After reading a recent School Library Journal article (http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/888611-427/we_interrupt_this_program_media.html.csp), the author, Douglas Rushkoff, brought up an interesting point. In the United States, we simply teach kids how to use them for specific tasks, such as writing. In other countries, students are taught not only to use them, but also how to program them. This is an important skill because that will enable them to further develop technology and programs, while, in the meantime, we will simply master the current technology until the next technology is developed, by another nation.
Rushkoff discusses meeting with military officials who expressed real concerns over the future of our military because of the lack of availability to program military technology. By not being able to program the technology ourselves, we become that much more reliant on other countries to do it for us. This is scary because it really makes us very dependent on the skills of others.
The idea of failing to train students the technical aspects of technology reminds me of how many school districts (my own included) absolutely fail to teach students who are interested in industrial technology and arts. We continue to treat almost everyone as though their only option is to go to college, despite the fact that many students would be more successful and happy to do more technical type jobs.
In short, the author accurately points out that we need to continue to develop our literacies in how things work and not just how to work things. If we continue to let others do the programming and technical work, we will constantly be behind in innovating new technologies and it will be just a matter of time before we fall behind fast both economically and militarily. We need to be sure that we are not simply allowing ourselves to fall behind without even making an earnest effort to keep up.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Privacy Issues
I was reading an article in the April edition of the School Library Journal recently about student privacy rights in regards to school libraries. I found it to be an interesting subject from my perspective as a history teacher and enlightening due to my lack of experience actually working in a library. To be honest, I had never really thought much about privacy issues beyond knowing that my school librarian has been a strong advocate for confidentiality of circulation records for students.
The law is relatively clear on privacy issues related to student circulation history: no state gives school officials a right to access a student's circulation records. I found this somewhat surprising because the Bill of Rights is most often applied quite narrowly to students and has been even more so since the Rhenquist Court in the 1980's and 1990's. Some states (15 in all) do allow parents or guardians to have access to their child's circulation records. I was actually pleasantly surprised that that number was not higher as well.
The article alluded to the fact that the internet and other technology have upped the ante somewhat regarding privacy issues. Because most districts have acceptable use policies, often student internet use is watched and sometimes recorded. Bearing that in mind, privacy is at a minimum. This does not mean that librarians should be less vigilant about protecting student privacy rights in the library though.
The article discussed a librarian in California who has created a class to teach students about how to be proactive in protecting their privacy by teaching them online basics such as internet safety and how to protect their online reputation. I think that this is a great idea and was the subject of the wiki that I helped create for this class (great minds think alike, I guess). It is critical that students understand that their online lives can help or hurt them down the road. I really liked her use of the term "digital footprint" with her students to demonstrate the tracks that they leave behind.
Another issue coming to the forefront is the issue of e-readers. I have not used one of these yet so I am pretty uninformed as to how they work; but, it appears that one challenge librarians face is protecting the privacy of users and the materials that they read through the e-reader. It seems if you have multiple e-readers and multiple books, the element of privacy should be able to be preserved. If your library had limited quantities, then it might be easier for people to figure out who had what.
The author offered some relatively simple and clear steps to preserve privacy and follow the ALA's Code of Ethics regarding privacy and confidentiality:
I think that it's important that librarians remain vigilant in protecting students' right to privacy. Teenagers in particular need to feel free to check out materials of use or interest without fear of being scrutinized by school officials, parents, or classmates. Adolescence can be such a rocky time for so many and I don't see anything that can be gained by allowing student privacy to be compromised.
The law is relatively clear on privacy issues related to student circulation history: no state gives school officials a right to access a student's circulation records. I found this somewhat surprising because the Bill of Rights is most often applied quite narrowly to students and has been even more so since the Rhenquist Court in the 1980's and 1990's. Some states (15 in all) do allow parents or guardians to have access to their child's circulation records. I was actually pleasantly surprised that that number was not higher as well.
The article alluded to the fact that the internet and other technology have upped the ante somewhat regarding privacy issues. Because most districts have acceptable use policies, often student internet use is watched and sometimes recorded. Bearing that in mind, privacy is at a minimum. This does not mean that librarians should be less vigilant about protecting student privacy rights in the library though.
The article discussed a librarian in California who has created a class to teach students about how to be proactive in protecting their privacy by teaching them online basics such as internet safety and how to protect their online reputation. I think that this is a great idea and was the subject of the wiki that I helped create for this class (great minds think alike, I guess). It is critical that students understand that their online lives can help or hurt them down the road. I really liked her use of the term "digital footprint" with her students to demonstrate the tracks that they leave behind.
