Tuesday, June 30, 2015

FINAL REFLECTION

This course went to fast!

I have to say that (like in several times) I am not (was not) a very technology oriented person.

Let's say I am kind of old fashion, I like my books to be books.... the Kindle doesn't attract me that much (yet).

But, the more I am learning about this technology resources, the more interest is awaking up in me.

It is incredible the quantity of apps, websites and resources that we can find in the Internet and a lot of them can be used in the educational field.
We know our students love technology, let's use this in our favor use the technology in ways that students are more engage in learn, create and share their experiences.


Some days ago I went to my school to get some books for another class I was taking this summer (Children and Juvenile Literature) and I saw my principal, who asked me about my classes.

I can say I was very enthusiastic telling him everything I was learning and all the wonderful resources I was being introduce and the way I was thinking to implement them in my classroom and sharing them my my co-workers and students so they can use them in their research projects.

What apps and programs excited me? all of them! but I think the ones that I have to speak in front audience intimidated me a little (I am very aware of my accent and I have to work more fluent and in my enunciation).

Now that I have accounts in Twitter I can follow some of the people I have met in my classes and know about about the latest news and trends.

Now I have to acquire the discipline of reading and working with the recent account I opened (Instagram, Vine, Blogger, etc...) in order to be a better professional and to be updated in what are the new resources coming out to the market. I am aware it is going to be in a fast speed, but know I can do it.

I love the pictographs and the comics!! Our students can benefit from this two resources.  I am sure that those resources are going to be a hit with our students. Using them can give them new ways to show the things they have learned and also display their creativity.

I even shared and helped some people in the public library (since I did not travel this year, I joked that now I have a new summer home) and I had a little taste about what my work will be in the future.
Being useful in the library gave a great sense of satisfaction.


The articles I selected and read in pewinternet.org where very interesting and the are reflection of our all the time changing times, I have to continue exploring this resource, it is a wonderful depot of information!!!

The article about Hispanic and Libraries touched me, I live in a community where most of us are Spanish speakers, immigrants and first generation in US and we have to do the effort to reach those people and provide the services they need to.



We, future librarians, have an important mission: to help our patrons in the best way possible, and technology resources now are becoming a big part of our job.





True is that technology is a big component of our lives, but let's not forget the human touch.

Sorry, but I love this cartoon!




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Monday, June 29, 2015

YOUNGER AMERICANS' LIBRARY HABITS AND EXPECTATIONS.


Contrary what most people think, younger Americans like printed books.....

and technology (we know that).

A big number of Americans (63%)  ages 26 and older (2012) have a library card and the majority declared that they had good experiences in the library.

Indeed, young Americans are more attracted to libraries than adults, specially the ones that were exposed when they were very young and recall family members going to the library.

They go to the library (sometimes more often than adults), to read, use the computers and the Internet, visit the websites and use mobile devices and access the library resources.

Even thought that the internet access is easier and most Americans have more than one electronic device for searching and communicating, young Americans like to go and use the library resources for studying and school work, reading, searching, entertainment and even buying things.

 Reading in E-books has not decrease the reading on printed materials, contrary to adults who now have the tendency to use more the electronic devices for downloading and reading books and magazines.

Over all, most of Americans under 30 years consider that "libraries are very important" and they most have librarians, who are trained to help people in the different library services, and have printed books that patrons can borrow and read at their convenience.  About the automated service, they are ambivalent, some people likes the idea, and some people don't.

Young patrons suggested the creation of apps that help to locate the resources (young patrons are among the groups that request more help from librarians).

Teenagers and young adults are more likely to read books than adults and older adults, and stayed almost in the same level, although audio books and e-books use is going higher.

Also, Americans are very interested in redesign their libraries, some suggestions they expressed were:

- It is important to have librarians to assist people in finding information (especially the very known databases).

- Libraries still have to carry printed materials, but also other resources as downloadable e-books, audio books, cd, dvds.

-  Offer free literacy programs for young children and teens.

