Signing Off

Well, it's that time of the year again. The snow is melting, the flowers are blooming, and my allergies are going full blast. It's also the end of the semester, which is usually a time for reflection. This has been my last semester before I go to student teach, so I have been reflecting more than usual this semester. Have I learned everything I need to before I face an actual middle school? Have I done my best to get the grades I want? Are the projects I have been working on complete?

One of those projects has been this very blog. I hope to continue to add to it as I go into real-world libraries and classrooms, but for now this is goodbye. I have enjoyed the assignment to create and maintain the blogt. I learned about a lot of technology and online resources: some that I will definitely use, such as Skype and Twitter, and others that I wasn't so fond of, like Diigo.

The assignment to create a blog has been unique, but I think it worked very well. Instead of trying out various technologies and writing something about them for my professor, I was writing about them for the world! (Okay, so I only get about 6 page views a day, but that's not bad!) Knowing myself, in the future I am far more likely to look at old blog posts that I have written than old writing assignments.

I hope I will be able to continue to find new and interesting technologies to use, and I am certain that because of this assignment I will be better prepared to start from scratch and learn all about whatever it is that I come across!

Please take my poll!

Word Cloud

I've been doing a lot of research on media literacy lately. This word cloud pretty accurately represents some of the issues relating to the issue of media literacy. Enjoy!

Podcasts

When I got married, my life changed in a major way. I'm not talking about the usual changes that come with being married, like sharing a bank account or changing your last name. After I got married, I discovered the wonderful world of podcasts.

A year ago, all I really know about podcasts were that my grandma listened to them. I thought of them as something for people who didn't like music, but still wanted to listen to something. But I was pretty bored one day, and so I decided to download an episode of a podcast that my husband often talked about, called This American Life, and from that day on I've been hooked.

Podcasts are great, because they are so versatile. Some of them are informative, some are entertaining, some are just downright silly. (Hey, kind of like books!) Listening to podcasts is a great way to be a lifelong learner, because they are a practically endless source of new and interesting information, and they are so easy to access!

In 2013, NPR did a series on American libraries: Keys to the Whole World. The series covered a range of library-related topics, from lack of funding to technology in libraries to pop culture. The focus is on public libraries, but school librarians will find discussions of issues dear to their hearts.

My favorite story in the series is an "All Things Considered" piece called Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Fishing Poles, Pans and People. As they say in the podcast, libraries are places where you can find information, and information isn't always in the form of words. They visit libraries that are thinking outside of the box, and allowing patrons to check out tools, equipment, and even humans.

The library here at Utah State University has an annual event called the Human Library, where people become human books, and you can check them out and hear their stories. I think it would be fascinating to do something like this at a secondary school, perhaps in collaboration with an ELA or Social Studies teacher. 

Big6 Information Processing

Later in the semester, I will be presenting at the English symposium here on campus. I will be talking about the Big6, which is an information processing model that can help students do their research. The steps of the Big6 are:

1.Task Definition
2. Information Seeking Strategies
3. Location and Access
4. Use of Information
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation

Here is a video that goes into the Big6 in more detail:

Just like the video says, anyone can use the Big6 method to do just about anything, from deciding which movie to see to writing a PhD dissertation. My presentation will go into more depth about how to teach each step of the process separately, so that students are guided through the process to their final product, a research paper, and then evaluate the process. When students are explicitly taught how to perform each step in the Big6, they will be able to replicate the process later in their education (or on any free afternoon), and be much more successful!

Tweet Tweet

I am a big fan of Twitter. I don't post a lot, but I usually open it up at least once a day to see what's going on in my neighborhood and the world. If it weren't for Twitter, how would I ever have known about The Dress?

I have always planned on using Twitter in my library. What better way to keep students updated on what's going on in the library? Most of your students will be on Twitter, and it's a great way to bring your library to the forefront of their minds, even if it's only for a few seconds a day. Librarians can use Twitter to announce events, promote the library itself, and even recommend books. Using hashtags creates an additional way for students to interact with the school library, and following others connects your library to a worldwide network of school libraries, teachers, and authors.

Here is a great article on how to use hashtags on your library's twitter account!

I recently set up a librarian-specific Twitter account. I followed a lot of authors, book review & news sources, and fellow librarians. Check out my page here!

No Blogger is an Island

So how many librarian blogs can there really be? I know there are at least 13 others, because there are 13 other people in the class for which I created this blog. Well, as it turns out, there are quite a lot. And some of them are really quite good.