Another issue coming to the forefront is the issue of e-readers. I have not used one of these yet so I am pretty uninformed as to how they work; but, it appears that one challenge librarians face is protecting the privacy of users and the materials that they read through the e-reader. It seems if you have multiple e-readers and multiple books, the element of privacy should be able to be preserved. If your library had limited quantities, then it might be easier for people to figure out who had what.
The author offered some relatively simple and clear steps to preserve privacy and follow the ALA's Code of Ethics regarding privacy and confidentiality:
• Talk to your principal about student privacy in the library and how to resolve various types of record requests in adherence to state and federal laws.
• Request that your board of education adopt a privacy policy stating who can access library patron records and the circumstances under which they may be released.
• Conduct a privacy audit to determine what student data you’ve collected, stored, shared, and used—and then determine what records should be purged.
• Develop a library records retention policy that includes a records-removal schedule and conscientiously maintain it.
• Be proactive and educate administrators, teachers, and all persons working in the library about the need to keep student library records confidential.
• Create and retain as few student library records as possible.
• Set library automation software to automatically delete students’ circulation history.
• Password protect circulation records and provide different levels of access for the adult library staff, students, and volunteers.
• Fold and staple overdue notices so that only the student’s name—and not the book’s title—is visible.
• Make sure that students’ reference questions, reserve and interlibrary loan requests, and the types of books they check out are kept confidential.
• Don’t label and arrange library books by reading levels (a common practice in some schools that use Accelerated Reader) so that students can observe their classmates’ reading levels.
• Teach students how to protect their privacy and to respect the privacy of others.
• Encourage parents to speak directly with their children about their reading choices and what they’ve checked out from the school library.
(http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/889643-427/the_privacy_problem_although_school.html.csp)I think that it's important that librarians remain vigilant in protecting students' right to privacy. Teenagers in particular need to feel free to check out materials of use or interest without fear of being scrutinized by school officials, parents, or classmates. Adolescence can be such a rocky time for so many and I don't see anything that can be gained by allowing student privacy to be compromised.
Becoming More Media Literature While Working on Other Skills
The drama unit I teach my English II Honors involves reading Antigone and Taming of the Shrew, two classic texts very entrenched in the time period in which they were written. The culture of both of these eras is fascinating and also very well reflected in the texts themselves. There is so much historical information I could cover here, but it would mean a lot of lecturing on my part. Instead, I break the history down into 24 topics (12 about Ancient Greece and 12 about the Elizabethan era). The students work in partners or alone (their choice) with one of these 24 topics, and they must do the research, decide what’s most interesting/relevant, and present it to the class.
Last year, I had them do this project using Microsoft PowerPoint. Well, let me tell you that the students already know PowerPoint backwards and forwards. They have seen plenty of PowerPoints, and they have created plenty of PowerPoints. This just isn’t anything new for them.
With this in mind (inspired by this grad class’s discussions), this year, they had to think of a different way to present their information for this particular assignment. I showed them some options including Prezi, and it was up to them to figure out what they wanted to use and how it could best be used so long as they covered their important information and had MLA citations. I’m not going to lie: some of their technical frustrations seemed epic. However, I truly believe they grew through this assignment on more levels than my students last year. Working through the new technology forced them to work on those ever-important media literacy skills while working on research and presentation skills.
A flexible literacy
I taught my first high school class today - I was invited in to teach poetry on the narrative of immigration. And it was amazing! But something that really struck me while I was debriefing with the English teacher was how textual literacy is really about more than making literal sense of the words on the page or the words you're hearing. It's also about developing a flexibility - to accept that there are multiple meanings that can lay beneath the surface of a text. It was something that many of the students really struggled with - they wanted there to be a single RIGHT answer. We didn't talk very directly about applications of various understandings of literacies in more traditional settings - how we encourage a flexible sort of literacy as we help students develop more technical literacies skills.
The English teacher had assigned a final project for the students that challenged them to find the right medium in which to express an immigrant's personal experience (they are doing a group interview). That's an incredible kind of media flexibility that I really hope the students take advantage of that and create pieces that explore the ambiguous ways we communicate with each other.
The English teacher had assigned a final project for the students that challenged them to find the right medium in which to express an immigrant's personal experience (they are doing a group interview). That's an incredible kind of media flexibility that I really hope the students take advantage of that and create pieces that explore the ambiguous ways we communicate with each other.
