Banned Websites Awareness Day 9/28/16

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Judi Moreillon

Librarians across the U.S. will be recognizing “Banned Websites Awareness Day” (BWAD) on 9/28/16. Working toward unrestricted access to information and resources should be one of librarians’ top priorities. Choice in checkout helps students (yes, even kinders) practice a lifelong learning strategy. Internet filtering and blocked Web sites and social media are an on-going challenge in many schools and libraries.

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was passed in April, 2001, in order to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. Just as school library policies can minimize the frequency of book challenges, policies can also mitigate complaints regarding Web-based information.

According to CIPA:
“Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:
◾Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
◾The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
◾Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
◾Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
◾Measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them” (FCC).

While protecting children and youth from obscene and harmful information is essential, overly restrictive filtering software may prevent young people from accessing information that is important to their health, wellness, and intellectual growth. School librarians, in particular, may frequently be in the position of advocating for a particular educational website to be unblocked. The wise school librarian makes friends with the IT department and helps to educate administrators about the importance of students having opportunities to practice digital citizenship.

If students are to become responsible, informed digital citizens, they must be given guidance as they develop skills to evaluate information. They must learn to use social media venues in an environment in which they are accountable for their communications. School librarians in collaboration with classroom teachers can provide youth with learning experiences so they can explore, evaluate, and responsibly use Web-based information and tools.

As AASL notes, “Relying solely on filters does not teach young citizens how to be savvy searchers or how to evaluate the accuracy of information” (BWAD Background).

Update 10/8/21: COPPA Issues with Apps
A recent study has determined that “1 out of 5 Children’s Google Play Apps Breach Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rules” (Bischoff 2021). As we increase students’ agency in guiding their own learning, it is our responsibility to ensure that we help them and their families protect their privacy. Knowing the COPPA rules and ensuring the resources we point students to is one way keep them safe online. Teaching students the importance of and how to protect their online privacy is another.

What are you doing in your school to recognize BWAD? How are you helping young people (and their families) learn to protect their privacy online?

Works Cited

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). “Banned Websites Awareness Day.” ALA.org. http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/bwad. Accessed September 21, 2016.

American Association of School Librarians. “Banned Websites Awareness Day Background.” ALA.org. http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/bwad/background. Accessed September 21, 2016.

Bischoff, Paul. 2021. “1 out of 5 Children’s Google Play Apps Breach Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rules.” Comparitech, June 22. Available at https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/app-coppa-study/. Accessed October 8, 2021.

Federal Communications Commission. “Children’s Internet Protection Act.” FCC.org. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act. Accessed September 21, 2016.

Image courtesy of AASL

TASL Talks

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Judi Moreillon

A number of state-level school librarian associations host blogs to share information with their membership and to promote the work of their members. The Texas Association of School Librarians (TASL) publishes such a blog and pushes it out to members and prospective members via a statewide distribution list as well as through social media channels.

TASL Talks: Legislative and Advocacy for YOU is managed by the TxASL Legislative and Advocacy Committee with “the goal of forwarding to TASL membership and school librarians across Texas useful information about school library advocacy.”

Three members of the committee, Dorcas Hand (@handdtx), Becky Calzada (@becalzada), and Susi Grissom (@SusiGrissom), facilitate the blog. In addition to their own posts, they invite and support other TASL members in posting to the blog.

Last week’s post was by Amy Marquez (@Amy_DZ1), school librarian at Marcia R. Garza Elementary in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District in San Juan, Texas. Amy shared how a “living history museum” project responded to a request from her principal and met the needs of students. When Amy’s principal mentioned the idea of 3rd through 5th-grade students dressing up as historical figures for Halloween, Amy expanded on this idea to include students conducting research using an online database. Amy accomplished the “living history museum” project in a 30-minute per week fixed-schedule environment.

Crowdsourcing a blog is one way to ensure that fresh ideas are shared and new voices are heard. Bravo to the TASL Talks: Legislative and Advocacy for YOU leadership for making this resource effective and a constant source of professional development for TASL members and others.

TASL logo used with permission

School Library Blogs

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Judi Moreillon

This month, the Building a Culture of Collaboration (BACC) co-bloggers are sharing information about school library and librarian blogs. Each of us will spotlight various blogs and bloggers and share why we think these sites are useful resources for school librarians.