-Libraries should have research resources.

-Free access to Internet (cited as one of the main reasons people go to the library, to search information about topics of their interest).

-Have programs and classes for the different group ages that go to the library (offer customize classes in different topics according to the age and interest of the patrons).

-Provided quiet spaces for studying, reading, and relaxing.

- Libraries should have different areas for different patrons, like Children's, Teenagers, Quiet Room....

-  Help people with resources when they are looking for jobs.

-  Ask for a closer collaboration between public libraries and schools.

- Miscellaneous tasks, like getting certified, paying bills, purchasing online.

- Creation of digital media labs, where people can create, upload and share their audiovisual creations, like music, movies, e-books, etc.



As we can see, libraries have to be modify  and adapt to the changing times.
Patrons are willing to continue coming to the libraries, as long these institutions can offer the services that the patrons are asking..... the face of the Library is going to change immensely in these next years.

VOX POPULI, VOX DEI. (The voice of the people, is the voice of God).







Reference:

 Zickuhr, K., Rainie, L., & Purcell, K. (2013, June 25). Younger Americans' library habits and expectations. Retrieved June 29, 2015. 

http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/09/10/younger-americans-and-public-libraries/

57 pages.



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PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND HISPANICS. Immigrant Hispanics Use Libraries Less, but Those Who Do Appreciate Them the Most.







This article caught my attention for some reasons:

First I am immigrant Hispanic, Spanish is my first language.

I teach  immigrants and first generation of Hispanic in United States all the time.

And, as a Librarian,  I am going to be working with this population in Brownsville, Texas, where I live.

Ninety-six percent of the American population are served by more than 17,000 public libraries with printed, audio and audiovisual materials to be used by the patrons.

But, in the later times, libraries also had developed into not only reading places, but also as community centers that offer different services to the people attending to their facilities.

Among the different groups that lived in the United States, Hispanics, considered the largest minority,  are rated among the least ones to attend to the Library.

One of the reasons that Hispanics are reluctant to go to the Library is the language barrier, and that some libraries have few Spanish resources to offer to this group.
Another reason is that Hispanics are less informed about the services offered in the public libraries, but once they know and/or use the services, they are more likely to be more appreciative to the assistance the libraries provide to the public, also considering them as a nice quiet place to go to read and study.


Even though the positive comments about the libraries only 51 % of Latinos have a library card (62% are US born and 40 are foreign-born) and most of them are young (16-29 yrs).
Women are more likely to have a library card than men.

Unfortunately 26 % percent of Hispanic 28 years and older did not graduate from High School and
42 %  have completed some college or more.
That indicate us that the level of education is a fact in the attendance and seeking services from the Library, and also in the use and visit of the library webpage.

Hispanic children are less in contact with libraries and books compared with the children from other groups, their parents do not take them to the library as often as whites and black parents.

Immigrants prefer audio and audiovisual more than printed materials (and I considered because they are learning the language) and say that finding information in different topics is hard for them, but immigrant Latinos are more likely to ask help from the library personnel in looking for information, and are equal in looking for information in electronic devices as the whites and blacks.
The Hispanic group feels overload but they like the large amount of information available in the library.


Libraries are important to the Latino community, considering that if the libraries close, that would be a big impact in their lives, they appreciate the services this institutions give to the society.




What I read in the article was very interesting, but not a surprise for me.
Living in a mostly Hispanic city, I can see that the information and data shown in the report are very much alike to our reality.



If we want our Latino and Spanish speaking community to be more educated and successful, we need to find ways to be more attractive to this group and make sure that Latinos are taking advantage of all the services that public libraries are offering to them and make this people to feel that, like other groups, Spanish speaking people belong to the Library community too.



Reference:

 Brown, A., & Lopez, M. (2015, March 17). Americans’ Views on Privacy and Security. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.pewinternet.org/ 

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/03/17/public-libraries-and-hispanics/


37 pages.



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TEEN, SOCIAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 2015. Smartphones facilitates shifts in communication landscape for teens.







