The OLD Top Shelf

David started by saying that he was happy that this presentation wasn’t about web 2.0 or 21st century learning, but these tools were a huge part of the presentation, which is a natural progression. His handouts and all information for this presentation are on a blog called At Your Service. We also simulated a Twitter chat that will be posted to a wiki after the presentation.

Three disruptive and converging conditions in today’s teaching and learning:

• The future is unpredictable. We don’t know what we are preparing our students for.
• Our students are networked.
• We’re working in a new information environment.

What is a video game?

• competitive
• challenging
• fun
• uses a different environment
• exceptionally tasty patterns of reality
• have roles and rules

Games today are a whole experience - a culture. As they advance, video games don’t get simpler, they get more complex because the brain demands it. The mind at play craves complexity, so how do we put student minds at play.

The most needed skills in the workforce according to a recent study are: professionalism, teamwork, oral communications, written communications, critical thinking/problem solving.

Video games as learning tools are something that educators are just starting to explore. Our students come to us with brand new learning skills and we have to tap into them and change the assignments we give. An easy read on this topic is How Computer Games Help Children Learn by David Williamson Shaffer.

This generation of students are competitive, risk taking, sociable (even games that you play by yourself, the game is social in nature), believe in the role of luck, and self-confident.

Many games come with no manual, so kids have to figure out what the rules and roles are. They have to get past the level “boss” in order to advance. These skills are important to kids futures in the workplace. Many times kids see the teacher as the level boss who tried to stop their advancement. Teachers should be the strategy guides that give kids the “cheats” that help them move forward. The “cheats” are the curriculum or learning standards.

There is new movement towards designing games that are built around real world issues, for example, Food Force. This free game can be downloaded and asks players to help get food to hungry people.

We’ve all heard the quote about students having to power down when they go to school. Does this mean that students believe they have to stop thinking when they come to school? Playing some of these video games is more intellectually stimulating than anything done in school.

Can video games save education? What does this new research mean for educators? Video games and social networks are valuable learning experiences, but how can we harness the power of that learning and use it in the classroom? Maybe we need to look at the kinds of experiences kids have playing games and bring those same experiences into the classroom.

Side note: The digital divide between the technology haves and have nots is going to have more impact than we know right now. Other countries are working on a plan to have broadband internet access for all citizens, while we are not.

The video game culture has expanded into urban games where people are playing games in real situations. Here’s an example.

Playing the information - research as a video game. Players amass points by making responsible and effective use of information found on the internet.

Cheating in the video game culture - players try to win the game by cheating or changing the rules.

Another byproduct of the video game culture is that you can play the game through your digital editing software and make a video using the video game characters and setting. This is called machinima.

Our generation sees information as a product, but the kids now see information as raw material that they can do something with.

Do teachers need to become video game creators? Probably not, but wouldn’t it be great if we could take rules and roles concepts of video gaming and create more authentic assignments for our students? It’s definitely something to think about. We’ve been trying to use real world situations and problems with our research projects, but maybe incorporating some role-playing and rules in a more thoughtful way would help us to make research more engaging for students.

To get started:

start a gaming club

allow students to discuss gaming with you

connect with the serious game effort

recruit the digital natives on your faculty to help you

listen to the players around you

Great last thought: Education that is targeted at you, but doesn’t include you, isn’t worth sitting still for.

found via the Dangerously Irrelevant blog

Beyond Books and Bytes: The Role of Libraries in a Networked World
Presenter: Lee Rainie

Lee Rainie is the director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This organization does original research to determine how the Internet impacts people in their daily lives. His presentation was fast-moving and full of research findings about how information and communication are changing and the role that libraries can play in the digital age.

When Rainie first started this research in 1999, he was surprised to find that librarians were some of the most avid consumers of Internet content. Since that time, however, librarians have been identified as the #1 stakeholder in the work of the Project. His latest studies have found that with the advent of Web 2.0 (the “social” web), there has been a major shift in the social lives of Americans today that has big implications for libraries and they way that they serve their communities.

Rainie discussed 8 hallmarks of the Internet today:
1. Media and gadgets - Everyone uses media and has technology gadgets.  97% of computer users use the Internet. The web itself has become a storage device that allows people to access the information they want via whatever device they have access to.

2. Broadband access - More than ½ the population now have broadband Internet access at home. The web has become the central information center and the first place people go for answers to questions.

3. Wireless connectivity - allows access anywhere. This connectivity has changed the way we have to think about the digital divide and the importance of e-mail.

