What social media do I use?
I have accounts in Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter. I also follow select blogs (e.g. The Unquiet Librarian - Buffy Hamilton) and online communities such as the K12 Library Media Specialist group on edWeb.net.
LibGuides also recently added a Community feature that allows me to "search for LibGuides content and librarian authors, and find great examples of guides from our worldwide user community."
How do I use it in my professional teaching life?
When I get email notifications of blog posts or online webinars, I scan the titles to see if the topic interests me. Otherwise, I mainly seek information on an as-needed basis. I use the information to create or improve lesson plans or library programs.
Have my habits changed any?
If I just "hang out" on social media, I have a hard time choosing the most important ideas to pursue without going down time-consuming rabbit trails. There are always so many new ideas and technologies to explore!
My strategies are to be very selective with whom I follow and use the search feature on the various social media websites to drill down to information that I am seeking.
How do I use it in my professional teaching life?
When I get email notifications of blog posts or online webinars, I scan the titles to see if the topic interests me. Otherwise, I mainly seek information on an as-needed basis. I use the information to create or improve lesson plans or library programs.
Have my habits changed any?
If I just "hang out" on social media, I have a hard time choosing the most important ideas to pursue without going down time-consuming rabbit trails. There are always so many new ideas and technologies to explore!
My strategies are to be very selective with whom I follow and use the search feature on the various social media websites to drill down to information that I am seeking.
Am I finding good things that will help me in my classroom?
As usual, more things than I can use. Here are a few I found on the topic of website evaluation from Twitter and Pinterest:
- A Web Evaluation Game that teaches students how to evaluate websites.
- An Edutopia article on the WWWDOT method of website evaluation with a brief overview of four 30-minute lessons.
- A Website Evaluator Tool developed by EasyBib. Just plug in the web address and a sidebar pops-up on the right side of the web site you want to evaluate, leading you step-by-step in a self-evaluation of the website according to criteria such as author purpose, accuracy, relevance, etc.
- 10 Hilarious Hoax Sites to Teach Website Evaluation.
- But I Read It on the Internet, by Toni Buzzeo - a read-aloud book to teach about website evaluation.
- Google vs. Database - a series of videos explaining the value of databases in comparison to Google searches.
- Cybrary Man's Evaluating Information page
- How Savvy Are Your Students? 7 Fake Websites to Really Test Their Evaluation Skills
- Google Search Techniques and Strategies: Believe it or not
Am I sharing things that I find? How?
LibGuides, created by and for librarians, is one of my main curation tools. I have created LibGuides on the topics of Black History Month Resources, Coding / Computer Programming, Images for Student Projects, Safer Internet Day Resources, and Website Evaluation. They are public, so anyone can access them.
Also, I share via blogging, adding content to Pinterest or YouTube, participating in online webinars or chats, etc.
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| https://www.pinterest.com/carolsatta/5th-6th-grade-suggested-reading-lists/ |
Love the ideas on curating and yes... I have found keeping a focus and following people with a purpose has really helped me over the year.
ReplyDeletedo you have a list of database resources for teacher? Can you share the info please??? Thanks :)
Bookmark (viewable only by people within the RCSD as it has passwords)
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/a/rcsdk12.org/document/d/1Zto-30rx76M1N6s9RrzGRC5u224Z-HnosKHOhZTEMHE/edit?usp=sharing
Destiny homepage :
http://destiny.rcsdk12.org/common/servlet/presenthomeform.do?l2m=Home&tm=Home
Thank you for responding. I have so many teachers out there asking for these resources.
DeleteThe librarians at each RCSD school provide this information for their teachers. Point teachers to their school librarian. Each school should use their own passwords because it shows accurate usage data for those schools.
DeleteLove the web site evaluation tools and links. So often it is hard to balance appropriate sites for our students to use in the class while also not taking away from instructional time.
ReplyDeleteYou have a wealth of information to share. You have already found so much to support your focus. Impressive! Thanks for all your help!!! Every week I am trying to do more and more on my own before we meet. I hope to get more independent as time goes on.:)
ReplyDeleteI used our wind storm/snow days to search Twitter and Pinterest; it was great to have the extra time. You are being very brave and showing a lot of perseverance in the face of many new challenges in a short period of time. I can see you getting stronger with each new assignment. It is my pleasure to help you :)
DeleteI agree with you...there is a lot of stuff out there to be looked at or to be used/tried out! There is never enough time to go shopping!! At least having a PLN helps us maneuver through it all!
ReplyDeleteI love your use of images in your blog Carol. You have inspired me to add more to engage my readers! I love the twitter bird! It seems you are really making use of the social media to find connections and use them in your classroom. I hope I can find as much inspiration as you have!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is awesome! You are a professional at this stuff. There's so much value in this post and thank you for sharing all the links. I love the website evaluation tool. I found myself toying around with that for a good chunk of time.
ReplyDeleteThat Web Evaluator Tool is pretty nifty. Do you think the students would be patient enough to use it? What grade levels do you think it would work for?
DeleteYou really have great ideas and insights. I realize that I have always looked at librarians as the great retrievers of information and now I see where a lot of the emphasis has switched to the world of "computer machines." Thanks for your help.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. You are incredibly insightful in your comment about "retrievers of information." Many years ago (33 years ago this May!) when I got my Library Science degree, they told us to not think in terms of books but "information storage and retrieval." The containers have changed, but our mission has not :)
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