Each year, Edublogs-hosted blogs in various categories are nominated for the “eddies.” (Note: BACC is hosted by Edublogs.) “The purpose of the Edublog awards is to promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media. The best aspects include that it creates a fabulous resource for educators to use for ideas on how social media is used in different contexts, with a range of different learners. It introduces us all to new sites that we might not have found if not for the awards process.”

Congratulations to Katie Dolan and Kathy Counterman, two Texas school librarians, whose sites earned #15eddies in the “best library blog” category.

Katie Dolan is the school librarian at James Randolph Elementary (JRE) School library in the Katie Independent School District. Katie and her library program earned the top award for the best library blog. Edna Mae Fielder Elementary School Librarian Kathy Counterman, also from Katy ISD, earned the third-place best library blog award.

School librarians use their library blogs for many purposes, including promoting books, reading, and literacy events, publishing student work as well as educators’ lessons, and interacting with students, classroom teachers, administrators, parents, and the community at-large. School librarians can analyze the content of these two bloggers’ sites to get ideas to implement in their own teaching, to lively up their own library blogs, or to get ideas for starting a school library blog in 2016.

#15eddies graphic used with permission

The School Librarian’s Digital Tool Box

Posted on November 10, 2015 by lucysantosgreen

Hello Everyone! I am glad to be back on the blog. I’d like to thank my amazing colleague, Dr. Stephanie Jones, for blogging while I was visiting school libraries in Northwest Brazil. I look forward to sharing more about that experience with you all at a later date.

Like Judi, Stephanie and I also presented a half-day workshop at this year’s AASL 2015 Conference: Three Must-Have Tools for the School Librarian’s Digital Leadership Toolbox. Also like Judi, I too firmly believe in the importance of the school librarian’s role as instructional partner. As instructional partners, school librarians are responsible for becoming familiar with a broader amount of curriculum – not just the content itself, but how this content is taught vertically throughout the different grade levels. Any school librarian will tell you that this is a humongous undertaking!

It is important that we harness tools that help us to keep abreast of resources that can help improve our instructional partnering capabilities. This is what “smooshing” together Weebly, Twitter and Rebelmouse is all about. Combined, these tools help school librarians create a visually organized and categorized collection of instructional materials, feeds, professional development opportunities, community groups etc. and etc.

The best part is that these tools provide tangible evidence of a school librarian’s instructional planning process – a necessary step in explaining and advocating for this vital role to administrators, classroom teachers, students and parents.

Please visit the Hackpad of Resources we created to learn more! Simply x-out of the login box. There is no need to set up an account to explore the links we shared.

Celebrating Literacy-Globally and Locally

Posted on October 26, 2015 by jelkaplan

The walls of the Orchard School Library Media Center faded away last week as young learners from South Burlington, Vermont met with friends in several elementary schools across the country via Skype and Google Hangout. As participants in the Global Read Aloud project, readers throughout the United States and beyond read and discuss books both synchronously and asynchronously for six weeks beginning in October. Educators who jump into the Global Read Aloud are encouraged to find creative ways to incorporate the joys of shared reading both locally and globally.

Through the GRA website and wiki, teachers and librarians can collaborate with each other and their classrooms through Twitter, Edmodo, Skype, Kidblog, and other social media sites. The project began in 2010 with a Wisconsin educator, Pernille Ripp, who envisioned a read aloud that would connect kids and books beyond the classroom. The program has grown exponentially, from 150 in 2010 to over 300,000 student participants from over 60 countries in 2014. The GRA 2015 has kicked off with four middle grade titles for discussion this year, and an author study for the picture book crowd.

Listen to Pernille explain the purpose and goals for Global Read Aloud in this short video in the GPR wiki: http://globalreadaloud.wikispaces.com/
Be sure to look at the extensive resources that are included on that site and also the home website for the GRA. http://theglobalreadaloud.com/

GRA in Action at Orchard

At Orchard School, the library media specialist, Donna Sullivan-Macdonald also wears the tech integrationist hat, and the school library program is an active hub of learning and literacy that connects the school to the world beyond. The Global Read Aloud Project is high on Donna’s list of real world connections. She has participated in the GRA since 2011 with one class of fifth graders, and this year the project includes all twenty classes, kindergarten through fifth grade. Each class is paired with a class in another state, and the students have had fun getting to know one another through Mystery Skypes, Google Hangouts, sharing Padlets, writing and responding to blog posts, tweeting, taking surveys, and exchanging emails. To get a flavor of how the connections work, Donna tells about using the 2015 GRA with some of her students:

“For the Amy Krause Rosenthal picture book author study, kindergarten and first graders heard the first book in the project, Chopsticks, and then learned to use the tool. We’re now creating a shared book of pictures of students eating with chopsticks with some new friends in the state of Georgia.”

