The Adventures of eLearning

My district has implemented eLearning for canceled days.  Indiana allows us to make up all our days using eLearning because we are an "A" district.  So far we have had 3 eLearning days taking place the day of a cancellation and a 4th happening tomorrow.  In addition, students will be having an eLearning day on Presidents' Day as it was a planned make-up day.  Tomorrow will be the first time we all know school is cancelled before bed.  The other days were either somewhat of a surprise (called after a 2 hour delay) to a complete surprise.  

The guidelines are pretty simple.  Teachers are supposed to have their eLearning lessons posted on My Big Campus by 9am.  The lesson should reflect what could be done in class on a delay schedule, so that means the assignment should take approximately 30 minutes at most.  Teachers must be available through email and My Big Campus from 9am-3pm for questions.  Students have up to 5 school days to complete the assignment.  This part is a little confusing as they do not actually get classroom time for the assignment but instead have access to computer labs and help before/after school for an hour those 5 school days.  Teachers are not supposed to introduce new material.  

I should add that my district is 1:1 iPads 7-12th grade (take home).  I am not clear on what our K-6th students are doing as 4th-6th have 1:1 but iPads aren't supposed to go home, and K-3 only have a few iPads for classroom use only.

eLearning has definitely been an interesting experience.  First, even though we are in our 3rd year of 1:1 iPad implementation, I do not think we have hit our stride yet with iPads being used as a learning tool.  Many students push back, not bringing their iPads to class.  Because students do not have iPads in class, teachers rely on them less for the day-to-day instruction.  

eLearning has changed things as the students must complete their assignment online. (some exceptions)  A full semester under out belts, and I had students asking for the first time how to download their school apps such as Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.  Students who left their iPads someplace dead are now charging up and using them.  Teachers are finally feeling that they can plan lessons using iPads in the classroom because more students are coming to class prepared.  

My Big Campus is our learning platform of choice.  Teachers must post their assignments on their class group announcements.  The actual assignments might be completed through MBC's Schoolwork or discussion tab, or the assignment might actually be located on another site or app, such as Showbie.  

Are things perfect?  Nope.  Are we learning and doing better with each assignment, I believe so! Here's what I have learned so far:

• Students do not want to login to My Big Campus.  They want to be told in person what they are to do and be handed the work.  This obviously doesn't apply to all, but it is surprising how many resist going to the one resource that will have everything they need.  I am standing firm that they must login and go read the directions and information provided.  Once they have made that effort, they can ask clarifying questions and get help.
• Auditory learners may struggle with directions typed out, especially considering some formats of eLearning are new to them.  The first assignment I typed out the directions.  I thought it was pretty straight forward, but one student struggled with what to do.  The next assignment was trickier as it was a discussion.  For this assignment I typed out the directions and how points could be earned.  I then recorded myself explaining it all.  
• This generation of students will struggle with eLearning. Why?  They are used to having a free day to sleep away and do as they please.  Some are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that they should be getting up and begin their assignments.  These students put it off only to find themselves overwhelmed on the final day as they have regular school work plus the eLearning to complete.  With each assignment it gets a little better, and I am sure after a year or two of doing this, students will adjust.
• Note: A district near us expects the eLearning to be completed the next school day. While giving a week to complete the work leads to procrastination, my district recognized that there will be students and staff without power or even without internet at home to complete the assignments.
• My Big Campus has made a lot of improvements!  Because of my position, I do not have a lot of opportunities to use it.  With eLearning, I have had my news crew watch videos and answer a few questions that were automatically graded.  Another assignment they completed an assignment with a rubric set up in MBC.  I was able to quickly click through the rubric to give them their scores.  This past assignment I tried a discussion.  I was able to track their comments and update their scores as the discussion progressed.  Even better, I can open up the gradebook and see all their scores in one place!

I'm positive there is still much to learn as we continue with eLearning.  For now, it is time for me to go upload tomorrow's lesson and plan ahead for other possible cancellations! :-)

Getting my Conference Game-Face On!! ILF 2014

The time is finally here for the Indiana Library Federation's annual conference!!  As always, I am excited to see my school library friends, spending time catching up and finding out what amazing things they are doing in their libraries.  I am also excited to check out some of these sessions!

