Digital Storytelling

What is Digital Storytelling?

Dr. Bernard Robin from the University of Houston has defined digital storytelling as “the art of telling stories with a variety of digital multimedia, such as images, audio, and video. Just about all digital stories bring together some mixture of digital graphics, text, recorded audio narration, video and music to present information on a specific topic.”   Dr. Robin further explains that “digital stories revolve around a chosen theme and often contain a particular viewpoint. The stories are typically just a few minutes long and have a variety of uses, including the telling of personal tales, the recounting of historical events, or as a means to inform or instruct on a particular topic.

What types of digital stories are there?

• Personal narratives
• Digital stories that examine historical events
• Digital stories that inform or instruct

How can digital stories be used in education?

Digital stories can be either teacher driven or student driven.  A teacher could create a digital story to introduce a new unit or to help to better explain a math concept.  A student could create a digital story to explain a short story he has written or as a project to explain the importance of Hammurabi’s Code on the development of Western civilization.  Digital stories capitalize on an individual’s creativity and research skills but also develop much desired critical thinking skills. 

Here are just a few of the skills acquired by those who create a digital story:

1. Research Skills: Documenting the story, finding and analyzing pertinent information
2. Writing Skills: Formulating a point of view and developing a script
3. Organization Skills: Managing the scope of the project, the materials used and the time it takes to complete the task
4. Technology Skills: learning to use a variety of tools, such as digital cameras, scanners, microphones and multimedia authoring software
5. Presentation Skills: Deciding how to best present the story to an audience
6. Interview Skills: Finding sources to interview and determining questions to ask
7. Interpersonal Skills: Working within a group and determining individual roles for group members
8. Problem-Solving Skills: Learning to make decisions and overcome obstacles at all stages of the project, from inception to completion
9. Assessment Skills: Gaining expertise critiquing their own and others’ work.

What impact does the Media Center have on the creation of digital stories?

The Media Center is vital to the production of a digital story because of the invaluable resources that are located in it.  Not only does the media center have access to much of material needed to complete a digital story but the media specialist, in collaboration with the classroom teacher, can introduce and teach students vital 21st Century skills within the process of completing the digital story.

What is needed to plan a digital story?

The Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) in Berkeley, California has developed and disseminated for several years “The Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling.”  As students begin to develop their digital stories, they should take the following from the CDS into consideration.

CDS' Seven Elements of Digital Storytelling

1. Point of View: What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author?
2. A Dramatic Question: A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story.
3. Emotional Content: Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the story to the audience.
4. The Gift of Your Voice: A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.
5. The Power of the Soundtrack: Music or other sounds that support and embellish the storyline.
6. Economy: Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer.
7. Pacing: The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.

What are the steps to create a digital story?

STEP ONE: Choose a Topic, Write a Script

1. Create a folder on the desktop where you can store all of the materials related to your digital story. Select a topic for your digital story.
2. Begin thinking of the purpose of your story. Are you trying to inform, convince, provoke, question? Also, think about who the audience will be for this story.
3. Write the first draft of the script for your story. This script will serve as the basis of the narration you will record later.
4. Read what you have written make sure your script includes a clearly articulated purpose and includes an identifiable point of view.
5. Share your script with others and use their feedback to improve the next version of your script.
6. Repeat the process of getting feedback and revising the script, until you are satisfied with the results.

STEP TWO: Collect Resources

1. Search for or create images that can be used in your story, including: pictures, drawings, photographs, maps, charts, etc. - Save these resources in your folder.
2. Try to locate audio resources such as music, speeches, interviews, and sound effects. - Save these resources in your folder.
3. Try to find other informational content, which might come from web sites, word processed documents, or PowerPoint slides - Save these resources in your folder.

STEP THREE: Select Content, Develop a Storyboard

•  Here is a link to a story board to use...http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/pdfs/storyboard.pdf

1. Select the images you would like to use for your digital story.
2. Select the audio you would like to use for your digital story.
3. Select the text and any additional content you would like to use for your digital story.
4. Create a storyboard that provides a textual and visual overview of your plan for the digital story.

STEP FOUR: Import, Record, Finalize

1. Import images into Photo Story or other similar software program.
2. Import audio into Photo Story.
3. Modify the number of images and/or image order, if necessary.
4. Use a computer microphone and record the narration of your script.
5. Import the narration into Photo Story.
6. Add music or other audio to your story.
7. Finalize your digital story by saving it in a version that can be viewed.

