Libraries at the Crossroads

Harrigan, J. (2015). Libraries at the crossroads. PEW Research Center.  September  2015.  Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/2015/Libraries-at-crossroads/

I was interested in this article since I will be spending time in a pubic library for some of my internship hours

The findings in the report were very interesting. 

1.  Many of the active users of the library hope that they will continue to provide services that they already do such as lend printed books.  There are also those that want the libraries to adapt to the ever changing world with more and more information in digital form that is accessible anywhere and at anytime. 

2.  Concerns about closing libraries- 

There are differences in opinions across gender and cultural groups.  - Hispanics (78%) said that closing the library would have a major impact on their community,   72% of     women vs men said the same thing,   70% of parents with minors,  and 70% of those aged 50 or older.

3. Library Use-

.46% of people ages 16 and older had used a library in the past 12 months (2015) with 56% of college graduates with an in person visit or bookmobile visit.  52% of those ages 16 and older did the same and 52% of those with annual income between $30,000 and $50,000.  They found that women and those with higher levels of education were more likely to have used a library in the past year. 

4. Ebooks-

People are becoming increasing aware that their local libraries are lending ebooks.  It’s a service that I have used with my own local library and it’s great for those of us that are busy and forget to return books on time.  They automatically get returned.  The reports states that 38% of patrons state that their libraries have ebooks while the ALA says that 90% of libraries do.  It was also stated that those that are older (between 50-64) and lower income are more likely to not know that their library has ebooks for loan.  Only 16% of those that are aware have downloaded ebooks to read.  I find that number to be low.  Why is that?  Is it because people are not aware or due to lack of technology at home?

5.  What people do at their libraries

66% borrowed print books, down from 2012 (73%)

42% asked librarians for help, down from 2012 (50%)

53% use the library as a place to sit, read, study or access media, up from 2012 (49%)

16% attended a meeting, down from 23% in 2012

Interesting  fact is that most of the books are borrowed from higher educated and well off patrons while the lower income households and those with African American descent where more likely to use the help of the librarian.  Also that lower income and Hispanic are more likely to use it for watching or listening to media.  It also states that computers and internet access are used more likely by African American and Hispanic and those with lower incomes. 

6. How are people using the library websites

Searching the library catalog

Reserving or placing holds on materials (print, ebooks, audiobooks, cd, dvds)

Renewing materials

Research or homework help

Online databases

Book reviews and recommendations

Borrow or download ebooks

Check or pay fines for overdue items

7. How libraries contribute to their communities

Learning and Sharing Information Activities

Seek health information

Learn how to use technologies

Learn about community resources and events

Decide what information is trustworthy

Find out about opportunities to volunteer

Job training or finding jobs

8. The public wants libraries to advance education, improve digital learning and serve key groups. 

Education is the foundation of a libraries mission.   85% of people think that libraries should work closely and coordinate with schools in providing resources to children.    Promoting and working with kids to increase and promote reading.   They also believe that libraries should help key groups such as immigrants and veterans and those who want help with technology.  78% of Hispanics believe that libraries should create programs for immigrants or first generation Americans. 

9. Libraries, helping with economic opportunity and workforce skills

52% of Americans say that libraries should definitely create services or programs to help businesses and entrepreneurs.  Hispanics and African Americans are more likely to find value in these programs (60%)

10. Community activists are more likely to use libraries

Visited - Solve a community problem 63%, Individual tried to influence government 59%

Attended meetings – Solve a community problem 28%, Tried to influence government 33%

So in looking at the results – lower income and Hispanics are the ones that believe that the libraries are extremely important to the communities but the finding also said that women and higher income use the library the most; I found this to be very interesting and cannot wait to see if the results will be comparable to what I experience when I start working on our local library in my community. 

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Reflections on Technology

After a full semester of looking into how social media can play a role in the school library and as a future librarian how you can best use it to advocate for your library and get the word out, I have a whole new group of tools to use. 

There are so many different ways that you can use social media to reach the students and parents as well as the community in which your school is located.  I really liked the ease of use for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine.  I would have to say that Vine was the most difficult for me and the one that I was not already using.  After my initial fear of trying it out and figuring out what it was, I dove right in.  They are a quick way to get information out and doesn’t require a lot of time to post, a bonus in the busy days of a librarian.

I also got to play around with making Animoto videos, QR Codes, Podcasts, Cartoons, and Screencasts.  These assignments really forced me to go out of my comfort zone and I realized that they really are not that difficult and once you get started they are super quick and really fun.  They are great ways to get students involved and to really see what they are learning in a fun way.  I can’t wait to get my students started. 

I was a fan of reading infographics but not creating them.  Easel.ly was one that I had not used before and after watching the Youtube video, I was able to create my own.  So I learned that they are not that difficult and can really help get your point across in a fast way. 

