Biggest takeaway from this semester…to keep moving.This class has allowed me time to study the
new stuff.New technology, new digital
apps and websites, new communications (like podcasts and Marco Polo), and just
staying up to date.I feel that any
professional can get complacent and comfortable.We can get comfortable in what worked in the
past and stay the course.This course
allowed us students/librarians time to see what is new.Then figure out how to use if for the
advantage of our patrons.
Don’t even get me started on looking at other ways
librarians or schools are doing things. Wow!!! Some of the libraries and
librarians out in the world are killing it.We get to learn all kinds of new technology from others, but if we don’t
use it what is the purpose of learning?You must learn and pass it along to others.The course requirements through the
assignments and blogging have given us (the students) confidence to pass things
along.We are now official
bloggers.We have been on other websites
and know what good looks like and how to make that happen in our libraries,
physically and virtually.
I hope not to ever get complacent.Even once we don’t have to take classes, we
must keep reading School Library Journal and other websites.Stay aware of the important librarians of the
day by following social media and award winners.Take more classes at USC.This semester has been full of webinars and
zoom sessions with professionals across the world. I am grateful that we had the time to watch
and listen. We must always try to be a
student of our profession and make sure to continue to search for the new
stuff.
But I guess since this class was called “Information
Technology in the School Library Program” then goal attained.I am so amazed that this is the last blog for
the class.It has gone by way too
quickly.I know it will not be my last
blog.New goals to make and classes to
take.
Thanks Dr. Green and your assistants (if any) for the great
semester.Thanks to all the students in the
class for fabulous comments and insights.I look to see you again in another SLIS class.
Currently one of the middle school standards is to study World
War II.Therefore, the Diary of Anne
Frank is often read and studied in seventh or eighth grade.When I worked at a local middle school, the eighth
grade ELA teacher had the students read the book.They were immersed in the world of Anne
Frank.That included learning about the
Holocaust, concentration camps, and the Nazi’s. The library carried many non-fiction books that would supplement
their research and described the Annex in detail with many photos.This unit was usually something that the
students always remembered during their time in middle school.
My oldest son had an internship at The Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. His office was across from the back of the Annex. He looked at that building every day. The museum, which encompasses most of the city block of buildings includes the original Anne Frank office/annex. Millions of people from all over the world visit this museum.
(Video of the visitors to the Anne Frank Museum)
In
2018, Oculus Quest came up with a Virtual Reality (VR) tour of the Anne Frank Annex. The museum loaned one to my son to try and
see if it was realistic enough. So of
course, he brought it home for me to try.
In the article by Bruce Massis,
Using Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in the Library, states that these
technologies strive to completely simulate an immersive sensory experience
using sight and hearing that is indistinguishable from real (Massis, 2016). That is absolutely how I felt when experiencing the Anne Frank VR Tour. This is the video from the team that made the VR version for
the Oculus Quest, but the older version is the Oculus Rift. Both items can be purchased through
Oculus.com or Amazon.com. The cost for
Oculus Quest and accessories on Amazon.com is $602.00.
(VR Experience team making the Anne Frank video)
This VR experience is so realistic that I could see dust
floating the air of the attic, and hear sounds of the house creaking.I was amazed.It brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my face.This would have been so impactful for students
to see.Not everyone can go to
Amsterdam, but how can we bring these to our students.
Currently, the largest hurdle for
public school students to have access to these tools is cost.Budgets don’t allow for equipment for a class
of students to each have a $300.00 – $400.00 headset.However, the most closely related technology
that is available is the Google App called Google Expedition.This app allows students to experience
virtual field trips from around the world by using cellphones or Apple devices from
the school.Our school district has a
traveling box of Cellphones that are charged and used just for this
activity. You just need to go to the App store and download the app of your phone to try this out for yourself.
(Google Expedition App Virtual Reality Trailer)
(Google Expedition App Augmented Reality Trailer)
Even as exciting as the many
Virtual Reality (VR) options on the App, there is also Augmented Reality (AR)
choices.Being about to teach and then show
a student a 3-D model of DNA, the heart, or a coral reef, is something they
will always remember.I felt like a kid watching these items
myself.Technology tools only continue
to improve and having the AR and VR options make it a “reality”.
