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Guest Post: Twitter: Best Professional Learning Around

With all the professional development opportunities out there, how does a busy educator find the best resources? My favorite Professional Learning Network is Twitter, which I explored at the urging of colleagues. Many people form negative opinions about Twitter based on how it is portrayed in the news and in popular media. In actuality, it’s a very powerful tool for collaboration and professional support. Here are a few reasons you might like to use Twitter, and how.
Twitter is a free, always available resource. I’m connected with teachers, librarians, thought leaders, authors and publishers all over the world. I can find content at my fingertips - articles of interest are posted where I can find them quickly, with topics highlighted concisely. Sharing my own ideas through tweets brings me more followers with whom to share, and from whom to learn. I can find countless targeted discussion groups to follow and join. There is much more to this social media tool, including surprises... I’ve won apps, books, and even an author Skype through Twitter! Ready to join in the conversation? Here’s how:


Join Twitter! https://twitter.com/. You’ll need a username, email, password, and a profile. Write your profile in 140 characters. Highlight your interests. Discover! Use the hashtag symbol # immediately followed by a topic to search for folks like you, or groups that interest you. Some good ones: #nerdybookclub #runteacherrun #bookaday and #edtech. Follow others! You can read their tweets first to see if what they have to share is relevant to you. Try these: @MrSchuReads, @jenniferlagarde, @iChrisLehman, and of course, @cybrarian77. Write a tweet! You can include a hashtag along with a topic and see if anyone is listening. Check out these two great Twitter cheat sheets for educators. http://www.edudemic.com/2013/04/a-useful-twitter-cheat-sheet/  and http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/cheat-sheet-twitter-for-teachers/


Guest Blogger Info
Valerie Stein is long-time Library Media Specialist for Soundview School, an authorized International Baccaluareate World School in Washington State: http://www.soundview.org/. She reviews books for Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children’s Media: https://pscreviews.org/ . Valerie’s tech interests include exploring the uses of Social Media to connect to high-quality resources, and demystifying tools and technologies for her patrons. She blogs at http://vst3in.wordpress.com/ where she features the writing process, select book reviews, and teaching news. You can follow her on Twitter @stein_valerie. She’d love to follow you back!


Collaborative handshake attribution: Berdea, on Wikimedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

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Where I Have Been the Last Month.....

Before the Internet and digital photography came into my life, I was a serious children's photographer and songwriter. My high school film making teacher helped me purchase my first SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) camera and showed me how to develop negatives and make prints in the darkroom. My songwriting began when I was ten years old (of course the song was only about a pet hamster) and I have written over 100 songs since. Perhaps you have seen the icon on the left side of this blog which is my CD for newborn babies, "Welcome to the World: A Musical Collection for the Nursery.  It is available on Amazon.com , CD Baby and iTunes. So...one of my big summer projects was to spend time writing more music and possibly a children's musical. (Any good lyricists out there??)




Another thing which has been taking up my time is my photography. I've been taking classes trying to hone my skills and doing several photo restoration jobs. (I had a website but couldn't keep up with the work and a full-time teaching job)

(Photo of the 911 memorial was taken last October.)



No longer in the darkroom, I fell in love with Photoshop® when it was first released and spend many hours on my Mac. Here are some samples of the work I have done:
 




So, that's where I've been since school came to an end in June. I wanted to thank all my guest bloggers and fellow media specialists for keeping the blog alive. Oh, and thank all of you for allowing me to tout my songwriting and digital photography skills. Have a great summer everyone!

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Guest Post: Introducing Google+ Hangouts to Teachers

As early adaptors of technology, facilitators of interdisciplinary projects, and purveyors of all things information at our schools, we media specialists are in the perfect position to introduce Google+ hangouts to our teachers.

Why? It’s all about collaborating and connecting, and Hangouts make it easy and, yes, fun!

Mentioned as the "killer app" of Google Plus, Hangouts started just under two years ago, in September 2011. Hangouts on Air, recorded Hangouts, went worldwide in May 2012. 

