Creating a Productive Media Center Webpage

     When reviewing the different website possibilities for media centers in our public schools, it is fascinating how many take the drab and make them fab! Although, on the flip side, many were difficult to navigate and proved to be incredibly time consuming for users.  Some librarians have no control of the interface of their media center page. After reviewing the various webpages, blogs, social networking sites, etc., I created my list of top ten must haves for a school library's webpage (when given the flexibility).

1- MAKE IT EASY to navigate! Many parents nor teachers have the time to surf through multiple links to get to their desired destination.
2- Student safety is the TOP priority! When incorporating student images, work, etc., make sure that the safety aspect is always in the forefront of your planning. Make sure that while student's work is given credit, that they are not easily accessible as victims to averse ways of others.
3- Make Signing up easy! Incorporate a way to sign up for media center times and technology that is available through circulation in the media center. GoogleDocs would be a great tool to establish to incorporate this strategy.
4 - LIVE Calendar - Incorporating a live calendar that will update as classes are assigned, items are checked out, and resources are made available and unavailable, would be a terrific tool to assist in making cross curricular learning more feasible.
5 - Have a designated place to incorporate a virtual tour of the library & a presentation of special projects.
Show off your library and all of the special programs that the students are participating in.
6 - Try to keep social media networking sites to a minimum.  If you are going to participate in SMN, then pick 1 or 2 and keep them up-to-date.  Make sure to follow your district's policies and procedures in regards to appropriate use for social networking.
7-Incorporate a bookblog, Wiki, GoogleDocs, or some other type of multi-user option, where teachers and students can add a review of a book, website, or app that would be useful to other teachers, parents, and students.
8- Resource Link - Incorporate some type of Wiki or GoogleDocs that can be used to accumulate the resources used regularly for units of study.
9- OPAC Link - Make sure that there is a link to your school's OPAC system so that students can use it to find books of interest to review on or off campus.
10 - Make it Hip! If possible, make the interface inviting to users! If the website looks drab, no one will want to explore it! FOLLOW Tip #1 to make it easy to navigate but make it cool looking!

Wiki Websites in the classroom

     Websites, Podcasts, smart boards, does the technology ever stop?  Well lets hope not as these technology breakthroughs are making classrooms and Media Centers more and more valuable to all that are involved.  The newest (at least to me) technology is the Wiki page.  This is a website of sorts that can be used among people worldwide, and it has several options for editing and privacy factors.  I think the greatest concept for Wiki pages is also its biggest draw back and that is the editing tool.  This tool has some great upside especially for using the page for team projects, but I can also see where editing could also cause a problem.  Students need to have a full understanding of how the page works and what can and should not be edited on the page.  Although the instructor or leader of the specific page can manipulate the editing clause, you must stay on top of what can and cannot be manipulated.  I kind of see this tool having the same problems as Wikipedia has, with so many people having the power to change information it can be dangerous and you should be somewhat skeptical of what you read and believe.  Of course there are major differences between the two as well, Wiki pages are for a much smaller group and are easier to keep track of.

     In the article "7 things you should know about Wiki's" there is a scenario about "Sara" and her team building a Wiki page for a team assignment.  I really like this article because it shares with us another tool you can use with these pages, and that is that it can be published and reviewed by professionals to give you a better idea in what direction you should go.  I think this is a great step for people because constructive criticism can be very helpful for writing papers and other projects.  I would think most classrooms would frown against this, especially in the lower grade levels because some people can be pretty critical and because you are publishing your page for anyone to access.  Wiki pages can be very helpful and if used the correct way can be a huge advantage for students working in groups,

Amy Bowllan tells a great story of how a Wiki page literally brought a book back to life in her article "A Wiki Gives a Worthy Book New Life".  I found it very interesting about the idea of reaching out to other countries who have access to the internet.  Bowllan states in her article "just think if they can find a participating school.  Users can discuss the book, share papers for peer feedback, and so on, all using the Wiki".  What a great idea for students to be able to reach out to other cultures, the experience would be educational on so many levels.

     I think the Wiki craze is a great way for students to collaborate on really any project or assignment, but it can also be helpful for a single person to use for writing a paper, keeping up with resources and probably a million other ideas.  It can keep you very organized in your classes and is very user friendly.


References
1.  Bowllan, A. (2008). A Wiki Gives a Worthy Book New Life. School Library Journal, 54(9), 20.
2. Seven things you should know about wikis. (2005, July). Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf

Wikis

Wikis for the Media Center

Wikis are becoming increasingly popular as a tool used by today’s teachers and students. There are no software or downloads needed to use a wiki and as long as everyone understands how to edit and save documents there should be no technical issues for students or staff.