I enjoyed getting to see the different types of online book communities.  I was very stuck in my own personal choice of Goodreads which I will stay with for my personal use but I am so glad to be introduced to Biblionasium to use with my students at school.  I have already mentioned it to other teachers at my school and hope that they check it out and utilize it as a source for their students.

So not only do we as librarian need to know about books and what’s hot and upcoming.  We also need to be up on social media and how to reach our students and parents as well as learning from other librarians.  We also need to be up on the latest technology and ways to use that technology to showcase student learning.  Many of the things I have created this semester have helped me immensely  in becoming more tech savvy and I thought I had a pretty good grasp on it with all the technology I use daily in my classroom.  So break out of your box check out something new and if fear has you stalling – look on Youtube for videos to show you how.  It’s okay to make mistakes and blunders.  Just keep trying because it’s all about learning. 

Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships

Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships

picture taken from

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34416989

A. Lenhart, A. Smith, & M. Anderson. (October 2015). Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships. Pew-Research Center. Retrieved October 2015 at http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/10/PI_2015-10-01_teens-technology-romance_FINAL.pdf.

With today’s ever changing technology and the ease of it being at your finger tips twenty-four seven,  it’s even easy to keep up with loved ones.  So in looking at that along with how teens use technology: social media to be exact how it plays a role in their relationships and how it effects it.  They used teens ages 13-17 to create their report.  This really hit home with me since I have a 13 year old.  I am so not ready for this but it’s coming and it’s time to get my head out of the sand. 

Some of the points that I found important are:

1.  Dating - Only about 35% of them have dated, “hooked up”, with or been in a romantic relationship with another person.  The number of teens that have met and hooked up or dated someone online is relatively small with it being only 8%.  The ones that have met online were most likely to meet on Facebook.  My thinking – most still aren’t dating and most are meeting in person with only a few meeting online.  Online scares me because do you really know if that person is who they say there are, how do you even date if you have never met?  Educating kids is a parent’s best defense as well as open communication. 

2.  Flirting - Teens even use social media for flirting. They typically like, comment, “friend” or joke around with someone that they are interested in or that they have a crush on.  Most common flirting is by those teens that have flirted before.  Girls seem to be the target for more uncomfortable flirting practices than boys with social media.  So in response 35% of teen girls have blocked or unfriended people versus onl y 16% of boys who have done that same.  My thinking – Unwanted or unsolicited advances have always been around.  At least if they are doing it on social media you are able to block or unfriend them to get rid of the unwanted advances. 

3.  Staying Close/Contact - Social Media allows those that are dating to feel closer but it can also lead to jealousy and uncertainty in relationships.  My thinking-It seems to be a double edge sword – they can post about their relationships online but then it also allows too many people to become involved into their personal relationships.  Some things should just be kept private and no one wants to see your dirty laundry.

4. Communication- Daily communication is expected by significant others.  The numbers were staggering to me about those who had to check in hourly, every couple of hours, or just once a day.  Texting seems to be the number one way that they stay in contact with phone calls and being together in person next.  Social Media follows behind that with instant or online messaging.  They mentioned that lower income households communicate with their romantic partners via social media more than those with higher income households.  This had me thinking why?  Is it because the students have jobs to help support their families so there is less time to spend with their significant other therefore social media and texting/messaging plays such an important role in their relationships. 

5. Researching Potential Romantic Partners -  It also seems that they use social media  to research their potential romantic prospects.  This seems a bit like stalking behavior because they keep it on the low, which means that they don’t like or comment so that it’s not known that they have been looking and gathering information about the person.  My thinking is that it’s a little bit like old school in that you ask around about the person and watch them it’s just done on social media instead of in person. 

6. Breaking Up - It still seems that breaking up is most acceptable in person but phone calls and texting and social media are also done.  Seems to me that some are using the easy way out or doing it the only way they can to not feel guilt about doing it in person and caving to pressure to stay together. 

7. Who shows interest first -  Girls are more likely than boys to wait for someone to show they are interested.  My Thinking – it’s like it has been, I was always taught to let boys make the first move.

 

8. Sharing/Posting-When teens share online they typically share humorous or funny posts.  They also share general post about what they are doing, their thoughts, activities or location.  They also feel that sometimes their significant other only post what they want people to see, that they are less than authentic on social media.  I have always thought this to be true.  Who is really going to post it on social media what their life is really like and how would people respond if they did.   I don’t think sharing your location is a good idea.  It let’s other know where you are and that it not always a good thing. 

9. Trust - I thought it was crazy that they showed trust by sharing their password to their significant other.  Seems that it shows a lack of trust on the person requesting the password, it’s meant to show trust but to me it seems just the opposite. 

10. Breaking Up/Ending It - After breaking up there are differences in what they do.  Some block or unfriend their ex some continue on as usual.  Some delete posts and pictures. I could see that looking back at a bad relationship would be painful but also deleting these things don’t make them go away.  Some continue to text (or read text), or even go to extremes such as placing a GPS tracking device on their phones to monitor them.  This to me is crazy, how do they have access to their text and how can the app be there without them knowing.  This is terrifying to me as a mother.   

