Okay, so this morning I went to look at a trailer for a documentary about librarians that's posted on YouTube and found that YouTube is now BLOCKED. Not only blocked, but blocked without any administrative override.
Frustrated is not really the proper word to describe what I'm feeling.
Sure, there's stuff on YouTube that's not educationally appropriate. There's stuff on the entire Web that's not educationally appropriate. But getting rid of everything just because you might run into something is just wrong. It's the old "throw the baby out with the bathwater" thing, and it doesn't do the kids any favors in the long run. Everyone's telling us we need to teach kids to think critically, but how does filtering do that? It teaches them they don't have to think; we're doing it for them. They don't have to decide if something is appropriate, valuable, or worth seeing because the filter - or those who are choosing which sites to filter - decides that.
If you don't want your kids to drown you don't fill in the pool - you teach them to swim. What's wrong with that?
Let me add "disgusted" to "frustrated."
There. I said it. In public and everything. Now maybe I'll feel better...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
This is fun!
I've always wanted an avatar, and this morning one of my RSS feeds sent me to Meez.com, where I created the avatar at right. Very fun! Not that I really look like that, but I do have blue eyes and and a cat. (Actually, make that THREE cats. )
This particular image links directly to the web, but you can export your avatar to a file and use it in other ways. Might be a fun thing for kids to do and put in one of those "all about me" PowerPoints, perhaps?
Hmm. Something to think about.
This particular image links directly to the web, but you can export your avatar to a file and use it in other ways. Might be a fun thing for kids to do and put in one of those "all about me" PowerPoints, perhaps?
Hmm. Something to think about.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Catching up again
Some weeks just seem to fly right by, don't they? Having finally managed to be in the office for more than an hour, I've almost caught up with the email and checked my RSS feeds. Thursday being the day the Librarian's Internet Index posts their picks for the week, I've added a bunch of interesting sites for Mandarin Study Group next week. I think the list of web sites for the month will be pretty large!
Loved this one that Sue Canfield forwarded to me:
http://www.visuwords.com/
It's a graphical dictionary. How fun is that?
More later, I think...
Loved this one that Sue Canfield forwarded to me:
http://www.visuwords.com/
It's a graphical dictionary. How fun is that?
More later, I think...
Friday, May 11, 2007
Getting My Thoughts Together
Haven't posted all week; I'm slipping! But it's been a busy week - after getting back from the SLMS conference last week it took a bit to catch up. Today is a little calmer, so time for a few words, I guess!
First, to recount the rest of the conference - after session 3, we adjourned back to our rooms to check email & all that (I managed to post a number of titles to the book blog), then we got dressed to go to the Knickerbocker Award banquet. We had a good group at our table, but alas, the setup of the hall was such that we couldn't see the speakers at all and we couldn't hear very well, either. It was a bit frustrating.
Saturday I went to see a presentation by Robin Pulver & Tedd Arnold, which was highly entertaining. I recommend them both as speakers! It was very interesting to hear how they approach their writing, and how they collaborated on the Axle Annie books. It's apparently unusual for an author and illustrator to even talk to each other; an author doesn't even usually have a choice as to who illustrates his/her picture book (unless he/she is also an illustrator!). That's determined by the publisher. Who knew?
Tedd showed some of his early sketches for several of his books; among them, The Twin Princes. It was fascinating to see how his original idea changed from having human princes to having chickens as the princes. It was also quite startling when he showed a picture of his real model for the original concept, because it turned out to be someone I knew! Not all that surprising, actually, as Tedd & I live in the same town...
So that's that for the SLMS conference. It was enjoyable and I learned some good things!
This week has gone by quickly; as I said earlier, I had lots to do to catch up, plus I had a couple of meetings, and had to prepare for a class (for administrators) on Intellectual Property and Copyright. Not the most inspiring of topics, particularly at 7:30 a.m. on a Friday, but I found some REALLY good resources in the process of preparing for it:
An article on Education World - actually, a five-part series. I highly recommend it to all educators!
