Literacy and Brain Development

                                    Photo by Lina Kiraka

While reading and watching this weeks lessons, the one thing that hit home was Neil Gaiman commenting on an experience he had while in New York. He listened to a talk about how many prisons and prison cells would be needed within a certain time frame. Gaiman states "And they found they could predict it very easily, using a pretty simple algorithm based on asking what percentage of 10 and 11 year olds could read" ( 2003, para. 6). As a media assistant in the elementary, middle, and high school levels for the past 14 years, and as a Mama of two, this absolutely breaks my heart. Personally, I can relate to students not doing well when they do not have a solid literacy foundation. Shawn, a student I read with weekly when he was in third grade, has now dropped out of school at the beginning of his senior year and is not trying to obtain his GED. While Shawn is not in trouble with the law, I could have predicted his struggles in third grade. 

Gaiman stresses the importance of libraries and librarians, as he recalls his childhood experiences. He states "If you do not value libraries, then you do not value information or culture or wisdom. You are silencing the voices of the past and you are damaging the future" (2003, para 41).  Librarians help patrons find materials, teach patrons how to search for information themselves, and help foster a love of reading. By exposing patrons at an early age to various types of literature (fiction, non-fiction), librarians open minds of the readers and allow them to escape to another place. Exposure to literature increases vocabulary and literacy skills. This begins with very young children. Parents should begin reading to their  children when they are infants. Dickinson states "Book reading provides an ideal setting for fostering language while at the same time building strong affective bonds between parents and children" ( 2012, para. 11). Reading with my own children created an immense bond. As they grew older, they would go pick their favorite books and bring them to me throughout the day for me to read to them. Dickinson states "Students of book reading have found evidence that children begin to benefit when regular reading begins as early as 8 mos and that children benefit most from regular reading routines that sensitive and responsive language-rich interactional routines" ( 2012, para. 58).

While viewing the CDC Positive Parenting website, I was pleased to see it mentioned that children should be read to, beginning with them as infants. As the age of the child increases, so does the level of interaction that is suggested. Not only are parents encouraged to engage with their children emotionally and physically (encouraging play and joining a sports team), but also to keep reading to their children and encouraging them to read on their own through middle childhood (ages 9-11). I think the advice given to parents by the CDC is very beneficial. It helps create and maintain an emotional bond with your child. They encourage taking an active role with your child's school, friends, and other organizations your child might join. 

However, I disagree that encouraging children to read is no longer one of the parenting tips once a child reaches the young teen age (ages 12-14) and teenagers (ages 15-17). I think it is important to keep encouraging children to read. The foundation for literacy is laid when children are younger. Young teens and teenagers become easily distracted by electronics, which cuts into this age groups desire for reading. I feel it is important to keep encouraging students by asking them at school what they are reading, what authors they like, and if they have any suggestions for new reading material that should be added to the library. By doing this, I am making connections with my students and keeping literacy alive. 

My takeaways from this week's readings are that we must focus on early literacy skills with children. We must read to them, and encourage them to read. We must not stop a student from reading a book because we do not like the book, topic or author. That choice does not belong to us and we must not judge what a student decides to read. When making lesson plans, I will choose activities and books that will keep my students engaged. I will keep a large selection of books covering many topics and genres, and encourage students to read from all of them. Realizing that some students come from backgrounds where literacy learning skills have not been fostered, I will offer help to those students, in hopes of helping them become more literate, as well as fostering the love of reading. 

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 22). Positive Parenting Tips. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/index.html.

Dickinson, D. K., Griffith, J. A., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2012). How Reading Books Fosters Language Development around the World. Child Development Research, 2012, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/602807

Guardian News and Media. (2013, October 15). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming.

Shared Foundation- Engage

Photo by Gerd Altmann 

Ayanna Mayes in the librarian at Columbia High School, where I spent the five days of my student internship this year.  She has been in RCSD1 for several years, and this is her third year at Columbia High School, which serves approximately 620 students. 

Questions:

1. What are some examples of ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program? A) I primarily promote the ethical use of information through collaboration with teachers. When students are tasked with a  research project, I begin instruction by reviewing the Big 6 process, which is also posted on the school website with embedded links to SC DISCUS and Destiny Discover. B) I emphasize the basic concepts that I want students to retain: (1) the importance of articulating a focused research question, (2) how to find and evaluate appropriate sources, and (3) why/how to cite their sources. C. I demonstrate the ethical use of information in our printed publications, the information posted on our website, and the posters in the library. When I share information, the sources are visible. 