Although the technology is very young, educators are already reaping the value of this robust video conferencing tool.

An ongoing survey I created for a GAFE Hawaii Summit presentation in January 2013 demonstrates the variety of ways teachers throughout the world (and one of our students!) are already using Hangouts:



If you are using or considering using G+ Hangouts, please consider adding your name and information to this growing list. Simply fill out this form:



Your answers will automatically appear in the results.


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We're just beginning to explore Google+ Hangouts as a communication forum at our school. 

1. Our technology coordinator Mr. Jon Toda enabled Google Plus (which is needed in order to participate in Hangouts) for all teachers in the spring. 

2. This summer, chemistry teacher Mrs. Evelyn Lacanienta requested Google Plus access for two recent graduates so that she could communicate with them as they pursue their college studies in medicine. So Mr. Toda opened up Google Plus access not only for those graduates, but for the entire Class of 2013, as well as for the Classes of 2011 and 2012. (Our graduates' retain their school email accounts.)

2. Our tech staff (Mrs. Roberta Hodara, Mr. Louis Turbeville, Mr. Toda and myself) is experimenting with weekly Office Hours hangouts this summer.



This letter was sent to teachers to encourage them to participate:



So far so good! More than a dozen teachers have already participated in these weekly events to one degree or another, and we hope to get more teachers on board.

3. Some of our teachers are already making Hangouts their own. For example, our college counselor Ms. Stephanie Nelson has plans for Seniors to communicate with college representatives, via Hangout. To facilitate this, Mr. Toda just enabled Google Plus for all Seniors, the Class of 2014.
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How can Google Plus Hangouts help you and your teachers (and your older students) connect and collaborate? There's nothing like jumping right in (ready or not) to find out.

Need to learn the ins and outs of Google Plus Hangouts before you introduce it to your teachers? I highly recommend Martin Shervington’s Ultimate Guide to Google Hangouts to get you started.
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P. S. Please let us know how you and your teachers are making Google Hangouts to achieve your goals!

Guest Blogger Info
Linda Lindsay is the librarian at Seabury Hall, a college-preparatory Gr.6-12 independent school, on the island of Maui, Hawaii. She has been the librarian there for 33 years. She is a Google Certified teacher. She is keenly interested in integration of technology in the classroom, social media best practices, digital literacy for students, and books and reading for everyone. She maintains two professional blogs: mauilibrarian2 in Olinda, and SEABURY READS.
 

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Guest Post: Engaging Students Through Photos