It seems social media is here to stay and how we as parents help guide our children down the right path being safe and respectful of those they chose to enter into a romantic relationship with.  It seems that some things are the same just how they go about them are different.  I remember writing notes and talking on the phone and eating lunch with my boyfriend, that has been replaced with texting, social media posts, etc.    

76 pages

Parents and Social Media

M. Duggan, A. Lenhart. (July 2015) Parents and Social Media, Pew Research Center, Retrieved October 2015 from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/07/Parents-and-Social-Media-FIN-DRAFT-071515.pdf

After looking into how teens use Social Media I wanted to read about how parents use social media.  It seems that parents and non parents have some differences. 

Facebook - Parents are more likely to use Facebook and they use it to share/respond to  good and bad news, and support.   It seems that more moms and younger parents use it the most frequently.     I also found it interesting that out of parents 1/3 of their friends are actual friends versus 1/4 for non-parents.   Most parents over 40 are likely to be friends with their children on Facebook.  This makes sense to me since there is an age requirement to have a Facebook account.  Lots of parents are more likely to be friends with their own parents and neighbors.  I find this to be true, I am friends with my parents and family so that I can post pictures of the kids and keep them abreast of what is happening in our lives. 

Instagram –Posting by more non parents .  I follow my son on Instagram, not that he post much anymore since they have moved onto other things. 

Pinterest – Moms are more likely to use than Dads.  This makes sense to me since Pinterest has many things that interest Mothers/females than a male.  

Twitter – Parents and Non Parents are equally likely to use.

Linkedin-More parents than non parents are likely to use Linkedin.   I have never used Linkedin but have had some request from people.  I just don’t have time.

   

Parents also use social media as a source for parenting advice and information. 

1 out of 3 parents expressed concern about their child’s social media and technology use. 

Some parents have felt uncomfortable with what has been posted about their child.  A few have requested that content be removed. 

In the report the findings found that out of parents Facebook topped the list with Pinterest 2^nd, Linkedin 3^rd, Instagram 4^th and Twitter 5^th.  There was a significant difference between Mothers and Fathers on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram with Mother’s using them more.  Twitter and Linkedin were very close. 

I'm not really shocked by the findings in this report.  I use all of the social media with Linkedin being the exception.  My top 2 are the same as the ones they listed.  

  

36 pages

Vine and Instagram in the Library

Vine

What is it and how can it help promote my library? I asked my junior high child and was told that it's six second videos that loop and keep playing. After investigating, he was correct and kids like and use Vine at that age so what better way to reach them than to use what they like to get their interest.

I did not have a Vine account before this assignment so I don't have many post but I did find that they are very easy to create. Simply by clicking on the camera button and holding my finger down to take the clip and then letting up my finger when done. You can also add music after taking your pictures by clicking on the music note.  As my kids would say, it's easy peasy!



Some fun Thanksgiving books in our Library that students are free to checkout.



New Book that I can't wait to find time to read. Best thing I saw today - a student with this book in the library today reading it.


My Students are loving Fly Guy books right now!

Bulletin Board that I created in the Junior High Library


I think that by using Vine you could promote new books, shares books for the season, and showcase things that kids are doing in the library. What a great way to show what is happening and it doesn't take long and is very simple to do.  Plus who doesn't have 6 seconds?

Instagram

I have been using Instagram for a while now but I will admit that sometimes I forget to check my Instagram for days. I know that it was once popular with kids and it still is with the younger adults over Facebook.  It's very easy to create an Instagram account.  You just have to download the app onto your device and set up your profile and you are ready to go.  You can take a picture using the picture button on the bottom of your screen, add tags and post.  It's really quick and easy.  It would also be a great way to share and promote things that you are doing in the library without taking up a ton of time to do it.  As you can see my post are the same and you can reach more people due to their preferences in social media.

#seasonsreadings @BJH library

A photo posted by Charlotte Polk (@charlottepolk71) on Nov 19, 2015 at 7:49am PST

#mighty robot #loved the action #thumbsup

A photo posted by Charlotte Polk (@charlottepolk71) on Nov 18, 2015 at 1:14pm PST

Fly Guy #allthebuzz

A photo posted by Charlotte Polk (@charlottepolk71) on Nov 18, 2015 at 12:12pm PST

Screencasts

Screencasts, what are they?  Well I was terrified of them and for no good reason it seems.  I thought you had to be super tech savvy to do one and that is just not the case.  They are just recordings of numerous things (websites, catalog searches) that you can use to show how to's to your class, you can put them on websites, blogs or even email.  It is also great because they can be used by more than one student and at more than one time and from any place that they have access to the internet.  It's a great tool to use to help visual learners.  