A great copyright chart from Hall Davidson of the Discovery Educator Network. Love this chart. It's concise and clear, and really spells out what you can and can't do as an educator under Fair Use.
Speaking of Fair Use, I really like the Stanford site on this topic. Everything you ever wanted to know about copyright - or links to them, at least!
Guess that's it for now. It's almost time for lunch!
First, to recount the rest of the conference - after session 3, we adjourned back to our rooms to check email & all that (I managed to post a number of titles to the book blog), then we got dressed to go to the Knickerbocker Award banquet. We had a good group at our table, but alas, the setup of the hall was such that we couldn't see the speakers at all and we couldn't hear very well, either. It was a bit frustrating.
Saturday I went to see a presentation by Robin Pulver & Tedd Arnold, which was highly entertaining. I recommend them both as speakers! It was very interesting to hear how they approach their writing, and how they collaborated on the Axle Annie books. It's apparently unusual for an author and illustrator to even talk to each other; an author doesn't even usually have a choice as to who illustrates his/her picture book (unless he/she is also an illustrator!). That's determined by the publisher. Who knew?
Tedd showed some of his early sketches for several of his books; among them, The Twin Princes. It was fascinating to see how his original idea changed from having human princes to having chickens as the princes. It was also quite startling when he showed a picture of his real model for the original concept, because it turned out to be someone I knew! Not all that surprising, actually, as Tedd & I live in the same town...
So that's that for the SLMS conference. It was enjoyable and I learned some good things!
This week has gone by quickly; as I said earlier, I had lots to do to catch up, plus I had a couple of meetings, and had to prepare for a class (for administrators) on Intellectual Property and Copyright. Not the most inspiring of topics, particularly at 7:30 a.m. on a Friday, but I found some REALLY good resources in the process of preparing for it:
An article on Education World - actually, a five-part series. I highly recommend it to all educators!
A great copyright chart from Hall Davidson of the Discovery Educator Network. Love this chart. It's concise and clear, and really spells out what you can and can't do as an educator under Fair Use.
Speaking of Fair Use, I really like the Stanford site on this topic. Everything you ever wanted to know about copyright - or links to them, at least!
Guess that's it for now. It's almost time for lunch!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Session Three
Information Ethics, Rights & Responsibilities and the Unintended Consequences of Technological Change presented by Ed Nizolowski
Ed gave us some very nice handouts on topics of study for this subject, as well as a rubric and a lesson plan.
Ed gave us some very nice handouts on topics of study for this subject, as well as a rubric and a lesson plan.
(Brrr...it's cold in here!)
Well, mostly you'd have to see the handouts, I guess!
Lunch & session two
The technology luncheon was not only delicious, it was also both informative and entertaining. Alice Yucht, whom I saw in session one, was the speaker, and she was discussing digital literacy in the 21st century. I wish I had brought the laptop to take notes, but figured it would be in the way at lunch. It was just as well - Sue & I decided to walk to the Embassy Suites, where the luncheon was held (what a GORGEOUS hotel), and we got somewhat lost on the way, so it would've been kind of heavy to carry!
I've added Alice to my Bloglines feeds. I definitely want to continue to hear what she has to say!
Check out her website.
So here I am in the second session. This one is Impact of School Library Programs on Student Motivation and Achievement, conducted by Dr. Ruth Small from the Center for Digital Literacy at Syracuse University.
This project first looked at other studies to see what they did and how they did it, and found that many of the others were based on surveys. They opted to do not only surveys, which focus almost exclusively on student achievement, but also several other research methods:
1) general and in-depth surveys
2) focus groups
3) case studies
Collected data from SLMSs, principals, teachers, students and parents
Studied both student achievement AND motivation
Also looked at technology use, services for students with disabilities and impact on families/communities
The goal is to provide a model for LMS to collect research of their own in schools and districts and improve their programs
Research questions:
1) What factors, related to school library programs, services, and resources, impact NYS students' learning achievement
(State is looking very closely at this study and the data they collect)
2) How do NY school library services and programs affect student motivation for learning
3) What and how are school library services provided to students with disabilities?
