Teens, Technology, and Friendships

Teens, Technology, and Friendship

Lenhart, A. (2015).  Teens, technology and friendships.  Retrieved from: Pew Center Research.

 This report explored the new contours of friendship in the digital age. It covers the results of a national survey of teens ages 13 to 17.  According to Pew Research:

·         57% of All today’s teens have made new friends online. 

·         29% of these teens admitting they have met more than 5 friends online.

·         Boys are more likely than girls to make online friends 61% of boys compared to 52% of girls have made friends online.  Girls who have met new friends online are more likely to meet them via social media (78% vs. 52% of boys), while boys are substantially more likely to meet new friends while playing games online (57% vs. 13% of girls)

·         Older teens are more likely to make friends than younger teens- 60% of teens between the ages of 15-17 have made friends online. 

·         Texting is a huge component of socializing in a teen’s world- 55% of teens spend their time texting.  Texting is the most common way they communicate with close friends

·         Only 25% of teens spend time with friends face to face.

Here is a list of how teens communicate with their friends:

Instant messaging: 79% of all teens instant message their friends.

Social media: 72% of all teens spend time with friends via social media.

Email: 64% of all teens use email with friends.

Video chat: 59% of all teens video chat with their friends.

Video games: 52% of all teens spend time with friends playing video games.

Messaging apps: 42% of all teens spend time with friends on messaging apps such as Kik and WhatsApp.

How Teens Hang Out and Stay in Touch With Their Closest Friends:

At School-83%

Someone’s house-58%

Online-55%

Sports, club (extracurricular activity)-45%

Neighborhood-42%

Mall-23%

Church-21%

Job-6%

Other location-5%

 

 76 pages

 

Final Reflections Digital Technology

   

Final Reflections

Where do I start?  I made it! Well almost... as you can see from this post, I'm still having some technical difficulties.  I don't know where the hot pink lines came from and I've tried everything to remove them, to no avail.  It's only fitting that my last blog I would experience this, right?  There were times I felt like the lady on top when it came to completing assignments, and sometimes it was the lady on the the bottom.  From the first assignment, no from the time I registered for Digital Technology for the School Librarian, I was somewhat intimidated, that tends to happen to me, when you don’t think of yourself as very technical or technically challenged person.  I want to first say, that I’m glad that this was a required course.  I proved to myself that I can do it. I also learned that some of this new technology is not so bad.  I honestly learned something good, something I could take with me from each and every assignment, however that didn't stop me from becoming frustrated with a few (maybe several) of the assignments because I couldn’t get them to act right on my computer. 

Facebook and Twitter, I was already familiar with, I will continue to use both. I liked creating an Infographic, and using Pictochart made it fairly easy to do. Blogs/Blog Readers, I like reading other people blogs, maybe not writing them myself, as much. Youtube, Animoto, and QR Codes, I've always enjoyed Youtube videos, I especially liked seeing how librarians and students creatively used them for the library.  I will be using Animoto a lot more for book trailers, I enjoyed creating my very first.
Information Ethics and Acceptable Use Policy assignments were especially helpful to me.  I'm a little embarrassed to say, but I didn't have a clear understanding of what they were or how to present it, but because of the assignment, articles, and reading other blogs on it, I'm more confident on how to address it now. Podcasting and Screencasting, were fun, I like the audio thing.  I also had major issues with my computer and trying to record, it was a little frustrating at times.  I had to do almost eight takes with the screencast!  The verdict is still out on Online Book Communities, I will continue to use Goodreads, but I'm not so sure about the others?  Cartoons and Comics, I was thrilled with the idea of creating my very own comic,  that was until it became very time consuming and frustrating, waiting for things to upload.  Maybe it was the site or maybe it was my computer again? I do think having students create is a great idea.  Instagram and Vine were okay, I can see possibly using Instagram  with some of the ideas suggested by others. Mining PEW (150 pgs.), I think Pew Research is a great source for information and research, I will definitely continue to read the articles, and presentations.
Overall, I got a lot out of this course, great things to try in the library and share with teachers and faculty.  I put in a lot of sweat, tears, some frustration, but the knowledge gained, makes it well worth it!  