STEP FIVE: Demonstrate, Evaluate, Replicate

1. Show your digital story to your students and colleagues.
2. Gather feedback about how the story could be improved, expanded, and used educationally.
3. Teach others how to create their own digital story.
4. Congratulate yourself for a job well done!

How do copyright laws affect digital storytelling?

Copyright plays an important role in digital storytelling and each individual creating a story needs to be aware of the law so one knows what kind of images, sounds and other media one can use without infringing the copyright of others.  However, creation of digital stories in the classroom generally falls under the category of “amateur activity.” Because of this, the stories are not intended for commercial use and protected by Fair Use laws.  Although, the best policy would be not to use copyrighted material unless it is absolutely necessary to avoid the issue altogether.

 

If you would like to know more about digital stories, here are a few references for you!

Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling:

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/index.html

What is Digital Storytelling?
http://www.storycenter.org/whatis.html

What is a Digital Story?
http://www.digistories.co.uk/What_is.htm

Digital Storytelling from Photobus
http://www.photobus.co.uk/index.php?id=2

The Art of Digital Storytelling
http://digitales.us/files/digitalstorytellingarticle.pdf

Here are a few links to royalty free media:

American Rhetoric:  

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

Find Sounds:  

http://www.findsounds.com/

Free Kid’s Music Library: 

http://freekidsmusic.com/

Free Play Music Library:

 http://freeplaymusic.com/

Kitzu-Digital kits for Education:

 http://www.kitzu.com/

Bibliography

Digital Storytelling: Navigating Copyright Issues. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2012, from Center for History and New Media website: https://sites.google.com/site/chnmdigitalstorytellingaha2012/ navigating     -copyright-issues

Robin, B. R. (n.d.). The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Retrieved March 28, 2012, from Department of Education, University of Houston website: http://faculty.coe.uh.edu/brobin/ homepage/Educational-Uses-DS.pdf

The Seven Elements of Storytelling. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2012, from Department of Education, University of Houston website: http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/7elements.html

Technology Training in Education

Cartoon clip found at :  http://www.glasbergen.com/education-cartoons/?album=4&gallery=85

The school librarian can use professional development as a means to make the library more visible and promote the school library program. Technology is linked with information literacy, and much effort must be made by schools today to keep up with the ever changing world of technology in which we live.  Therefore, ongoing, up-to-date professional development must be a part of the school library program.  The school library media specialist should play a role in presenting professional development sessions at the basic, introductory, and advanced levels to meet the needs of all teachers in the school.

Many times, teachers are not always eager to sit through professional development sessions.  Here are do’s and don’ts:

DO:

·         Assess your audience and yourself (perform a needs assessment to see what your teachers need to learn)

·         Analyze the learners (know their level of expertise)

·         Provide incentives for attending (talk with administration for ideas…snacks at the meeting, a dress down day, early leave pass, etc)

·         Make sure you have a clear plan and related activities

·         Give teachers guided practice time while you are present to assist when problems arise

·         Evaluate the training (conduct a survey or send out a feedback form to learn what worked, didn’t work, or suggestions for improvements in future trainings)

·         Use simple, one page handouts  that teachers can take with them for reference

o   Include pictures (a picture is worth a thousand words!!!)

o   Screen shots

o   Multiple colors and fonts to make it attractive

o   Give clear directions

DON’Ts:

·         Use long, multiple page handouts (these become overwhelming)

·         Conduct long, draw-out sessions

·         Lecture without activities and practice time

·         Treat teachers like the children in your classroom

·         Force teachers to use the technology (rather, enlist those eager to learn and use the new technology…their enthusiasm should spread!!!)

Training sessions will vary depending on the type of professional development being offered.  Some trainings can be conducted in a large group setting where all members are in attendance.  Other trainings can include on those needing special trainings. Keep in mind that you are training adult learners not the students you teach each day in your classroom.  These are special learners with multiple responsibilities.  It is essential to make professional development meaningful, enthusiastic, and in short segments (be respectful of teacher’s time).

