Tag Archives: Strategies

Resources, Training

Curriculum and learning modules at the Data Privacy Project website

Data Privacy Project

“Hi all,

I’m helping spread the word about a digital privacy training project I’ve been working on at Brooklyn Public Library with some partners. Please read on and be in touch if you have any questions.

Do you want strategies for helping library patrons understand vulnerabilities in their online communications and transactions? Are you looking to train library staff in digital privacy concepts? Do you want to better understand networks, privacy-protecting tools, and risk assessment in a library context?

At the Data Privacy Project, librarians, community activists, tech experts, educators, and researchers have developed learning modules and curriculum materials to support library staff. Handouts and slideshows can be adapted for trainings in any type of library, and on the Data Privacy Project website people can view a historical timeline, data flows diagrams, and a risk assessment exercise with sample patron profiles. All our training material is available under a Share Alike 4.0 Creative Commons license.
You can find these resources at http://www.dataprivacyproject.org/.

Melissa Morrone | Supervising Librarian, Information Commons
Brooklyn Public Library

718.230.2491
bklynlibrary.org/infocommons

CMLE, General

Thinking about circulating games? Here are some ideas!

The-Chinamen's-game-board
let’s play!

I know some of our CMLE members are already circulating games in your libraries; and it’s a topic brought up fairly often when we are talking about materials and services to reach out to communities.

Games are great, and very engaging ways to encourage patrons to come to the library! They can be somewhat troublesome to circulate, as everyone wants to be sure they have the materials to share with the next patron – and small pieces or cards can be easy to lose. You can usually buy replacements for missing parts to games, but it is another step to consider when you are including them in your collection development plan.

There were some ideas being shared online about circulating games, so we are sharing them here, to help you think about your own circ policies! Continue reading Thinking about circulating games? Here are some ideas! →

Academic, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

Strategies to Simplify: Tip 3: Time tactics

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Time is valuable, so choose time investment tactics that work best for you.

In her book Work Simply, Carson Tate argues that “Time is more valuable than money. You need to start treating it that way.” In order to do that, we need to begin “thinking about time as a commodity, and in particular as an infinitely valuable, nonrenewable resource.”

Recently, you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment.

mussels-756488_1920
Work Simply

Find your Productivity Style for some personalized time tactics:

Prioritizer: You excel at using time efficiently. Try this: Begin your day with your highest priority project or task.

Planner: You are able to minimize the risk of mistakes by adhering to best practices or past procedures. Try this: Plan for extra time each week to allow for unanticipated issues or opportunities

Arranger: You are skilled at encouraging teamwork in order to get the most done. Try this: To help keep your focus, turn off your e-mail notifications.

Visualizer: You can productively handle multiple tasks and projects at once. Try this: Ask yourself, “What is the best use of my time right now?”

Previous tips in this series

Academic, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special

Strategies to Simplify: Tip 2: Set your READY goals

“Work simply. Live fully.”  This week CMLE focuses on the following work productivity tip from Work Simply, Carson Tate’s popular book.  At CMLE, we’ve boiled down Tate’s wealth of knowledge from Work Simply to a few key points; please see the book for more detail and resources. At the bottom, see links to earlier tips in the series! Let’s all be our best selves….

This week’s activity: Set your READY goals and work to achieve them using your Productivity Style

In her book Work Simply, Carson Tate suggests setting goals in four main areas of your life: Professional, personal, health, and spiritual. Keep the acronym READY in mind – it is the first step of the READY, Aim, Fire method that will “not only assist you in getting very clear on your goals and priorities, but also ensure that you achieve those goals in the most efficient and effective way possible”

R – Realistic, E – Exciting, A – Action-oriented, D – Directive, Y – Yours.

Recently you discovered your Productivity Style with a simple assessment. Find your style to use these tips for fulfilling your READY goals:

mussels-756488_1920
Work Simply

Find your Productivity Style for some personalized tips:

Prioritizer: When setting your goals, challenge yourself to look at the big picture – think about the action steps required over the next several months (instead of the next several weeks). It may help to keep in mind why this particular goal is important to you.

Planner: Similar to the Prioritizer, try to move your focus beyond short-term action steps, and focus on the big picture. Focus on what the final outcome is that you are hoping to achieve.

Arranger: While it’s helpful to keep in mind the people that are able to encourage you to meet your goals, don’t forget to also focus on how you will complete the actions required to achieve the goal.

Visualizer: Seeing the big picture comes naturally to you. Try to also think about who else needs to be involved in making your goals a reality.

Previous tips in this series

 

General, School Media Specialist

Alternatives to Round Robin & Popcorn Reading

 

cori_middle_school_reading
Help students become better readers

 

Wondering if Round Robin and Popcorn styles are really the best practice when it comes to working on reading in the classroom? This article from Edutopia takes a look at the traditional Round Robin style of reading out loud and offers some alternative practices.

Round Robin reading is defined in the same article as students reading “orally from a common text, one child after another, while the rest of the class follows along in their copies of the text.” Popcorn style is a type of Round Robin reading, where one student is reading aloud, then says “Popcorn” before choosing another student to continue reading.

Author Todd Finley makes the argument that when it comes to improving literacy and encouraging kids to read, the Round Robin style may not be the best approach. He shares several studies and their findings that Round Robin may have a negative effect on students and their reading progress.

Happily, the article includes 11 better approaches for you to try instead! A few of them include:

  • Choral reading: The teacher and class read passages or paragraphs out loud together, which reduces potential embarassment for struggling readers
  • Teacher read-aloud: The teacher shows how proper pronunciation and inflection are used while reading
  • Buddy reading: Students read out loud to prepare for reading to children in a younger grade

Do you use Round Robin or Popcorn style reading? How about any of the 11 alternatives? What have you found works the best in your library or classroom?