When I visited last week, Donna read another book by Rosenthal, It’s Not Fair, to a class of second graders, and explored concepts about fairness and taking turns by arranging for two activities for the class. The object was to make sure that all had equal time for the activities. Fifteen minutes before the end of the class time, the students got together via Hangout with their buddy class in Indiana to discuss the book and ideas about fairness. It was amazing to see the Orchard students actually having an interactive discussion with kids miles and miles away.

Local Connections

Connecting reading to the world is not limited to just the Global Read Aloud at Orchard School. Another ongoing project is a Food Drive that has been inspired by Katherine Applegate’s newest book, Crenshaw. The author of The One and Only Ivan has provided much food for thought for her reading fans. The topic of homelessness is sensitively addressed, and readers can make connections with real world problems and can learn to make a difference. The publisher has launched a program #crenshawfooddrive that invites independent bookstores to raise awareness about childhood hunger based on ideas from Applegate’s book. Crenshaw is imaginary. Childhood hunger isn’t. Help us feed families in need. http://www.mackidsbooks.com/crenshaw/fooddrive.html

In August, Donna contacted Phoenix Books in Burlington and suggested that they could work as partners to contribute to the food drive for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.

Donna explains how Crenshaw sparked a study of childhood hunger at Orchard School:

“The fifth grade teachers read Crenshaw as their first read aloud this school year. In the library, we researched childhood hunger and presented this information on posters, created in both in the makerspace and on the computer. Students also created a slide show on childhood hunger and ran a whole school morning meeting introducing the food drive to the school. There were speakers from both Phoenix Books and the Chittenden Food Shelf. No teachers spoke. It was student driven. Heading into the final week, we’re at 819 items donated!

Back to Crenshaw, many 2nd through 4th grade teachers have since read the book to their classes. I have used Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s message about random acts of kindness in my discussions with K-3 students who are reading her books.

On Friday, after reporting final totals to the school at morning meeting, one fifth grade class will load all of our donations on a bus and we’ll head to the food shelf for a tour and a weighing of all the donated food.

It’s heartwarming to witness the kindness and empathy shown by young children through participation in this project.

Although not formally a part of GRA, the food drive has fit in nicely.”

For Donna, and the many other talented teacher librarians and educators in our schools, celebrating literacy is an everyday joy that is embedded within the fabric of a culture of collaboration that makes a school a vibrant and caring place for our students and our colleagues.

Thank you Donna for sharing your enthusiasm and energy, and thank you to your students who are making a difference locally and globally!

Resources:

Applegate, Katherine. Crenshaw. New York: Harpercollins, 2015.

Kaplan, Judith. “Donna Sullivan-Macdonald.“ Personal Interview and email correspondence. 20 Oct. 2015.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/dsmacdonald

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/donna-macdonald/35/723/416

Orchard School Library Media Center, 2 Baldwin Ave. So. Burlington, VT 05403 Web. Oct. 25, 2015.<http://library.sbsd.orchard.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=771938>.

Ripp, Pernille. “Home.” GlobalReadAloud. Wikispaces, 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015. <http://globalreadaloud.wikispaces.com/>.

Images: Judy Kaplan Collection

October Connections…

Posted on October 28, 2014 by jelkaplan

Segueing from Melissa’s recent post about tips for becoming a connected teacher librarian, I have a few examples of collaboration that demonstrate a shift from the individual (library) classroom to the global stage. This shift is possible due to the willingness for educators to share best practices for effective teaching and learning through social media, as we have continued to highlight in this blog.

According to Tom Whitby, in a post on Edutopia in early October 2014, connectedness begins with collaboration. “The idea of collaboration requires a mindset of believing there is room to learn and grow. It is also a belief that we are smarter collectively than individually.” Technology has made collaboration much easier than in the past, and “a teacher who benefits from collaboration tends to appreciate its effect, and will use it in his or her own methodology.”