 

Millennials and Libraries

Rainie, L. (2014, April ). Teens and Libraries In Today's Digital World. Pew Research Center

How do libraries fit into the lives of American teens and young adults?  Well, at the Texas Library Association’s Annual Conference, Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project, discussed the project’s research, and seven key insights from the research about younger Americans and how they differ from older Americans.
1.Teens live in a different ecosystem.
·         95% use internet / three-quarters have broadband at home
·         74% access internet on mobile device – 25%“cell mostly” internet users
·         78% have cell phones / 47% have smartphones
·         80% have desktop/laptop
·         23% have tablet computers
·         81% use social networking sites
·         76% use Facebook - 24% use Twitter
·         Approx. from young adult data: a quarter of teens use Instagram; 1 in 7 use Pinterest;
      1 in 10 use Tumblr
2. Teens live in a different learning ecosystem.
·         77% of teachers surveyed say the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” impact on their students ‘research work”
·         87% agree these technologies are creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans

3. Teens reading levels match/exceed adult levels.

                                                  Ages 16-29                  Ages 30+

·         Read for work/school             81%                           49%
·         Read for pleasure                    76%                          81%
·         Read to keep up with current events 73%                79%
·         Read to research topics of interest 81%                   73%
4. Teens use libraries and librarians, but do not love them as much.
5. Teens have different priorities in library services than non-teens.
·         86% Personal book recommendations/62% non-teens
·         81% Library redboxes around town/62% non-teens
·         80% Cell app that allows you to use library services/57% non-teens
·         74% Pre-loaded e-book readers/57% non-teens
·         70% App for in-library navigation/52% non-teens
·         60% Classes on gadget use/50% non-teens
6. Teens will behave differently in the world to come.
Millennials’ future will either produce positive outcomes or negative, based on their decisions.
7. The public and teachers recognize this and want libraries to adjust.
Teachers press for literacy
·         57% spend class time helping students improve their search skills.
·         35% devote class time to helping students understand how search engines work and how
search results are generated.
·         Asked what curriculum changes might be necessary in middle and high schools today,
·         47% “strongly agree” and 44% “somewhat agree” that courses or content focusing on

40 slides

Instagram and Vine

 

Instagram   and   Vine

 Instagram and Vine are great social media platforms to connect with students.

Instagram is an online mobile photo sharing app. Users can share photos and videos on this social networking site for others to view.  Here are a couple ways you can use this app in the classroom or library:
*highlight books or events in the library
*post an image on Instagram as a writing prompt
*allow students to use Instagram to document evidence for a  special assignment
Here are a few pictures from my Instagram account

Vine is a short-form video sharing service app where users can share six-second long video clips with others.  I think librarians could make a six second video showcasing new books or highlighting events in the library.
Here is a video from my Vine account
https://vine.co/v/iu5701TE6dL/embed/simple

Screencast

A screencast or screen-casting is the act of recording an activity on a computer screen, while you're narrating. Any action a user makes on their screen can be recorded as a video. These recordings, called screencasts, can be seen all over the Web as parts of tutorials, advertisements, movies, training videos, and the like. 

My thoughts on Screencast-o-matic:  it was easy to sign-up for, the idea of creating a screencast was intriguing, once I figured out what it was. I ran into multiple issues trying to use screencast-o-matic on my computer.  When you're not that technical, every little thing can be a bit frustrating. By the time I switched computers and recorded my first screencast, I had reached a high level of frustration, not because screencast-o-matic was difficult to use, but my computer!
Here is a link to my screencast http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coXQfOhIBE, the sound is not that great, and by the time I finally recorded, this was my 7th take (I kept getting pop-ups on my screen) so I would pause my recording and have to rerecord.  Overall, I thought screencast-o-matic was pretty easy to navigate through, and you get more than enough time to record.  I would recommend it to those wanting to produce a screencast.  I think I just have issues with the computers I'm using.  I was going to create my second screencast using Screenr, but unfortunately they were retiring their site on November 11, so I went with Jing.  Read about Jing and my experience below.


