Makerspaces

Written by Verna Grant

What is a makerspace? It is a place that supports the maker movement, which in turn is about hands-on learning by building things. It is a place to create, collaborate, and learn (Kurti, Kurti, & Flemming, 2014). Makerspaces can be as simple as making crafts and offering design challenges with materials that are on hand or as ­elaborate as using technology to code, make movies, create robots, or try out 3-D printing. It all depends on the materials and funding available for each space.

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Makerspaces can be an ideal setting to place in a school library. Both are informal learning environments and have open spaces for people to work individually or in groups. It is a central area to create a community for the whole school, while providing materials such as references, computers, and printers (Weisgrau, 2015).

The school library staff can play an integral part in makerspaces, besides just providing the space and materials. It can also be an opportunity to collaborate with teachers on activities and workshops that coincide with what the students are learning. Time could be provided for students to come in and work where staff would be available for assistance. Appropriate reference books could be added to the library, such as the books recommended by the School Library Journal. For elementary schools, staff can read stories aloud to students that encourage the same type of thinking and learning as makerspaces.

For example, reading the book Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty.

The goal of makerspaces in the school library, is to teach students to learn by doing. By working individually and collaboratively, students have the opportunity to learn not just from the project but also from each other. It also give students the opportunity to teach others what they have learned in the process. It also encourages students to be engaged and use creative thinking to complete their projects.

This video with Sir Ken Robinson talks about creativity in education. His points coincide with the philosophy of makerspaces.

Makerspaces can be an ideal place for students to grow, and school libraries can be the central point that makes that happen.

Works Cited

Abrams Books. (2013, August 26). Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by David Roberts. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT9mqJPAM2k

Adobe. (2012, December 7). Why is creativity important in education? Sir Ken Robinson video series from Adobe Education. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywIhJ2goiGE

Kurti, R. S., Kurti, D. L., & Fleming, L. (2014). The philosophy of educational makerspacesL Part 1 of making an educational makerspace. Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, 41(5), 8-11. Retrieved from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/2014/06/18/educational-makerspaces/

Weisgrau, J. (2015, September 24). School libraries and makerspaces: Can they coexist? Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-libraries-makerspaces-coexist-josh-weisgrau

Makerspaces - by Lauren Lane

With libraries having to squeeze as much out of tight budgets, makerspaces have been an innovative way to attract students and patrons to their school or public libraries.  A makerspace creates an atmosphere of learning and collaboration.  A student or patron is there to create something for their own personal needs (Kurti).  Often times a librarian starts the teaching process to a student or patron and then before you know it the student or patron becomes the teacher for other students or patrons making the maker space a “great social equalizer,” according to Judy Houser a librarian at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Florida (Kurti). 

This creative space can be used for a myriad of reasons.  There’s makerspaces related to computer programming, sewing, 3D printing, paper craft, Legos, etc.  You think it…there is probably a makerspace tutorial you can find online to try to implement in your library.  There are so much cool things out there that are cost efficient that could be added to libraries, public and school in way of a maker space.  Raspberry Pi, for example, inspires new computer programmers and inventors.   For a cost of $25-$35, you have a computer the size of a credit card which allows you to download an operating system and sends you on a way to discovery.  Here’s a brief video of what a Raspberry Pi is:

The possibilities are endless, there is  so much that you can do.  Lights can turn on, you can create robots, your imagination is your director.   Makey Makey , another cool concept, that allows students or patrons to have fun while learning how a computer works.  Tools like Raspberry Pi and Makey Makey really helps create a learning and teaching community.

Creating and implementing a makerspace requires research, commitment and learning.   What do librarians need to do when considering setting up his or her makerspace?  Do you want something on the technology side?  Something on the crafty side?  Both?  A combination?  Different makerspaces?  What do you want?  A survey of librarians who had implemented their own makerspaces gave a lot of insight into the above considerations.  One respondent reported that he had a couple of things in his makerspaces so if one thing didn’t grab the attention of one student maybe something else would.  He had a technology based space and then a craft space (Moorefield-Lang). 

Perhaps the biggest issue when trying to implement a makerspace  is training for library staff.  The training is spare at best and takes commitment from the librarian, a willingness to fail, a fearless attitude to play with new technology (Moorefield-Lang).  It takes a lot of research and you will be the one training yourself through the use of various tools many of which will be new to you.  A further exploration of responses to Heather Moorefield-Lang’s survey, respondents listed the following are resources that are invaluable to use when trying your own makerspace:  going to peers in the field, using online sources such as YouTube to get ideas and tutorials, relying on student assistants, relying on friends, using volunteers and by looking and playing with what they had (Moorefield-Lang).  These resources are important when trying to make your own makerspace. 