One of the core beliefs that Whitby uses to describe the connected educator, really resonates with me. “A relevant educator is willing to explore, question, elaborate, and advance ideas through connections with other educators.” Every day, when I check my Twitter, Feedly, or Google+ feeds, I am amazed at the exchange of ideas in the global and local school library network. It is like a fire hose, so I have to sort through and choose that which I need, and save others for future reference in my Diigo files-with just a click of the mouse, or a tap on the smartphone or tablet.

Here are just a few of the many “relevant” opportunities to explore, question,and elaborate ideas that I have appreciated in October through my social media/real world:

Connected Librarian Day, October 7: Hosted by the Library 2.0 website, an international gathering of librarians, educators, and library supporters took place in a virtual environment. If you did not have time to tune in, not to fear, recordings of all the sessions are available, along with links to other resources. Many speakers are shining stars in the school library field, so have a listen, learn, and leave a comment.

AASL Fall Forum Oct. 17-18: School Librarians in the Anywhere, Anytime Landscape. To get an idea of how ideas were explored, take a look at the AASL Blog and the SLM Blog for several posts from different points of view. It was an ambitious task to collaborate via teleconferencing between sites around the United States. Lots of great reviews for Best Websites 2014. Read the blogs and follow the links to see some of the unique ways ideas were shared, both face to face and virtually. Twitter Hashtag #aasl14.

School Library Journal Summit 2014 Oct. 25 & 26: Fire It Up! Sparking Creativity & Motivating Students. If you could not make it, Joyce Valenza has shared some of the key takeaways in her blog, The Neverending Search. Also, Shelley Diaz ( SLJ Reviews Editor) has links to resources and presentations, Scenes and Resources From the Summit. It’s so great to share!

Buffy Hamilton, The Unquiet Librarian, has been sharing her collaborative journey with a co-teacher in her blog. Throughout the month of October, she has been posting the step by step lessons that she and her colleague are using with high school students to introduce them to the inquiry and research process. Photos, videos, and sample strategies for self selecting and narrowing topics are explored. Buffy’s honest reflection of the successes and challenges of each day’s tasks are well developed and we can all learn from their collaborative expertise. Each time she posts, I am excited to see what happens next-sort of like being a fly on the wall!

I know that there have been many other events that get the brain juices flowing in October, and I’d like to hear from you about an event or a learning opportunity that you have enjoyed recently-in any dimension. How about sharing some ideas here? Leave a comment, I‘d love to learn more!

Resources:

AASL Fall Forum, American Library Association, Oct 17, 2014. (Website) http://www.ala.org/aasl/conferences/fall-forum (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

“Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2014.” American Association of School Librarians. (Website) http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/best-websites/2014#media (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Brennan, Lindsay. “AASL Fall Forum-First-time Attendee Reports,” AASL Blog. (Web log) October 17, 2014. http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/?p=5114 (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

“Connected Librarian Day, Oct. 7, 2014.” Library 2.0 (Website) http://www.library20.com/page/connected-librarian-day (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Diaz, Shelley. Scenes and Resources From the Summit,” School Library Journal. (Website) http://www.slj.com/2014/10/resources/scenes-and-resources-from-the-summit-slj-summit-2014/ (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Hamilton, Buffy. “Inquiring with Students: What Do or Can ‘Good’ Research Projects Look Like?” Unquiet Librarian. (Weblog) Sept. 29, 2014. http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/inquiring-with-students-what-do-or-can-good-research-projects-look-like/ (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Morris, Rebecca. “AASL Fall Forum,” School Library Monthly Blog. (Web log) Oct. 18, 2014. http://blog.schoollibrarymedia.com/index.php/2014/10/18/aasl-fall-forum/ (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

“SLJ Leadership Summit Fire it Up: Sparking Creativity and Motivating Students, Oct. 25 & 26, 2014.“ School Library Journal. (Website) http://www.slj.com/leadership-summit/ (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Valenza, Joyce. “Live From the Summit,” The Neverending Search. (Web log) Oct. 25, 2014. http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2014/10/25/live-from-the-summit/ (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Whitby, Tom. “The Connected Educator: It Begins with Collaboration,” Edutopia. (Weblog) October 1, 2014. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/connected-educator-begins-with-collaboration-tom-whitby (Accessed Oct. 27, 2014)

Image: Judith Kaplan Collection

Shaking Things Up

Posted on December 23, 2013 by mpjohnston

So as I was reading Judy’s recent post on assessment I also saw this article pop up on my ScoopIt dashboard- Interactive Assessment for Learning. This article describes a great idea that focuses on assessing one of the Common Core ELA Standards where students are required to use evidence from text to support their own assertions.

