Digital and Media Literacy Resources

I have been gathering resources for both students and teachers to build their media and digital literacy, and working on the best curation methods for each.  My goal is to empower learners, both student and teacher, to have these tools at their fingertips and utilize them when they are authentic and meaningful to their educational experiences.
Several of the ISTE Standards have focused this work.

Digital Self (Citizen 3b: Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

I have curated a list of online resources relevant to the instruction of Media and News Literacy, and shared these with faculty members through several mediums.  I utilized Wakelet to Curate online resources in a visually appealing way.  To spotlight this topic and maximize access to the collection, I featured Media Literacy in my most recent Faculty Newsletter.  In addition to the Curated collection I included new print titles related to the topic, as well as an article on the importance of this topic.  This is a tool that I have utilized often to provide Professional Development content to teachers, for them to use them when and how they find them most meaningful.  

Digital Agent (Citizen 3C): Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.

I often create screencasts for students on how to follow ethical practices when using information and media created by others, but the access to these screencasts has not been consistent.  I typically share them within a Google Classroom for a specific project.  I want to empower students to be able to find and access this information independently anytime they need it, so I put together a YouTube Playlist.  I originally intended on creating a separate channel, but in the end that was too complicated, so I opted to make a Playlist dedicated to this topic.  This Playlist will be shared consistently with students during each project or inquiry instruction opportunity, and I will encourage them to bookmark/ save the Playlist for future use. By providing a consistent access point I hope to Empower my student Learners to follow safe, legal and ethical practices.

Cultivating Curiosity with Curation

I have been really inspired by the AASL Standards (Library) to incorporate curation intentionally into my instructional practices (Shared Foundation IV: Curate).  Curation is something that I have always done as part of my library resource sharing, but building it into student learning strategies to Empower them as learners is something new for me (ISTE standard I. Empowered Learner).  This year I incorporated curation into my Research Seminar class as one of their learning objectives.  Students had to think critically as digital citizens to evaluate web sources and collaboratively curate a list (ISTE Standard II. Digital Citizen). They are required to consider relevance and reliability of source content, and defend the usefulness of these sources to our intended purpose.
Research Seminar has a blended learning structure, which I organize around student generated questions about the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.  As they gathered sources, students contributed to shared collections, such as this one on "Clean Water", within our school libraries Destiny Collection.  This was both a new learning activity and new tool, and a great learning process for both myself and the students.  Some things worked well and others need to be adjusted after reflection. 
In looking at additional tools available, I explored Wakelet, which I really liked.  This digital curation tool allows you to easily gather all different types of sources and displays them in a visually appealing format.  There are so many applications for these curation tools within the library curriculum, and resource sharing for faculty.  I may utilize this tool with Research Seminar students next year, rather than Destiny Collections, because of the visual appeal and ease of access.  It generates a link to invite collaborators, which I could share through Google Classroom, streamlining that process for collaborative curation.  This would benefit students who struggled this year with the sign in process for Destiny Collections.  The visual format of Wakelet also lends itself to embedding content into a website, so I could share these resources beyond the context of the classroom.  Below you can see what that format looks like, which would be very functional, not only for student access to resources, but also sharing instructional tools and professional articles with teachers and faculty.  In the past I have created Smore Newsletters to share with colleagues, but I may try Wakelet as an alternative, because I can continue to curate topics and consistently share those resources.

MakerSpace Progress

We have come a long way in our MakerSpace since the inaugural 2014-2015 school year.  We started small and made it manageable, so that it could also be sustainable.  I am so invested in inquiry instruction and my need to focus on collaborative teaching opportunities that I didn't want to build a MakerSpace and expectations that I couldn't maintain.  I believe that this progression has actually allowed our MakerSpace to grow organically and naturally, gaining momentum as students and our school community catch the vision and understand the possibilities of a MakerSpace.
The progression in our space is outlined in the Infographic shared here.  We have also attempted to incorporate collaboration, and are still working on this element.  I would love to have an active MakerSpace Advisory with students, faculty, and community members, but I have not yet been able to figure out the logistics of this kind of group.

This winter and spring we seem to have reached a tipping point in the MakerSpace though, with students coming to me with project ideas, asking for specific resources and training to be able to engage in making that is meaningful to them.
Our space is beginning to transform, with some of the furniture selected through the 7th grade project, arriving and changing the look of our MakerSpace.  The clear drawers of the mobile carts made a big impact, with students feeling empowered to access resources themselves and becoming self directed in their making.  I am excited to see it all come together, as the rest of the furniture arrives.