As I prepare for ILF, I am getting my game face on (positive attitude) and forming my IEP (individual exploration plan).  

In order to have a successful experience at any conference, we need to have a positive attitude.  I have been super pumped about a session only to realize that it is a sales pitch.  I have been in sessions where the description and what was actually presented were not lined up at all.  There are also those sessions that you hope to learn something new but find out it is more of an intro level while you are ready for the advanced options.  Here's the thing: you can either sit in that session and be annoyed about your time being wasted, or you can take control.  

First, there are your two feet.  My personal rule before I even heard of edCamps: if a session is not offering what I need to improve myself, my library, etc., then I use my two feet to quietly walk out and find another session that might better suit my needs.  It is nothing personal.  Precious time and money were sacrificed for this conference, so it is my duty to make sure I get as much as possible from it.

Second, there is that positive attitude I mentioned.  Maybe I don't have a back-up plan for another session or cannot make an easy exit.  I don't have to sit there and be annoyed.  Instead, I can hit the internet, looking up the topic I was wanting to learn about.  I've done this before and found that by the end of the session, I may have picked up a few great ideas from the presenter while also a handful of websites, blogs, tweets, and more that put me ahead of where I was when I walked in.

The real key to setting yourself up for a successful conference trip is having a plan in place.  This summer at ISTE14, I had the pleasure of hearing Jennie Magiera give an ignite talk.  She shared how she creates an IEP, individual exploration plan, to ensure her PD experiences are a success.  

I used to attend ILF and similar conferences with basically no plan.  I would go to any session that popped out to me.  In short, I was ALL OVER THE PLACE.  By the end of the conference, I was excited with lots of amazing ideas but no idea where to start.  Now I approach my conferences with a plan.  

When I attended ICE this past October, I decided MakerSpaces was my first day focus and iPads as learning tools was my second day focus.  When there was a breakout period with no session in my particular focus area, I chose to go to the hall where I could connect with others and/or read some of the many websites and articles I had saved up on that particular focus area.  In short, it was one of my best conference experiences as I left feeling focused and ready to implement some of my ideas almost immediately!

For ILF this year, I noticed there are several sessions on engaging teen readers.  It just so happens that the third focus area for my library this year is exactly that.  I am trying to find ways to affect the reading culture, or the lack thereof, at my high school.  I have a few things in place but am not satisfied with how things are going.  This year when I leave ILF, I will have a new ideas on how to get my students excited about reading!

So....who's with me?!?  What's your best conference strategy?  Do you have a focus ILF this year?  Share in the comments!

High School Library MakerSpace: Coming to you LIVE this August!!

That's it.  No more thinking about it.  No more mulling over what might go right and what might go wrong.  No more putting it off.  No more lamenting about how there just isn't enough time or enough of me to go around.

I am doing it!  

This school year, starting right off the bat, my high school students can come to the library before school, during their lunch time, or after school to tinker, play, create, invent, improve, engineer, design, code, and dig deeper.

Do I have an exact plan?  Do I know how this is going to look by the end of the year, let alone week to week?  Do I even know what I am doing??

Nope...but that is ok.

During the first round of ISTE Ignite Sessions this summer, Nicholas Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher) shared something profound.  An idea that has lurked at the back of my mind but was pushed back as I felt swamped and overwhelmed with other responsibilities and stuff.  He said...are you ready for this??  It just might blow your mind....he said, "Get off your butts and do it!  Students can't wait!" (or something very close to that)

And there it is...

Among many other inspirational ideas gathered at ISTE, I decided Nick was right.  Every year I wait to make something happen is another graduating class that never had the opportunity to see/try/experience it. 

First things first...

Don't get me wrong.  I do have a plan of action and have a base-level of information to work with.  I was able to hear THE Sylvia Martinez share about the importance of MakerSpaces and am reading the book she co-authored, Invent to Learn.  I became friends with Michael Medvinsky and am learning some ways he implements Making into his music curriculum and more.  I also am privileged to know and be connected to the one and only Leslie Preddy, AASL President elect and author of School Library MakerSpaces: Grades 6-12. 

