iPads in Schools
30 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
The reading on using iPads in classrooms was particularly interesting. It reminded me of an article I read at the beginning of the semester about a kindergarten class where all the students were given iPads. The teacher specifically stated that the iPads were helpful because they enabled her to keep students occupied while she could not engage them all at the same time during the school day. Despite the benefits to iPads, I think that they also have their downsides. Technology should not be a replacement for a teacher’s attention. It seemed particularly odd to me that iPads were given to a kindergarten class, for students that cannot even read yet. Technology is important, but what if students are taught to read without any physical books? What are they missing out on?
iPads can be great resources, just like any other technology, but they need to be used as teaching tools, not as the teaching itself. I think giving kindergarten students their own iPads is taking things too far, but a classroom having a few iPads and having students use them like they currently use computers can be beneficial, especially for students with different learning styles.
Facebook in the Classroom
16 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
Before I took this class it never occurred to me that teachers would actually use Facebook in the classroom. I’m positive that this is because every school district I have ever gone to/visited/done a lesson in has gone through extreme efforts to block Facebook and other social networking sites. While I agree that Facebook has its benefits in the classroom, teachers would be hard pressed to convince administrators to unblock the site. I think that teachers need to look into other sites that can accomplish the same thing. Ning is a great resource that teachers and librarians can use to promote online interaction. Even still, I am sure that a few parents and administrators will have an issue with the site, so teachers need to be prepared to persuade them as to why the site is useful.
Podcasting, Vlogging, and LiveStreaming
09 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
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This week’s readings focused on using podcasting and video in the classroom. I think these technologies open up many windows for teachers and students. Podcasting in particular is a great resource for students who learn in different ways. Some students may have difficulty writing a paper on a topic but could easily produce a thoughtful podcast on the same topic that would show their talents and intelligence far more than a written paper would.
The section on video making was interesting because I have “vlogged” on more than one occasion. I know many people who vlog very regularly and thoroughly enjoy getting to produce their own content on the web. I think students, especially high school students, would very much enjoy getting to produce their own short movies and put them on youtube. When I was in high school my French class actually produced a short movie in French. We didn’t put it online since youtube was not nearly as well known back in 2005 when I did it, but we enjoyed the process.
Blogging in the Classroom
02 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
This week’s readings were on using blogs in the classroom. Blogs can be a great resource for teachers and librarians, but they need to be used to their greatest potential and they need to enhance learning. If students are just going to type up blog entries and post them then there is really no point in students having blogs. It would be just as easy for them to type up a document on a word processor and hand it in to the professor. One of the greatest aspects of a blog is the fact that other people can comment on it and students need to do this.
It would be great if a teacher could collaborate with other teachers, whether they are in the same school or clear across the world, and connect their classes via blogging. The students could learn the same topic and then create thoughtful blogs on the material. Students from the other classrooms could then comment on these blogs. It would be a wonderful way to connect students and use blogging to its greatest potential.
WikiSpaces
26 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
This week we explored a how-to slideshow on wikispaces. After viewing this slideshow and exploring wikispaces I think that it’s an absolutely wonderful resource. The site seems very easy to use, for both teachers and students. It is very streamlined and pleasing to the eye. It looks modern and up to date, unlike many other wiki creating websites. It also does not seem to be littered with advertisements and loads at a decent speed on my fast Internet.
Wikis are such a great resource for teachers and librarians so it is important for them to choose a site that will work smoothly. Technology should only be used if it does not hinder learning. It is meant to help learning. WikiSpaces is a great resource that I will keep in mind for when I am working in a school.
Collaboration
20 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
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This week’s readings were about collaboration, specifically collaboration involving technology. Collaboration is a topic that is constantly being brought up in many of my school library classes. Every single one of my professors has stressed its importance, but as soon as they mention it, they also mention the fact that most teachers do not like to collaborate. This has always seemed rather odd to me because we as librarians are taught that collaboration is important. It makes me wonder whether students in education programs are taught anything about collaboration. If they were taught that it is important, like librarians are, wouldn’t they wish to collaborate?
I think it is important for school librarians to work with teachers and administrators to increase the amount of collaboration taking place, but I also wonder if it would be better to teach future teachers the importance of collaboration. If both teachers and librarians knew its importance and how to go about doing it, there would be more collaboration taking place.
Cyber Safety
12 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
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This week’s readings focused on cyber safety, which is a very important topic. I believe that filtering software and blocking websites is much like slapping a band aid over a wound that needs stitches. Filtering software may keep children from viewing inappropriate material in school but it will do nothing to teach them about Internet safety or protect them outside of the school. Education is one of the single most important things we can do for our children. Cyberbullying is an example of something that filtering software can do absolutely nothing to stop. With the recent increase in suicides as a result of bullying this topic has become even more important. The boy from Williamsville who killed himself a few weeks ago was not only the victim of bullying at school, but also through various social networking sites. We not only need to educate students about what to do if they feel they are being bullied, but also on the dangers of being a bully themselves.
The School Library and AV Materials
06 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
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Part of this week’s reading was another chapter from the copyright textbook, specifically copyright law as it pertains to AV materials. I was reminded yet again that a handbook on copyright will be very important to have in my school library since copyright law is long and often confusing.
However, I was also reminded of a question that has had me thinking since I started the SLMS program. Most of the books I have read for the program, while very recently written, seem to be under the impression that most school libraries are in charge of not only AV materials, but AV equipment as well. I’ve found this with computers, too. Many books seem to imply that the librarian is in control of all the technology in the school and that computers are all located within the library. I have never been to a school where this is the case. The schools that I have attended and visited during the program have had a team of technology staff who are in charge of AV equipment and computers. Not only that, but most classrooms have their own televisions and DVD players. In these schools the librarian has nothing to do with what is shown in the classroom and whether it is legal or not. Perhaps teachers might borrow DVDs from the library, but they show them on their own equipment. Since the librarian is not providing the equipment, if I am understanding the copyright law correctly, they are not responsible for what the teacher does with copyrighted materials in their classroom.
29 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in LIS 568
With the exception of the textbook chapter this week’s readings all focused on the variety of search engines that are available. It was interesting for me to read about the various search engines because I am very much a Google person. Google has always been able to give me the information I need (with the exception of scholarly articles, which I find in library databases), so I use Google. I believe there is a reason that Google is so popular and that is because it works. When I was in undergrad I took a course on creativity and we watched a video on Google. Part of the video was devoted to Google’s strategy when it comes to their search algorithm. It’s kept top secret and changes all the time. That is how they are able to produce accurate and relevant results.
I think that since Google is so popular educators need to teach students how to search it properly. The skills mentioned in “The Google Game” are very important and can be used in all search engines, not just Google. However, it is difficult to remember all the strategies and Boolean operators, especially for students who have trouble with memorization (I certainly do). A great tool for librarians and teachers to give their students is a list of Boolean operators and basic search strategies for them to use while researching.
Blogs in the Library
21 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
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This week we read chapter 3 of Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts. The chapter was about how to start blogging in the classroom. I found the chapter interesting, although as someone who has been blogging for years I already knew a good portion of what Richardson was mentioning. I find the idea of using blogs in the library intriguing and I think blogs can be an excellent learning tool. However, I am not sure how practical it would be for a librarian to keep track of an entire school’s worth of student blogs. When I think of blogging in the classroom I think of a teacher using blogging for her class, and therefore keeping track of 20 or 25 student blogs. School librarians are in charge of many classes. I think if a librarian were to use blogs, they would have to do so with only one class. Or, the librarian could work with classroom teachers to start a blogging program that would then be overseen by the librarian but teachers would keep track of student blogs.
