tools that will truly have an impact on the rest of their lives. This is what teaching is all about; this is why I love my job!
I could continue to extol the many great qualities of both the IFC and CDA, and, of course, NoodleTools (by the way, NoodleTools' note card format is identical to IFC benchmark assessment 4:5!!), but let me briefly address "Digital Tattoos" or digital footprints. The thinking points in this activity asked us to consider student privacy and "over-sharing". In a nutshell, yes, I do believe employers and colleges have a right to research potential candidates - even their social media presence. And I do feel that they should be able to include what they find in their over all evaluation of candidates. I understand that people post things for different "audiences" using different "voices" and language, but if it can be easily found online, then no, it is not private. What people choose to post online is definitely a reflection of their judgement and character. Absolutely. And this is why teaching digital citizenship is so very, very important. People need to realize the consequences for their words and actions, and they need to be mindful of the persona they create online.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Thing 33: Presentation Tools
So I probably first did this assignment years ago when I was a newbie to Cool Tools, but I obviously did not master this important area of knowledge the first time around..... and truth be told, I still feel a bit at a loss the second time around, too :-(
I started by reading a couple of the articles to get me thinking about the topic and to see what experts are saying today. Shelly Terrell's, "Let's Present!", immediately caught my eye, because after doing a Cool Tools assignment on "Infographics", I started to ask my 6th graders to create infographics or posters as part of a research project we do on the Ancient Egyptians. So this article did give me some new sites to try out, although I'm leery of any tool that requires additional account log-ins for students. It seems the more steps involved, the more complicated the assignment becomes, and before I know it, we've lost our initial enthusiasm and are just bogged down in remembering where to go and what password to use!
Then I read Naomi Chibana's, "PowerPoint Alternatives", and really liked her clear presentation of each tool, especially in regard to pricing.
But where I decided to spend the most time was with Bunkr, of course, given its new fame as an "AASL Best Web Site of 2016" - so how could I go wrong? Oh, let me count the ways....
First, I read Heather Moorefield-Lang's article, "Ideas for Using AASL's Best Web Sites: Bunkr", and I watched the embedded video, which said over and over again just how easy this was going to be. So wasn't I surprised when the first night I logged in to it from my Google account, I pretty much gave up after about 15 fruitless minutes! But I am one who is seldom daunted, so after a good night's sleep, I got right back to work and was delighted that everything seemed to be going great.... at first anyway!
I decided to make a test slide show where I simply played around with various features. The first thing I did was import a Google Slides presentation I made this Fall: EASY! Then I made a fun page where I embedded 4 You Tube videos of fun winter crafts to make from upcycled books: Again, EASY!!!! Now I thought I had this thing down pat, and I was actually having fun, too! So wasn't I disappointed when I tried to upload some photos. I had hoped to upload one from my personal computer and one from the Web. Neither really worked out. I couldn't find any way to access my personal files, so I couldn't upload an image that way. And when I tried uploading from Google Images, I got more than just the neat photo I was after. Oh, well. You can't win them all, right? So I went on to try to upload a PowerPoint presentation, again from my computer - but no dice! At least this time it allowed me to search my files, but no matter which presentation I selected, it came up with an upload error message: so, so frustrating!
At that point, I had spent well over 2 hours on this and decided enough was enough, so I created one last slide with my general thoughts on Bunkr.
Here's a link to my presentation if you want to check it out here.
My conclusion was that although Bunkr definitely has promise, I don't think it's the best presentation tool for my elementary crowd. I think I'm wiser limiting their exposure to familiar tools, like Google Slides and Docs which are already integrated into their learning environment. Like I said regarding the digital poster tools, the less complicated the product platform is, the more likely the students will succeed when using it.
I started by reading a couple of the articles to get me thinking about the topic and to see what experts are saying today. Shelly Terrell's, "Let's Present!", immediately caught my eye, because after doing a Cool Tools assignment on "Infographics", I started to ask my 6th graders to create infographics or posters as part of a research project we do on the Ancient Egyptians. So this article did give me some new sites to try out, although I'm leery of any tool that requires additional account log-ins for students. It seems the more steps involved, the more complicated the assignment becomes, and before I know it, we've lost our initial enthusiasm and are just bogged down in remembering where to go and what password to use!
Then I read Naomi Chibana's, "PowerPoint Alternatives", and really liked her clear presentation of each tool, especially in regard to pricing.
But where I decided to spend the most time was with Bunkr, of course, given its new fame as an "AASL Best Web Site of 2016" - so how could I go wrong? Oh, let me count the ways....
First, I read Heather Moorefield-Lang's article, "Ideas for Using AASL's Best Web Sites: Bunkr", and I watched the embedded video, which said over and over again just how easy this was going to be. So wasn't I surprised when the first night I logged in to it from my Google account, I pretty much gave up after about 15 fruitless minutes! But I am one who is seldom daunted, so after a good night's sleep, I got right back to work and was delighted that everything seemed to be going great.... at first anyway!
I decided to make a test slide show where I simply played around with various features. The first thing I did was import a Google Slides presentation I made this Fall: EASY! Then I made a fun page where I embedded 4 You Tube videos of fun winter crafts to make from upcycled books: Again, EASY!!!! Now I thought I had this thing down pat, and I was actually having fun, too! So wasn't I disappointed when I tried to upload some photos. I had hoped to upload one from my personal computer and one from the Web. Neither really worked out. I couldn't find any way to access my personal files, so I couldn't upload an image that way. And when I tried uploading from Google Images, I got more than just the neat photo I was after. Oh, well. You can't win them all, right? So I went on to try to upload a PowerPoint presentation, again from my computer - but no dice! At least this time it allowed me to search my files, but no matter which presentation I selected, it came up with an upload error message: so, so frustrating!
At that point, I had spent well over 2 hours on this and decided enough was enough, so I created one last slide with my general thoughts on Bunkr.
Here's a link to my presentation if you want to check it out here.
My conclusion was that although Bunkr definitely has promise, I don't think it's the best presentation tool for my elementary crowd. I think I'm wiser limiting their exposure to familiar tools, like Google Slides and Docs which are already integrated into their learning environment. Like I said regarding the digital poster tools, the less complicated the product platform is, the more likely the students will succeed when using it.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Thing 32: Emerging Tech & Scanning the Horizon
What a treat to be able to explore this topic now rather than at the end of the workshop like I had in past "tracks"! And what better way to spend a "snow day" at home than by reading and reflecting on several of the interesting readings posted within this assignment!
So far, I've read the two IDEA WATCH articles posted by Carolyn Foote, "What Does the Next Generation School Library Look Like" by Luba Vangelova, and the 2016 NMC Horizon Report. It was interesting to see the areas of overlap between these four "reports".