Resources:
Massis, B. (2016). Using virtual and augmented reality
in the library. New Library World, Vol. 16(11/12), 796-799. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/NLW-08-2015-0054/full/html
This is the best question to ask students when they enter your library. Many libraries today make many things including items for the community, projects for class, creative thinkers projects and readers of tomorrow. We really can do it all in a library, you just have to think outside of the box. When students are checking out a book, they are making their own choices. We, the librarians, don't pick their book for them. In a makerspace this is the same concept. This "lets them know that they are their own agents, responsible for determining for themselves the path of their own making and learning" (Angevine & Weisgrau, 2015). There are so many great libraries that have created wonderful makerspaces. Her are a few that I find inspiring. Gina Seymour of Islip High School, NY, created a makerspace that allowed students to help the community. They created dog toys, items for the homeless shelter and dresses for girls in Uganda. Seymour recently inspired many librarians in South Carolina when she was the Keynote Speaker at the 2020 SC Association of School Librarians (SCASL) Conference this past March.
The
University of South Carolina, Rhodos Fellows program at the South Quad
Residence Hall created an amazing “garage” out of an old dark study space. This
took over 2 years to develop by researching many other university makerspaces
and training the students to help others. This residence hall is
primarily for freshman at USC and is a special place to develop our creative
thinkers of the future.
Jackson Elementary School, Camden, SC is located in Kershaw County. They
have around 600 students in this school from K-Fifth grade. I
really like how the librarian designed and organized the makerspace. Every
space is designed to challenge the student and includes ideas and directions
for a student to work independently. To me this is a great place to
start for any small library with a small budget.
So how do we begin?
There are some great tools that I have included to get your started.
But the best thing is to just get started.We can make
students a place that doesn’t judge or grade them. We just want to “encourage
hands-on, collaborative learning, sharing and creating” (Jones,
2016).
So I ask you again…What are we making today?
Angevine, C., & Weisgrau, J. (2015, September 24).
Situating makerspaces in schools. Retrieved from hybridpedagogy.org:
https://hybridpedagogy.org/situating-makerspaces-in-schools/
Jones, K. (2016, March 21). Digital curation: A
makerspace guide. Retrieved from Evernote :
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s210/client/snv?noteGuid=243a99ba-a99a-4afb-8a7e-92f19ec7853e¬eKey=b65a5cb0af531c79582b3035157c220a&sn=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.evernote.com%2Fshard%2Fs210%2Fsh%2F243a99ba-a99a-4afb-8a7e-92f19ec7853e%2Fb65a5cb0af531c79582b303515
Who would have thought that only a month ago, I
was planning the spring book fair, field trips, ordering books for library
reading time? But now due to the
COVID-19 outbreak, I am collecting resources for online learning for students
and teachers, updating the website with new resources, and creating fun
activities promote reading online for students in my elementary school. Change is scary for teachers and
students. There are so many unknowns for
everyone during this time. The “show must go on” and educating our students is
one of our top priorities. However, with
the extended time that students are now online, the possibility of
cyberbullying become more prevalent.
Since students are now online due to e-learning
and social media or gaming more than ever, cyberbullying is most likely to
increase (Hinduja, 2019). The trend of cyberbullying has been on the
rise for years. We adults all know how
to define a bully. It someone that can
verbally, physically or relationally causing someone harm repeatedly because they
feel that they have power over that person (Faucher, Cassidy, & Jackson, 2015).
(Patchin,
2019)
This chart might show the trend of twelve-year
old student through seventeen-year old students but the results show their
response to the question of a “lifetime of cyberbullying”. This is a sad trend that a twelve-year old
student has had enough activity to answer this question. But many younger students don’t understand
why a friend is being mean to them. Even
more importantly, those students don’t know what to do about it.
In a classroom or school setting the teacher
can separate students to diffuse a situation.
But students are now isolated and without the parent being aware of this
activity, students could be bullied.
Some suggestions from the website Cyberbullying.org are for teachers
to do the following.
Keep in touch with all of
your students on a regular basis.
Remind them that you are
there for them and if they need something to not hesitate to ask.
Keep especially in tough
with those students that you know need the connection, the encouraging words.
Remain in contact with
parents regarding classwork and how the student is coping.
These connections might allow a student to confide
in your about a situation that is happening.
To make sure that students understand that you are supportive and understanding
during this stressful time. Parents are
a huge factor in this conversation. They
must be aware of what their students are doing online, while parents are also
working from home in many situations. Even though many students will not tell
their parent if they are being cyberbullied. An article on the website,Healthychildren.org includes many tips to cope with the “new normal” at many
current homes in the U.S.
