Love these old pics of libraries and librarians! This one is
from 1896. This site shows what it calls "25 Photos of
Librarians Being Awesome". Times have changed, but
libraries are still so valuable. We just offer information in
some different formats now. Librarians, well, maybe we
don't exactly look this way anymore, but still the most
valuable resource in the library!
Library Mania Resources
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Sharing Resources
There are so many great resources out there! Teachers could spend all of their time scouring the internet searching for resources to help them do their jobs. I have to admit, this is a hobby of mine. I love my LiveBinder, where I can save the many great resources I find. What a difference this is than when I began teaching in 1990 and had file folders with copies of "stuff". My LiveBinder contains my treasure trove of "stuff".
Library Mania
Library Mania
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Intellectual Freedom and Censorship
The primary
purpose of the school library is to provide access to information for its
students through various media that represent a wide range of ideas and
information. Choosing which media to
include in a library’s collection is the job of the school librarian. Librarians must select age appropriate books
based on subject, reading ability, and emotional and social development. Librarians
need to be educated to handle their professional and legal responsibilities to
protect the intellectual freedom and First Amendment rights of students and
young adults. They must be trained to
ensure that students have free access to information and that the selection
process for materials abides by the law.
It is not the responsibility of the school librarian to substitute their
personal judgment for the readers’ or to impose their own beliefs on students.
The Library Bill of
Rights (by the ALA) states that “material should not be excluded because of
origin, background, or views of those contributing to their origin”. It also claims that “libraries should provide
materials and information presenting all points of view on current and
historical issues…materials should not be proscribed or removed because of
partisan or doctrinal disapproval”.
Another right stated in the bill is that “libraries should challenge
censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information
and enlightenment”. The ALA claims that
students have a “measure” of First Amendment rights and that the governments
cannot censor materials unless they are “obscene, contain child pornography, or
are harmful to minors”. Censorship is
defined by the ALA as “the suppression of ideas and information that certain
persons…find objectionable or dangerous”.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Evaluating Information
In today's school library, we teach research skills. But, these skills have certainly changed over the years. Gone are the days of teaching how to look up a topic in the print encyclopedia and the old fashioned card catalog. Now, we must teach 21st century literacy skills. These involve instructing students to use internet resources to find research information. However, this opens a whole new can of worms....evaluating the trustworthiness of internet websites.
There a great number of 'spoof' websites out there. They look legit at first, and to a young student, of course if it's on the internet, it must be true. These are good for a laugh and even better to teach our students to evaluate sources for reliability, trustworthiness, and purpose. Direct instruction of these skills is essential! Just a few of my favs:
There a great number of 'spoof' websites out there. They look legit at first, and to a young student, of course if it's on the internet, it must be true. These are good for a laugh and even better to teach our students to evaluate sources for reliability, trustworthiness, and purpose. Direct instruction of these skills is essential! Just a few of my favs:
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Using Video in the Classroom
Brown, J., Bryan, J., & Brown, T. (2005). Twenty-first century literacy and technology in K-8 classrooms. Innovate, 1(3).
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.186.5118
These literacies for the 21st century include:
Digital Literacy -the ability to communicate with an ever-expanding community to discuss issues, gather information, and seek help;
Global Literacy -the capacity to read, interpret, respond, and contextualize messages from a global perspective;
Visual Literacy -the ability to understand, produce, and communicate through visual images;
Technology Literacy -the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity, and performance;
Information Literacy -the ability to find, evaluate and synthesize information.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Benefits of Using Digital Technology in Our Classrooms
Teachers have so much on their plates already. They certainly do not need ANOTHER thing to teach. That is how some teachers view the push to use digital technology in their classrooms. Some teachers fail to realize the potential that these digital technologies can provide.
They can empower students by providing opportunities to adjust sizes and use text to speech functions and provide opportunities to engage with the text in a more ways than with traditional paper text. Motivation and engagement are overwhelming benefits of the use of technology with struggling readers. Greater engagement equals higher achievement. Research shows that experiences with technology can encourage reluctant readers to re-engage in a new and exciting way. Also important, is the benefit that these technologies play in the development of reading comprehension through voice recordings. Students that are otherwise disengaged when it comes to reading traditional print books are excited when the reading material is presented in electronic form.
E-books offer an engaging option for struggling readers, are easy for teachers to implement, and offer opportunities for individual practice for students. When using e-books, students tend to more naturally investigate words and images. They can teach students early literacy skills including phonological awareness and vocabulary.
Teachers need to stay current with the most recent digital advances and determine how to implement them into their curriculum. Technology should not drive the curriculum nor determine its content. However, technology should be integrated at every available opportunity in order to prepare our students for the 21st century.
They can empower students by providing opportunities to adjust sizes and use text to speech functions and provide opportunities to engage with the text in a more ways than with traditional paper text. Motivation and engagement are overwhelming benefits of the use of technology with struggling readers. Greater engagement equals higher achievement. Research shows that experiences with technology can encourage reluctant readers to re-engage in a new and exciting way. Also important, is the benefit that these technologies play in the development of reading comprehension through voice recordings. Students that are otherwise disengaged when it comes to reading traditional print books are excited when the reading material is presented in electronic form.
E-books offer an engaging option for struggling readers, are easy for teachers to implement, and offer opportunities for individual practice for students. When using e-books, students tend to more naturally investigate words and images. They can teach students early literacy skills including phonological awareness and vocabulary.
Teachers need to stay current with the most recent digital advances and determine how to implement them into their curriculum. Technology should not drive the curriculum nor determine its content. However, technology should be integrated at every available opportunity in order to prepare our students for the 21st century.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Everything Google
Technology is taking over. It's everywhere. Today's 21st century students are digital natives who have lived their whole lives immersed in technology. This means that teachers must find ways to use technology to reach their students. Our students have grown up in the digital age, with its quickly changing innovative technologies. This has created a digital divide between our students and their non-digital native teachers. Teachers sometimes struggle to find ways to adapt and develop curriculum to meet the needs of their students.
This need is what led to the Google application suite. Google has created a vast array of tools that can be used by teachers (like myself) who did not grow up with this technology, to enhance their curriculum, reach their students and help prepare them for the 21st century. These tools are innovative and powerful and (maybe most importantly), easy to use. And, very important to mention, Google provides this suite of tools free to schools! Tools such as Google Presentation, Google Voice, Google Talk, Google Site, Google Forms, Google Docs, just to name a few. Google is making to easy for teachers to breach the digital divide. We just have to be willing to embrace it.
Great sources for information on Google Apps:
Adams, Devon Christopher. The Clearing House82.2 (Nov/Dec 2008): 96-100.
Fredrick, Kathy. School Library Monthly29.6 (Mar 2013): 23-25.
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