4. Content creation - Ordinary people are now publishers and creators of their own content. These new content creators post photos, create social networking profiles, blog (either on a blog site or on their social networking profile), create their own web sites and help others create sites, take other online content and use it to make something new (mashup), and create avatars, or online identities. 

5. Many different audiences - All of these new content creators have some sort of audience that uses video sharing sites, reads blogs, uses wiki sites for information, downloads podcasts, etc.

6. Sharing knowledge and feelings - People are using these new web tools to share what they know and what they feel. By doing this they are creating online conversations and communities. There are many services that allow users to rate people, products or services and communicate their feelings about them. Other users tag online content or make comments on videos, photos, blog posts.

7. Customization of the web - People are customizing their Internet experience with web 2.0 tools, e.g., iGoogle and myYahoo pages.  Others use RSS feeds to get the news/information they want.

8. Different people use technology in different ways. Rainie’s findings have identified three tiers of Internet users:

High tier users

• OMNIVORES have the most info gadgets and participate voraciously in content creation
• CONNECTORS are more into e-mail cell phones and the social networking aspect of the Internet
• LACKLUSTER VETERANS are frequent internet users of the Internet, but don’t really love it
• PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCERS are positive about technology and the way it helps them do their jobs

Middle tier users

• MOBILE CENTRICS – embrace the cell phone and its capabilities; includes a high share of African-Americans and Latinos
• CONNECTED BUT HASSLED - have a lot of technology but don’t like how it intrudes into their lives

Low tier users:

• INEXPERIENCED EXPERIMENTERS – occasionally take advantage of online connectivity and can use it if they are shown how to do it
• LIGHT BUT SATISFIED – use technology but it does not play a central role in their lives. These are the people you have to call and say “Did you get my e-mail?”
• INDIFFERENTS – have some technology, but don’t like it
• OFF THE NETWORK – do not have cell phones or use the Internet at all. These people tend to be older or without the resources to buy technology

All this connectivity changes our relationship to information and to each other. We are living life in a “continuous state of partial attention.” The validating of information becomes more social.

Libraries need to plug into people’s social networks as a source of information. People perceive the Internet as a “node” on their social network to fill in gaps when friends can’t help them solve a problem.  Libraries should be one of the sources that they can turn to easily.

Libraries should also help teach new literacies. Rainie ended his presentation with a reference to a post by Pam Berger in her InfoSearcher blog. In her post, Pam identifies the new literacies required by the digital age:

graphic literacy - the language of the screen

navigation literacy - the transition to nonlinear formats

context literacy - the importance of seeing connections

focus - the value of reflection

skepticism - the capacity to evaluate

ethical behavior - the will to be responsible

Overall, an excellent presentation that was worth getting up for the 8:00 start time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow - it’s been a while since I posted here. Things are really busy getting ready for TLA and the Strong Libraries Strong Scores conference, but that’s a topic for another day.

I have several blog postings, annoucements and resources that I’ve been wanting to share, so here goes:

In his blog 2¢ worth, David Warlick writes about 12 steps (a 12-step program?) we can take to become educators who are literate in the skills needed for the 21st century. I found it very interesting that several of his steps advocated the use of the web 2.0 tools that we used in our Learning Through Play program.

The Cool Cat Teacher summarizes a great podcast in her post, Envisioning the Future of Libraries, and posts a link to the original audio file. Doug Johnson and Joyce Valenza were the presenters. One of the most interesting things they discussed was the idea of the “invisible collection” which is the same idea we were all starting to kick around at our last librarians’ staff development. With the advent of this invisible collection, we are going to have to revamp our idea of what a “balanced” collection really is - especially at the secondary level. Give this podcast a listen! (BTW, Joyce Valenza will be presenting two programs at the TLA conference - you should try to go to at least one of them!)

Another post from 2¢ worth that I found fascinating is one in which David Warlick reports on a conference session he attended that was led by brain research guru, Patricia Wolfe. Pat points out that good teachers often do things intuitively without knowing why. While that’s great for the intuitive teacher’s students, the students in the non-intuitive teacher’s classroom don’t get the same level of instruction. Educators must start being aware of the educational research that is being done and using the findings to improve their teaching. In other words, teachers should know and be able to tell someone else why they are use the strategies they do. (Sounds like a TEKS student expectation, huh?)

Apparently we won’t have to worry anymore about whether we should still be ordering encyclopedias in print and feeling guilty when we find other ways to spend our money. The Blue Skunk Blog by Doug Johnson tells us that the New York Times has declared the traditional multi-volume encyclopedia to be the first casualty in the world of print. Read Doug’s post here.