The trend that seems most prevalent is that the idea of the old quiet research/book warehouse is long gone, replaced by more of a "learning commons" space for interactive collaboration and project-based learning with an emphasis on student-centered exploration, innovation, and creativity. Interestingly, Vangelova described the transformation of a high school library in Charlottesville, VA where the physical collection was down-sized, the shelving reduced and made mobile, and where every nook and cranny was devoted to assorted student-centered purposes including a technology lab, a hackerspace, a makerspace, music labs, and lounge areas. Although exciting to be sure, the idea of fully embracing that style of library is somewhat daunting to me, and probably less realistic for my elementary crowd, so it was reassuring to read Foote talk about another trend for libraries to create spaces for students to "unplug" and reflect in her article, "Far Beyond Makerspaces". I thought it was funny how although this type of space is not new to libraries, we can make it feel new by branding it with a trendy new name like, "Unplug Zone" or "Digital Escape Space".
As for how these trends, visions, and concepts fit into my specific world - Well, I'm certainly right on board with some of it - especially the idea of creating an inviting space for student collaboration and exploration. I see grades K-6 on a fixed schedule 6-day rotation for isolated instruction, and I rely heavily on the Empire State Fluency Continuum to guide my lesson planning. From the earliest grades, I foster a community of engaged learners where I very much act as both instructor and mentor, and where students are encouraged to teach and learn from each other in a safe and respectful environment. I refuse to teach anything that is not "authentic" and with actual application and purpose. Students are sucked in by my own enthusiasm and willingness to learn from them. I strive to validate all of their contributions and ideas, and I willingly engage in the learning and activities right along with my students.
By 5th grade, I have covered many important topics in Digital Citizenship, especially in regard to using digital and print resources responsibly. I have all students using NoodleTools to organize their research online and I engage the students in fun and meaningful research projects that involve collaboration between myself, teachers, and outside community experts on our chosen topic. For example, last year in 5th grade we created a fabulous project that I titled, "The Struggle for Equality" that enhanced student understanding of government while at the same time allowed them to explore somewhat over-looked topics in American history including the Japanese Internment Camps, Jewish discrimination, the Chinese Exclusion Acts, and so much more. In addition to the teachers and myself, we included a professor from the Albany School of Law (who is also a parent of 2 students, although neither in 5th grade at the time!) and several of his students. It was AMAZING! The kids couldn't believe what they were finding out, I couldn't believe how thoughtful they were in their thinking, and it was a fabulous moment where we were able to bring ALL the pieces together in one perfect project - we had teachers, the librarian, outside experts, and parents involved.
I think in many ways I'm hitting a lot of the big trends as described in the NMC report, especially as it highlighted "Collaborative" and "Deeper Learning" approaches and "Authentic" learning. Areas where I need to grow involve being more open to makerspaces and unstructured student exploration. Being part-time myself and having no designated support staff makes the idea of implementing such programs somewhat daunting, but not all together impossible. Right now I teach 4 blocks with no lunch or prep, so supervision would definitely be an issue - although many descriptions of these spaces indicate how little supervision there is. Also, K-6 does not have study halls or free periods, so it could only be an extracurricular offering for now.
So much to think about! But I'm always scanning that horizon and I'm open to trying anything :-)
So far, I've read the two IDEA WATCH articles posted by Carolyn Foote, "What Does the Next Generation School Library Look Like" by Luba Vangelova, and the 2016 NMC Horizon Report. It was interesting to see the areas of overlap between these four "reports".
The trend that seems most prevalent is that the idea of the old quiet research/book warehouse is long gone, replaced by more of a "learning commons" space for interactive collaboration and project-based learning with an emphasis on student-centered exploration, innovation, and creativity. Interestingly, Vangelova described the transformation of a high school library in Charlottesville, VA where the physical collection was down-sized, the shelving reduced and made mobile, and where every nook and cranny was devoted to assorted student-centered purposes including a technology lab, a hackerspace, a makerspace, music labs, and lounge areas. Although exciting to be sure, the idea of fully embracing that style of library is somewhat daunting to me, and probably less realistic for my elementary crowd, so it was reassuring to read Foote talk about another trend for libraries to create spaces for students to "unplug" and reflect in her article, "Far Beyond Makerspaces". I thought it was funny how although this type of space is not new to libraries, we can make it feel new by branding it with a trendy new name like, "Unplug Zone" or "Digital Escape Space".
As for how these trends, visions, and concepts fit into my specific world - Well, I'm certainly right on board with some of it - especially the idea of creating an inviting space for student collaboration and exploration. I see grades K-6 on a fixed schedule 6-day rotation for isolated instruction, and I rely heavily on the Empire State Fluency Continuum to guide my lesson planning. From the earliest grades, I foster a community of engaged learners where I very much act as both instructor and mentor, and where students are encouraged to teach and learn from each other in a safe and respectful environment. I refuse to teach anything that is not "authentic" and with actual application and purpose. Students are sucked in by my own enthusiasm and willingness to learn from them. I strive to validate all of their contributions and ideas, and I willingly engage in the learning and activities right along with my students.
By 5th grade, I have covered many important topics in Digital Citizenship, especially in regard to using digital and print resources responsibly. I have all students using NoodleTools to organize their research online and I engage the students in fun and meaningful research projects that involve collaboration between myself, teachers, and outside community experts on our chosen topic. For example, last year in 5th grade we created a fabulous project that I titled, "The Struggle for Equality" that enhanced student understanding of government while at the same time allowed them to explore somewhat over-looked topics in American history including the Japanese Internment Camps, Jewish discrimination, the Chinese Exclusion Acts, and so much more. In addition to the teachers and myself, we included a professor from the Albany School of Law (who is also a parent of 2 students, although neither in 5th grade at the time!) and several of his students. It was AMAZING! The kids couldn't believe what they were finding out, I couldn't believe how thoughtful they were in their thinking, and it was a fabulous moment where we were able to bring ALL the pieces together in one perfect project - we had teachers, the librarian, outside experts, and parents involved.
I think in many ways I'm hitting a lot of the big trends as described in the NMC report, especially as it highlighted "Collaborative" and "Deeper Learning" approaches and "Authentic" learning. Areas where I need to grow involve being more open to makerspaces and unstructured student exploration. Being part-time myself and having no designated support staff makes the idea of implementing such programs somewhat daunting, but not all together impossible. Right now I teach 4 blocks with no lunch or prep, so supervision would definitely be an issue - although many descriptions of these spaces indicate how little supervision there is. Also, K-6 does not have study halls or free periods, so it could only be an extracurricular offering for now.