4) In what ways do SLMS influence the use of technology by student & teachers & what is subsequent impact on teaching and learning?
5) What, if any, effects do school library services, programs, and resources have on families and communities?
Got lots of comments on the surveys, which they didn't expect!
Preliminary findings:
(presented by Jamie Snyder, doctoral student at Syracuse)
- First went through NYSED data
- Went to SLSA to get representation from SLMS in all areas
38.7% response rate!
Based on 30% response rate for each county. Average is 24% from everywhere except NYC, which has an average 31%.
Principal survey - 11% response rate
K-5 considered Elem., 6-up secondary. Schools which span both are in other
811 Elementary
703 Secondary
131 Other
Based then on Needs resource categories
Initial findings: survey successfully measures librarians' perceptions of:
I've added Alice to my Bloglines feeds. I definitely want to continue to hear what she has to say!
Check out her website.
So here I am in the second session. This one is Impact of School Library Programs on Student Motivation and Achievement, conducted by Dr. Ruth Small from the Center for Digital Literacy at Syracuse University.
This project first looked at other studies to see what they did and how they did it, and found that many of the others were based on surveys. They opted to do not only surveys, which focus almost exclusively on student achievement, but also several other research methods:
1) general and in-depth surveys
2) focus groups
3) case studies
Collected data from SLMSs, principals, teachers, students and parents
Studied both student achievement AND motivation
Also looked at technology use, services for students with disabilities and impact on families/communities
The goal is to provide a model for LMS to collect research of their own in schools and districts and improve their programs
Research questions:
1) What factors, related to school library programs, services, and resources, impact NYS students' learning achievement
(State is looking very closely at this study and the data they collect)
2) How do NY school library services and programs affect student motivation for learning
3) What and how are school library services provided to students with disabilities?
4) In what ways do SLMS influence the use of technology by student & teachers & what is subsequent impact on teaching and learning?
5) What, if any, effects do school library services, programs, and resources have on families and communities?
Got lots of comments on the surveys, which they didn't expect!
Preliminary findings:
(presented by Jamie Snyder, doctoral student at Syracuse)
- First went through NYSED data
- Went to SLSA to get representation from SLMS in all areas
38.7% response rate!
Based on 30% response rate for each county. Average is 24% from everywhere except NYC, which has an average 31%.
Principal survey - 11% response rate
K-5 considered Elem., 6-up secondary. Schools which span both are in other
811 Elementary
703 Secondary
131 Other
Based then on Needs resource categories
Initial findings: survey successfully measures librarians' perceptions of:
- work climate
- student motivation to learn
- leadership within school community
- information literacy
- learning environment
- collaboration within school community
- diversity of collection
Strongest relationships are:
- Motivation & Information Literacy
- leadership & information literacy
- collaboration & leadership
- Motivation & Learning Environment
- Collaboration & Information literacy
motivation & leadership
Measures & grade levels
Grade level & motivation - elementary schools have higher motivation scores than secondary schools
Grade level & collaboration
- Secondary schools have higher collaboration scores than elementary schools
Needs Resource & leadership
- Low-need schools have higher leadership scores than most high-need schools
- Highest collaboration scores came from low-need schools
- In general NYC schools collaborate more than most other high-needs schools
Certified LMS scored higher than uncertified on selecting materials for schools library collection representing different points of view, but not on representing cultural diversity
- 40% respondents provide guidance to students in use of digital resources at least once a day
- 74% at least once a week
- 57% assist students in using information in a variety of media formats at least once a week
- 65% assist staff in using information in a variety of media at least once a week
- 79% make a point of selecting materials in a variety of formats
- About half provide access to the catalog at home
- 9% do not have automated circulation system
In-depth interviews, case studies, and focus groups will take place next year.
Results will be available on the SU digital literacy website
Future analyses:
- What is the relationship between student achievement and the measures provided by the general survey?
