Lisa Parisi and Universal Design for Learning

Today was another jammed pack day!I cannot believe how much I have learned in such a short period of time. I cannot discuss all of it without writing a ridiculously long post. The two parts of the day that stand out the most for me were my introduction to Glogster and our Skype with Lisa Parisi. Glogster is amazing! I can see myself creating these "posters" constantly. I know that my students will absolutely love creating them as well. It allows students who are not artistically inclined to make something that can show their creativity in a unique way. I have been playing around with Glogster all night and it is a tremendous amount of fun. It let me create something original instead of a plain boring homepage. However, the real highlight of my day was the Skype with Lisa Parisi about Universal Design of Learning. I loved her teaching philosophy. I had begun to think about my own teaching philosophy for my efolio and was inspired by Lisa's. Her philosophy is that her responsibility as an educator is to give every student the ability to access information. She went on to mention that we must think of the end product and that students must be given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in any way they want. I love that! We must give students a variety of tools so that they can express their knowledge in the way that works for them. Lisa mentioned that once the students are acclimated, usually around November, she gives them a rubric of whats expected of them from a project but does not give them a specific assignment. She allows the students to explore those avenues that interest them to demonstrate their knowledge. I would love to be able to implement all Lisa's suggestions in my own library. I know that I will using the toolkits she mentioned so that I can implement UDL to the best of my ability. 

GoAnimate: My Attempt at Animation

Adding to my week of firsts, today I gave animation a go. It was not as hard as I thought it would be but that's not to say that I did not have my fair share of problems. I think that using animation in this way would be fun for students and definitely would work to catch their attention. However before I could really use this tool, I would need to practice using GoAnimate at greater length. I had some trouble using certain functions. I did like the options on background but I found the options lacking in other categories. I wish I could have changed the clothes or had more options for movement or body language. 

I used my GoAnimate animation to create a PSA for the first day/week of school. It's sort of a teaser for the upcoming year. The animation works as a slideshow of different places or activities that the students will have the opportunity through technology in the library. It will hopefully entice the students and peak their interest in visiting the library. I see myself using the animation is a variety of ways. First, I could use it just as I did above as a PSA. Second, it would be a great way to introduce a new unit. Third, it could be used to talk about library rules or use as an example of how to handle situations, like bullying or catching someone cheating. Finally, I could use animation to show the students how to work in groups before they start a cooperative project. There are many more ways I could envision using animation but I would be cautious not to overuse it. 

With ample practice, I could see the students using the animation in various ways. Students could write a play and then have them animate the play instead of acting it out. Students could use animation to explain a project on space. The possibilities are endless. I think students would love to create their own animations whether it be group work or an individual project. I would use this tool with older students.

Seeing Web 2.0 through the Eyes of the Teacher and the Student

Once again, class was amazing. I know that I am going to miss this class when it ends in a few days. I have always loved school. Ever since I was a little kid, I was a sponge constantly seeking new ideas and information to absorb and trying to find new ways to do so. I have always had a thirst for knowledge and this class is exactly the kind of learning experience that I think most people crave- it is informative, practical and fun!  Of course the nature of the material allows it to be all those things so that does not hurt. Through our M.A. we are learning how to be teachers but in this class, we are also learning how to be students. Each one of us is learning how to use new tools and apply them in ways we have not done before. Our students will be experiencing the same types of feelings, which range from joy to frustration to utter confusion, that we have been the past few days. It’s opening our eyes to see if from their perspective.  We can understand where their frustrations will lie with certain applications and we are finding those tools that will genuinely excite them.  

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I know that I will use all the tools I am learning in this course in the future whether it be for academic or personal use. Day 3 was another day filled with fun and creative tools that I see myself using in so many different ways for such a wide range of topics. My love affair with Google grew deeper with learning about Google Forms. After we discussed the ways we as teachers can apply this particular tool in our academic setting, I began to jot down notes of ways our students could use it. My mind immediately went to math and science classes. This would be a fantastic way to collaborate with classroom teachers to make a unique and interesting project. For example, an inter-disciplinary project between Math and English Language Arts for Middle Schoolers would work well. Students would create a survey on a book of their choice using Google Forms. Once the form is completed by their classmates, the students would then analyze the data processed by Google Forms. Once the analysis is complete, they would write an essay which incorporated the knowledge and data they obtained from the Form along with information about the book itself. They could provide reasoning as to why they thought students preferred one character over another or why some might have disliked the ending (think the Evaluation Level of Bloom’s Taxonomy). So the Form would allow students to complete an interdisciplinary project in conjunction with higher-level thinking skills while allowing them to make choices and be creative.