The positive things from having a makerspace is amazing but it will take time, commitment and a long and odd road to find what works.  But with commitment, librarians can reach out to patrons and students like never before with the utilization of makerspaces.

So there are some really exciting and cool things out there!  Here’s some links that I think would get the ball rolling on creating your own makerspaces in your library:

Pinterest board: This link will take you to numerous pins about makerspaces that are already being used in libraries.  Some great ideas!

Raspberry Pi: For patrons and students interested in programming, this low cost computer system really will get students in the driver’s seat when learning about computers. 

Here’s short video about setting up a Raspberry Pi :

Makey Makey:

Have fun while learning!  This is a kit that offers the ability to have fun while learning the elementary elements of what makes a computer work.   Here are a couple of videos about Makey Makey:

Crafting:

The Pinterest board shows a lot of crafts and sewing projects you can make in a makerspace.  This was shown to me on Facebook and I think it’s a simple, cheap and fun project that students and patrons can make with little instruction! Make Your Own Felt Cat

What about you?  What are you excited about when it comes to makerspaces?  What have you seen?

Works Cited

Belcher, Gale. Programming Librarian: Mini-Maker: Sew a Felt Cat. (2016). Web. 13 Apr.

     2016.

Kurti, Steve. “Makerspace Blast Off!.” Teacher Librarian 42.3 (2015): 54-55. Academic

     Search Premier. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

"Makey Makey: An Invention Kit for Everyone." Jay Silver. YouTube. Web. 13. Apr. 2016.

Moorefield-Lang, Heather. "Change In The Making: Makerspaces And The Ever-Changing
     Landscape Of Libraries." Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning
     59.3 (2015): 107-112. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

"New Invention: Makey Makey GO: Invent Everywhere, Invent Now!" Future Ideas

     &Technology. YouTube. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

"Setting up a Raspberry Pi." ExplainingComputers. YouTube. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

"What is a Raspberry Pi?" Raspberry Pi. YouTube. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

BYOD (Bring your own device) - By Lauren Lane

BYOD or “bring your own device” is a popular tool that schools are turning to in order to cut down costs.  BYOD is just that, students bring their own personal smart device (a smart phone, a tablet) to school and utilizes it as a tool.  There are a bunch of advantages to BYOD and disadvantages to BYOD.  There are things that need to be considered before jumping on the BYOD train but a well thought out design could make BYOD an advantageous program.

The popularity of smart phones and tablets has lead to different thinking about the possible learning tool they can be.   Using these devices that students already have could lead to new learning opportunities.

BYOD means that students bring their own devices to the classroom.  These devices belong to them so these devices mobility cannot be denied.  “The ubiquity of mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and portable tablets all offer a great opportunity to expand access to learning through mobile learning (mLearning),” (Estable).  Students can use their devices anywhere at any time to access their learning portals.  This means fewer constraints on learning.  Students can log in to do homework or read lessons whenever it is convenient to them and do it wherever it is convenient for them.  That freedom is a unique advantage of BYOD.  Usually if a school provides a device, the device must stay on campus.  By having students bring their own device, they have the freedom to take it wherever they go.  Also, BYOD doesn’t require an extra cost from the school, except it is important that school have WiFi access for BYOD to work properly.  If a school provides a device to students, it’s a sizable money cost.  BYOD saves that money.  The student is given the independence to, “…take advantage of the anywhere, anytime, when needed, convenience of personalized learning,” (Estable).

Of course there are disadvantages to BYOD.  First off, not every app works the same on all devices.  Something can come up perfectly on a Samsung Note but will not on an IPad.  So teachers need to give pretty specific directives on what kind of mobile devices is going to work with the course.  “It is recommended to have a list of not only minimum specifications for student-bought devices, but to have a list of recommended devices as well to help ensure that all students could access the learning content from their device types,” (Estable).  Also the cost to the student needs to be look at as well.  Mobile devices can be costly and this needs to be assessed before starting a BYOD program.

There are also design elements you need to look at before starting a BYOD program.  Estable points out that file types that are downloadable must be aware of how files will come up on certain devices and try to use programs that download and display more consistently than others.  This means that testing of materials is important (22).  The content must be organized in an easy way to follow.  Students will mlearn anywhere and without direction over his or her shoulder, a well thought out and organized design will make mlearning easier (23).  Keep in mind that mobile devices have small screens; Estable suggests using “learning nuggets,” (23) which are small break downs of lessons that are only a few minutes in length. 

