SLIS 761 - Blob Post 8: KEVA Planks

Because I am a library student, all makerspace tools, toys, and components are pretty new to me.  I can proudly say I am a blank slate – ready to be molded by experts who have gone before me and who were once, themselves, blank slates!

While exploring blogs surrounding makerspace related topics, I discovered an interesting toy that I think would be both simple for a novice librarian to employ and valuable in terms of learning opportunities for students. Engaging with KEVA planks, a type of building block, helps children to develop their spatial reasoning, engineering skills and communication skills as they work together to create something new (Dewer, 2018).

In her blog, Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls, homeschool mom, Sarah Dees (2015) shares how she uses KEVA planks to stimulate learning with her children at home.  The activities she highlights in Five Engineering Challenges With KEVA Planks are specifically suitable for ages five and up and are also very appropriate for library use. One of the things that really impresses me about KEVA planks is their appeal to a wide range of age groups. Look how engaged these seventh-grade students are in the video below as they attempt to meet a challenge!  

Their enthusiastic participation is a great visual representation of Britton’s (2012) stated observation that, "Someone who wants to do something because it is fun is more likely to find an activity to be meaningful than someone who is doing something for a reward or to learn something.  When someone is engaged in a playful space, that person will learn more easily" (No Tools Required). 

As an aspiring librarian with no experience with makerspaces, the prospect of creating one from scratch is a little daunting. The amazing technology that many expert librarians promote can quickly cause me shy away feeling as if the prospect is slightly outside of my abilities.  But, like all new skills we have to begin in the same fashion that one eats an elephant…one bite at a time.  I think KEVA planks may just be the perfect first bite!

 

Bonus: 

Use the free printable challenge/task cards found here to get your elementary students started with KEVA Planks.

 and

For ideas of how to use KEVA planks with high school students, look here!

References

Britton, L. (2012, October 1). The makings of maker spaces, part 1: Space for creation not just consumption. Library Journal. http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/public-services/the-makings-of-maker-spaces-part-1-space-for-creation-not-just-consumption/

Dees, S. (2015, August 10). Five engineering challenges with KEVA planks. Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls. https://frugalfun4boys.com/five-engineering-challenges-with-keva-planks/

Dewer, G. (2018). Why toy blocks rock: The science of construction play. Parenting Science. https://parentingscience.com/toy-blocks/

SLIS 761 - Blog Post #7: Cyberbullying

                 Bullying is a tough topic to investigate.  Not because it is difficult to find sources about bullying.  It’s not.  It’s tough to investigate because the deeper you go, the sadder or angrier you feel.  It’s not an emotionless venture.  Of the resources provided this week in SLIS 761, the collection of videos presented by the Cyberbullying Research Center (n.d.) stood out to me the most.  Seeing people’s faces, especially the children, and hearing their voices drew an emotional response from me in a way that printed statistics can’t. It was that personal touch that caused me to imagine my own children experiencing the debilitating emotions elicited by bullying and wondering if they ever have.  While watching, I found myself with a lump in my throat and tears threatening to well up more than one time. Even the videos with positive messages about how to make a difference by being kind were moving tear jerkers.

            Because videos can be such a powerful mode of communication, I will use them with my students as well. If I am working with elementary grades on a fixed schedule, I will incorporate videos into a unit about digital citizenship and continue to integrate conversations about behaving responsibly when online throughout the year. If I am working with older grades, I will collaborate with teachers regarding the best way to address the topic, either through a school wide initiative or individual classes. Within the variety of videos provided by the Cyberbullying Research Center, one can find material appropriate for all grade levels.  Additionally, I will provide teachers with a copy of or link to my curation of cyberbullying/digital citizenship resources which I am currently working on.

Some of my favorite videos from the collection mentioned above are:

• Pause and Think – for younger elementary students
• Anti-Bullying Learning and Teaching Resource (ALTER) Catholic Education Office, Wollongong – for older elementary students
• Where Are You? – for middle school students
• All That We Share – for high school students

            I was quite surprised by the outcome of the study, From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace, which documented evidence of university faculty being targets of cyberbullying.  Researchers found that about 25% of the faculty involved in their study had been cyber bullied within the last 12 months (Cassidy et al., 2014; Faucher et al., 2014 as cited by Faucher et al., 2015, p. 116). I have always thought of the act of bullying, by any means, as a childish cruelty doled out by children. Childish and cruel it is, but perpetrated only by children – well that notion, as it turns out, is sadly false. I hope that creating an early awareness of the damaging effects of cyberbullying and constantly promoting good digital citizenship will encourage positive lifelong attitudes and habits in my students. 

