Rachel's Library Learning

 

I created three logos on Canva to go with the theme of "The Den" since our school mascot is a pride of lions. Let me know what design you think works best and any changes I should make. 

 

After looking through various options, I have decided on three virtual experiences that would be a good fit for my school (K-5 Elementary School). 1. Google Lit Trips The idea of Google Lit trips is " where students become virtual traveling companions traveling right alongside characters in stories commonly taught in grades K-12." As students read the book, they follow the story locations mapped out on google earth. I think this would be a valuable field trip because a teacher can bring a class novel alive for their students and incorporate aspects of mapping, cultures and communities, geography and technology into a novel study. I think the use of Google Lit trips would be a valuable resource for my library. 2. Grouse Mountain Bear Cam Through this live stream, students can watch the Grouse mountain bears, Grinder and Coola as they hibernate. This would be a good fit for my school because Grouse Mountain is close to home but a field trip there would be quite the undertaking....

  Here is a list of apps that I would choose to use the library.

  My questions are: 1. Are there any other ways to design the library to allow for greater use by classes throughout the day? 2. Was anything unclear in the presentation that I can change? Possible Library Names: Our school's mascot is a lion as part of the RCG Pride. So I tried to think of original names that would fit with this. I thought the name, "The Den" would accurately fit with this theme and is a simple representation of the library being the gathering place of the school.  References:  “Applied Design, Skills and Technologies.”  Building Student Success - B.C. Curriculum ,  curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst . Accessed 27 May 2023. “ISTE Standards: Educators.”  ISTE ,  www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers . Accessed 27 May 2023. Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, April 11). Library Makerspace . Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_makerspace

I have update my Linoit board with a section about Media Arts. I have included a screenshot below: The link to the full Linoit board is here.

Here is the video I have created trying out different video techniques.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DI_UvTmkS2njD9H6AhPNeWvaPB5Kh-3F/view?usp=sharing References: Ludlow, David. “How to Shoot Better Video on Your iPad and iPhone.”  Expert Reviews , 7 July 2014, www.expertreviews.co.uk/tablets/8055/how-to-shoot-better-video-on-your-ipad-and-iphone.

Here is the podcast that I recorded about the book "The Name Jar" and ways that it can be used in the classroom.  Name Jar Podcast I chose to use Audacity to record my podcast. I didn't find the format super user friendly but it wasn't difficult to figure out how to do a basic recording. I think it would take some time to figure out how to access different features that are available within the program. I spent some time trying to connect my airpods as a microphone in an attempt to cut out the background noise but after some googling I realized that this option is not supported in Audacity.  My questions are:  1. If you used Audacity, did you find it was user friendly or would you opt for a different program next time? 2. How could the creation of podcasts be a useful tool in the classroom? References Choi, Y. (2003). The Name Jar . Turtleback Books.

After reading  How to Make Your Own Sound Booth for Better Voice Overs , I created my own version at home.  I didn't have foam, so I looked up alternatives that I might have already at my house. I decided to use a box and wrap a blanket on the inside to absorb the sound. I put a jar inside to show where the microphone would fit.  If I were to set up a sound booth in the library, I would invest in proper foam and would make sure that the structure was sturdy enough to hold up over time. I would choose to buy the Apogee Mic 96K since I would need a microphone that can connect easily to iPads. This microphone connects well to iPads and can link directly to Garageband. Since I work at a elementary school, I would need a microphone that can also be durable in the hands of little ones and this seems to be a good selection.  References: ELB Guest. (n.d.). How to make your own sound booth for better voice overs . ELB Learning. https://blog.elblearning.com/blog/how-to-make-y...

  I chose a video that students had created to advertise a book that they had just finished. I would show this to staff as a way for them to have students reflect on and show their understanding of a book in a creative way.  A book trailer could be an engaging alternative for a written report or presentation. References: Crossley Media. (2018, March 6). Wonder book trailer (student created) . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvVG9k3_Yfk

I chose to create a screen casting to go over my ADST K-5 Curriculum on Canva. You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/yhTJSIYyT1M I used Quicktime since it was already installed on my computer. I found the program easy to use and it gave me a few choices of settings such as a timer at the beginning. One aspect that I found frustrating was that it cut out the first few seconds of my recording in the final file. I tried a few times and each time, the first few seconds on my introduction got cut out. I'm not sure if anyone else had that problem and found a solution but this is a potential issue for teachers looking for a reliable screen casting program.  I think screen casting could be an effective tool to help guide students to use different features of a program. It could be used to help catch up students if they miss a day. They could watch the screen cast and see what their peers learned that class. It could also be used by students to explain their understanding of a task....

I read the article, "An application of virtual reality in education: Can this technology enhance the quality of students’ learning experience?" by Enda McGoverna, Gerardo Moreiraa , and Cuauhtemoc Luna-Nevarezb which aimed to explore whether the use of Virtual Reality (VR) can enhance student learning. Their study focused on preparing university students to give speeches by practicing with VR technology. They discovered that VR has great potential for educational use to enhance student's ability to present information.  The article used Sherman and Craig's (2002, p.16) definition of VR. It says, " VR can be defined as “a medium composed of interactive computer simulations that sense the participant’s position and actions and replace or augment the feedback to one or more senses, giving the feeling of being mentally immersed or present in the simulation (a virtual world)." University students could choose settings within the application to change the location...

