theMsMcCallum Blog

A blog I discovered was Stump the Teacher and the post I read was "Lessons from the Library Makerspace" by Josh Stumpenhorst. Stumpenhorst no longer uses the Blogger account so if you are interest in what he has to say he updates his new blog at the website here . At the time of publishing this blog entry, Stumpenhorst was discussing how he was evolving his practice as a librarian at a Junior High School and as a Learning Commons Director. He recalls that his gets questioned about the inclusion of a makerspace and responds that the maker space is not always connected to the core curriculum. The idea of a vibrant and busy creative space is contradictory to the stereotypical notion of the library as a quiet and isolated space. In my opinion, the latter doesn't work for today's learners as much as the former. Students today use technology and collaborate with peers across nations in ways that weren't dreamed about when libraries were first constructed and in order t...

Image Credit: Webpurify A comment that was made to be about modern day bullying is that it is worse than the bullying of 20 or even 30 years ago because it can go beyond the schoolyard. Now that students as young as elementary school have access to their peers through the internet, there is no barrier that makes a student safe from the cruel intent of a peer. There's also the phrase that "the internet is forever" - once a cruel post is made, it can spread beyond the conflicting students to the whole school, community, state, nation, etc. Anyone with access will be able to engage with the bullying and deleting is sometimes impossible. The background information and research outlined in "From the Sandbox to the Inbox: Comparing the Acts, Impacts, and Solutions of Bullying in K-12, Higher Education, and the Workplace" supports this - and there have been many more cases that have been covered in the media since. With this in mind, what can be done? The article from ...

The social media I chose to experiment with for my school library program is Instagram. I have experience with Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat but I mostly use Facebook. As a faculty sponsor of a club for the last two years, I've noticed that Instagram is more popular with students within the Beta Club program I have facilitated. I like that Instagram has the ability to share images and videos as well as short text - I think these are most engaging for students. My profile overview is below. My biography on the profile just explains that it is a model account for a high school library rather than a true account. However, I did follow some library and education related accounts. The first post I made was to emphasize that this was not a real school account but a graduate school assignment and it has links to the Google Site I am working on and this Blogger. The latest post that I've made (as of October 11th, 2022), is a video I made using Canva of Halloween book recommendation...

Web 2.0 does not describe any singular internet based tool. In an article for Investopedia, Will Kenton (2022) states that the term Web 2.0 primarily described the "current state of the internet" which consists of "more user-generated content and usability for end-users compared to its earlier incarnation, Web 1.0." There was not a technical upgrade to the internet itself which lead to Web 2.0 but rather a change in the way the internet was used - including the number of users and the increasing diversity of the information sharing among them. A benefit of this is the access to adaptive technology: enhanced methods of technology use for people with a accessibility issue or impairment. Adaptive technology can also be assistive as a low to high tech tool that helps a person with a disability to function with greater independence. The ACT Center offers a definition for both adaptive and assistive technology as well as a list of tools that could be considered for the di...

Image Credit: Playbloxels.com, Logo What is Bloxels? Bloxels is an online gaming creation platform with a large community for collaboration. According to the website there are currently 20,972 educators with active subscriptions to Bloxels. There are several options for purchase with the most being a $6,000 district bundle that provides 1500 student accounts, 80 boards, 4 card decks and VIP support. The lowest cost option for a class bundle is the Bloxels EDU for $150.00 which offers 25 licenses plus an educator for one year. Other than these options, there is a space to request a quote from Bloxels. Bloxels can be used in the classroom but it can also just be used independently for fun. There is a subscription cost for this but the app is available for free download and does offer a selection of free games. Something that I really appreciated was that there was a physical aspect to this resource that coupled with a digital. Students can use a board to manipulate blocks and design char...

You may be thinking, "Legos are just toys, what could you possibly do with them in a classroom?" Well, allow me to introduce you to David Aguilar. You may show this video to students to capture their interests of attention. Robotics and engineering can sound intimidating to students not versed in them - but introduce them to a Lego fan and this next product, and you may find that the students are less afraid and more invested. Image Credit: Lego.com, Robot Inventor What is Lego Mindstorm? Kids learn best when education is made interactive – and even better when it's creative and fun! You can take playtime to the next level with programmable toys that fulfil exciting, different functions. Kids 6 to 9 years old and young adults will love learning the basics of coding languages as they assemble, then program robots to dance, fight and play sports.  -  Lego Mindstorm - Invent a Robot Lego Mindstorm is a STEAM based tool that allows students to turn worktime into playtime...