The Lively Librarian 1

Virtual and Augmented Reality education is growing at a rapid rate and allows students to learn in ways not possible before.  There are a plethora of reasons that VR and AR should be accessible to every student in the school system. VR and AR devices allow students to take virtual field trips and see how things work within; a place not visible by the human eye.  Before now, I believed that all VR and AR devices were extremely expensive and out  of reach for my small library budget. I quickly realized I was wrong! In this day and age, VR and AR devices are available in many different price ranges starting as low as $15. Google Cardboard   is a VR device affordable on any budget with apps available in the Google Play Store. Users can quickly turn their smartphone into a VR experience. The Oculus Rift (starting around $300) is an all in one unit that gives users a firsthand look and experience not otherwise possible. With both of these devi...

As a first year librarian, I hope to be able to create a quality maker space for my students in the near future. I have already peaked their interest by incorporating STEM bins into my curriculum, now we just need more materials and a designated space to create.  According to Lauren Britton, “Maker spaces promote learning through play; have the potential to demystify science, math, technology, and engineering; and encourage women and underrepresented minorities to seek careers in those fields” (The Digital Shift). Now more than ever, we as teacher librarians needs to work to include maker spaces into our library lessons so that students can see their vast potential. Although maker spaces can be made with easily found items and materials, I would love nothing more than to be able to purchase a 3D printer for my students! EdTech Magazine  discusses the best ways to incorporate a 3D printer in a school setting. This recent  study shows that...

As a parent of a young teenager, cyberbullying is a topic that is always in the back of my mind. My daughter has SnapChat and Instagram to keep up with friends, classmates, and teammates, but I am always left wondering if there is ever anything I need to know about. I try to keep open conversation about online discussions and what her friends are ‘up to’, but parents never truly know everything that is going on in their children's lives. As Kristen Hicks stated in Teacher’s Guide to Digital Citizenship, “ Neither educators nor parents have the means to completely control how students use technology”.  We must teach our children and students about internet safety and trust that they have the tools to handle situations properly. As a 4th grade teacher, I always discussed internet safety with my students. As I read all of the material this week, I now feel that I failed them in a way. I never focused on cyberbullying; I honestly felt they were too young to be on social media. Ac...

SC DISCUS is a great tool for teachers and students alike. As a 4th grade classroom teacher, I used DISCUS on a daily basis.  My district uses the Daily 5 literacy framework, which helps develop independent, motivated, engaged readers through mini-lessons and 20-minute work sessions. Students work to build at least 20 minutes of stamina either reading or writing.  During these station times, my students used DISCUS for many reasons, but most of them loved TumbleBooks . TumbleBooks is an online book library that provides access to over 1,000 books for students in grades K-6. Even the youngest readers can enjoy hours of storytime on this vast website. Along the top of the webpage, students can explore storybooks, read-alongs, Ebooks, graphic novels, non-fiction, National Geographic videos, math stories, resources in Spanish, playlists, and puzzles and games. In addition, users can search by title, grade level, and/or subject, making TumbleBooks an easy-to-use resourc...

Blindness is a topic near and dear to my heart. My father began losing his eyesight about 25 years ago and the doctors had no idea why. It wasn’t until several years later that the words Macular Degeneration were first mentioned by his retina specialist. We have spent the last 20 years watching my father lose almost every bit of independence he had; working, driving, reading the newspaper, watching television. Although he is not “dark blind”, his vision is so low and distorted that he only sees light and outlines of objects. My father will be the first to tell you that his eyes lived a good life, and although he would love to have his eyesight back, God has a plan and a purpose for everything. (My daughters pictured with my visually-impaired father) As we have searched for ways to improve my father’s qualify of life, I have often asked myself about children who are blind; how do they adapt in “our world”. From experience, I know that there are a plethora of devices for the ...

As more school districts are going one-to-one with technology devices, the Chromebook seems to be a very popular choice among many of them. There are many reasons why the Chromebook is such a great device for schools, especially over a traditional laptop. The average Google Chromebook costs around $200. Chromebooks use cloud storage instead of large hard drives. The lightweight operating system allows for quick startup (boot) times and fast web browsing. Chromebooks allow students to take part in collaborative learning with their peers, anywhere and at any time. Teachers and student can use Google Classroom to create and submit (paperless) assignments online. As I read more about Chromebooks in the classroom, I used the R.A.T. model for technology integrations to help me have a better understanding of its impact on learning. The R.A.T. model assess technology as replacement, amplification, and/or transformation. If the technology is sim...