Here’s another feed for your RSS reader: AASL has a new blog! The AASLBlog is intended to be a source of general AASL news, as well as a forum for important discussion on issues and concerns of school library media specialists. Recent topics include, for example, copyright issues and parent involvement in school library media program advocacy. Voice your concerns, share your experiences, and be a part of the broader AASL community on the new AASL blog! Visit the blog (and comment) at http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/.

April is School Library Media Month. Celebrate by giving your teachers a little “thank you” from the library, having a contest for students or hosting a special event. For other ideas, see the page on the AASL web site.

Julie Andrews, Academy Award recipient and honorary chair of National Library Week (April 13-19, 2008), shares her view on the value of libraries in a video available on YouTube. Library media specialists are encouraged to use the video on Web sites and blogs to promote National Library Week. Watch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieUD9vCeXu0

Now that I’ve shared these little items with you, I can go home and watch American Idol with a clear conscience!

Wow - it just seems like the days are flying by and we are all barely holding on by the skin of our teeth. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. Over at the 21st Century Collaborative blog, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach asked the folks in her personal learning network to complete this sentence: You might be too busy if…

The results are there in this funny blog post. How would you finish that sentence? Leave your responses in the comments!

In his post, Same Rules, Different Marketing, Scott McLeod writes about two types of signs:

As Seth Godin notes, there’s a huge difference between this:

THERE ARE NO REFUNDS, NO EXCEPTIONS.
THERE ARE NO EXCHANGES ON PLANTS.
ALL LISTED CONDITIONS MUST BE MET IN ORDER TO RECEIVE EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE EXCHANGE. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. MANAGER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS.

and this:

At Surroundings, it’s really important to us that you be delighted (not just happy). Please keep your receipt and be sure to bring it with you if there are any problems. We’ll be happy to exchange any cut flowers that aren’t just right–we’ll give you a store credit or any other item in the store of equal or lesser value. Unfortunately, we can’t exchange plants. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask any of us for help.

I think it’s safe to say that most of our school rules are written like the former, not the latter. No wonder students grumble about the rules so much. Couldn’t we find ways to make our rules, policies, and guidelines more palatable, more positive, and more pleasant? They might go over better with our intended audiences…

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Have you taken a good look lately at the rules and policies that you have in place in your library? Are they like the second example or more like the first? I hate to say it but there have been times (not many) that I have seen signs like the first one in some of our libraries - big bold letters essentially screaming at students and teachers to get out and leave stuff alone. While the signs didn’t actually say that, the way they were phrased definitely left that impression. Hopefully, these were the result of a harried librarian trying to do fifty things at once and not taking the time to consider the perception that her quickly made sign might create.

Signage and other decorative touches (or lack thereof) go along way towards creating the atmosphere in the library. If we want students and teachers to use the library, we have to make sure that they feel a sense of ownership and comfort being there. Everything the librarian does, says, and posts should convey that the library and its resources belong to the students and teachers on that campus. We want to try and remove barriers, rather than create them.

If you will, try this little experiment: Go outside of your library door and walk back in pretending that you are a student or teacher coming into the library for the first time. Or better yet, grab a student or teacher who doesn’t use the library very often and ask them to help you with this. Where is the first place that you look? What draws your attention? Does the space feel welcoming, peaceful, and homey or cluttered and chaotic? Is there signage that is welcoming and helpful to you - that tells you what to do?

Think about the temporary signs that you may put on the door when you are out of the library. Do they say LIBRARY IS CLOSED - DO NOT ENTER or “Sorry I missed you - Please come back later”? These little positive touches may not seem like much, but they go a long way towards making students and teachers feel comfortable in their library.

Consider your library rules. Do you have a list of “thou shalt nots” as long as your arm or one simple, all encompassing, positively-stated rule, such as “Consider others”?

Taking time to think about these things will help you create the kind of learning environment that you want and help you do away with the old stereotype of libraries as dull and boring places that stifle creativity. Remember, the library is the playground of the mind and the environment should reflect that.

Library Sign
Originally uploaded by gwENvision.

You’ve got to read this!

My sweet digital natives, their information spaces, and trying to Yoda - NeverEndingSearch Blog on School Library Journal

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What an intriguing post by Joyce Valenza, teacher-librarian at Springfield Township High School! She’s describing teaching high school seniors to use some Web 2.0 tools for their research projects and their reactions.