So much to think about! But I'm always scanning that horizon and I'm open to trying anything :-)
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Thing 31: Coding
Here's a topic that has been much on my mind in recent months. "Coding" has been a buzz word in the library community for quite some time, but it's only been in the last 6 or so months that it's begun to take a more firm hold in my brain. Especially after our September 2016 Questar III Library Liaison meeting where several librarians in attendance talked about how they integrate coding into their curriculum, that's when I decided to get serious about exploring what all the hubbub is about :-)
So before I even signed up for Cool Tools this Fall, I had begun experimenting with The Foos and Kodable, hoping I could introduce coding to at least grades 2-3 this year. But then life happened, and before long, a multitasking librarian like myself who does not know the meaning of the word, "no", found herself blissfully knee-deep in post-graduate classes, assorted PD opportunities, heading two school committees, collaborating on every project teachers approached her with, rocking the Danielson rubric, and finding the time to cook a 35 pound turkey on Thanksgiving (yes, apparently they do come that big!), and well - coding sort of got lost in the shuffle!
And that's when I fell on my knees in gratitude for good old Cool Tools! This assignment popped up and put coding back on my radar.
Now having already explored The Foos and Kodable for my younger crew, I decided to see what was out there for my older students. So this week I explored "Hour of Code Activities By Grade Level" and I discovered "Code Avengers" digital postcard activity for grade 6+. This was definitely a big step up from the games and activities I had explored in The Foos and Kodable.
In this 10 task activity, I was lead by way of short video tutorials through the process of writing real html gobbledygook!! You know, the kind of stuff that beings with carrots (<) and includes weird, non-natural language scripts and the like. This is what my husband does for a living, and for a brief moment, I enjoyed a glimpse into his murky, bizarre world of geek speak (of course, look who's talking - the girl who spends every spare moment with her nose in a book!).
Anyway, because I try to incorporate everything I do in Cool Tools in my actual teaching, I decided to make a postcard from Rick Riordan's Camp Half-Blood (who's the geek now?!) to see if this is something I can incorporate into my 6th grade Inquiry project: Create Your Own Demigod. And the verdict is..... maybe. Making the postcard was not the problem; however after step 10, you can supposedly share your postcard via FaceBook, Twitter, or Google - but no matter how I tried sharing the darn thing, it was a no-go. At one point I found where it should have been on my Google page, but it was blank, and the emails I sent to my multiple addresses never showed up at all (yes, I did check my "junk" folders, too!). So, using skills learned in a previous Cool Tools assignment, I took a screen shot and saved it in my Google Drive (my, I'm resourceful, aren't I?) and here it is!
I also explored several of your tip links, including the 10+ minute podcast, "7 Tips for teachers Who Have No Interest in Coding", which didn't so much offer useful tips, as just sort of reaffirmed that I am qualified to teach coding. Okay - it did give a few tips, but these were in the form of, "You should play the coding game BEFORE you teach it to the students". Like that was news, right?
Anyway, my real take-away from making my html postcard is how grateful I am for word processing programs that let you make text BOLD or BIG with a simple Ctrl function or click of an icon rather than writing crazy lines of script! I think I liked the coding games for the younger set better with their use of sequencing and logic. That's more my speed.
So will I incorporate coding into my curriculum? Probably.... but I think I need to explore more of the amazing resources you gave us first to get a better handle of which programs would work best for my students. And I need some more time to think about where I would want to insert this topic. Right now I'm so focused on the IFC and inquiry learning that much of my instructional time is devoted to projects and research skills - which is not to say that coding does not belong - I just need to reflect on where and when. Seeing my students on a 6-day rotation means I only have about 30 classes per year with them, so every minute has to count, and the learning has to proceed in a logical manner so as to give the students a sense of purpose and progression.
So before I even signed up for Cool Tools this Fall, I had begun experimenting with The Foos and Kodable, hoping I could introduce coding to at least grades 2-3 this year. But then life happened, and before long, a multitasking librarian like myself who does not know the meaning of the word, "no", found herself blissfully knee-deep in post-graduate classes, assorted PD opportunities, heading two school committees, collaborating on every project teachers approached her with, rocking the Danielson rubric, and finding the time to cook a 35 pound turkey on Thanksgiving (yes, apparently they do come that big!), and well - coding sort of got lost in the shuffle!
And that's when I fell on my knees in gratitude for good old Cool Tools! This assignment popped up and put coding back on my radar.
Now having already explored The Foos and Kodable for my younger crew, I decided to see what was out there for my older students. So this week I explored "Hour of Code Activities By Grade Level" and I discovered "Code Avengers" digital postcard activity for grade 6+. This was definitely a big step up from the games and activities I had explored in The Foos and Kodable.
In this 10 task activity, I was lead by way of short video tutorials through the process of writing real html gobbledygook!! You know, the kind of stuff that beings with carrots (<) and includes weird, non-natural language scripts and the like. This is what my husband does for a living, and for a brief moment, I enjoyed a glimpse into his murky, bizarre world of geek speak (of course, look who's talking - the girl who spends every spare moment with her nose in a book!).
Anyway, because I try to incorporate everything I do in Cool Tools in my actual teaching, I decided to make a postcard from Rick Riordan's Camp Half-Blood (who's the geek now?!) to see if this is something I can incorporate into my 6th grade Inquiry project: Create Your Own Demigod. And the verdict is..... maybe. Making the postcard was not the problem; however after step 10, you can supposedly share your postcard via FaceBook, Twitter, or Google - but no matter how I tried sharing the darn thing, it was a no-go. At one point I found where it should have been on my Google page, but it was blank, and the emails I sent to my multiple addresses never showed up at all (yes, I did check my "junk" folders, too!). So, using skills learned in a previous Cool Tools assignment, I took a screen shot and saved it in my Google Drive (my, I'm resourceful, aren't I?) and here it is!
I also explored several of your tip links, including the 10+ minute podcast, "7 Tips for teachers Who Have No Interest in Coding", which didn't so much offer useful tips, as just sort of reaffirmed that I am qualified to teach coding. Okay - it did give a few tips, but these were in the form of, "You should play the coding game BEFORE you teach it to the students". Like that was news, right?
Anyway, my real take-away from making my html postcard is how grateful I am for word processing programs that let you make text BOLD or BIG with a simple Ctrl function or click of an icon rather than writing crazy lines of script! I think I liked the coding games for the younger set better with their use of sequencing and logic. That's more my speed.
So will I incorporate coding into my curriculum? Probably.... but I think I need to explore more of the amazing resources you gave us first to get a better handle of which programs would work best for my students. And I need some more time to think about where I would want to insert this topic. Right now I'm so focused on the IFC and inquiry learning that much of my instructional time is devoted to projects and research skills - which is not to say that coding does not belong - I just need to reflect on where and when. Seeing my students on a 6-day rotation means I only have about 30 classes per year with them, so every minute has to count, and the learning has to proceed in a logical manner so as to give the students a sense of purpose and progression.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Thing 30: Final Reflections & What’s Next?
