“Kicking and e-Screaming!”
I’ll start out with a confession, I guess. I don’t own an e-reader (iPad, Nook, Kindle, etc.). For one, it’s not in my budget, and I’m also a little resistant to change. I really enjoy the convenience of reading the e-version of the AJC, and it’s definitely a good day when I find some free, helpful, e-book resources online. It’s so cool when I find published books and manuals in electronic format that cover everything from printer errors, to medical guides. So, I guess what I’m saying is I like the convenience and availability of some e-book resources out there for personal and business use, but I fear the unknown effects they may have on the future of the media center. My husband always tells me that there will always be a need for a media specialist no matter what format the books are in. I know schools need someone to sort through, organize and present appropriate materials for students. I guess that will be true whether they are print materials or electronic materials. I already teach students how to use Galileo and all of its many databases, and they are e-resources. I just don’t know when it will be feasible to incorporate e-readers in my media center or how this will change things. This is something I have begun to research, and I am reading about what other schools are doing with e-readers. I plan to stay informed about the degree of success elsewhere until we have the funds to support such devices and services.
“It’s (digital) Storytime!”
Digital stories are new to me, but I am quickly embracing this concept. I envision using this format to preserve and tell family stories. In the educational world, there seem to be endless possibilities for this type of presentation as well. A teacher or media specialist could use digital storytelling to communicate historical information, to illustrate scientific research, to demonstrate sequencing in various subjects.
From what I gather in reading about digital storytelling, the element that sets it apart from just reporting facts is emotion. Combining voice narration, pictures, videos, and music allows you to communicate more vivid and life-touching presentations. In Library 2.0 and Beyond, Karen Diaz and Anne M. Fields talk about the potential for a sense of community that is created by digital storytelling. They say we need to tell stories about how library users interact with the library, about who works there, and about how people can support the library. These creative stories can have a tremendous effect on the sense of community within a school.
Considering the idea of promoting community, I can’t help but think of story-like medium that I’ve seen used recently in high schools and other organizations that seems to be very similar. They call them lip dubs. The product is a video, set to music, with high school students or members of the organization actively moving around in various activities while mouthing the words to the song. I have seen three of these, and they each had a very specific message they wanted to communicate. One was about breast cancer. One was about gearing up to have a positive day at school by seeing the student body as a family. One was about celebrating academic success while approaching spring break. Talk about community. I felt like I was part of the community after watching the videos. These videos lack still images and voice narration, so they are a little different from digital stories. The emotion and sense of community are definitely there. After looking at various samples of digital stories, I am really excited about learning to use them at school and for personal use.
Like you, I am slowly beginning to embrace ebooks. Taking online classes has helped me to become a big fan of nonfiction ebooks and online other online resources. The conveinance of quickly accessing the information needed without having to leave my house is great. However, when it comes to fiction books, I am still a fan of paper books. I have tried taking a Kindle on vacation and I hated it. I was always worried that it would get lost, stolen, or broken. This is the same fear that makes me ponder how ebook readers will work in a school media center. My public library just announced that it was purchasing hundreds ebooks that patrons can download and view on their personal ereaders. Is this something the school media center should consider? Would the school media center need to allow students to borrow ereaders so they could utilize the ebooks? Like you, I am researching what other schools are doing and if they are having success.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I opened Yahoo and the lead story was titled "Ambitious video a hit (and a lesson) for Cobb County school". Needless to say this caught my attention and I read the story. It was about a lip dub created by the students. I had never heard of lip dubs until I read this article. I am glad you explained the theory behind the lip dub. I agree with your comment "Talk about community. I felt like I was part of the community after watching the videos." I felt the same way. I am also excited to learn more about using lip dubs at school.
Link to Yahoo article (includes the video):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localatl/20110407/ts_yblog_localatl/ambitious-video-a-hit-and-a-lesson-for-cobb-county-school
Leigh-Ann, I don’t have an e-reader either. I spend so much time on the computer because I love what I can find to read. I just don’t know how well I’d take care of an e-reader. Would I scratch it or drop it? I’m really careful with things in general, but that is a big ticket item to carry for the convenience. Would it survive my purse? These are the questions over which my brain can obsess. I would personally worry sick over handing these devices out to elementary students, yet my county might hand them out to everyone down the road. Perhaps if there were many e-readers school-wide, I wouldn’t be so concerned. The novelty of having only a few in the library would stress me out. Our students have enough trouble keeping track of traditional books. I read on Friday that a district in Maine is planning to give out iPads to everyone starting with kindergarten. Talk about trust! I guess it is just another piece of technology to get comfortable with at school. We don’t worry about kids on computers any more, but I’m sure at first, they were too precious for just anyone to access.