 

References

Cyberbullying Research Center (n.d.) Cyberbullying videos to use in presentations. https://cyberbullying.org/videos

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. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v3i6.1033

SLIS 761- Blog Post #6: Instagram as a School Library Social Media Platform

 

”Part of being fearless is stepping out and trying new things even if you have never tried them before.  The willingness to learn and put yourself out there even if failure ensues (and it will) is the most fearless thing you can do” (Robertson, 2017).

With that profound wisdom in mind and in the spirit of fearlessness, I tackled a new-to-me thing this week; a thing called Instagram. I’ve had a personal Instagram account for years but, remarkably, have never created a single post. I acquired the account for the purpose of following others, my daughter in particular, rather than for sharing my own content. Thus, the experience of creating a brand-new Instagram account suitable for sharing school library content and actually posting content was quite educational. I encountered more challenges than I expected and, I’ll admit, I almost gave up in favor of a social media platform with which I am much more familiar and comfortable - Facebook. For example, I quickly learned that, aside from a complicated work-around, trying to post to Instagram from a PC is nearly impossible! I was motivated, though, by the amazing tips and guidance offered by Molly Wetta (2016) in her article, Instagram Now: Engage young users with the image-based social media tool. I really wanted to succeed at Instagram because of its appeal to younger audiences including students and young parents alike. So, I hiked up my britches and pressed on. Here is the result!

My Home Page

My First Post

A Creative Way to Share Links to

Outside Sources.  More about this below.

As a new Instagram user, my initial plan is to start slow and use the platform to draw attention to the school library by frequently posting images of students engaging with books or literacy activities; publicizing school and public library literacy events; and offering snippets of instruction, book talks, or digital literacy tips through video posts. Providing students, teachers, parents, and school administration a transparent view into daily library happenings will be a strong advocation of the school library and its merits. Ideally, the school library Instagram account will eventually be linked to Facebook and Twitter accounts to allow for cross posting to reach a wider audience since making assumptions about a targeted audience’s social media preferences is risky (Jensen, p. 28).

If you, like me, are new to Instagram, I’d like to share one final tip that I learned during my initial explorations. I was disappointed to realize that it is not possible to create hyper links within an Instagram post. Being able to do this is important to me because I want to be able to link parents and students to outside sources that support and encourage a love of literacy. Thanks to a tech savvy friend who graciously shared her knowledge, I was able to creatively accomplish my goal using Linktree, a free resource that allows one to collect web links all in one place. I created a Linktree account then placed the link to my account in my Instagram bio. Now, when I share outside sources, I can simply direct my Instagram followers to refer to the link in my bio for more information. The link will take them to my Linktree collection where they can access the additional information I want to share. If you’d like to see this in action, check out my brand-new Instagram account and view my post about the Diary of a Wimpy Kid author event.

Happy posting!

References

Jensen, L. J. (2019). Integrating social media into online education. Library Technology Reports, 55(4), 27-30.

Robertson, N. (2017, June 10). 5 Tips for new school librarians (and those who aren’t so new). The Incredibly True Adventures of an Edtech Trailblazer. http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/2017/06/5-tips-for-new-school-librarians-and.html

Wetta, M. (2016). Instagram now: Engage young users with the image-based social media tool. School Library Journal, 62(2), 30-32.

SLIS 761 - Blog Post # 5: Assistive Technology for Students With Low Vision

 

            iPads are pretty amazing tools that benefit people of all ages and abilities.  Years ago, when the elementary school I taught at obtained 1 to 1 iPads, teachers and students alike were delighted.  As a teacher, I could use my iPad to keep track of student behavior merits and appointments on my calendar, check emails on the go, and integrate learning games and ebooks into my instruction.  My students, of course, LOVED the apps!

           

         Coincidentally, iPads have many design features automatically built in that can be utilized to assist students with low vision! If you have an interest in learning more about the many ways iPads can be used as low vision assistive technology, check out the additional links at the bottom of this post!  For the moment, however, I’d like to draw your attention to one specific feature, VoiceOver.