I definitely learned a lot again this year in my third track of this workshop. In reflecting on the nine posts I published this year, though, I would have to say that some lessons were more pertinent to me than others. I especially think Thing 26 was the "biggie". We all need to keep a finger on the pulse of our population so we can adapt to what is needed or wanted from us. I think I had the most fun with Thing 27, though, where I stumbled upon and played with Creaza. Likewise, Thing 24: Infographics, definitely inspired me with my 6th graders. I built an entire project around infographics where the students each picked an ancient Egyptian ruler to research and document in a custom infographic. They organized their research in NoodleTools and found graphics that were relevant to their topics. They presented both their infographic and bibliography during class, and I was impressed at how responsive they were towards each other's work.
I would like to echo what I said in my last post, though: each assignment definitely required more than 1 hour to explore and reflect upon. I think 20 hours PD credit would have been far more fair for the time and effort required.
I already somewhat addressed an example of how I used my new knowledge by describing my Ancient Egyptian Ruler Infographic project. I also employed my new knowledge of Resource Guides (Thing 22) in January when I was compiling materials for Black History Month. Another outcome from this year's workshop was the creation of a brand new Library Advisory Committee in my school. Right now I'm focusing the efforts of this group on getting to know our stakeholders and assessing our programs and services (Thing 26). Obviously this will be an on-going process, so that's one thing definitely on my personal horizon.
Finally, let me conclude by saying once again how much I like these online, at-your-own-pace workshops. I know some people really miss live interaction, but this format works incredibly well in my busy schedule. I'm sure I would learn even more if I made the time to read more of my colleagues' posts, but that may have to wait until summer.
I'm thinking this third track will be my last track of Cool Tools. I'm ready to explore something different. Last Fall, I tried an on-line post-graduate class from SUNY Buffalo, which was interesting. I'm not sure what I'll find to keep me busy next year, but I have no doubt, Jen Cannell at Questar will provide lots of options :-)
I would like to echo what I said in my last post, though: each assignment definitely required more than 1 hour to explore and reflect upon. I think 20 hours PD credit would have been far more fair for the time and effort required.
I already somewhat addressed an example of how I used my new knowledge by describing my Ancient Egyptian Ruler Infographic project. I also employed my new knowledge of Resource Guides (Thing 22) in January when I was compiling materials for Black History Month. Another outcome from this year's workshop was the creation of a brand new Library Advisory Committee in my school. Right now I'm focusing the efforts of this group on getting to know our stakeholders and assessing our programs and services (Thing 26). Obviously this will be an on-going process, so that's one thing definitely on my personal horizon.
Finally, let me conclude by saying once again how much I like these online, at-your-own-pace workshops. I know some people really miss live interaction, but this format works incredibly well in my busy schedule. I'm sure I would learn even more if I made the time to read more of my colleagues' posts, but that may have to wait until summer.
I'm thinking this third track will be my last track of Cool Tools. I'm ready to explore something different. Last Fall, I tried an on-line post-graduate class from SUNY Buffalo, which was interesting. I'm not sure what I'll find to keep me busy next year, but I have no doubt, Jen Cannell at Questar will provide lots of options :-)
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thing 29: Student Response Tools
I have to say that I am amazed that we are only given 10 hours of PD credit for completing all 10 assignments, because I have yet to undertake one that took under 2-3 hours!! But credit or no credit, it is invaluable to be given the opportunity to explore these really wonderful web tools that in most cases I otherwise would probably never know about!
I explored FlipGrid, Padlet, Primary Wall, Today's Meet, SeeSaw, Answer Garden, and Google Forms. I played in each that had a cool tools account, or just browsed the examples when they did not. That said, I have to admit that I was most impressed with Google Forms. I really should spend more time exploring Google in general, because every time I turn around, I am delighted with what I can do with it!
I've already put Google Forms to use to generate a custom library survey for my faculty to be administered before the end of the school year. I have recently formed a Library Advisory Committee to help steer the Library in the direction it needs to be going, and more importantly, to help me build communication and visibility for our library program and services (Thing 26 really has me thinking.....). That said, we decided from day one that we need to survey everyone - faculty, students, administrators, parents - to determine current perceptions (and misconceptions) and to guide us in our goal setting. We each came to the table at our last committee meeting with sample surveys we could use or tweak, but having discovered how easy it is to generate and share a Google Forms survey which tabulates results automatically, I'm totally converted! I'd already been using Google Docs to share my policies and other materials that I want committee feeedback on, and now I'm finding Google Forms is just as wonderful! Yay, Google - even if it is an evil empire :-)
Let me just spend a moment talking about my experience with some of the other tools, though. FlipGrid was interesting to look at, but I'd have to see if our school tablets and laptops have video capability before I could entertain using it in any meaningful way. Primary Wall didn't work (I see you updated that in the assignment). Today's Meet seemed easy to use and I really liked that it required no log in for the students/participants. See Saw was interesting, but maybe a bit more involved than I want to be right now. I only have PCs in the library. All the laptops and tablets are in the classrooms. Finally, I didn't see much point to Answer Garden, although I entered a response (Inquiry Driven Questions).
I can't believe we have only one more assignment to go.....
I explored FlipGrid, Padlet, Primary Wall, Today's Meet, SeeSaw, Answer Garden, and Google Forms. I played in each that had a cool tools account, or just browsed the examples when they did not. That said, I have to admit that I was most impressed with Google Forms. I really should spend more time exploring Google in general, because every time I turn around, I am delighted with what I can do with it!
I've already put Google Forms to use to generate a custom library survey for my faculty to be administered before the end of the school year. I have recently formed a Library Advisory Committee to help steer the Library in the direction it needs to be going, and more importantly, to help me build communication and visibility for our library program and services (Thing 26 really has me thinking.....). That said, we decided from day one that we need to survey everyone - faculty, students, administrators, parents - to determine current perceptions (and misconceptions) and to guide us in our goal setting. We each came to the table at our last committee meeting with sample surveys we could use or tweak, but having discovered how easy it is to generate and share a Google Forms survey which tabulates results automatically, I'm totally converted! I'd already been using Google Docs to share my policies and other materials that I want committee feeedback on, and now I'm finding Google Forms is just as wonderful! Yay, Google - even if it is an evil empire :-)
Let me just spend a moment talking about my experience with some of the other tools, though. FlipGrid was interesting to look at, but I'd have to see if our school tablets and laptops have video capability before I could entertain using it in any meaningful way. Primary Wall didn't work (I see you updated that in the assignment). Today's Meet seemed easy to use and I really liked that it required no log in for the students/participants. See Saw was interesting, but maybe a bit more involved than I want to be right now. I only have PCs in the library. All the laptops and tablets are in the classrooms. Finally, I didn't see much point to Answer Garden, although I entered a response (Inquiry Driven Questions).
I can't believe we have only one more assignment to go.....
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Thing 28: Tech Trends and Scanning the Horizon
As referenced in your introduction to this assignment, the idea of what comes next does sort of fill me with a bit of dread. On the one hand, I do find some of these tools and trends very exciting and helpful, but to be perfectly honest, I don't feel that I can keep up with everything that seems to be churning out at a break-neck pace, and that makes me feel inferior to some of my more trendy colleagues.
