Well, tomorrow will bring June...and I just cannot get on board with how quickly time is flying by. But that's the funny thing about time - it never asks you to get on board.
Monday marks two months at eChalk. A newbie though I am, I've already had some amazing opportunities. At our marketing director's suggestion, I applied for the Association of Educational Publishing's (AEP) Talent and Development Scholarship to attend this year's Content in Context Conference in D.C. This year's theme is Publishing 3.0 and will focus on the innovative ways that content publishers, developers and packagers are getting into the 21st Century classroom.
I am very fortunate to have been selected along with three other applicants to attend CIC next week! The scholarship winners will each write four posts on AEP's blog, prior to, during and after the event. Check out my first one: "Examining the Role of Tech and Social Media in Education at the CIC."
Stay tuned... I'll be tweeting (Betamee) during the conference and will post future posts here, as well.
Where I grew up in Upstate New York, I attended one of the best public schools in the region. I received what my parents and I regarded as a superb education – and it was. I had excellent teachers, access to excellent libraries, and engaged daily in collaborative, hands-on learning.
Yet today, if someone were to clone my education experience, it would just be “okay.” Why? Because it’s lacking the 21st Century.
Today there is the understanding that a good education requires access to modern technology, and the AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner are at the forefront:
Learners Use Skills, Resources and Tools To:
1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations,and create new knowledge.
3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
4.Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.
The Skills, Resources and Tools have changed and will continue to change as technology evolves and society requires more from its citizens.
In the span of my lifetime, I have gone from no Web, to Web 1.0, to Web 2.0. In my graduate courses, I have learned of how teachers and library media specialists are incorporating web 2.0 tools and the hardware that accompanies it into their planning for students. Everything is changing along with it, and everything seems to be adopting the “2.0” label to announce modernity…Web 2.0, Library 2.0, Reading 2.0…
So yes, I believe that a “good education” is not a fixed thing, but a continuum based on available resources and time. Right now, a good education calls for Education 2.0. We have Web 2.0, why not Ed. 2.0?
Digital Storytelling is fun, educational, inspirational, informational, and when done without a plan, HARD.
Charged with the task of creating a digital story, I decided to tell my own story – it is, in fact, the one I know best.I knew I wanted to use iMovie for all its versatility.I imagined a slideshow of sorts, since I don’t really enjoy being filmed :).I would gather pictures, create narration, and add an audio track.
First I had to decide the main idea of my story: How and I why I decided to become a teacher librarian.That was the easy part.
I’ve read enough about digital storytelling and done enough non-digitalstorytelling in my life to know that I needed an outline.I found an awesome open-source program called Celtx that allowed me to create storyboards to plan my project.Before I could break it down into boards, I needed a flow.
Where to start? This was a hard question to answer.I wanted my story to provide a good idea of who I am, without being too lengthy.I decided to go back to the beginning (little kid Lauren), but through the lens of storytelling. I also knew I wanted to insert a lot of knowledge I’ve gained about the field throughout my graduate courses.
With those decisions out of the way, I began planning my story.I used my outline to write the script in Celtx.I was able to break it down into “scenes,” and then within the scenes, simple “shots.”
As I began writing, the narration came to me.I split the lines into shots, and wrote descriptions of the images that I wanted to use or find to include in the story.
I then used the shot descriptions to find and gather all of the images into one place, a project folder in iPhoto.Meanwhile, I made sure to keep a word document with all of the image information so I wouldn’t have to spend too much time on citing sources later.
I ran into a problem, though.For several shots, I couldn’t find pictures that were both appropriate for the message I wanted to get across, AND personal enough to my story.So, I decided to try one of the web tools that has been touted by many an educator: Toondo.com.In ToonDo, I was able to create a cartoon character for myself.Then I inserted her into several different scenes that I created, changed her facial expressions and postures, and voila, I had several cartoon images to add to my story.While creating my cartoons, I kept thinking how much fun kids could have with this, and how easy it is to use.
The process of putting the iMovie together took a LONG time.I inserted the pictures in order (iMovie and iPhoto talk to each other, so my photos were already uploaded into iMovie) based on my storyboard.I then recorded the voice over, which was simple, but shotty.I don’t like my voice, so I had to learn to live with the output.Also, I don’t exactly live in a sound booth, and recording based on the Metro North Train schedule (every two minutes outside my window) was a little annoying.
