Creating Advocates

When I took IST 511, there was a time during the course when many individuals relevant to our future field visited and discussed about their work/occupation. One of them was a middle school librarian and what she said about advocacy in her library floored me. I still remember it today because it is so true and it involves the students, as it should, every step of the way.

What she said was that an incredible way to advocate the school library is for the students to do it. How? By giving them a reason to. By having relevant events or posting remarkable works that students have completed, they are more inclined to show and tell their friends, teachers, parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. And then what? These people, the community members, tell others about what their children, grandchildren, students, etc. are doing in the library and sometimes it gets to the principal or other administrators, which works wonderfully if the library needs support financially for a program or in further developing a collection relevant to the school curriculum.

Why the Library?

While I was finishing my secondary practicum this past semester, one of my assignments was to advocate the library to the school staff and the students. I had a lot of fun making the following Animoto video. The greater, more exciting, part was every time we had an event in the library or something was going on in the library, such as Banned Books Week, I created an Animoto and the school news would play it for the students to see either for the day or the entire week what was occurring at their school library.

This is the one for the staff: Why the Library?.

Be Positive Event

While interning at my second practicum, I noticed that there was a HUGE emphasis on bullying – cyber and physical, etc. The problem that the librarian pointed out was that the message was negative. “Don’t be a bully!” “Don’t be mean!” These were posted throughout the school, but how does the message relate to students, whether they are bullies or victims? There happens to be a disconnect from the education. Instead of “don’t be a bully”, there should be an opposite message of being kind to one another, etc. Therefore the questions become, “Would it be kind to name-call or to virtually harass someone? Why not?” By displaying positive words, positive encouragement, and also modelling the behavior, I believe that this is what will help reduce the likelihood of bullying – cyber and other forms. It may never be eliminated, because honestly, people are people raised by people, but positive messages would be a step in the right direction.

The event I had in mind was something that encourages students to be role models in their schools, communities, and families. Part of the event would be a reflection of what that looks like an going through various scenarios of how to be “the better person”. Students and faculty will need to think and answer questions about “What does it mean to be a bully?” and “What does it mean to be a friend?” By putting together a task force of students who are absolutely committed to be role models to others in their school and community would be beneficial. The purpose is not to bully the bullies either, but instead to be leaders for others to follow. The event should include a workstation where students can express themselves through music or art, which can then be displayed and shared in the library and other areas of the school. At the end, there should be a skit performed by students and faculty about bullying. The scenario would be shown several times, but each time with a slightly different outcome (One where a student is bullied and says/does nothing, one where a student is bullied and says something, one where a student is bullied and people watch, but do nothing, and one where a student is bullied and people step up and stick up for him/her). The audience will be asked to reflect on these scenarios based on everything they have learned. In the end, we can only hope that it resonates on their hearts that bullying is a problem and that it starts with “YOU” to end it. “YOU” can put an end to it. How? By treating each other with the utmost respect and love that we expect for ourselves, but that both is tricky and hard. Not impossible.

IST 611 Mapping Activity

This activity is created for middle school students, specifically grade eight. After perusing the resources, I thought that with Election Day so close, what about an activity on Google Earth that maps the political campaign? It could follow the presidential candidates or other politicians who are running in the students’ state, city, town, district, and/or neighborhood. This will raise awareness for the elections, but also will open up opportunities for discussion on specific places that the candidates are speaking and/or debating in and why they may choose those places as opposed to another. This activity can be a collaborative effort between the library, history, and English class. The AASL Standards for the 21^st Century Learner addressed are (1.1.7) Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas, conflicting information, and point of view or bias; (1.2.3) Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and format; (2.1.6) Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings; (3.1.4) Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess. The Common Core Standards addressed is (CC6-8RH/SS7) Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

Content Collaboration

There are so many tools available for a teacher-librarian to use and to use in collaboration with students and teachers! In Ikpeze’s article about WebQuest, she describes a scene where Mr. Hade teaches his class about evaluating Internet websites and resources as part of his class project. This is a perfect way to insert myself as the librarian – teaching how to use the tools, how to cite information, and how to evaluate information (both on and off line). Even more importantly is the professional development aspect. Once teachers and administrators (as many as are willing) are on board and learn about the benefits of various tools, it will be evident because these same tools will be incorporated in classroom learning.

Right now at the middle school that I am doing my practicum at, the librarian has collaborated with the English teacher and has created a wiki for the students to use regarding their Extraordinary Biography project. The purpose is for students to post their materials and any questions they may have. The wiki also has examples of what the final product should look like as well as information about how to make an MLA citation. The tricky part would be to encourage students not to delete other students’ content. It would be difficult to monitor, especially since in some ways it could correlate with (cyber) bullying, or be a form of it. Backing up the information periodically, as suggested in the module, seems like the best option.

