I unfortunately had to leave the Summer Institute after the third session yesterday, and missed session four of Buffy’s talk on Tools for Transparency, Advocacy, and Instructional Leadership. Check out her LibGuide resources for Part Four to see what she covered. I will post a link to her slides here when they are posted online.

I left the Institute, because I went and picked up author and illustrator Mark Crilley from the airport. He was to speak today to the Summer Institute group about his books and his career as an author and illustrator. I had a great time visiting with him on the trip back to Emporia, and discovered along with his writing, he also has a YouTube channel where he demonstrates a lot of drawing tips. It’s worth checking out!

I also missed Mark’s talks today, along with Mickey Coalwell & Royce Kitts’ presentation on graphic novels, because I drove Buffy Hamilton back to the airport for her flight out. If I become aware of any online resources from either presentation, I will post it here.

Update: “The Cat” from the State Library of Kansas has a great summary post about day 2 of the institute up over on the State Library of Kansas news blog. The post includes links to the slides from Royce & Mickey’s presentations.

I had a wonderful time visiting with Buffy on both trips to and from the airport. Such an amazing and inspiring librarian. If you haven’t checked out her own online resources, or her school library’s resources, you really must! It was really great to have her in Kansas. I hope all the school librarians who were able to be at the Summer Institute enjoyed her presentations and the discussion times & if you weren’t able to be there, that these blog posts were helpful to you in some way. Here’s several links to those resources (but I realize it’s not everything).

• Buffy’s Resources
  • “The Unquiet Librarian” blog
  • Twitter
  • SlideShare
  • Wikispaces
  • NetVibes
• Creekview High School Library, “The Unquiet Library,” resources
  • Website
  • LibGuides
  • Blog
  • Delicious
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Buffy’s Media 21 program resources
  • LibGuides
  • Blog
  • NetVibes

Couple more things on Session 2:

• Lesson Plan examples available on the LibGuide.
• Videos there, including one by a seventh grade science student uploaded by Wendy Drexler — “Welcome to My PLE”
• Examples of student work

Important to share what we’re all doing, so we learn from each other and find new ideas. LibGuide for Session 3 Tools for Transliteracy (wishing the entire Libraries & Transliteracy crew could be here, including Bobbi Newman & Brian Hulsey) Transliteracy term. Been around 20 years, but last 6-9 months lots of conversation around it. Librarian circles, language educators, especially.

• “help our students learn multiple ways of reading and writing today’s world by acting as sponsors of transliteracy”
• Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tool and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks (not just technology).
• “a sponsor of literacy includes any agent who enables, supports, teaches, and models, as well as recruits, regulates, suppresses, or withholds it” –Deborah Brandt, Literacy in American Lives, ethnography story about literacy. Libraries were rarely mentioned in this study, surprisingly; study from 10 years ago)
• “Literacy is the energy supply of the information age” –Deborah Brandt
• Bobbi Newman sees key literacy in next few months as the literacy of privacy issues (Facebook; Google; other sites)
• Danah Boyd & Clay Shirky have been also writing a lot about literacy topics the past several months
• “as new and powerful forms of literacy emerge, they diminish the reach and possibilities of receding ones” –Deborah Brandt
• Doug Johnson, “Blue-Skunk Blog”, “Are we moving toward a post-literate society?”
• Are we helping students learn these new literacies? Are we bridging the digital divide gap?
• Henry Jenkins
• “The idea that literacy is only print materials is about to disappear”
• “We’re on the cusp of profound changes in what counts as “text” and literacy”
• “Helping patrons and stakeholders understand the expanding definition of literacy is a muddy but playful endeavor”
• “We have to make sure schools and libraries invite critical and active uses of media that strengthen our democratic potential.” –Deborah Brandt
• Example of night school class researching and writing persuasive essays about the 2008 presidential election. Primary sources? Candidates YouTube channels, Twitter stream. Students suddenly engaged & interested. Also had side conversations about are these sources unbiased, accurate?
• “Knight Foundation recommendation 6: integrate digital and media literacy as critical elements for education at all levels through collaboration among federal, state, and local education officials.” (Link is to the full report)
• As sponsors of transliteracy, libraries can close the participation gap; we may be in a better place of introducing these tools

What does transliteracy look like in a school library?