I created a screencast with Jing to show how easy it is to create a comic using MakeBeliefsComix website.  It was extremely easy to download and then you're ready to create a screencast and record. The first thing you do is open Jing and then click on the tool at the top of your screen to capture (+ sign) and then drag to fit the image you want to capture.  Then you decide if you want to capture an image or a video.  I like that there are tools available to add to your image: arrows, text, frames, highlight and tool color.  If you are recording a video, then once you click the button at the bottom, it gives you 3 seconds before recording starts.  Once you are done, you click finish and then you can save your video to screencast.com.  I was not able to find an easy way to embed the file for easy viewing without clicking on a link.  That was the one drawback to Jing.

Screencast made with Jing on MakeBeliefsComix.com

I also created a screen cast using Screencast-o-matic.  It was easy to record and I didn't even have to create an account.  After opening the webpage all I did was click record, you can install and download the application but I just chose to record off the site and then once done, you click the Done buttom and then chose if you want to save, upload to screencast-o-matic or upload to Youtube. I uploaded it to my youtube channel and embedded it here.  I did have to complete my screencast using Internet Explorer and not Google Chrome due to Java problems.  They only thing I don't like about Screencast-o-matic is that unless you pay for an account they have a watermark on your screencast.   I would have to say that Screencast-o-matic was my favorite because it was easiest to save and embed into my blog and I like having the video there to just click on the play button versus clicking on a link and then clicking play.  I also liked the yellow circle that highlighted where you were clicking during the screencast.

I also created a screencast using Screenr that is going away on November 11, 2015.  I was not able to save my file or download it.  I tried numerous times and finally just gave up.   Screenr was very easy to use and it's sad that because of the problems with Java RE that it is not longer going to be available.

I was terrified of screencasts before using them and really they were quite easy and the worst part is having to listen to my voice during the recordings.

Creating Cartoons and Comics

With so many reluctant readers today, comics and graphic novels are a way to get them interested and reading.  So why not have students create comics instead of just using reports, there are so many other ways to see if your students are understanding what you are teaching and it allows them to be creative at the same time.  It's also a plus when you can get students to use technology to create Comic Strips using ToonDoo, Pixton and MakeBeliefsComix.



By MrsPolk | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Of course I wouldn't use this comic with my students, but it was funny and I couldn't resist!

My first strips was made using ToonDoo.  It was easy to create a free account and I was up and ready to create in less than a minute.  The site seems very user friendly with graphics to help you navigate the site.  You can also create a comic book with your comic strips.  This would be great for a big unit of study or to create a class book.




I then created a comic strip in Pixton.  It was more involved and took much longer to create.  It was not as user friendly and I would most likely not use it with my younger students because it's too difficult to navigate easily.  I was able to create a free 30 day trial educator account.  I did create my own character that I used to resemble me.  They had some variety but not as much as I would have liked.  I also was unable to save the comic to my computer unlike ToonDoo.   You can log in with an Edmoto account which if you have one would be nice.  Once in I was asked to set up groups, post an assignment, and add people.  You can customize the assignment and put a start date and a due date  as well as give instructions to kids.  This was the most difficult site to navigate and create a comic on, I would not use this with my students at the primary school.

I also created a comic using MakeBeliefsComix.  I did experience some difficulty and the site was not working the first time I tried.  When I went back the next day the site was back up and working fine.  I really liked how easy it was to create and  that I didn't have to log in and create an account.  I think students could do this with ease.  It was also easy to save to my computer as well as I could email it.  This was my favorite Comic maker site.

So having your students get creative and make a comic to complete a unit of study, tell about something they have learned, work on creative writing, parts of speech, plot, retell a story, prediction, book reports, onomatopoeia, current events and just about anything you can think of.   

I also created a Tellagami.  It's a free app that I downloaded onto my Ipad mini.  It was super easy to create your gami and put the picture into the background and record.  Students would love this, plus the price is right for every teacher and student-free!  I think even my second graders could do this and have a great time learning!  It could be used to create summaries of books they have read, reports on science or social studies topics and maybe even to explain how to work a math problem.  Oh the wheels, they are a turning!

Halloween Hustle Tellagami

Online Book Communities - What Are They?

Online Book Communities - What are they and why should you use one?

I looked at 5 different online book communities.  I have shown you a picture of each of my bookshelves in each community along with some other tidbits of information.

The first was Biblionasium.  I really loved how kid friendly the site is, it's  bright, colorful and fun.  You can create accounts for students, parents and as educators.  I like how each day when you log in, they have suggestions that pop up.   I like how as an educator you have the ability to set up reading logs, and can make reading challenges for your kids, there are resources with lots of articles, fun stuff, etc.  They also allow you to manage groups, send messages, buy books, and complete reports based on how you use the site.  I also like the suggested reading tab, it has great shelves with lots of good reading choices for kids.  I really how it looks like a shelf when you put books on your shelf unlike some of the other communities that I will discuss below.  This is a site that I had already created an account for and I plan to use it with my students when I can even though I am not their reading teacher.  I think this is a great site for educators and students.

