Multimedia Presentation

This is my part of our Multimedia Presentation on Glogster for a 6th Grade Science Class Project. You will need to turn it up REALLY LOUD and use headphones.


Below is a transcript, or rather, my notes for the presentation:
- Introduction
Today we will be discussing our Multimedia project using Glogster. I will talk about why we chose Glogster, the relation to the AASL standards and our book Meaningful Learning with Technology. Adam will give you the background on the project, demonstrate our Glogster and answer any questions you may have. Briefly, we are using Glogster to create a list of resources for a 6th grade science project. Students will share what they have learned via Photostory.

Sorry I could not be here for all of your presentations. I had a prior work commitment.

Why Glogster
It is easy to use and displays resources in a way that is visually appealing. It appeals to a variety of learners in the following ways:
* visual- visual presentation,
* verbal-linguistic - narration,
*nature- about animals,
* logical learners - steps/process to do research and create presentation.


Relation to AASL standards and Meaningful Learning with Technology
Our Glogster supports the following AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner:
Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
1.1.2: Use prior and background knowledge as a context for new learning. - Students who have used web resource will be familiar with a Blog/Glog format
1.1.4: Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions. - The Glogster provides links to various internet and library resources that they can use to create their Photostory
1.1.5: Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for needs, importance, and social and cultural context. - Provide appropriate sources for their research, but it is up to them to decide which information best meets their needs
1.1.6: Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning. - Information is presented in a visual and graphic manner
1.1.8: Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and pursuing inquiry. - Students will need to understand how to use internet resources and library resources (databases and print books) to complete the research assignment

Standard 3: Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
Use information and technology ethically and responsibly.
3.1.1.:Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning. - students will share the research they have found via Photostory
3.1.3: Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively.
3.1.4: Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understandings in ways that others can view, use, and assess.

According to Meaningful Learning with Technology, this assignment supports investigating with technology and communicating with technology. For investigating with technologies, students will be using the internet to gather information and they will be presenting their information via Photostory, a multimedia software.

Comment on Integrating Social Media into the Classroom

On the Libraries and Transliteracy blog a recent post called Take the Plunge, Integrating Social Media into the Classroom highlighted four steps that librarians and teachers can take to integrate social media into the classroom. They include, letting down the filters cautiously, adding digital citizenship to the curriculum, watch student conduct and 'the law', and finally, teach with social media.

Students already know about social media - facebook, myspace, etc. We should be using it and teaching them how to use it wisely and appropriately. It is a great tool to reach out to students and to encourage involvement in discussion and education. Many libraries already have Facebook pages and Facebook groups. This supports communicating with technology and integrating technology. It would appeal to kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, verbal-linguistic and logical learners. Teachers and librarians need to do more to get schools to allow social networking access and show administrators how social media can be effectively used in education.

Comment on Reaching Forward 2010: Hyperlinked Services for Young People Slideshow

As I watched this slide show, "Reaching Forward 2010: Hyperlinked Services for Young People" by Michel Stephens, I was thinking of all the ways that school librarians could utilize hyperlinked services in their libraries.

The slide show talked about letting go of control and work with teens to create places (and staff) that are "welcoming, enabling and inspiring to young adults. connecting to students/users/teens in their spaces, be it physical or virtual. This includes allowing games, food & drink and cell phones in the library. It also means creating collaborative physical spaces - round tables, comfy chairs, cool events, plenty of computers. Create a place where teens can give feedback and make sure that librarians/staff are responding to the feedback and really taking into consideration their suggestions.

Another thing that is more geared to public libraries is to "embrace out of school time", where staff and librarians are trained to be "welcoming and supportive of youth". Could school libraries stay open after school, and be available as long as there are other activities happening on school grounds?

Lastly, the presentation discussed creating and engaging students via in-library games, posters, social networking worlds using tools such as flickr, polls, podcasts, delicious, etc.

Final thoughts on "What we can do"
* Don't be afraid to change
* Know it's ok to fail
* Involve your YA's every step of the way
* Be human
* Imagine
It may be difficult to incorporate some of these tools into the school library, especially if social networking sites are banned at school or the internet has filtering software.

Commentary on NetFlix Fail, Libraries and the Daring Librarian

The Daring Librarian blogged about her frustration with Netflix and related it to school libraries. The summary is that she wanted to make a suggestion to Netflix, but could not find an email address. As it turns out they don't have one, but you can chat, call or tweet them. She relates this to school libraries by saying that libraries should have several points of contact and they should be easily findable.

Last semester, I took an education class that required students to observe a school library media specialist. Many of the library websites did not have contact information, or if they did, they only had a phone number and you had to really dig for that information. What a turn-off for students, teachers and parents. If I were a student, I wouldn't dig for contact information, I'd just go somewhere else. Maybe this issue goes back to standardized websites and what is and is not allowed on them. But if you want to be reachable by students/parents/teachers and your users, you need to be where they are and have multiple points of contact. That means email, IM/chat, twitter, phone and in-person.