Maker Spaces and Blog Share

 

I have been a maker as long as I can remember. As a young child I loved absolutely anything I could draw, cut, collect, build, or transform into something unique. Art and making things offered a happy emotional outlet throughout my childhood and even today I still get excited every time I start a new project. The only place I love more than the library, is an art room. So, when my kids where young I was thrilled to see the maker movement really take off in school and library programs. Celebrating creativity and the magic of discovery in the inquiry process is such a huge part of transforming information into an experiential learning process. Even something as simple as dumping a box of supplies on a table of first grade class and issuing a creativity challenge will show you the natural innovation and out the box thinking the kids will engage in. Maker Spaces have certainly grown in popularity and picked up some cool tech additions along the way. From printers, sewing machines, painting, or makey do's, there are endless possibilities to fit any budget or time constraints. There can be initially a greater of focus on the aesthetic or technology components of making things but underneath whatever project is being completed, there a world of meaning making happening and neural connections being developed. In the Maker Space School Edition handbook, the authors cite a greater purpose of the maker movement as a  

 means to evoke the “kind of passion and personal motivation that inspire innovation” (Maker Media, 2013). Teachers everywhere are looking at ways to promote intrinsic motivation with active participation from students in the classroom and maker programs have shown promise as an effective means to accomplish those goals.

👈This handsome guy pictured here (my son) is the next generation of makers and is currently 3D printing cookie cutters to sell at the school holiday fair in a few weeks. Maker spaces also encourage student's to become entrepreneurs with their creations. Cultivating financial literacy skills is a another great offshoot of the student maker movement. 

My Blog Share this week comes from Shannon McClintock Miller who writes a blog called the Library Voice. I found her blog on twitter and it is chock full of fabulous library ideas and information. This week her post, “So You Want To Build A Library...Check Out This NEW Book & 3 Makerspace Extension Activities To Do With Your Kids Too!” caught my eye as means to connect picture books with maker spaces. I appreciated Miller’s approach that connects multiple opportunities of learning within the think, create, and share domains that uses a book to inspire a hands-on group maker project. Who wouldn’t want to build a library?!? She bridges classic literacy skills with engagement of building with teams and includes 21^st century skills like programming with Tinkercad. The ideas are a great example of how school librarians can utilize technology in ways in that incorporate curriculum objectives while promoting student creativity.

https://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/2021/10/so-you-want-to-build-librarycheck-out.html

 

Maker Media. (2013) Maker Space Playbook: School Edition. Makered.org

retrieved from: https://makered.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Makerspace-Playbook-Feb-2013.pdf

 

I was sitting at the table the other day with my 12-year-old as he listed a lengthy list of reasons that he needed his own Instagram and Tik Tok accounts and I realized that as much as I want to wrap him in a safe bubble, I cannot pretend the outside world does not exist for him anymore. The social networks of adolescents today include an entire universe of connections available on the device in their pocket. The very real-life implications of having the emotional intelligence to handle the all-access pass we give to online media is not just a kid issue, but an issue we all have to recognize and address. As a parent I want my own children to understand this is not about denying access to something but making sure they understand the power of the tool they want to use. I wouldn't hand my kid a chainsaw and expect him to operate it safely with no training and yet we hand over unlimited access to the internet without teaching them the power  to wield it responsibly.  Navigating this uncharted territory starts with finding resources, support and open communication. 

Cyberbullying includes a wide range of intentional behaviors from repeated harassment and mobbing aimed to cause harm or exert power over another (Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. 2015). The shift to digital communication access for children has opened the door for childhood bullying behaviors to move from classroom to online over the last twenty years. We can see it the impacts with rise in adolescent depression, suicide, and school shootings and as a culture our response to prevention has been slow to handle to the gravity of the situation. Addressing the emotional needs of children seems like such obvious solution, but the path to achieve that goal is a source of much debate in the educational world. The focus on bullying prevention in schools is shifting to include social and emotional learning skills that will enable students to identify strategies for handling 

complex social environments. Implementing curriculum topics that discuss netiquette and digital citizenship can also help students engage in meaningful awareness and problem-solving approaches (Rech, J. 2012). A clear point from watching cyberbullying awareness videos is that students need to understand the potential impacts and harm that come when cyberbullying takes place. The library is often seen as a hub for information and community learning for all students should actively promote and discuss the impact of our digital presence. The idea of community extends beyond the classroom walls and the more included and heard the students feel will naturally extend into their communication behaviors.

Cyberbulling Research Center founded by Justin Patchin and Sammer Hindaju have created a wealth of online materials from research-based articles and sharable resources that offer up to date content on issues. For parents trying to keep up with the ever-changing terminology there is a cyberbullying glossary guide with some of there frequently used words that have emerged. Taking the time to make sure you recognize and understand changes in lingo used can go a long way in cultivating open communication channels between teachers, parents, and children. We often assume kids understand the slang words they use as well, but even if it induces dramatic eye rolling there is room to create a better understanding of terms to empower them with knowledge. Staying informed takes concerted effort and this website presented a wide variety of tools to support parents and educators on ways to combat cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying Research Center Links:  

Top-Ten-Tips-Teens-TikTok.pdf (cyberbullying.org)

2021_Cyberbullying Glossary.pub

Greenville County Schools has a police officer come present programs about internet safety and cyber bullying for students and parents. Presenting programs is one way to open discussions and create dialog that schools can use to cultivate a culture that actively works to promote digital literacy skills.  Sharing this example as an idea for how to bring in community resources to speak to cyberbullying topics. 