It reminds me of a conversation that I had with a librarian recently. Her question was “Is it really important that we (librarians) know how to use Web 2.0 tools? Aren’t they just something that kids play around with?” My answer was a resounding Yes! They are tools that kids play around with, but they also have some real world applications such as the ones mentioned in Joy

ce’s post. It’s up to us as educators to introduce students to these applications, so they can go beyond the “playing” stage. Our students are going to have to be able to track lots of information. They are going to need to know how to communicate with team members in other countries. They need to know that the tools they are playing around with today can be used in many different ways.

Joyce’s idea of having the students use iGoogle to create their own information spaces is brilliant and I love the concept of having widgets for all of our information sources. Some of our database providers are now offering RSS feeds, which is great - but being able to choose sources and put all the search boxes on your own personalized page - that would be fantastic.

So many possibilities to consider…

 

Google - Beach Theme
Originally uploaded by miss_rogue.

There’s a very interesting article in the October 2007 issue of American Libraries about the reading habits of today’s young adults. Although almost every recent study proclaims that we are in the midst of a reading “crisis” in our country, there seems to be some evidence that things might not be as bad as we thought, if we expand our definition of “reading.”

The article quotes author Marc Aronson, who says, “I do not see a crisis in reading, but rather, a problem on the part of adults who idealize a certain kind of fiction reading and have trouble making sense of the mixture of fiction, digital information, nonfiction, and assigned reading that make up the diet of the YA reader.” This statement rings true with me. My teenage niece and nephew do a lot of reading, but a lot of it comes in digital format - web sites, text messages, blogs, wikis, etc.

It’s an interesting idea to expand our definition of reading to these non-traditional sources. What about an audiobook? Is that reading too? You can make an argument that the listener is still experiencing the narrative and can discuss the content of the book, just as someone who read the book in a more traditional manner.

What is your definition of reading? It may be that in order to get our kids to think of themselves as readers we need to expand that definition.

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Image citation: Myyearofnewthings. “Nikki texting.” Myyearofnewthings photostream. 9 March 2007. 19 October 2007. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/theumafund/452052717/>

I’m back for Day 2 at TASLA!

This morning’s program was a fantastic example of the incredible things that can happen when a principal and librarian work together. The presenters were Deana Harrell, principal, and Debra Marshall, librarian, at Wilson Elementary School, Coppell ISD.

As a new principal with a passion for reading, Deana did away with the computerized reading program that had previously been in place on her campus. She replaced the paraprofessionals running that program with a strong librarian who shared her vision for creating a community of readers, who read for pleasure instead of for prizes. Deana placed the librarian (Debra) on the campus leadership team, giving her the status of a team leader, and the two of them met weekly to map out a plan for bringing Deana’s vision to life. With the help of the assistant principal and the literacy coach, they implemented many new programs in order to bring reading to life on the campus:

Faculty book study facilitated by principal and librarian: Strategies That Work (Stephanie Harvey) for 3-5 grade teachers

Meet & Model Mondays - grade level meetings with literacy coach to discuss guided reading, differentiation, etc.

All faculty meetings had an instructional focus and included staff development provided by the librarian on World Book Online, Teachingbooks.net and NetTrekker d.i., etc.

Book Character Parade

BookWORMS book clubs - 1-3 book clubs at each grade level facilitated by principal, librarian, literacy coach, assistant principal, and parents. Clubs met at lunch to discuss books and funding was provided by a grant from Coppell’s Education Foundation.

Charlotte’s Web Literacy Night - Coincided with the opening of the movie. The librarian created literacy stations that were manned by teachers.

Three (!) author visits - Rick Riordan, Rochelle Strauss, and Kate McMullen

Dr. Seuss week had daily activities based on Dr. Seuss books, including Wacky Wednesday, when the librarian turned things upside down all over campus.

Texas Bluebonnet Award program - 35% of eligible students voted

8th grade reading buddies for 2nd grade students worked on conventions of non-fiction

As a result of their efforts, TAKS scores improved in the area of critical thinking. Library circulation increased by 25% and kindergarten teachers allowed their students to take books home! The book clubs proved so popular that some are continuing to meet over the summer at the local Barnes & Noble. Several veteran teachers formed their own book clubs in their classrooms.

Plans for next year include a library facility upgrade, a student library advisory council, collaboration on lesson plans between librarian and three grade levels, author visit by Claude & Monte Montgomery(Hubert Invents the Wheel), and the formation of a Friends of Coppell ISD libraries.

A great example of what a librarian can do with a collaborative and supportive principal!

NoodleTools now has a My Notes feature that allows students to take their notes online and connect them to their citations. Read more about it on Joyce Valenza’s blog posting. This might be something we’d want to explore for our secondary campuses. What do you think? Would your teachers be open to moving away from the traditional note card? Leave a comment with your thoughts…