Hello Everyone!
I've added a Subscribe gadget to the right side of the blog. This should help people make it easy to know when new posts are made or when there is something new. I'll have my grandkids try it out! 😃
Stay safe!
Vivian Sanchez
BYOD (Bring your own device)
Vivian Sanchez
Hi Everyone! I hope you’re reading this from a comfy cozy place, safe and sound. I heard a talk show host commenting the other day that (because of the pandemic) having to work from home is so crazy, she’s considering just moving the camera and computer over to the bedroom. Why bother getting all dressed up when I could probably do the show while in bed.
This pandemic has a lot of people using electronic devices as if they were the last thing on earth. If we were talking moderation in using electronic devices before, well that’s all gone out the window. And our libraries are closed. Every day, friends, family, and neighbors ask, “When are the libraries going to open?” Soon I hope. However, there are so many people reading eBooks now. It makes you wonder if this will change the use of the stacks. I have a group of friends who have tablets and read eBooks, and they love them. They love that connection no matter where they are. Does this make things better for libraries or worse?
In my opinion, it’s an asset. See I’m a little bit of a tech nerd. Yes, I confess, I love all the electronic gadgets. In a prior job, I remember my first palm pilot (dream sequence music playing). We thought we were so cool downloading the employee phone directory on to our palm pilot. Yes, I was that bad. Technology changes so frequently, I say it’s kinda like dog years, for every year, seven years of technology has gone by. When we did have patrons in the library; I loved it when they would ask questions on how to connect to the Wi-Fi or how to check out eBooks.
I also love books. How much you ask, well I’m halfway through my fourth book (880 pages) in the Outland series.
I believe it’s all about balance.
Okay, now I have to intermingle this discussion with an interesting study I found published in an academic, peer-reviewed study the Higher Education Journal, Sociomaterial Texts, Spaces and Devices: Questioning ‘Digital Dualism’ in Library and Study Practices, 2015. In short they wanted to see how people used technology; how, where, and when and there was a lot more. The great part I liked about the study were some interesting mapping they did and demonstrating how students used technology, the text, the digital, etc. The students were given gadgets to document study habits, using both paper and digital.
Of course this was 2015. Remember the dog years? I really like this mapping of Juan’s writing process. There’s a mixture of using several digital and non-digital tools to work his process.
Here’s another mapping example. It’s a little hard to read and you may have to zoom in. It’s a good insight into how people study. It’s not always about the devices. It’s about how, where, and why.
Here’s an excerpt from the “Findings” of this study,
The data suggest then that for these students ‘learning landscapes’ are not just about physical spaces, but are complicated social networks of people, analog and digital resources, and nonhuman actors. These distributed, diverse networks of practice are to some extent ‘visible’, and map-able as physical places, their distributed nature made possible to a large extent as a result of digital mediation.
Like I said it was a good study, check it out and apologies for the lengthy post. I’m just very glad to see the Library is still part of the process.
Stay safe everyone!
Works Cited
Gourlay, L., Lanclos, D. M., & Oliver, M. (2015). Sociomaterial Texts, Spaces and Devices: Questioning “Digital Dualism” in Library and Study Practices.
Higher Education Quarterly,
69(3), 263–278.
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Makerspaces
Vivian Sanchez
LT130
So where do I find myself? In the Makerspace at the Central Library. My normal workspace is the sort room. Then we were offered the task of making masks. As you all know we are required to wear them whenever we are, near or close; within 6 ft. of people. As I re-familiarize myself with the sewing machines, it all starts to come back.
I went to Junior High School in the early 70’s. It wasn’t called Middle School and we had 3 years to finish instead of just two. Regardless, we had these great classes called Home Economics. Some of you may remember.
I remember Miss Ennis. I loved her for her patience. After all we were a bunch of 7th, 8th and 9th graders. We had the greatest opportunity to learn how to sew and cook. My other favorite class was Graphic Arts.
“... a destination of thinking, learning, doing, creating, and producing; where students are makers who think, create, share, and grow” (2013). A makerspace is not simply a space for constructing things; it encourages students to think, learn something new, be creative in accomplishing tasks, share their accomplishments with others, and grow as they do so. With each activity, they can move onto a higher level of thinking, doing, and creating.
And yes it did all that for me. I did things I normally would not have done. My Mom used to make and decorate cakes, and in graphic arts, I made her business cards. Making those cards was a lot more tedious than it is now. No computers in schools at that time.
In my opinion, makerspaces used to be home ec., graphic arts, auto, and metal shop. And it was part of your school curriculum. In current times they are called culinary classes and I think auto shops are still a part of the curriculum. One part of the definition I can attest to is the “sharing their accomplishments with others”. Since all my friends took the same classes, we shared our sewing craft with each other. My best friend Norma (and next-door neighbor) was great at working on collars. I was good at cuffs. So we would work on our projects together. Here are a few snapshots I found of what those classes looked like.
Works Cited
Lofton, J. (2017). Students Are Makers! Building Information Literacy Skills Through Makerspace Programs.
CSLA Journal, 40(2), 18–16.