INFORMATION SECURITY CYBER SAFE PROGRAMS - About Me (google.com)

Cyberbullying Research Center. (2021). Cyberbullying Research Summaries and Facts Sheets. Cyberbulling.org. https://cyberbullying.org/category/publications/research-summaries-and-fact-sheets

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.

Rech, J. (2012). HOW IT’S DONE: Incorporating Digital Citizenship Into Your Everyday Curriculum. Tech & Learning, 33(1), 16–18.

 

Embracing Social Media as a Teaching Tool

Somewhere in between a teenage Tik Tok influencer and Aunt Martha posting angry memes on Facebook, there is happy balance to maintaining an informed social presence in the world.  I have yet to find that elusive balancing act. but I take some comfort in the fact that the majority of the world hasn't yet either. But there is no shortage of opinions however, on how to go about effectively incorporating into the school learning environment. Most new digital technology platforms shift our access to information in some way, but none quite to the magnitude that social media outlets have in the last ten years. No matter your personal opinion on them, they are here to stay in some fashion. Teachers, media specialists,  and informational professionals have to find ways to utilize them to maximize educational opportunities. 

The old adage that communication is the key to success has been used for generations for a reason. People want to be connected to the world around them and share their stories. The school media center can use media platforms to model the power of sharing stories. Lucas Jenson describes in the article, "Integrating Social Media into Online Education" that a key factor for success in the classroom involves more than just using it to capitalize on popularity, but rather takes careful planning and consideration to the goal and objectives for the desired outcomes of its use (2019). 

Opportunities in the Library
Possible uses for Twitter Media Center Account:
1. Instruction - Share author blog posts, podcasts and news stories for in class discussions. Source evaluation lessons and explore research possibilities. 
Analytics and data drive our economy and a critical literacy area for students to learn.
Twitter for Poetry Week and have students create poetry to using 280 characters or less

2. Communication - Libraries are active and engaging places where MAGIC happens. Most parents and even some teachers don't get to see the awesome light bulb moments that happen in the school media center. Classroom Hashtags can help students and parents follow the library happenings. 
Share the creativity found in student maker projects, favorite books, art creations, STEAM projects, or digital stories.
Share the good and the struggles. Posting about failure is something we all need to get better at doing to show that failure is a vital part of the learning process. Modeling that in tweets for students may help them find light in their own struggles. 
Use it as a volunteer recruitment to get help to support library initiatives.
Many teachers have created podcasts for their classrooms and sharing these podcasts can be an important collaboration tool to support sharing curriculum content to a larger audience. 

3. Advocacy - The things we care about MATTER. Media centers can use the platforms to highlight literacy education issues that impact students like media accountability, censorship, accessibility, and cultivating diversity. Engaging discussion and encouraging students to use their voices is part of the framework for learning we build our literacy curriculum around. 

Article Share: 

10 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom - The Edvocate (theedadvocate.org)

How Can Twitter Be Used in the Classroom? - TeachHUB

Citation Source:

Jensen, L. J. (2019). Integrating Social Media into Online Education. Library Technology Reports, 55(4), 27–30.

Twitter handle @thelibrarygnome used to follow and share all things library and media center related. 

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Being a substitute teacher means you are often stepping into different classrooms and meeting new students all the time. Sometimes it can be a challenge to understands the needs of individual students without any prior background knowledge. I find that having a big tool belt of resources available in case I need them, makes it easier to respond and support students in any situation. Students with diverse abilities might have auditory or visual challenges that need accommodation. It is critical that every student has the tools to help them succeed in the classroom. Technology has opened many doors of opportunity to better serve the individual needs of each student. Two of the adaptive supports that I have seen positively impact changes in learning are talk to type software and audiobooks. Breaking down barriers to learning with talk to type software allows students to speak into a program to create their own work. Talk to type can help a wide variety of students that have visual issues, physical limitations, or developmental delays that can make using a computer difficult. With many schools switching to being 1 to 1 with technology devices, it can further the divide if a student struggles with using a Chromebook to turn in assignments. Software like Google Voice Typing and Dragon Speak can level the playing field for students to help empowered and in control of their learning. The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials has a plethora of resources to better understand how to implement best practices in the classroom. This video is from 2014, but the AEM video story of Baily perfectly highlights the power of identifying proper supports to help transform a young person’s connection to school.

Gaining Independence with AIM and AT - YouTube

CAST: AEM Center: National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning

Audio books are another library and classroom staple with the ability to bring literacy lessons to life. Most libraries have expanded audio offerings and streaming services have greatly improved availability of fiction and nonfiction texts. There are differences on usability factors that some services may be better suited to different needs. Bookshare, and Follet are great student friendly options. I found playing around with them gave me a much better sense of how to use them in different situations. Offering multiple methods of accessibility for learning differentials is an important factor in applying Universal Design principles in the classroom and library setting and audiobooks can be useful tool to have available. The Bookshare website offered targeted approaches for students who might need more specific learning needs. 

Sharing an article form School Library Journal that has a complete list of audio book resources

.An Ear for Reading: Audiobooks Take Center Stage in the Classroom | School Library Journal (slj.com)

  

A few audio book resources to to explore:

Is Bookshare for Me? | Bookshare

Follett

LibriVox – is sparse design is not suited for kids but a big selection of books in public domain.

 

National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (2014). Gaining Independence with AIM and AThttps://youtu.be/NhKzAQwxAJM

School Library Journal. (2021). An Ear for Reading: Audiobooks Take Center Stage in the Classroom | School Library Journal (slj.com)