In my school, I serve as the coordinator of technology professional development and as the media specialist.  At the beginning of each school year, I conduct a survey to ask teachers what technology trainings they are in need of. In addition, I look into new technologies that are essential for student learning that I can deliver to my teachers. I ways find that my teachers have a wide range of technology skills and expertise. There are many novice learners, many in between, and many expert learners.   The surveys and new technology resources become the focus of the year’s technology trainings, and teacher level of expertise is always considered.  Training sessions are kept short and only teachers needing the information are asked to attend.  Some sessions include the entire school while others only include a select group of people.  My school tries to keep technology trainings to one to two sessions every two months because teacher time is so crunched.  I have found that giving teachers a handout with visuals is a very successful way to ensure the training is successful.  It gives learners something to take back with them to use when they try out the new technology.  For example, my school began using ActivInspire this school year and did away with ActiPrimary and ActivStudio.  The features are much different with this updated software.  Therefore, the first training session for the school year focused on this topic because this was an essential component for teaching using their interactive boards.

Professional development in the area of technology is essential.  It’s that plain and simple.  Following do’s and don’ts help the library media specialist as he/she tries to share knowledge and expertise.  The most important thing to remember is that you must respect teachers’ time, keep it simple (KISS), and be enthusiastic because that is contagious!

Technology Training: K.I.S.S.

The Technology training at Cartersville High School is almost non-existent.  Like most schools during this budget crisis, technology training has fallen to the wayside.  For instance, last year, we received a grant that enabled the purchase of twenty SmartBoards in our school.  I was actually the recipient of one of the SmartBoards, and I eagerly awaited training on how to use it… and I’m still waiting.  During pre-planning, it became clear that those of us who had this new technology would never receive formal training for it.  We were told to “play with it,” “ask others who have one,” or “look it up on the internet.”  I’ll admit, it was frustrating, and while I did figure it out, I know that there are other, better uses for my board than what I figured out during a couple of afternoons “playing with it.” 

As a Library Media Specialist, one of the greatest ways to serve your school will be to implement technology training and staff development opportunities.  While there are challenges (time and money), there are simple ways to provide meaningful and budget-friendly ways of training your staff.  Remember K.I.S.S. (Keep it short,  simple!). 

When providing technology training, it is important to DO the following:

·      Provide simple handouts that may include screen shots, short sentences, images, and relevant information

·      Plan ahead and be ready for with a back up plan.

·      Provide instruction to groups who NEED it.  Survey the teachers and principal first to find the greatest area of need for instruction and lessons.

·      Meet teachers when convenient for them: during lunch, department meetings, or professional learning community times (PLCs). 

·      Utilize experts within the school or community that will cut down on the cost for the program.

·      Provide incentives for those who attend (food or comp time works greatly, with permission from the principal).

·      Publicize your successes: if a teacher makes a positive comment or writes a thank you email, make that pubic knowledge that your tips and programs are working!

·      Provide simple, one-page tip sheets that break the instruction down.

·      Allow time for guided practice so that the teachers can work with technology hands on.

·      Be open to feedback and criticism.  Not every person and every lesson will be successful, so be prepared.

On the other hand, there are also things that you should not do when providing tech training or staff development.  DO NOT:

·      Plan long sessions after school or during teacher in-service days.  Teachers need their time in the classroom.

·      Complicate the lessons by technology vernacular that is confusing to others.

·      Assume that all teachers are at the same level: there are beginners and advanced technology users in every school. 

·      Provide sporadic staff development; meaningful instruction is on-going throughout a school year.

·      Become frustrated if the technology fails (because it will at some point).  Have a back up plan.

These tips are very helpful when designing and planning staff development for technology training.  If you, as the LMS, are conscious of the budget by utilizing the resources available and time by meeting teachers when convenient, you will be successful and help your school to grow in a meaningful way!

Video Distribution Systems and Georgia Public Broadcasting Resources

I admit it, going into this assignment, I felt that my school, Cartersville High School, would be head and shoulders above everyone else with video distribution.  In some aspects, I was right; however, in some, I was very, very wrong.  We have a closed circuit cable system, and we also have a network video distribution system.  Score one point for CHS.  Our network video distribution system, however, doesn’t work!  Score one for Dr. Cooper!  (How did he know to ask that question!?)  I learned from interviewing both my library media specialist as well as our Video Productions teacher, Marc Collier, that CHS does not really have the bandwidth to use our network video distribution system.  Therefore, when teachers try to use it, it is not reliable and doesn’t work properly; for example, the audio may not match up with the video.   In addition to these woes, our network at CHS restricts its usage.  Obviously, there are major glitches! 

