Internet for School Librarians, LSSL 5391, has been a useful class for me. I have learned about a lot of different websites and programs that can be used in education. As a future librarian, I am trying to expand my horizons in technology. I feel that it will be my obligation to know what is out there and how to access it so that I can relay this information to teachers and students. I really enjoyed getting to learn about and create my own comics, podcasts, youtube videos, and infographics.
Some of the apps and websites we learned I have encountered before. One that I did not know of but enjoyed the most was evaluating the different infographic websites. Everyone loves infographics (at least I know I do) and I feel like this information will be really useful for me to use when I want to disperse information on almost anything. This is also an awesome tool for classroom teachers, so I'm sure I will be sharing these websites as well!
I also enjoyed creating my own YouTube channel. I use YouTube all of the time, so I know how user-friendly it is for tutorials. It is cool to see how easy it is to upload my own videos. I can definitely see myself creating YouTube tutorials for teachers and students in the future. Also, learning to do screencasts will benefit me in this same area. I think learning to do these things will be the most useful for my students.
Podcasts were probably my least favorite thing to make. I am glad that I got the experience of making one, but I felt as if I wasn't very good at making one. This gives me some insight, though. When a teacher comes to me wanting to learn about podcasts, I will definitely let them know what to look out for, like finding a perfectly quiet room to record in and that they might need practice with their tone of voice in order to sound more appealing.
I am thankful that I had the opportunity to do all of these fun projects. This knowledge will not only help me personally as a librarian, but will be useful to share with students and teachers!
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Media and Technology Use in Education
How do media and technology use affect learning? This is a debate that has been going around for decades, with some good points made by Richard Clark and Robert Kozma. Clark argues that media is only the vehicle to deliver learning, so using said media does not guarantee that a student is going to learn and that information can be delivered through different mediums. Kozma argues that media can have different characteristics that are more or less suitable for learning things, depending on the material. Since media definitely have an influence, educators should worry more about how we can use media to deliver information more effectively for unique situations or tasks.
Both men make valid points. Technology and media can certainly impact learning and allow students to do and create amazing things. Technology allows students to express their learning or create new connections in fun and exciting ways. At the same time (and I feel like I might be burned at the stake for even writing this) I feel like technology does not always need to be present for true genuine learning. In fact, when forced, technology can take away from genuine learning.
This article is spot on, in my opinion. Take a second to read it. It’s short, I promise.
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future
I worked at a school during the year(s) that it rolled out the Bring-Your-Own-Device campaign. There was pressure on teachers to learn dozens of programs that may or may not be applicable to what they were teaching. There was insane pressure to incorporate use of the new tablets into lesson plans. Though shrouded as an effort to create more authentic learning, I really felt that this initiative was a bit misguided and ended up in a lot of time wasted both by students and teachers because there was so much pressure to bring technology into as many lessons as possible. Like this article states, “it is imperative not to allow the device to drive instruction,” While teaching to the test has a bad reputation, I feel like teaching to the device is equally wasteful yet educators are afraid to speak up about it because there is SO MUCH PRESSURE to integrate technology.
Before you rip my teaching certification from my hands, hear me out. Technology can absolutely help students express their learning. It can definitely capture the interest of otherwise disengaged students. It can help bring subject matter to life! Technology is ever-present in our world, and therefore it needs to be present in the field of education if we are going to set our kids up for success in the real world. But I have seen kids waste time trying to use an app that hardly fits a lesson plan, when the same kids don’t even know how to put a header or footer on a Word document.
I think this paradigm of wanting to incorporate technology in the classroom, yet not forcing it when it doesn’t actually enhance learning is where the job of a school librarian lies. Teachers are consumed with lesson planning and delivering content. They do not have time to learn how to navigate every possible app out there. Librarians, however, need to be in the know as far as what technology is available for teachers to use – whether it be hardware or software/apps. The librarian should be familiar with as many of these as possible so that she can recommend apps that would be useful to individual teacher needs, and help them navigate the new technology along the way.