Keeping up with Technology through Constant Budget Cuts
Recent articles I have been seeing over the past few months have prompted me to think a lot about this week’s BB Post on looking to the future of media literacy and technology. In my BB Post on this topic I discussed how one challenge I can see with emerging technology and media tools is simply trying to keep up and stay on top of the latest trends. New tools and tech trends are constantly emerging, and keeping up with the volume of tools, gadgets, programs, and so on is a tough task. How do we decide which trends are the best to focus on? Which will benefit our students and patrons the most? Which ones are worth putting our time and energy into? However, another challenge we are facing right now with media literacy and technology is where to get the funding to keep technology up to date and media literacy programs going.
On a weekly basis I see headlines stating that library budgets are being cut, that schools don’t have the funding to buy new materials for their libraries, or that school librarian positions are being cut. Just this morning I read an article about a school district in Portland Oregon that is letting go of 25 of their 50 school librarians in order to cut 26 million dollars from its budget. (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890421-312/beaverton__or_schools_may.html.csp)
With school districts and libraries struggling with budget issues around the country, how on earth are library professionals supposed to keep up with technology trends and make sure they are preparing their students for a more and more heavily media driven world? Media literacy is a top priority right now in school curriculums. It is imperative that schools are instructing their students in technology and media tools so that they will have the competencies needed to function in a professional world that is becoming more focused and reliant on technology and media. However, how are we supposed to accomplish this when we don’t have the funding, tools, or even professionals to pass on these skills and knowledge?
School Library Journal’s 2011 Technology Survey shows that while school librarians are positive about technology and the future, many admit that their schools are behind when it comes to technology. Obstacles such as “poor funding, lack of time, and unsupportive administrators,” are keeping them from staying on top of media literacy and technology. For instance, while ebooks in school libraries are growing, 63 % of librarians surveyed report that their libraries cannot afford ereader devices. The survey responses show that most school librarians are excited about ereaders and ebooks, and would love to try them out in their libraries, but they just do not have the funding to do so. With schools facing drastic budget cuts, library funds are one of the first to go. (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890197-312/sljs_2011_technology_survey_things.html.csp)
On March 3rd, 2011, Brian Kenney responded to the SLJ 2011 Tech Survey with an article stating that the survey “reveals vast inequities in our nation’s libraries.” (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890155-427/story.csp) In the survey some schools reported being “cutting edge” and “up to date” with technology, however, Kenney explains that these schools are “more the exception than the rule.” Kenney says the survey results pinpointed three major themes schools face in relation to technology and media literacy. The first is what he calls the “digital divide.” Many urban and rural schools do not have the funding to incorporate technology into their school, and very few of their students have access to computers and technology at home as well. Because of this students are not being exposed to technology, and most are not media literate. Kenney goes on to say that “the only federal program that helps alleviate some of this inequity, Improving Literacy Through School Libraries, won’t be funded in FY2011—for the first time in a decade.”
The second theme Kenney saw emerging from the survey is a “digital slide.” Schools in the digital slide have access to technology, but it is out of date, and due to funding issues may not be replaced for some time. Teachers in this category report that while their school was once up to date with technology and media literacy, budget cuts have kept them from keeping up with emerging tools and technology. These teachers explain that because the resources and tools they have are out of date, they are not able to use them for teaching.
The last theme Kenney discusses is the “digital tide.” This is when classrooms are technologically up to date and have the latest tools and programs, however the budget has not allowed the library to be updated as well. In the SLJ survey, many schools reported that any funding available is delegated to classroom use first, leaving the library with little money to work with. Because of this it is difficult for school libraries to meet media literacy standards.
Kenney states that “underfunding technology doesn’t make it harder for librarians to do their jobs—it makes it impossible.” When schools are not able to stay up to date with technology, they are not able to teach students information and media literacy skills, which are now heavily focused on learning standards across the country. The American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st-Century Learner are centered around technology, media, and information literacy. (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf) The AASL Standards state that “ technology skills are crucial for future employment needs. Today’s students need to develop information skills that will enable them to use technology as an important tool for learning, both now and in the future.” In addition, the AASL Standards stress that all students should have equitable access to information and information technology, however, as the SLJ survey points out, this is not happening. With budget cuts and funding issues students educational needs are not being met and curriculum standards are not being adhered to.
Why is it that when the budget gets rocky the library is the first thing to take a hit? As the AASL Standards point out, the School Library Media Center is where so many of todays curriculum standards should be addressed and met, so why are are school libraries lacking materials and tools, and why are our Media Specialist the first to be cut? If we want to make media and information literacy a priority, and want our students to be prepared for their future, we need to put more focus on school libraries and keeping them equiped and up to date to meet student needs. As we have discussed in class, technology isn’t going anywhere, if anything it is coming more rapidly than ever, so we need to prepare our school libraries and professionals in order to provide our students with the best opportunities we can.