We cannot deny that these new generations are extremely technology oriented, most of the time with the all time present cell and smartphones. 88 % of  American teenagers have mobile phone (73 % of this smartphones) and the majority of teenagers have access to 4 to 5 electronic devices like desktops, laptops, tablets, i Pad, etc.

These devices are modifying and dictating the new ways that friendship and relationships are developed in our times. A quarter of the teenagers confess to be "constantly" in use of the devices, or visit them several times a day.

The easy access to this kind of phones with internet access and hundred of applications, make this devices very popular among the teenagers and young adults (and a growing number of adults).

Social media like Facebook is still very popular with the youngsters (and adults too), followed by Instagram and Snapchat, most of the individuals (71 %) indicate that they use more than one application.

But depending on different factors (socioeconomic status, level of education of parents, racial group and sex) the popularity of the choices vary.

Boys, are more likely to use the Facebook than girls, and the last ones are more inclined to use the Instagram and Tumblr (in younger teens). Older teens use more Facebok, Snapchat and Twitter.

Middle and upper class teenagers use more the Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. 

Texting is still present in the teenager world, with an average of 30 text per day, but now they also use other texting applications like WhatsApp and Kik, with the African-American and Hispanics being their bigger users than whites. 

 Not surprisingly, girls use more this applications of video call and chatting (Skype, Oovoo, Omegle) than boys, who are more incline to use consoles and phones for gaming devices.  In visual applications like online pinboards, girls (older teenagers) are more incline to use this applications.

The application Google+ is used more in the Hispanic teens than black and white teenagers, but the number is growing since Gmail and other Google tools are used in schools for students to work with this sites for school work.

Most of the teenagers keep the same friends across several social media, some with tight groups and other with different friends in the different sites.

As we can see, the way the teenagers are managing their relationships, communicating and sharing experiences and information has been modified and reshaped but the development of the electronic devices and their use. 



Reference:

 Lenhart, A. (2015, April 9). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Smartphones facilitates shifts in communication landscape for teens. Retrieved June 29, 2015. 
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

47 pages.











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Thursday, June 25, 2015

SCREENCAST



I had a great experience making my first screencast!
I made one  about makebeliefcomix.com, one of the websites we used for making the Cartoon Assignment (by the way... I forgot to write the title and the name...oooppsss!)

I can tell that the Screencast-o-matic website is very easy to use. It let's you to pause, stop, and restart if you need it.

Let's work with the other option.....

(SpongeBob's narrator voice please) ......and three hours latter......


Now... it is 1:25 am and I'm having a terrible time trying to work with Screenr.com.
The problem is that I do not know why... Java doesn't want to work in my computer (even that I have done everything I am supposed to do to installed)... I have been working for 3 hours.... and no luck.

I leave my post here... let's see if tomorrow I can solve the problem with Java...


I am back... I am trying to work again with the Screener website and the Java situation is the same....
I am posting another screencast to show my experience with this tool...



JING!!!!











I like Jing!!! pretty easy to used (the only thing is that you have to work along Screencast.com in order to embed).
As I said in the screencast... the function is the same as Skitch and Gyazo, to capture images, videos and websites.
The mechanisms for saving and sharing are the same.
Another option for your repertoire...







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INSTAGRAM AND VINES








The first time my son told me that he was watching vines, I immediately thought he was looking at a tropical jungle and monkeys... oh delusion! he was talking about the application, which he promptly went to show me some compilations.



Since I am  "une dame d'un certaine âge" (a lady of certain age... charming french term to indicate that I am woman that is not that young anymore) my social media vehicle of preference to share pictures is Facebook (please read about that in a previous post... thank you)
I know about Instagram because I am the mother of a young adult (22) and a teenager (15) who are constantly involved on this applications.
My new assignment covers these two applications.

I decided to have fun and work with my faithful sidekick.....the Platypus.



The mighty ReadingPlatypus has done his debut in the Instagram and Vine industry!!!

