The second online book community I looked at was Goodreads.  I have been a member on Goodreads for a few years and I am not using it to it's full potential.  I had never created a shelf.   I do think that think the look is very plain with just a white background.  I went to the My Books tab and created my shelf.  You can  mark them as All, Read, Currently Reading, and To Read.  I do like how you can arrange the books by author or title.   I like that you can create multiple lists and I made one for school.  I like to keep my school books and the books I read for personal enjoyment separate.  It has a Recommendations tab but it won't have any available for you until you have created 20 reviews.  That seems like a lot of reviews to get a book recommendation but it is customized to your likes and interests.  There is also a Groups tab were you can join groups with similar interests.  The explore tab has a books of the month sections,  give aways, top reviews and new releases.  I didn't like the site as much for use in a school setting but I do think it's a great place to find book reviews and photo's of books when creating annotated bibliographies.

Librarything was the third site that I looked at and created a shelf  on. .  You can arrange the books on the shelf by list or covers.  I did like that this site gives recommendations based on the books on your shelf.  It also gives you reviews regarding and there is also a library statistics tab that has all kinds of information regarding the the books on your shelf.  There are also pictures of the authors on the Authors Tab.  When you add books you can search for them on Amazon and even Library of Congress.  It also Groups for similar interest, a Talk tab that has a message board, and a Local tab to help find things that are local.  I really liked this site for me personally.  It has so many neat tabs that give great information about books.  I did not find this site to be as kid friendly.  It's great to find books for kids but not as geared to the primary age that I deal with on a daily basis.  Another thing they even have an IPhone App.  Great site and I can't believe I am just finding out about it.

The fourth site I looked into was Shelfari.  Shelfari is linked to your Amazon account.  I do like how you can separate your books into  I've Read, I'm Reading Now, and I Plan to Read.  You can create goals, there are groups to discuss books and author pages.  Again, I feel that this site would be good for older kids or personal use but not for my primary kids.  I does have under  your profile a space to add friends, block users   I had problems accessing the site on more than one occasion and more than one day.  It said that they were aware of the problem and working on it, but it was frustrating.   Hopefully when you are accessing they have fixed the problems and you will not run into any potential problems like I did.  

Booklikes was the last community that I visited.  You can create different shelves, read, planning to read, currently reading, or add your own shelf.  They have a timeline, blog, discussions and friends.  I am just not a fan of this site.  I found it hard to navigate and it just didn't excite me.  I did like the Book Catalog but it wasn't the easiest to find with the drop down tabs. It had many different genres listed and once clicking on them you could find new releases. There are also Apps which have reading list, challenges and compare books (where you compare your books with someone else-don't know who the person was, which I thought was weird).  They also have giveaways but you have to set up your profile and the webpage and add books and ratings to your shelf to take part in their giveaways.  There are also events (ex. book releases), book clubs (which you can join or create), daily deals (books on sale) and goodies (create a shelf widget, so that you can share and a follow button).  I find that it is also geared toward older students and for personal use.  I did like the goodies tab and found that it would be helpful.  

Find one that meets your criteria.  I really like Biblionasium for school.  It has many tools to use to help your students make goals and to help you with data and finding books.  I like Goodreads for my personal stuff.  I really enjoy finding books on there and reading the reviews.  I hope to really have more time and continue to explore and find out more about these various online book communities.  Find what suits you and read, read, read!

Podcasts-Why and What For?

Podcast-Why and What For?

What is a podcast, well according to wikipedia: A podcast is a form of digital media that consists of an episodic series of audio or digital radio, subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device. The word is portmanteau of "pod" and "broadcast."  taken from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast.  

So what does that mean, well to me in my classroom and hopefully one day a library it means creating a sound recording for various purposes.  

So now you are thinking how can podcast be used in the classroom or a library?  There are so many different ways that students can use podcast to showcase their learning.  Some that I have found are:

Discuss and summarize learning units

Read Alouds

Library Tours

Book Talks

Reader's Theater

Current Events newscasts-great for social studies

Reading Radio - summaries of books they are reading

Roving Reporter - interviewing key people in important upcoming events in school

Celebrate Culture - telling about important cultural events at the school or community

Bring Your Teacher Home-for that need review or were absent, podcast important parts of the lesson.

Music Casts - bands and choir, could use to showcase instruments, their sounds, characteristics, etc.

Awesome Audio Tour - give students a chance to be tour guides for new students.  Can give a detailed tour of the school that new students could listen to as they enter the school.

Podcasting Pen Pals - have interactive or encouraging podcast that are sent to another classroom in another school or country.  

Reenactments - have students reenact important events in history using period voices and word choices.