Cartersville High School mainly uses our closed circuit video distribution system.  It is used to show classes the school variety show, a product of the popular Video Productions Class, called “Seeville Productions.”  We show school news, important announcements like our registration process, how to register to vote, the benefit of driver’s education, etc.  The productions are filmed by, edited by, and star students in Mr. Collier’s class.  In fact, Mr. Collier is the ONLY teacher that has any input on what is shown on our closed circuit system.  We use our cable and/or broadcast for important national events like Presidential inaugurations, watching CSPAN for Congressional Sessions, etc.   

How do we compensate for lack of network video distribution system?  Cartersville High School, like all public schools in Georgia, has access to the GPB Education website.  In fact, our social studies department uses the Discovery Education streaming videos with almost every unit they cover.  This extensive website has tremendous resources for teachers and all subject areas.  However, for the sake of length, I’m going to focus on three areas in particular. 

GBP has also been an excellent resource for the upcoming implementation of the Common Core Standards.   

http://www.gpb.org/education/common-core#edu-today-bottom

This link provides the viewer with a recorded message from the State School Superintendent, John Barge, on the new Common Core Standards.  On this link, too, are webinars broken up by subject and content area to help classroom teachers with the implementation of Common Core.

GPS has a link called Stem Central.

http://www.gpb.org/education/stem-central%20

This link is an excellent resource for Science, Engineering, Math, and Technology teachers.  During my program at West Georgia, I have discovered that there really are not a great deal of online sites devoted to science and math.  Therefore, I hope that all teachers in these fields will take advantage of this great resource.  This site focuses on preparing students for real world experiences with science, math, technology and engineering. 

Finally, the last link is called Count On It for K-3. 

http://www.gpbkids.org/countonit

I have to admit, I teach high school, and I was so amazed at this site.  I think that it is very user-friendly.  The students may click on their grade level and practice skills for telling time, measuring, using and counting money, and even geometry.  This is an excellent resource for students to use on their own, and it truly makes learning fun.

As a media specialist, it is important to stay on top of great resources and the ability to reach out to all teacher via television or closed circuit viewing.  Through collaboration with Mr. Collier, this is possible at Cartersville High School.  By subscribing to GPB Education, all of the teachers, in each content area, will be able to enhance their lessons through video streaming and interactive games.

Video Distribution & GPB Resources

Our school uses a video distribution system to broadcast the morning announcements daily as well as to play DVDs requested by academic teachers.  For example, this week the video distribution system is playing the book-fair preview video on channel 12 on a loop so that all students can learn about the books that will be available at the book fair.  Teachers do have input over what information is distributed.  In order to request content sent out over the video distribution system, teachers must fill out a video request form located on our extranet.  The teacher fills out the form which is then submitted to the principal for approval.  The permission will remain in a pending state until it is approved or rejected by the principal.  If it is approved, it will appear with an approved status in the database and the media specialist will be notified in order to queue up that video on the date requested.  Teachers can control when the video is played by dialing into the video distribution over the phone in the room.  The phone, left off the hook, serves as a remote control to play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, and stop the vhs or dvd.  The permission form that our school used for the video distribution system can be seen below:

The other video distribution system that we use is Media Cast.  Media Cast is available over the internet and gives teachers access to a digital library of content where they can retrieve entire programs/videos or save segments that are applicable to the lesson.  Programs that are applicable to the entire school are often saved and bookmarked on media cast so that they are easily accessible to all teachers.

Our district also subscribes to Georgia Public Broadcasting for video streaming and other educational resources.  Once logged into this resource, you are redirected to Discovery Education and can search for resources by subject area, grade, media type, materials included, etc.  There are excellent resources available for a large range of topics.  Because April is national poetry month, I searched for resources on poetry and then sorted by most popular.  I found many video resources which can be streamed or downloaded by segment (applicable to a portion of a lesson) or in whole.  The video I streamed, Just the Facts: Understanding Literature --The Elements of Poetry described and gave examples of figurative language and poetic techniques.  I will likely use the section on rhythm and meter to help my students better understand how to identify the iamb, trochee, anapest, and others.  This video included links to two other videos in this same series, exploring fiction and drama.   I watched another poetry video called Self-Expression and the Spoken Word which introduces students to the slam poetry movement (much more exciting and alive than analyzing poetic techniques and meter)!

