Reach Out and Touch

I just don't get it. After visiting eleven media centers this semester, there's only one that engaged my senses, got me excited about learning, prompted me to linger and look closely, caused me to question preconceived notions, and connected me to the world and different kinds of people. For me, this is diversity in action. The other 10 could easily be interchanged with each other. This one media center not only included resources to celebrate race, gender, ethnic heritage, and cultural background, but also paid attention to different learning styles, needs, and characteristics by using technology, brain-based learning, and arrangement of the facility.

You may have guessed which one it was since I've mentioned it before. Yep, Luella Elementary. Allow me to show you some of what I experienced. This first photo has not only a listening center but there is a science experiment for hands-on-learning that came from one of the library books. Imagine that. Actually highlighting a book by not just having it on a stand, but by pulling out the information for students to use in an engaging way. This science area also includes other items the students can touch, such as snake skins, antlers, and animal bones.

Instead of a traditional conference room, there's a gathering space that celebrates different countries with items that have been donated from the community. All kinds of learning occurs in here. One year the media specialist, Anne Wallace, and an after school club created handmade flags of different countries that now hand on the other walls in this room. The students used the internet to find out about these countries and their flags.

The entrance to the media center has a listing of the different monthly cultural/organization/people celebrations and a designated bookshelf in the media center has books and items that highlight one of those celebrations. Teachers use this listing in their classes and students are curious to see what the new month celebrates.

The media center has two sizes of furniture for the range of students at Luella. Also, computer software further enhances accessibility to information and development of literacy skills.

Grant money made possible the creation of an area focused on learning about the ocean. Books, an aquarium, and a TV running one of the ocean DVDs are located here. A parent tends the aquarium and others have donated sea shells and other fish related items. The school has adopted two loggerhead sea turtles. They track them on a website and use this information to update the students by posting the information on a bulletin board.


Everything in this media center seems to say- We welcome all and want you to learn in a way that is right for you. I will use a lot of what I learned here to create a diverse and engaging media center. I also want to incorporate some type of global classroom project using the internet, such as Classroom Connect or Global School Net. Specific projects, such as One World Mural, are listed on this handy Diversity resource list from NEA. It also includes a Diversity Calendar. My desire is that when students walk into my school's media center they get it... their uniqueness is honored and celebrated, their eyes are opened to all kinds of people and situations, and they access and use information for authentic learning and to make the world a better place.

Tell Me a Story

My dad was the first one to introduce me to the power of story. In between his missionary travels, he'd create a funny and heroic tale starring me as he put me to bed. Later, as a theology professor, Dad wrote a groundbreaking book on the connection of story to church congregations. It was published after he had died of cancer.

The power of story still thrills me, guides me, haunts me, and is a motivating force for my life's work. It's transforming power is seen in many formats, such as children's books, storytelling festivals, radio fund raisers for charities, and digital stories. Little did I know that back in 1985, after my dad had died and my oldest child was born at 25 weeks, that the video I created using photos, music, interviews of family members, and old and new film clips would become what is now called digital storytelling. It was done in VHS format and I spent hours at the back of a video editing studio in Atlanta to create it. Now it can be done in the comfort of my home where I'm surrounded by reminders of the past and present.

I know that digitial storytelling will be a part of my future. If I have the opportunity to become a school media specialist, I will find some way to create an area for the learning community (students, staff, and community) to create and archive personal and curriculum-based digital stories. Creating the digital story for this class allowed me to experience the higher level critical thinking skills that are involved in this kind of project, to collect different resources (thank you Dr. Bennett and Kim) and to see the value and use of this in education. I would love to see an archive of images, audio, video, and text created that is based on the Georgia Performance Standards for quick access.

One of our classmates, Vernisa Durden, shared the ebook source Tumblebooks as her Tech Tip. During my full day visit at Luella Elementary (ALA's 2008 Media Center of the Year), media specialist Anne Wallace was excited to show me how students use Tumblebooks on the library computers and at home. Here's the link to Tumblebooks from their website. There's a lot of interacting with books that can occur through this source. Anne Wallace also has an area of the media center for storytelling and facilitates a storytelling club for students. She understands the power of story.

Daddy, your love of story lives on through me. Let me tell you a story.

Personalizing the Learning Journey- Tech Training

Have you ever participated in technology training where the facilitator moves quickly through the steps of using the software without much concern for learning styles, needs or preferences? Where teachers leave the room unsure about how to use the software to increase their effectiveness and student success or unconvinced about the value of taking more time to learn about the software? I have. This type of training values the software and technology over understanding teachers and what motivates them. There must be another way.

Jamie McKenzie, in his article How Teachers Learn Technology Best, presents what he's learned from years of working with teachers. He calls for technology training that is curriculum rich and based on standards so teachers can immediately see the value and application of the technology to student achievement. It is not so much about powerpointing which he says can be 'powerpointlessness', but it is about inspiring teachers to learn the value of engaging students in problem-based or project-based learning using a new tool.