Oral Presentations- this could be for so many applications/subjects

Ideas found at: 

http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/08/07/10-podcasting-projects-every-teacher-should-try and

http://www.edutopia.org/podcasting-student-broadcasts

I love doing read alouds on podcasts so that students can listen to them time and time again to hear fluency, expression and voices modeled.  One of my all time favorite books to read this time of year is Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini  It ties into Fall really well with fairs and witches.  It is a fun book to read and my students last year loved it so much that I had students practice reading it over and over until they wanted to read to the class with fluency, expression and varied voices.  It was great!  I even invited parents to come hear their child.  My students this year are loving it as well.  

How did I make my podcast of my read aloud?  It's not to hard and with technical glitches I created mine.  My computer at school would not allow me to record the audio so I used my Iphone and created an audio file using my voice memos.  I emailed it myself and then converted it to a MP3 file. There are so many free conversion programs available.  I was then able to upload the file to Soundcloud and embed it into this blog.   So even if you don't have fancy equipment you can still have students create podcasts showing what they know without always using paper and pencil. Sometimes the ears do have it!

Happy podcasting and creating lasting sounds with your students!

Information Ethics and the library

Being a librarian means that you are the enforcer of information ethics.  The four principles of information ethics are 1.  Respect for intellectual property.  2. Respect for privacy. 3. Fair representation. and 4. Non maleficence ("doing no harm").

Image taken from:  http://telecom-it.net/index.php?ns=News&dialoose=View&id=1021&cat=7&name=campaign-kicks-off-to-raise-awareness-of-software-copyrights

I requested information in regards to copyright law violations which goes with the first principle respect for intellectual property.  I received help from librarians via the Texas Library Associations,Texas Library Connection list serv.  One instance that was reported by a librarian was was a teacher that was working with classes on a World Cultures Fair project.   The teacher was requiring students to create a PowerPoint for the project.  The problem was that the school district had not purchased the rights to the software. The teacher told, her it was not a problem because she had copied the software and given one to each student.  When the librarian found out about the illegal copy right infringement (software piracy) and distributing to the students to install on their computers; the librarian went over the liability issues of the software copyright law. The teacher was very nonchalant about the infringement and continued on with her research project with her students.  The librarian reported the teacher to the district tech department so that she could be addressed for her breach of copyright laws and the liability that she was placing the district in.  I think that the librarian handled it well.  She went over the laws of copyright with the teacher and once the teacher refused to comply she had no choice but to report the teacher to the proper district personnel.

I found some great information about  Software Copyright Law,  if you are interested please follow the link.

Copyright violations don't just happen using the internet and software.  I was able to find out about another situation that was reported by the same librarian.  This was in regards to copyright laws for books/materials.  There were a set of different grade level books purchased by an administrator for "the test" and they were asked to be bar coded and cataloged by the librarian.  When cataloging and entering the books into the system the librarian noted that there was a copyright law that only one teacher and their classes only would be able to use the book/materials.  So the librarian made labels to note the copyright information on the front of the books.  She met with the administration to let them know about the copyright issue with the books and discussed the labels she placed onto the materials.  She offered a copy of the fair use and copyright laws and the administration declined the copy.  The librarian was told to check out the books to the department heads.  Weeks went by and a teacher came to check out a copy of the book in question.  The librarian told the teacher about the copyright issue and how it had been resolved.  The teacher left saying that she would ask about being able to check out the materials.  When leaving the librarian saw the teacher talking with the administrator and she entered the conversation and again offered the copyright and fair use paper and it was declined yet again.  At that time the administrator rolled her eyes.  A few weeks later the books were requested by the administrator (that they be removed from the library catalog) and the school secretary was sent to pick them up.  They were never seen again in the library.  Looking at this situation the librarian was doing her job of making sure that the teachers and administration were following fair use and copy right laws.  It is unfortunate that the administration disregarded the law and moral codes.  I'm not sure what else the librarian could have done to ensure that the law was being followed.  The librarian did keep copies of all emails about the materials in regards to the copyright violations that could be taking place with multiple teachers using the one copy of the book/materials.  Even though she was ridiculed she stuck to her morals and didn't give up with the materials while they were in her library.  What a difficult position the administrator put this librarian in.  I know that most teachers and administrators try to do what is morally right and follow the law.  Maybe one more thing the librarian could have done was have a quick copyright and fair use presentation at a faculty meeting to remind and help reinforce the compliance of fair use and copyright laws.

Great website to get information in regards to Fair Use

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

Copyright violations happen and as librarians we have to be the enforcers to make sure that we do not have any liability to ourselves, schools and districts.  We need to educate others and bring them up to standards on Fair Use vs. Copyright.

Image from: http://www.librarian.net/stax/3368/copyright-is-killing-sound-archiving-and-fair-use-isnt-doing-so-well-either/

See below for Fair Use -

Image from: http://www.korsgaardscommentary.com/2013/04/my-fair-use-headache.html

Bell, M. (1998). Kiss and Information Ethics. TAET Journal, Spring 1998.

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

Videos

By looking at several different school library Youtube channels I am posting some of my favorites that I think will be most helpful to students and which they would like the best.

