Vision of the Teacher-Librarian in the 21st Century

**Volume of speakers may be a little low.

This final assignment was interesting. It gave me the opportunity to go back and read my contributions to this course. I even went back and posted my discussion posts to the blog and added some after thoughts to them. Certain points that I thought about at the time have now changed, others have intensified. I fell in love with Flipboard and Pinterest. Diigo became less interesting with all the other ways of tracking. Twitter is now less intrusive.

From my posts, I noticed that I really wanted to learn how to use the Windows Movie Maker so that I could make the most of it in the school library since we have converted to PCs.

So, as a result, I decided to make a movie using that tool for my Vision. Unlike the first time, I watched more YouTube videos and learned some simple tricks to make my life easier while editing. I feel that I still need some work in refining it and trying to figure out how to manage the sound a bit better but overall I think the video turned out pretty good. It turns out that Windows Movie Maker isn't so bad!

For my vision, I wanted to include my students in the process. I interviewed them about how they felt about the library, the teacher-librarian and technology in the library. From them, I got some thoughtful responses and what they said complemented what my vision for teacher-librarianship in the 21st Century is like. I learned quite a bit from them and it seems that I am on the right track.

I revisited the question from Kist about the classroom becoming as big as the world. I don't know if I answered it any better but I do feel that it's a question that really made me think about where I want to be with the library as a teacher and a T-L. And after exploring all the different web tools out there, I feel that it is even more important to use those resources to ensure that I remain current and knowledgeable. The internet is overwhelming and without the help of a guide (T-L), it could  be more stressful than helpful. This course showed me that there is a wealth of treasure out there, I just have to sift through them and try them out for myself. I'm glad that I got that opportunity to do it with this course because I probably would not have otherwise.

Information Overload

After reposting this on my blog makes me rethink about overload now...

In your groups, I would ask you to discuss the following questions: There's so much to read/learn/think about in the Web 2.0 environment...how are you managing information overload? How are you getting (and staying?) organized in your highly connected world? What strategies have you discovered to help you manage information in effective ways?

 

I have to admit that online courses create information overload for me.

The worst part is that I can't keep up with postings and discussions. It consumes me completely - so much that I sometimes avoid logging into Vista. Of course, this is also bad as I end up with even more posts to read. Any way around this?

Organization though?

I use Google products to keep things together

In terms of Google products, I use Google Drive when I need to take notes off my iPad so that I can access them anywhere with the swipe of a finger. The Google Reader has been keeping me up to date with postings in the class as well as postings from other blogs I have been following. 

After exploring Flipboard and Pinterest, I've been looking through those more regularly and bookmarking ideas that I found interesting and reading articles of my taste.

I am using Diigo to see how that organizes my websites. We'll see how that goes.

I've actually stopped using Diigo as I haven't found a good use for it as I didn't like having to log-in to another website to access my bookmarks that are already favourited on my browser. I will try Google Chrome's bookmarking instead as it seems more accessible.
Twitter is also an overload for me although I do like the stuff I come across when I do sit down to look. 

I finally removed some people that I found tweeted too much for me to take in and created a list for them. This was a huge relief for me. Having a list makes it much easier to digest certain people in my PLN. This way, I can check out their posts more leisurely and that helps me keep organized with the other tweets.
I like to file everything into folders when I get the opportunity - which is the one thing I actually dislike about Gmail (no folders)

I try to find 1 application out of many to use and stick with it for as long as I can.

I also like my dropbox because it I can make all sorts of folders <3 

Reading in an online environment

How do you read in a Web 2.0 world? It’s interesting reading the article from New York Times, Of Two Minds About Books, because I felt that way at one point, too. Reading from a book gives a physical aspect to it that’s different from reading an ebook. I don’t feel the texture and I don’t flip the pages the way I do with a print book. The connection seems different.
However, my boyfriend bought me a Kindle two years ago and I fell in love. It made reading easier. The screen is different than that of a regular tablet or computer so it felt like reading a book. I could easily change from one book to another and I don’t have to worry about carrying multiple books when I’m travelling because it’s all in one device. The battery lasts a long time before I have to recharge. But don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy reading print. I just interchange between the two.
Now I even like reading from the iPad and iPhone. Life has never been easier. I can access my iPhone anywhere and just read when I’m waiting. Love this accessibility.