When I first went about creating this blog, the first URL I tried was abbythelibrarian.com. I was sad to see it was already taken, but it forced be to be more creative, and I came up with a fun rhyme! Anyway, I was researching the best librarian blogs, and Abby the Librarian came up. Of course, I clicked on the link (librarians named Abby are my favorite kind of people) and the blog is actually really great! She is a librarian in Indiana, and she has a lot of really cool ideas. One of her ideas is called Reading Wildly. All of the staff at her library reads a different book from the month's specified genre, and they report on what they read. That way, all of the librarians get a much wider range of books from which to make recommendations to patrons!

Another blog that isn't library-related per se, but is educational in nature, is thenerdyteacher.com. I have been following this blog for a while, and I really enjoy it! It is run by a high school English teacher, with a strong emphasis on how to incorporate instructional technology in the classroom. This guy has so many ideas! Check out the experiment he did in his classroom with Evernote.

Do you have any librarian/educator blogs that you love? Share them in the comments!

Diigo

Yesterday, I signed up for a Diigo account. I have played around with it a bit, and while I'm definitely not an expert, I already have a few ideas for how I can use it in my future library!

Diigo stands for "Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff". At its core, Diigo is a "social bookmarking website" - basically, a way to organize, store, and share any website! You can bookmark any website and tag it according to its content. You can also annotate and highlight the webpage for your own records or to share with others, either in a group or via a link.

Here's a handy video that gives a few ideas for ways to use Diigo in an educational setting:

I like the ideas this video brought up. While it focuses mostly on the organizational aspect of Diigo, I really liked the idea of using Diigo to create a class group where students can go to watch videos and read articles bookmarked by the teacher or librarian. Students can easily access the links and make comments using Diigo. You could also make a group for teachers in the school, which would easily facilitate teacher collaboration. For example, if a teacher is going to bring a class into the library for a presentation, the teacher could share a link to an article with the librarian that they think would be helpful to use in the presentation. The teacher or the librarian could also share links with the students for them to access before or after the presentation to further their understanding of the topic.  

I'm sure as I continue to explore Diigo, I'll discover new ways to use it in a library. If you have found a great way to use Diigo, let me know in the comments!

LibraryThing vs. Goodreads

I recently set up a LibraryThing account, and I have posted a widget that allows you to see the books in my library, right there on the right side of the screen! You can set up your own account by clicking here.

I also set up a Goodreads account about a week ago, and I have been having some fun playing around with it. Set up a Goodreads account here.

LibraryThing and Goodreads have a lot of similarities. Both sites are designed to help you organize your books online and share the books you love with other people.

LibraryThing seems to be more geared toward people who want to catalog books they actually own. I have many books on my Goodreads page that I have gotten from the library and read, or read for a class. But LibraryThing assumes that you own the book unless you move it to a shelve titled "read, but do not own". This emphasis makes sense, given the names of the respective sites. 

LibraryThing also has this really cool feature for librarians, where you can sync your LibraryThing account with your OPAC. This includes "tag-based browsing, book recommendations, ratings, reviews, series data, awards information, stack maps, virtual shelf browsers, and more"!

Goodreads, in my opinion, has a more user-friendly interface. And while both websites link to your social media sites, Goodreads has a lot more of a social aspect for me, because none of my friends are on LibraryThing. (Maybe I just need more book-loving friends?)

Both are great for organizing your books, sharing your opinions about them, and getting recommendations. Which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments!

Paradise

Using Skype in Your Library

When you think of an author visit at your library, something like this probably comes to mind:



But what if it looked more like this?



Services such as Skype or Google Hangouts are good for more than just face-to-face conversations. they can also be used in your library to facilitate an author visit that might not otherwise be possible.

Doing author visits via Skype is a wonderful way to give students the opportunity to interact with an author, and there are several reasons why Skyping is often even better than a real visit. It may sound counter intuitive, but Skype visits can be more intimate. Authors usually Skype from their own homes or workplaces, allowing students to see the author's creative environment up-close. Skype calls are also much less expensive than traditional author visits. There is no need for the school to pay for travel or lodging for the visiting author, which will save a few hundred dollars.

So are you ready to set up your first author Skype visit? Here are a few websites that can help you find an author and get in touch:

• https://education.skype.com/partners/14-penguin-books
• http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/tradebooks/inviteanauthor.htm
• http://www.katemessner.com/authors-who-skype-with-classes-book-clubs-for-free/

After finding an author to Skype with, there are some things you can do before and during the visit to ensure everything goes smoothly (adapted from ALA's Checklist for a successful Skype with an author).