I have found in my career that often teachers either shove technology into a lesson in order to check a box, or avoid it altogether because they are too afraid to learn how to use it or that they don’t trust that it will work on the day of their lesson (and this is a realistic worry, but that’s what plan B’s are for!). I think that librarians need to encourage technology that authentically aids learning by promoting different apps/software/hardware available to teachers. Teachers should know what is available, and be able to receive tutorials from the librarian when they need help. One way to do this might be a monthly spotlight on an app with a brief summary for teachers to read. Those who think it might be useful in their classroom can come in to find out more information. Another way is to always communicate with teachers when new hardware is purchased. A brief list of what the hardware can do should be advertised for teachers. I think this approach is best because it lets teachers know what is available without pressuring them to know everything out there and how to use it (which should be the job of the librarian!)
Librarians should do the same for students. Just as a librarian is willing to suggest books, they need to be able to suggest hardware, software, apps, websites, and other digital tools that can help students. Librarians also need to get a feel for the holes where students are lacking, like my example above of not being able to insert a header on a Word document. When the librarian assesses where the student population is struggling technologically, she can adjust programs to help them or pass along the information to subject area teachers who may be able to help.
And just like adding to or weeding a book collection, librarians must often take inventory often of what technology is available to students and teachers. It is in this partnership that the use of technology can truly help learning flourish.
Sources:
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future
http://anildash.com/2017/01/on-being-and-techs-moral-reckoning.html
Both men make valid points. Technology and media can certainly impact learning and allow students to do and create amazing things. Technology allows students to express their learning or create new connections in fun and exciting ways. At the same time (and I feel like I might be burned at the stake for even writing this) I feel like technology does not always need to be present for true genuine learning. In fact, when forced, technology can take away from genuine learning.
This article is spot on, in my opinion. Take a second to read it. It’s short, I promise.
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future
I worked at a school during the year(s) that it rolled out the Bring-Your-Own-Device campaign. There was pressure on teachers to learn dozens of programs that may or may not be applicable to what they were teaching. There was insane pressure to incorporate use of the new tablets into lesson plans. Though shrouded as an effort to create more authentic learning, I really felt that this initiative was a bit misguided and ended up in a lot of time wasted both by students and teachers because there was so much pressure to bring technology into as many lessons as possible. Like this article states, “it is imperative not to allow the device to drive instruction,” While teaching to the test has a bad reputation, I feel like teaching to the device is equally wasteful yet educators are afraid to speak up about it because there is SO MUCH PRESSURE to integrate technology.
Before you rip my teaching certification from my hands, hear me out. Technology can absolutely help students express their learning. It can definitely capture the interest of otherwise disengaged students. It can help bring subject matter to life! Technology is ever-present in our world, and therefore it needs to be present in the field of education if we are going to set our kids up for success in the real world. But I have seen kids waste time trying to use an app that hardly fits a lesson plan, when the same kids don’t even know how to put a header or footer on a Word document.
I think this paradigm of wanting to incorporate technology in the classroom, yet not forcing it when it doesn’t actually enhance learning is where the job of a school librarian lies. Teachers are consumed with lesson planning and delivering content. They do not have time to learn how to navigate every possible app out there. Librarians, however, need to be in the know as far as what technology is available for teachers to use – whether it be hardware or software/apps. The librarian should be familiar with as many of these as possible so that she can recommend apps that would be useful to individual teacher needs, and help them navigate the new technology along the way.
I have found in my career that often teachers either shove technology into a lesson in order to check a box, or avoid it altogether because they are too afraid to learn how to use it or that they don’t trust that it will work on the day of their lesson (and this is a realistic worry, but that’s what plan B’s are for!). I think that librarians need to encourage technology that authentically aids learning by promoting different apps/software/hardware available to teachers. Teachers should know what is available, and be able to receive tutorials from the librarian when they need help. One way to do this might be a monthly spotlight on an app with a brief summary for teachers to read. Those who think it might be useful in their classroom can come in to find out more information. Another way is to always communicate with teachers when new hardware is purchased. A brief list of what the hardware can do should be advertised for teachers. I think this approach is best because it lets teachers know what is available without pressuring them to know everything out there and how to use it (which should be the job of the librarian!)
