The Library Maker Space

This school year brought about a lot of changes to our school and our library.   We migrated our SMS to PowerSchool from SDS, we got an almost new administration and we have a lot of new staff. Why not add something new to the library as well?  We decided to make a maker space in the library.  It's the ideal way to get kids to come in and visit, and it allows for some release from the norm of a tedious school day.

We were fortunate enough to have some money to use to buy tools and supplies for the space.  I wanted student involvement as much as possible as well. I created a survey with some potential ideas for the space.  We included things teens like to do and also added some stuff that we like. (After all, who doesn't love to play with Legos?)   We sent the survey to the student body and learned the following:

Duct Tape crafts are a HUGE hit.  Almost all of the kids who responded wanted to be able to make duct tape crafts.  They may be a little pricey, but we decided to float the project options week by week so we can make the tape last longer.   We also learned that origami is a classic favorite.   A lot of kids wanted to be able to come in and make origami.  The Legos and computers were a no brainer. Legos are awesome so we had to have those and for the computers, we updated all of our devices and had 150 Windows XP computers, so, we grabbed a few from the recycle pile and ordered a computer tool kit.   Amazingly enough, the computer tear down/ rebuild station is the hottest in the library!  One thing we did do was add a book that relates to the topic.  We have a Lego book with ideas, an Origami guide or two, and some duct tape craft books.   We aren't letting them circulate.  They will remain in the library with their respective kits. 

Aside from the maker space stuff, we also have some games we added last year:  Chess, Checkers, Apples to Apples, Life and Risk.  Kids love to play games in here so adding them was a wise choice.

It's exciting to see kids come in and ask to do crafts and play Legos.  It makes our day.

Collaboration Tools pt. 4; Realtime Board

I am all about students collaborating.  I think it's one of the most important parts of education.  Kids need to be able to learn to work together and share ideas, as it's part of their future when they graduate and move into their adult life.

Realtimeboard is another tool that provides collaboration options. It is free and can link to google. You, as the teacher creates a board and invite kids to access it.  They also upgrade teachers to PRO for free. (Follow this link)

This site is set up a lot like ConceptBoard, which I showed in a previous post.  It's collaborative, uses invitations to access boards and is easy.

I can see this working in a project based learning setting.  Students can conduct their research and use the site for a final project.  Maybe a history related search or a biography project.  It is also a way to organize yourself.  There are several mind mapping methods and organzining tools. When you create a new board, you see several templates that can be used for different things.

It could also be used for a foreign language classroom to make vocabulary boards.  Kids can locate images of vocabulary and the shared boards can be used by the teacher as a review tool.

The possibilities for this program are endless.  There are a lot of things that can be used in the classroom.

Collaboration Tools (and a little bit more) Part 3: One Note

I have talked about One Note in the past, but I feel despite the number of times I mention it, I come up with even more rationale for it's brilliance.  I love this program.  I love it's simplicity.  I love how many things it can do, so I am adding it as one of my collaboration tools for the classroom.

Why?  It does more than collaborate but, if you are using the live, online version, the opportunity to work with others is an awesome tool.  I have used it a lot in my classes and I have shared it with some of my colleagues and some of them have started using it in class.

I was in a training session about one note and the presenter was telling us about her daughter, a pharmacy student in college.  She uses One Note for all of her notes and classes.  She inserts audio of the lecture and takes notes as well.  COOL!  The software on the computer allows for tablet note taking and doodling. You can insert math notes and questions and complete the problems directly on the program.

The online version, mind you allows for a lot less in the insert, add, edit component.  You have to download the program and open it on the computer to add all the bells and whistles, but, as a teacher, there are a lot of great ideas that can be done with the online tool that makes students working together work.

With the online tool, you can track changes and edits.  You can see who did what at all times. You, as the teacher can create the actual notebooks for the groups, invite them and then monitor them as the kids work.  It's a great way to get kids to work together to accomplish a great outcome.

Do you teach History and have a student who is special needs?  Allow them to record the notes on their device or, you upload the notes to the notebook and then have a student who takes good notes edit it on the online platform.

What about Science?  Create an experiment notebook.  Have questions and logs students need to complete about the dissection they are doing or the experiment they are completing.

Foreign Language?  Flip that class...  embed videos or links to them and include the vocabulary.  Make your own text.  Why rely on the book the companies want us to buy for $60 each when you can make each tab a chapter and build your own tools.

Math Teachers:  Create a chapter by chapter notebook and include links to videos, activities and problems.  The students can work together or alone to master the techniques.