In addition to curricular material, GPB/Discovery Streaming also includes professional development resources and programs of study.  I have been viewing all of the Common Core broadcasts for English Language Arts on this site.  Today I learned about the other educator programs such as STEM Central, the “headquarters for science, technology, engineering and mathematics multimedia learning materials.”

http://www.gpb.org/education/stem-central%20

I also visited Georgia Stories which would be an excellent resource for eighth grade Georgia History teachers.  It included stories, podcasts, teacher resources, and more.

http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories

Salsa is another cool resource available there.  It is an “award winning Spanish language series for young learners in kindergarten through the third grade.”

http://www.gpb.org/salsa

There is an abundance of wonderful resources available through Georgia Public Broadcasting!  It is important to engage students in the content in more than one format.  The multimedia digital resources of GPB provide a way for learners to experience their subject through text, audio, and video resources.  Time is of a premium and teachers aren’t always aware of how helpful these resources can be.  As a media specialist, I hope to be able to highlight one or more of these GPB resources monthly that would apply to each academic department. 

Social Media

Social media can be defined as a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0.  It also allows for the creation and exchange of user-generated content.

There are six different types of social media:

• Collaborative projects like Wikipedia 
•  Blogs and microblogs like Blogger, Tumblr, or Twitter 
• Content communities like YouTube
• Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace
• Virtual game worlds like World of Warcraft
• Virtual social worlds like Second Life

Within the past ten years, social media has completely revolutionized the way that we live.  As a result, it affects the way that students learn. In a study conducted by the American Library Association in 2008, it was discovered that elementary, middle and high schools are beginning to treat social media tools as an essential part of preparing students for the 21st century. Some key findings included:

• 53% of elementary, middle and high schools use some sort of collaborative tools to aid in instruction.

• 50% of schools use intranet within their school community.

• More than 41% of schools use podcasts.

• 29% of schools use blogs as an instructional platform.

• Although not extensively used, tools like online instruction and social book marking are popular with almost 20% and more than 15% of schools using some form of these tools, respectively.

• Integrating social networking tools into instruction is widely accepted by public and private schools alike.

In ”Social Networking Goes to School,” Michelle Davis relays the following about social media. 

“Just a few years ago, social networking meant little more to educators than the headache of determining whether to penalize students for inappropriate activities captured on Facebook or MySpace. Now, teachers and students have a vast array of social-networking sites and tools--from Ning to VoiceThread and Second Life--to draw on for such serious uses as professional development and project collaboration. Educators who support using social networking for education say it has become so ubiquitous for students--who start using sites like Webkinz and Club Penguin when they are in elementary school--that it just makes sense to engage them this way. Though teachers and students are now pushing learning beyond the borders of the classroom through social networking, that move also comes with hurdles, including the fact that many schools still block access to such sites within their walls.”

Since most public schools in fact block most social media tools, how can educators incorporate them into their curriculum?  Is it necessary for educators to incorporate them?  

To be able to promote and teach 21st century skills, 

using social media tools are necessary for education!

 

Here are some examples of how educators incorporated them into their classrooms and media centers:

• Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano is the 21st-century-learning specialist at the private, K-8 Martin J. Gottlieb Day School in Jacksonville, Fla. In January 2009, Tolisano launched her "Around the World With 80 Schools" project. The goal was to introduce her school's students to peers in countries around the globe. She built a social-networking site using Ning for teachers from all countries who wanted to participate, eventually attracting 300 members. Tolisano set up a meeting between classes using Skype. Students prepared a list of questions like “What's the weather like there?” “How big is your town or city?” “What continent are you on?”   They then chatted with students in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, and Spain, among a long list of others. Tolisano’s students had different jobs to do during the call. One was a photographer, documenting the meet-and-greet. Others placed the location of the class they're talking with on a Google map. Other students served as Twitter "backchannelers," who sent out tweets as the live event was happening. Other classes added "fact checkers," who go back to make sure the information provided is accurate. "It creates a global awareness that there is a wider world out there and that we are not alone," Tolisano says. "They find it's just as easy to collaborate with a class in England as with the class next door.

• At New Milford High School in New Jersey, the school's official Facebook page keeps its 1,100 fans updated on sports events and academic achievements. In addition, students who traveled to Europe for a tour of Holocaust sites blogged daily about their experiences, and received comments from all over the world.  The principal, Eric C. Sheninger, uses Twitter as a way to communicate with parents but also a professional development tool for his teachers.

