Facebook and Twitter

Facebook and Twitter are two forms of social media that is used to communicate and share information with different people from all over the world. I am connected to Facebook and Twitter but I’ve always been partial to Facebook because I like reading funny stories my friends share and connecting with people I haven’t seen in years. I found my 6^th grade pen pal on Facebook! Twitter only allows so many characters so you have to get right to the point. My first experience with Twitter was pretty frustrating. I typed a message and couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t send. I finally figured out that I had written too many words. J But I must admit that I am accessing Twitter more often because I see the benefits of networking with like-minded credible people who are willing to share.

I read “Social Media in Secondary School Settings” and I definitely agree with the concern of privacy and sharing personal information online especially as it relates to students. They are not always aware or vigilant when it comes to inviting “friends” to their page. Everyone does not have your best interest at heart and will take advantage of your trust. But, when used the correct way, students can use social media in a positive way in an educational environment to enhance their learning.

Facebook allows for libraries to provide a view of what’s going on in there.  I visited Roosevelt-Wilson Library and it shared updates on current events, shared information about the public library and how students who have a library card can access e-books at home. It showcased special programs like dogs coming to visit while students read to them. You also have to be creative in how you share information to get others to notice. Moore Elementary Library encouraged readers to “pop in” and check out a good book because of National Popcorn Day! Facebook is a good way to connect with people in real time. You can also follow groups that can be of interest to the library and repost information relevant to your library. It is an excellent way to promote good things that are happening and share it with parents, students and other stakeholders. The down side to that is everyone does not have access which limits who is able to view your page.

I explored Twitter, I saw that each leader of educational technology are all active users. This definitely shows their passion and commitment to share important information and it allows us to keep up with what’s trending. There are also a lot of personal touches where they will respond or retweet to questions asked of them. Some of the tweets that got my attention were Kathy Schrock @kathyschrock and providing information on infographics and Jim Lerman @jimlerman sharing activities for kids to learn coding and how to animate your classroom. The Daring Librarian @GwynethJones tweeted about makerspaces and shared a link to Flickr showcasing pictures. This is something that I would definitely incorporate in the library and also share with teachers.

Facebook - Roosevelt-Wilson School Library

Facebook - Moore Elementary Library

Kathy Schrock - @kathyschrock

Jim Lerman @jimlerman

Bloom, Schrock, Prensky

For this assignment, I read information about Bloom's Digital Taxonomy and viewed Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything. I also viewed a presentation on Digital Natives by Marc Prensky.
We live in a digital age and technology is used a lot in the classroom now. We have to be mindful that our 21st century students needs are very different.

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy addresses the stages of how digital tools can be used to perform specific thinking skills. I noticed that one difference with this taxonomy and the original is that there is no particular order that you have to start with. There is a shift in how students are learning. In past years Bloom's taxonomy was a helpful way to show the cognitive domains to help an educator teach higher order thinking and I remember as a teacher utilizing those same skills. Kathy Schrock's website shares the cognitive process arranged in different views. I like the various views because it shows that there is no specific way, it all depends on the learner. It also shows specific apps that can be used to help learn about different tools to help support a specific process. For example, I think having a Storytelling app would be useful in the library because it engages a student on the "Creating" level of Bloom's Digital A storytelling app would help a child learn and explore the different elements of storytelling. It gives them a chance to create their own story.

Marc Prensky describes a digital native as someone who grew up knowing nothing but technology. Educators can no longer teach the same way they did in the past. I think Bloom and Prensky have the same idea that the students have changed and how we deliver instruction needs to change as well. Our mindsets have to shift and adapt to what works best for the students. We have to learn ways to understand our students and keep them engaged. Our students are more engaged in games, blogging, and other online activities. We have to translate that into the classroom. I definitely agree with the gamification of learning. I think Beloit College's Mindset List was very interesting and an eye opener for me because sometimes you don't think about others and their perceptions of things. I've caught myself saying, "Well I learned it this way, it should be fine for others and I turned out okay." But we live in a different world now. For example, I have learned a lot from digital natives about the uses of social media.

All of this information is important to a librarian because we have a responsibility to help teach 21st century skills to our 21st century learners so they can be successful. It is also important to help guide and share information with educators who may still have a 20th century mindset. But in order for that to happen we have to have a growth mindset and be open to learn as well so that we are sharing relevant information.