I am working to keep up with the student requests in the MakerSpace, and to facilitate the self direction of making, by building a Badging System.  As I generate new projects I am using a template and project pattern that can become a "Library of Badges".  In addition, I have enlisted the help of our technology specialists to build a system for tracking student badges and displaying a MakerSpace Leader Board in the library learning commons.  We have been using the language of badging and the Badge Project Sheets for the last few months, as a kind of soft launch to this idea.  I am also creating 10 Summer Maker Kits for students to check out over the summer, which incorporate project ideas, materials, and books to explore.  The kits, which range from "Fashion Design" to "Music Making" to "Arduino Coding" to "Weaving" will become 10 additional badging options, which can easily be pulled for students to work on
independently during the year as well.  Inside each kit are 3-4 project challenges or ideas, with basic materials to get started, and links to additional resources.  These kits and badges will be launched full force over the summer and into the fall.  I needed to generate enough options to make it sustainable before bringing it to students.  My hope is that this will add motivation to complete and share projects as students catch a vision for the MakerSpace Leader Board.
My next focus and challenge for the MakerSpace will be getting an
Advisory group off the ground.  My first priority is to get students engaged in the planning and direction of this space, but I would also love to have faculty and community members involved.  There is such a wealth of knowledge and skills that I would love to see shared with our students.  In addition I am looking for opportunities to add a global purpose to our making.  I would love to find "real" challenges and problems that our students could be working on during their time in the learning commons.


The possibilities with MakerSpace are endless, which is so exciting, but can also become overwhelming.  It has been incredibly important for me to explore what others are doing, glean ideas, and be inspired by all the making happening out there in and outside of schools.  I attended the NY State Maker Summit in Albany this spring, which was a great opportunity.  I continue to spend hours on Pinterest gathering ideas and inspiration, and am constantly encouraged by the blogs of other librarians and makers.  Through the resources for this project I will be adding #makered to my Tweet Deck to use as another resource.

Why I'm a Teacher Leader, and You Can Be Too

Sometimes when I am passionately sharing my latest professional development project or an inquiry lesson I'm collaborating on I receive a puzzled look and the question, "But I thought you were a librarian?"   I am a librarian, a teacher librarian, but if your perspective on my role is that of a traditional librarian I can understand this confusion.  So I would like to share why, as a teacher librarian, I am qualified to be a teacher leader.

1.  I actively seek out and participate in professional growth opportunities that will broaden my perspective and understanding on both instruction and content specific standards.

2.  I share new information and resources with my learning community, both locally and digitally.

3.  I embrace new challenges and educational shifts as I look for the opportunities within them.

4.  I am willing to fail, to reflect, and to grow as I try new things.

5.  I recognize and value the expertise of other educators.

6.  I collaborate and communicate with colleagues both locally and digitally.

7.  I celebrate the success of both students and colleagues.

8.  I try to always keep students central in my planning and decision making.

I don't believe leadership is reserved for those with a particular degree, title, or certification.  I believe leadership is an action that can be taken by any educator.  It means taking responsibility to be part of a team looking for solutions rather than focusing on problems.  It means being proactive, while listening to the concerns and voices of other educators.  

I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a part of an amazing leadership team, and I will not apologize for the work I do there.  If anyone would like to join me in leading there's always room for more voices.

Bookopoly: A Successful Teen Read Celebration

This year we are celebrating Teen Reading with a Bookopoly game, and it has been an exciting success with students.  We kicked off the game on day one of Teen Read week, and will continue to play until the day before vacation, allowing students to roll their dice once a day for opportunities to enter to win our grand prizes, or land on Community Chest for smaller immediate prizes.  

The draw is in part due to some wonderful prizes, among them a Chrome

book, but I believe the variety of ways to engage in the game has made it accessible to a wide range of students as well.  We have students at every grade level engaged in playing and exploring the library in new ways.

Below you will find an outline of the game design and rules.  

Game Board: Monopoly to Bookopoly translation

Property Spaces = Genres

*Sports

*Mystery

*Fantasy

*Science Fiction

*Adventure

*Teen Topics


Utilities = Game Time

Railroads = MakerSpace activities

Chance Cards = Cards that prompt literacy related activities

Community Chest = Pick from our mini prize trunk

Free Parking = Free Reading (enter your name to win)

Go to the Library = Enter your name to win

Feel free to use my Bookopoly cards as templates to design your own game pieces.

How to Play:

Roll our giant dice once a day, move your game piece (1" square character pieces with tacks) around the bulletin board/ game board

Collect "Genre cards"- collect three of any genre to enter for prizes or read one of the books reviewed    

        on a card and enter to win (students are allowed to trade genre cards)

Complete MakerSpace activities from the "MakerSpace cards" and enter to win

Complete literacy challenges within Chance cards and enter to win

Play Chess or another strategy game in the library  when collecting "Game Time cards" and enter to win

I am so excited by the engagement and active exploration of the library- it has been our best Teen Read celebration yet!  