This teacher took a new approach to her teaching to integrate more technology in to her instruction and to her assessment as well. I love to see this type of thinking where this teacher identified a standard that her students struggled with year after year, despite repeated instruction – so she decided it was time to change things up.

As I reflect back on the instruction and assessments my students designed this past semester in my Instructional Role of the School Librarian course I am excited to see the engaging lessons and creative formative and summative assessments they came up with. Additionally their thoughtful reflections on how they could even make it better the next time they taught it was inspiring.

I believe all too often in teaching we settle into the way things have always been done. So as we reach the end of another year I always find it a good time for thinking back on what I have been teaching and to reflect – what’s been working, what hasn’t, and how can I shake things up to benefit our students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68vm-y1IzYQ

Assessment Toolbox

Posted on December 19, 2013 by jelkaplan

What’s in your assessment toolbox? As a collaborating co-teacher, or instructor in your own library classroom, you need a variety of assessment tools that measure critical thinking and comprehension, as well as knowledge and performance. So many assessments, so many choices-how do you pick the right one? Formative and summative assessments range from simple to complex, and depend on the goals for the activity or unit and the age/level of the student. Good assessment tools inform the teacher and the student about progress. Teaching and learning can be adjusted according to results of assessments. They are essential elements for effective instruction. So with that said, do you have some favorite ways to evaluate learning? Would you like to find new ideas that are quick and easy? What are some technology apps that bring a creative twist to the tried and true?

Here are a few links to explore that might give you some new tools for your toolbox:

Jennifer LaGarde’s “Adventures of Library Girl” blog (Dec. 3, 2012) has a compendium of digital tools for using for assessment: http://www.librarygirl.net/2012/12/library-girls-picks-best-digital-tools.html

Kathy Schrock’s website-not to be missed-many examples of rubric and assessments: http://www.schrockguide.net/assessment-and-rubrics.html

West Virginia Department of Education website, page on formative assessment: http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ExamplesofFormativeAssessment.html

Do you have other suggestions to add to the list? Share them here!

(Image: clkr.com)

Collaborating for Technology Integration

Posted on November 25, 2013 by mpjohnston

Recently I was reading one of the many blogs I read on a weekly basis and I saw this post on Edudemic (which is btw one of my favorites) reporting results from a study on how teachers love educational technology, but they still aren’t using it. This is one of the premises of my own research – that the school librarian is just the person to help out with this problem, so I was immediately interested. You can see the entire post here.

This quote from an elementary school teacher really resonated with me: “Teachers have so much stuff to do in a limited amount of time. If there was a resource available that would do some of the research leg-work that would be wonderful.” There is also additional data how teachers just do not have the time to look for and evaluate resources.

Well you do have a resource available to you (unless they have been eliminated, which is a whole other issue) to do the research leg-work – it is your school librarian!

I again see this as a great opportunity for school librarians to step up as technology leaders in their schools to address the needs of teachers. It is part of the job of the school librarian to stay current on new technologies and how to use them effectively in teaching and learning.

As I listened to presentations at the AASL Conference I heard many ways that some school librarians are working with teachers to integrate technology, yet it seems that many are not. So here are a couple of quick links from the conference to get you on your way to being this resource in your school:

AASL Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2013

AASL Best Apps for Teaching and Learning 2013

STEM + Inquiry=Collaboration

Posted on August 26, 2013 by jelkaplan

Sue Kimmel posted recently about finding ways to connect and collaborate with teachers using the Common Core Math Standards and literacy. This week I want to encourage reaching out to make connections around science initiatives, too, by looking at citizen science.

Citizen scientists ignite a passion for science and inquiry through participation in authentic projects that actively make a difference in scientific knowledge on large and small scales. With the current emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in many school districts across the nation, the citizen scientist collaborative model for collective inquiry, gathering and analyzing data, and problem solving can be used to generate enthusiasm and curiosity in science classrooms.