Kenney, Brian. “SLJ’s 2011 Technology Survey: Things are Changing. Fast.” School Library Journal. May 1, 2011. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890197-427/sljs_2011_technology_survey_things.html.csp
Kenney, Brian. “Not Just the Lucky Ones.” School Library Journal. May 1, 2011.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890155-427/story.csp
American Association of School Librarians. “Standards for the 21st- Century Learner.”
On a weekly basis I see headlines stating that library budgets are being cut, that schools don’t have the funding to buy new materials for their libraries, or that school librarian positions are being cut. Just this morning I read an article about a school district in Portland Oregon that is letting go of 25 of their 50 school librarians in order to cut 26 million dollars from its budget. (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890421-312/beaverton__or_schools_may.html.csp)
With school districts and libraries struggling with budget issues around the country, how on earth are library professionals supposed to keep up with technology trends and make sure they are preparing their students for a more and more heavily media driven world? Media literacy is a top priority right now in school curriculums. It is imperative that schools are instructing their students in technology and media tools so that they will have the competencies needed to function in a professional world that is becoming more focused and reliant on technology and media. However, how are we supposed to accomplish this when we don’t have the funding, tools, or even professionals to pass on these skills and knowledge?
School Library Journal’s 2011 Technology Survey shows that while school librarians are positive about technology and the future, many admit that their schools are behind when it comes to technology. Obstacles such as “poor funding, lack of time, and unsupportive administrators,” are keeping them from staying on top of media literacy and technology. For instance, while ebooks in school libraries are growing, 63 % of librarians surveyed report that their libraries cannot afford ereader devices. The survey responses show that most school librarians are excited about ereaders and ebooks, and would love to try them out in their libraries, but they just do not have the funding to do so. With schools facing drastic budget cuts, library funds are one of the first to go. (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890197-312/sljs_2011_technology_survey_things.html.csp)
On March 3rd, 2011, Brian Kenney responded to the SLJ 2011 Tech Survey with an article stating that the survey “reveals vast inequities in our nation’s libraries.” (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890155-427/story.csp) In the survey some schools reported being “cutting edge” and “up to date” with technology, however, Kenney explains that these schools are “more the exception than the rule.” Kenney says the survey results pinpointed three major themes schools face in relation to technology and media literacy. The first is what he calls the “digital divide.” Many urban and rural schools do not have the funding to incorporate technology into their school, and very few of their students have access to computers and technology at home as well. Because of this students are not being exposed to technology, and most are not media literate. Kenney goes on to say that “the only federal program that helps alleviate some of this inequity, Improving Literacy Through School Libraries, won’t be funded in FY2011—for the first time in a decade.”
The second theme Kenney saw emerging from the survey is a “digital slide.” Schools in the digital slide have access to technology, but it is out of date, and due to funding issues may not be replaced for some time. Teachers in this category report that while their school was once up to date with technology and media literacy, budget cuts have kept them from keeping up with emerging tools and technology. These teachers explain that because the resources and tools they have are out of date, they are not able to use them for teaching.
The last theme Kenney discusses is the “digital tide.” This is when classrooms are technologically up to date and have the latest tools and programs, however the budget has not allowed the library to be updated as well. In the SLJ survey, many schools reported that any funding available is delegated to classroom use first, leaving the library with little money to work with. Because of this it is difficult for school libraries to meet media literacy standards.
Kenney states that “underfunding technology doesn’t make it harder for librarians to do their jobs—it makes it impossible.” When schools are not able to stay up to date with technology, they are not able to teach students information and media literacy skills, which are now heavily focused on learning standards across the country. The American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st-Century Learner are centered around technology, media, and information literacy. (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf) The AASL Standards state that “ technology skills are crucial for future employment needs. Today’s students need to develop information skills that will enable them to use technology as an important tool for learning, both now and in the future.” In addition, the AASL Standards stress that all students should have equitable access to information and information technology, however, as the SLJ survey points out, this is not happening. With budget cuts and funding issues students educational needs are not being met and curriculum standards are not being adhered to.
Why is it that when the budget gets rocky the library is the first thing to take a hit? As the AASL Standards point out, the School Library Media Center is where so many of todays curriculum standards should be addressed and met, so why are are school libraries lacking materials and tools, and why are our Media Specialist the first to be cut? If we want to make media and information literacy a priority, and want our students to be prepared for their future, we need to put more focus on school libraries and keeping them equiped and up to date to meet student needs. As we have discussed in class, technology isn’t going anywhere, if anything it is coming more rapidly than ever, so we need to prepare our school libraries and professionals in order to provide our students with the best opportunities we can.