Librarians should do the same for students. Just as a librarian is willing to suggest books, they need to be able to suggest hardware, software, apps, websites, and other digital tools that can help students. Librarians also need to get a feel for the holes where students are lacking, like my example above of not being able to insert a header on a Word document. When the librarian assesses where the student population is struggling technologically, she can adjust programs to help them or pass along the information to subject area teachers who may be able to help.
And just like adding to or weeding a book collection, librarians must often take inventory often of what technology is available to students and teachers. It is in this partnership that the use of technology can truly help learning flourish.
Sources:
http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-first-tech-second-stance-key-future
http://anildash.com/2017/01/on-being-and-techs-moral-reckoning.html
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Podcasts
Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but to
audio-learners, a sound or a spoken word might be worth more than that.
Podcasts and audiobooks are an emerging trend that in recent years has become
popular not only for leisure, but also for use in educational settings.
Once used primarily for students with visual disabilities,
podcasts and audiobooks are making their way into general education
populations. The ways teachers and students can use podcasts are endless. Their
versatility includes use as instructional tutorials, commentary on social
events, and even for story-telling. Podcasts are like the audio version of a
blog, much in the same way that an audiobook relates to a print book. One
podcaster, Mignon Fogarty, has used her podcasts to marry the two and has
published an audiobook of a book that she had not yet written as described in
the following article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07audio.html?ex=1336190400&en=457517b5a439228a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rsshttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07audio.html?ex=1336190400&en=457517b5a439228a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
One challenge in having students listen to podcasts is
making sure that the speaker is dynamic and entertaining. Quality matters and a
reader or podcaster’s voice can make or break it for students.
One reason to use podcasts in the library or classroom is
that they can help auditory learners who might have a hard time sorting through
the same information in text. Although listening to a podcast and reading an
article can get students to the same destination, a podcast can be a refreshing
change of pace depending on the source, students may continue listening and
learning on their own, which is a big plus as an educator!
Podcasts can be used as a tool in the classroom both when
produced by the teacher, and when produced by the students. Students can
practice communication skills when creating podcasts, and they can be created
to comment on any applicable topic. Many students have never been exposed to
podcasts before, so teachers and librarians need to introduce the concepts to
students before expecting them to create one of their own. A way to do this
might be to have students listen to some example podcasts and then discussing
how they are set up, what the speaker does, etc. Teachers should walk them
through the process on their first podcast project, like showing them how to
create notes or a script in order to plan our what they will say. Here is an
article that contains a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a podcast: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-create-your-own-podcast-2843321
It is also a great idea to check out the school district’s
acceptable use policy before any time students are publishing products online.
Another consideration for using podcasts in the classroom is
the materials that are required to create a professional-quality product.
Teachers will need to make sure that they are adequate computers and
microphones available. They will need to make sure that these computers are
well-equipped to create a podcast. I say this because I have found that
unfortunately, some schools are behind in technology and the computers that
they have available are slow or almost unusable for more than Microsoft word. Headphones to cancel out noise should also be
available if students are expected to record and edit their projects in a
classroom setting with others editing at the same time.
Some websites that
allow users to create free podcasts include Soundcloud, Audioboo, and Podomatic.
Audioboo – This is an app so it would require being
downloaded on a device. This is a possibility for schools that have tablets
available for students.
Podomatic – This neat website create a podcast feed much
like Twitter or Instagram. This is cool because as students create their own
podcast, they also will have access to other podcasts and may even begin
following other podcasts. Podomatic is also available in an app form for students
to download, but from the website they need to upload their sound files rather
than being able to create them online.
Soundcloud – This website also allows users to follow
podcasts on a feed. I think that it is probably the most popular site for podcasts,
so students will have access to the widest variety of podcasts to follow. Users
have up to 3 free hours of podcast time available. This is my website of choice
for creating podcasts because it is easy to record straight from the website
itself. Check out my podcast below, where I interview some fitness experts
about my current workout of choice, kickboxing!
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