Poster Session: Monday, June 29th from 8-10am
By: Misti Werle and Maggie Townsend
Project Based Learning + Library Media Specialists = Success!
Poster Session: Monday, June 29th from 8-10am By: Misti Werle and Maggie Townsend
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We were very fortunate to receive a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts for new digital cameras. We used the cameras to complete a collaborative project in 3rd grade about how our communities changed past and present. I brought in the digital learning and technology peice, and the classroom teacher supported the social studies learning. Here is a video of our story!
This project was successful because students gained a deeper understanding of our community's changes, than in the past when students just read and talked about it. Students also learned how to digitally change photos and how to add credit to photos you find online.
When we do this project next year, we are going to put more focus on the writing. If given more time, students could have used this project to showcase their informative writing skills. What kind of photography projects have you used in your school or library? Please share in the comments below!
Like all librarians, I must take time to weed my library collection of outdated, worn, and unpopular titles. However, it tends to be a taboo and touchy subject in the library world. When I tell others, outside the field, what I'm up to, they gasp and whisper, "You dispose of BOOKS?!?! But. . . you're a librarian?" I will sadly shake my head, and spout off research about the benefits of weeding a library collection with an sad attitude of "someone has to do it."
THE TRUTH??? I get a giddy feeling as the pile of books leaving my library gets larger and larger. I feel energized as I clean house, making the library more engaging. I LOVE WEEDING! Kinda like these ladies!
I do have tiny attacks of guilt when I think about the author behind the book that is leaving the literary environment because their hard work will no longer be enjoyed by my patrons. However, overall, I really don't feel bad at all. I think I have more guilt over the fact that I don't feel guilty when I weed books than just weeding the books in the first place. :) I know some will disagree with me, but I believe:
Now, don't go getting the impression that I go to crazy. . . I carefully select titles to weed using circulation, copyright, interest, and readability data and information. I will often move unpopular books to another location to see if that makes a difference. However, if I'm scanning the football books and all but one has been recently checked out.. . it is outta here! This year, I was working in a library that had not been weeded in quite some time. . . so I had a lot of work to do, especially in the nonfiction section.
Students really notice and starting finding gems that were hidden among the junk. Weeding is the fastest way to give your library an update, and it doesn't even cost a penny!
So, I guess I'm writing this post as therapy for the guilt I do not feel. I will hold my high (in the cover of darkness) as I remove boxes of books from the building. I will proudly stand (in an empty room), and say, "I like weeding and I'm not ashamed to admit it." How do you handle weeding in your school library? Please share in the comments below.
I've been playing around with ThingLink a little more lately (first blog post here). I've found it is a simple way to share a collection of video projects. Students are easily able to hover over different parts of an image to see their classmates' work, and one link sends it easily to families!
Here is a second grade example. They completed this research project about weather, using Google Drawing to illustrate their reports. I was able to upload all the videos to YouTube and share them on a ThingLink collage. (Don't judge my green screen abilities, it was my first time!)
This 3rd grade class used ThingLink to make a digital copy of their living museum project. Students recorded each other giving their presentations, I uploaded them to Youtube, and they were able to watch and provide feedback to others on ThingLink.
It is so fun to find new ways to use familiar tools! How you using ThingLink in your classroom or library? Please share in the comments below.
Wow! I have been on a little hiatus from blogging because I've been hard at work renewing ny NBPTS license. However, the end is in sight, and I have a lot of projects to share!
This week, I would like to talk more about VoiceThread. I've blogged about VoiceThread before, you can read about it here. I feel like it is worth a revisit because VoiceThread super valuable! It is a great way to share any digital work students produce because you can upload pictures, videos, slide shows, pdfs, and documents. Additionally, VoiceThread has been updated with a new look and some new features, making it even easier for students to use. There is even a video comment option now, which I have yet to explore. (Is this sounding like a commercial??) For example, here is a 2nd grade class that created a presentation together. They did some research about community workers and collaborated in Google Drive. They were able to import their presentation into VoiceThread to add audio and share it publicly.
This example allowed 3rd grade students to share their narrative writing with a piece of art for the visual.
Here, students were able to take a class book they had created and share it digitally, expanding their audience.
Students also create their own VoiceThreads. Here is a student that used pictures and videos to spread a very important message.
And, lastly, here is an 4th grade example of a student using VoiceThread to complete a social studies report.