2. What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies? A) SC DISCUS-- I heavily emphasize this source and highlight different databases depending upon the research students are conducting. For example, I show students the quality difference between Biography in Context (a DISCUS database) and Biography.com when they are researching Black authors for a Black History Month English project. When students are creating argumentative essays about an issue of their choice, that impacts teens, I show them how to navigate Opposing Viewpoints and the Points of View Reference Center. B) The CHS library/media center webpage-- This is the information hub for our students. It is easily accessible from the school homepage and has links to SC DISCUS, Destiny Discover, Richland Library, and other online resources. 

3. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? Evaluating sources will be the greatest asset to students in this information-rich age. I place the most emphasis on this skill in my instruction, and I reinforce it by playing a game with students during research introductory lessons. Students see citations and hear me attribute credit to sources in my presentations to reinforce the importance of attribution. Most SC DISCUS databases make citations very simple and I show this to students. I encourage teachers to make citations a part of the rubric. Many students understand the importance of attribution best when there are consequences for omitting it.

4. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies? Many teachers skip collaboration with me and do not dedicate the necessary class time to make sure students understand the research process. Teachers who have worked with me come to me for assistance. Each year, I try to find out what teachers when teachers will introduce a project so that I can offer my assistance, but many teachers do to want to veer away from their pacing guides. 

5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation/Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today? The curriculum crosswalks on the AASL website are helpful, especially the alignment with Future Ready Librarian standards. The standards also have alignments to service-learning and project-based learning standards, which I often use as an in-roads to collaborate with teachers.

Reflection:  Mrs. Mayes is diligently working to collaborate with teachers and to help the students at Columbia High School to become college-ready. When interviewing her, she also mentioned a 70% failure rate this first 9 weeks of school, and that has her greatly concerned.  In addition to promoting her services in-person to teachers, on her website, and social media pages, she has also been pre-recording library lessons to be shared with students. These lessons can be shared by the student's teachers in MS Teams, or via the MS library Teams account she has created. As we are just beginning phase 2 of the face to face return to school, I feel it is very significant that Mrs. Mayes has been sharing resources on citations, online library services, and reading materials accessible via Hoopla on the Richland Library page on her webpage and social media accounts. She has been reaching out to students via Teams asking if they would like her assistance, whether it be library research need or to give book suggestions. I believe her persistence will help her show teachers and students that she is readily accessible and willing to help them. 

 

Shared Foundation- Inquire

Photo by Pixabay

Mrs. Jessica Cypress is the librarian at Brennen Elementary School, where she serves 800 students. Brennen is the largest elementary school in the RCSD1 district. She was a teacher for 8 years before she was asked by her principal to take on the role of the librarian. She has been serving as the school librarian for the past 8 years. Mrs. Cypress is sharing her input on the shared foundation- inquire.

Questions:

1. What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program? I collaborate with teachers for research projects. I work with teachers to design units where we have the students choose a research topic of interest to them, ask questions about that topic, and find the answers. 

2. What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies? I teach students how to find books on their topics through Destiny, and we use DISCUS online. 

3. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? Yes, I collaborate with teachers on research projects in K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. I teach about the research process and finding/evaluating information, and the teachers facilitate the research in individual classrooms. Some teachers have me teach students how to present their information on different platforms, while some prefer to do that on their own. 

4. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

Time. With such a large school, it is challenging to be able to spend a lot of time with each class. We have six kindergarten classes, seven 1st grade classes, six  2nd grade classes, and six 3rd grade classes. It's just very time consuming to work with everyone on grade level. 

5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation/Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today? No, not at this time.

Reflection: As I reflect on Mrs. Cypress and how she implements the Inquire competency, I am just blown away. 800 elementary students, with so many same grade classes, boggles my mind.  When I was at the elementary level for 11  years, we had half as many grade-level classes as Mrs. Cypress, and it was challenging to get those classes in weekly. As we have moved into more technology this year due to COVID, I am impressed with the fact she has been able to teach her youngest students how to find their own books in Destiny and DISCUS.  Mrs. Cypress seems to have great knowledge of various platforms in which students can use to present their research projects, and this will be beneficial to the students as they progress through school. This year Mrs. Cypress will be going to classrooms with a book cart with library books for younger grade students to check out and will deliver books that have been placed on hold through Destiny. I imagine juggling running to classes through the hallways, while still giving instruction will be a challenge, as the higher grades will be allowed to return to the library for check out, but I have no doubt that Mrs. Cypress will be able to handle all of the changes this year. 