The Storytelling and Presentation tools were another list of innovative, creative applications for both student and teacher use. I liked how the tools could be used for different students on different levels. There are tools some that are much more advanced than others but that’s not always a good thing and does not work for all students. The variety of tools that can bring you to similar outcomes allows for differentiation while letting each student use their creativity and their own interests. Education needs to adapt to the rapidly changing ways of technology and the students that are a result of that technology. Although a lot of changes need to be done on the part of schools to use all these new tools, the outcome will be worth the effort. What an incredible time to be a student! Learning has the opportunity to be more personal and engaging that any other time in history. Luckily as a librarian (and because of this class), I am ready to face the challenges that lie ahead. This is not because I know about these applications; because technology changes so rapidly, but because I have caught the technology bug and I see the potential and power of its usage. It’s with that knowledge that I know I am ready to take on a job that requires me to be at the forefront of technological advancements.

The Wonderful Yet Overwhelming World of Web 2.0

Today was a great day but it was also an information overload. I can honestly say that I see myself using every one of the tools I was introduced to so far. I have been playing around with Twitter since I signed up back in the middle of June and I am still waiting for my AHA! moment. Many educators I know, including my professor, speak about how much they love love love Twitter and how they find it indispensable. I think I need to spend more time on Twitter to reach that level of obsession. Right now, I just want to reach a level of admiration. I understand how Twitter works but I do not yet see it as a tool that I could not live without. The graph we viewed about the feelings you have toward Twitter made me hopeful because I am definitely still in the beginning stages of Twitter love.

Today was also an eye opening day about Wikis. I have never created a wiki or blog or any other personal page beside my facebook and I keep that rather private. I had a great time learning how to embed widgets and link sites to the wiki along with how to create a table of contents- these were very exciting moments for me! I was surprised at how quickly I was able to pick it up. I was able to go back to work we did yesterday, edit it and embed it in the Wiki I learned to create today. I feel as though I have learned so much over only about 10 hours of actual face-to-face time. I think that my efficiency with tools I learned yesterday came with my vigorous exposure to them last night after class. I spent a lot of time playing around with some things that we had learned so I am becoming quickly more proficient with the tools. I anticipate that with all the tools we are learning over this course, that as long as I keep playing around with them and trying to figure them out that eventually it will all come together. Here's to hoping.

A tool that we discussed today is something that I already cannot live without: Google. I have been obsessed with all things Google since my first exposure to the site. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences using any and all of the applications. I love love love Google Docs and have been using it for quite some time now. It is such a great tool for collaboration  and in my eyes, far superior to other tools I've used. The more we studied Google Apps that I haven't used before the deeper my infatuation grows!

I look forward with only excitement (and maybe a teeny little bit of nerves) and eager anticipation about learning more new tools and Web 2.0 technologies that we will be learning over the next 3 days. As we are discussing different tools and applications, I've started thinking of so many ideas on how to incorporate them into the school setting or I am simply inspired by what I see.

How Blogging Can Be Used in the School Library

Although I am new to the world of blogging, I absolutely see myself using a blog as a librarian. There are so many reasons why I should blog, that I am having a hard time thinking of any reasons why I should not! Immediately, I think about how this would allow me to be so much more accessible to my students. No matter where I am or what time of day, my students have access to something that is uniquely mine. It is my thoughts, ideas and suggestions for students, parents, teachers and administration on a variety of school-related topics. I could give suggestions on Web 2.0 tools to try,  websites for classroom and at home use, links to important articles etc. It also acts as a platform for advocacy. By making my role as the librarian a more intricate part of the lives of my students and faculty, I am proving how indispensable I am. The blog will chronicle what we are working on in the library, new exciting features of the physical and virtual library, upcoming events and countless other aspects of library life. It is a great forum for students, parents, teacher and anyone else to provide feedback on what I am saying, doing, planning etc. Blogging also changes the stodgy image most people have of librarians. It helps us recreate our public image so that the outside world understands how crucial our role is within our education system. It gives us the opportunity to be the forward thinkers in our schools. I cannot wait to start blogging and sharing my life as a budding librarian with the rest of the world.