Stellman the Librarian

In Janet Hopkins' article "School Library Accessibility: the role of assistive technology,"  the sixth suggestion is to "Become familiar with built-in accessibility features already available on your computer operating systems" (Teacher Librarian 31:3, 2004). I have an iPhone (and a Mac), and I had ZERO clue about the majority of the IOS accessibility features that are mentioned here . Some of my favorite features: If you have color blindness or other vision challenges, you can adjust the view on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV so it works better for you Magnifier works like a digital magnifying glass. Live Listen lets you fine-tune your Made for iPhone hearing aids and AirPods to help you hear more clearly. For quiet conversations, move your iPhone or iPad closer to the people who are speaking, and the built-in microphone will amplify what they’re saying The Noise app tracks decibel levels of the ambient sounds around you, helping y...

I just submitted a position paper on social media and teens. And wow, did it bring me back. My friends and I were on the "cutting edge" of social media in high school. In 1997 or 1998, we had our AIM screen names and we were constantly logged on. (If you had dial-up, you were SOL with the away message.) Everyone knew your regular screen name, only the CHOSEN FEW knew your secret screen name, that you used when you were super busy or not in the "mood" to talk with anyone (but secretly, you were). It brought me back to my dad, saying "GET OFF THAT IMPERSONAL FORM OF COMMUNICATION!" And me responding that it actually was super personal, since I was chatting with my *friends.* It brought me back to getting random AIM messages that solely said "a/s/l" and me responding "Wow, you can't even say HI? Why would I want to talk to YOU." (It truly was the Wild West, and I was ready to fire away like Annie Oakley.) And God help someone i...

I took Intro to Sociology in college and I remember thinking that parts of it were NONSENSE. My professor was saying that we all have different versions of ourselves. I must've been pretty darn authentic at 20, because I staunchly disagreed. As Popeye would say, "I yam what I yam." Now, I'm juggling identities of being a mom, an employee, a library school student. The roles of daughter and wife come easier...I feel like I can be a good wife and an employee, a good daughter and a student...but it's tough being a mom and an employee. Or a mom and a student. Or an employee and a student. And where does "friend" fit in there...? BUT...LUCKILY nowadays we have social media to segment all these little versions and present them compartmentalized, perfected and packaged for user consumption. I have three Instagram accounts: one for work, one personal (for friends & family), and one anonymous one that is struggling with its identity brand. Social me...

Have you seen me? Missing since 1990. :-( This week we were to create an animoto ( see prior post ), explore online media, and choose a  topic in the state standards and search for 5 videos and 3 podcasts that could be used in the classroom and annotate them. Last fall I listened to Last Seen by NPR , which focused on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist. When I hear "podcast," I think Last Seen, and I was DETERMINED to make this fit into the assignment. All week it's been rattling around my brain - and I threw different ideas at the wall, and none of them stuck. So today, during a long car ride, I put it together. I think. My topic  is Art heists, the psychology of stealing, and a sub-focus on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist. This meant I spent A LOT of time exploring podcasts and videos that could work. Some were good , others were bad. This week we also chatted about copyright law and fair use. The standard-bearer Buffy vs Edward: Twiligh...

This week we're focusing on Online Multimedia....FINALLY SOMETHING THAT IS MY JAAMMMMMMM! Now, while I don't know very much about curriculum standards...or educational philosophy (still time to learn, right?), I know my way around multimedia. Podcasting? I've tried it. Blogging? Been there, done that (and please don't search for the links). iMovie? Check. Adobe Audition? Check. Check. Check. Check. That's not to say I'm an expert. But I'm not a newbie and that's an exciting feeling. :-D And while I try to keep my personal and professional lives separate, I thought Animoto gave me an excellent opportunity to showcase some of the incredible opportunities available at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. Now, to get a professional account so that we can drop that Animoto logo...! (Photo credits: George Martell)

This week we explored 11 apps and their potential uses in a school setting. Here are the apps and some ideas for implementation in the classroom... Flikr: Students can retell a classic tale in approximately 10 modern images sourced via Creative Commons. BigHugeLabs: Students can easily design book covers, billboards and art to accompany assigned books. They could also use MapMaker feature to track a book character’s journey around the world. Timeline: Library Media Specialist uses Timeline to track events in the library throughout the year. Can also jazz it up for school consumption so others can plan around it. NOTE: Classmates recommend: Sutori Glogster: The modern-day poster. Book reports, science projects, geography lessons... Zamzar: Students could scan primary sources as a PDF, and with Zamzar, save them as Word documents, and then incorporate into the next musical sensation that is based on primary sources.   SurveyMonkey: Library Media Specialist uses ...

This week was spent exploring tools on the Internet (it was also spent being vomited on, scrambling at work, and dropping off a sobbing 3-year-old at preschool, but that's material for another blog) that will be useful in a school library. Here are some of my discoveries: RSS Feeds First...do I finally understand RSS feeds?? AFTER LIKE 10 YEARS OF PRETENDING TO UNDERSTAND?! RSS in Plain English  by Lee LeFever is possibly the funniest tutorial I've ever seen. I don't recall 2007 that clearly, but I *know* there was powerpoint. So I love how this guy took a super low-tech approach to explaining something (a bit) high-tech. I've understood that an RSS feed compiles news/blog entries for you, and sends them to...a spot. I think the big disconnect for me is that I enjoy visiting the blogs that I frequent. I like the design elements. I like the possibility of exploration and discovery. Perchance, it's time to admit that I love wasting time.  Eek. That's a t...