Facilitators need to shift from a training mindset to an adult learning model states Mr. McKenzie. This adult learning model includes:

• Involving the adult learners in activities that directly relate to needs, such as needing to teach a Science standard, and also to personal interests and learning styles.

• Creating an educational environment of growth and discovery for all students and teachers that supports risk-taking.

• Learning by doing, having maximum guided practice, available support for ongoing learning, and connection to fellow learners.
  

• Encouraging the adult learners to identify obstacles and equipping them to problem solve and remove these obstacles.
  

To this model I would add the concept of creating a bridge for learners- that connects their existing knowledge to understanding the new information. An effective way of doing this is with analogies. Several years ago I was confused about the purpose of the Desktop. A kind technology specialist asked me what I had on my desk. After I responded that I had things that I needed to access frequently, he said that the Desktop was created with that in mind. Folders and software icons are placed here for ease of access, just like my desk. My understanding of the Desktop increased in two minutes based on this simple (and probably obvious to others) analogy. It was also due to this person who had created an environment for true learning. I felt safe to expose my ignorance. He had personalized the learning journey for me.

School TV News: A Marriage Proposal

Yes, it's time consuming. Yes, it's labor intensive. And yes, it can hurt the feelings of those students not chosen for the TV news team. But the rewards and benefits of having a school TV News program are worth it. Just look at the students' faces. Listen to what they share with their parents about their day. Watch the growth of the news team members.

When I taught 3rd and 5th grade at Northside Elementary, I saw how the well-run Cougar News Network (CNN) not only shared important information (such as lunch menu changes) but also celebrated and sustained our life as a learning community. We were used to seeing student and teacher-made PhotoStory clips on everything from the Character Word of the Week to the ongoing development of the baby chicks. One morning, we were watching a PhotoStory that at first appeared to celebrate one of the teacher's birthdays. Then,as we watched, our eyes grew bigger as it dawned on us that this video clip was actually a marriage proposal. It ended with the teacher being asked to step out into the hall to let her boyfriend know if she'll marry him! Of course, this magic moment was captured on video and shown the next day.

Deciding to produce a show is also a commitment, not quite the marriage kind, but it does take planning and ongoing learning and maintenance (kind of like marriage). CNN has a specific structure:

• CNN is produced live every morning from the media center and usually lasts 10 minutes. Team members are given scripts (typed by one of the co-sponsors using a basic outline) the day before and arrive 15 minutes before the show begins.
  

• It begins with a video clip (using PhotoStory3) of photos of the news team with music they've chosen. Each student in the school has a chance to be on CNN by helping to lead the pledge and by being part of a Character Ed skit or video clip.
  

• A 6-person news team is chosen from each 5th grade class. The first team starts several weeks into the new school year and each team produces the newscast for about 6 weeks. During the last 4 weeks of school, an "All Star" team- made up of the best of the homeroom teams- produces the show. They also train chosen 4th graders, who produce the show during the last week of school and during the first several weeks of the new school year.

• Team members are encouraged to personalize their set, what they wear, and themes they want to incorporate with the approval of the sponsors. Each day has a theme, such as 'Movie Monday' when a video clip is shown, or 'Thoughtful Thursday' when a trivia question is asked and correct responses are gathered for a drawing for a trinket.
  

• News team members have specific roles and job responsibilities (such as anchor, switcher, director, camera person, etc.). They rotate these each week. One of the roles is to watch the newscast on a monitor in another location and to take notes on what worked and what needs improvement. After the newscast, the team sits down with the two co-sponsors and this person gives feedback. The co-sponsors also use this time to do further training.

I have seen the tears of those who have looked forward to 5th grade so they could be on the news team and didn't make it. I have listened to an angry parent who thought my method of choosing my 5th grade homeroom team through auditions and a rubric was unfair. As a teacher, I've felt impatient when the show dragged because I wanted to get my students to their Specials so I could have my full planning time. I've heard the frustration that the media center is closed due to CNN preparation and broadcasting. But I still say it is worth it. It is a work in process, but you never know what may come from this commitment to hands-on learning. Possibly a down-on-one knee marriage proposal.

Beyond Being My Friend

Vince Dooley has almost 700 friends on Facebook! Problem is, he's never used this social networking site. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's October 12th article on 'The Changing Face of Facebook' speaks to the influx of adults on this previously youth-oriented online community. And what do most young people think about this? They don't like it. And when educators enter the space? Problems can arise from not only the blurry line of 'friending' but also the resistance of youth to share this social space.

But there is a strong argument for incorporating online social networking into the educational and library setting. It just depends on how you do it. The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County reaches out to teens in a unique way through a library island in Teen Second Life and offers them programming and information. Another possibility is to create content with students, like this TeacherTube media center animato video, that they may choose to put on their social networking page.

Some people feel it's important to go beyond the pre-established social networking environments and create your own school social network. Steve Hargadon, creator of Classroom 2.0 (a Ning social networking site), believes there is a way to set up private networking sites for schools. In this smaller, more specialized, school-controlled network, students can actively contribute to content creation in meaningful ways.