Keeping a routine is very important. Including the student in the creation of the
schedule is very important. Limiting
screen time for games, learning and social interaction should still be
enforced. And parents should know what
their students are doing online. Make
sure to watch for signs of cyberbullying where the student is a victim or
aggressor according to Cyberbullying.org.
Some signs
of a victim of cyberbullying are a student:
Stopping the use of their
device or being jumpy when on the device.
Appearing angry or
depressed after going online
Loss of appetite
Making passing statements
about the “meaningless of life”
Some signs
of being an aggressor of cyberbullying:
Hiding the device when a
parent is near.
Getting upset if they can’t
use their device.
Having multiple online
accounts.
Being overly concerned with
popularity or being in the right crowd.
Demonstrating increased
insensitivity or callousness towards peers.
During this time of social distancing that we
are all working from home, we must do what we can to make the experience for
our students a good one. This means
academically, socially, and emotionally.
Be diligent to look out for signs of cyberbullying in your school students
or at-home students.
Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015).
From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of
bullying in K-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal of Education
and Training Studies. 3(6), 111-125.
Hinduja, S. (2019, March 16). Coronavirus, online
learning, social isolation, and cyberbullying: how to support our students.
Retrieved from Cyberbullying Research Center:
https://cyberbullying.org/coronavirus-online-learning-social-isolation-cyberbullying
Patchin, J. (2019, March 19). School bullying rates
increase by 35% from 20016-2019. Retrieved from Cyberbullying research
center:
https://cyberbullying.org/school-bullying-rates-increase-by-35-from-2016-to-2019
We’ve all had that moment when there is 15 minutes left in
library time or in class and the kids are all asking “What are we doing now
Mrs. Gibson?” Never fear…Kahoot! is here.
So many of us have seen this tool, used this tool, or played
this tool.But while you have been away
struggling to reinforce standards in creative ways, they have been adding to
their database.There are over 307,063 pre-made
game choices when searching just “Library”.Under “Library Skills” there are 11,766 game choices.You can even review the questions ahead of
time and level the skill by grade levels 1 – 12.But you can also create your own game, as my
former librarian who taught AP Computer Science did just last year to prepare
her students for the AP exam. This
game can be played for any subject in K-12 schools and even prepare students for some
standardized testing.
And guess what?KIDS
LOVE THIS GAME!!!They love to compete
against each other, love to get the questions right, and don’t forget to have
some prizes ready at all times.This can
be done in team or as individual player mode.We are a one-to-one device school district, so all students have their devices
when they come for classes in the library so options are flexible.
Here is a quick video to introduce or help you remember
Kahoot!
To get things started all you do is sign up for the free
website at www.kahoot.com
1.Choose whether you
would like to “create” or “play an existing game” by going to the Discover tab on the Kahoot! banner.
There are endless choices for student engagement.As the Future Ready Librarian framework recommends
we use “digital resources and tools” with our students.Then also with the recommendation of “empowering
students as creators”, you could have students help create the quizzes by each
making up a test question for the class to use in a Kahoot! session.
2.Choose the quiz to
be given and students are directed on their devices to log in to the quiz.
3.Show the game on a
large screen that all students can see.They will only have the answer choices on their device.The teacher or student helper will be
manually moving the questions after answers are tallied and results shown for
each student or team.
4.The final results
of the session are shown on the main screen and it’s as if the Olympics have
come to town.I recommend letting the
students come up front for their accolades.
Side note:The images
you are seeing is the demo game that I myself played as “Sam” (in honor of Dr.
Seuss week).I played the general
knowledge demo and truly missed every question.Don’t judge me.However, like any typical student I was ready to take on
that demo and win the next round.(Sadly, it would not let me.)
In an article by Sherlock Licorish et al, their research
showed that the use of educational games as learning tools helped to support
the development of cognitive, motivational, emotional and the social outlook of
students.You can read the article below
in the resource section of this blog.
Please enjoy the resources below that include articles and
videos to help you understand Kahoot! a little better.Happy games to you all!
Hola a todos tenemos un nuevo estudiante en clase
hoy.Su nombre es Thomas y acaba de
mudarse aquí desde México con su familia.Por favor, bienvenido a nuestra clase y ayúdale a comenzar con su
trabajo de clase.Gracias.
