Hour of Code

Today is the day for "Hour of Code" at South Middle.  Our Technology department registered our school and is having all of the non-elective classes participate throughout the day.  To piggyback on that, the library is going to host an "Hour of Code" during the lunch periods during the week.  This will allow students time to learn more about coding and practice it using sites like code.org.

What is the "Hour of Code"?

"The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide."

Check out this website to learn more!

***Click here to get started!***

MakerSpace Faculty Meeting

The MakerSpace has become extremely popular with the students this year.  I have had mostly 7th grade Flex classes coming in, but the demand is becoming more widespread.  Two Spanish classes came in to celebrate "Dia de los Muertos" and a rotation of Science classes came in to learn more about cells.  There really have been so many creative ideas on how to use the MakerSpace in the library.

In order to get even more teachers interested, my principal and I decided that we would have a MakerSpace faculty meeting.  It was held the Monday before Thanksgiving and was a big success.  There was a lot of planning that went into it beforehand so that almost 80 teachers could be engaged and learn more about the variety of ways to integrate the MakerSpace into their curriculum.  I wanted to make sure that the teachers saw that there is a reason behind learning through play and to help them envision trying new ways of teaching old topics.

Since there was a limited amount of time, I chose what would happen at each station rather than letting them come up with their own ideas.  I also sent out information about what a MakerSpace is before the meeting for those that were not familiar.  There were 13 stations in total: Dash and Dot Robots, Makey Makey, Little Bits, Cubelets, Snap Circuits, Arts and Crafts, Origami, Osmo, Legos/K'nex, Ozobots, 3D design, zSpace, and Coding websites.  The teachers rotated every 6 minutes and were able to get to most stations.

There has been a lot of great feedback from the meeting and hopefully we will have more teachers coming into the Library to use the MakerSpace!

A Library for the 21st Century

Do we need all of these books?  What is a MakerSpace?  Does anyone use the library now that we have lots of technology?

All of these questions, and more, are asked when the idea and concept of spending lots of money to renovate an outdated library.  Around the country, lots of public, university and school libraries are being updated and renovated.  The idea of what a library is has changed tremendously in the past 10 years.  In order to remain relevant and important, libraries can't just be books anymore.  

Access...that is the key to why libraries are still important in 2016.  Regardless of income or intelligence, the library is a place for EVERYONE.  The library gives resources to those who may not have access to them.  The library provides information for those who are curious.  The library should be a hub for the town, village, school, college, etc.  

We are in the process of waiting for a bond issue to be voted on and one of the projects that was chosen is a complete renovation of the library.  This was a smart decision made by faculty and administration because it is a space used by everyone and FOR everyone.  Renovated, the library can be a place for students to work quietly, teachers to have team meetings, classes to visit and more.  Technology does not negate the use of the library, it should actually enhance it.  Libraries can be a place where people come to try new things or bring ideas for projects.  Having technology and using it well are two very different things.  

I can't wait to see what my school comes up with for our future library.  The collaboration is something I look forward to and I am eager to hear ideas and thoughts about what my faculty, staff and students want for our library of the future.  

Banned Books Week

"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country.

Find out which challenged books made the 2015 list, which was released as part of the 2016 State of America’s Library Report." - ala.org/bbooks

Come into the library and see some banned books on display.  Perhaps you've read some....perhaps you would like to!  South Middle is proud that we allow our students (and parents) to choose books that they feel they (or their child) are comfortable reading.  Banning books goes against what we believe and we choose to celebrate this week every year in honor of that.

Today is Banned Websites Awareness Day.  Here's a little background on this day and how it began...

"Usually the public thinks of censorship in relation to books, however there is a growing censorship issue in schools and school libraries – overly restrictive filtering of educational websites reaching far beyond the requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Students, teachers, and school librarians in many schools are frustrated daily when they discover legitimate educational websites blocked by filtering software installed by their school.  

Filtering websites does the next generation of digital citizens a disservice.  Students must develop skills to evaluate information from all types of sources in multiple formats, including the Internet. Relying solely on filters does not teach young citizens how to be savvy searchers or how to evaluate the accuracy of information.

Over extensive filtering also extends to the use of online social networking sites such as FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, etc. In order to make school more relevant to students and enhance their learning experiences, educators need to be able to incorporate those same social interactions that are successful outside of school into authentic assignments in the school setting.  Unfortunately, filters implemented by school districts also block many of the social networking sites."

Check out this link to find out more about this day!

Library Orientation

6th grade library orientation is here and I am excited to show a different library to these new students than I have in the past.  I have tweaked my materials and added days that I think will help to foster a love for the library.

I am still using my scavenger hunt to have the students locate items in the library.  This helps them to familiarize themselves with the rules, sections and other items without me having to stand up and talk at them for a whole period.  I incorporated a Pokemon Go component with this search and the students really liked it.