NHS Library

Getting Started with the NHS Library Website -

This is a great tool for students to use that shows them how to use the library website and how to find the resources that they might need.





How To Use EBSCOHost -

This video is a great tool for students to view to help them to locate information that they might need for research.  It tells them how to log into and complete searches using EBSCOHost and that they can be accessed at home or at school.



Tiger Visits the Norman High Library-

I added this extra video because I thought it was fun and that the students would enjoy watching it.  It also gives them a great look at what's available in their library.  Cute idea to promote the use of the library.





The Unquiet Library



Finding CC Licensed Images in Advanced Flickr  Search

This is a great video that shows students how to find Creative Commons Images that can be used for projects.  How to read the license information and how to pick the photo.




Tutorial Video for Tillery: PowerPoint "How To" Basics

This is a great video to show students the basics on how to create a PowerPoint presentation.   Students can use PowerPoint to complete a project.




Pikesville HS Library

This library did not have as much to watch it   and it seems to be lacking current videos.  I did however find the following two videos interesting and informative.


2014-2015 Course Advisement

This is a great resource for students to use to make their course choices.  I think that all schools should do this and that students would really like it.





Hip Hop Day @ The Panthers Library

This is a great video showing what is being done in the library.  What a creative way to bring something that the students are passionate about and engage them in learning.  Students seemed to be engaged and enjoying the lesson.



Last but not least the BBMSmedia

This Youtube channel has so many great student created videos.  It's great to see what students can do and motivates me to use this in my library when I get one.

Bring Back Your Books (Going Down For Real) Parody

Students would love this.  I know that my son in junior high would really get into this and it's great that the students are being creative and it's being shared.  How fun!



Twilight Overdue

Another great student created video about overdue books that students have to understand the Twilight books to be able to create it.  I love all the overdue book videos on this site.





The librarian also has book reviews that he puts on the channels for students to view.

QR Codes

I recently read the book Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I have always had a soft spot for
books about children with reading difficulties since my best friend has dyslexia. I remember her feeling dumb because of it and feeling helpless to get her to understand that she wasn't and that I admired her for how hard she worked.  I made so many text to self connections during reading.  I created a book trailer which is a great way to encourage students to read a book and gives them a chance to see a little about what the book is like before reading.  Please scan the QR code below to see my book trailer.  I hope that you enjoy it as much I as did making it using Animoto.

The author of the beloved One for the Murphys gives readers an emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who’s ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn’t fit in.

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

QR codes are a great tool to use in the library.  There are so many ways to engage your students. They seem intimidating but are actually very easy to create and use.  Some examples of using QR codes in your library are:

Creating a Dewey Hunt

Listening Centers

Book Trailers

Research

Library Media Scavenger Hunt

Library Tours

On the covers of books put- author interviews, student projects, web resources, book trailers

Marketing with Parents

Summarizing Books

Check out this link to Library Girl's site to learn more about QR codes

Happy scanning!

Blogs and RSS Readers

I started following librarian blogs as soon as I started on my MLS in the Fall of 2013.  They are a great source of information and can help you to grow your professional learning network.  

I have used Bloglovin for a few years now and love the ease of using it and being able to quickly scan and see who has posted by looking at the picture and blurbs and deciding if I want to read further instead of having to go to individual blogs to read their latest post.  

I checked out other RSS readers such as Feedly.  I did like some of the items that they have available and being able to save articles into Evernote was a great addition.  I was not as fond of   News Blur, it seemed like it would be better suited for a business professional, It just was not as user friendly and felt more corporate to me.  Everytime I tried the Bloglines site it was down and I was not able to review it.  I really love Bloglovin for it's east of use. 

I have been following several blogs for a couple of years now and my favorites are:

Abby the Librarian

She is a youth librarian.  Her blog is great because is has many wonderful ideas for book talking, collection development, etc.  You can find her blog at  http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/

The Library Goddess

This blog is one of the first that I found after starting my MLS.  I always enjoy reading about what she is doing in her library.  She talks about technology that she is doing with classes and has started a Book Talk Tuesday.  You can find her blog at http://valeriebyrdfort.com/

Library Displays

This is a great blog with picture of displays for your school library.  I really love it for ideas for the library.  There are ideas for elementary to high school displays, which is great because it covers areas that I have not taught before.  It's always great to see things and think, why didn't I think of that.  You can find the blog at  http://schoollibrarydisplays.blogspot.com/

The Adventures of Library Girl
 

This blog has so much wonderful information.  It is a place that I go when I need information about many topics.  I really love her blog about her Livebinder that she created to help you create your own PLN   You can find it at http://www.livebinders.com/ /play?id=441748

She has great information on reading aloud, her and her friend have created #2jennsBookClub on Twitter that they talk about YA literature.  This is a genre that I was not familiar with before starting my MLS.  She also talks about ideas for principals, so it's great way to help you advocate for your library and the things that you need to make it great for your students and staff.  You can find her blog at http://www.librarygirl.net/

