Miss Black Reads - SLIS 761

The pandemic has had significant impacts on the way that educators deliver instruction to students. Instruction and lessons include a heavy dose of technology (at my school, at least), particularly for students who may be quarantined on such short notice. Because of social distancing and trying to limit the spread of the virus, lessons do not include as much face-to-face collaboration and socialization as they once did. Makerspaces, though, give students those opportunities to collaborate and work with tangible objects. According to Ana Canino-Fluit, “Making is an inquiry-driven SOCIAL activity” that gives individuals an opportunity to solve problems, “create items that address their needs,” and dream up ideas that they may not have considered before (2014). While considering this week’s blog about Makerspaces, I knew that I wanted to explore ideas and resources that allow students to create and play using their hands and tangible items. Gwyneth Jones is known as the “Daring Librarian”...

Cyberbullying, and bullying in general, can be overwhelming to talk about and address. This was proven in Faucher, Cassidy, and Jackson’s article that addresses bullying in K-12 schools, higher education, and even in the workplace (2015). No one appears to be safe from bullying, harassment, “mobbing”, and the effects of these behaviors, no matter what stage of life an individual is in. Bullying is only becoming more prevalent with the rise in use of social media, increased access to technological devices, and our dependence on these devices at school, work, and home. Gone are the days in which individuals may have experienced a reprieve from bullying and harassment; access to social media and devices allows perpetrators to bully and intimidate others on any day and at any time. Image from WebPurify, 2021 So, how do we make a difference? How do we stop it? Do we even have the ability to make a difference and stop (cyber)bullying? I believe we do. As educators, I believe we are uniquely ...

Well, not me specifically. But, follow my school’s new Instagram page: @wilsonmiddlelib! (Shameless plug here: if you’d also like to follow my personal “Bookstagram” account, it’s @missblackreads.) In an article about using Instagram to engage users and showcase happenings within a school’s library, Molly Wetta references a survey which claims that Instagram is the most popular social media tool currently used by teenagers (2016). In my own discussions and interactions with teenagers, I have come to the same conclusion. Since Wetta’s article was written, Instagram has added features that provide opportunities for library users to engage, such as polls, quizzes, and questions. These features can be added to an account’s Instagram story, and can be used in so many different ways! For example, on my school library’s Instagram page, I could create a story that allows students to answer questions about books, opportunities, and materials they’d like to have access to in our space. I could u...

“As educators, we must often find creative, alternative means of satisfying established standards and criteria for student learning, and of making them achievable for our diverse learners.” (Copeland, 2011) Voki is a Web 2.0 tool that can be used for all of our learners in our classrooms to creatively express themselves and meet the “established standards” that are mentioned in the above quote. Voki allows students to create avatars, and students can make the avatars speak by either typing what they want their avatar to say or by speaking into their device’s microphone so the avatar uses the student’s voice. With a free subscription to this tool, students can make up to three avatars that each speak for 60 seconds. Students can choose from many different characters to create their avatar, such as presidents, children’s storybook characters, Greek gods and goddesses, holiday figures, and more! The typing feature for each avatar makes this tool accessible for students who may not be comf...