1. Make all of your email communication with the author very clear and specific. Put the name of your school and "Skype" as the subject line, and include all of your contact information in every email you send. This makes it easier for the author to remember who you are (many authors deal with more than one school at a time), and facilitates easy inbox searching on their end. 
2. Visit the author's website to see if they have any special instructions regarding Skype visit scheduling. make sure you specify the type of session (Q and A, workshop, or presentation) ages of participants, number of participants, length of session, and date and time (keep time zone differences in mind). Ask permission if you would like to record the call or take photographs at the event, and make sure to be specific about who will initiate the call. 
3. Before the call, Skype someone else from your library to make sure that the webcams are working properly and that the call is clear. If you are planning on using a hand-held microphone, test that as well. 
4. As with all author visits, it is a good idea to make sure all of the students have read the book that the author will be discussing, and have them write down questions to ask the author. It may also be helpful to let students rehearse asking their questions, and to review the questions beforehand. 
5. Make sure you have the author's phone number on hand, so that you can contact them in the event of technical difficulties. 
6. During the Skype visit, make sure that the students are having the best experience possible. Place the screen where everyone can see the author, and where the author can see them as well. make sure to keep the call within the agreed time. 

Skype calls are an easy and fun way to get an author into your library. So, what are you waiting for? 

Wikis

I recently created a wiki, which I have never done before! I am fascinated with the possibilities a wiki presents. I was overwhelmed at first, but after some help from the internet, I have a firmer grasp on what wikis can do, and the most effective ways to use them. Check out this wiki about wikis! It's focused specifically on how we can use wikis in our libraries.

When I created my own library wiki, I was imagining how I would use it to connect with students. For example, I imagined allowing students to read new arrivals to the library and post reviews about them in the "Reviews" section. Then other students could comment on those posts, and great conversations would ensue!

But according to the wiki mentioned above, most wikis are used in libraries to communicate among librarians. The possibilities for inter-library communication are endless. Book suggestions, advice on dealing with a student or parent or fellow faculty member, copyright help, library news, and unique ideas for anything library-related are all things that could be included on an inter-library wiki. For an example of what this would look like in real life, check out the Alaska Association of School Librarians Wiki.

My wiki is pretty bare right now, but hopefully I'll get it full of great things in no time. Take a look here!

School Libraries: Function or Fashion?

In my observations in various school libraries in Cache Valley, I've noticed a pretty big disconnect between the atmosphere of elementary school libraries and secondary school libraries. For example, many elementary school libraries are visually stimulating, comfy, and all around fun places to be:

Photo from Flickr

On the other hand, secondary schools seem to emphasize function over fashion:

Photo from Flickr

But why can't we have both? Studies have shown that students are more likely to hang out in libraries that they feel comfortable in, and as more and more students use the library as a place to hang out, circulation goes up. If we can get more books into the hands of our students by making the environment of our libraries more comfortable and colorful, shouldn't that be one of our top priorities?

I think it should. I would love to have a colorful, modern library full of bean bags and comfy couches. And I would love a library that is clean and organized, where anyone can find exactly what they are looking for. And I think the students would love it too!

Life-Long Learning

Hello all!

Today we're talking about lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is the pursuit of knowledge throughout your life. It takes a lot of self-motivation to be a lifelong learner, which can be hard, but it's worth it! After all, the more you know, the more you grow!

Lori Reed says that these are the 7 1/2 habits of lifelong learners:

1. Begin with the end in mind. (I'm pretty good at this one. I like to make an outline and have a concrete idea of what the end product will look like before I begin on a project of any kind.)

2. Accept responsibility for your own learning. (This one is a little harder for me. As a college student, I learn a lot every day, but I tend to place the responsibility for my learning on my professors. If I were more responsible for my own learning, I would be more likely to go above and beyond with my learning, and pursue avenues of thought that are interesting to me, regardless of whether or not they are included in the course.)

3. View problems as challenges. (Again, this is not one of my strong suits. I get frustrated with challenges, and see them as roadblocks rather than a way for me to better myself. Something to work on!)

4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. (My mom always said, "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." It's so true. If you believe in your abilities, you will be able to accomplish whatever you put your mind to!)

5. Create your own learning toolbox (There are so many ways to learn, and the more ways you can find, the more you will be able to learn!)

6. Use technology to your advantage (I'm pretty good at this one. If I don't know the answer to something, someone on the internet usually does, and I can find them!)

7. Teach/mentor others (This is my favorite one. I am currently on my way to getting a teaching license, and I truly believe that teaching is the best way to learn.)

7 1/2. Play! (Learning doesn't have to be hard work. The best kind of learning happens when you're having so much fun, you don't even realize learning is occurring. Learn what you love!)

All of the best people are lifelong learners, including presidents of the United States. Here's former president Bill Clinton talking about his experiences being a lifelong learner: