OPAC: Online Public Access Catalogs. Short interview with a library colleague

 

In a recent email chat with my colleague, Mark M., we discussed the pros and cons of several OPACS, and he shared his insight regarding Follett's Destiny system. Here are a few key points:

"As far as Destiny goes, there are 2 parts to the system that almost look like different websites:

1. Destiny "Back Office"-This is where I do the administrative librarian work in Destiny-checking in and out books, adding titles, uploading MARC records, running overdue notices and reports, circulation statistics, etc. Kids can also see a version of this to find books in a catalog, but it is ugly and outdated looking. I looks like a public library catalog with an overwhelming amount of text, sub categories, and options.

2. Destiny Discover-This is the new, hip, "Netflix-y" looking website which students can browse and place holds in. This is becoming a more popular search option in Destiny rather than having students using the Back Office Catalog. It is stripped down with big, beautiful covers and easier to navigate. It also has a lot of filters to have categories like "Most Popular Titles" and "Recently Added" which is harder to do in the back office version.

Frankly, having the two separate catalogs is a little clunky and Discover seems to be the future for Destiny, but they still seem to be developing it. I don't love many aspects of Destiny, but I will explain those in the Slides."

It seems that the big draw here is the Destiny Discover page, which is simple, and a bit flashy, and thus more likely to get the kids' attention. Having this tool can benefit your library program by:

-increasing engagement and, hopefully, circulation

-increasing overall library usership, and benefitting your return on investment status

-improving accessibility among a larger student and teacher audience through ease of use

Notes on "How Will COVID-19 Change Your Practice?"

 

The Allen and Gilbert article “How Will Covid-19 Change Your Practice” stood out to me at a very basic level, because our library is so far behind most. Allen and Gilbert write, “The library website is used daily by me and my students. It is accessed from within the library and from classrooms. The website is how students access the catalog and loads of digital resources. When I curate digital resources for teachers, they are found there as well.” We don’t have a library website, thus our students are not regularly (if at all) accessing databases for research. This is likely the result of never having a certified Library Media Specialist, and treating the library like a common space with a collection of books that is used for all kinds of testing. Not sure if this problem is endemic to urban, Title 1 schools, but it seems to be quite common throughout the Boston Public Schools (many don’t even have libraries at all). We have no technology in the library, not even a desktop computer. The collection is not yet electronically cataloged. So… we have a long way to go. And in reading this article, I realized that any attempts to budget and plan for a 21st century library learning space will have to start at a very basic level. I am in the process of bringing awareness to the issue via the school’s governing board and strategic planning committee, but sadly, it seems that only myself and the soon-to-retire library paraprofessional are the only ones concerned about it. Hoping for a better outcome if we are able to raise some awareness within the school community.

Allen, James and Gilbert, Jen. How Will COVID-19 Change Your Practice?

Pros and Cons of the Dewey Decimal System

 

The Dewey Decimal System (DDC) has been in use for well over 100 years, and is the most widely used library classification system in the world! But is it the best? What are some pitfalls? What are its strengths and weaknesses? To help us understand this hot library topic, let's look at some of the pros and cons, and then decide for yourself!

First, a little background (from What's So Great About the Dewey Decimal System, A Staff Report from "The Straight Dope" Science Advisory Board):

"Dewey’s innovation was to combine a numbering system (like at the British Museum) with classification by topic. However, the numbers didn’t indicate a shelf but rather a field of knowledge. Battles says, “Thus he joined the analytical simplicity of decimal numbers to an intuitive scheme of knowledge, one that would fluidly accommodate all the books ever written, and all the books that could be written as well.” Thus was born the Dewey Decimal Classification system...One of the beauties of Dewey’s system is that it provides an easy way to introduce new subjects–there have been lots of new subjects since 1876! The key was the use of decimals. Dewey began by establishing a broad division of knowledge into basic categories, to which numbers were then assigned–crudely put, these are the numbers to the left of the decimal point. That done, it was easy to add new subjects by dividing the original categories into progressively finer gradations — these are the numbers to the right of the decimal point. DDC is what today we’d call scalable — it has readily accommodated the explosion of knowledge since Dewey’s day."

Pros:

• It's a highly standardized system that is both organizationally sound, and also flexible.
• It's the most widely used method of library collection organization in the world- used by hundreds of countries.
• It allows for ongoing additions to the collection.
• 95% of all public and school libraries in the United States use it.
• It still holds up, more than a century after its development, even with massive expansion of  materials.

Cons:

• Melvil Dewey's character has been called into question, specifically with regard to his treatment of women and people of color.
• The classification system itself is accused of being biased on a few fronts. First, with regard to Black authors being classified under the "Colonialism" section, and second, for its religious bias toward Christian books and materials.
• Most colleges and government libraries use the Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
• Some argue that classifying books in this way is boring and doesn't encourage exploration of books

The Challenges of Remote Learning and Rules of Engagement

I'm sure many of us would agree that last year--remote and hybrid teaching during Covid--was probably one of the biggest challenges of our teaching career. The sudden shift to online teaching, the worry about our students and their situations at home, the lack of tech support or guidance, and the stress of both the pandemic and the uncertainty of the future created a perfect storm for a difficult year. Here I'll share some thoughts form my colleagues, as well as some tips for ways to engage students during remote learning.

 The Highs and Lows of Remote Learning- Notes from Colleagues:

“Last year was the hardest year of teaching that I can remember, and I’ve been at it for a long time. There were just so many lows, it’s hard to even think about now. But one thing that sticks out was just the isolation I felt every day, alone in a basement room we converted into a workspace. I remember feeling trapped in there, day after day, and so absolutely disconnected from the human experience. That was the worst part.”

“I’d have to say the worst part–the absolute worst—was staring at black screens day after day, and trying so hard to get kids to talk and they just wouldn’t, sometimes. And as soon as the superintendent said they didn’t have to put their screens on and they could just communicate using the chat, I knew it was gonna be awful.”

"I was really surprised by the work ethic of a lot of the kids who were using Zoom to learn reading skills with me. Even though it was so difficult at times, the majority of my kids showed up every day and persisted in a lot of rote work, which can be pretty tedious, especially remotely. We didn’t lose as much traction with their reading progress as I thought we would.”

“I don’t know, everyone says they hated it, but I thought we were ankle to do some cool stuff on Zoom, like creating group projects using the breakout rooms where kids could meet and interact sort of independently. That was cool. Also, I think a lot of the kids who have anxiety did better on Zoom than in person.”

Rules of Engagement:

1. Think outside the box: Use tools and apps to engage students differently. Here are a few tools I relied on during remote learning

Readworks (for reading/text)

Kahoot: (fun assessment tool)

Storyboard (simple graphic design tool)

Flipgrid (easy filmmaking tool)

2. Leverage your student leaders to run Zoom breakout rooms. This will give students (older ones) the autonomy they desire, while freeing you up to check in with students needing extra support.

3. Use project-based learning. Long term projects that involve choice and have an interesting end product can be highly motivating for students. Check out Expeditionary Learning (EL) website for ideas. EL projects at home

4. Use music, visuals, video and other media to "hook" students into a new topic/unit/lesson. Things like gallery walks, chalk talks, and 4 corners can all be modified and done virtually. 

5. Have students learn to share their screens so that they become agents of their own learning, and move beyond traditional roles of teacher as lecturer. Having a real audience for their presentations is a game changer!

Librarians as Professional Development Leaders

Many of us in the education world know how painful professional development (PD) sessions can be, when they're not done well. They can feel like a massive waste of time, redundant or even condescending. Many times, outside "experts" are called in (and highly compensated) to teach the teachers, rather than drawing on the expertise at our fingertips...our colleagues. This is where, as Carl Harvey suggests in Putting on the Professional Development Hat, library professionals can play a uniquely useful role. Library Media Specialists have the ability to "make connections to school libraries for our staff and administrations" by drawing on their tech training to lead meaningful PD sessions for their colleagues. Harvey suggests that librarians may be especially adept at helping teachers learn and infuse new technology into their practice, and having teachers learn alongside their students, as the class is being taught, and then gradually take over the reigns after several sessions, when they have developed competency. I think Harvey is right in both promoting librarians as PD leaders, and also in this novel approach to guiding or coaching teachers as they work with their students. It allows teachers time to master the material or skill, and also allows students to view their teachers as learners, as imperfect beings with growth mindsets. 

Harvey, Carl A. “Putting On the Professional Development Hat.” School Library Monthly. January, 2013. 

Top 5 Learning Apps for Beginners

 

Here's a list of my top 5, easy-to-use, fun and effective tools/apps for the library or classroom:

Bookshare: A massive selection of audio books, free for students with disabilities and their teachers to help provide access to a rich variety of texts. Great way to differentiate instruction for students with disabilities.

Readworks: A huge selection of both fiction and informational texts from a wide range of subject areas, organized by reading level and into thematic groups. each text can be leveled depending on student lexile, and student progress is monitored as they go.

Google Read and Write: Excellent tool for accommodations for ESL and students with disabilities. This app is easily added into Google docs, and allows students to dictate their words into a microphone (speech-to-text), and also have text read to them (text-to-speech).

Flipgrid: This app can be used in classroom to allow students and teachers to create videos for a variety of lesson functions, such as: demonstrating understanding, watching a lecture, recalling facts or details about text, etc. Very interactive and engaging for students, also promotes agency and collaboration.

Google classroom. This is an awesome tool for all kids, but especially helpful for students with executive functioning difficulties, because it allows them to manage their assignments, due dates, and get important messages. Additionally, librarians and teachers can add materials such as audio and video supports, modified materials, graphic organizers, etc.

Embracing Social Media and Gaming

 

Teens and Social Media/Gaming: Striking a Balance

Social media, gaming and teenagers–can we embrace this phenomenon, or should we be very, very afraid? This is a dilemma facing schools and families around the country in 2022, intensified by the global pandemic, and one that is hotly debated by parents, psychologists and educators alike. In the last 10 years, social media use among the general population, and especially teens, has exploded. Educators are now in the unique position of determining how to leverage the increasing popularity of both social media and gaming toward better engagement and student learning outcomes. 

A 2015 PEW study indicated that “71% of teens spend time with friends on social media; 23% do so every day.” and “52% of all teens spend time with friends playing video games; 13% play with
friends daily.” These numbers indicate that the vast majority of teens are engaging with social media and/or gaming on a daily basis, and it’s a trend that is exceedingly unlikely to reverse course.  I will take the position, in this essay, that we must strike a balance between fearing social media/ gaming, and embracing them as new opportunities to engage and motivate young people.

To begin with, let’s take a look at the pitfalls and potential benefits of social media. Social media is a relatively new phenomena that has virtually exploded within the last ten years, where everything from Twitter to Instagram to TikTok have changed the entire landscape of how people, especially teens, interact. According to the PEW research, “teen friendships are strengthened and challenged within social media environments” (PEW p.5). This suggests that social media can play a pivotal role in student social development in both positive and negative ways. In the positive light, social media can be a place where young people meet new friends and engage with their existing ones. “For today’s teens, friendships can start digitally: 57% of teens have met a new friend online. Social media and online gameplay are the most common digital venues for meeting friends…the most common spots for meeting friends online are social media sites like Facebook or Instagram” (PEW, p. 2). The New York Times breaks down the PEW research further in order to provide a theory for some of the data, in the article “Teenagers leading happy, connected lives online”, by KJ Dell’Antonia, dated August 2015. A source in the article states, “the online space is a way of expanding teenagers’ ability to be with friends when they aren’t able to be with them in person.” Presumably, this means that online friendships are filling in the social gaps when teens might have otherwise been isolated, particularly during the covid pandemic. In this regard, social media can encourage different ways of interacting and help fend off loneliness and isolation, to some degree.

On the flip side, as most of us are already aware, social media can be distracting and even damaging to student self-esteem, can invite bullying, and in some cases can exacerbate social isolation. According to an article by McClean Hospital from January of this year, social media has physical as well as psychological dangers. “A 2018 British study tied social media use to decreased, disrupted, and delayed sleep, which is associated with depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance. Social media use can affect users’ physical health even more directly. Researchers know the connection between the mind and the gut can turn anxiety and depression into nausea, headaches, muscle tension, and tremors.” (https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health). 

Similarly, gaming has its fair share of plusses and minuses. To begin with, on the minus side, gaming can be addictive and violent, and at the very least can serve as a distraction from learning.  A 2009 article by the Dana Foundation (a brain research organization) states that “studies reporting that games with violent content increase aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviors suggest that these violent tendencies can extend into real-life situations. “ ((https://dana.org/article/video-games-affect-the-brain-for-better-and-worse/)

 However, like social media, there is a positive side to gaming and, not surprisingly, it has to do with increased social connections, collaboration and networking. According to the PEW report, “78% of teen online gamers say when they play games online it makes them feel more connected to friends they already know” and “fully 72% of all teens ages 13 to 17 play video games on a computer, game console or portable device. Teen gamers play video games in a variety of ways and with a variety of companions; 83% play with others in person and 75% play with others online.” (PEW pp. 16,18). 

These data indicate that young people are finding interesting ways to connect with other kids and, in fact, maintain social connections over sustained periods of time via gaming and social media. Additionally, the Dana 2009 report found that “in one study, 161 college students were randomly assigned to play one of several violent games, neutral games, or pro-social games (in which helpful behavior was required). After playing, the students completed a task in which they could either help or hurt another student. Those who had played the violent games were more hurtful to other students, whereas those who had played the pro-social games were more helpful.” (https://dana.org/article/video-games-affect-the-brain-for-better-and-worse/). This suggests that the type of game matters, too. Thus, as educators we must be aware of the different types of games students are playing, and encourage them to engage with more collaborative, less violent games whenever possible.

 In informal interviews with my own students, I discovered that they are eager to share their thoughts on the positive effects of gaming and social media. Several students indicated that gaming helps them “learn new math skills” and that they have to “read a lot when playing online games to know what to do, so it helps with reading skills too”. Students report that they keep up with their friends and “have fun together” when playing games collaboratively online. These same students did also indicate that they felt that certain games are not appropriate for younger kids (i.e. Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty). 

So the question remains, how do we strike a balance between the negative and positive effects of social media and gaming? And what is the role of the Library Media Specialist in helping students navigate the good and the bad? It’s clear that we must first know our audience. We need to engage in ongoing, open and honest discussions with teens about using social media and gaming. We have a duty to provide them with the tools to navigate both safely, and to encourage opportunities for social media and gaming to serve as collaborative tools, a place where new ideas can grow. 

I’d like to propose a series of action steps to help us better leverage the potential benefits of social media, and maintain a balance between the benefits and pitfalls:

1. Get to know the games and social media: ask questions, explore, try out the games with students. Having your own access points is an excellent way to engage with the students at a basic level.

2. Collaborate with students to create library social media accounts (or your own) where you can showcase books, highlight library events, and connect with students. The more we involve students in the process, the more agency they will have over library social media content.

3. Review your internet use policies and procedures manuals, and teach a series of lessons on: responsible internet use, intellectual freedom, fake news, etc. and be clear about the expectations and rules.

4. Use social media to connect with students by conducting interactive activities, surveys, opportunities for feedback on books, etc.

5. Use your expertise as a Media Specialist to educate and inform parents and the school community about ways to engage teens and leverage technology as an opportunity (rather than a hindrance) for interaction.

Works cited:

Boyd, Danah. It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014.

Dana Foundation: https://dana.org/article/video-games-affect-the-brain-for-better-and-worse/

Dell-Antonia, KJ. "Teenagers Leading Happy Connected Lives Online.” New York Times, August 6, 2015.

[PEW] Lenhart, A., Smith, A.., Anderson, M., Duggan, M., Perrin, A., “Teens, Technology and Friendships.” Pew Research Center, August, 2015.

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health

 

Social Media: Tools to promote your library program

 

Is social media useful in a school library setting? How? Why? What are some of the best sites, and how can we leverage this media to promote our library programs? These are a few questions I've considered recently, and have created a short, annotated list of the ones I've found most useful.

Google Blogger: Ironically, this post itself is on Google Blogger, so there's no doubt that this app can be very useful as a showcase for your library programs. Operated by Google, and free, Blogger allows you to create your own blog, update, add editors and contributors for collaboration, and link to other social media sites. It's a great tool for networking and getting feedback also.

Instagram: Awesome tool for showcasing your collection, and promoting new materials and books. Because it's so widely used, it will also help you make professional connections, network with other librarians, and highlight events. Instagram stories are created by members themselves, so you have control of what you're sharing.

Twitter: great for connecting with other library professionals and as a discovery tool for new ideas, events and discussion boards. Twitter allows you to engage in discussions about a seemingly infinite range of topics, as well as promote your library program and events.

Facebook: Great tool for networking with other professionals, promoting your collection and recent acquisitions, sharing upcoming events, and highlighting student project work. It can also be use, via facebook marketplace, to get materials for your library at low cost, or as a place to donate older materials.

youtube: On youtube, librarians can create and post informational videos (i.e. how to use a database), make book recommendations or read-aloud videos, create mini-lessons for classroom instruction, and use all of these tools in reverse--to learn, explore and discover new ideas. Again, this tool can be used to promote your library program and highlight your collection.

Goodreads: A subsidiary of Amazon, Goodreads is described as a "social cataloging site" where folks can find and share the best new books. It's probably the best site for reading and writing book recommendations, and a great little tool for librarians who are looking for new materials and want to hear the recommendations of other professionals.

Pinterest: Another discovery and showcase tool that allows you to highlight and post "pins" related to your library collection, events, and classroom collaborations. Also excellent for getting ideas for your library space, including ideas for how to make the space itself more inviting and more accessible. Pinterest is a great way to create a curated library "board" that can be shared with the school community.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Making the library accessible to all!

Libraries have always been special places where kids can go for a change of scenery, to check out a great new book, to get a little 1:1 attention from the librarian, or just chill out and read. But like many other spaces within a school, they're not always conducive to meeting the needs of all learners. We need to think about both the physical space and the educational supports in place to make accessibility feasible for every kid. Universal Design for Learning prescribes a set of criteria for setting up your space and  curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners, and appeal to various learning styles. Educators who become familiar with UDL, and embed it into their planning, will succeed at meeting the needs of diverse learners and likely have a more engaging, accessible instructional space.

Let's start with the physical space. The physical space of the library can make or break it, and it's pretty clear that an inviting space is going to appeal to kids and keep them coming back. Here are a few ideas to "Feng Shui" your library space to make it more inclusive:

1. Sit on a stool or the floor and see how things look from that vantage point. Kids who are physically unable to access materials that are elevated will benefit from shifting things around a bit. Similarly, make sure your space is open and free of clutter so that students in wheelchairs can navigate them easily. 

2. Think about sensory issues. A library should be a quiet (ish) place, but when there are full classes in session, the noise level may mitigated by playing some quiet classical or meditative music in the background. Furniture could include wobbly stools and a standing desk. Ease up on the bright lights! Get some plants! Kids love them, and they can be very calming.

3. Have assistive tech tools readily available--things like headphones, iPads, projectors with speakers. Don't overlook low tech tools too, such as: page magnifiers, signs that include images, braille books, large print books, enlarged images, etc.

Assistive technology. There are so many tech tools available today to engage and provide access for diverse learners. Here are a few tried and true essentials for any library:

1. Audiobooks. I have used audiobooks along with text for many years. This is a true UDL strategy because it benefits everyone, while also providing access to those who struggle with reading, are learning English, or have print disabilities. Plus, listening to text while reading it makes it so much more engaging.

2. Google Read&Write. A must for students who are English Learners (EL) or struggling readers, because they can use the text to speech function to listen to text, or speech to text to write it with ease. I always insist that students listen to their own writing before submitting a final draft, and it's powerfully beneficial for them. Best of all, it's already available to use on Chromebooks.

3. Google classroom. This is an awesome tool for all kids, but especially helpful for students with executive functioning difficulties, because it allows them to manage their assignments, due dates, and get important messages. Additionally, librarians and teachers can add materials such as audio and video supports, modified materials, graphic organizers, etc.

4. Bookshare. A huge digital library that is free to students with print disabilities, and has text-to-speech functions embedded in all materials.

5. Rewordify. As a history teacher, I've found this tool invaluable in helping students modify existing informational text to a more accessible lexile. They can simply copy and paste text into a box, and it's "translated" into less complex words, with the same meaning intact.

Podcasts and Videos: The Abolition Movement and Boston

                                                             

As part of a unit on The Abolitionists Movement (and Boston’s role in it), the following podcasts and videos would be excellent resources for building background knowledge and establishing a framework for discussion, contextual understanding, and debate.

Videos: 

PBS “The Abolitionists” 

Focus on Garrison and Douglass and their role in Boston’s Abolitionists movement. Useful in history class or as part of a unit, especially during the building background knowledge stage. Created by PBS Television.

Underground Railroad 

Explores the role of Underground Railroad in American History, with connections to the Abolitionists Movement. Created by The HIstory Channel, and would be useful in the early lessons of the unit or for building background knowledge.

Frederick Douglass and the Abolitionists Movement

Comprehensive overview of the role of Abolitionism in Boston, and the nature of the partnership/friendship between Frederick Douglass and William Llyod Garrison. Created by Craig Haffner. Useful when exploring regional history and connections to Boston’s history.

Black Heritage Trail Boston

Mini-tour of the Black Heritage Trail in Boston, this video explores the Museum of African American History, the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, Beacon Hill houses on the Underground Railroad, etc. An excellent tool if you can’t do an actual field trip. Created by MAAH, Museum of African American History.

Exploring Black History in Boston

Overview of Black History in Boston, including scholar interviews and background. Produced by BNN. Excellent for building background knowledge or research projects.

Podcasts

Real Black History

Excellent collection of videos focused on Black history in America, this NPR created podcast covers a wide range of topics in an engaging way. Great supplement to lessons on the Abolitionists movement.

Code Switch NPR

Described as “Fearless Conversations about Race”, this is a more modern look at issues of race affecting society today. It’s a project of National Public Radio (NPR), and is especially useful as a way to link history with events happening today (i.e. history of the Supreme Court and Biden’s nomination of a first Black Supreme Court Justice).

HubHistory

Specific to Boston’s history, these podcasts are great for use in studies of local history, or for project-based work and research. Created by Hub history, the podcast includes interviews and primary sources documents.

Library Apps

 

Cool apps for library or classroom use

Checkology: A great tool for students to learn about how to distinguish legitimate sources from less reliable ones. The app includes several mini-lessons that can be used in the classroom or library for teaching about everything from misinformation to understanding bias.

Fabulingua: A tool for language teachers and students that can be used in the classroom by engaging kids with lively, interactive stories in other languages to help them learn news words, language, and ways of speaking.

Nearpod: Great app to make lessons more engaging and interactive. Allows teachers to create slide-based lessons with interactive features (images, audio, video, checks for understanding, written feedback, etc.), and can be especially useful for remote learning.

Google Translate: Awesome tool for ESL students for translating class readings into native language to check understanding, and to get their meaning across when writing in English. Also useful in Foreign language classes for translation practice.

Google Read and Write: Excellent tool for accommodations for ESL and students with disabilities. This app is easily added into Google docs, and allows students to dictate their words into a microphone (speech-to-text), and also have text read to them (text-to-speech).

Flipgrid: This app can be used in classroom to allow students and teachers to create videos for a variety of lesson functions, such as: demonstrating understanding, watching a lecture, recalling facts or details about text, etc. Very interactive and engaging for students, also promotes agency and collaboration.

Kahoot: Great tool for teachers or librarians to create high-interest "quizzes" on any topic, or modify pre-existing ones to suit your learning needs. Graphics, images, audio and video can be added.

Rewordify: Nice app for differentiating text. Can be used by teachers or librarians to modify a difficult text into simpler language (for ESL or students with disabilities). Only for informational texts.

Exploring Technology for the Library and Classroom

In light of the abundance of web resources, tools and apps available for teachers and librarians, I've decided to highlight a few excellent instructional resources that I've found to be very user-friendly and helpful. Obviously this is a limited list, mainly because I wanted to focus on quality rather than quantity, and find things that would be helpful for my instructional practice and that of my colleagues. Here are a few gems, and they're all FREE:

Wonder Stories: leveled text with standards-based questions to engage reluctant readers and keep track of their progress. Stories are interactive, and student progress is monitored to give teachers useful and ongoing data.

Hippocampus: Video and mini-lesson resources for a wide range of subjects and sub-topics. There are specific and engaging instructional videos to supplement your lessons and can be easily used for self-directed learning/remote learning.

Bookshare: A massive selection of audio books, free for students with disabilities and their teachers to help provide access to a rich variety of texts. Great way to differentiate instruction for students with disabilities.

Readworks: A huge selection of both fiction and informational texts from a wide range of subject areas, organized by reading level and into thematic groups. each text can be leveled depending on student lexile, and student progress is monitored as they go.

iCivics: Developed by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is an excellent learning platform which teaches students about U.S. History and Civics using a video game platform. Very engaging and also great way to enhance literary skills and critical thinking skills.

Arbor Scientific  Excellent range of science materials, short videos and mini-lessons on a variety of scientific topics to support classroom instruction. Also links to various science blogs.

Thoughts on Olsen's "Top 10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology"

 

                                                                        

On her Classroom 2.0 blog, K. Olsen invites educators to list their "Top 10 Things Every Teacher Should Know About Technology", in an effort to prepare useful professional development materials. Several educators responded, and one thing that struck me was how many folks spoke about the need for teachers to use new technology as an opportunity for collaboration and exploration with their students. The idea that we can learn both from and alongside our students may be a foreign concept to some educators, but if we shift the narrative a bit, it can be one of the best, more powerful ways to humanize ourselves to our students, and empower them as both learners and collaborators. 

Similarly, several commenters reflected on the need for educators to embrace the idea of experimentation and exploration as gateways to learning to navigate otherwise intimidating technologies. If we approach tech as a challenging exploration, rather than being intimidated by it, we can open ourselves up to new and engaging formats for teaching and learning. Given the time constraints and overwhelming expectations teachers already face, it would be wise for administrators to facilitate professional development opportunities and dedicate time for these endeavors. 

Here are the top 10 things I think every teacher should know about technology:

1. Have a growth mindset. Be willing to try new things and learn from your colleagues! Be willing to explore and push out of your comfort zone.

2. Use your schools IT person as a resource, and if you don't have one, find a student or colleague who can fill that role.

3. Get the students involved! They often know more than you, and it's great practice to solicit their feedback.

4. Do your research. Be on the lookout for what's new and exciting in educational technology.

5. Get to know your OPACS, your MARCs, your Libguides, etc. And learn how to develop your own website, in case there is nobody to help you.

6. Attend professional development about technology whenever possible.

7. Try things out yourself, don't expect to have your kids use an app or tech tool that you haven't even tried.

8. Have a back-up plan! Think printed images, read-alouds, paper copies...just in case.

9. Get to know Google, because it's a main source for the fundamentals.

10. Be patient with yourself...it's okay to not know everything, all the time!