The Library Voice

There are so many great technology ideas that can be used in the classroom as well as the library.  I am very excited about some recent posts with GoNoodle and Biblionasium.  I am using GoNoodle in the classroom and kids are loving it and it's really helping them to take breaks and focus on our lessons when we are done.  They love watching their creature grow.  She is a person to  watch to get information  on what's new and happening.  Shannon's blog can be found at  http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/

 

Tumblr

Tumblr is another great site to go for blogs.  I am following a lot of my blogs that I already follow on Bloglovin.  I had not been on Tumblr before but I quickly joined and created my own.  I love how it is so visual.  I reminds me of Twitter but with more pictures instead of words. It's a great place to continue to build your PLN. 

You can follow me at http://charlottepolk71.tumblr.com/

I hope that you find these blogs and the ways to follow them as interesting and informative as I do, happy reading!

Teens and Technology-2013

After looking through the PEW research site I was curious about how teens access the internet and started with an article from 2013 titled - Teens and Technology 2013.  It's about how more teens are using smartphones and how that has influenced their accessing the internet.  I also found it interesting that more girls access the internet through their smartphones than boys.  It happens in my house, I will jump on my Iphone or Ipad and search something because it's faster than booting up my computer like my husband.  I'm looking forward to reading more about teens and technology and finding if there are any changes in 2014 with the percentages of how teens access the internet. I know that with today's fast paced society we are on the go more than we are at at home.  Having access to the internet through smartphones makes life easier, finding information, shopping, paying bills, etc. is always at your fingertips.

The article I read was 19 pages long.

Twitter

Twitter Tech

What's all the fuss about Twitter, it's taken me a while to warm up to it but I think in today's fast paced society it's a quick way to see what's new and happening without have to spend hours.  I posted some of my recent favorites from some of the biggest names in educational technology.

w00t! Padlet for iOS released! https://t.co/Fj4JqiFTam #EdTech

— Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) August 11, 2015

I love how this is something that I can use with my 2nd graders and free is always affordable.

Libs 2 MT @larrymagid: Teachers Plzshare Ed Guide to Social Media wperhapsreluctant colleagues. http://t.co/oya96hHSVz #digitalliteracy

— Linda W Braun (@lbraun2000) August 18, 2015

Great link to an Educator's Guide to Social Media

▶️ Short video with some reasons why Chromebooksare great for students: https://t.co/a5eqrklJCr #byotchat #edtechchat

— Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) August 24, 2015

We now have a Chromebook in each of our elementary classrooms and a set of 12 in our library for students to use.  The possibilities are endless and if we can teach them young then the possibilities for them are endless.  

“We Never Use Pen & Paper” http://t.co/6aDorOUyK5 I loved this post when it was published and still do--a timely re-read.

— Buffy J. Hamilton (@buffyjhamilton) August 12, 2015

I really love the term digital friendly in the reading, going paperless is just not an option in our district.

Tweet Like a Ninja - #PicMonkeySmarts #EDUSpin http://t.co/6pnWWY9nnb

— The Daring Librarian (@GwynethJones) August 19, 2015

Twitter still makes me nervous since I still consider myself a newbie after more than a year.  This is a great guide to help make it easier.

There are so many tweets with great tech ideas that link to her blog posts. Check her blog out at The Daring Librarian

Facebook for Libraries - Does it help?

Does having a Facebook page help promote libraries? 

I decided to look at different Facebook pages of elementary libraries.  I found that my favorite was from a librarian that I follow on her blog.  Valerie Byrd Fort "Library Goddess" at http://valeriebyrdfort.com.  The Facebook page for her school is found at NPESLibraryMediaCenterLearningCommons.  I like how she ask patrons what books they would like to see ordered for the school.  Great way to involve the students in the collection building process.  They also have post about Book Talk Tuesday were she promotes books, authors, or series on the page.  There are so many things on their page to promote and encourage reading.  It is frequently updated with information such as newsletters, story time dates, birthday book club information, and the library newsletter is even linked to make it easily accessible.

Another site that I looked at was Curry Elementary School Library  Facebook page. The post from May 31st about book fines at the end of the year is hilarious.  If I could sing this is something I would do!  Video by school librarian Mary Evelyn Smith - parody "All About Them Books"  There are also other fun and engaging post.

I also looked at Stroud Elementary Facebook page they post about following on Twitter and all about author visits, school happenings, and events as well as links about reading.  They had several posts from a field trip that looked amazing.  

One thing that I noticed that seemed to be a pattern with all the pages was that not many posts regardless of how engaging or interesting they were had many likes or responses to the posts.  Many went without one like or response at all.  My first thought was that either it is not being marketed enough to let students and parents know about following the page or it's become blase.

I think even with the lack of responses that I would still start a page for my library once I become a school librarian.  I would most likely market the Facebook page so that parents are aware of the many wonderful things that are happening at their child's school library.