I was curious about how easily a Ning social networking site could be created. So I set one up. My goal was to create one for my extended family to do some online networking and sharing-similar to what could be set up for a media center's online school learning and sharing community. I found it to be easy and like the ability to blog, share videos and photos, and have a threaded discussion board. Because it has a private setting, only 'My Friends' can access it and comment on it. Here's a picture of the main page:








For a detailed look at how a school could create it's own safe and engaging social network read this FunnyMonkey's article. It speaks to creating an online learning environment for schools that has different levels of private and public access by using a combination of free software. The suggestion enables clubs, classes, departments, and school groups to have a private place for networking and sharing and a public place, a website, for what they want the public to access.

So, social networking in schools and in the media center can go beyond 'friending' to create a learning environment that students can access at any time. It's a place they can share their work, comment on each others' work, plan for upcoming club meetings, create and add to a learning portfolio, just to name a few uses. And it's not just up to one person, such as the media specialist to add content. It is a school community project of connecting.

Wiki Waste or Wiki Wonder?

Collaborative wiki textbooks- a fascinating idea since I've always lamented the amount of money school systems spend on traditional textbooks that become quickly outdated. A couple of articles, 7 Things You Should Know About Wikis and Wiki in a K-12 Classroom, highlight the advantages of creating collaborative textbooks: they allow everyone to be a publisher and give us the potential to influence how we create containers of knowledge on the web. The Wild About Wikis article lists a wiki designed for collaboratively creating books: wikibooks. This wiki even has a section for wiki junior books that are written for (and sometimes by) kids.

Great idea, this use of wiki I thought. But then I happened upon a blog disputing the practice of creating wiki textbooks. "Even experts in IT debunk wikis as just another form of groupware, prone to fall into disuse as wikis are a waste of time," writes Mary Ellen Lepionka in her Atlantic Path Publishing blog. Mrs. Lepionka's concern is focused on the standards of accuracy and veracity. Good point, I say to myself. Then she goes on to say that there is a place for wikis. (Oh yea! I say.) This can occur when the creation of wiki-texts provides a context for skill development, such as developing search, thinking, judgment, and organization skills.

But there's more. She gives the example of the students of educator Clay Burrell creating a wiki-textbook. Let's hear about it directly from Mr. Burrell on this video:



Here is the actual class wiki textbook: A Broken World
Please take the time to look at it. Also, Mr. Burrell and his students began a worldwide collaboration project called 1001 Flat World Tales where students throughout the world are writing creative stories together on the 1001 Flat World Tale wiki. After analysis, the best stories are published on the corresponding website where you can not only read the stories but also hear the students reading on podcasts and offer feedback that they use to revise. The plan is to create a free ebook with the tales and a paperback book.

So, are wikis a waste or a wonder? Mr. Burrell's students have demonstrated the power of creating a collaborative project and publishing to a real world audience through a wiki. They have and continue to create wiki wonders.

Mrs. Dilbert Discovers Gabcast

The fictitious Mrs. Dilbert (remember her?) is back and wants to learn about podcasting. And I have just the idea of how to get her initiated into this wonderful world of Web 2.0 communication.

Kristin Fontichiaro, in her Podcasting 101 article (School Library Media Activities Monthly), recommends using podcasting in the classroom to help improve writing skills. Since students will be communicating with a real world audience, podcasting can teach them how to develop their writer's voice. She suggests using Audacity software but also mentions a free form of podcasting that records through the phone......Gabcast! We all know how much Mrs. Dilbert loves to use the phone (evidenced two weeks ago with her tech problems phone calls).

Gabcast, www.gabcast.com, is a podcasting and audio blogging website where you can easily create and distribute audio content. Mrs. Dilbert is stressing out about the Georgia Writing Assessment that her 5th graders will be experiencing and has been spending hours trying to teach them writing strategies. But the students are falling asleep! By using Gabcast as an instructional tool and as a publishing tool for her 5th graders, the students will be waking up from their semi-comatose state.

Since I like to make sure that I've tried what I recommend, I embedded below a Gabcast selection that I recorded today. In the Gabcast, I'm teaching how to use a picture book to improve characterization in writing.

Listen up, Mrs. Dilbert! Press play.

Gabcast! Power of Picture Books #1 - Owl Babies Help Describe a Character

Using Martin Waddell's book, Owl Babies, learn how to improve students' writing ability regarding characterization.




I found the instructions on the website easy to follow, and I enjoyed doing this over the phone- felt like I was talking to one of my buddies. The introduction music is from the Freeplay Music website, www.freeplaymusic.com. (I messed up at the end and used a short clip that was also on the playlist, but I didn't want to take the time to re-record.)

For working with Mrs. Dilbert, I'd use a scaffolding approach. First, I'd create a Gabcast while explaining the steps to her, then we'd do one together, and then she'd do one with my feedback. Next we'd discuss ways that she could use Gabcast in the classroom- for instruction with writing strategy mini-lessons and for creating engaging ways for the students to publish their work. What a motivation it will be for them to polish and publish their Gabcast stories!

Mrs. Dilbert is on her way to becoming a podcasting pioneer.