  You can access the previous Linoit board here. I chose three photos to add to my library re-design that demonstrate a potential for the space.  First, I chose a photo of a makerspace wall. I like this photo because it takes up minimal space and would be a concept I would use in my current school's library due to lack of available space. By having a makerspace wall, students could have the tools to engage with design thinking in the library. I received some feedback that a wall may make it hard for some students to reach the materials they need. I have updated my design with a rolling cart instead. You can view the updated linoit board at the end of this post. Second, I included a photo of moveable walls. I indicated where the walls may fit in my layout and walls would make the library space more flexible to accommodate two separate classes in the space at the same time. By freeing up some space, classroom teachers would have the option to bring their classes in to use the ma...

  My two questions are: 1. Why do you think many teachers no longer see the library as the hub of the school and therefore, it is a constant challenge to advocate for more funding? 2. How can schools make access to learning opportunities around computational thinking equitable to all students? References Educause. 2023. 2023 Educause Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition. Available online at:  https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2023/4/2023hrteachinglearning.pdf?la=en&hash=195420BF5A2F09991379CBE68858EF10D7088AF5  [Accessed May 13 2023]

  3 Ideas to put into practice: 1. I like Julia's idea of having QR codes that students can scan when they have a problem which lead to a step by step troubleshooting video. 2. I like Phil's idea to have a designated "technology star" that students can go to get help. 3. I appreciated Matthew's idea that by ensuring software is updated frequently, hopefully there are less problems that pop up.  References: Hunter, S. (2023). Cont996-Troubleshooting Strategies. Padlet.  https://padlet.com/sah7queensu/cont996-troubleshooting-strategies-4n2te37yrciymdv5  

I used TinkerCad to try the "Die from Scratch" tutorial. In the end I designed a dice that could be printed and used.  I don't have any experience using a 3D printer so this whole concept was new to me. I first explored the tutorials of view it, and move it to try to get my bearings using the program. I liked that all the shapes and numbers that I needed to create my dice were all available and easy to access within the program. I wonder if there is opportunity to have more control over the design of the shapes or if you can only use the pre-programmed options.  The tutorial was fairly easy to follow, although I wish there had been photos included to help guide me. It would direct me to click on or add various items but I didn't know where to find those options. I thought of teachers who are not tech savvy and how this would be a very difficult for them to use.  I think this program could be a great addition to a library for older students. In my opinion, this would b...

I resonated with many things in the article "From Computational Thinking to Computational Participation in K–12 Education" by Yasmin B. Kafai, especially her statement that "to learn programming for the sake of programming goes nowhere for children unless they can put those skills to use in a meaningful way" (p.27). As I reflected on the article's focus of shifting from individual computational thinking to collaborative computational participation, I thought of my own experiences at my elementary school. In honesty, coding and computational thinking is not a huge focus within my school and so I struggled to think of relevant examples that connect. This is an area of my own practice that I would like to get better at. One example that came to mind is from a kindergarten teacher at my school. As part of their social studies focus on community, she creates large coding grids on large boards with masking tape. Students place loose parts on the boards as components o...

I chose the Scratch Tutorial "Animating a Character." Within a few minutes, I had my character moving, talking and making sound effects.  Positives: I found the tutorial straight forward and easy to follow. I was able to pause, go back and double check the instructions if it went too fast. There are a lot of options to choose from in terms of commands to code. I think this platform offers a lot of potential to older elementary and middle school students to practice computational thinking and coding.  Negatives: The text is quite small and for learners who struggle to read, they could find this platform very overwhelming. I considered my current grade 1 students and although they would love creating a cartoon or character, this platform would be too complex for them to use. Even many older students may require quite a bit of support. I wondered if there was a way to change the settings to limit the amount of command choices at the beginning as students are just being introduce...

When I first began this assignment, computational thinking was a relatively new concept to me. I had some basic understanding of computational thinking and robotics but after reading, there is a lot of new information for me to consider. My original understanding of computation was programming of some kind within a device. However, according to Siu (2022) "c omputational thinking is the step that comes before programming. It’s the process of breaking down a problem into simple enough steps that even a computer would understand." C omputational thinking includes the processes of critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving and analyzing cause and effect. Additionally, through reading the Code BC CT Illustrated documents states that "computational artifacts are both the programs we made and their outputs." (p.4).  There is a clear connection between computational thinking and robotics. Students must think critically, articulate step by step instructions in code for ...

I received feedback to consider adding shelves on wheels to my plan in order to create even more flexible spaces within the library. I have added this detail to the Physical Layout Considerations.  References: BC Curriculum Rendina, D. (2016, April 22).  How to identify and reframe design problems in your library space  . Knowledge Quest. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/identify-reframe-design-problems-library-space/  

References: BC Curriculum Rendina, D. (2016, April 22).  How to identify and reframe design problems in your library space  . Knowledge Quest. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/identify-reframe-design-problems-library-space/

  This poster was created collaboratively with Nicole. It is intended for upper elementary or middle school students.