Jing   With Jing you can capture an image of what you see on your computer screen with. Simply select any window or region that you want to capture, mark up your screenshot with a text box, arrow, highlight or picture caption, and decide how you want to share it. Jing records everything you see and do, however videos are only limited to five minutes.  I got a bit confused because I wasn't sure if I needed to sign-up through screencast or not?  But, once I figured it out it was fairly easy. I would recommend Jing as well, I didn't come across any major hurdles, other than the computer I was using. Click the link below to view my screencast on making a comic strip using MakeBeliefsComix:

http://screencast.com/t/G5EWLUPyu

Have fun creating your screencast!

Cartoons and Comics
Comics and cartoons are great ways to engage students in learning. Think about those students who love graphic novels. Did you know that there are sites out there that actually let you, yes you create your vey own cartoon and comic strips? I experimented with ToonDoo, Pixton, and MakeBeliefsComix and here is what I thought about them.

ToonDoo is a free illustrating service that allows users to create and share comic strips.  After creating my account, came the task  of creating my very first comic strip.  I started my comic by first choosing a character. It took forever for the characters to load, I literally waited almost 10 minutes or longer.  I eventually logged out and restarted.  Once I was able to actually create my comic strip, it was some what easy to create. * Note that you have a variety of options to choose from backgrounds, movements, text boxes, etc. Because it was my very first, I wanted to create something simple.  I would not recommend this site when working with students, it just takes too much time, and I only have so much time to work with students.

 

Pixton After creating a free account, I was informed of my 7 day free trial period.  I could feel my frustration growing while trying to create this comic strip.  Like Toondoo, Pixton is also time consuming and not very user friendly, in my opinion.  I'm not sure I would recommend Pixton for those who see students for a short amount of time.  I love the idea of creating comic strips with students, but it took me a lot of time to try and get them half-way decent to post for my blog. 

MakeBeliefsComix After a few attempts of trying to go to the site MakeBeliefComix from my computer, I kept getting the message below that my antivirus ware was picking up a possible threat from this site. I used a different computer, once I did, I went back to the site, and whalaa...I was able to create the comic strip below, with ease.  I didn't have to create an account or anything.  I love that.  I can see students enjoying and using this site easily!   It's free and no account is needed.

 

 

 



I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy this assignment, because the whole idea of me creating a comic strip was exciting. However, I found the first two sites somewhat tedious to work with (maybe because it was my first time), and considering the amount of time I have to work with students each day, I'm not sure about using or recommending either of them?  But, I did like the finished product.  After, getting a chance to finally create a comic strip on MakeBeliefComix, the process was so easy for me.  I would recommend it out of the three for students and teachers .  One way I might incorporate comic strips in the future is by organizing a graphic novel book discussion or teaching students to make their own comic strips.  Enjoy!



Online Book Communities
Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, Booklikes, Biblionasium

In this blog, I'll be discussing different Online Book Communities.  What is an online book community? It's simply a place for book lovers to communicate online with other book lovers and members, anywhere in the world.  Online Book Communities are also a great way to keep books organized.  Members of the sites allow most to organize books by creating your own personal book shelves, based on books you've read, books you want to read, and books you're currently reading..  You really don't have to be a book lover to join an online book community, but once you join a community, it's bound to happen.

Goodreads
This is a great website for readers, those looking for books, and those looking for book recommendations.  I've always been a fan of Goodreads, I joined a few years ago for another course I was taking and have regularly visited.  I found Goodreads  pleasing to the eye, and easy to use.  I like that creating a bookshelf is so incredibly easy! I also like their community reveiews.



Library Thing
Was not pleasing to the eye, the site looked very plain, boring.  I didn't like that I had to type in the title of a book, author's name, or ISBN to pull up a book list. Once you're in, you can easily catalog your books and join different interest groups. I did like the way the books (my choices) were displayed on the screen afterwards. 

