I really got thinking this week about if I would truly want the responsibility of being in charge of the ipad/chromebook/kindle carts at our school. Currently the high school (7-12) has a one to one program where each student is given a chromebook for the year. They do occasionally need to come to the library and charge them if they forget at night, or use it a lot in a given day so the library is responsible for extra chargers, but it is the responsibility of the tech department if they are any other issues. The students do not expect that the librarian will fix any technology issues but they do occasionally ask for help in accessing certain library website features using their own device.
The high school library is also not responsible for the ipads and kindles that are kept in carts and loaned to teachers who sign them out. The technology department in the high school is responsible for this as well. In the elementary school it is a different story. Much like the TV/DVD player carts, the Ipad carts are housed in the library and the teachers sign them out with the librarians. They used to be kept in the computer lab, but space in there is limited and responsibility for these devices was handed over to the library a few years ago when more computers were added to the lab. The current system seems to be working, as there is a full time library aide who handles the devices (making sure they are plugged in, not left on, and stored properly). But without that aide available to check the devices I can see how this system could easily fall apart.
If Ipads are not charged when teachers need to use them it causes undue issues in the classroom. If apps are deleted or unavailable because of a student messing around with the app layouts there could be blame placed on the librarians. I do see how this can be an issue, but I think that we need to create a community in the school regarding these devices. If we are going to require their use, then everyone needs to be on board with keeping them maintained. Teachers need to be sure they are all back in the cart and plugged in properly before returning them, students need to be taught how to use them properly, and parents need to be aware that their child is using the devices so that they can talk to their child about respecting the schools property. It needs to be a community effort and not be placed squarely on the shoulders of one person to care for the devices.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Copyright police?
I have very strong feelings on copyright law and protecting the rights of authors and the publishers that print their work. As a writer myself, I would be remiss if I said it doesn't matter to me if people make unauthorized copies of my work, even for classroom use. But something one of my classmates mentioned really struck a chord with me.
He said that he doesn't want to be copyright police at his school, and I agree with him. I do not want to be the copyright police. I don't want teachers and students afraid to come into the library because of what I might tell them they are not allowed to do. The best way I can think to do this is to be proactive instead of reactive. That is, give them the information they need and can refer to, before they need it.
I might do this by compiling a packet for the beginning of the school year that outlines what leeways teachers and libraries are given with regards to copyright. Rather than giving them a list DON'Ts, I'd much rather give them a list of DOs.
It isn't in my personality to be confrontational and authoritarian; I don't want to lecture people on the rights of authors, though I will do everything in my power to uphold them. It quite honestly shocks me how little information and education teachers and administrators have on copyright law. Even when they do have some knowledge of it, they often disregard it, as if it is more of a guideline than actual law. Most people would not disregard other laws, but they deem it okay to break copyright laws. In my opinion, a law is a law for a reason. Copyright law protect more than just the artist, author, or publisher. They protect everyone that worked on the peice that you are copying or using unlawfully, from the craft service person providing food on a photoshoot, to the sound mixing person who worked on the album. Those people do not make millions and buy breaking copyright laws you might be taking money out of their pockets.
Like I said, I don't want to be copyright police, but I do need to come up with creative ways to be proactive about teaching copyright law if I don't want to be seen as the copier Nazi (a nickname I found out I have now).
He said that he doesn't want to be copyright police at his school, and I agree with him. I do not want to be the copyright police. I don't want teachers and students afraid to come into the library because of what I might tell them they are not allowed to do. The best way I can think to do this is to be proactive instead of reactive. That is, give them the information they need and can refer to, before they need it.
I might do this by compiling a packet for the beginning of the school year that outlines what leeways teachers and libraries are given with regards to copyright. Rather than giving them a list DON'Ts, I'd much rather give them a list of DOs.
It isn't in my personality to be confrontational and authoritarian; I don't want to lecture people on the rights of authors, though I will do everything in my power to uphold them. It quite honestly shocks me how little information and education teachers and administrators have on copyright law. Even when they do have some knowledge of it, they often disregard it, as if it is more of a guideline than actual law. Most people would not disregard other laws, but they deem it okay to break copyright laws. In my opinion, a law is a law for a reason. Copyright law protect more than just the artist, author, or publisher. They protect everyone that worked on the peice that you are copying or using unlawfully, from the craft service person providing food on a photoshoot, to the sound mixing person who worked on the album. Those people do not make millions and buy breaking copyright laws you might be taking money out of their pockets.