Shared Foundation- Explore

Photo by Pixabay 

Ms.Phoebe Blalock has served as both teacher and librarian at Brockman Elementary school, where she is now entering her second year as the librarian, and serves 320 students. Ms. Blalock's topic is Shared Foundations- Explore.

Questions:

1. What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program? A lot of the reading skills lessons I teach focus on questioning assumptions and misconceptions. One resource I have found helpful is The Ramped-Up Read Aloud. This book has some really great lessons to do in conjunction with read alouds. All of the books used are fairly current, high quality picture books. I ordered some of the books in this resource for our library collection because they really promote thinking. I also taught some to upper and lower elementary students about digital citizenship. We spend time during these lessons discussing critical thinking about things you see online.

2. What are some of the resources in  your library program that you are using to implement these competencies? I mentioned The Ramped Up Read Aloud above. Of course our actual library collection is an important resource. I am continually working to improve our collection and get to know what is here. As you know, the district also provides us with devices for all students now (once they arrive). Our school also purchased a class set of Spheros. These were not initially part of the library program because the school used additional funds to hire a computer lab instructor who used them with students. We have lost that position, so once students are able to return to school normally, I hope to incorporate those into my library program. I also ordered some additional coding products to use with young children, I feel like coding is a great way to promote inquiry-based learning. Unfortunately, with Covid, I have not been able to use any of these materials with students, but I hope to as soon as it is allowed. I also had started planning for a makerspace when school let out last year. That is another way I would like to promote inquiry-based learning, but for now, that has to be put on hold. 

3. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? If so, please provide examples. Teachers have not collaborated with me as much as I'd like. I did collaborate with two lower elementary teaches on their reader's notebook projects and I collaborated several times with the upper elementary team on research projects their students were doing. For the lower elementary community, I taught a lesson on historical fiction and realistic fiction because I noticed these two teachers students were having difficulty identifying these genre when looking for books for the Reader's Notebook assignment. I taught them strategies for figuring out the genre of a book. Occasionally, my teachers will ask me to incorporate books on themes they are studying in class. For example, last year one teacher was working on things in the past vs. the present. I planned a lesson using books and some online resources in DISCUS to highlight some differences between things in the past and present. I also provided the teacher with additional resources she could use in in class. This year a virtual teacher asked me to read the book Leaf Man to her students to prepare them for a leaf project she was doing with them.

4. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

Time is always a challenge. It is difficult to get teachers to collaborate. This can be due to a variety of factors, but in my location it is primarily because of time. I have been most successful when I find ways to collaborate and just kind of insert myself into something

5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation/Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today? There are no other comments.

Reflection I think Ms. Blalock's teaching background shows in how she is trying to engage with her students and trying to to get teacher to collaborate with her. She is bringing in new pictures books that I've not heard of, but when I looked them up online, they got me excited.  I had never heard of Spheros, so I had to look those up as well. I feel it is easier to have maker space areas and coding sessions in the elementary libraries because we have engineering classes and robotics at the high school level where students work on STEM projects. I feel as librarians this year in particular, that we need to continue trying to reach out to our teachers and students to let them know we are available and ready to help either in person or via Microsoft Teams. Ms Blalock being able to read aloud Leaf Man to a collaborating teacher's class, allows her to collaborate and reach students and the virtual teacher who is remaining virtual this year. I think taking the time to teach her students who were struggling with knowing the difference between historical and realistic fiction was brilliant. Elementary school is the perfect age to introduce students to all genres, while also explaining the differences in genres.

 

Shared Foundation: Curate

  

Photo by Elizabeth L. Jenkins 

    Ms. Laura Haverkamp and I both attended SCASL in the Spring of 2020. She was a high school English teacher for 3 years before she obtained her MLIS degree. Currently, she is in her 22nd year of librarianship at Dreher High School. Ms. Haverkamp is pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina and is excited to be moving to the academic level of teaching.

    Ms. Haverkamp was gracious in sharing how she uses the shared foundation of curate in her library program.

Questions: 

1. What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program? I spend a fair amount of time teaching students how to access the DISCUS databases. Specifically, I try to guide them into choosing the right database from the list so that they find the most applicable articles and information. For instance, if the students are researching literary criticism, I am sure to show them the Bloom's and the Literature databases. If their topic is controversial, I show them the Opposing Viewpoints. I want to be sure they know that there is a wide range of topics in these databases and that selecting the right database provides better results. 