I added transitions, worked on Ken Burns cropping (so it looks like the individual pictures are zooming), and then went on a search for music.A colleague told me about a great site called freeplaymusic.com that she uses when putting together company videos.You can browse for music by style (pop, folk, country…) or feel (happy, morose, bouncy…) and preview songs by different clip lengths.Best of all, you can download the songs for free!I found a fun song called “Moments Alone” that suits me perfectly.It’s a piano solo that sounds uplifting, but is not too spunky.
The clip wasn’t long enough for my story, so I used Garage Band (another Mac program) to chop it up and piece it back together to the length that I needed.I inserted it in my iMovie project, and iMovie automatically reduced the music volume to work with my voice narration.
I added my citations to scrolling credits, and decided to be done.Yes, I had to make the decision, because otherwise I could make tweaks forever and never be satisfied.
I shared the video with my Vimeo account right through iMovie, and voila!
Technology is awesome. It’s a major theme of my blog because of my course about integrating technology into the curriculum, and I’ve been able to preview and use so many great new web 2.0 tools for education.
However, my graduate courses have also been able to connect me back to something I used to love, and that is YA fiction.
When I began my course track in school library and media studies, I was immediately leaning toward elementary library. I love elementary students and the fact that they are still kids. I love showing young kids cool things for the first time, and helping them to figure out what this big world is all about.
But, after having observed in Middle School LMCs, I’m realizing that middle school students are still in that discovery period. Even better, they are starting to gain a sense of who they are and how they fit into this world. That’s a really exciting time. It’s a hard time, too, and there’s even more we as educators can do for them.
Because they are slightly older and have developed higher order thinking skills, middle school students are able to really start using some of the cool new web 2.0 creation tools in elaborate ways.
PLUS, bringing it back to YA fiction, there are some really great books out there to help them through adolescence.
This semester, I have had the opportunity to read such a great handful of books geared toward teens that span a wide range of themes, genres, and target audiences. For my final project, I wrote a bibliographic essay on YA dystopian novels and why (or why not) young adults should read them. Several of the books were geared toward high school students, but there are some great books out there for middle-aged kids, too.
Absorbing myself in the books that kids are reading just really brought me back home and reminded me that even without all the jazzy new tech tools, adolescence can be an exciting time for learning and discovery and thought-provoking discussions.
One of the great things about recent teen dystopias is that so many of them focus on the dangers of technology in terms of privacy and future problems, such as over population. Since technology is SO ingrained in kids’ lives today, literature can be a great way to have them think critically about the whole picture.
So, while I’ve made final decisions, I think my courses and observations have really changed my mind about the future that I see for myself as an LMS. I might be ready to do something that I NEVER thought I’d want to do…and that is go back to Middle School!
Every now and then I have to stop myself and ask the question: "Why am I in school to be a library media specialist?" For the last two years, the answer has revolved around my passion for education, my affinity for children, my relationship with literature, and my belief that kids today need to learn so much more to be successful in their lives...to be 21st century learners and contributors. I've always had an interest in new media and the possibilities for its application in education...so it all seems to come together quite nicely.
But, when I remember back a few years, before I knew the term "library media specialist," back when the person in the library was known as a "librarian," and the main tools for use in the library were books, and the technology that did exist was mainly used for finding books...
I wonder if kids today will have that same fond nostalgia for their elementary library media program as I do for mine.
The two graduate courses I am taking now coexist much how I imagine technology and books coexist in a library. My course on technology (LIS 629) is rooted in the present, but always thinking about the future. My course on young adult literature (LIS 729) is rooted in the past, attempting to find the present.
While 629 has inspired me to celebrate the new web tools and technologies that are out there and being integrated into Library curriculum to revolutionize the ways educators are preparing students for the future...729 has forced me to remember why I grew fond of the library in the first place: the books.
There is absolutely no reason technology and books (and technology-loving librarians and book-loving librarians) can't partner to provide the best of both worlds. In fact, that's exactly what's going on in model school libraries across the country. But class discussions in 729 have brought to my attention that there are people out there who believe that a little piece of library heaven is being lost with the integration of so much technology, and the lack of focus on good-old-fashioned books.
T'will be a shorter post than my usual marathons, so allow yourself a sigh of relief.
Recently I discussed how I agree with some forward thinkers that video games might be able to save the world. Okay, I at least believe that online games have a positive place in education. One of the gaming world's strongest assets is its supportive and collaborative environment. When gamers work together, they achieve some pretty amazing things.
Collaboration is where the 21st century is at, and some pretty amazing web tools are allowing for some pretty amazing collaborative environments.
One in particular that I have never much paid much attention to is Google Docs. I've used it for some basic functions - online word processing, saving work in the virtual cloud, etc. It's nice to have that seemingly limitless availability of storage space that can be accessed from any online connection. And, for the most part, we don't have to worry about computer crashes and lost work when it's saved on the cloud.