I think it’s an incense bottle.   Could this be an old coin?
Teachers attending a workshop are asked to select a photograph of a digital artifact to examine and share with the group. Within seconds they are sharing what they see or wondering what the item is.   A group of teachers and media specialists in an online class shared photos and maps of their hometown. A Wisconsin teacher wrote these 37 miles of river have been part of my life for the past 50 years.  The Fox River runs through my hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin.  [The river] is massive and drew many settlers to this area due to its ability to support a variety of industries.  The river specifically attracted many paper mills to build on its banks.  My grandfather worked at Fox River Paper Mill as a pipe fitter. Ten years ago I lived in the old mill, which had been converted to apartments.  . . .I would often wonder if I was walking in the same spot my grandfather walked or looked upon the river out the same window he once had so many years before I was even born.    A Louisiana history teacher used photos and documents to introduce a topic the first day of school. She shared her excitement: I allowed my first period class today to start the {activity} I had assigned for homework.  They got so into it!   Between mocking Burnside’s facial hair, talking about the names, talking about the autographs – they really – without knowing it – started to get excited about primary documents!  Students and teachers in all three of these groups instinctively shifted into photo analysis, reflection, and discussion when they viewed the photos.  Photos, maps broadsides, posters, drawings and other visuals are powerful tools to stimulate our senses and thinking.  Photo analysis activities can be used to introduce a topic, as a discussion icebreaker, a writing prompt, or research catalyst.
The incense bottle is actually a watch fob; the coin is a button.  Both are part of Lincoln’s Pockets, a Library of Congress Teachers’ Page professional development activity.  Participants examine artifacts found in Lincoln’s pockets the night of his assassination and discuss how primary sources engage and motivate students.  The Teachers Page has a multitude of classroom-ready materials to help busy teachers and media specialists get started using photo analysis and primary sources in the classroom quickly.  Primary Source Sets, another Teachers Page feature are designed for busy teachers who want to use primary sources but are short on time for searching and selecting resources.  Over 30 sets provide  “ready to use” PDFs and MP3 files of primary sources on topics commonly taught in schools. Sets include Japanese Internment, the Dustbowl, the Harlem Renaissance, Baseball Across a Divided Society, Assimilation through Education (Indian Boarding Schools), Civil War Music, the Spanish American War, and Symbols of the United States. Teachers’ guides for each set provide background information, teaching ideas, links to related classroom materials, and other Library of Congress resources.  Reproducible primary source analysis tools are part of with each set.  The observe, reflect, question, and investigate further model is used in a generic analysis tool. Students can use it with a primary source in any format.  Teacher’s analysis guides for a diverse primary source formats (interviews, text, manuscripts, sheet music etc.) have question prompts and suggested teaching activities. A self-paced online professional development module “analyzing photos and prints” has a built-in analysis tool which can be completed online and printed out.
I keep discovering that too few people know about these wonderful tools and resources. The quickly approaching start of the school year is a wonderful time for media specialists to share these wonderful tools with teachers or use them during their own instruction!  It won’t take long before you see photo analysis and engaged discussion!
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Teachers quoted: Susan Buss, Appleton, Wisconsin; Robin Vogt, New Orleans, Louisiana
Library of Congress Teachers Page, Professional Development Plan Builder, “Lincoln’s Pockets” http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/tpsdirect/pdplanbuilder/
Library of Congress Teachers Page, Take Online Module http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/
Library of Congress Teachers Page Teachers Page Classroom Materials   http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/

Library of Congress Teachers Guides and analysis Tools
Guest Blogger Info
Mary Alice Anderson is a former school media specialist for the Winona, Minnesota, schools. She currently is as an online instructor for the University of Wisconsin-Stout where she teaches a course in using primary sources.  She also teaches for Minnesota State University-Mankato where she teaches courses for future media specialists. She was a member of a Library of Congress Professional Development Review committee, is the author of the local history chapter for Interacting with History, a book to be published by ALA later this year.  A column about classroom ready materials will be published in her ongoing “NEW Media Center” column in Internet @ Schools this fall.  Past columns are available through her Random Thoughts blog, Maryalicea.wordpress.com.  Her web page is:  http://www.uwstout.edu/faculty/andersonmary/index.cfm

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Guest Post: Build Your PLN This Summer Via Podcasts


Summer is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and learn new strategies for the coming year.  One way to do this is by building your PLN…personal learning network.  Teaching can be an isolating business, yet there are hundreds of teachers in your state, country and throughout the world who do exactly what you do and are willing to share their successes and failures with you. There are many ways to build a PLN, but today I would like to focus on one of the easiest ways (in my humble opinion) which listening to podcasts.  Podcasts/vodcasts are audio/video recordings that can be viewed on your computer, smartphone or ipod/mp3 device.  There are a growing number of teachers who voluntarily produce very informative podcasts on a variety of educational topics. What better way to learn about the value of listening to a podcast than to listen to a podcast?  Teacher Tech Talk is a fabulous teacher-produced podcast and in episode 1.5 the host Chad Kafka provides a “tech tidbit” on the value of listening to podcasts, shares how to listen to podcasts and highlights some of his favorite podcasts. 