Digital citizenship is something else I will cover this year, even though it is mentioned in Social Studies and Health (and I'm sure other places, too!).  I felt that it was important for the students to see the library as a place they can come to with questions, and for them to understand that we can guide them on such things as their digital footprint.  Many students do not understand the implications of posting things online and that everything on there is forever.

Lastly, I am going to do a MakerSpace day to showcase our new addition to the library and to promote the use of the materials during lunch periods.  Students love to tinker and try new things and the MakerSpace is the perfect place for them to do it.  We have things like Dot and Dash, origami paper, board games, craft supplies and more.  I want students to feel comfortable coming in to the library and using the MakerSpace to collaborate, problem solve and, sometimes, fail in their attempts.  It's a great, hands-on way to learn.

I am so lucky to have teachers that are willing to try something new and give me a few days to share how important the library is.  With technology and all the new regulations in education, it's nice to have something like the library to fall back on and to know that it can remain a place where teachers and students can come and expand their love of reading, knowledge-base, etc.

Rigor in Classrooms?

Robyn Jackson, from ASCD, created a short video regarding rigor in the classroom.  Her analogy using a cooking show is unique and truly does explain how different classrooms run.

It's easy to do the same thing.  Teach the same topic.  Use the same test. Every. Year.

What's not easy is trying something new, throwing out testing and truly preparing our students for the real world.  Technology helps, but doesn't solve the problem (and sometimes makes it worse).  

We are doing our students a disservice if we keep teaching them things they can Google.  Or showing them how to do math that they can figure out on the calculator on their iPhones.  The skills that were needed 20 years ago are not necessarily needed today.  Making your classroom more student-led is imperative for the future of education and the success of our students when they graduate.  Just because it's been "working" for all of these years doesn't mean it will continue to work.  

What are some things you can change in your classroom?  Start small.  Try something new.  And don't forget to reach out to me if you need any help/resources/ideas!

Open House

During Open House, I decided to set up some of the materials we have for our new MakerSpace.  I thought it would be a great opportunity for the parents to see what happens in the library and for them to encourage their children to come visit the new MakerSpace.
There were things like K'Nex, Legos, Cubelets, coloring sheets and more.  Many of the parents came in during their child's lunch period and truly enjoyed "tinkering".

Also making a debut was our Nao Robot, Rosie.  The parents really enjoyed hearing about how their children could visit the library and/or Coding and Maker Clubs to learn how to program her.  Rosie performed various tricks and it really impressed everyone.

The new MakerSpace is up and running in the main library during lunch periods for all three grades.  Feel free to come and visit to see all of the cool new things we have.  Although our MakerSpace is a little more "low-tech," it still has a lot to offer for students to try.  As interest grows, so will the various toys and materials.  I can't wait to see what our students create!

Glorified Worksheets?

One of the best things about being at South Middle is the access our teachers and students have to technology.  Our students are able to experience things that many other schools cannot provide because of the devices we give them each year.  
But this unique learning experience does not come without issues or changes.  The devices are only as useful as the lessons, interactions and experiences we create for our students.  If they are used simply to substitute paper worksheets or to hand in work that would normally be done on paper, then we are wasting our time and resources.  This is a starting place, sure, but we have to strive to make the devices used in such a way that students won't be going to coolmathgames.com or wikipedia.  The interactions in our classrooms need to be more student-centered and less teacher-centered.  This is a big change in ideology and day to day lesson planning, but it is the way that education should be moving.  
As George Couros, a leading educator, states in The Innovator's Mindset:

The library is a great place to start with new ideas and ways to move from "glorified worksheets" to true 21st century learning.  I am always here to brainstorm, find resources and aid you in whatever you'd like to try or whatever your students would like to try!  What do you want to try this year?

Great New Features on Google Classroom

Over the summer, Google Classroom had some awesome updates!  Many teachers requested things like: interaction with parents, more organization, and more.  Google listened and has made these improvements and a few others.  So take a look at the article below and make sure your Google Classroom app is up to date!

Taking learning beyond classroom walls with new features for Back to School

Welcome Home to our Library!

It's a new school year and that means lots of new ideas and new beginnings!  I have created a new website/blog where I hope you'll be able to find lots of information, resources and some inspirational things.  My goal this year is to blog about the exciting things that happen in our library and school and to bring new ideas/experiments to our library media center.
For my first post, I want to share the new ISTE Standards that came out this past June because I think it is important to know how and why we use technology in our teaching.  SMS is well-versed in using iPads and integrating technology and I'm hoping to take us even further this year.

The use of technology is not simply to be able to say we have an iPad for every student, or that we have a projector and SMART Board in each classroom.  The goal of technology is to be able to use the tool in order to enhance learning.  It's so important to keep in mind that ideas and curriculum should drive technology use, not the other way around.  

The library is a great place to get resources, try something new and experiment with technology you may not be familiar or comfortable with.  

The motto for this year (thanks, Mrs. Cooper!) is "Welcome Home to the Library"!  I hope to reinvigorate our library and try things that we have never done before.  

Let's have a great year!!