BYOD leads to new possibilities but there is a lot of work and components to keep in mind when trying to implement a BYOD program.

Check out this short film about Katy Independent School District’s BYOD program and the advantages they have had by implementing BYOD.

Here’s some links to websites with further information about BYOD:

https://www.pinterest.com/INelearn/mobile-learning-byod-cod/

http://www.edutopia.org/article/mobile-learning-resources  (Image used in this blog is from this site)

http://www.edutopia.org/mobile-devices-learning-resource-guide

Work Cited

Estable, Michelle. "A Review of Considerations for BYOD M-learning Design." Distance Learning 10.3 (2013): 21. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

Written by Verna Grant

There once was a time when cell phones were not allowed in school. But with the growth of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies in schools, that is no longer the case. This type of policy encourages students and staff to bring their own device on campus in order to integrate technology and learning.

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With school libraries becoming the hub for students to work or collaborate in, those devices are ending up in the library as well. This can be beneficial to the students, the school, and the library. Not only are students learning from devices that they are familiar with, but schools can save money on purchasing and keeping up to date with technology. It also helps to resolve the problem of a shortage of computers that are available in the library (National Library of New Zealand).

Libraries can begin addressing the use of devices by taking positive steps towards technology use. This could be by implementing policies about the devices, teaching skills about digital citizenship and literacy (such as the lessons provided by Common Sense Media), and keeping students informed on how they can access the library catalog, databases, and e-books (National Library of New Zealand).  Because students may not have access to databases the school provides as they move on, they also need to be taught the skills to search for and evaluate the information they find on the open web (Taylor,Subramanium, Waugh, 2015).

Watch the video below to see why the Peel District School Board decided to start implementing their BYOD policy.

Technology is such an important part of the world today that students need to understand how to gather, create, and share information responsibly. School libraries, as the center of information literacy, should proactively be part of the solution of preparing students with the different types of technology they have available to them. In order to do that school libraries need to prepare.

Setting up policies and preparing lessons are just the beginning. School libraries need to be equipped for the devices by having wireless network access, more outlets available, and spaces for the students to work together or alone. Both teachers and library staff need professional development to make the best use to the BYOD policies. Library staff also need to collaborate with teachers on lessons, discuss what works, and provide insight on how to made BYOD even more successful. The goal needs to be that students leave with the ability to use technology and information skillfully and safely as they continue to learn and move closer to becoming adults.

Works Cited

National Library of New Zealand. (n.d.). BYOD in the school library. Retrieved from http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/school-libraries/your-library-online/byod-school-library

PeelSchools. (2013, January 23). Why BYOD? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7zHdGfN530

Rogado, O. L. (n.d.). Tabletas digitales [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/tabletas-digitales-royalty-free-image/464639997

Taylor, N. G., Subramaniam, M., & Waugh, A. (2015, February 26). The school librarian as learning alchemist: Transforming the future of education [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2015/02/26/the-school-librarian-as-learning-alchemist/

The demise of school libraries

Written by Verna Grant

We’ve all heard the term before – budget cuts. Our education system throughout the United States has been taking budget cuts and our school libraries are one of the things that are taking the hit.

For my state of California, the budget for books are almost nonexistent. Due to budgets being allocated elsewhere and the loss of the School and Library Improvement Block Grant, for 51% of schools, the primary source of library funding is through fundraising. This is leaving the average age of nonfiction books at 20 years old (California Department of Education, 2015).

It is not just the budget for books that is lost, it is also the budget to have staff run the library. Teacher librarians are being cut and spread thin and hours are being reduced. In the 2000-2001 school year for California, there was 1 teacher librarian for every 4,306 students. For the 2014-2015 school year, it was reduced to 1 teacher librarian for every 7,187 students. As of the 2013-2014 school year, 86% of public schools in California were being run by classified staff (California Department of Education, 2015). Schools have either removed teacher librarians or spread them out to run more than one school library.

Chart created based on the statistics from the California Department of Education

On top of the reduction of teacher librarians and classified staff taking over the libraries, the library hours have been reduced. Library hours in California are now on average 25 hours per week (California Department of Education, 2015). With students in California in school an average of 31 hours per week, the students miss out on having access to the library an average of 224 hours per school year (National Center for Education Statistics).

We are losing libraries and staff when we need them the most. Books are expected to be up-to-date and aligned to Common Core State Standards. Staff needs to be available for students to use the library at least throughout the school day. Teacher librarians are needed to teach students about information literacy, especially with so many forms of information available today. Debra Kachel, a professor of School Library and Information Technologies, explained it best that “Librarians teach information literacy – how to separate the useful from the less useful, the credible from the inaccurate, and how to navigate the internet safely (Kachel, 2015).”