In my opinion, makerspaces used to be home ec., graphic arts, auto, and metal shop. And it was part of your school curriculum. In current times they are called culinary classes and I think auto shops are still a part of the curriculum. One part of the definition I can attest to is the “sharing their accomplishments with others”. Since all my friends took the same classes, we shared our sewing craft with each other. My best friend Norma (and next-door neighbor) was great at working on collars. I was good at cuffs. So we would work on our projects together. Here are a few snapshots I found of what those classes looked like.
Now that I have made several masks. It was really not that hard. If I had never sewn, I may have passed up the opportunity. I had confidence that I could sew a mask, since I had sewn it in the past. I’m really thankful for those classes and how the current makerspaces in our libraries are continuing to encourage others to learn a craft, or experiment with all the current technology we have. Our Home Ec classes were great and I learned a craft, a skill, that someday would help me to make masks during a global pandemic.
Stay Safe Everyone!
Works Cited
Lofton, J. (2017). Students Are Makers! Building Information Literacy Skills Through Makerspace Programs.
CSLA Journal, 40(2), 18–16.
Hello!
This is Jessica Tracy with my blog gadget update. I've added the Page Views gadget to the bottom of the list of gadgets. I opted for the lifetime count as our little blog would see very little traffic in just 7-30 days. I think it would be beneficial to see the number of people who have found our blog.
This is Jessica Tracy with my blog gadget update. I've added the Page Views gadget to the bottom of the list of gadgets. I opted for the lifetime count as our little blog would see very little traffic in just 7-30 days. I think it would be beneficial to see the number of people who have found our blog.
Added Search Box
Hello! This is Jeanne Marie. I added a Search box to the sidebar. It is right at the top (for now), which is where most folks would look for a search box. There are so many posts now, I thought this would be handy for people to find a particular topic or blogger on the blog.
Combating the Demise of School Libraries
For some time, school libraries have felt the sting of budget and staff cuts. Some districts have done away with school libraries completely, much to the detriment of both students and staff. In order to combat these budget cuts, Nancy Everhart, former AASL President, decided to tour school libraries throughout the country in order to showcase their programs. This "Vision Tour", as she deemed it, helped put the hard work and student-based results of school librarians into the forefront. While school librarians protested budget cuts, Ms. Everhart brought government officials and school superintendents into the library to see just what goes on in the space. These were the people who were making the decisions to cut funding and programs. Some of the librarians noted that it was the first time the superintendent has ever visited their library. This information begs the question, how can anyone make an informed decision without even basic knowledge about the support and programs these libraries provide?
While on this Vision Tour, Nancy Everhart spoke with the students about their school libraries. There are no greater experts than those who utilize these spaces every day. The phrases most often heard by Nancy were that the students go to the library to "solve problems", "have fun", and "use their imagination". Without these spaces and the knowledgeable people who run them, students will miss out on opportunities to problem-solve and use their imaginations in a different and sometimes freer environment than classrooms allow.
By the time she was finished touring the country and showcasing examples of innovative and resourceful school library programs, Nancy Everhart had made a list of 100 things students would miss out on if all school libraries were no longer a priority. This was then turned into a poster and marketed in schools and across districts who were seeing a decline in school libraries. Highlights of the list pictured below include sharing information with others, a safe haven, confidentiality, and the ability to construct and defend arguments using correct sources. This, along with evidence of how librarians help students in the areas of reading and technology, was very eye opening. Schools should support their libraries and school librarians.They should give students every opportunity to fall in love with learning and reading and encourage different forms of media and technology usage if they want to give them the best chance to succeed.
While on this Vision Tour, Nancy Everhart spoke with the students about their school libraries. There are no greater experts than those who utilize these spaces every day. The phrases most often heard by Nancy were that the students go to the library to "solve problems", "have fun", and "use their imagination". Without these spaces and the knowledgeable people who run them, students will miss out on opportunities to problem-solve and use their imaginations in a different and sometimes freer environment than classrooms allow.
By the time she was finished touring the country and showcasing examples of innovative and resourceful school library programs, Nancy Everhart had made a list of 100 things students would miss out on if all school libraries were no longer a priority. This was then turned into a poster and marketed in schools and across districts who were seeing a decline in school libraries. Highlights of the list pictured below include sharing information with others, a safe haven, confidentiality, and the ability to construct and defend arguments using correct sources. This, along with evidence of how librarians help students in the areas of reading and technology, was very eye opening. Schools should support their libraries and school librarians.They should give students every opportunity to fall in love with learning and reading and encourage different forms of media and technology usage if they want to give them the best chance to succeed.
Everhart, Nancy. "Responding to School Library Cuts". Knowledge Quest.
Sep/Oct2016, Vol. 45 Issue 1, p16-19.
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Popular Posts
Hey all,
I added the popular posts gadget to the sidebar. I think this could increase read blog traffic and readership. Popular posts may provide the most interest to a wider range of visitors, and providing them all upfront allows for easier readability. If visitors spend more time, initially, on our site because of the popular posts, they might be more likely to follow links in those posts or return to view more later, and our traffic and readership may increase.
Here's hoping!
Jonathan
I added the popular posts gadget to the sidebar. I think this could increase read blog traffic and readership. Popular posts may provide the most interest to a wider range of visitors, and providing them all upfront allows for easier readability. If visitors spend more time, initially, on our site because of the popular posts, they might be more likely to follow links in those posts or return to view more later, and our traffic and readership may increase.
Here's hoping!
Jonathan
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