STI 2012

Find links to my presentation resources from the Summer Technology Institute - 2012

Spicy Nodes Presentation - Retooling Lessons with Web 2.0 & Technology Integration

Technology Integration Lesson Plan

TIS LP

Bloom's Taxonomy

iPad Applications in Bloom's Taxonomy

Digital Bloom's Taxonomy

Kathy Schrock's  - Google Bloom's Taxonomy

Jamey Boelhower Bloom's Webmix


Tony Vincent App Infographic
Show What You Know


Technology Integration Standards Matrix

TI Standards Reference



Web 2.0 Tools by ISTE Standards
Model Schools Website



My Five - My five resources for no fail inspiration:

The UnQuiet Librarian - Buffy Hamilton

The Daring Librarian - Gwynneth Jones

Van Meter Library VOICE - Shannon Miller

Twitter - @CynthiaStogdill

Tech & Learning Magazine / School Library Journal (Yes, I still read print!)



Technology Integration Lesson Plan PDF is located on the NNNC-STI-2012 wiki

Spicy Nodes How To Video - just to refresh your memory!

Spicy Nodes - Advanced Tutorial

Feel Free to Email me with any questions you might have!

And I Got Here...How?

I can safely say that when I started this blog as a first year school librarian, I would never have predicted the twists and turns that I have encountered in the last two months. My journey took an unexpected turn personally and professionally resulting in an absolute nightmare. Through no fault of my own, the result left me unsure of myself as an educator and a person and my family in upheaval.  However, as my situation begins to move forward, I have learned a few things worth sharing.

Sometime we ask for guidance and get silence.

It takes more courage to be gracious than it does to be arrogant.

Integrity always outshines the darkness.

Individuals I have known and worked with only six months had my back, supported and encouraged me in the worst and early days of my situation.  My students reminded me daily that what I do matters and they stunned me regularly with their insight and knowledge.  Finally, my husband expressed his displeasure by drawing his sword in my defense in light of the events that took place. It is his faith and support that guided me through the first few week because I was quite simply emotionally wrecked. As an educator, he has always been my inspiration because of his integrity and passion for what is best for students.  As a person, he is my absolute best friend. I am not lucky to have him in my corner....

Quite simply, I am humbled.

Too Big to Know

In Response to the book: Too Big to Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room is the Room by David Weinberger

As a new librarian, I struggle some days with what exactly I call myself and where do I fit – librarian, teacher librarian, media specialist, technology integrationist. After reading Too Big to Know, I have a better sense of what my focus should be.  The author discusses the concept of information and knowledge with regard our digital society. We have an overload of information from the Internet and other digital resources.  Alone, information means little, however, if we are able to take information and create knowledge, we have also found learning.  Information itself leads only to a low level of thought (Bloom’s Taxonomy). By creating knowledge from information, we move up the Bloom’s pyramid to authentic learning.  I learned that there is a huge difference between information and knowledge, and librarian’s can be the guide through the murky waters. This also fits with the concept of transitioning students from consumers of information to creating information of their own. It is also central to understanding who we are, how we got here, and what comes next. 

Too Big to Know impacts library service by guiding librarians in supporting patrons in their own information endeavors.  According to the author, libraries are blazing trails in information access, use, and transformation to knowledge.  We need to be able to discern what is good information and what is useless and guide our patrons in the same process.  The internet is a massive collaborative space where anyone can contribute.  This creates a problem with the accuracy and reliability of what we find.  We first have to determine what is useful, what is to be believed, and what is discarded.  I know my students do not always understand this concept. They do believe if it is on the internet, it must be true. 

Librarians have always been leaders in the information process. Today, we have found ourselves not only guiding patrons through the information deluge but supporting them in the climb from data and information to knowledge and wisdom.  Finally, my favorite passage from the book follows. “There’s obviously plenty of data in the world, but not a lot of wisdom” (Location 159). As a librarian, I hope I am guiding those who I serve toward wisdom. 

Pinterest

I LOVE Pinterest.  I heard about in my UNO Master's class last December and immediately requested an invitation.  I also just recently found the iPhone app - so I added that, as well.  It’s one of the best things I’ve discovered since Goodreads last January.

Not only is it chock full of super great ideas and photos, but it really does provide some great information, both personally and professionally.  Professionally, I have found some inspiration for displays and activities.  Personally, I have discovered how to freeze crockpot meals and have collected images of styles I like (and  look good on me!) and how to make boards of things that inspire me and feed my spirit.  The second aspect is probably the most crucial this year as a new librarian.  I have to say it's nice to get lost in all the visuals and completely block out everything else for a little while. It turned into a visual gratitude list and I find myself winding down as I look at my pins and  the pins of other members.  

My favorite board  is Books Worth Reading.  Choosing books that really speak to me go on this board, and I have found another way to connect with librarians through the books I've read.  We are all busy, and sometimes overwhelmed, and Pinterest has provided a great way to get ideas and see what works in other libraries.  Some of the ways libraries are using Pinterest are so inspiring and out of the box. Creating dialogue and a rapport with our patrons is a huge part of what we do each day. Quick, easy and free are all a slam dunk! 