2. What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies? We use Destiny and DISCUS to show students how to search for and locate appropriate resources is an ongoing goal. Even students who have had this instruction need a refresher every year. 

3. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers? If so, please provide examples. I do an extensive collaboration with the teachers of AP Seminar and AP Research to ensure that students understand the research process so that they know how and where to access high-quality sources for academic research. Working with the teachers we go over narrowing a topic, Boolean search terms, accessing and selecting databases from DISCUS, and documenting sources in APA, MLA, and other formats.

4. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies? One of the major challenges is lack of class time for both the teaches and librarians whose job duties have mushroomed in the past few years. Add in testing pressure in many of the class subject areas and student resistance to academic research guidelines- they think they can Google everything and lack a healthy skepticism which makes teaching sources and research a challenge. 

5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation/ Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today? We have several teaches in the school who are consistent collaborators- but we need to improve outreach to others and not rest on our laurels to grow more and better information seekers at Dreher. 

Reflection: While interviewing Ms. Haverkamp, it quickly became apparent that not only does she love her job, but that she also cares deeply for her students and wants them to be successful lifelong learners. Curating information is not a task that comes naturally to many students, and to overcome this and help the students, she helps students to hone these skills and gives them tools to become successful in curating information. By showing students multiple resources, whether it be due to controversial topics, choosing appropriate databases, citation resources, or even how to use BOOLEAN search terms, she is giving them the ability to learn at a greater depth each year they are at Dreher and is helping them to be college-ready when they graduate. 

Virtual and Augmented Reality in the Classroom

Growing up watching Star Trek, The Jetsons, and then the Back to the Future movie series, and Star Trek Deep Space Nine, we children of the 1970s were given glimpses of what the future held. Star Trek Nine showed us virtual reality on the Starship Enterprise on the holodeck, where you could go into a holosuite, and the environment could be turned into whatever you wanted, which usually was inclusive of having a friend, family member, or another loved one in a specific location.  This would break up the monotony of being aboard the Enterprise. The idea seemed so preposterous at the time. However, virtual and augmented reality have arrived, and both are being used both in personal homes as well as in the classroom. 

" The mission of teachers in today's classroom is to create the proper conditions to determine the shift from the static transmission of knowledge to the student-centered learning. Students are now active participants in the learning process. In order to be successful and to ensure the engagement of students, teachers must use adequate methods common to the current generation of "digital natives" (Nanu et al, 2013). I was intrigued by Google Expeditions, and think that this platform would work well in the classroom. Google Expeditions can be used for virtual field trips to places most students will never get to go and see in their lifetime, as so many of our students live at or below the poverty line, and a large number of students are homeless or in foster care and the reality of them being able to go see these field trips we can bring into the classroom might be the only time they get to see these far away and sometimes exotic places. This interactive learning appeals to this generation of students, because they have been born into technology that quickly changes, and they are more comfortable using technology than our generation. I was able to use Google and find that Best Buy has the Google Expeditions listed with a cost and what comes with the kits.  Most likely district pricing will be different, but I think this gives a better idea of what is included in the kits and to know what to expect with regards to the price range of these kits.  Although a price was not given, a more affordable version would be the headsets made of cardboard, and those can be seen here Google Expedition cardboard headset.  

These kits can be used with almost any class subject, including art, music, science, health, trade skills and history.  Lessons can be turned into augmented reality by having dinosaurs or volcanoes appear in the classroom.  The only downside to using these devices is making sure there are enough for each student in the class, otherwise, the other students are left out of the experience and will not be engaged in the learning activity.  Not only can teachers create their own augmented reality activity, but they can choose from several hundred free activities. These devices and activities allow for collaboration between teacher/librarian as well as collaboration with students. Leila Meyer notes in her School Library Journal article, Virtually There: Kids are using VR to explore worlds and create new ones  “There are very different kinds of educational applications [of AR] available,” Yoder says. “Some of them show tremendous promise, and most of them are free.” “The future,” Yoder says, “is really in educating teachers and librarians and school administrators to see the value in this ” (2017).  Virtual reality and augmented reality devices are not inexpensive, but I think it is important for school districts, schools, and teachers to look into the technology and what it has to offer our students.  These devices could potentially be paid in full, or at least partially by PTO's and school-wide fundraisers or grant writing.  The benefits outweigh the costs when it comes to our students learning, especially for those whose only chance to have this opportunity is while in school.

The following are additional resources for using virtual and augmented reality in the classroom to keep our students engaged and actively participating in their learning.