MakerSpace Learning

This is the purpose statement that I wrote this fall, as we kicked off a MakerSpace in the library here at the high school.  I started out in the fall by placing challenges in the MakerSpace, which students could work on at their leisure.  Challenges have ranged from "What can you make out of Duct tape?" to Lego challenges to Origami, and lots in between.  While we have continued to provide these self paced challenges, we have added Maker Monday times when we provide some instruction on more in depth projects.

I worked with a small student advisory team to brainstorm different project ideas,
wanting to cover STEAM topics, with varying levels of technology.  Students have also been instrumental in sharing their expertise in the MakerSpace.  I really
envision this as a student run area, with me serving mostly as advisor, and providing the materials and support for what they want to create.

I have been very excited by the range of students who have come to use the MakerSpace.  It has been a space where students of all ages can come together and be creative.

I feel like we are still very much in the learning stages of this MakerSpace venture, so the resources this month have been invaluable to me, adding to my repertoire of project ideas and resources.  The Tinkerspace blog has some especially helpful ideas for organization.  This will increasingly be an area that I explore, as we grow and have more supplies to manage.

#shelfchallenge Day 2

Wow- I am really enjoying reading some poetry.  It is a genre that I have neglected for a long time!  Today I read some Maya Angelou- I didn't know that she had written an Inaugural poem to read at Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993.  This could be a great close read- to infer some of the historical context as well as social issues during that time period.  Very cool!
I especially like the juxtaposition of these two sections:

"You, the Turk, the Arab, the Swede,
The German, the Eskimo, the Scot,
The Italian, the Hungarian, the Pole,
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream."
...............................................................

"Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands,
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need.  Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
                                                                                    Do not be wedded forever
                                                                                    To fear, yoked eternally
                                                                                    To brutishness."

Poetry Month #shelfchallenge

So, for the month of April I am going to take the #shelfchallenge, inspired by Colleen Graves blog post on this challenge.  I decided to combine this challenge with celebrating National Poetry month, so I choose our first shelf of poetry to read through this month.

 I am excited about digging deeply into exploring this part of the curriculum.  I'm sure that this will just be the tip of the iceberg, and I will get hooked on this deep exploration of the collection.

I just got started today, and since we are already half way through the month, I am trying to make some good progress.  I started by pulling the first four books from the shelf to look through. Of those four books  I will be weeding two of them!  The first is from 1969 and the dull appearance and musty smell will give it little appeal for students.



The second is from 1990, and I found very frustrated to use.

 It is Ain't I a Woman!: A Book of Women's Poetry From Around the World, but there is no way to search for poetry by country.  The Table of Contents is not very useful, with very little information given, and there is no index at all.  Because it lacks these tools, it loses its usefulness.

The next book is awesome though!  I discovered Kwame Alexander's Crush: Love Poems, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading through them.  I love his imagery and use of practical life experiences to explore the stages and feelings of love.  I particularly appreciate the lines,

"He wishes 

He were a library

Each book she would check out."

I think this would become a very popular title, especially with the current popularity of The Crossover, if it got discovered- so, it's going on a display today!!  Great success already- looking forward to continuing my challenge.

I've already got ideas for how to expand this #shelfchallenge to include our book club kids- maybe encouraging them to select a shelf to read for the summer?  Or next year picking a shelf that they will be responsible for reading and reviewing.  Lots of possibilities to explore!

Switch: A New Reading Experience

I have to admit, although I get excited about the information I want to learn from nonfiction books, I am not a lover of the process of reading nonfiction.  Given the choice between a great story and an information rich book, even on a topic of high interest, I am going to go for the story pretty much every time.

So, this first chapter of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard was a wonderful surprise.  I have been excited to read this book to get the information, but now it is clear that I'm also going to enjoy the process of reading it, which means I might just get through my reading before it is due for our book discussion!
The clear message of a three step process, "To change behavior, you've got to direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path" was delivered through a series of engaging stories and entertaining case studies (19).  The practical application for this three step process, which I originally thought would apply primarily in my professional life, will have far greater reach.  I can already see connections that I will make at home, through my youth ministry involvement, and in my own life.
So, what is the Rider, the Elephant, and the Path you may ask?  Well, the authors, Chip and Dan Heath, use clear illustrations for this analogy:

• The Rider is our rational side, which provides the direction for any change we want to make. "What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity" (17).
• The Elephant is our emotions, and will provide the energy and motivation to make a change. "What looks like laziness is often exhaustion" (17).
• The Path is the situation, or the circumstances surrounding the change.                              "What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem" (18).  

I invite you to read along with me as I find out more about how to change things when change is hard, and share any stories of how you are working through change in your own life.  Happy reading!