What are Wikis?  Wikis are websites that can be easily updated and modified by a group of individuals. They can be designated as public or private. Private Wikis are commonly used in education as a collaborative tool for teachers and student projects. It is a great way to grow and store information specific data because with internet access and a web browser, all users can easily contribute to the content 24/7 from anywhere in the world. As a collaborative tool, Wikis empower students to develop creatively and become owners of the material that is developed. The Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching describes how Wikis promote student cooperation and active learning through prompt peer feedback and support for individual talents. “Wikis shift your students from ‘consumer of knowledge’ to ‘creators of knowledge,’ which is a great way to encourage your students to develop critical thinking skills, to learn from one another, and to improve their ability to work in groups” ("Wikis," 2014).

Wikis can also be a great collaborative resource for school libraries and media centers. For example, media specialist might design a Wiki to organize fiction genres by creating pages dedicated to popular groups and sub-groups. Individual pages may be designed for groups such as mystery, horror, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, etc. Subgroup pages might include paranormal romance, time-travel, vampires, etc. Having a Wiki such as this available to students and teachers will compliment a school’s OPAC as an interactive tool where students can contribute to the information. Users will experience a heightened connection as they begin to add reviews, titles, recommendations, and other related materials.

Another way a media specialist might use a Wiki is to design one with pages specific to individual subject areas. A resource such as this will become a treasure trove of information as teachers contribute newly discovered links, lesson plans, and other information. Teachers will appreciate an opportunity to collaborate outside the constraints of school hours and the ability to access the information from home as opposed to the intranet drives that are only accessible from work.

The uses for Wikis in schools and school media centers is limitless. As with Wikis themselves, the uses are as creative as individuals. As the concept continues to catch on, there will be more and more opportunities to learn and interact collaboratively with others without geographic constraints. To see for yourself, just type “media specialist wiki” into any search engine bar and enjoy the plethora of information you receive. 

References:

Wikis. (2014). Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/online-education/wikis/. 

Podcasting to a Common Core Classroom

Personally, I feel as if I have been living under a rock when it comes to the technological world of podcasting. I had no idea that this type of communication had been available for as long as it had.

When I first started this podcasting endeavor, I was confused at how students would conduct these and what would be the purpose?! I was ‘WOW’ed by the possibilities of this at any level.  I have had my students create digital stories before but never thought about having them create podcasts. Truth be told, I felt embarrassed that these kindergarden students at Willowdale were making podcasts 5 years ago, when I knew nothing about them. To say that I was inspired, just doesn’t do it justice.  Students could create a podcast on their learning in a matter of minutes---possibly, just in a class period.
 

I was amazed by the Willowdale Elementary's Podcast. There were even Kindergarten students and up conducting them. I loved that these were created by students for students. This would be an awesome way to involve parents and demonstrate the students' learning. As a parent, I would love to log on and listen to the ideas that my child is learning about, other than what I hear at the dinner table! While I listened, I got excited about all the things that my kids do for projects that we could transform into podcasts!

From the educational standpoint, I am geared towards the idea of using podcasting for a PBL that is encouraged with the CCSS. Students are encouraged to demonstrate their learning through creating projects. What better way than through a podcast? After reviewing Fontichiaro's text, I was able to receive a crash course in creating my own and a how to with students.  However, I am wondering if there are any apps out there that would work similarly as Audacity.

“Booktalks: Quick and Simple” demonstrated a great way for students and librarians to conduct book talks! It would be great to have 1 a day/week that could be shared for different grade levels.  This would be a way to have interaction with all the students even if they weren’t able to visit the library that week.  I find it even more appealing to have the students conduct their book talks in this sort of fashion. It would increase a student’s efforts geared towards their writing of the assignment if it was going to be recorded and replayed for other students. 

Blog 1 – Podcasting

Podcasting 101 by Kristin Fontichiaro is an excellent article when considering the use of podcasting in any media program. When I completed our first podcast assignment, I wondered about the importance of creating a podcast. After reading Podcasting 101, I see the unlimited possibilities for a media program. Our students in elementary, middle and high school can be creative when producing audio productions while being exposed to new technologies and great books.

Podcasting 101 started with a brief history of Podcasting and provides an introduction to its uses. According to the article, “well-designed podcasting projects help students develop oral fluency, write with an audience in mind, develop a "writer's voice,' and increase confidence.” At our high school, reading and writing has become a major issue for students. The media specialist can use podcasting to review books in the media center. At our school we have student aids in the media center every class period. An assignment for student aids to get students interested in books can be creating mini podcast. Each student aid will have the opportunity to pick a new book added to the collection and give a review. Once a month, a student from each English class can be chosen to create a podcast for books in the media center. We can also get parent volunteer involved in this process by creating podcast for activities or happenings in the media center.

 

I really enjoyed reading the possible podcast projects for beginners mention in the article. I believe starting with recording one child at a time is great advice. At our school, every year the English teachers have students write an “I stand” poem. It would be a great idea to have the students records their poems in using Audacity. The first, second and third place winners podcast should be presented to the whole school via the media center to make the final decision.

 

Fontichiaro, Kristin. (Mar 2007). Podcasting 101. School Library Monthly.  Retrieved from http://medt7477spring2014.weebly.com/uploads/7/5/8/9/7589068/7477_podcasting101.pdf