But Google Docs apparently allows for a lot more than word processing and peace-of-mind storage. Check out this video that a friend recently shared with me, highlighting some of the impressive products of Google Docs: Google Demo Slam: Epic Docs Animation.
"I have seenam making the future." - Jane McGonical and the Institute for the Future.
I grew up thinking video games were bad. They were a fun way to waste time, but they ultimately caused children to go numb with stupidity and a lack of awareness for their surroundings. They could be played completely stationary, allowing a child to exert little-to-no energy, save for the twiddling of their thumbs. They could be played alone, isolating a child from friends and family. And...they seemed to be the number one way to procrastinate doing homework.
All things bad.
There was and still is a stigma tagged to video-game-playing-children (assigned mostly by the mothers of their non-video-game-playing friends) that seems to say you're not good at many things, are you? Not good at school, not good at sports, probably not very good at playing with other kids, either.
My older brother is a gamer. He has gamer friends. And, over the years, I've watched him become engrossed in one game and then another, coming down for dinner only after reaching the coveted "save point," doing homework assignments only during mandatory game breaks, and taking little interest in things like "books," unless they are filled with game strategies and cheats.
I'm not going to lie to you...I was unimpressed. I was the little sister, the one who always did well in school. The one who could be found studying or at an extra-curricular event, pulling all-nighters even in high school. The one who, save for a Super Mario game here and there, had little interest in (nor talent for) video games. So when Older Brother used to peep into my room to congratulate me for a good report card and express how he wished he could do as well as me in school, there was little sympathy on my end.
What does this nostalgic look at video games have to do with my journey into the world of library? Well...two things have recently forced me to take a different look at video games and the gamers who play them. Nay, conquer them.
I'll be the first to admit that I am a gadget fiend. I love new technology, and I love having it first. There is just something so satisfying about sharing cool new things with your friends, family, colleagues, and students. It is as if, somehow, because they are hearing it from you, you get to take responsibility for its awesomeness. It's totally ridiculous, but I digress...
When it comes to pricey toys that can be bought in stores, read: iPad, iPod, i[insertanythinghere], I am rarely, if ever, a first/early adopter. I don't have the mojo to keep up that style. But that is what is so great about Web 2.0...there's a lot of cool and nerdy stuff out there for (wait for it) ... FREE!
Having been out of the school setting (both K-12 and college) for a few years now, I've grown distant from the environment where new web tools are shared because they are useful, rather than just because they are cool. LIS 629 is all about integrating technology into the school library media program...and so it goes without saying that web tools are a main component. For a recent course task, I was charged with creating accounts on several new "Web 2.0" website accounts. This of course came with the excitement of browsing new tools and wanting to play with them right away. Since I love to share, those around me have been receiving my Web gems (virtual comic strips, glogs, animoto movies, virtual bookshelves, livebinders, etc) via e-mail as I tool around and discover how awesome they are.
But, what's even coolER (to reference the title of this entry) is that these tools can enhance education in ways that no textbooks could ever dream of. They are fun, easy to use, and adept at building 21st century skills. Kids learn how to collect information, analyze that information, and then use that information to create, produce, and discover something new. Then it's as easy as 1 2 3 to share it with their teachers, classmates, and parents.
When I show these tools to friends and colleagues, many of them are seeing them for the first time. Their reaction is always the same..."COOL!" I have always been that girl who likes to write a paper for school and then share it with her friends. If something interests me, I like to show it to others to get their feedback and open discussion. For years, my friends have been humoring me while reading my papers or looking at my projects. But now when I share my work, I get the feeling that my friends actually enjoy looking at my websites, wikis, blogs, glogs, prezis, wallwishers, etc - rather than resenting me for sharing.
As is proper with most blogs these days (as if blogs have been around forever!), I will begin with an introduction to myself and the reason I have chosen to share my thoughts with those who share my cyberspace.
You see...it all started when I was two years old and my mom let me hold my first book. Just kidding :). My name, for the purpose of this blog and to those who know me best, is LB. I spent my childhood making up stories and sharing them through a variety of medias...the spoken word, short stories, long stories, poems, plays, movies... I was and still am fascinated by what I don't know. I spent my teenage years buried in books, mostly for school, but often for cathartic reasons, as well. During my undergraduate years at NYU I dabbled in English, Dramatic Literature, Journalism, and Psychology, graduating with such an array of interests that I was (almost) more lost than when I started.
I went into the New York City Public School system pumped to change lives. I came out with my life changed.