For you to begin your podcast adventure, you will need to find a podcast that suits your needs.  There are several organizations that provide a collection of podcasts that might be a good place to start.  The first place I would recommend is The Edreach Network.  You can listen to their publications through their YouTube Channel, on itunes or on Stitcher radio if you have a smartphone.  They have podcasts for administrators, theater teachers, art teacher and so much more.  My personal favorites are Teacher Tech Talk, Mobile Reach,   The Google Educast and Techlandia.  Another organization that provides a variety of podcasts is TeacherCast.  My favorite podcast of the TeacherCast network is the TechEducator podcast, but there are several other great podcasts as well.  In addition, there are many other podcasts available just by searching the itunes store in the podcast section.  I stumbled upon The Cool Teacher podcast that way.
Whether you listen to a podcast in the car, while you are exercising or just sitting at your desk you are sure to be motivated to check out a new ipad app or website, or read an intriguing news article.  Try it out!  Most podcasts are between 15 minutes – no more than hour!
GUEST BLOGGER INFO
Julie Spang is a Technology Integration Specialist who lives in Dunstable, Massachusetts and will soon be working at Groton-Dunstable Middle School. She has been a technology teacher and integrator for 9 years.  You can find more articles on her blog: http://technologeyes.wordpress.com/

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Guest Post: Walk in My Shoes, See What I See

"The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.”  - Meryl Streep

Empathy.  The ability to understand another’s perspective and emotions.  An elusive skill to teach, but research shows that it is just as important as any academic skill.  Learning to walk in someone else’s shoes opens a world of sympathy, compassion, and ultimately collaboration.  So how does one go about helping students become more empathetic?  What offers children a place to experience empathy, to feel emotions, and be transported into the world of another person?  I would whole-heartedly say books!  Children’s books to be exact.  Children’s novels offer a wide range of experiences and the ability to transport and draw in the reader.

So where to begin?  There have been a plethora of exceptional books written that are perfect for emersion into another’s point of view and support empathy education.  The highly praised Wonder by R.J. Palacio has been a wonder for just this topic.  The book not only deals with how August, who has a physical deformity, is treated, but how the people around him navigate their feelings towards him.  A movement called Choose Kind has cropped up in schools throughout the country with empathy at its center.  Another amazing book written about a young girl forced into the foster care system is One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Carley, the main character, gives the reader insight into how disorienting living with a foster family can be.  Her struggles with feelings for her foster mother and the family are heart wrenching.  Others like The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli are wonderful portraits of how being different can be awkward and at times painful.  Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper opens the world of Melody who cannot communicate verbally due to a handicap.  We learn that being ignored and dismissed easily short changes Melody and her intellect.  So B. It by Sarah Weeks has the same theme but the main character, Heidi, is the daughter of a mentally disabled woman.  Excellent view into how living with a parent who has a disability can be overwhelming.  Hound Dog True by Linda Urban and How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor both deal with realistic situations of homelessness and being the new kid at school.  They both have easily accessible characters and forge connections to readers.
These books and many more can help readers understand situations they may never experience allowing them the ability to feel emotions of characters in difficult situations within the safety of a book.  

How these books are presented to students is important.  Assigning a book with no student input or reading a book because the theme is “struggling kids” or “empathy books”  will fail to allow organic learning about the topic.  As children’s book experts like Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne advocate, students need to make their own choices about what they read.  Since these are such high quality books, it is easy to recommend them and students tend to gravitate to them naturally.  Ultimately, providing students with books that are empathy focused will give them opportunities to experience situations and emotions they may not experience in their own lives.  They can make emotional connections and understand other perspectives within the safety of the pages of a book.  And in the end isn’t that what we hope children reading these books do?







GUEST BLOGGER INFO
Tammy Langeberg is a teacher librarian in Jefferson County, Colorado currently working at Semper Elementary.  She has been a teacher for 25 years, 14 of those as a school librarian.  She earned her National Board Certification in Library Media and participated in revising the library media National Board Standards recently.  She has been a member of the Highly Effective School Library Program (formerly Colorado Power Library Program) since 2002.  She was honored with the Jared Polis Teacher Recognition Award in 2011.  You can find more information about her at her blog: http://tlangeberg.blogspot.com/

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