Beware, it will suck you in and you will resurface gasping for air hours later or when your family starts shrieking for food. 

NE Learns 2.0 - Lifelong Learning

iDanSimpson-Behold.com

Lifelong learning is something so important to me, especially over the last several years.  As I turned forty in the middle of working toward my teaching certificate, I asked myself many days what I thought I was doing.  I realized after viewing the presentation on the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, that I often got caught up in the whirlwind.  I had a hard time viewing the roadblocks as anything other than another crisis and really had a difficult time with confidence in my own abilities.  Those were huge struggles for me and I often wished I could make the whole process go away or that I had never started it. However, the ability to overcome those two  roadblocks are the wells I have drawn from  in my first year as a librarian.  My experiences have also taught me that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.

I have found that a big part of my journey is knowing I will never be through learning.  Seeing me as a committed lifelong learner is crucial to students’ understanding that they must be committed to learning, as well. Communicating that concept and modeling it to my students is so important. I have committed myself to strive to be on the edge of what's coming in my profession and to never let myself land in a rut.  I won't short change myself or my students. Lifelong learning is a key aspect of our global society, and our students need strong models who are willing to stretch, grow, and stumble along with them.

Part of that process is participating in the Nebraska Library Commission's Nebraska Learns 2.0 program. I am looking forward to trying each new idea and participating in "Book Thing" as part of my own commitment to lifelong learning.

Connections

Image Retrieved lemonlemonade.wordpress.com

Last Wednesday, I was home with one of my kiddos after an episode of the flu combined with the after effects of some extensive dental work. I was able to catch a Wired Wednesday webinar with the Daring Librarian herself, Gywneth Jones. It was an awesome hour of animation tools and great ideas.  I was so glad I checked Twitter and caught Shannon Miller's tweet.  Later, I was tinkering on Tweetdeck while waiting for my bizillionth load of laundry to dry and I got caught up in a new teacher chat from Edutopia. (#ntchat) There were a bunch of different chats going on and I jumped in on a few and had so much fun.  There was some laughter (Help! I'm buried under 127 sticky notes) and some great ideas.

Afterwards, I realized that although I don't have a formal mentor in my district and  have only connected with one other librarian in my area, the connections that I have made through Twitter have really been a blessing during this first year as a teacher/librarian.  Following the "Greats" and the TL GeekTribe have provided me with some great ideas and direction that I wouldn't have found anywhere else.  God Bless those crazy librarians! I also realized that my struggles are not unique to me - and others around the country are having the same frustrations with collaboration and technology integration.  I hope my insights where helpful and supportive to the teachers who were expressing their frustration and I am so grateful for the ideas that I took from that chat.

So as far as mentoring goes - a formal mentor program in a school district is a great idea - in fact, next year, sign me up for the newbies.  I am the only media specialist, but having someone to rely on to ask the mundane questions (like what time do we report?) goes a long way toward establishing some connections and easing some of the stress of a new district. If that's not available, get on Twitter and find some movers and shakers in your content area and start following them.  No one is an island.

Librarian's Five for 2012

In the spirit of new year resolutions, I  have been giving a great deal of thought to the apps that I used the most in 2011.  I was pretty attached to my Blackberry but the hubster decided I should switch to the iPhone4 at the beginning of the school year.  Love It! and I am not a huge Apple user.  So here is my "Librarian's Five" for 2012 in no particular order:
1. Evernote: Love this app and have it installed on both laptops and iPhone.  After losing a bunch of notes on my phone, this gadget works great to keep my thoughts, ideas, and notes secure and accessible from wherever I happen to be. Save articles and read later.
2. Hootsuite: I use this exclusively on my phone to read tweets, send  links to my school email, and keep ideas for technology integration.  I LOVE twitter and this app manages my school FB fan page, personal Twitter, and my  husband's school Twitter account. I have connected with some super fab-o librarians and received great ideas and inspiration. Plus, the little owl is just so darn cute!
3. Goodreads: I kept track of the 200 books I read in 2011 with this app.  I can add books on the fly with the scanner to my list of books to read and update my feed for my kids which links to our school website.
4. Google Reader: I follow like a gizzilion blogs (not that many) and this app lets me scroll through stuff quickly, favorite what I want to keep, skip what I don't.  And if I don't feel like reading any of the eighty-nine posts, they all go away.
5. Kindle: Ok I can't download samples anymore on the move, but I can keep reading the books I am previewing for my kiddos, but most of all, just check out on everything for a while from anywhere. (Made that two hour wait in line at Gordman's on Black Friday go pretty fast!)

Short list contenders did include: NCIS Gibb's Rules, Talking Carl, and Common Core Standards (Yes, Really!)  PC gadgets: Diigo and TweetDeck

There's mine - what are yours?