          VoiceOver is iPad’s built-in screen reader which, once turned on in the device settings, will read aloud whatever part of the screen the user happens to be interacting with. Perkins School For the Blind provides tips to new users in their article, Getting Started with VoiceOver on the iPad. For students with low vision, this feature is a game changer.  No more worries over tiny app icons and microscopic print. Impressively, while mastering all of the VoiceOver gesture commands will take time and practice, the tool is intuitive enough that children as young as three can begin learning to use this amazing device.

To learn about other ways that iPads can be used to benefit students with low vision, take a look at the links below.

* This article suggests iPad settings that should be enabled for the most accessibility for low vision students: https://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/blog/how-make-ipad-accessible-low-vision-0

* This article describes and teaches additional iPad accessibility options for students with low vision: https://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/curriculum/introduction-ipad-accessibility

* This article contains even more information about ways iPads can be used as assistive technology:  https://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/getting-started/ipad-low-vision

SLIS 761 - Blog Post #4: Ereaders and the R.A.T Model

 

   

https://www.rd.com/list/best-ereaders-worth-buying/

    Ebook readers are a handy piece of technology that can be used in the classroom, or anywhere at all, to enhance the reading experience.  Ereaders are similar to tablets in their web browsing capability, but they are uniquely designed with the enjoyment of reading in mind. Because of this, most have a special screen, called e-ink, that mimics paper in a way that a backlit LCD screen cannot. In his article, The Best Ebook Readers for 2021, Sacha Segan (2021) explains that this advantageous feature means ereaders are easily read in full sunlight, they are easier on one’s eyes, and they retain a longer battery life than tablets. Additionally, averaging approximately 6 inches, these small wonders can easily store over 1,000 books (Segan, 2021)!

            Evaluating ereaders through the lens of the R.A.T. technology enabled learning model, developed by Dr. Joan E. Hughes (n.d.) in 1998, spotlights the benefit of ereaders over traditional books particularly in the student learning processes dimension. The acronym, R.A.T. stands for replacement, amplification, and transformation.

Source: Adobe Stock

            Replacement is the most basic use of technology in learning because it serves as a different means to deliver the same instructional content without necessarily enhancing the learning process (Hughes, n.d.).  Ereaders certainly do serve as a replacement for physical books, but they bring far more to the table than fancy substitution.  Ereaders check the box for amplification as well. They amplify the learning process by enabling readers to interact with text more efficiently.  Readers can highlight text digitally, take notes and record metacognitive processes on digital ‘sticky notes,’ and gain instantaneous access to definitions of unknown words.  Additionally, when an audio counterpart to the text exists, ereaders serve as a sort of reading partner which is a very advantageous feature for struggling readers and English language learners in improving fluency and comprehension (Beers, 1998). Font size can also be adjusted to provide a large print resource for students with visual impairments (Veroniiiica, n.d.). 

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/ereaders?phrase=ereaders&sort=mostpopular

    Finally, when analyzing ereaders using the R.A.T model, one finds that they possess transformative qualities as well.  Hughes (n.d.) explains that technology is considered transformative when, it changes instruction and learning in ways not possible before. Ereaders enable users to literally carry thousands of books in one hand or a back pocket. This ease of access along with the other learning tools ereaders afford affirm their high-ranking value as an educational tool in classrooms.

            Teachers interested in exploring best practices regarding the use of ereaders in their classroom may enjoy this article which lists 10 tips to consider before, during and after implementation. For further support, specific ways ereaders can be used in the classroom and links to even more related articles can be found here.  Finally, what is an ereader without ebooks? To begin building a digital library, explore this list of sixteen sites where one can download kids’ ebooks for free!

 

References

Beers, G. K. (1998). Listen while you read: Struggling readers & audiobooks. School Library Journal, 44(4), 30–35.

Segan, S. (2021, July 8). The best ebook readers for 2021. PC Magazine. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-ereaders

Veroniiica. (n.d.). Ereaders and low vision. Veronica With Four Eyes. https://veroniiiica.com/2017/07/26/ereaders-and-low-vision/

SLIS 761- Blog Post #3: Blog Share

 

Dear Elementary Teachers,

It is no secret that you have an incredible responsibility that entails not only conveying book knowledge of all content areas to your young charges but also nurturing their curiosity, a love of learning and, perhaps most importantly, a growth mindset!