We had a similar assignment in Track 1 called "Future Trends" which I completed in 2011. I just re-read my post for that assignment and I think I was correct about a lot of my predictions thus far.
As for how technology is changing Libraries today (and tomorrow), well, it looks like the clear trend is to continue to move away from print resources and traditional research and move towards electronic resources, exploration and discovery, and student engagement and interaction both locally and globally. I can certainly see the benefits of this move, but I also mourn for the loss of the archetypal Library, too. I thought it was almost sad to read in Luba Vangelova's article how Joan Ackroyd created this celebrated "Learning Commons" in her Library, but that she still included a small room where students could come and read quietly a few periods each day.
Joyce Valenza concurs with this move in her article where she identifies crucial trends in Libraries as including unblocking social media, using Google and Skype to connect students, educators, and the global community, and turning Libraries into "Maker Spaces" where patrons can move beyond information retrieval to contextual problem solving and creation.
The one article that gave me pause, though, was the 2015 State of America's Library report. This report claims that by college, students are not prepared for research; they have difficulty "coming up with keywords", "sorting through irrelevant search results", "identifying and selecting sources", and "integrating writing styles from different sources". My, my... aren't those all skills traditionally taught through traditional research?
So how does all of this tie together to what I personally see on the horizon? Well, having steeped myself in all of the Common Core shifts and frameworks, it seems obvious that the task of teaching basic research skills is now falling to the classroom teachers themselves, and I am not all together sure they are up for the challenge. The Common Core implies that teachers should collaborate with the LMS to teach these skills in context, but in reality, that depends entirely upon the school's collegial climate, the availability of common planning and teaching time, and the staffing of the Library (or Media Center, or Learning Commons, or whatever you want to call that amorphous space these days). And hasn't that been the quandary all along - with or without all the glitzy bells and whistles of technology?
So colleges want students who have developed critical thinking skills who are comfortable using a variety of information sources that they can not only analyze and synthesize, but that they can also evaluate and distinguish between, and at the same time, we're supposed to be turning our Libraries into interactive learning centers where students can fully engage in their own learning through problem solving and collaboration. Hey, wait? Isn't that Inquiry??? And aren't Librarians supposed to be the leaders in Inquiry learning??
Okay, so here's my final prediction for what's on the horizon. So forget the traditional Library, but hire the Librarian. It doesn't matter if you place the Librarian in a tiny office of if you give them some tricked out glorified "Learning Common" to preside over. The key is to schedule this Librarian to work 1-1 with the teachers to develop, design, implement, and assess student work that aligns with the Common Core and that follows the Inquiry process. Do not make collaboration optional; make it a requirement and make the time necessary for it to happen. Get rid of "Library" as a "special" where it is release time for teachers - or if you want to keep it - hire an aide or clerk to handle story reading and book exchange. That boat has sailed, and according to current data, we have to let go of that notion of a "Library". If it's not dead, it's dying. And how sad is that? Am I the only one saddened at the thought of bombarding our children with unappealing leveled readers and not sharing author studies? But who cares? Apparently you don't need an advanced degree to do those arcane things. The only viable future for Librarians seems to be through the harnessing of technology and in the role of collaborator. So keep your eyes on that horizon, friends, or you may find yourselves out of a job.
We had a similar assignment in Track 1 called "Future Trends" which I completed in 2011. I just re-read my post for that assignment and I think I was correct about a lot of my predictions thus far.
As for how technology is changing Libraries today (and tomorrow), well, it looks like the clear trend is to continue to move away from print resources and traditional research and move towards electronic resources, exploration and discovery, and student engagement and interaction both locally and globally. I can certainly see the benefits of this move, but I also mourn for the loss of the archetypal Library, too. I thought it was almost sad to read in Luba Vangelova's article how Joan Ackroyd created this celebrated "Learning Commons" in her Library, but that she still included a small room where students could come and read quietly a few periods each day.
Joyce Valenza concurs with this move in her article where she identifies crucial trends in Libraries as including unblocking social media, using Google and Skype to connect students, educators, and the global community, and turning Libraries into "Maker Spaces" where patrons can move beyond information retrieval to contextual problem solving and creation.
The one article that gave me pause, though, was the 2015 State of America's Library report. This report claims that by college, students are not prepared for research; they have difficulty "coming up with keywords", "sorting through irrelevant search results", "identifying and selecting sources", and "integrating writing styles from different sources". My, my... aren't those all skills traditionally taught through traditional research?
So how does all of this tie together to what I personally see on the horizon? Well, having steeped myself in all of the Common Core shifts and frameworks, it seems obvious that the task of teaching basic research skills is now falling to the classroom teachers themselves, and I am not all together sure they are up for the challenge. The Common Core implies that teachers should collaborate with the LMS to teach these skills in context, but in reality, that depends entirely upon the school's collegial climate, the availability of common planning and teaching time, and the staffing of the Library (or Media Center, or Learning Commons, or whatever you want to call that amorphous space these days). And hasn't that been the quandary all along - with or without all the glitzy bells and whistles of technology?
So colleges want students who have developed critical thinking skills who are comfortable using a variety of information sources that they can not only analyze and synthesize, but that they can also evaluate and distinguish between, and at the same time, we're supposed to be turning our Libraries into interactive learning centers where students can fully engage in their own learning through problem solving and collaboration. Hey, wait? Isn't that Inquiry??? And aren't Librarians supposed to be the leaders in Inquiry learning??
Okay, so here's my final prediction for what's on the horizon. So forget the traditional Library, but hire the Librarian. It doesn't matter if you place the Librarian in a tiny office of if you give them some tricked out glorified "Learning Common" to preside over. The key is to schedule this Librarian to work 1-1 with the teachers to develop, design, implement, and assess student work that aligns with the Common Core and that follows the Inquiry process. Do not make collaboration optional; make it a requirement and make the time necessary for it to happen. Get rid of "Library" as a "special" where it is release time for teachers - or if you want to keep it - hire an aide or clerk to handle story reading and book exchange. That boat has sailed, and according to current data, we have to let go of that notion of a "Library". If it's not dead, it's dying. And how sad is that? Am I the only one saddened at the thought of bombarding our children with unappealing leveled readers and not sharing author studies? But who cares? Apparently you don't need an advanced degree to do those arcane things. The only viable future for Librarians seems to be through the harnessing of technology and in the role of collaborator. So keep your eyes on that horizon, friends, or you may find yourselves out of a job.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Thing 27: Creaza
What a fun day I've had exploring a web tool new to me called, Creaza . This tool is designed for educators to share with students to host multimedia projects and assignments. I created an assignment where students would have to make a book talk that they wrote and recorded using a simple 8 layer sound mixer. Creaza supplies a wealth of audio files you can use including music snippets and sound effects. You can also upload or record your own files, too.