The list goes on and on....  Look at one note, it is a challenge to come across as you have to access the Skydrive via Microsoft, but once you are in... you are in.

Collaboration Tools Part 2: Google Docs

If you are in a district where google products are open sources for everyone, like I am, you will be pleased to find how easy it is to use Google Documents as a way to encourage student (and staff ) collaboration.

In an all staff PD last year, our trainer showed us how easy it is to collaborate with Google, I was already aware of the components and the ease, but I was trying to get some ideas of ways to make it work in my class.

For the library, I was thinking of having google docs be a component for a group chat about books.  We can have a doc for each title that is being read as a team and then the kids and perhaps myself can go online and discuss the book on the site.

For class, the options are endless.   Since google docs lets you track the collaborators, it's a great way to do PBL.  Students can be assigned projects with collaboration and as a teacher, I track the collaboration and who does what.  The students can peer edit, collaborate, do individual parts, plan, write, do it all. The kids could do partner papers, research projects (since presentatiion is also a part of google docs and it can collaborated as well). There is also a chance to integrate other tools into the docs program and use them for projects. There are a lot of options.

The spreadsheet could very easily be used for developing group data collection.  A series of questions could be asked and each student could be assigned a column.  They can go in and add their data and at the end, the information can be mingled together into graphs and charts.

I think with a little experimenting, every teacher out there could find at least one use for google docs.

Collaborate, Note Taking with Titanpad

I have spent several days this summer doing webinars via SimpleK12 and learned they subscribe to a site that they use for the backchannel of the webinar.  I immediately started asking them questions about the site and learned it is free to use.  That was the key to me.  So, I created an account at titanpad and have already started generating ideas to using it in my classroom or my school library.

Titan pad is a platform that has a note-taking component on one side and a chat option on the other.  The note-taking side syncs constantly so multiple users can add their information.  It reminded me a little of one-note but with the ability to chat.  The owner of the "pads" as the program calls them can keep them in an archive to refer to later.   The pads have security options, the ability to import and export the notes and the capability to save revisions.

As a classroom teacher planning to flip the class and also thinking heavily of devoting a portion of my time to PBL, I started seeing the lightbulbs going off with this program.

First of all, think of all the special ed students you have in class.  Often, they can't keep up with notes or need to have an assistant there to take good notes for them.  Occasionally, a student helper is used to jot notes down and then have them copied for the student.  With Titanpad, the notes are input directly on the site.

With the chat component, the students can type questions directly to the teacher and the teacher can use that information to see immediate feedback of comprehension.  The pad is exported to a PDF or a Word file and voila, instant access to all the notes.  If you have a school that is 1:1, this is a fantastic way to collaborate in your classroom.  I was saving my notes and copying and pasting them into OneNote so I could refer to them later. 

I am thinking this could be a great way for partners and groups to collaborate.  Often, in my French class, I have the kids write skits.  If you use this, the kids can work on their skit in groups and I can be involved with it.  

If you teach a class and have kids absent, you do the notes here and make them available later. No excuses for missing class.  Kids are at home sick but not really that bad? They can join the class and see what is happening and ask questions.

I can see this working for a class that involves collaboration or a class using PBL.  It's worth a shot, right?

findingDulcinea to do research

Being a school librarian, I am often asked by both students and teachers alike ways to find materials to use for papers, speeches or even extra credit.  That is my job as a media specialist, to teach and help people sift through information and help people decide what is good and what is bad.  I came across a site called findingDulcinea, which according to the site is the librarian of the Internet.  It is used to teach people how to find good materials and information instead of having to sift and sort through thousands of websites.

In today's age, people automatically go to google to get their information.  Even I am guilty of googling something that I want to learn about fast, but, often, the information  isn't always credible enough to use for research or an accurate paper. Dulcinea offers viewers information about different search engines and alternative sites to use for  accurate and relevant information.

A database can cost a school district thousands of dollars.  Books are often outdated as soon as they arrive in the library. Using Dulcinea can teach patrons how to locate their materials through content specific web guides. Each guide has different tools for the learner.  The main page offers top stories and articles where patrons can start their journey.

Dulcinea has a sweet search engine, as it is called, directed for students.  Every website in the mix has been evaluated by educators for relevance and information. Within the search engine, there are a few content specific sites as well- Social Studies, Biographies and an educator site to teach skills to teachers.

My corporation has a few database subscriptions that have not been used but maybe a few times.  I am thinking of adding this as a potential site to obtain information and cancel my databases.  The money we spend on those databases could be used for something else we need, like maybe ebooks!  I am really glad I came across this site.  I am thinking it could do a lot to benefit my kids.