Stacey Waugh SLIS 761

    In Coding is for Everyone , author Tamiko Brown discusses the evolution of coding in her library.   She first started with the Hour of Code where her 5 th graders engaged in the self-paced online lessons using   code.org .   Students who successfully complete the program receive a certificate and continue to explore their interests by using Scratch to create video games.   While coding can be a challenging concept for some educators who are not confident in their skills, it is of high interest to our students and is a perfect addition to any school library Makerspace.   Brown includes many resources that can assist any educator who would like to implement coding into their maker space.   As a classroom teacher, I appreciate when a post has many resources that are easily accessible.   I also understand that while a new concept may be scary at first, most of the time, my students teach me how to navigate new technologies. Previously, I ...

  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...