I told Leslie that I had a baby MakerSpace and wanted it to grow up to be like her Perry Meridian Middle School Library MakerSpace someday.  (Note to self: Do NOT ever again refer to this area as a "baby maker space". It might be misunderstood by my high school students and community. LOL)

Where to Start???

I am beginning with the following areas (understanding that most are actually kits/tubs/roller carts and are not actual fulltime stations):

• Take Apart Tech - I have a 13" black and white TV from when I was a kid and one of those old clunker all-in-one computer to start off!
• Upcycling - crafty or useful creations...who knows what might happen here!?!
• Arts and Crafts - starting simple with crafts, jewelry making, and activities that will get kids to try out the area...but someday maybe a kid will create a blinky-light necklace or a craft supply automatic sorter?!?
• Microwave Making - sometimes making something tasty and other times non-food related
• Coding - hour of code, minecraft, 3D printing creations...followed by begging the PLW teacher to let us print our creations....hmm....lots of directions with this one!
• Electronics/Circuitry - starting with kits such as Makey-Makey, LittleBits, or Squishy Circuits
• Video production - I actually already oversee the student news, so this will be extending the equipment and learning to all students.

I know there will be other areas we decide to try, such as digital design, architecture, digital photography, and more.

My Vision

Today, I envision this as a space students can freely come and go.  The regular time frame will be before school, during their lunch time, and after school.  I hope to offer an official MakerTime (Ooh, just thought of that name and it is perfect!  Wonder if I could get one of my musically talented students to turn that into a short theme song to the tune of "Stop! Hammer time!") once a week with a different focus and community expert.  Some kits will be locked in my office and checked out on an in-library-use only due to the expense, but the majority of supplies and items will be available easily accessible by students. 

Stay Tuned!!

Pictures to come as I am currently putting together my space...which is why I decided now was the perfect time to write down my thoughts. Procrastinator for life!

Tech Tip Tuesday...a day late: iPad Tips and Tricks for Teachers

I am guilty of taking for granted all the tips and tricks I pick up for my iPad.  Sometimes I accidentally figure out how to do something.  Other times I'll stumble upon a tip on Twitter or Facebook.  Then there are the times I actually seek out help!  I know....you all think I just know these things.  I don't...I'm just really good at faking it and/or keeping one step ahead of your questions! LOL

The iPad is an amazing TOOL: a tool in which we have yet to truly tap its potential for productivity, for teaching, and for interactive classrooms.  I would be lost trying to run my day in the library and around the school without my iPad.

So, today's Tech Tip Tuesday post is all about helping you discover a few tricks you will be glad to know.

First, I want to point you to TechSupportAlert.com's article: Tech Support Alert - The Best iPad Tips and Tricks (Updated for iOS 7).

Novice to Nearly-an-Expert, you might just find something useful here.  Be sure to click on the index button and find your favorite tip of the day.

Such as "How to Read a Webpage with Safari Reader"

While you read a web page in a browser, you can either double tap or stretch a page to enlarge the size for ease of reading.  Safari browser takes a step further by taking the ads or other clutter out of a web page. It automatically detects a web page with substantial text, such as online articles, and presents you with a Reader button at the left end of the address field.  Tap the Reader button when it appears and you can read or even email the articles in a clean layout without ads or other distractions, re-tap the button and you're back to the original page.

For more tips and tricks, check out my PearlTree collection.  (And yes, you can expect a future post on what the heck a PearlTree is as it is my FAVORITE website tool!!)



 


Stay tuned for more interesting (hopefully!) blog entries as I begin my 20 Day Blogging Challenge!!

20 Day Blog Challenge - Librarian Version!!

If you are like me, you have LOTS to share with the world.  You crave collaboration with others in your professional realm.  You look forward to sharing and hearing back from others on their own experiences.  With all of that, blogging should be easy, right??