Here is an opportunity for teacher librarians to become acquainted with the Common Core ELA Science Standards 6-12, and the Next Generation Science Standards, and to bring some fresh ideas and resources for developing curriculum units with other classroom teachers.

As an instructional partner, and co-teacher, we have to continue to build our teaching toolkit with pedagogy and content knowledge. For students to become citizen scientists in their schools and communities, teacher librarians and teachers collaborate to design meaningful learning opportunities that engage curious minds, require action and reflection, and help solve real world problems. Or, you could also get your students interested in a citizen science club that could have a physical and virtual presence in your library media center!

What is “citizen science?” you might ask. How does technology play role in the collective capacity of amateur scientists all over the world, or in your own community? How can you develop a unit of study that replicates or enjoins some of the authentic work that is done by citizen scientists?

Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling with both teachers and students:

Recommended reading:

Citizen Scientists by Loree Griffin Burns presents an approachable overview about the impact of citizen science for young people. It’s a great introduction to some of the current projects around the world and shows how global citizenship is enhanced by making connections and contributions by individuals. As an example of narrative non-fiction, is can also serve as a model for Common Core Reading and Writing Standards.

Edutopia website has a couple of related blog posts:

Eris Brunsell, Assistant Professor of Science Education at University of Wisconsin, explains what citizen science can do to fire up science inquiry in his post, “A Primer on Citizen Science.” (Oct 13, 2010). http://www.edutopia.org/blog/citizen-science-eric-brunsell

Mark Phillips, an education blogger and teacher posted, “Teaching and the Environmental Crisis: Resources and Models ,” (April 17, 2013). It offers examples of how teachers have incorporated citizen science into their science curriculum. There are live links to follow. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-environmental-crisis-resources-models-mark-phillips

Youtube videos that present examples of authentic science inquiry:

“This Thing Called Science Part 6: Citizen Science,” quick 3 minute overview of the history of science that holds a few surprises. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6eN3Pll4U8

“Digital Fishing on Citizen Science Cruise,” shares the educational program of the Crystal Cove Alliance in Newport Beach (CA) that immerses Students in the science of marine protected area management.http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=u6m2tqZMD3s

“Technology creates Citizen Scientists” relates the critical role that technology plays in allowing citizen scientists to help solve real world problems at local and global levels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hhecI0p5k

Websites:

“Scientific American: Citizen Science” has links to a wide variety of ongoing projects that are open for citizen scientist participation. Some looks to be adaptable for all ages of students. http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/

“Scistarter: Science We Can Do Together” offers many projects and ideas for scientific inquiry and citizen scientists. http://www.scistarter.com/

Calling All Citizen Scientists!

I’m sure there are many opportunities in your local school and community for getting your student citizen scientists involved in helping to solve problems. Catch the STEM wave that is a natural fit for your library program!

References:

Burns, Loree Griffin (2012). Citizen scientists. NY: Square Fish. http://us.macmillan.com/citizenscientists/LoreeGriffinBurns

Brunsell, Eric. (2010). A primer on citizen science. Edutopia (2010, Oct.13). Weblog. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/citizen-science-eric-brunsell. .

Common core Initiative: English Language Arts: Science and Technical Standards (2011). Website. Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RST/9-10. .

Digital fishing on citizen science cruise. (2012, Sep. 25) Newport Beach, CA: Crystal Cove Alliance. Video. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6m2tqZMD3s.

Next Generation Science Standards. (2013). Website. Retrieved from: http://www.nextgenscience.org/.

Phillips, Mark. (2013, April 17). Teaching and the environmental crisis: resources and models. Edutopia . Weblog. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-environmental-crisis-resources-models-mark-phillips.

Scientific American: Citizen Science. Website. Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/.

Scistarter. Website. Retrieved from: http://www.scistarter.com/.

Technology creates Citizen Scientists. (2012, Aug. 16) California Academy of Science. Video. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hhecI0p5k.

This thing called science part 6: Citizen science. (2013, May 23). TechNyouvids. Video. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6eN3Pll4U8.

Microsift clipart.

School Librarian Leadership

Building Connections for Learning and Advocacy

Category Archives: Technology