Stacey Waugh SLIS 761

  When we think about cyberbullying as educators, we sometimes brush over the topic, or justify not getting involved since it takes place off school campus.   Due to the pandemic, most students noe have access to the internet via school laptops.   Many of my 5 th graders also have cell phones and do bring them to school even though our policy is that they cannot use them in school.   In the past, I have been guilty of teaching internet safety and using the generalized scare tactics, stating bullying someone online may result in them taking their own life, and/or be careful about the information you share because of sexual predators.   More recently, students have been more open about their experiences on social media and with bullying, which has changed my mind on how to address the issue with individual students and classes as a whole.     No longer can we say this should be handled at home. Educators must look more closely at how they present inform...

  As an ELA educator I am always looking for texts that are easily accessible to all students on a variety of levels.   One platform that I have used more this year than ever is Raz-Kids found on   Learning A-Z .   Our district purchased access for all students and teachers in our schools.   We access it through Clever which is the platform used by students to access teacher pages and educational apps.   Learning A-Z/Raz Plus has an abundance of leveled readers as well as lessons that students can engage in when close reading texts on their independent reading level.   The site allows teachers to assign specific books and students to choose their own books as well. There is a test that students can take to help determine texts that are appropriate for them.   As teachers, we can adjust the level and manage students book selections and activities.   This site also provides reports on student usage and grades on assignments/quizzes.  ...

  Sphero Spheros are coding robots for kids ranging from preschool to high school.   There are four different coding robots available at this time, Sphero Indie, Sphero Mini, Sphero Bolt, and Sphero RVR+. Along with these robots one can purchase activity kits and computer science educational curriculum guides. Everything you need can be found on their website  Sphero . I first learned about these this past school year when my 5 th grade class went on a field trip learning about all different types of coding robots.   My 10 and 11-year-old students loved playing with the Spheros and creating obstacle courses for them to navigate. We only had 45 minutes to play and therefore they were left wanting more.   Since then I have been researching ways to gain funds to purchase these for our school.   I had no idea the educational implications these tiny robots contain.   There are so many different educational uses this technology has for students of all age...

  At the Intersection of Information Literacy, Technology, and Digital/Media When thinking about how one consumes information, it is important to understand how technology and digital media impacts the information we process.   As educators, we consistently learn how to look for bias in the information we intake, however, now more than ever, we are learning about new forms of media our students are engaging in.   With this, it is important to facilitate learning environments that teach students and peers how to determine the validity and credibility of the information being viewed/read, especially in social media.   The Partnership for 21 st Century Learning states, “Effective citizens and workers of the 21 st century must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology.” (p. 5) With the everchanging media platforms and easy access to a plethora of information, it is imperative that school librari...

  The AASL and ISTE Standards Integration Throughout my research this week, I discovered that while both the AASL and ISTE standards share common themes, they also keep the learner at the forefront.   In both realms they target learning outcomes and desired skill sets that can be integrated effectively by school librarians who create rich learning experiences for students.   The Start of Something New, A Relationship between the AASL Standards Framework for Learners and IB Approaches to Learning by Calypso Gilstrap (Knowledge Quest. 47(5). 30-36.) stood out to me as a connection to how both sets of standards and IB’s Approaches to Learning can be integrated to ensure that students thrive academically and personally in the world they are living in.   The International Baccalaureate Organization was created over fifty years ago with the purpose of creating peace through education.   This growing program is chosen by schools because of its focus on rigorous acad...