It was pretty neat learning how to build the layers and then adjust the sound volume for each layer to enhance the recording. I did a demo of this project for the book, A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck (one of my favorites!!). Below is a transcript of the book talk I recorded:
It was pretty neat learning how to build the layers and then adjust the sound volume for each layer to enhance the recording. I did a demo of this project for the book, A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck (one of my favorites!!). Below is a transcript of the book talk I recorded:
"Our story begins in the summer of 1929 – just before the
great stock market crash – and the even greater depression that rocked the United
States for a decade. The world was
terrorized by the likes of Al Capone and other notorious gangsters and life was
pretty exciting in a big city like Chicago.
That’s the summer that Joey and Mary Alice were sent off to their
Grandma Dowdle’s for the month of August – the first of 7 such memorable summer
visits. Coming from the bedlam and
excitement of Chicago to this tiny, rural Illinois town where one can’t even
find indoor plumbing, Joey and Mary Alice are faced with the task of surviving
what they suspect will be boredom, but what in reality are the adventures of a
lifetime! With each August visit, Joey
& Mary Alice begin to discover the remarkable woman that is their
grandmother. They help her take on the
Cowgill boys, feed hungry hobos desperate for work, save her friend from
foreclosure, and win the day at the county fair. Far from a sleepy town, they find themselves
transported each August to a world filled with its own unique characters and troubles
that in actuality, is not so different from their own home. Common threads like the Depression weave
together to create an unforgettable image of 1930’s America. So grab a copy of Richard Peck’s, “A Long way
From Chicago” and discover for yourself what it was like growing up in this
tumultuous period of American history."
And here is a link to my project:A Long Way From Chicago
Pretty fun, eh?
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Thing 26: Taking the Lead: Connecting with your Stakeholders
This assignment certainly required significant time to watch and read the supporting materials, but I think I've taken away a lot of useful ideas.
Heidi Neltner's presentation was interesting, and certainly provides a model to aspire to in regard to library advocacy. I liked her idea about surveying your stakeholders to tailor your message both in terms of content and format. I was especially glad I recognized some of the tools she uses thanks to earlier Cool Tools assignments! That said, there were other tools like Canva, Screencastomatic, Picasa, and Powtoon that were new to me. However, knowing that our next assignment is a pick-your-own topic, perhaps exploring one or more of those could be an option.
Anyway, my real take-away from her presentation was that advocating is a lot of work - but that the results make it worth it. My administrator encourages me to advocate for our Library, in large part because she is already blown away by what I do and she wants the rest of our community to know about it, too. That said, Heidi didn't really talk about advocating to the community; her focus was on students, teachers, and administrators. She included parents in her list, but I didn't really see very much geared towards that group - just MS publisher documents embedded in email.
I also watched the video, "School Libraries Matter" and read through "10 Things..." and "4 Ways to Advocate for School Libraries". Both of these articles hinge on the collaborative role of the LMS, which at my school, is a tough sell given my status as a part-time, fixed scheduled "prep" period for K-6 teachers. When I say I do not have common planning time, I mean I don't even have a prep or lunch in my own schedule so there literally is no built in planning time for myself or for collaboration. And although I've made it clear that I am more than willing to stay beyond my schedule to meet after school or whenever is convenient for faculty, it rarely happens. They don't even collaborate much with each other let alone with the librarian as sad as that is. So there's one hurdle I need to continue to work on.
Next, I read "Survive and Thrive" and the looked through the Marketing SlideDeck of ideas. The 34th slide in the SlideDeck really struck home in light of the battle going on as I type between Governor Cuomo and educators. How right that is that if we don't tell our story, someone else will - and that story certainly is negative and ignores all the positive things going on. I know I need to tell my story - but I have to admit, I just don't know how. Like in many of the slides, I do have a strong web presence, I do have a variety of tools available 24/7, I do make displays and participate in important programs like Parents As Reading Partners - but how do I let my stakeholders know that? I suppose one way would be to make my own SlideDeck of the amazing things that happen in my Library each and every day. Of course that would require me to photo document things, which will take some time, but it's do-able. The problem is, once I put together this fabulous digital documentary, how do I get my stakeholders to look at it? I suppose I could email a link to it to administrators and teachers (who already have an idea of how amazing my library program is), and post it on my website, but if the parents and community are not looking at my web site now, how can I know they'll look at it then?
I guess my main form of advocacy is just getting myself out there. For example, just yesterday I hosted author and illustrator, Suzanne Bloom, at our school. She did a program for K-1 in the morning, and then came back for an evening Parents As Reading Partners event. I invited families to come to the morning program, so was able to do direct out-reach to them via fliers and personal communication, which was good. Then at the evening event, Suzanne and I tag teamed an improvised presentation to over 200 guests about the importance of reading and the benefits of both libraries and shared reading at home. We were like a comedy duo bouncing off one another and encouraging audience participation. I think that was the most direct communication I have ever had with our families, and it was a huge success. I was able to have students talk about what they're learning in library class and why libraries matter.
Now if only Andrew Cuomo were in the audience.....
Heidi Neltner's presentation was interesting, and certainly provides a model to aspire to in regard to library advocacy. I liked her idea about surveying your stakeholders to tailor your message both in terms of content and format. I was especially glad I recognized some of the tools she uses thanks to earlier Cool Tools assignments! That said, there were other tools like Canva, Screencastomatic, Picasa, and Powtoon that were new to me. However, knowing that our next assignment is a pick-your-own topic, perhaps exploring one or more of those could be an option.
Anyway, my real take-away from her presentation was that advocating is a lot of work - but that the results make it worth it. My administrator encourages me to advocate for our Library, in large part because she is already blown away by what I do and she wants the rest of our community to know about it, too. That said, Heidi didn't really talk about advocating to the community; her focus was on students, teachers, and administrators. She included parents in her list, but I didn't really see very much geared towards that group - just MS publisher documents embedded in email.
I also watched the video, "School Libraries Matter" and read through "10 Things..." and "4 Ways to Advocate for School Libraries". Both of these articles hinge on the collaborative role of the LMS, which at my school, is a tough sell given my status as a part-time, fixed scheduled "prep" period for K-6 teachers. When I say I do not have common planning time, I mean I don't even have a prep or lunch in my own schedule so there literally is no built in planning time for myself or for collaboration. And although I've made it clear that I am more than willing to stay beyond my schedule to meet after school or whenever is convenient for faculty, it rarely happens. They don't even collaborate much with each other let alone with the librarian as sad as that is. So there's one hurdle I need to continue to work on.