Like I said, I don't want to be copyright police, but I do need to come up with creative ways to be proactive about teaching copyright law if I don't want to be seen as the copier Nazi (a nickname I found out I have now).
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Open Source Software in the Library
While I am admittedly no computer genius, and the coding language still escapes my grasp despite many attempts at learning, I still believe that there are many ways that a librarian (even the most technologically challenged like myself) can use open source software to assist in student learning in the library setting. Below are a few examples of open source software that I have found to be useful for students in a SLMC.
WorldCat is an open source library catalog. It allows users to search for books, dvds, cds, articles in all the libraries near you. It is connected to over 10,000 libraries worldwide, and has over two billion items indexed. It does not require an account to search the index, but it does require user to create a free account if they would like to create lists, bibliographies, or reviews of any library items. It is a great tool that allows students to search other local libraries for materials that the school may not have access to, and an invaluable resource in my opinion.
WordPress is a free blogging/website creation tool that allows users to customize their webspace. It allows for students/users who are interested in coding to develop a site that is customized to their exact liking, but also allows a "plug and play" option for those of us who'd like to customize their site, but to not know much coding. It offers a great variety of options and is a great tool for use in a classroom as it allows student interaction with technology, teachers, peers, community, and experts in any field they might be researching. If used properly, wordpress can be an amazing tool for student interaction with knowledge and information.
Twitter is one of the fasted paced social networks that we have. For that reason we need to know how to use it appropriately for classrooms lest we loose all of the academic potential and allow it to become another distraction. The answer here is hashtags (#). Having a group discussion among students about an academic issue on twitter is as simple as creating unique hashtags or using existing ones to get involved in a discussion. For example, a history class studying the Israeli conflict might use #peaceinthemiddleeast to get involved in the discussion and share input. The class might be asked to add #mrcollins211 to all their tweets so that classmates can interact with each other and see how their peers respond.
Noodletools is another very powerful open source tool that is great for students. It helps students understand plagarism, create bibliographies, take notes on research sources, and cite sources appropriately. It takes some getting used to, so some classtime would need to be set aside to teach students to use it, but it is completely free to use and provides very valuable information and assistance to students creating research papers/projects.
Overall, open source programs can seem really scary, but that is really just a matter of finding the programs that fit yours and your students technological capabilities. There are dozens of programs available. Not all of them are right for every program. We need to evaluate our needs and the needs of our students and make decisions about which is right for our needs. They can certainly be of use when sticking to a small budget though....something I am sure all of us has had experience with in the past!
WorldCat is an open source library catalog. It allows users to search for books, dvds, cds, articles in all the libraries near you. It is connected to over 10,000 libraries worldwide, and has over two billion items indexed. It does not require an account to search the index, but it does require user to create a free account if they would like to create lists, bibliographies, or reviews of any library items. It is a great tool that allows students to search other local libraries for materials that the school may not have access to, and an invaluable resource in my opinion.
WordPress is a free blogging/website creation tool that allows users to customize their webspace. It allows for students/users who are interested in coding to develop a site that is customized to their exact liking, but also allows a "plug and play" option for those of us who'd like to customize their site, but to not know much coding. It offers a great variety of options and is a great tool for use in a classroom as it allows student interaction with technology, teachers, peers, community, and experts in any field they might be researching. If used properly, wordpress can be an amazing tool for student interaction with knowledge and information.
Twitter is one of the fasted paced social networks that we have. For that reason we need to know how to use it appropriately for classrooms lest we loose all of the academic potential and allow it to become another distraction. The answer here is hashtags (#). Having a group discussion among students about an academic issue on twitter is as simple as creating unique hashtags or using existing ones to get involved in a discussion. For example, a history class studying the Israeli conflict might use #peaceinthemiddleeast to get involved in the discussion and share input. The class might be asked to add #mrcollins211 to all their tweets so that classmates can interact with each other and see how their peers respond.
Noodletools is another very powerful open source tool that is great for students. It helps students understand plagarism, create bibliographies, take notes on research sources, and cite sources appropriately. It takes some getting used to, so some classtime would need to be set aside to teach students to use it, but it is completely free to use and provides very valuable information and assistance to students creating research papers/projects.
Overall, open source programs can seem really scary, but that is really just a matter of finding the programs that fit yours and your students technological capabilities. There are dozens of programs available. Not all of them are right for every program. We need to evaluate our needs and the needs of our students and make decisions about which is right for our needs. They can certainly be of use when sticking to a small budget though....something I am sure all of us has had experience with in the past!
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