• Privilege and support multiple containers and pathways to information; can’t just have books. Don’t throw away the books, but what are other alternative containers for info. Doug Johnson “It’s the content, not the container”
  • eReaders
  • fight the filter to give access to other sources of info like YouTube
• Teach students multiple and dynamic ways of connecting with real world experts to help answer their questions
  • Skype sessions with experts
  • Skype sessions with authors (Webinar on this topic earlier in the month)
  • Connecting with classes around the country & the world, tapping into the collective wisdom, where so many people can then contribute to the questions at hand
• Teach students collaborate tools for creating and sharing knowledge
  • Voicethreads used in research projects
  • Skype
  • Blogging
  • Wikis
  • Social Bookmarking
  • Diigo
  • Evernote
  • Student created netvibes portal — definitely exhibits a multitude of these literacies
  • This doesn’t replace text literacy, necessarily. But if it enhances learning, and especially engages students, it’s worth it. Those that struggle with traditional text, might shine with alternative literacies and representing their work and resource.
  • Differentiating instruction and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligencies
  • “Three Little Pigs” eBook iPhone app, written & illustrated by a 1st grader
  • Virginia and Her iPad (almost 100-year old woman reads again and publishes poems thanks to her iPad)
  • Using their phones to talk about books (Texting) — Wendy Stephens
  • Haiku poetry through Twitter (@AllieTweetTweet)
• Instead of writing a reflection on a blog, record a vlog.
• Tips for Writing an Email (and other things you assume students know)
• Google has lots of pre-existing videos
• Sue Thomas lecture on transliteracy video
• Everyday Transliteracy video from Brian Hulsey
  • Blueberry smoothie recipe
  • Send info through email, share a link through Twitter, Facebook, write about experiencing the blueberry smoothie on a blog, call people about the recipe, telling someone in person, write it on a sticky note, print the recipe
  • Info was sent to multiple people through multiple tools.
• Not saying we throw out traditional literacy, but there are multiple ways of interacting with information

Discussion comments

• These new literacies, from touch devices to Facebook, it’s affecting all ages, from toddlers to the older folks
• New research out on how the brain interacts with text
• Chris Harris
• Accessibility issues do come up. Assessment of using the tools.
• Those who are reluctant learners might be more apt to read on a technology device (many tend to be gamers)
• Gaming is becoming a new literacy “Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning Through Modern Board Games” new book from Chris Harris and Brian Mayer

Wrapup comments from last session: Building tribe (Seth Godin’s book Tribes) — getting buy-in. That’s part of participatory librarianship. Helps students see that research in the library isn’t just for school work and homework that stops when you’re out of school.

Look at the resources on the pathfinder — lots of real-life examples are there, at different grade levels.

Part 2: Tools for Student Content Creation and Networked Learning: Media 21 Project

• “learning is the process of creating connections and developing a network.”
• connectivism learning theory (how do we help students connect the dots of learning
• Michael Wesch at K-State was an inspiration for this. Digital Ethnography. Teach Web 2.0
• Wendy Drexler second inspiration. “Networked Student” focus not on shiny tools, but how you apply them for practical learning.
• Comment: Media 21 is a district level program
• Lots of Goals: research is ongoing… (and other points) see slides later.
• This was not a separate curriculum; it was identified and embedded into a sophomore English class.
• Empowered students to become own information filters…
• Two sections of Honors Literature/Composition; Buffy was a co-teacher. Conceptual model of librarian and classroom as co-teachers in the classroom setting.

The chemistry and collaborative partnership with the teacher. Interviews available with the collaborative teacher on the section page. Partnership worked because of teacher’s willingness to take risk & to share the classroom. For so long teaching is seen as a solitary act, but some of that is changing. Librarian can help facilitate this change for 21st century learning.

Beginning of program (august 2009)

• introduction of concept of “networked student”
• intro of essential learning tools and cloud computing (wikis, gmail, google docs, blogs) (digital native a myth? many of the students had never heard of these tools; even email attachments was a new concept; can’t assume background knowledge; must be willing to adapt to students’ beginning knowledge & do what’s best for them)
• exploration of social media & culture at large, as an info source for research (evaluating Wikipedia, for example)
• Focused on wikis, exploring tools; intro’d class blog.
• Learned about Google tools
• Learned you didn’t have to be tied to a flash drive – use cloud computing tools
• Many students didn’t have computers at home or had software at home (like Microsoft Word)
• Build in the time for teaching the students the tools; many students won’t pick it up intuitively. Provide the support. If you support them in the beginning, and spend time up front on learning the tools, it will really help with student buy-in and use of the tools.
• Students brainstormed pros and cons of using social media in education
• Reflections: time: more needed for this type of immersed learning for the students; For teachers: more time needed for planning, creating, reflecting; students were engaged; embrace the messiness & chaos; students were patient & open-minded