Next, I read "Survive and Thrive" and the looked through the Marketing SlideDeck of ideas. The 34th slide in the SlideDeck really struck home in light of the battle going on as I type between Governor Cuomo and educators. How right that is that if we don't tell our story, someone else will - and that story certainly is negative and ignores all the positive things going on. I know I need to tell my story - but I have to admit, I just don't know how. Like in many of the slides, I do have a strong web presence, I do have a variety of tools available 24/7, I do make displays and participate in important programs like Parents As Reading Partners - but how do I let my stakeholders know that? I suppose one way would be to make my own SlideDeck of the amazing things that happen in my Library each and every day. Of course that would require me to photo document things, which will take some time, but it's do-able. The problem is, once I put together this fabulous digital documentary, how do I get my stakeholders to look at it? I suppose I could email a link to it to administrators and teachers (who already have an idea of how amazing my library program is), and post it on my website, but if the parents and community are not looking at my web site now, how can I know they'll look at it then?
I guess my main form of advocacy is just getting myself out there. For example, just yesterday I hosted author and illustrator, Suzanne Bloom, at our school. She did a program for K-1 in the morning, and then came back for an evening Parents As Reading Partners event. I invited families to come to the morning program, so was able to do direct out-reach to them via fliers and personal communication, which was good. Then at the evening event, Suzanne and I tag teamed an improvised presentation to over 200 guests about the importance of reading and the benefits of both libraries and shared reading at home. We were like a comedy duo bouncing off one another and encouraging audience participation. I think that was the most direct communication I have ever had with our families, and it was a huge success. I was able to have students talk about what they're learning in library class and why libraries matter.
Now if only Andrew Cuomo were in the audience.....
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Thing 25: Power Up Your Browsing
What a fun and useful activity! You are absolutely right in assuming that I blindly use my browser 365 days of the year and usually don't think twice about it in terms of functionality or features. It was a treat to actually make time to tidy up my menu bar to make it much more relevant for my needs and to take an opportunity to explore the Mozilla FireFox menu!
To respond to part one of the assignment - I explored all the settings and made some really useful changes. I moved things I rarely use like Clearly to the Menu instead of the ToolBar, and deleted "Start a Conversation" all together from my browser because I frankly didn't see the need for it. Conversely, I moved the "Print" icon from Menu to the ToolBar because I use that all the time.
Next, I explored every tab under "Options" and made a few helpful modifications. First, under "General", I created a new "Downloads" folder in my Documents because I had a hard time finding things I downloaded when using FireFox. Now, I'll know just where to look! Finally, under "Search", I streamlined the search engines used during my searching. Who knew I had control over that?!
When it came time to explore extensions, started by watching the video introduction. Of course, after that, I could not resist choosing a theme. I did have a theme back in the days when I used Explorer, but I never made the time to do so when I switched to FireFox. Now I have a lovely new theme called, "Floral Birds" by daaanibby to make my web searching that much more enjoyable. I considered trying one of the "Complete Themes", but I think I'm happy with just the top margin change for now.
Next, I browsed all the available add-ons and was surprised to see an EPub reader listed. I'm wondering if that'll work with OverDrive for ebooks cutting out the annoying Adobe Digital Editions step? That I plan to explore further.
And how cool is WOT (Web Of Trust)?! This I installed because I was dying to see if it really and truly did accurately evaluate web sites' authority (validity). Imagine how great that would be on our school computers when I'm teaching web site evaluation?! But alas - I thought I installed it - I know I clicked install - but I am not seeing the traffic light warnings in my web searches, so I don't know what I didn't do to complete the process. I looked in my ToolBar and under Menu, but I just don't see it anywhere.
Finally, I had to try Price Blink which is supposed to price compare, find coupons, and link to reviews when you're shopping - and that one does work!! How cool is that?! I just shopped for the Lego Friends Lighthouse set and used all three features. Yippee!!
I truly enjoyed this assignment, and I certainly plan to continue exploring and customizing within FireFox :-) Thank you, Polly!
To respond to part one of the assignment - I explored all the settings and made some really useful changes. I moved things I rarely use like Clearly to the Menu instead of the ToolBar, and deleted "Start a Conversation" all together from my browser because I frankly didn't see the need for it. Conversely, I moved the "Print" icon from Menu to the ToolBar because I use that all the time.
Next, I explored every tab under "Options" and made a few helpful modifications. First, under "General", I created a new "Downloads" folder in my Documents because I had a hard time finding things I downloaded when using FireFox. Now, I'll know just where to look! Finally, under "Search", I streamlined the search engines used during my searching. Who knew I had control over that?!
When it came time to explore extensions, started by watching the video introduction. Of course, after that, I could not resist choosing a theme. I did have a theme back in the days when I used Explorer, but I never made the time to do so when I switched to FireFox. Now I have a lovely new theme called, "Floral Birds" by daaanibby to make my web searching that much more enjoyable. I considered trying one of the "Complete Themes", but I think I'm happy with just the top margin change for now.
Next, I browsed all the available add-ons and was surprised to see an EPub reader listed. I'm wondering if that'll work with OverDrive for ebooks cutting out the annoying Adobe Digital Editions step? That I plan to explore further.
And how cool is WOT (Web Of Trust)?! This I installed because I was dying to see if it really and truly did accurately evaluate web sites' authority (validity). Imagine how great that would be on our school computers when I'm teaching web site evaluation?! But alas - I thought I installed it - I know I clicked install - but I am not seeing the traffic light warnings in my web searches, so I don't know what I didn't do to complete the process. I looked in my ToolBar and under Menu, but I just don't see it anywhere.
Finally, I had to try Price Blink which is supposed to price compare, find coupons, and link to reviews when you're shopping - and that one does work!! How cool is that?! I just shopped for the Lego Friends Lighthouse set and used all three features. Yippee!!
I truly enjoyed this assignment, and I certainly plan to continue exploring and customizing within FireFox :-) Thank you, Polly!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Thing 24: Infographics
Perfect timing! Every March my school participates in a Parents As Reading Partners program to encourage literacy skill building at home as well as in school. I used this assignment as an opportunity to design an infographic that we can use as a physical poster as well as a digital image on our website.
To complete this assignment, I first watched two of the videos and read 3-4 of the articles. I found Kathy Shrock's materials to be the most helpful. It took me about a week to sketch out my draft for what information I wanted to share. At first I wanted to go with a statistical theme - visually showing the minutes read at home by grade level from last year's classes. Unfortunately, I was unable to acquire that data, so I moved on to plan B: a simpler visual explanation of the program and its purpose.
Then I went to Piktochart and viewed their quick tutorial. I know my infographic does not contain a whole lot of bells and whistles, but I do think it is visually appealing and it will certainly serve an authentic purpose.
Here it is:
To complete this assignment, I first watched two of the videos and read 3-4 of the articles. I found Kathy Shrock's materials to be the most helpful. It took me about a week to sketch out my draft for what information I wanted to share. At first I wanted to go with a statistical theme - visually showing the minutes read at home by grade level from last year's classes. Unfortunately, I was unable to acquire that data, so I moved on to plan B: a simpler visual explanation of the program and its purpose.
