Case Study #3
15 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Learning, Technology, Web 2.0 Tags: libraries, Technology, Web 2.0 Tools
CASE STUDY 3: Your principal has asked faculty to create a project that illustrates how technologies (covered in Modules 1-4) could be used for a specific educational purpose. Your projects should address a curricular standard or fulfill some other professional development needs, and ideally, it will be something you’ll actually implement. Use your blog or wiki as the container for your project write-up and media.
AASL Standards:
3.3 Educational Leader
Candidates develop a library media program that reflects the best practices of education and librarianship. They have a thorough understanding of current trends and issues in education.
As the media specialist, I will have them explain what outcome is expected for both the unit and from the student. I will then go about gathering the necessary tools to help them implement the unit.
4.3 Comprehensive and Collaborative Strategic Planning and Assessment
Candidates collaborate with teachers and administrators to develop a library media program plan that aligns resources, services, and information literacy standards with the school’s goals and objectives.
Collaboration will take place between all team members and the media specialist. Upon hearing their ideas, the media specialist will show them the best tools to deliver their goals. Once the project is underway, the media specialist will assist as needed with the collaboration of the students. At the end of the project, the media specialist will meet with the teachers to determine what fine tuning, if any, should be made for subsequent year.
Objectives:
Students will build a scale model of a castle of the time period.
Students will also build a catapult to attack a neighboring castle.
Goals:
Students will collaborate within their teams.
Students will use Web 2.0 technologies to document progress and assist in the completion and display of their assignment.
Students will be expected to produce a multimedia presentation at the end of the unit.
Implementation:
Year One:
Google Docs
Purpose: Faculty will use Google Docs to plan the unit. Through Google Docs they will be able to share their ideas and thoughts in order to fine tune the unit.
Training: Approximately 15 minutes to understand the collaborative element of Google Docs.
Rationalization: Teachers will be able to work on their plans from anywhere and share changes or ideas all in one place.
Purpose: To provide students with teacher approved sites for the information they will be gathering to complete the project.
Training:
Teacher training will be approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. During this time they will be shown how to open an account, add bookmarks and share their pages. Additional training time will be given as needed.
Student training will be approximately 45 minutes during which time they will become comfortable navigating the site for the links provided.
Rationalization: Students will be able to find links all in one place. This will also give them exposure to a tool they will be able to use throughout their educational journey.
Purpose: The Ning will provide everything the students will need to collaborate on this project. Blogs will be used once plans are finalized for steps along the way. Chat will allow members to hold virtual meetings to determine their next steps. Photos will be posted as they progress from one step to another. Their multimedia presentation may be posted in their Ning.
Training:
Teacher training will take approximately one hour. They will be given a tour of the site and instruction as to what each feature offers.
Creation: 3 – 5 hours
During this time, the teachers will decide what they want the main page to look like. Any additional help will be given as needed.
Student training should be minimal since the site has a Facebook feel. They will be given a class period (approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour) to set up their pages.
Rationalization: Because of the Facebook feel, most students will have no problem in working the site. Also, because Nings have so many features, it will be the primary place to follow their progress.
Purpose: To allow the students to announce their group’s progress as the complete tasks. This should increase competition among the teams.
Training:
Teacher training will be approximately 1 hour during which time they will not only be shown how to tweet, but the importance of finding the right people to follow.
Students will be trained on how to tweet. They will be expected to set up private accounts that will be monitored by the teachers. They will be shown how to locate classmates to follow. Training should take approximately 45 minutes.
Rationale: It introduces the students to Twitter in an educational setting, thus showing them its value when used properly.
Flickr
Purpose: to act as a repository for all photos taken during the course of the project. At the end, students will be using it to tell a story in five frames.
Training:
Teacher training will last 45 minutes to an hour. They will also be shown how to create an account if they wish.
Student training will last roughly one class period. During this time they will set up an account.