Virtual reality in the welding classroom

Google Expedition in Social Studies

Virtual reality merged with Science class

Google Expeditions tutorial

Google Cardboard and how it works

CBS Morning Show: The Places You'll Go

References:




Meyer, L. (2017, September 29). Virtually There: Kids are using VR to explore worlds and create new ones. Retrieved July 17, 2019, from https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=virtually-kids-using-vr-explore-worlds-create-new-ones


Nanu, A., Titieni, A., Nedelcu, M., Nedelcu, F. and Sarbu, C. (2013), “IATED digital library”, available at: http://library.iated.org/view/NANU2013USE 

Cyberbullying: What can we do and how can we stop it?

Advances in technology and the creation of social media and gaming platforms have been both beneficial and harmful aspects to children and adults. The benefits include being accessible 24/7, keeping in touch with family and friends, and "meeting" people with similar interests and lifestyles, and in the case of gaming platforms, meeting new people who enjoy gaming. The harmful aspects include being available 24/7, gaming for too many hours a day and becoming addicted to gaming, and making acquaintances with people who one would be better off not having met. All of these harmful aspects can lead to non-stop cyberbullying which seems impossible to escape and which can occasionally lead to a child/adult committing suicide to escape. As educators and parents, we need to keep up with the advances, not only in technology but also with social media and gaming platforms where interactions might be innocent looking from a quick glance, but potentially might not be upon closer inspection. It is our duty to teach our students, beginning in kindergarten the very basics of digital citizenship, and to expand with more information, which is age appropriate for our students while they are in school.

I found the Seven Digital Deadly Sins interactive video to be very eye-opening and interesting. Click the link below to read the short article and then click on wrath to view the cyberbullying deadly digital sin. https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/08/seven-digital-deadly-sins-good-material.html#.WjMOYFQ-fBI
I read the "I Bullied a Girl" story and in the left sidebar it notates that about "50% of teenagers have been bullied" and that "Regret Bullying has 2,280,000 hits on Google". Those numbers astounded me, especially the number that searched for regret bullying. Unfortunately, I have personal experience with being bullied as a child, when there was no such thing as cyberbullying and as an adult where I have encountered a few cyberbullies hiding behind their computer screens.  I used the block option on social media to shut down the bullies. As an adult, this was easy for me to do.  Unfortunately, my cousin lost her 12-year-old son to suicide a few months ago after he was being bullied. He left no note and no answers.  His parents had no idea he was being bullied. This incredibly sad and tragic event not only shook the family but also the community. This is why we need to teach what cyberbullying is and what a student should do if it is happening to them or someone else they know.  Staying quiet is not the right answer in either situation. This video and story by Amanda Todd really hit home, when thinking about those numbers from above...50% of teenagers have been bullied and 2,280,000 regret bullying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vlfCQgSNM0#action=share This is a video I would share with older students, maybe beginning with 8th grade and definitely to my students in high school.  Students need to see the real effects of cyberbullying, and this video and story are relatable to so many students.

A simple Youtube search on cyberbullying or cyberbullying and suicide brings up so many news stories from around the world regarding cyberbullying and suicide, cyberbullying and suicide prevention PSA's, and other vloggers telling their stories and asking people to just stop.   I would address cyberbullying with my students using the AASL standards when teaching digital literacy and citizenship to my students. These AASL standards guideline state for grades K-12 that we are to teach the following: 
 "1.3.4 Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community.
 1.3.5 Use information technology responsibly.
 4.3.4 Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction."  These guidelines can be taught by using videos demonstrating proper digital citizenship and cyberbullying. Lesson plans would contain materials demonstrating cyberbullying through various means and asking the students to underline or mark what they think is cyberbullying from what they have read.  This would be an idea to then take into a question and answer period after going over the materials together as a class and visually and/or verbally identifying the forms of cyberbullying via text, chat, and videos using cell phones, tablets, and computers. With older students, role play would be another way to engage students in the activity.   I also found several websites that would be useful in teaching about cyberbullying to students, and also would link them to the library webpage so that students and parents could retrieve the information at home.

Additional resources:

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/iftoolkits/litoolkit/safetyandresponsibility

http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslissues/bwad/AASL_Internet_Safety_Filtering.pdf


https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf

https://www.freetech4teachers.com

https://www.stopbullying.gov/

https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/5-powerful-cyberbullying-videos-discussing-kids

References:

Ronson, J. (2014). Seven Digital Deadly Sins[Web documentary]. Vancouver: National Film Board of Canada.

Standards Alignment. (2019, February 04). Retrieved July 8, 2019, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/standards-alignment