Sassy Stacks: A blog for school librarians

Courtesy of Eduporium  https://www.eduporium.com/blog/eduporium-weekly-ar-and-vr-in-education/ In the last several years, augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) has grown in popularity. What is AR and VR anyways? I must admit, I didn’t know the difference. According to Jan Snelling (2022), “Augmented reality (AR) layers and enhances reality. Think using your phone camera to translate a foreign language. Virtual reality (VR) creates its own reality that is disconnected form the real world.” This would be seeing a new space apart from the one you currently exist in with a device like a headset or phone. Now, it’s important to note that these tools are not inclusively to entertain users! We can harness the power of these technologies to create dynamic learning environments. Research findings indicate that “VR or AR…must be seen as valid additions to the toolkit that may be used by libraries to engage its audience” and “such tools encourage higher levels of information literacy” (Ma...

  https://yoursay.mvcc.vic.gov.au/libraries-makerspace/widgets/368472/faqs This post is, you guessed it, all about makerspace resources in the library and classrooms. I don’t have any first-hand experience with makerspaces myself, so I did some research to find a fellow blogger and media specialist leading the way in makerspaces. To my delight, I discovered Diana Rendina’s blog Renovated Learning: Building a Culture of Creativity + Discovery in Education! I simply cannot say enough positive things about this blog.   http://www.renovatedlearning.com/blog/ Diana has been a librarian for over a decade, has been working to transform learning with makerspaces since 2014, and has even written two books on transforming and designing library spaces and culture. This woman has quite the resume and her website is no less impressive. She describes her passion and process as “redesigning the physical learning space…through a cultivation of a participatory learning environment and cu...

While most people are familiar with the term cyberbullying and would agree it is unfortunate and unwanted, it seems few people grasp its impact and prevalence in our society. Before I did my own research on the topic, I must admit I didn't know the severity of the issue, nor was I aware there are legal consequences for students found guilty of cyberbullying! For those interested in South Carolina laws specifically, I recommend  www.stopbullying.gov .  So, what is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is defined by Dr. Sameer Hinduja and Dr. Justin Patchin (2022) as the "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices" (p.2). In other words, a student is participating in cyberbullying when he or she uses technology repeatedly as a way to abuse, harass, threaten, and/or humiliate a targeted individual (or individuals).  I think some people associate the word "bully" with grubby little kid squabbles on the element...

Top 12 Most Popular Social Media Sites in 2023 https://www.reviewsxp.com/blog/best-social-media-sites/ Howdy! Many of us recognize that social media has a tremendous effect on everyone now a days. Students, colleagues, parents, administration, and stakeholders alike are likely all on at least one social media platform for various reasons. And librarians can strategically use this to their advantage.  As J. Wilson (2017) points out, "our [librarians] impact isn't always apparent, and our roles are frequently questioned" (p. 16). But, we can display the media center's impact and increase visibility via social media! In addition, using social media in our school programs creates a learning experience that is more authentic and relevant to students lives (Jenson, 2019). I would also argue creating a consistent social media brand for your school goes a long way in constructing a healthy school culture - the media reflects the community culture and the media influences the ...

SPECIAL NOTE : I am working with Blogger to correct a problem with adding links to the published blog. Currently, the links imbedded in the blog aren't showing up in the public version. Therefore, for now, I have added the list of addresses at the bottom of the page that you can copy and paste into your browser.  Once the problem is corrected, I will re-publish. I apologize for the inconvenience.  https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/reach-all-learners-with-googles-accessibility-tools-suls049/ To piggy back off of last week's post, this week I'm going to talk about accessibility and adaptive technology resources.  "Assistive Technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program or product system that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of people living with disabilities" (School of Medicine Columbia, University of South Carolina, n.d.).  In last weeks post I mentioned how Chromebooks are built wit...

Howdy! Chromebooks have become a humongous aspect of daily classroom functions for a massive amount of students across the nation; therefore, this week I am focusing on some of the ways Chromebooks may effect teaching and learning using the R.A.T model of evaluation.  First, let's begin with what is the R.A.T. model? Dr. Joan Hughes (2019) developed R.A.T. as a method to judge how a piece of technology influences instruction, learning, and curriculum. R stands for Replacement, A stands for Amplification, and T stands for Transformation. In short, Replacement is the technology's ability to replace another object that might ordinarily be used in the classroom. Amplification is the degree to which the technology can amplify, or increase the effectiveness or productivity, of teaching and learning activities. Lastly, Hughes (2019) describes Transformation as the extent in which technology has created new ways of instructing students, involves new ways students can learn and interact...

Hello, all! Today I’m sharing an amazing website and blog I recently discovered.   It’s called TeachersFirst !   Tech Notes. https://blog.tcea.org/teachersfirst-resources-source-for-learning/ What I love about this resource is it is designed by teachers for teachers, and it contains a substantial collection of lesson plan ideas and tech tools librarians and teachers can easily integrate into curriculum. The ability for librarians to integrate “technology into the curricular areas… based on their knowledge of pedagogical principles and school curriculum, along with their technology expertise and collaborative experience” can allow librarians to serve as “leaders and valuable assets to their schools” (Johnson, 2012, p.3). Leadership, in the form of sharing useful tools to enhance relevant student learning, is a significant part of the American Association of School Librarians (2009) guidelines, and “collaboration with teachers is required in order to create authentic opportunit...