Maintaining a growth mindset is important at every stage of life. We all have holes in our knowledge and gaps in our abilities.  We all have skills we dream of learning “one day.” One day I will learn to kite surf!  Well, perhaps I will, but I digress. What we must teach and model for our students is the attituded that it is not important to know all the answers or possess all the skills all the time. When they encounter a hole in their knowledge or a gap in their ability, we must teach them to say that they just do not know the answer or have not mastered the skill YET.

To support classroom teachers, school librarians can work with students and encourage a growth mindset by teaching them information seeking strategies that promote independent learning. As an added benefit, this “collaboration [between classroom teacher and librarian] allows opportunities for school librarians to incorporate information literacy skills and technology into curricular content in classrooms” (Wine, 2016, p. 213).

teachthought blog (2021) shares progressive learning resources and ideas that address 21century skills needed by today’s students including the skill of how to think for oneself.  In her article, How To Help Your Students Develop A Growth Mindset, blog contributor Jackie Gerstein (2021) describes a 3B4T strategy that students can practice in both the library and classroom. The strategy emphasis the process of learning by encouraging students to independently find information. The 3B4T strategy is not an entirely new concept to most seasoned teachers who may be familiar with the Three Before Me strategy. Step two of this modern version, however, includes technology-based inquiry. Working together, school librarians and classroom teachers can use the 3B4T thinking strategy to organically weave inquiry-based learning and technology into daily lessons. 

Teaching students how to use technology to independently uncover answers to their questions empowers and prepares them to become lifelong learners as they learn to say, “Hold on, I don’t know YET.”

 

References

Gerstein, J. (2020, May 26). How to help your students develop a growth mindset. teachthought. https://www.teachthought.com/learning/how-to-respond-when-students-say-i-cant-do-this/

teachthought: We Grow Teachers (2021). teachthought. https://wegrowteachers.com/about/

Wine, L. D. (2016). School librarians as technology leaders: An evolution in practice. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 57(2), 207-220. doi:10.12783/issn.2328-2967/57/2/12

SLIS 761 - Blog Post #2: Information Literacy and Fake News

I tend to be skeptical of sensationalized news “information.”  I can’t recall a specific time when I was taught how to evaluate information or to be cautious of certain presentation styles. This trait feels like part of my personality but, I am sure it has undoubtedly been nurtured by teachers and shaped by experiences along the way.

I frequently interact with people who become very intense when conversations center around political topics.  Heightened emotions stemming from the acceptance of sensationalized news and an inability to consider whether the information may be incomplete or written with a biased lens often stands in the way of what could otherwise be an interesting conversation.  As Valenza (2016) points out, and many people fail to consider, is that "Professional journalists engage in rigorous fact-checking and adhere to sets of professional ethics, but they are not entirely immune to bias or agenda or the pressures of a deadline."  It is nearly impossible to eliminate bias entirely so we must simply learn to recognize it.

Because of these personal experiences which sometimes become uncomfortable interactions, I tend to avoid mixing current events into the adult education content I teach.  I realize that current events is a great topic for generating students’ interest, but I worry about opening a big bag of emotionally charged worms inside my classroom. 

The readings and resources shared in this week's module have challenged my reluctance to avoid using news and current events as part of my instruction. Digital literacy has been a huge focus for my program the last few years. Since most adults today rely on digital news sources (Valenza, 2016), not addressing information literacy skills, particularly how to determine the validity of a news source, leaves holes in my students’ education.  

As a future school librarian, I will need to practice, model, and be familiar with resources and strategies that help one evaluate information. Collecting and sharing these resources with my current students and working with them to develop information literacy skills is a great opportunity to begin developing teaching strategies and talking points that might be organically woven into conversations with future students while assisting them in the library or that might become the basis for teacher trainings.

Some digital literacy resources I’ve added to my new collection this week:

•          What is fake news?  Tips for Spotting Them – Fake News for Kids
•          Super 3 Research
•          The Big 6 and Super 3
•          Test your ability to spot fake news with this game! 

 

Reference

Valenza, J. (2016). Truth, truthiness, triangulation: A news literacy toolkit for a “post-truth” world. School Library Journal. https://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2016/11/26/truth-truthiness-triangulation-and-the-librarian-way-a-news-literacy-toolkit-for-a-post-truth-world/