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.