Kenney, Brian. “SLJ’s 2011 Technology Survey: Things are Changing. Fast.” School Library Journal. May 1, 2011. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890197-427/sljs_2011_technology_survey_things.html.csp
Kenney, Brian. “Not Just the Lucky Ones.” School Library Journal. May 1, 2011.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890155-427/story.csp
American Association of School Librarians. “Standards for the 21st- Century Learner.”
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Music + Teens = Depression or Depression + Teens = Music?
I just came across an excerpt of this article in a magazine last week and thought it was worth discussing. The article from NPR.org (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/04/06/135151133/what-comes-first-depression-in-teens-or-emo-music) discusses that teens are more likely to be depressed if they listen to a lot of music. On the contrary, students who read a lot are less likely to be depressed. The study was done by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.
It almost seemed to be sort of a "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" type question when determining whether depressed kids tended to listen to music more, or kids who listened to music more tended to be depressed. While this was not the main focus of the study, the lead researcher stated that it was more likely that depressed teens listened to music for comfort, rather than music making kids depressed.
I did not realize that nearly ten percent of teens suffered from depression. Earlier assumptions were that depressed teens watched more tv; however, the study showed a much stronger correlation between depressed teens and music, rather than tv. Researchers attributed the lower rate of depression among avid readers to the fact that reading is more engaging for the brain, to the extent that depressed teens may not have the energy to engage their brain at that level.
I found it really interesting to apply this finding anecdotally to some of my students. I found that the more that I thought about it, I tended to agree with the findings. My students that often try to listen to music constantly do sometimes tend to be more withdrawn than others, which would be a major sign of possible depression. Having said that, one of the more severally depressed students that I have had over the years read constantly which definitely goes against the finding of this study. Obviously the study is not without exception as you might expect.
Overall, I did find it quite interesting and I am going to be more watchful of student behavior and add this to my bag of tricks in trying to help my students to the extent that I can.
It almost seemed to be sort of a "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" type question when determining whether depressed kids tended to listen to music more, or kids who listened to music more tended to be depressed. While this was not the main focus of the study, the lead researcher stated that it was more likely that depressed teens listened to music for comfort, rather than music making kids depressed.
I did not realize that nearly ten percent of teens suffered from depression. Earlier assumptions were that depressed teens watched more tv; however, the study showed a much stronger correlation between depressed teens and music, rather than tv. Researchers attributed the lower rate of depression among avid readers to the fact that reading is more engaging for the brain, to the extent that depressed teens may not have the energy to engage their brain at that level.
I found it really interesting to apply this finding anecdotally to some of my students. I found that the more that I thought about it, I tended to agree with the findings. My students that often try to listen to music constantly do sometimes tend to be more withdrawn than others, which would be a major sign of possible depression. Having said that, one of the more severally depressed students that I have had over the years read constantly which definitely goes against the finding of this study. Obviously the study is not without exception as you might expect.
Overall, I did find it quite interesting and I am going to be more watchful of student behavior and add this to my bag of tricks in trying to help my students to the extent that I can.
Moving the Message: "It Gets Better"
Something amazing happened tonight. Despite the fact that I had recorded "Glee" on my DVR and was able to skip through every single commercial that aired, I literally stopped and rewound to watch this commerical for Google Chrome:
Mary Anne has already talked about Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" campaign, so I won't go too much into it other than to say that it is a message that many teens, especially those struggling to accept or be accepted in their sexuality, needed to hear.
Mary Anne has already talked about Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" campaign, so I won't go too much into it other than to say that it is a message that many teens, especially those struggling to accept or be accepted in their sexuality, needed to hear.
This commercial, which ends with the tagline, “the web is what you make of it”, shows a sort of timeline of this movement, beginning with articles written in the New York Times about the suicides of a number of gay teens – one article calling it an “epidemic” – and ends with the comments that are being left on the It Gets Better website from teens and others who have been moved by the message.
The thing that struck me about this commercial was how Google demonstrated how someone can take action and have their cause and message spread far and wide via today’s social media tools. What started as a YouTube video of Dan and his partner, Terry, explaining how they, too, had had a difficult time as gay high school students has grown to include videos from the likes of Woody from “Toy Story” assuring the viewer that, “You’ll be fine, partner”.
I loved this commercial – for its message and its content. It was truly inspiring and empowering to behold. It stopped me in my DVR tracks.
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