Sonya's Teaching Blog

In spite of having surgery today, I am going to get out an IMWAYR post this week because I have just read so much amazing stuff!  Speak  by Laurie Halse Anderson is an incredible book that I first need to mention comes with content warnings for sexual assault, self harm. These are difficult and yet necessary topics to discuss with young adults - they are sadly a reality for many youth these days and need to be discussed in classroom in supportive ways. Anderson, Laurie Halse (1999). Speak . New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. The book itself includes resources for youth needing support related to sexual assault, though they are USA centered. The first thing I recommend if you are going to discuss this book in a classroom setting is gathering resources that are local and useful to students in your class. Chances sadly pretty high that someone in that class will need these resources. Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak . Book cover care of goodreads.com Laurie Halse Anderson t...

While researching the role that learning commons play in digital literacy, I decided to break the topic into several sub-topics. Those were as follows: What is digital literacy and why is it important? How can we teach digital literacy and what role can libraries and/or learning commons play in digital literacy education? What standards are in place for digital literacy education and how are we assessing students’ abilities compared with those standards? Of the three sub-topics, the most discussed appears to be the need for digital literacy and, to a lesser degree, it’s definition. There is no universal definition of digital literacy, but there seems to be a consensus that it involves two larger concepts, plus other peripheral skills. The main concepts are 1) how to use digital technology to find and use information and 2) how to use digital technology to create and share information (Heitin, 2016; ISTE, 2016; Media Smarts, n.d.). However, there seems to be a wide range ...

After some consideration, I realized that my previous research interest broke down into a few sub-categories. The first is on how technology is being integrated into libraries. The second is the definition of digital literacy. The third is on what are standards for digital literacy and how do we make sure students are reaching these standards. The following are just a few of the numerous sources discovered while researching these three areas. 1. Smith System (2019). Learning Commons: How Technology is Changing 21st Century Library Design.  Retrieved from  https://smithsystem.com/smithfiles/2016/01/06/learning-commons-how-technology-is-changing-21st-century-library-design/ Technology is already being incorporated into libraries and education to varying degrees. This article article discusses libraries are becoming learning commons and are incorporating more technology,  using a specific example of updating a library built in the 50’s. 2. Media Smarts (n.d.). Dig...

Since my own high school graduation almost 20 years ago, I have very little experience in modern elementary and high-school libraries, but what I have experienced has shown me just how much has changed in that time. Technology has taken a huge role in education and libraries are definitely reflecting that, with 3-D printers, video and sound editing setups, coding events, and programmable playful objects like Spheros and Ozobots. And that’s just what I have seen. I want to know what other roles technology might be playing in modern libraries. What skills do I need as a future librarian? What are the best ways to guide students through this world of technology, especially knowing that many of them may have more exposure to technology than I currently do? What are the best ways to learn alongside the students? What digital competencies are the most important for us to pass on to our students? How do we decide what makes something “important”? And how do we most effectively pass those ...