So do we lose hope and mourn the demise of school libraries? Not necessarily. The president recently signed a bill for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that could provide a boost for school libraries. The American Library Association’s current president, Sari Feldman says “School libraries and school librarians are really recognized as critical education partners in this bill. (Gravatt, 2015)” This bill would provide opportunities for grants being awarded to school libraries, funding for professional development of library staff, and the chance for a library to once again become a core part of the school curriculum.

Obama signs the ESSA. Photo from District Dispatch and whitehouse.gov.

But even without this bill, school libraries are transforming from the quiet study areas that they once were. Many school libraries are now turning their libraries into a common area, a place for students and staff to gather and collaborate with each other. Others are also turning them into “makerspaces,” where students have to opportunity to create. Depending on the school’s budget, it can be as simple as working with donated materials such as old catalogs and old VHS cassettes. But it can also be as elaborate as making their own videos, using a green screen, or designing their own logos on the computer (Fine, 2015). Whatever the case, it is becoming a place that is welcoming and encouraging for students to come in and actively learn. We are not facing the demise of the school library, we are witnessing its transformation.

Works Cited

California Department of Education. (2015, October 8). Statistics about California school libraries. Retrieved April 4, 2016, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/schoollibrstats08.asp

Fine, A. (2015, June). Transforming quiet school libraries into collaborative spaces. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/transforming-quiet-school-libraries-collaborative-spaces

Gravatt, N. (2015, December 10). Significant victory for libraries as President signs ESSA into law. Retrieved from http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/12/significant-victory-for-libraries-as-president-signs-essa-into-law/

Kachel, D. (2015, July 13). The calamity of the disappearing school libraries [Web log post]. Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://theconversation.com/the-calamity-of-the-disappearing-school-libraries-44498

National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Average number of hours in the school day and average number of days in the school year for public schools, by state: 2007–08. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/tables/sass0708_035_s1s.asp

The Demise of School Libraries - by Lauren Lane

School libraries have come a long way from being that place that students would use occasionally to check out a book to read for a book report.  This is part technology motivated but it’s also motivated by school libraries budgetary constraints.  According to an article from Education Week, “school libraries are struggling to secure the money needed to continue programs and provide services to schools as they compete with other educational priorities,”(Ash).   As school funding and budgets get tight, less money goes around to programs and things, such as school libraries, that budget makers find less important.  This has made school libraries need to be creative to make school libraries essential to make sure they aren’t cut out the budget altogether.

So how do you do that?  Technology!  Technology is an ever changing field and school libraries are embracing it.  Many school libraries are trying to make the school library a place for collaboration and a “project-based” place, (Ash).  Children are in world of Internet, YouTube, smart phones, etc. so school libraries are embracing that and changing what you normally think of when you think of a school library.  Many libraries are using their physical space different to attract students to the library, for example some are using the library as “a performance space where students can share their work with parents, peers, and teachers,” (Ash).  Also school libraries are making themselves known on the web.  “Virtual spaces are growing exponentially because you have to get to the kids 24/7,” (Ash).  Making their presence online allows students to log in and find information from databases, connect with library staff for help and much more.  Making the virtual space a place where kids can go for any homework help or research help, makes the school library that much more essential.

Maker spaces are also essential today to keep up with our technology as well as a useful tool to get students to visit the school library.  Maker spaces allows students to have fun, make stuff and learn all at the same time and in a safe environment.  This attracts students who might not have gone in to their school library.  It also catches attentions of parents who might donate items, time or money to the school library to keep these kinds of programs going.  Check out this video about a New Jersey high school and their maker space.  The possibilities are endless!

With budgetary cuts and tightening of the belt, school libraries need to think outside of the traditional physical realm of books and create opportunities for students to use the library virtually as well as using the physical space in new and different ways.  This can prevent the demise of school libraries as well as start a potential renaissance.

Works Cited:

Ash, Kate. “School Libraries Seek Relevance Through Virtual Access; Librarians’ Roles Shifting to   Address the Demand for Quality Online Content.” Education Week 10 Feb.2010: 10. Opposing           Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

To check out the article in full: School Libraries Seek Relevance Through Virtual Access; Librarians' Roles Shifting to Address the Demand for Quality Online Content - Opposing Viewpoints in Context

Created my Voki! Still working on some stuff

I just made a new Voki. See it here:: http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=12478366