The Lighthouse Diary #20: A Vital Support System

Sharing with you, my dear blog readers, my message of love to my learning community in the Beacon Academy.

As we are all easing our way into online learning, leadership providing the framework and protocols for a smooth, if not easy transition and colleagues helping each other out, the BA Library will continue to provide access to online resources and support for teachers. Information in the form of curated content (Pathfinders, online directories, etc.) will be shared in Workplace.

By Monday, March 16, 2020, updates in Resource Center for Students in Managebac will be reactivated. I am requesting your help to refer students to this group. It has the basic guide in accessing our online subscriptions.The Resource Center was set up last August 2019. It was presented to students during the orientation. Updates were made every library session I had with MYP students and scheduled consultations with DP students during the 1st term.

The experiences shared by colleagues during the Google Classroom walk-through was both a challenging and inspiring experience. To reference John Dewey, it is in doing that we learn.

To carry on learning Google Classroom and other learning management systems, here are links to MOOCS and webinars, some materials for further reading and tech tips for teachers and students. Send over your feedback and comments. It will develop and enrich what we are co-creating now. Experienced practitioners in edtech and instructional tech have witnessed, timely, meaningful and appropriate feedback makes a big difference in learning online.

So, here we go!

UP Open University Webinar on Google Classroom - you will need to register and make sure your laptop or PC has good speakers for listening to audio-video recordings.

Ateneo Salt Institute 3 Step Guide for Setting Up a Virtual Classroom - the recommended LMS or platforms are Facebook and Schoology. I have tried both and the later is more appropriate for academics. It is more teacher friendly too. Well, the former is more popular and easier to access but, why not try something new once in a while.

Ateneo Salt Institute Guide for Online Learners - if there is a guide for teachers, a student guide is not far behind. This is for reference and a model to look at for building students' confidence, accountability and integrity while learning in a virtual environment.

DoF sent good materials (an article and a checklist) to condition and start us off in online learning over at Academic Team. Here now is a practical guide and tips for instructors transitioning to teaching online. Intended for higher education, the content is applicable for teachers in basic education.

This is all for now. Have a restful weekend. Stay protected. See you online!

#milclicks Reading List: Media Literacy and Media Education

My participation in the MIL MOOC of UNESCO and Athabasca University prompts me to read further on Media Literacy. The unit where Media Literacy is discussed has clear definitions of the concept but I feel I need to brush up on my knowledge on media education. 

I am sharing resources on media education and Media Literacy that I found online.

The Center for Media Literacy has a list of readings about Media Literacy beginning from its basic definition to curricular programs and best practices gathered from media educators and practitioners. Articles and reports, case studies and lesson plans are included in the  list as well. What I am keen on reading is the framework for teaching Media Literacy in the digital age.

Media Smarts is Canada's center for the teaching of Media Literacy. It has resources for teachers in integrating Media Literacy with Media Education. There is a section for parents where tips and strategies in raising kids in the digital age are collated and put together. It has book recommendations and reviews of websites to help parents understand media better. The section on Research is also a treasure trove of readings on media use and digital citizenship.

Lastly, the  UNESCO Media Education Kit provides teachers, parents and media practitioners with lesson plans, activities and programming strategies for the instruction of media education. The kit is a PDF and can be downloadable for free.

To become media literate, one needs to be educated about media and the technology used to make it. 

23 Mobile Things PH & SG: Thing # 6: Videos

I'm still learning from Thing #s 4 and 5 and here comes Thing # 6 -- videos!

I have accounts in YouTube and Instagram and have used its video apps both on laptop and mobile devices a few times. However, I think I should explore using videos to promote and market special events and collections in the library. Now that's a long term plan to put in a year's strategic plan for the library. The technology is just there but the content will take a while to build it.

For this week's Thing, my attention was directed towards Videonot.es.

Tried annotating my video of a read aloud session. 

My work in the library entails guidance in using technology in instruction too. I'll recommend Videonot.es to my co-teachers and at the same time, I'll use it too to better understand the technology. The freeware/app can also be used by students who view and watch educational videos from YouTube. It's the annotation feature that I'm drawn to. 

As for updates on my use of Historypin, I have uploaded some photos of my travels. I've pinned some too. Then, I can create a Channel or a Tour. So far so good, I think.

23 Mobile Things PH&SG: Thing #2 Photo Apps

It's all about Photo Apps in 23 Mobile Things PH & SG this week.

I'm not a big Instagram fan and I only post in IG when I feel like it but I definitely love taking photos. So you'll find all sorts of pictures in my IG account should you visit me there or choose to follow me. However, recent upgrade in my mobile has made IG more interesting as I can use Pic Collage, post it on IG and link the post to Twitter. Twitter then sends the link to FB. Ah, social media magic!

Collage of new books posted in IG

Should you visit the 23 Mobile Things PH & SG website, you'll read about a blog entry of Hedren Sum from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has recommended a slew of Thinking as it asks relevant questions on the use of the said technology. More than knowing how to use technology, understanding the why of using technology is just as important.

Here are my answers to the questions:

When was the last time you printed out photographs you have taken? What could be the reason behind this?

I have not printed out any of my photos. But I might. I'll Tweet and tag #23mthingsphsg.

How could your library use photographs to promote library services, events and activities?

I used Pic Collage to combine photos of new books. I sent this to our school's mailing list. By day's end, we received five book reservations!

Do you have a permission form available so that when you take photographs of clients or events, you have their agreement for those images to be used and shared online?

This is a good suggestion and I'll try this out.

How easy is it for clients to contribute digital photographs to your library collection (eg. local history)?

This question prompts me to look at the library's photo collection. For now, all are stored in digital folders and in CDs as back ups. But, yes. It is good to revisit procedures on how the community can take part in building the library's collection.

A sample of my book spine poem to entice high school kids to join the contest. Posted in IG too.

Thanks to Karryl and Joan for this wonderful initiative, and to Hedren for the content he provided in Thing #2! I had fun answering the questions.

23 Mobile Things PH & SG

Filipino Librarian Karryl Kim Sagun and Joan Wee of Singapore teamed up for 23 Mobile Things PH & SG, a self paced online course that provides discussion and interaction on 23 mobile things that libraries can use to deliver services. Scheduled to run on a weekly basis for 23 weeks, participants register, log-in and engage with moderators and co-participants in the course from all over the world. Started in 2006 by Helen Blowers, 23 Mobile Things has been replicated by librarians from different countries like Denmark, Australia and New Zealand.

Today, January 17, is the start of the first 23 Mobile Things discussion. Thing #1 is Twitter. Aaron Tay from the National University of Singapore Libraries moderates.

If you have not registered, you can still catch up. Register in 23 Mobile Things. Once you have registered, join in the conversation in Twitter by using #23MThingsPHSG.

I will be moderating Thing #10 and Thing #16. See you online!