• Project K-Nect, a grant-funded program that uses smart phones as teaching tools in a handful of North Carolina school districts, allows students to instant-message their peers and teachers with questions on math homework at any time of the day or night. Students can also post questions and answers to school math blogs, where a student struggling with algebra could find several classmates willing to walk him or her through a problem or even post video of the best way to solve it.

• Twitter has become a hot spot for educators to find professional development and resources. One of the most popular types of educator events on Twitter are "EdChats".  The chats are one-hour conversations that take place every Tuesday around a particular topic. The page is the brainchild of several educators.

• Shelly Terrell, who is currently teaching in Germany at the German-American Institute, had her kindergartners create a book in VoiceThread with a kindergarten class in Turkey. The young students drew "pages" and then spoke into a microphone to record parts of the story.

Just Say Yes to Social Networking in Schools!

Because learning is a social construct, social networking absolutely should have a role within the school setting, especially in the school library media center.  The AASL standards for the 21^st Century Learner state that students should be able to “collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems.”  Technology affords our students the opportunity to do just that; to collaborate not just within the classroom or school but truly on a global level through social networking.  Despite reluctance from some schools, acceptance of social networking as educational tools is increasing.  The ALA’s 2008 study on the level of acceptance of social networking sites in schools found “that elementary, middle and high schools are beginning to treat social networking tools as an essential part of preparing students for the 21st century.” 

One way that social networking can be used in the library media center is to motivate students to read.  Ray Doiron, founder of worldreaders.org, explains why using social networking tools in schools is essential and how they can be used to motivate students to read. Students, he says, “have embraced digital technologies as the essential tools of their learning and living leaving adults to either abandon their old goals of encouraging the lifelong reading habit or harnessing the energy and power of these new digital technologies to help them achieve these reading goals.”

The school where I teach recognizes the importance and power of using social networking.  While sites such as facebook and twitter are blocked, several other social networking sites are used.  These include Googledocs, WordPress, Destiny Quest’s New Social Features, Glogster, and Shelfari. 

Some of the digital technologies you may want to “harness” in your own school in order to promote reading are:

www.shelfari.com

·         With shelfari you can build a virtual bookshelf to display the books you have read, are reading, and want to read. 

·         The social component allows you to have “friends” and see what they are reading/ make suggestions to one another

·         Students can read and leave reviews on books.

·         Many of the books also include supplemental information such as glossaries of terms, character lists, etc

·         Teachers and librarians can download a widget of a bookshelf to feature certain books.  This widget is easy to customize, edit, and post to your webpage.  http://www.shelfari.com/widget?WidgetId=186641 

·         Shelfari also gives students an option to browse “more books like this” See picture below for books like The Hunger Games

www.goodreads.com (similar features to shelfari)

·         GoodReads is very similar to shelfari in that you can build a virtual bookshelf to display the books you have read, are reading, and want to read. 

·         The social component allows you to have “friends” and see what they are reading/ make suggestions to one another

·         Students can read and leave reviews on books.

·         There are lists of books that can be helpful to students and teachers alike:

Destiny Quest

·         Destiny Quest now has a social component.  Students can log-in in order to:

o   Create virtual shelves and keep track of what they are reading, what they have read, and what they want to read

o   All users can rate the books (star rating system) that they have read and write book reviews that other students can see

o   These reviews can include text, audio, or video resources!

o   Users can give star ratings to books

o   Users can create a network of “friends” within the school district.  Once they have done so they can make recommendations of books to each other and have online discussions

o   The big “bonus” of Destiny Quest is it is limited to students within the school or district so it is a much safer alternative to some of the other open social networking sites.

www.glogster.com

·         Glogster is another wonderful social networking tool. 

·         This video shows some of the highlights of Glogster and how excited students are to use it:

·         One of the teachers in my department is using it at my school as an alternative to book reports/ book reviews. 

·         Glogster also allows you to create a bookshelf.  However, instead of linking to books, each book takes you right to the student review.  The students publish online and their peers are able to view and review their work.  The student product then becomes not only a great source of information but a wonderful suggestion way for students to preview and select books to read.

·         An example of one of these student created book reviews is at this link.  Notice that each text box includes a scroll bar once you hover over it.  This student has included text, videos, pictures, and music in her review of The Lovely Bones.

As you can see, I think that social networking should definitely be included in the school library media center!  Among their many other uses, they can be used to promote reading while giving students experience with technology and the ever-important opportunity to collaborate.  Reading is a fundamental skill for sucess in school and life and social networking can go a long way towards getting students interested and motivated to read!