Rationale: While there are many photo sharing sites available, Flickr has longevity and is backed by a well-known name.
Audacity
Purpose: To allow students to add narration to their pictures.
Training:
Teacher training is expected to last 30 to 45 minutes.
Student training will last approximately 30 minutes.
Rationale: This is a free download which is simple to use.
Year Two:
Flip Cameras
Purpose: To allow the filming of the catapult attacks.
Training:
Teacher training will consist of approximately 15 minutes of explanation on how to use the camera with another 30 minutes of training on how to get the video from the camera to the computer.
Student training will consist of one class period to instruct students on the use of the camera and moving the video from the camera to the computer.
Rationale: These cameras are simple, easy to use. They record sound and produce quality work.
Purpose: To allow students to share both their flip videos and their Flickr stories in an academic setting.
Teacher training will consist of one hour of basic instruction. The site offers easy to use features while also offering approved content.
Instruction to the students will be given by the media specialist in the media center. The media center will be made available to the teachers to bring their students at various points during the project to update their Nings.
As with any plan, flexibility is the key. This plan once agreed upon by all parties, but will be tweaked as needed. Ongoing training will be available from the media specialist as needed. Tutorial videos will be made available to the teachers to work at their own pace in reiterating the tools’ features. These tutorials will be made using Jing.
Professional Development and Second Life
15 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Learning, Technology, Web 2.0 Tags: Technology, Web 2.0 Tools
Social and Collaborative Media: Strategies for the School Library Media Specialist
01 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: libraries, Technology, Web 2.0 Tools
The web is full of social and collaborative tools. I was familiar with a lot of the tools I looked at. Some I used more frequently than others and yet a little time allowed me to become better acquainted with others. As such, each of the articles I looked at mentioned something that I had already come to know and believe. I am a big believer in engaging the learner and with the tools available today, it is easier than ever to do so.
Bill Mitchell wrote an article on Poynter Online entitled: “News & Record Editor: Social Web is a ‘Cocktail Party’ That’s Improved the Paper.” In this article, Mr. Mitchell wrote about his journey in social networking. The paper was given the directive of becoming part of the social web. Mitchell decided to join the world of Twitter. Mr. Mitchell spoke to John Robinson, a wired top editor he encountered on Twitter, to get his take on the benefits from being part of a social web. Mr. Robinson equated the web to a cocktail party. Just like a cocktail party, the web is full of interesting people. You go from group to group until you find those that interest you. Then you join in the discussion. Robinson was then asked how he thought Twitter had improved his paper. He mentioned as a way he received feedback. Ask his readers about the job the paper was doing and the readers let him know what they thought. Secondly, Robinson noted a time when a political story broke first on Twitter. Because he was able to find out about it through Twitter, he was able to move on the story. Finally, he was exposed to more opinions that helped him flesh out his own. Not everyone who uses Twitter is going to find all these advantages, but this certainly gets a person thinking about the many practical applications of Twitter; well beyond who is doing what now.
Digizen offers ideas and examples of educators using social networking services. “Digizen” is this websites way of talking about being a digital citizen. Ideas and examples are broken down into five different categories:
1. Profile-based social networking services: sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace
2. Content-based social networking service such as Flickr and YouTube
3. White-label social networking services such as Ning and Elgg
4. Multi-User Virtual Worlds such as Second Life
5. Mobile social networks and micro-blogging, i.e. Twitter.
Each of these is then broken down and a handful of examples are given for educational usages. I was surprised to see that one university posted course profiles on Facebook. These sites were all interesting and offered new (to me) ways to integrate social networks into the educational setting.