The AASL/CC standards that would be addressed in this particular lesson are listed below. 1.1.5 and 3.1.1. describe that this project has a focus on evaluation and on inquiry learning, both of which can be further enhanced by a wiki.

CC.8.SL.4 Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

2.2.4 Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products to express learning. 3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning.

CC.8.R.I.1 Key Ideas and Details: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

1.1.5 Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness to needs, importance, and social and cultural context.

Book Annotations

The International Children’s Digital Library is fantastic. I could sit here forever flipping through so many books! It is fairly easy to use and I like how searching for a book is easier. For example, if you want to read short stories with orange covers, that can be done by clicking a few buttons. It is very accessible for those who would like the book to read itself and it is helpful for those who speak Spanish and many other languages, other than English. This is great for integrating Common Core and AASL standards especially since many of these books focus on learning about different time periods and cultures. It broadens the community’s views and also provides an increased amount of accessibility in both the library and school. Below are the three books I chose. They were all fun, short, and had a great moral at the end.

Shah, Idries (2000). The boy without a name. Boston, MA: Hoopoe Books.

Have you ever thought what it would be like if you were never named? This is a beautifully illustrated story of a boy who wants a name, and befriends another boy who wants a dream. Through an encounter with a wise man, they get more than they initially expect. This is a short story that can be read in elementary or secondary school and is great for those who also know other languages, such as Dari and Pashto. There is also audio available in English or Spanish and when one is reading in English, there is the Spanish translation next to it as well.

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Shah, Idries (2000). The clever boy and the terrible, dangerous animal. Hoopoe Books.

This is another beautifully illustrated story about a boy who was not afraid of a situation and sets out to prove to others how they do not need to be frightened either. It has a wonderful moral at the end is perfect for students to read and/or analyze. It is also great for those who also know other languages, such as Dari and Pashto. There is also audio available in English or Spanish and when one is reading in English, there is the Spanish translation next to it as well.

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Shah, Idries (2000). The silly chicken. Hoopoe Books.

Would you listen to a chicken who could talk? This is another artistic and colorful short story that can be read in elementary or secondary school and is great for those who also know other languages, such as Dari and Pashto. There is also audio available in English or Spanish. The story’s premise is not really about the reliability of a chicken and his word, but rather how we would react in a similar situation. There is a fun moral at the end where we are left thinking about how silly we can be at times.

Library Advertisement!

Although this library advertisment for Banned Book Weeks, http://youtu.be/n7fRdnflr6k, is slightly over fifteen seconds, I certainly was not expecting how long it would take to edit, retake, edit captions, download captions, re-download captions, etc. I did not realize how many retakes of the video I was going to take or how loud I needed to speak in order to be heard by my computer’s microphone. There was a lot of work that went into figuring out the timing for the captions and editing them… and this was only for approximately fifteen seconds!

For my second practicum, I created a whole display for Banned Books Week. Here is the “promotional” Animoto video I also made for the library that is playing all this week on the school’s daily news: http://animoto.com/play/zDyQ5skx0DG7c4vEr7t4MQ.

Thoughts on RSS

RSS means really simple syndication and I will be perfectly honest in saying that I have never subscribed to one or thought much about it until this past week’s module for IST 611. There are many advantages and disadvantages to using it. First, it really is a great way to organize the information on the Internet in addition to showing users what content has been updated from the content that was subscribed to. The problem is that it may get too overwhelming and/or we end up seeing only what we like and subscribed to as opposed to the plethora of information out there, which may (most likely) provide a different perspective on the matter even if it “conflicts” with our opinions. I am reminded of a talk I watched for a previous class on TED (I forgot the name of the speaker), but he suggested that certain social media, such as Facebook or even a search engine like Google, were becoming so “in tune” with the users that they only reveal what the program thinks the user wants to view, based on previous selections, “likes”, searches, etc.

How does this apply to RSS? Since RSS provides updates for the convenience of staying current on favorite materials, it is easier to forget about looking at other perspectives and to become “lost”, in a sense, in one’s own “world”. On the other hand, though, there is a way for bloggers to have their posts truncated on an RSS feed so the user would have to click on the link to read more. This means there is a potential for a “serendipitous find”, as one author cleverly put. As I become more familiar with social bookmarking sites, such as delicious.com (which is GREAT), I am finding much more valuable in the purpose and use of RSS and having information accessible in one location.