Shelfari
Pleasing to the eye, initially seemed user friendly, I liked that the empty book shelf is the next thing you see, it was time to search.  I didn't like the process on how you had to search for books, either I was tired at this point because it just became a little frustrating for me.

Booklikes
The main page was set up nicely, very eye catching, a  it was a video, it wasn't confusing, more geared towards blogging about books.  I did like that there was a long list of book genres to choose books from and then it walked you through the steps of setting up a blog.

Biblionasium
Colorful and bright, kid friendly-centered, also for parents and educators.  I liked the site a lot, I like that it allows kids to actively participate and create bookshelves for themselves.  As an educator I like that there were several options for me to create shelves for students using Lexile, DRA, Reading Counts etc.  I couldn't find anything that I didn't like about this site.

Final Comments: If I had to choose one of the following sites that I like the best, it's Goodreads.  I will continue to use Goodreads because I find that it suits my needs when I'm looking for book recommendations and reviews.  I like  knowing that other librarians and educators go there and I can find good recommendations.  I would recommend Biblionasium  for students and teachers.  The reason I chose this site was because it was very kid oriented and there were so many things students, as well as teachers could do, like make book trailers and blogs.  I would encourage all to join an online book community.

Podcast

What! A podcast? I know what you’re thinking. Sounds complicated. Sounds expensive. Sounds, well, technical. I learned that creating a podcast or listening to one in your classroom/library couldn’t be easier, or cheaper, even free. If you have a computer and an internet connection, you already have all the equipment you need.  Podcasts are serial recordings, posted regularly online. Producing  a podcasts is the technology based equivalent of oral storytelling.  Similar to oral stories and news that has been shared with listeners by storytellers, and others.  Podcasters share news and stories with their listeners, who download the files online.

Podcasts can be used by teachers and librarians for any purpose a text might serve, they can tell fictional stories, poems, share and comment on recent events, inform listeners about a topic, and persuade listeners to take an action or adopt a stance. Podcasts are great tools for teaching students to use spoken language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes and collaborating with other students.  They're good  alternatives to use in the classroom for students who need remedial support, and allowing students to share their learning experiences with other students and with other students at different schools.

Before recording my podcast, I created three free (podcast) accounts using SoundCloud, AudioBoo, and Podomatic.   I played around with all three to decide which one I would use to produce my podcast.  I found all three user friendly, but ultimately, I went with AudioBoo for my podcast, it was just worked for me, but you be the judge.  Try them out for yourself, they're free!

I thought Soundcloud was easy to navigate through, but it seemed to be geared towards listening to music, adding music to your podcast, and downloading music. I found Audiboo also easy to navigate through and record as well, in addition to that this site seemed to be geared more towards making it easy for educators to create and share podcast with others, though you are only limited to 5 minutes of recording. All three sites allow you to create podcast pretty easily, but Podomatic seemed geared more towards offering services that allow you to look for podcast of interest, and just didn't do it for me.

 

Take a listen to my podcast featuring the October book of the month: Frangoline and the Midnight Dream by Clemency Pearce.

*Please excuse the background noise

 

Information Ethics

Since it is often that librarians have the skills to access information from specialized databases, it is important that librarians keep ethics in the forefront. Information ethics:

1. A set of principles of right conduct, motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.

2. A theory or system of moral values.

In the article K.I.S.S. and Information Ethics, Richard Severson's Four Principles of Information Ethics are presented:

1.) Respect for intellectual property-involves copyright, librarians should discourage illegal photocopying and plagiarism of all.

2.) Respect for privacy-responsible and ethical use of e-mails, as well as librarians protecting students request for information and their circulation records.

3.) Fair representation-Be smart before purchasing products from vendors and the sort.

4.) Non maleficence (or doing no harm)-gauging our decisions and actions.  Students should be taught what's considered harmless vs- intentional when on the school computer.

The dilemma the librarian shared with me involved the principle of Respect for privacy and 

protecting a certain students' circulation records.  A teacher at a middle school went to the 

library/librarian to discuss a certain student in her class, and the issue(s) the student was displaying. 