ReplyDeleteThe lip dubs sound fun. I bet the students really respond to them. In Library 2.0, they talked about digital stories as a “restorification”. It brings back the ability of traditional storytelling which we have stopped using in favor of often watching movies translated for us by Hollywood. This makes sense to me to offer students a way to understand topics which have vast amounts of information which need to be synthesized into a story they can understand. As educators, we can help pull resources to facilitate learning and understanding of complicated subjects. Reading information about the Holocaust can’t begin to capture the story compared with images, music, speeches, and personal narratives. If you have ever been to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, you know how gripping and emotional the personal stories are as told by survivors in one theater. The dimensions added to a topic with digital stories help capture a more thorough understanding by helping transport us there.
I really like the idea of e-books. I don't own an ipad or kindle either and don't know if I will in the future. I really like having the book in my hand and fear that my child will not know that feeling with all the new technology that is ever present and ever changing. I do think that e-books are a great resource for students and media specialist. It increases the number of book in their collection sometimes exponentially. I don't feel that they would ever replace a LMS by any means. I think that there will always be a need for human connection and that is what engages students to read isn't it ??
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to be working on the digital story telling project. I think that you are right about the emotional connection. I got a little weepy when I was looking at the examples posted by Dr. Cooper. I think that this will be the new powerpoint. I think that the kids will really enjoy creating digital stories. I'm looking forward to it! The lip dubs sound neat!
I am also one of the few people left that does not own an e-reader. Although I must admit I have envied them at times I am still a fan of the print book. Part of my negative feelings towards the e-book has been the fear that it will phase out the media specialist but as your husband pointed out – “there will always be a need for a media specialist no matter what format the books are in”. That is why it is so important that we make the effort to learn as much as possible on the technology side of things. I don’t think e-books will take completely over anytime soon due to the costs involved but we better get prepared for the future!
ReplyDeleteDigital stories are new to me as well but I am also quickly embracing the concept. We have a slide show at the end of the school year where the yearbook staff puts together a collage of pictures (in a slide show format) taken all throughout the year and places them to music. The kids love it. While this is different than a digital story in that there is no narration or “emotion”, the impact it has on the students is quiet evident. I can definitely see how developing a digital story to present something to students could enhance learning beyond anything a simple textbook could achieve.
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ReplyDeleteI like your suggestion about using digital storytelling to communicate historical information. History was always my WORST subject in school, and it wasn't because I didn't find history itself interesting. It was because the content was always taught in such a mundane, boring, and tired way. I'm talking transparencies full of notes, projected onto a screen with the overhead projector...or a long and sedative lecture that forced me to invent new ways to keep myself awake.
ReplyDeleteDigital storytelling is a way to present information in a meaningful and personal way. This is usually how people learn best. It is much easier to remember information when it is given in a way that allows the learner to make meaningful connections in his mind. It is also easier to learn when the information presented has some personal connection to the learner.
History is a subject that is all about making meaningful connections across time. Just as our parents and grandparents have used storytelling to pass historical information to us, we can use storytelling through a new and digital medium to impart knowledge to learners in a classroom or across the globe.
I agree. I think the use of ebooks in schools is an unconventional approach. I also suggest that it emphasizes why the media specialist should keep updated about current technology tools. The media specialist can learn how to use these resources and educate teachers and students about reading with these ebooks. I do not know much about these resources, but I do think that they can be used in the classroom. I also like your discussion about how ebooks could affect the library. I volunteer at a local middle school, and the students can use Galileo or encyclopedia CD-ROMs; however, they do not have the ability to read fiction texts on ebooks. I agree that the teachers and schools must assess how they could regulate the use of these resources.
ReplyDeleteI also like your writing about digital storytelling. I agree that these activities could promote collaboration between teachers and create opportunities for students to interact with their classmates. I also think that allowing middle school and high school students to build these assignments would mandate that students review their knowledge of the curriculum. I allege that the digital stories are effective classroom assignments, and I think that these tools create a variety of learning opportunities for teachers and students. I also argue that it allows students to engage in interactive activities that will motivate students.