Today, I have Google Maps on my brain because this is a tool I'm currently using with several classes. Student created Google maps are a great way to publish work and/or to show what has been learned! Students can collaborate on a map or create them individually. Currently, 1st graders are tracking their Flat Stanley project on this google map. In the upper grades, my 4th graders are learning about the US Regions. The created shapes around the region to show its location. Then, they created postcards from each region to talk about a specific landmark in that region. The classroom teachers have been able to assess students' writing and understanding of the social studies concept throughout this project. In this project, students shared the links to their map in our Google Classroom. Then, we compiled them all into a Google Site to make it easier to share with parents and families.
How do you use Google Maps? Please share in the comments below! We finished reorganizing our fiction books into genres shortly after the Christmas break. This week, I had the students complete a survey to provide us with feedback. Here's what they had to say!
More importantly to me, I wanted to know if the rearranging of titles was changing reading behaviors! I'm pleased that student are reporting to have been trying new titles and series, but see I need to do some work on how to use the catalog (some things changed when I added in a "location"). Overall, I'm pleased with the changes and the student feedback. Some of their comments were:
How has the transition to genres gone in your library? Share in the comments below.
In library classes last week, we talked about how the internet can help us impact change in society, and how we can join together for a cause. We learned all about the cause and took the pledge online (making sure to discuss our online safety rules as well). Then, we did several digital projects on the topic, using some tools we already knew like Flipgrid and Animoto. I had a great group of 5th grade students work on a video during their lunch recesses (totally volunteer!), and they used Movie Maker to put it all together. Check out these projects with a great message! How do you celebrate Spread the Word to End the Word in your school or library? Please share in the comments below!
I've blogged about Thinglink before, it is a great digital tool for students to present and show what they know. However, I had yet to try out Thinglink EDU. It is a paid subscription, but only $35 a year for up to 1,000 students. Since we are a Google Apps for Education District, the best part for me is that students can use their google logins to create accounts (even students under 13!). Then, you give the students a class code, and they can easily share their ThingLink creations within your class channel. If your district does not have Google accounts, there are other ways for students to get accounts based on your needs. They have a great website with tutorials and help, plus they are excellent at providing help if you email them! I've emailed twice and had a response in less than 12 hours both times! Currently, my students are creating a ThingLink to show what they know and have learned about U.S. symbols. Examples to come later!
How are you using ThingLink in your classroom or library? Share in the comments below. Wow, love is in the air this February day! I'm head over heels in love with Google Classroom. . . can you see my dreamy eyes and blushing cheeks? I've been trying out a few of my library classes with Google Classroom. I've quickly realized, I need to get all my 2nd-5th grade students on it. I'll be working on that in the upcoming weeks. As a specialist, it helps to manage more than one class, plus eliminates all the Google Drive folders/sharing mess I get with 25 classes. It is super easy to navigate and use. Students can simply log in through their Google Apps account and enroll in my class. I can also be a student in classes that teachers set up. That helps me keep up on what they are doing too! Once you are in a class. ..it has a Facebook newsfeed feel to it. You can post announcement and assignments. The students seem to understand and feel comfortable with it right away. The best part is that all the work students "turn in" on Google Classroom comes from their Google Drive and is organized into folders on my Google Drive. I don't have to worry about them dragging things into shared folders or anything. Plus, it gives me a count down of how many students have turned the assignment in! You can post all the links, materials, and information that students will need to complete assignments. Plus, I'm LOVING the option where I make an assignment and attach it in Google Classroom, then a copy of that assignment is created for each student (sortof like copying a worksheet). This has helped me format and clarify the information I want back from students. Here's a quick example: I just created a document with a table to support a lesson I was doing about the relationship between Listen to Reading websites and Word Work, to support Daily 5 in this classroom. Students then collected words as they were listening, and used some online tools to find definitions. I think this is an amazing organizational tool, classroom blog, and collaborative workspace. I see myself transitioning over from Kidblog to Google Classroom, using this space as a place to post assignments/tutorials/lessons when I have a sub, and a tracking tool to hold students more accountable in my classes. I hope to support teachers as they try it out and starting using it as a fluid tool in their classrooms as well. In the spirit of full disclosure, I do want to point out that every love has its' little quirks. There are a few things I would change/add (in case anyone from Google is reading, ha!), but I bet updates are coming:
Again, I am completely in love with this tool and I can't wait to learn how others are using it in elementary. Plus, I'm eager to try out some new projects. How are you using Google Classroom in your library/class? Please share in the comments below! |
AuthorMisti Werle is the newly hired Library Media Systems Innovator in Bismarck, North Dakota. Archives
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