10 Principles for the Future of Learning is a very interesting article. It is brief and basically offers ten points. The third point discusses moving from presumed authority to collective credibility. I thought this was a very good point. It talked about learning to distinguish good knowledge sources from those that are questionable. In a world of Wikipedia that skill is a very important one to develop. Jason Flom also spoke about de-centering pedagogy. He called for leaders at learning institutions to adopt a pedagogy that takes advantage of our era. In other words, don’t fight what is new; learn how to incorporate it into learning. He also spoke about how learning for years has come from copyright-protected publications but now it is more networked since it is peer-to-peer based. Flom talks about learning being connected and interactive as core ideas are taken and expanded upon by the larger group. Also mentioned was the importance of making learning a lifelong endeavor.
Joyce Valenza’s article 14 Ways K-12 Librarians Can Teach Social Media happens to be one of my favorite articles. Dr. Valenza discusses the difficulty of teaching students about copyrighted images from the web. She offers valid choices so librarians aren’t telling students “no, you can’t use that.” Instead, she gives ideas for alternate sites for this use. She also realizes how hard it is to teach the preferred bibliographic form to students. Instead, she again gives alternatives; sites which will to the citation for you once you feed it a few facts. Each one of Dr. Valenza’s fourteen points was something I was familiar with. The main theme in her article was not to keep doing things as we always had, but to embrace technology and use it to our advantage. The important part is not so much in the how, but in the doing. As social media becomes an accepted part of our lives, we need to make certain that users are being responsible and using the right product for the right job and therefore to its fullest potential.
I am including the website Mashable because I am fascinated by it. According to the website they are the world’s largest blog focusing exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news. There is everything a person would need for any sort of Web 2.0 application, including getting started guides for Twitter and Facebook. So imagine my surprise when I found a link to something we had discussed at the dinner table. My oldest was saying that PSN (Playstation Network) was down and his friend was upset by this. There on Mashable was the story of what problems users were experiencing. What I really found amazing was the fact that the article was posted after we had dinner.
Sarah Robbins-Bell speech Social Media and Education: The Conflict between Technology and Institutional Education, and the Future spoke to the importance of educators realizing the need to change the way they do things. She points out the role of educators is changing and that if we don’t get on the bandwagon, social media will replace us. The millennial generation does things differently that we do, and we need to not only understand this but to use it to our advantage. This generation grew up talking back and engaging in the situation. They are used to having a voice and we need to make changes accordingly. We need to remember that we are the last wave of educators who remember what things were like before the internet and it is our responsibility to convey the before when necessary. Ms. Robbins-Bell believes that all communication is education and our main responsibility is to teach today’s students how to learn.
Diigo
28 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
I was first introduced to Diigo by my PLN approximately six months ago. I knew it was something I would find useful, so I signed up for an account. Not devoting any real time to discover its many uses, I completely forgot about it. I recently went back to it and went about learning what it had to offer. I just now discovered that the digolet works on Safari. Very easy to use and no problems so far. Diigo has an extension for Google Chrome, and it is very easy to use. It seems to crash IE each time I use it. Enough with the technical, let’s move to the critical.
Diigo is an amazing application. It allows the user to bookmark webpages. It also allows highlighting and note taking. While it is like a bookmarking site, it is so much more. It makes reading things online so much easier now. It is like actually holding paper in your hand and highlighting the important points as you read. You can keep your highlights and notes public or private. Finally, someone who understands what kinesthetic learners need from online learning. In addition to allowing highlighting and note taking, it allows you to make lists, join communities and use as many tags as you need. It is truly a remarkable site and one that can be very important in an educational setting if used properly.
Now that I know some of what Diigo offers, I’m sure there is still more to learn, I know it will be a very important part of my professional growth.
Nings
28 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
The first two nings listed are nings I joined before this class started. The last ning is one I found since this class began.
Art Snacks is the first ning I joined. It was started my Kevin Honeycutt, one of my friends on Plurk. This ning celebrates everything creative. This video is particulary fitting for our class.
I also belong to Librarianship 101. I discovered this from a listserv I belong to. They state their purpose as: “A free-wheeling, free-thinking, and free-forming spot for veteran librarians, new librarians, and student librarians to come, experience, share, learn, and grow together”
The ning I have joined in the last few weeks is Technology Integration in Education. This one is not only perfect for this class, but I think I will learn a lot from being a member. It is wonderful to see what others are doing in the classroom and this one offers content sharing such as favorite websites and lesson plans.