Is reading online different from reading traditional print texts? What strategies do readers need to develop in order to effectively read different kinds of texts? Do you read electronic texts? What are your experiences reading these different texts?
Reading now is different from traditional texts because there are more options available at the same time. I can zoom into a piece of text that is too small and be able to read it. I can change the size of the font and I can easily jump from one section to the other. I think people really enjoy the ability to access the dictionary option when they come across a word they don’t know and just click on it and find out right then and there. The ability to add notes and highlight parts of the text and use the find option makes a difference to readers of different levels and needs. The links can take people to other pages that can elaborate on a certain topic for those who would be interested. There is even the option of read aloud for those who need it.
My sister just started her first year in Pharmacy and they decided to go electronic. She downloads her notes onto her iPad every night and takes it to school. She annotates her notes via the app, Notability, that the school suggested and it’s pretty neat. She likes it because it’s all in one place and she doesn’t have to bring a whole stash of paper to school.

How can teacher-librarians model or promote this kind of 'new' reading to colleagues and students? What leadership role can/should teacher-librarians and lead teachers take in this area?
I think this is tough in the sense of promoting it to the whole school. The technology is here but not everyone is able to access this. Our school, due to our catchment area, is still trying to update our computers to match today’s needs while other schools are purchasing iPads. Our 1 mobile cart is outdated and half the laptops had to be fixed this year. It’s tough to promote new technology and new reading when we can’t even get our computers to run smoothly enough to give confidence to teachers to use technology in their classes. Not all students have the same access at home either. The expectation is that all students have a computer and internet these days but there is still a small percentage that do not. It’s a really interesting area where I feel that we are not quite there yet and I can’t push it until we are ready for this ‘new’ reading.
Richardson states that he reads on screen “95%” (2010) of the time. For myself, I read about 80%. Our school is slowly switching over to paperless as much as possible. Our staff weekly updates are via email, we have a virtual staffroom that I try promoting since the beginning of the term. I post any links or hand outs there for teachers to access. I think once the whole issue with ebooks is settled, we will be pushing towards ebooks. Some of the teachers have set up blogs/websites to keep their students up to date. I have helped a few get started. The library has its own as well that I update regularly. It will be awhile before the students are able to do that as well. Right now, our school still uses paper because it is the most reliable! Any project collaborations we have, I push for students to take notes via Google docs and I promote Web 2.0 tools for their end products. So far, the results are positive and the teachers like the end products. We recently created a wikispaces for a Social Studies 10 class on the Confederation to teach them to collaborate to create a page that they can refer back to for studying! Change starts little by little. Yay!

Work Cited
Richardson, W. (2010). Reading screens, writing screens, touching screens. Retrieved from: http://weblogg-ed.com/2010/reading-screens-writing-screens-teaching-screens/ RICHTEL, M., & MILLER, C. (2010, September 1). Print or Pixels? Publishers Strive to Advance Both - NYTimes.com.The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/technology/02couples.html?_r=3&th&emc=th Of Pixels and Pages. (2010). Retrieved from:http://nyti.ms/9qWjqS

Digital Footprints

Just tying up loose ends and putting this last post on my blog so that it will always be there unlike Vista...

Issues related to privacy and personal digital footprints are often being debated in schools and libraries. How much information should we put out 'there' about ourselves? How much information about us already exists about there? How do we manage our digital footprint? What strategies do you use to teach your students to manage their own digital footprints? 

When I give a lesson on research, I try to touch on the subject of giving credit to photos we take from the internet and where we should be taking these photos. For this, I like to use Facebook as an example of how unsafe our personal photos are. Many of the students do not realize that FB can use our photos for whatever purpose they see fit. They don't even have to give us credit for it. Imagine a photo they took that belongs to you for some sort of ad. How would you feel about that? It's nice to point that out to them to bring awareness to what they post on their FB.



This leads to the talk about how nothing is impossible and that anything we put on the web stays on the web regardless of whether we remove or secure those moments. I always encourage students to not put their last names on the web and try to avoid any personal information especially if it is not required. Always be aware of what they put online because it can backfire.