September 2009

• inquiry into social media for social good (essay & conversations in class)
• Book tasting Menu. An overall theme was there (Africa). Students sampled the books, reading for 5-7 minutes, and then rated the books, choosing which one they wanted to read in a group.
• Student reflections were ongoing during the program.
• “when I blog….I feel like people are listening”
• students extended learning to real-world situations
• Students loved the Google tools & blogging
• Mixed feelings about wetpaint; switched to Google Sites
• students loved group & collaborative activities
• students indicated they needed help with certain writing strategies

October – November 2009

• intro to research initiative
• original content creation
• reflection and transparency
• knowledge building
• lit circle meetings, maintaining notes from these meetings & reading
• Diigo used to bookmark web-based resources, also Noodletools (Subscription)

Learning Artifacts: Issues in Africa

• blog posts
• lit circle
• wikis
• diigo bokmarks
• noodletools list and notes
• a written paper, required 3-5 pages, but many students wrote 10-12 page papers of their own free will; students really got into their research; flexibility given for resources.
• five multigenre articacts and relcections
• online learning portfolios built using google sites brought all of this together

Reflections

• Students loved Google news & Gale Global issues in context database
• This project was the first time students could take ownership of their learning (Testing generation)
• Some resistance to this type of learning.
• Students couldn’t just read off their research; they had to embrace it as their own.
• Students embraced the principles and concepts of presentation zen
• Students overcame their fears of public speaking
• Project was originally only for the semester, but students asked for this type of continued learning, instead of a return to the traditional mode.
• Assessment felt murky. “New Assessments for New Learning” –Will Richardson post from yesterday.

Veterans’ Issues (March-May 2010) (took a two month break)

• personal learning environments with netvibes/info dashboards to be shared publicly
• social bookmarking with evernote
• google sites portfolios
• interviews with real world experts <– new requirement for the program
• presentation zen
• Class site
• Students began creating information dashboards for their project. Visual way of telling the story of research. Videos; RSS Feeds from resources + from fellow students; Google Books; Databases widgets; several students went above and beyond, creating multiple tabs for different types of resources.
• Real student work examples linked on over on the libguide
• One student had a realworld expert get in touch with him via his project blog; engaged the person online & ended up interviewing him.
• Most valuable research skill obtained was learning to come up with a realworld expert — letters of inquiry.
• Students came in on lunch hour on their own free will; students cared about their topics & went above & beyond as a result.

Learned overall

• baby steps are okay
• anticipate pushback
• learning isn’t linear
• value collaboration and teamwork
• building own personal learning network; teachers were the guides on the side. Students were taking ownership of their work. Saw fruition of the program’s vision through what the students were doing.
• Trick is cultivating the partnership with the teachers.

This isn’t THE model, or the way to go. But this is one way to embrace those standards and guidelines for school libraries. More teachers have seen what the class has done, heard the kids talk about it, and now more teachers want to it.

Why Diigo, not Delicious? Diigo has a group feature. Some networking issues also were present. Students were given choice of Evernote or Diigo second semester, since there were mobile apps available for Evernote. If Firefox had been available, Delicious could have been used.

Blogathon: Louisville Public Library flooded; social media for social good being covered, and library world did an online blogathon to raised money for their efforts. Library Society of the World headed it up. Students wrote about why they loved libraries. “libraries are the places where dreams begin,” one student comment. Students were sponsored for their blog posts.

Presentation Zen: minimal text; pictures; not just reading slides word-for-word. Not “death by powerpoint”

Cell Phone Usage: how do you get past schools blocking them? Buffy started emailing principal articles & blog posts about cell phone usage in the classroom in spring 2009. Also talked to him a lot during the summer. He also saw his own kids using these devices. When the school came back in session, he told his teachers that it was permitted for education usage. Cultivated the culture to show why these tools should be used. Even if at first the ideas sound crazy, keep trying & feeding information. Very gently feed them pieces of information & back into it.