Time flies . . . THEORY -vs- PRACTICE

My apologies to my fellow bloggers ---- I have not given you very much to chew on lately. Currently I am in the library at Canarsie High School, getting a bird's eye view of a world that is eons away from what I work in back at P. S. 160. First, there are 31,000 books here -- it resembles an academic library far more than a school library. Having said that, it is very warm and welcoming to students. Kids come by every period to say hello to the librarian and "hang out" with their favorite genre (usually comics, cars, computer games--it's ok with the librarian to play because she doesn't consider it her job to police them).

As far as technology goes, not much here but the computers. No smart board, no television, no VCR . . .

The library is automated with the Mandarin system, for circulation and inventory. I've spent some time entering books into the catalog --- via the Library of Congress.

I'm observing and seeing the differences between theory and practice. Last week an economics class came in to research issues on social security, minimum wage and the Great Depression. The teacher stood in the middle of the library, read out a list of 7 or so questions, and told the kids to GOOGLE each topic and look for the answers. In addition, he nodded toward us (there are 3 interns) and said that the librarians would be happy to help us find print material. That's it.

My supervising librarian (who is an absolutly brilliant woman who is leaving this post at the end of the summer to take on a position at a juvenile detention center in the Bronx) was available to assist students, but she did not address the class as a whole.

I couldn't help but think that having known what they were going to research in advance would have made their time more worthwhile. As it was, I looked for some existing webquests on the Great Depresssion and the other topics. It was playing catch-up and turn up some resources, not many.

These high school students only knew GOOGLE, or ask.com, or to type in the whole question in the search box. I'm cosidering working on a series of lessons on webskills for my practicum. I'd love to see students come in with more of a clue regarding research. That is where this high school IS like my elementary school: these digital natives may be comfortable with their digital birthright, but they have been given so much more than they know -- funny that it will be the digital immigrants that lead them on . . .

I could do that!

In keeping with our theme of "there is no such thing as a free lunch", Bookshare is a great idea, but it is not free. As I recall, each book cost about $10 to download. This is a wonderful service for impaired readers everywhere, but it is not a service I could use in my library. I could, however, start something like this by recording books and making them available as an audio file, or a podcast (definitely the technological flavor of the month).

As with catalog shopping, I find that as I review different web based services, I may not be able to afford them, but they give me an idea for a new program or service I could offer with some ingenuity and adaptation.

Similarly, I have been hungry to produce a "reading rainbow" type program with my students reviewing the books. It's so easy to do ---- has anyone else tried?

Think before you click!

One of the downsides of the clicker technology is the cost. From what I read, it's a few thousand dollars for a college seminar class (200 clickers and the software). Colleges often pass the cost of the individual clicker onto the students (of course). I think it would be fabulous if some of us banded together and wrote a grant for a demonstration project in our schools. For a article of 7 things you need to know about clickers, just "click" here.

Podcasting anyone?

I just viewed the suggested Weekend Project show where I observed the step by step guide to producing a podcast. I know I should wait until I am in a different frame of mind, but given the way the week looks, here goes! I've reached my saturation point regarding technology for a while. I can absolutely see the application of podcasts in the classroom and the library. I foresee students and faculty alike, coming to the library for assistance in locating podcasts of their choice. I'm just a bit overcooked on the whole idea.

Having said this, the Weekend Project show was very simple to follow. The announcer gave clear steps and took time to explain things without too much jargon. It was tedious, however, to view and review the cnet and jeep ads . . . boy, I am grumpy, aren't I?

It's a beautiful day, here in Holliswood and I spent most of it in front of a laptop getting some technology work out of the way before the new class this weekend. So, that explains it! It's time to say goodbye to this virtual world for a bit, and enjoy the July 4th celebrations. I hope yours are REAL! I'm looking forward to seeing you all in Manhattan on Saturday!

Technology in Education Web Site -- 1:1 computing lessons learned

Just a quick aside to let you know about a US government site that has lots to offer in general, and a paper on 1:1 computing that summarizes the issue, and offers suggestions for those of us who are trying to implement similar programs at our schools. It's the Technology in Education Resource Center. In particular, take a look at Lessons Learned by Providing Laptops for All Students.

"And the Survey Says . . . "

Welcome to the second half of the course and our new blogging topics! Mine is CLICKERS: hand held devices that students use to transmit comments on a class, or answers to questions posed by their teacher. It's the classroom equivalent of the game show audience polling devices we've seen on television for a number of years. To get started you may want to take a quick look at the ALA's short missive on the use (and abuse) of clickers by clicking here!