The teacher asked the librarian if she could get a copy of the books students the student had checked

out, to which the librarian had to inform the teacher that due to information ethics students are 

protected under the respect for privacy and even though they were good friends, should could not 

give the teacher a print out of that students circulation record.  In my assessment, I believe that a

high standard of ethical conduct was achieved.  In a situation where the librarian and teacher were 

obviously co-workers and good friends, the librarian did not go against what was morally and 

ethically right.  An alternative action for the teacher could be to discuss this matter with the principal 

to find out what information the teacher could legally get on the student, with respect to the students 

privacy.

Bell, M. (1998). K.I.S.S. and Information Ethics. TAET Journal, Spring 1998.

Videos and QR Codes in the Library

In today's blog post I will be highlighting the use of YouTube, Animoto, and QR codes in school libraries. Teens in today's society love technology, so it is important to incorporate technology into the school library program.  Let's start with YouTube in school libraries. There are so many ways that YouTube can be incorporated into school libraries. For example, YouTube can be used to upload and view book trailers, library procedures videos, and to highlight library activities. As I explored YouTube and how it was used in school libraries I took a closer look at some school library YouTube channels. The first school I looked into was the Norman High School Library.
Tiger Visits the Norman High Library-
I added this video because I thought it was fun and that the students would enjoy watching it.  It also gives them a great look at what's available in their library.  I thought it was such a cute idea to promote the use of the library.

Getting Started with the NHS Library Website -
This is a great tool for students to use that shows them how to use the library website and how to find the resources that they might need.

The Unquiet Library

Finding and Using Wikimedia Common Images-
This is a useful video for students on how to find copyright friendly images.

 

 

Mini Lesson: How to register or Login to Easybib-

 I thought this would be a great video for students to watch to give them step-by-step directions on how to register for Easybib that they could  follow themselves.

 

Pikesville High School Library
Hashtag Awesome School Counselor-
I thought this was a great way for the librarian and the counselor to collaborate and show this video to classes that came to the library.  Students would enjoy watching it.

 

 

 

The Panthers Library @ Pikesville HS-

I added this because I felt it showcased what students at the school were reading and how they participated in different library activities.

 



 

 

BBMSMEDIA
Old Spice Overdue-
This was a great video starring the students from the school in a PSA for overdue books. I thought it was pretty creative, it pokes fun at the Old Spice commercials on tv.  Students like to be involved and on camera.

 

 

 

Twilight  Overdue-
Another great student created PSA video about overdue books.  I thought teens would love this since they're such huge fans of Twilight.



Animoto
The next tool I want to talk about is Animoto. When I initially read that our next assignment was to create a book trailer.  I became very nervous, because I thought it would be a difficult to do.  I've seen book trailers on YouTube and I always thought they were pretty awesome, but figured they were difficult to make.   It took me some time to put it together, but I had a good time making my book trailer.  Animoto is a user friendly tool that makes creating book trailers pretty easy.  I signed up for the free educator account and it was a matter of adding pictures/images, music, and text.
Lastly, I went to www.qrstuff.com and I created a QR Code for my book trailer. It was really simple and all I had to do was select the data type, enter the video’s URL, and select the color for my QR Code and then it is ready for download. I liked using Animoto and QR Stuff  because they were both easy to use and very effective.
QR Codes
QR Codes are a fun way to get students engaged in the school library program. Not only will students enjoy discovering what the QR Code will lead to, but they will also enjoy scanning the code with their electronic devices. QR Codes can also be used for research, library tours and listening centers.  Below you will find information about the book that I selected for my book trailer and QR Code: How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills.
Scan the QR Code to view my book trailer.

 

Learn to read with this New York Times-bestselling picture book, starring an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird. Follow along as Rocket masters the alphabet, sounds out words, and finally . . . learns to read all on his own!With a story that makes reading fun"and will even help listeners learn to read"this book is ideal for kindergarten classrooms and story hour or as a gift for that beginning reader. Fresh, charming art by Tad Hills, the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of Duck & Goose, will make this a favorite.

 

Enjoy the book trailer!