No, I haven’t begun speaking fluent Spanish.I actually haven’t taken any Spanish lessons
since I was in sixth grade and that was 45 years ago.So how did I write this paragraph in Spanish,
you ask?By using the Google Docs Translator online resource.In many of our schools
today, English Language Learner students are suffering from “language barriers”.These students of all ages have come from
Spanish speaking countries and are now living in our communities.Even in a small elementary school like mine,
we are needing tools to help these students understand instructions for class
lessons.We have an ELL teacher that
come every two weeks to help him take his tests, but on a daily basis can be a
problem.
By using the Google Doc Translator online tool this is the translation of my
opening paragraph.
Hey
everyone we have a new student in class today.His name is Thomas and just moved here from Mexico with his
family.Please welcome him to our class
and help him get started with his classwork.Thank you.
When you are using the Google Doc application you will find the
word “Translate” under the “Tools” tab then click on the “Translate” line
item.You can translate the entire
document or just a small section.Link to website.
Google Doc Translate Online Resource
I used this tool for an actual student in my school.He just came to our school recently and I
often feel helpless to communicate with him during our research and library
lessons.
Many students from other countries fit the definition of
inclusion in our classrooms.They are
not separated or mainstreamed at my school.They are in the classroom with all of the other English speaking
students and just have to make it work.Inclusion is defined as “placing students in classrooms with
modifications in content, teaching methods, approaches, structures, and
strategies in education to overcome barriers”(Hehir, Grindal, & al., 2016).Teachers of students with language barriers
must do all of these things.The Google
Docs translator tool is one of many things in their tool box.This adapted technology resource allows the
teacher and other school personnel to communicate with the student and the
parents.
Why shouldn’t a student with a language barrier not be
allowed the time to use assistive technologies.According to the U.S. Department of Education document states that “teachers
provide supplementary materials on similar topics …and give EL’s opportunities
to read in their home language to build the background knowledge they need for
reading in English” (Education, 2015).
Recently, we were in the library
researching presidents, and while I could change the translations for web
searches to be translated in Spanish, the actual results were not translated
for him to read and create a document himself.But not anymore.We just have to copy the information onto a
Google Doc and translate.He can now use
this information to fill out the research prompts, just as equally as the
English speaking students in his class.I am so
looking forward to seeing what my student will be able to produce from this
information in his native language.
English
Version sample
Adams, John, 1735–1826, 2d President of the United States
(1797–1801), b. Quincy (then in Braintree), Mass., grad. Harvard, 1755. John
Adams and his wife, Abigail Adams, founded one of the most distinguished
families of the United States; their son, John Quincy Adams, was also
President.
Spanish
Translation sample
Adams, John, 1735-1826, 2d Presidente de los Estados Unidos
(1797–1801), b. Quincy (entonces en Braintree), Mass., grad. Harvard, 1755.
John Adams y su esposa, Abigail Adams, fundaron una de las familias más
distinguidas de los Estados Unidos; su hijo, John Quincy Adams, también fue
presidente.
(John Adams, 2020).
As I analyze this Google Docs translation tool, does it
answer the following important questions.
·Will the technology allow or enable the student who is
differently able to participate in the lesson and/or related group work?
·Will the technology increase the interest level of the
typical student?
·Will the student be able to achieve the goal of the
task at hand?(Copeland, 2011)
All answers
would be “yes” and I look forward to seeing his progress and the smile on his
face when he can complete the assignment with the other students, instead of
watching them complete theirs and not being able to understand the information
on the website.
(Who are the nation's English-learners?, 2017)
The U.S. Dept. of Education also recommends that ELL students
have a bilingual Spanish/English dictionary available for the student at all
times.
Another technology resource that we have found useful is a
phone app called Say Hi.This is a voice translator that we use to
help giving directions during the day by Jonathan’s teacher and other school
staff.
Resources
Copeland, C. A. (2011). School librarians of the 21st
century. Knowledge Quest, Vol. 39 (3), 64-69.
Education, U. S. (2015, January 7). English learner
tool kit for state and local education agencies. Retrieved from Internet
Archive: https://archive.org/stream/ERIC_ED564264/ERIC_ED564264_djvu.txt
Hehir, D. T., Grindal, D. T., & al., e. (2016). A
summary of the evidence on inclusive education. Abt Associates.
John Adams.
(2020). Retrieved from Columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th Edition, vol. 1:
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=f7acc569-edd6-4970-aff7-2f8117059c20%40pdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=134521404&db=mih
Who are the nation's English-learners? (2017, September 26). Retrieved from YouTube website:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvtkMfSQ6Kw