Here is my hang up...I get it in my head that each post should be BIG, meaningful, Earth-shattering, and amazing.  I start planning in my head what I'll write, what resources I'll share, and how it will be a post worth the hours to compose.  Then reality hits, and I don't make the time to write.

So, thanks to Kelly Hines at "In the Trenches" and her 20-day Blog Challenge she shared on Techformers Unite facebook page, I am ready to do this thing!!

I did create my own 20-day Challenge - Librarian Version in hopes that it will help me keep moving forward. I will be flexible, focused, and interesting....ok, can't promise that last one, but I will do my best!  The list and you guys will help hold me accountable!  Because, if I know someone is actually reading this, I'll have to write so as not to let down my readers! LOL

Wish me luck....better yet, join me!  Who's in?  Please share your blog below.  Let's inspire each other to take our professional development to a whole-new-level!

ISTE 13: My Delayed Ah-Ha Moment!!

This was my first trip to ISTE. I dreamed of attending ever since Maureen Brunner shared at an ILF (Indiana Library Federation) conference session 2 years ago. I literally felt myself drool at the possibility of being surrounded by educators who saw the wonder and potential in using technology as a tool to further our students' education. After watching two ISTE's come and go, I knew it was time to make things happen. After working on my husband for months, planning out how to make the trip as affordable as possible since my district was unable to send anyone, I finally won his support. I was bound for ISTE13 in beautiful San Antonio!!

I arrived early where I was able to participate in HackEd. I was not a stranger to unconferences as edCamps in Indiana are finally taking off. However, I was amazed at how many educators sincerely looking for ways to improve were all there. (More to share in a later post!)

The next day the conference officially kicked off. As someone who is NOT a fan of large crowds, I found myself distracted by the fact that I was surrounded by people that "get it"...and, even better, were friendly to boot! Sunday rolled into Monday and then Tuesday. By then I was still waiting for my "ah-ha" moment. Don't get me wrong. I was attending some great sessions, visiting numerous poster sessions with great ideas, and even sessions held by vendors that were well worth my time. Wednesday also was a great day, but by this point I was on information overload...in a good way. I had no direction yet a million ideas I wanted to share. (Again, more to come!!)

Leading up to the conference, many veteran attendees warned about the sheer-vastness of it all. The SIGMS (ISTE special interest group - media specialists)held a preconference webinar where the ladies all advised taking time to decompress and sort out what all you have learned. I did just that these last couple of days since coming home.

AND.....I HAD IT....MY AH-HA MOMENT AT LAST!!!


As I was mowing, racing the incoming huge gray rain clouds rolling in, I started mulling over all the ideas that I picked up from different sessions. Slowly, those pieces started coming together into an idea that I can run with starting NOW!


I shall become a Google-Form Goddess (or something like that)

Here are the problems I keep coming back to...all of which could be simplified with a google form!

Problem #1: Ironically, going 1:1 with iPads meant I used more paper than ever in the library. We need paperwork to track the ipad coming in. We need paperwork for when it needs to be repaired. We need paperwork when it needs to be charged overnight. Without paperwork, we quickly lost track of what needed to be done for each iPad. All of this while I was cheering teachers to "Go, Paperless, Go!!



Problem #2: I was having interns backlog ALL of that paperwork into a spreadsheet where I could tell if Joe Shmoe is having a reoccuring problem or if this is indeed the first time his profiles magically disappeared. We fell behind, embarrassingly so. Plus, the spreadsheet was unfocused and chaotic at best. It did not easily pull together into usable data. Much of this had to do with us learning what we needed to do for iPad support on the fly.

Problem #3: Many students would wait weeks before getting help or turning in a broken iPad. The number one reason: not enough time to stop by the library and fill out the paperwork. Some were too shy (been there, done that). Others were worried about being late to class. (Yes, some students actually do worry about this.) :-)

Problem #4: I encourage students to read and vote on the Eliot Rosewater novels. Their vote really does matter in choosing the award winning book! I make a special display every year, put voting slips in each book, and even track down kids who read the book but didn't submit the slip. This takes a lot of time, and I still do not get very many votes in despite how many kids read the book.

