Tag Archives: Students

General, Public, School Media Specialist

ALA, Google launch “Libraries Ready to Code”

Backlit_keyboard“Ready to Code” will distill and share best practices—empowering more libraries to better prepare young people of all backgrounds with the computational thinking skills necessary for participation in the 21st century economy.”

Libraries have always been a place for community members to come together in pursuit of knowledge. Today, they are playing an increasingly important role in the development of young people’s computer skills.

The American Library Association (ALA) and Google, Inc. are coming together in an attempt to increase access to Computer Science (CS) learning for kids and young people. The project named “Libraries Ready to Code” pays attention to the opportunities offered at libraries for underrepresented groups of young people to expand their CS skills. They will monitor these opportunities through a mixture of interviews, focus groups, and site visits. They are hoping to find out just how much coding and computer learning takes place at libraries. That way they will be able to tailor their programs to be even more helpful to the kids, students, and young people who are in need of these increasingly relevant skills.

To learn more and read the press release, read here.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/zfs426q licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Academic, General, School Media Specialist

Students creating digital portfolios

Starring role...So much of what students are creating in school these days is online rather than on paper. Instead of putting projects on refrigerators, how can we allow parents to still view these materials?

Digital portfolios, online repositories for student work, might be the answer.

“Because digital portfolios live online, parents can easily access them as well and see what their kids have accomplished throughout the year. Students can share them with each other, share them with family members, and even use them as a tool for college admissions.”

Edudemic recently had 5 tools that might help students create their digital portfolio:

  • Google Sites
  • Evernote
  • WordPress
  • EduBlogs
  • Weebly

Ready the entire post here. Have other tool suggestions? Add them in the comments below!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/kj964yv, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
General, School Media Specialist

Central MN students don’t fear social media

Fork in the road, decision tree, September, Discovery Park, Seattle, Washington, USATypically the message to students regarding social media is: “watch what you post.” But now many parents, students, and colleges are turning social media from something to be feared during admissions to something that can help.

A recent article from the St. Cloud Times highlighted opinions from students and processes for admission from many area colleges as they relate to social media. It discussed how students can use social media to help during admissions, both in selling themselves but also in gaining awareness of a future college or university.

Many of the high school students interviewed by SCTimes weren’t aware that colleges or employers are looking at their social media accounts. On the flipside, some future St. Cloud State students are using #futurehusky or #stcloudstate in tweets to “develop a community before they’re on campus.”

At the heart of the discussion is the issue of digital literacy. CMLE knows that many Media Specialists, Librarians, and Library staff are at the front line of Digital Citizenship for many students.

“A student’s digital literacy depends on the family and school, she said, and much of the time it’s overlooked by both.”

What types of things are you teaching your students about social media? Should students be wary of social media? Or should students be using it to their advantage?

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/kpm6w6b, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Tablets Engage Students in the Classroom

Kids with Education Tablet ComputersMany schools are acquiring – or trying to acquire – tablets for classroom use.  The hope is that tablets can be used as classroom tools and improve learning.  Studies vary on what percentage of students currently have access to tablets, but those students that do are primarily using tablets from parents or through a tablet program at their school.  While the tablets are used for all sorts of subjects, the most popular apps on tablets are for reading and literacy.  In an interview by Ben Johnson with Adriene Hill of Marketplace Tech, Hill says that only about one third of 4th grade students are considered “proficient” in their reading skills.”  Apps on tablets can help – they are more engaging and seen as more fun by students.  Technology is also more “personalizable,” Hill says – it is easier to tailor the app to the student’s needs.  You can listen to the full 3-minute interview here.

Looking for apps to use?  Look for our weekly ‘Recommended App’ post, which features a new app each week that has been recommended by the American Association of School Librarians.  So far, we have featured Monster Physics, Duolingo, Brian Cox’s Wonders of Life, Subtext, and Notability.

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mhroxam, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The Art of Listening

One of the traits of a really great librarian is the ability to listen well. From “reference interview 101”, we know that end users often do not ask for what they need, but rather, by listening carefully, and leading them through a series of questions, we discover what they want. So, it is key for our communication skills to be great!

Did you know that there are things we do as we speak to children that may increase or lessen the likelihood that they will be active listeners? We include a great blog post here for you to evaluate how good your skills are in this area. Not only does it tell you what NOT to do, it also includes suggestions for improvement too!  Six ways you are telling kids not to listen 

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/pzc7ysv,
licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0