Final Reflection

 

I can't wait to use some of the tech I tried in this class in my library one day soon! I have so many ideas, and I'm excited to try them out!

All good things must come to an end, cliche, I know. But I really enjoyed Digital Technology for Librarians this semester. One thing this class made me realize is that I'm not as tech-savvy as I thought I was. Before this class, I was more of a tech consumer than a creator. I can happily say that this class has pushed me to create using tools that I consume regularly, but have been too afraid to create with. The first examples that come to mind are podcasts, blogs, and social media. Of course, I have my personal social media, but this class gave me the motivation to pursue a more professional Instagram account to review diverse books. I have always been interested in creating blogs, and I have created a few over the course of many years. But creating a blog related to library things, books, and my learning has been more fun than any other blog I've created. 

My Favorite Techy Creation

I would have to say creating a podcast was surprisingly one of my favorite assignments this semester. I was extremely anxious about recording myself and worried I wouldn't have enough to say, but turns out that wasn't the case! Truthfully, I wish I had started the assignment earlier, so I would have had more time to play around with the editing. I wanted to add some music to the podcast I created with my partner, but I had some trouble placing it in the correct spots. We also had a little blunder in the beginning when I hit record, but I wasn't quite ready to start. I tried editing it out, but it didn't work correctly, and I accidentally edited out a chunk of the podcast! Thankfully I had saved multiple versions of the recording, so I was able to salvage it. 

I would really love to have students use podcasts as a way to produce assignments. I think this would be a lot of fun for the kids who are more tech-inclined and prefer talking over writing. I imagine working on an inquiry-based project where kids produce a podcast throughout the process. 

Another way I'm hoping to utilize podcasts is to create a book club where we can create podcasts after reading books, and then create a QR code and attach it to the book that was discussed. I found this idea in an article by ALSC (https://journals.ala.org/index.php/cal/article/view/6335/8291) and think it's a great way to have kids share their love of a book with other kids. 

Some of My Techy Struggles

Of course, not every project was as exciting as creating a podcast. I struggled with creating comics and infographics. I'm not quite sure what went wrong with the comics assignment, but my brain really froze on that one. I couldn't think of what kind of comic to create and how to relate it to learning. It took me multiple tries to come up with an idea and execute it with pictures, and I was not very pleased with the final results. The same thing happened with creating an infographic. I couldn't figure out how to present the information from an article in a visual form. Upon some reflection, I realize that both projects were heavy on visuals, and I think I struggle with that in general. Although I'm a very visual learner, creating visually appealing and informative content is not my area of expertise! 

Of course, I've learned that my students can be way more talented than I am, and I know that many kids will thrive in creating amazing visual displays using comics and infographics. 

Having kids create infographics using content they learned in class is a great assessment, and creating comics to tell stories is a great alternative for students who may struggle with writing. I also saw a classmate suggest using comics in a library newsletter, and I love that idea. It would be an immediate attention grabber and a great way to pass along important information. 

Speaking of technology, I used a new tool called Animaker to create the presentation below. Click full screen to get the full effect! 

Universal Design in School Libraries

 Hello readers, today the topic is Universal Design, what it is, and how it can be seen in school libraries.

Universal Design is the idea of removing barriers that can stop or affect parts of the human population from access. This can be seen in applied in buildings where there are stairs, elevators, ramps, and escalators to help people get to where they need to go. Elevators having an automated voice that directs passengers to the floor they've arrived at is another example of that. 

Schools and specifically classrooms must also understand and apply Universal Design because they are teaching all kids. Teachers must keep Universal Design in mind when creating lesson plans to reach all kids and all learners regardless of any challenges for them to learn the information. 

While learning more about Universal Design, I realized that there is another term that kept coming back to me, "differentiation." Educators learn about the importance of differentiation and are expected to apply it every time they teach. Differentiation, as many of you already know, is changing how you present information so that it can reach all types of learners in your classroom. Learners can be visual, auditory, kinesthetic, reading/writing, or any combination of these. Presenting information, assignments, and assessments should accommodate all learning styles. 

Therefore as a teacher, there are some guidelines of Universal Design that I have already incorporated as part of my teaching. 

• Providing options for perception-Always trying to make sure that I have provided verbal instructions, digital instructions, and visual instructions on the projector. I've also included detailed instructions and straightforward instructions for students who need to know the whole picture versus students who need things a little at a time. 
• Providing options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols-one of the checkpoints here specifics providing speech-to-text option, which I started to do quite recently, and providing dictionaries in their native language to help anyone who needed them. I've also used manipulatives when teaching grammar lessons to help learners form sentences. The manipulatives were simply words on squares of paper that students were able to put together. 

This is just a small sample of some items that I have done in my classroom to assist all learners. 

There are also things that I could immediately implement if I was teaching right now. 

• Bridge concepts using easy-to-understand analogies and metaphors
• Make cross-curricular connections
• Use graphic organizers to link prior knowledge
• incorporate the use of mnemonic devices 

UDL and UDI, the universal design in instruction should be second nature to all educators because our students should not have to ask or show a struggle before we attempt to make something more accessible to them. I'd like to learn how to use technology to make my lesson plans UDL and UDI-friendly. There are a lot of great resources out there that can help me do just that. The following is a list of resources including websites and books that can be helpful to me and possibly you in your quest for improving your lesson plans and courses through UDL. 

• Unlearning: Changing your Beliefs and Your Classroom with UDL by Allison Posey and Katie Novak.
• Universal Design Daily: 365 Ways to Teach, Support, & Challenge All Learners using UDL by Paula Kluth
• Creating Inclusive Libraries by Applying Universal Design: A Guide by Carli Spina
• Universal Design for Learning
  
• Although for higher education, primary and secondary educators can use this as well Creating Inclusive Courses with Universal Design

Enjoy your journey in UDL!