So, what is a Ning? It is an online platform (website) which allows people to create their own social networks. Ning (Chinese for peace) no longer allows nings of adult content, but any other form of social networks can be found. Can’t find one that meets your needs, no problem. Simply start one of your own. The educational nings mentioned above are a great place for people with the same interests to gather and share information. They are certainly a great professional resource.
Connect with Skype
28 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Skype, Technology, Web 2.0 Tools
I had Skyped once or twice before Sunday evening, but it was only with my son, and well, he was only a room away. But it gave me confidence and he also taught me how to initiate a conference call. To do a conference call, you hold down the “alt” key and click the names of the people to whom you wish to speak. Then you click “call group” button. It’s that easy. Christine, Lisa and I talked for about 25 minutes. We talked about this class, the class we would be taking next and other things.
I know there are authors who Skype and it sure is cheaper than an author visit. Right now, my county does not allow Skype. They are worried about viruses. I think this is sad, because it is such a great resource and could be used for more than just authors if people had the right contacts. How fun would it be to Skype with another class in a different part of the country elementary school students were studying?
Skype is a great tool. It’s two main features, ease of use, and no cost, makes it the perfect match for use in the classroom.
28 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Technology, Twitter, Web 2.0 Tools
My Twitter name is moos_ma. I wasn’t sure I was going to like Twitter, but thought, there must be something to it, it seems like everyone is doing it. Anyway, the name comes from my youngest’s nickname. We call him Moose, so my name means I’m his mom. Silly, I know.
I think I’ve had my Twitter account for about a year now. Wasn’t a big fan at first, but after reading some of the articles for this module, and treating it like a true professional tool, I am slowly taking to it. I still don’t like that it is what I consider to be a one way street, but if I keep that in mind when posting, I am okay. I did start following some Olympic news in the last week. That has been fun, especially since I prefer the summer games to the winter games.
What to do when tweeting? Remember that 140 characters are not a lot, so shorten those URLs. Don’t spam. No one likes junk mail no matter what form it takes. If you want to be treated like a professional, then act like one. Unfortunately, no one really cares what you are doing or where you are going, unless it is something really special/different. No one cares what you are eating. Keeping these simple tips in mind can make all the difference in the world.
Since I originally wrote this, I have gotten more comfortable with Twitter. I’ve used it to follow the Olympics, but to also grow professionally. The main thing I have learned is #1: have a good reason to tweet, #2: follow people of like-minded interests; they are your best bet.
21 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in Learning, Technology, Web 2.0
This one was done with a script.
This was done without a script. Watching myself on screen was quite confusing and it didn’t help that it was rather late at night. Am I brave or crazy to post this?
Digital Story Telling
20 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in Learning, Technology, Web 2.0
Digital storytelling is a new twist on a very old form. Storytelling has been around for centuries and it was from stories being passed on from generation to generation that we have some of the information we do about those who have gone before us. Oral storytelling is a true gift, I believe. Yes, it can be worked on and improved, but the talent has to be there from the start. Digital storytelling allows those not quite as talented to become a storyteller. (I have no hard and fast documentation on this; it is my point of view, based on my experience.) After looking at many of the listed sites, I selected the following to write about.
Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling is a wonderful site put together by the University of Houston. They offer everything one would need to get started in the world of storytelling. They offer examples of how to use storytelling in each area of the curriculum. I found the videos for math to be particularly interesting. This site offers links for the necessary audio and video tools to complete a project. They also have examples of rubrics to use, a guide on how to get started. Of particular interest to me, and everyone else who used this site, was the list of “The 7 Elements of Storytelling.”
- Point of view: main point and perspective of the author 2. A dramatic question: the key question keeps the viewer’s attention and is answered at the end of the story.
