Libraries, Learning, & Life
Here is the capstone for the social media course. I have included an example of a Padlet for instructional support below the presentation. Please note that the commenting for the Padlet is off. Normally, I leave them open for students.
I am continuing with my professional development. This week’s topic is learning design. Here is a draft of an activity that I would like to implement using the social media tool VoiceThread.
Course Name: School Librarianship
Audience: Graduate Students
Course Type: Online
Social Media Tool:
Activity Description:
Assessment:
Learning Objective:
Situational Factors:
Course Goal/Outcome:
Materials/Resources:
Instructional Strategy:
Implementation:
Support/Technical:
This is another post for my professional development. Today, I am reviewing Smore.com. I rather like Smore.com because it is a quick way for me to create virtual handouts for my presentations. When a handout is requested, I post a draft. Then I continue to edit it if needed. The link does not change.
I think Smore.com is a great way to quickly share information. For example, it is easy to email a poster (or newsletter) to a group of people. A link can be embedded on a website or the poster can embedded. If you are teaching online, Smore.com provides an alternative format for providing information.
Access: There are free and paid versions of Smore.com. It is accessible for Windows and Mac users. It works with various tablet browsers. The time that a Smore poster takes to load depends on how much information is embedded in it. Text loads quickly. Videos and extensive graphics may take longer.
Usability: An account is needed to create a poster. However, once the account is created, it is easy to make a poster. Software does not need to be downloaded. In fact, I switched from another poster maker to this one because I can create posters quicker with Smore.com. The time needed to create a polished product is important to me. While the site is primarily self-explanatory, there is a help section built into the website. I have been able to view, edit, and publish posters with my tablet without downloading an App.
Privacy and Intellectual Property: If a poster is made with a paid account, it can be downloaded as an image or a PDF. Posters can be made public or private. If they are private, one must share the link for them to be viewed. If an educator uses the classroom setting, student posters are private and only shared with the instructor. Because the classroom setting is primarily for K-12 students, this means that posters created with student accounts cannot be shared on social media.
I always add a copyright statement to the work that I want to retain the rights to. Information about intellectual property rights and terms of service are on this page: https://www.smore.com/93z8-terms-of-service. The agreement includes the following statements. “Our service is designed to give you as much control and ownership over what goes on your flyers as possible and encourage you to express yourself freely.” “By submitting Content to Fireplace for inclusion on your Website, you grant Fireplace a world-wide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting your flyer.”
Workload and Time Management: Smore posters can be embedded in a course management system website such as Blackboard. On the contrary, the tool itself exists outside of the course management system. I was not able to find evidence of a RSS feed option. Readers can decide to subscribe to updates.
Fun Factor: If one finds curating and sharing information fun, they are likely to enjoy using Smore. Individuals with advanced graphic design skills might prefer using an infographics tool instead. Smore allows subscribers to embed various elements such as videos, graphics, and text. Social media buttons and contact information can be shared as well.
Overall, I believe that Smore.com offers a great tool. I don’t have criticisms. The website does what it states it will do. This activity prompted me to think about ways to use Smore to increase collaboration in class. Although students should have separate accounts, collaboration can be achieved by having students to work together to decide about the elements that can be placed on a poster.
I think that students enjoy being able to access a poster created by the instructor that can be printed later. They can also share the information quickly with a link. Here is an example of a poster that I created for a presentation: https://www.smore.com/fhgg4 . Enjoy!
My current adventure in professional development has me exploring social media and its educational benefits. As such, I am sharing my philosophy of social media for online education. It is as follows.
Social media can increase social capital.
Social media is a way to connect students with the broader context of the world. Education should not just encompass the theoretical perspective of a profession’s foundational concepts. During their education, students should connect with the professional community that they would like to join. This ability to connect reflects a student’s social capital. Social capital can be essential for developing, maintaining, and growing a career. Social capitalist theorists have indicated that social media is a means for developing and utilizing connections for career advancement (Benson, Morgan, & Filippaios, 2014). To this end, I believe it is beneficial for students to be proactive by practicing the effective use of social media for branding their identities.
The use of social media is an information literacy skill.
I teach librarians. I can also take this a step further. I also teach educators. My students are school librarians or they may be academic librarians. This depends on the courses that I am teaching or a students’ desire to take my instructional design course.
Many librarians are educators; whether they choose to believe this or not. We offer programs that educate our stakeholders. Being an educator means one has the responsibility of updating their skills.
Recently, I read an article by Vanwynsberghe, Vanderlinde, Georges, and Verdegem (2015) that reported the results of a study that examined public librarians’ readiness for using social media to promote library services. They determined that the use of social media is an information literacy skill that is needed for exhibiting best practices in libraries. Hence it is suggested that social media is a competency that all librarians need to master.
Social media has educational benefits. However, it must be used carefully.