Well, I still have to continue practicing and perfecting my vine skills......





So, I decided to play with the new toy... here are some Instagrams...















I am having fun with this.... and I already thinking ways how to use it with my Kindergarteners...


Post pictures in Instagram of their projects (first I need to double check the policies...)
Their works and writings.


Making little vines for CVC words,
Addition and subtraction operations
Sequencing (a very important skill to work in K)
Story maps for our read-alouds
My students can participate with ideas... and even making little stories that I can record.

This is going to a great tool in my classroom!







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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

ONLINE BOOK COMMUNITIES

It takes a book community to read and review a book.

New assignment: to know and work with some online book communities.

My professor asked us to use SKITCH to make snapshots of my profile in this websites.

I tried, it was pretty easy (once I knew how to do it...), in the past I have been using another program called Gyazo, and basically these two applications have the same purpose... make snapshots of websites screens, publications and everything that you need a picture to save and send to other people.







I also have to was my experience with each site I visited.




GOOD READS
Works with amazon.com if you want to the books you want to read.
The selection process was easy.
Displays the covers of the books that appears in your search (and sometimes extra selections).
The site has some pre-made shelves, but you can create and name yours (pretty easy process).
Has tools like your information about your books, the status of your books (what you are reading, what do you want to read).
Very easy to navigate.
The display of your books is by pages, so, if you have a lot of books, it will take several pages to check the book you want to work with.




SHELFARI
By amazon.com.
Has a very good catalog of books (of course, it works with  amazon.com), and you can buy the too.
You can make your own shelves, the adding process is easy and it show which books are added to the shelve (when you go back to your books you can look at your collection).
Your books can be display by titles and by covers (which I like best, since I am a very visual person).
It has a place where you can see what are you reading, plan to read, make groups, what are your reading goals, reviews and a section for best of.
When you are adding your books you have the option to show it in Facebook.


BOOKLIKES
This site is a blog platform for Book Lovers, so, the dynamic of this site is more like a blog.
In the catalog you have the option of looking for your books according to your favorites genres.
You can develop your own shelves and label them.
In the searching it doesn't have that much variety like other sites (but surprisingly, looking for some books for my shelves I found them in German and Spanish versions, so I assumed that this site is popular in other countries).
When you look for books, the websites shows the covers and titles.
You can start and/or participate in groups, discussions, make new friendships, participate in book clubs and be invite to events.
Very easy to navigate and to work with, I like it.




LIBRARY THING

I was not very fond of the layout in this site.
But like other sites, it show the books you are looking for by title and cover.
You can create your shelves, and/or work with the ones that are there already.
The site displays your books, your book data and different tags about books.
It was a little harder to work with this site, comparing with the other ones.



BIBLIONASIUM
by American Association of School Librarians.

A reading tool for Librarians! (and teachers and parents).

This site is more oriented to develop the love for reading in  children and young adults.
I like the security settings, I know that all sites have security settings, but this one, since children are going to be involved is important to have extra care.
Any student, to be able to have an account and work with this site, must have the permission of the parents and their e-mails to make sure that the young member's information is secured.
There are different accounts, so you can work according to your needs (as parent, educator, librarian).
I create an account as Educator in the Kindergarten level.
I can create groups and reading list by grade, age, and reading level, besides I can create usernames and passwords for my students (with the option that the computer can do that for me).
The only  problem I see in the website is that the selection process is a little slower, since you have to select the book and then select the group (it takes more time, but it's worth it because you can make sure that you can add a book to the right group(s).
The display is nice, very kid (and teachers who teach K) friendly! You can see your selections in a simulated library bookcase.
One think I did not like is that it doesn't show (or at least I haven't found it) the place where it says how many books you have in a group, so I have to be manually counting my books in the shelf.


Which website is better? well it depends on the user. 
For some people the blog format suits them better and for other the regular sites.

But definitely I am going to recommend Biblionasium to my School Librarian (but I am sure she knows about it) and to teachers, so we can use it in the classroom.





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