- Additional factors to be considered:
- NYS LMS certification
- Control of Needs/Resource Categories
Also...
- Do school library media specialist & principals perceive work climate differently?
- Is there a relationship between technology in the school LMC & student achievement?
- Is there a relationship between technology in the school LMC and student motivation?
Next steps:
- Select 48 schools for focused, in-depth surveys (LMS, teachers, students, principals)
- Select 24 schools for focus groups and interviews (LMS, teachers, students, parents, principals)
- Select two schools for comparative case study
Session One!
Alice Yucht, (Itinerate Curmudgeon and Teacher-Librarian) -
Webfeeds 101: How Blog Reading can make you Look Brilliant
"As school librarians, we are and should be the CIOs of our building."
Note to self: check out Jott - Directory of Open Access Journals (you can set up RSS feeds by subject!)
Transl8it - translates IM txt lingo
Infoblog - check it out for a description of what a blog is.
Professional blogs - essential professional development and reading for us
Three types:
Personal/Point-of-View - reports of events & impressions
Partical/Purposeful - links to useful info and new resources
Philosophical/Polemical - Explorations/disccussions of Big Ideas
Blogs are instant - hot topics - lifelong learning - conversation>collaboration
Very cool - children's book series wiki!!! Check it out: http://seriesbinder.lishost.org/index.php/Main_Page
Cyber-learning in the classroom: Current Issues in Education
Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
Blogging & RSS is "Like having TIVO for your mind."
http://blip.tv/file/205570/ - really simple explanation of how RSS feeds work.
Why read blogs? You have choice of topics, sources, formats, as well as when where and how much to read. You can "gather useful online resources while you sleep."
Hmmm, note to self: check out Google Reader. Like the star feature.
RSS feeds by subject in EBSCOHost - investigate!
Caveat - RSS feed reading can be addicting! Alice suggests setting a time limit for yourself.
http://aliceyucht.pbwiki.com/WebfeedsWorkshop
Blog recommendations at http://aliceyucht.pbwiki.com/YouthServicesBlogList
and http://www.bloglines.com/blog/aliceinfoshow2rss
Webfeeds 101: How Blog Reading can make you Look Brilliant
"As school librarians, we are and should be the CIOs of our building."
Note to self: check out Jott - Directory of Open Access Journals (you can set up RSS feeds by subject!)
Transl8it - translates IM txt lingo
Infoblog - check it out for a description of what a blog is.
Professional blogs - essential professional development and reading for us
Three types:
Personal/Point-of-View - reports of events & impressions
Partical/Purposeful - links to useful info and new resources
Philosophical/Polemical - Explorations/disccussions of Big Ideas
Blogs are instant - hot topics - lifelong learning - conversation>collaboration
Very cool - children's book series wiki!!! Check it out: http://seriesbinder.lishost.org/index.php/Main_Page
Cyber-learning in the classroom: Current Issues in Education
Periodic Table of Visualization Methods
Blogging & RSS is "Like having TIVO for your mind."
http://blip.tv/file/205570/ - really simple explanation of how RSS feeds work.
Why read blogs? You have choice of topics, sources, formats, as well as when where and how much to read. You can "gather useful online resources while you sleep."
Hmmm, note to self: check out Google Reader. Like the star feature.
RSS feeds by subject in EBSCOHost - investigate!
Caveat - RSS feed reading can be addicting! Alice suggests setting a time limit for yourself.
http://aliceyucht.pbwiki.com/WebfeedsWorkshop
Blog recommendations at http://aliceyucht.pbwiki.com/YouthServicesBlogList
and http://www.bloglines.com/blog/aliceinfoshow2rss
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Here we are in Syracuse...
...for the annual SLMS Conference! So far today we've visited the vendors, which is the most productive thing we've done, but there really hasn't been much more than that. Sessions start tomorrow, so there will be more to say then! But the rooms are beautiful, the weather is gorgeous, and I have a BALCONY! How cool is that?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)