Gurcan (2015) notes that the benefits of social media for education include:
Still, when freedom of speech occurs online, it has a much broader audience. If social media is to be used with students, there should be a clear policy about what constitutes acceptable behavior. Instructors need to lead by example. Students need to understand that they have a digital footprint that cannot be erased. Yet, if used properly for branding, exhibiting skills, and benefiting from common knowledge, social media presents students and educators with vast opportunities. What are your thoughts on using social media for online education?
References
Benson, V., Morgan, S., & Filippaios, F. (2014). Social career management: Social media and employability skills gap. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, 519-525.
Gurcan, H. I. (2015). Contribution of social media to the students’ academic development. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 5(12), 965-968.
Vanwynsberghe, H., Vanderlinde, R., Georges, A., & Verdegem, P. (2015). The librarian 2.0: Identifying a typology of librarians’ social media literacy. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 47(4), 283-293.
I have gathered the June 2017 professional development for you. Speaking of professional development, earlier this month I attended a session offered by Shawna Ford about what it means to be a Future Ready Librarian. Ms. Ford is the Future… Read More ›
Source: The Future Ready Librarian in Practice | Knowledge Quest
My mother always tells me that I should write a book about my life. Why? Because I have experienced a great deal in a very brief amount of time. In this post, I share one of my experiences with you…. Read More ›
Source: Therapy on a Page: Bibliotherapy Resources for School Librarians | Knowledge Quest
Last month I did a presentation in San Antonio about censorship and challenges in school libraries. I prepared a handout with some resources and suggestions. I find the statistics about why books are banned intriguing. One of the best ways to be proactive about challenges in the school library is to have a policy in place.
This week I will be doing a presentation on developing leadership and resiliency skills. One of my favorite tools for assessing my leadership skills is the Leadership Practices Inventory. I will be talking about it during the presentation. Here is the handout for my presentation.
Next month, I am going to be presenting about creating interactive online lessons for students at the Texas Library Association 2016 conference. Here is the handout that I will be using for the presentation. It will give you an idea of some of the Web 2.0 tools that you can use.
It has definitely been awhile since I have posted something. I think that am doing pretty good if I have to post once a month. Here are the school professional development opportunities that I posted on the Knowledge Quest (KQ) blog for next month: You Are the Expert! February 2016 Professional Development Opportunities | Knowledge Quest.
Last month, in an auditorium in Little Rock, Arkansas, I listened to Dr. Julie Todaro welcome enthusiastic University of North Texas graduates to librarianship. Going into the event, I was excited that our ELMS (Educating Librarians in the Middle South) cohort would have the opportunity to meet such an esteemed guest. Not only is Dr. Todaro an agent of change seasoned in working with most facets of libraries, but as you probably know, she is also our incoming ALA president.
As I listened to Dr. Todaro’s speech, I wished that I had been able to record it. I think that you would have thoroughly enjoyed it. There were so many points in the speech that emphasized why our job is crucial, and sometimes it helps to hear it from someone else. All is not lost, however, for I have a few notes to share with you.
As Dr. Todaro spoke, she reminded the audience that librarianship is characterized as a supporting profession. Yet, librarians also provide valuable, critical services and need to assume leadership roles, as well as take the initiative to identify what those roles entail. Given our impact upon society, we should always endeavor to know what is trending out there, and part of knowing that is understanding where to get information.
That part of her speech was what I absolutely loved, for it is something that many of us forget. In Dr. Todaro’s words, “You are the expert in the room. From Day 1 in graduate school, you began to build your portfolio of expertise. Now, you need to let others know. Credential yourself. Position yourself. Be proactive about what you offer, what you are there for, and how you can help. Explain how you make a difference.”
I hope that you find this advice to be as reinvigorating as I did. Do you know what’s trending out there right now? How will you show your community that you’re an expert? To get started, here are some professional development opportunities for February 2016. As always, please contact me if you have suggestions for a professional development opportunity.
Title: STEM, STEAM, and STREAM… What Do They Have in Common? Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Title: Social Media and Volunteer Engagement
Title: Enhancing Your Library’s Web Presence with WordPress
Title: Innovation with Gamification Level Up Your Learning!
Title: Earning Respect from Administrators
Title: Developing a Leadership Culture
Title: Awesome Apps for Education from Google
Title: Easy Book Report Alternatives
Title: Using Technology to Engage the Reluctant Reader
Title: Curation, Revisited: Aggregating Resources in 2016
Title: Tips and Tricks for Using Microsoft Office for Mac and iOS
Title: Digital Storytelling on ANY Device with Sway
Title: Visible Thinking Routines and Primary Sources
Title: Male Call: Bringing Boys to Books and Writing
Title: Flipping Your Classroom Using Free Resources
Title: Easy Book Report Alternatives
Title: Flipping Your Classroom Using Free Resources
Title: Clear and to the Point: The Importance of Using Plain Language in Your Communications