3. Emotional content: serious issues come alive in personal and powerful ways and help connect the audience to the story.
4. Gift of voice: a voice personalizes the story and helps the audience understand the context of the story.
5. Power of soundtracks: music and sounds help embellish the storyline.
6. Economy: offer just enough content to tell the story without overwhelming the viewer.
7. Pacing: the rhythm of the story should draw the viewer in.
Of the stories I viewed, I was particularly drawn to the one under pop culture on Vietnam. I found this to be of great interest due to my husband’s experiences and my memories as a sister of somewhere who was over there.
I also looked at NECC Library Smackdown Resources. This site gives you suggestions on things to do to produce your story. Their suggestions include 5 Card Flickr, PowerPoint Storytelling, and Digital Comic Creations. Also included are links to sites to help you locate audio and video software to complete your project. They also include examples of each type of story so you can understand what the final project will be before you attempt one on your own. This video is very helpful in explaining how to put one together. Of everything I have seen and read it is probably the most succinct.
I found Digital Stories: Niles Township HS District 219 to be extremely interesting. They define storytelling as”the art of turning a personal narrative into a multimedia experience.” In fact had I not been at school and had certain videos blocked, I would have spent hours on the site. This is a project which was undertaken by a community. There is a link to all the resources they looked at and used to complete this project. The videos are grouped into three categories: student, teacher, and senior citizen videos. I could only see the movies posted by the seniors, but they were delightful.
One dealt with a woman who had been a single mother and met her husband during square dance lessons. They have since square danced all over the country. It brought back memories of when my parents and one of my brothers and his wife went square dancing every week. I hadn’t thought of that in years and I don’t think I would have if it had not been for this story.
Another story was about a couple who had gone to Vegas when Elvis was appearing there. They went to go to the show, but it was sold out. The husband wasn’t really interested, so he went gambling while she was not only able to get into see Elvis, but got a front row seat. Turns out Elvis sang “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” to her. Anybody who is my age or older has very special memories of Elvis, and it was neat to hear her reminisce.
Also in my travels I came across Integrating Digital Storytelling in Your Classroom. This site is a treasure trove of resources. It offers digital resources, storyboarding resources, copyright information, rubrics, and examples of both student and teacher created movies. I found the section on copyright information to be easy to use and very important in this world of cut and paste. Their Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers Chart is a valuable aid.
Classroom use is only limited by one’s imagination. I love the idea of using digital storytelling in the classroom. I think it would be a great tool in a high school history class. Why just high school? Mainly because they tend to cover a time period where a student can interview a relative and ask about their life experiences. What a great way for grandparent and grandchild to bond. I’ve come to the conclusion that we all have a wealth of stories to share; we just don’t feel as if we’ve done anything important. Sometimes, though, just living through incidents and reflecting on our memories of them is important. It helps others understand a period in time. Have I done anything special? No, but one of my earliest memories is of the Nixon/Kennedy debates. I just remember seeing them on the television and not much else, but I do remember. My more historical memories start with the assassination of JFK. I have certainly witnessed a lot of history since then and firmly believe it is important to understand where society was at these points in history; that information does not come from a book. Therefore, I strongly see a use for digital storytelling in a high school U. S. history class.
Digital storytelling would be wonderful in ILA/RLA/English classes. What a great way to do a book report. Certainly no two would be alike and the creativity the students would bring to the project would really be something else. It might seem more like play than work to them and they could get so caught up in what they are doing that they would forget it was schoolwork.
I could see it being used in science class for reports. We have a 7th grade teacher that has her students do a report on genetic diseases. Her final product is a PowerPoint presentation. She has them halfway there already and the power the audio would bring to this project would be amazing.
During this module I enjoyed working with Jing and playing with Glogster. The most fun I had, hands down, was using Movie Maker. It is simple, intuitive and I’m amazed by the final products. I can see myself playing with these tools for quite a while to come.