Then I went to Piktochart and viewed their quick tutorial. I know my infographic does not contain a whole lot of bells and whistles, but I do think it is visually appealing and it will certainly serve an authentic purpose.
Here it is:
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Thing 23: Makerspaces
Wow! I am so glad this was posted as an assignment. This is a topic that I've heard about, but really had no idea what is was. Even at meetings of library liaisons at Questar where they were talking about the shared 3-D printer, it was never very clear to me what they were doing with it or what it had to do ultimately with libraries.
Now, after reading several of the articles and resources posted within this assignment, I think I'm finally starting to "get it". Makerspaces in the School Library Learning Commons and the uTEC Maker Model by David v. Loertscher, Leslie Preddy, and Bill Derry gave me a good overview of what all the buzz is about and how a variety of libraries are adapting this concept to fit the needs of their patron base. Parker Thomas' 6 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Makerspace really helped me understand the feasibility of this sort of program in my own school community. The Tinkerspace: Library Learning Commons interview piece really helped me to visualize what a truly exemplary makerspace program could look like, while Deb Collin's awesome Cool Tools blog post sort of showed me that it can truly exist and be successful on an elementary level without crazy gadgets and tons of supervision/prep.
So all of that said, here're my major take-a-ways:
First of all, I can definitely see the value of makerspaces in general, and now I more fully understand how they are being adapted into libraries. I love the concept of moving to the next step of "expression" as the outcome of information analysis. The Tinkerspace interview struck me as effectively pairing information resources, such as the origami books, with appropriate materials bins - while still allowing the kids to approach the experience any way that they liked - either the "follow the instruction" route, or the go it on your own avenue - or even something that might fall in between. I can see where a makerspace would be very appealing to students because it's almost "free play" of sorts. Also, one of the articles/resources talked about having the participants fill out exit tickets about their experience which helps justify it academically in a school setting, which is where I'm coming from.
Where I think I'm still not quite solid, though, is how this can be transformed into an academic program that relies on constant assessment to drive instruction. As I said, I totally see the value of giving students time to explore and giving them access to interesting materials - but if everyone is allowed to approach the project independently and they are not given an end-goal per sae, and, most importantly, if not everyone is required to participate, then this can only be approached as an enrichment activity, not an actual "class" held to academic standards, right? Or am I missing the point? I understand that it has the potential to align with many Common Core Standards, but how do you turn an unstructured activity into something that can be definitively associated with a rubric or other form of assessment? And who can determine growth when a student may chose to take risks and fail - which is a good thing as far as a makerspace goes, but not such a good thing when giving evidence of student growth.
This leads me to my next point of discussion: How could a makerspace fit into my school library? Well, first of all, let me remind the reader that I am only a 0.6 part-time librarian running a K-8 library program with fixed-scheduled classes as release time (prep periods) for K-6 teachers. Therefore, I have no planning period, no lunch, and very few free blocks randomly spaced in a 6-day rotation, so right now, it could not happen. BUT this is not to say that I could not approach the administration with this intriguing concept and see what they think. Or maybe this is the type of program that might better fit in to the "Technology" class our middle school students participate in?
I'm still digesting all that I've read and learned this week, so I cannot say for sure whether I will pursue this with my administration now or not. I would like to talk to Jen Cannell at Questar about what others are doing, say, with the digital printer. From what was shared at liaison meetings, it sounds like it's mostly kids making bookmarks and other novelties from pre-existing templates. Where's the tinkering or creativity there - besides choosing colors? As you suggest in the activity, I think I need to see some more models of makerspaces in action to fully appreciate its implications for my own library program. So let me end here, but just know that this exploration is by no means over for me. This introduction may just be the beginning of something new for me and for my school.
Now, after reading several of the articles and resources posted within this assignment, I think I'm finally starting to "get it". Makerspaces in the School Library Learning Commons and the uTEC Maker Model by David v. Loertscher, Leslie Preddy, and Bill Derry gave me a good overview of what all the buzz is about and how a variety of libraries are adapting this concept to fit the needs of their patron base. Parker Thomas' 6 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Makerspace really helped me understand the feasibility of this sort of program in my own school community. The Tinkerspace: Library Learning Commons interview piece really helped me to visualize what a truly exemplary makerspace program could look like, while Deb Collin's awesome Cool Tools blog post sort of showed me that it can truly exist and be successful on an elementary level without crazy gadgets and tons of supervision/prep.
So all of that said, here're my major take-a-ways:
First of all, I can definitely see the value of makerspaces in general, and now I more fully understand how they are being adapted into libraries. I love the concept of moving to the next step of "expression" as the outcome of information analysis. The Tinkerspace interview struck me as effectively pairing information resources, such as the origami books, with appropriate materials bins - while still allowing the kids to approach the experience any way that they liked - either the "follow the instruction" route, or the go it on your own avenue - or even something that might fall in between. I can see where a makerspace would be very appealing to students because it's almost "free play" of sorts. Also, one of the articles/resources talked about having the participants fill out exit tickets about their experience which helps justify it academically in a school setting, which is where I'm coming from.
Where I think I'm still not quite solid, though, is how this can be transformed into an academic program that relies on constant assessment to drive instruction. As I said, I totally see the value of giving students time to explore and giving them access to interesting materials - but if everyone is allowed to approach the project independently and they are not given an end-goal per sae, and, most importantly, if not everyone is required to participate, then this can only be approached as an enrichment activity, not an actual "class" held to academic standards, right? Or am I missing the point? I understand that it has the potential to align with many Common Core Standards, but how do you turn an unstructured activity into something that can be definitively associated with a rubric or other form of assessment? And who can determine growth when a student may chose to take risks and fail - which is a good thing as far as a makerspace goes, but not such a good thing when giving evidence of student growth.
This leads me to my next point of discussion: How could a makerspace fit into my school library? Well, first of all, let me remind the reader that I am only a 0.6 part-time librarian running a K-8 library program with fixed-scheduled classes as release time (prep periods) for K-6 teachers. Therefore, I have no planning period, no lunch, and very few free blocks randomly spaced in a 6-day rotation, so right now, it could not happen. BUT this is not to say that I could not approach the administration with this intriguing concept and see what they think. Or maybe this is the type of program that might better fit in to the "Technology" class our middle school students participate in?
I'm still digesting all that I've read and learned this week, so I cannot say for sure whether I will pursue this with my administration now or not. I would like to talk to Jen Cannell at Questar about what others are doing, say, with the digital printer. From what was shared at liaison meetings, it sounds like it's mostly kids making bookmarks and other novelties from pre-existing templates. Where's the tinkering or creativity there - besides choosing colors? As you suggest in the activity, I think I need to see some more models of makerspaces in action to fully appreciate its implications for my own library program. So let me end here, but just know that this exploration is by no means over for me. This introduction may just be the beginning of something new for me and for my school.
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