I really enjoyed the video about digital dossier. In this age, it is inevitable to have a footprint, we just need to make sure how we make it. Make it a positive one.

***This year, we created a Tumblr account to capture students at our school reading. Before we started to post those photos online, I had to make sure that it was safe to put student photos online. After discussion, student photos can be put on the web but their names must remain anonymous. I even thought about uploading our Matheson On The Move video announcements on YouTube but that could be another can of worms. 

My previous professor said that in this digital age, we must make a name for ourselves and put our "brand" out there. Instead of being anonymous, make a name for yourself in this digital age. There are some many different ideas on how to approach the World Wide Web that it's still a wide debate on what to do...

Blogs

Blogs or Weblogs...The invention that changed how we interact on the cloud! 

Here is some interesting facts about blogging:

Image courtesy of blogging.org

jeffbullas' blog gives tips on how to create one that "begs to be read" and that's where I originally saw the photo above about blogging facts. 

Blogging has made writing an essential tool. There is always talk about writing going extinct but that's not true at all. Blogging has been a huge hit over the years and has always required extensive writing and reading from both the blogger and their audience. Every since blogging got easier to use to create posts, even more people blog and it has evolved a great deal. 

Now blogs do not necessarily have to be for "journal type" content. It can be a website, it can be for business as much as it is for personal use. There is nothing a blog can't do nowadays and that's what makes it so versatile and powerful in this age. 

Furthermore, blogging is coming to the students. The new generation can no longer be contained in a piece of paper that only their teachers read. They want an audience that can comment and help them improve and shine in ways that were unknown before. There is so much potential with blogging that I wish that every student has their own device to blog daily as part of class so that their peers can immediately provide the feedback that the teacher cannot possibly do on their own. 

As for blogs, there are so many to choose from...

I've tried Wordpress

Sophisticated and classy but I still find it a bit difficult to use when adding widgets and configuring styles.

I've tried Tumblr

This one I use to post photos of students reading in my school. A project that was launched by my photo teacher and me as a collaborative project. It is a very simple type blog that has mainly photos and videos. It does contain words but less so.

I've tried Blogger

This is my go to blog space. It is the most simple to use for me. I find that the widgets are really easy to add and all the information is accessible. I can do things without getting frustrated and it is linked to my Google account. 

Here is a YouTube of what is a blog:

RSS

RSS = Real Simple Syndication

It's actually really funny how we have come to a full circle. The Google Reader bundle that Aaron created for our class is actually an RSS feed! I've subscribed to one and didn't even know it. In fact, I thought that an RSS feeder was more like these:

I always thought that RSS feeds are these blocks that you embed into your blog to capture conversations about your blog/topic. In fact, I was quite stumped at how to put one onto my library website so that I could have my twitter feed there so people can read what I tweet. I once asked my athletic director because he has one on his blog and I was super jealous. He never told me how. He just said it was easy. Argh!!! And then it got busy and I got sidetracked and forgot.

I'm quite glad for this opportunity to attempt this once again. However, I realized that an RSS feed isn't exactly that. Sort of but not really.The RSS in Plain English YouTube explained to me what it was and I now understand! It's just a method of gathering websites or blogs that I like into one place so that I get updates whenever they update so that I don't waste my time re-visiting blogs wondering if they updated or not. Google Reader is great for this since it also has an app for my phone that alerts me when there's an update

So, as a next step, I learned how to add an RSS feeder subscription option onto this blog so that people can add me to their RSS feed. I embedded an RSS feed from the Daring Librarian's blog so that her updates will be shown on my blog. I even tried to add a twitter feed to this blog because I wanted to see if I could do it. I ended up with a bird that says follow me and it opens up a link to my twitter page.

I went back to the drawing board and decided to to YouTube it and try again but the video I watched was out of date. So I decided to type in twitter widget into the search bar in Twitter and found it!

For those of you who want to have a Twitter Feed like mine, this is how you do it once you log into Twitter:

1. Go to SETTINGS
2. Click on WIDGETS on the side
3. Click on CREATE and choose the type of feed you would like to see

You can choose the type of Twitter Feed you want to display and fill in the necessary information. Once complete, you copy the embed code and go to your blog and paste it in the HTML widget option!

Look at mine on your top right of the blog --> 

That's what it looks like

Hope that helps.