Problem #5: Keeping up with all the discipline referrals is not an easy task for my administrators. The forms we use currently are huge files that often lock up their emails. Each individual form then has to be documented on a separate spreadsheet or filed so that the various administrators can look at past history.

Problem #6: This is a "good" problem. I have LOTS of student interns that help through out the day. I also have many students that volunteer to help out with various projects in the library. However, when each day is a whirlwind, I find myself not taking advantage of this help. I have found out in the last week of the semester that one of my interns has a particular knack for organizing or creating awesome signage. By this point, it is too late to make use of these awesome skills.

What do all of these problems have in common?? Data collection! And a google form can do just that for me. Even better, it will collect the information and put it in a pretty organized form and even graph it!

So...I have had my first ah-ha moment, and I'm positive it will not be my last! Now to make it happen....who can help??  Have suggestions?

Reply below, contact me on Twitter @cybrarianjenn

Monitoring our Teens Online Behavior: Protecting their "digital tattoos"

When internet access was still fairly new and online access was limited (remember when dial-up was practically your only option?), police agencies and parent groups campaigned for families to monitor and restrict their children's access. Families were warned to keep the family computer out in a public area, know their children's passwords, and check in on their activity often. Community meetings were held, educating families on the dangers and how to protect our children.

Fast forward to today, where our preteens and teens have smart phones, gaming devices with internet access, laptops, and even school devices that give them the means to peruse the internet and social media unmonitored. Even when schools try to block access or parents put restriction codes on devices, our clever children find ways to get around these roadblocks. Parents express that they do not feel they have the understanding, or even more alarming, the "right" to control their children's access.

Then we have social media. Social media gives our children a platform to share, share, and share some more. When they have good news, they share. When they are bored, they share. When they are having fun and want to show how awesome they are, they share...even if it involves illegal activities.

I just perused through some Vine videos. I have heard people talking about it, and it sounded like fun. One parent even told me about her daughter's humorous posts. Some really were humorous and innocent. However, some posts I stumbled upon (no account necessary to see anyone and everyone's videos as this is a Twitter app) were like "really?!?" as they show off their cussing skills, or were reputation-damaging videos that ranged from highly suspicious (looked drunk, had alcohol or drug paraphernalia in background...to out-right-future-damaging evidence of demonstrating their ability to roll a joint, take shots straight out of the bottle, etc.

Side note: Vine is a Twitter app that is supposed to only be downloaded by 17+ as it has no rules against porn, illegal activities, etc.

Not all were that bad...but there were still concerning videos. One video had a teen recording himself talking to the camera (while driving) and then video taping something being held up in front of....wait for it....a don't text and drive air freshener. Hmm....message not received by what is otherwise a really great kid, and he wasn't the only one taping himself while driving.

What all this leads to is this: WE HAVE TO DO BETTER FOR OUR YOUTH!

Parents - MONITOR YOUR CHILDREN'S ONLINE ACTIVITY!! Adults, if you see something that would concern you as a parent, do something about it. Friends with their parents? Say something as simple as "Hey, did you see that video/post/picture? I was concerned for so-and-so's safety and thought you might want to know." Friends with the kid? Offer sound friendly advice or heads up that that video/post/pic can be seen by more than just their friends and can have ugly consequences. If it contains illegal activities, and especially if you work for schools, we have a professional duty to report what we see. Why? First, we are supposed to be looking out for the best interest of the child. Second, if that child ever does have something happen due to their online behavior/sharing, and it is found that we knew about it and didn't report it, we can lose our jobs.

Adults need to STOP turning a blind eye to this damaging behavior. We need to step up and educate our youth on how to behave socially responsible online. Even better, we need to DEMONSTRATE responsible behavior online.

What can I do? First, I have already starting talking with my 6 year old about what is appropriate and what isn't. How some things are private and shouldn't be shared with the world. Second, I need to step up my game at school, educating both staff and students how to be responsible for their "digital tattoo".

Resources:
http://www.netsmartz.org/
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
http://ciese.org/internetsafety.html