VR/AR and AI

Before this week’s module readings and lecture, I had not considered the uses of VR or AR in the library.  My children play with a VR system at home and love it.  Librarians are central to the concept of instituting VR/AR systems and teaching fellow educators about AI tools.  Young (2020) highlights that librarians must assess the need for a VR or AR system in the school, evaluate its usefulness in different classrooms, and then educate the teachers on how to use the system.  Through this type of professional development, librarians are satisfying a critical need in the school (Young, 2020). 

Diffit

The Diffit application is an AI tool that can assist with reading proficiency. Diffit provides texts to students at different reading levels and can also offer alternative languages for texts.  Diffit is user friendly and it is free.  A user can search by topic, a specific article, or a text excerpt (Malespina, 2024). I used Diffit to search for a general topic on ‘volcanos’ and selected the reading proficiency at a 2nd-grade level.  The search provided me with text regarding volcanos, key terms, a summary, teacher activities and worksheets, and questions to ask students, all geared towards a 2nd-grade reader.  The search provided results in under 2 minutes.  It was astounding to me, the amount of resources that were provided in that limited time.   It is not a new concept that educators are busy and tired of trying to reinvent the wheel.  Diffit can help teachers make detailed lessons and teach text that is geared toward the students’ reading levels (Breisacher, 2024).  As a kindergarten assistant, I witness the varying levels of students’ reading capabilities.  I can see the effectiveness of Diffit in the classroom by creating lessons that are geared towards individual learners.  The following two blog posts highlight how to use Diffit in the classroom and also why you should be using the application.

https://elissamalespina.substack.com/p/diffit-for-teachers

https://www.studentcenteredworld.com/diffit/

References

Breisacher, J. (2024, January 16). Diffit for teachers: Differentiated with an AI tool. Student-centered world. https://www.studentcenteredworld.com/diffit/

Malespina, E. (2024, January 8). Diffit for teachers. The AI school librarians newsletter. https://elissamalespina.substack.com/p/diffit-for-teachers

Young, L.J. (2020, April 7). Get the most from AR/VR technology without breaking the budget. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/get-the-most-from-ar-vr-technology-without-breaking-budget-library

Makerspaces

    I appreciate and understand the necessity of including makerspaces in school libraries.  I highlighted resources for creating makerspaces in my digital curation project for this course. Makerspaces help reach all learners through Project Based Learning (PBL).  The library is a perfect space to incorporate makerspaces with the dimension of space that it provides, materials and priority of making the space engaging for all students.  Also, I love the concept of reusable materials in a makerspace.  Students can use materials which may be considered junk, to create STEAM projects as opposed to the materials being thrown into the garbage (Preddy, 2013). I believe that as we create in the library with makerspaces, we must also be cognizant of sustainability.  Reusing materials when we can and not being wasteful. 

The Lawrence University Interdisciplinary Makerspace for Engaged Learning includes a helpful reminder to students when creating within a makerspace.  These are ideas and guidelines to make the area more sustainable. 

https://blogs.lawrence.edu/makerspace/2022/06/21/reducing-waste-in-a-makerspace/

The Disruptive Librarian highlights ways to ask for donations from your community for a makerspace.  As you begin your makerspace in a library, funds maybe limited, especially if you work in a public school.  This blogpost is helpful with asking for donations and also the organization of materials.

https://www.disruptivelibrarian.com/2022/03/24/spring-cleaning-free-makerspace-stuff/

Through collaboration within the school community and donation of unwanted materials, a public school librarian can provide students with ample supplies for a makerspace. 

References

Elzen, V.E. (2022, June 21). Reducing waste in a makerspace. The Lawrence University Interdisciplinary Makerspace for Engaged Learning. https://blogs.lawrence.edu/makerspace/2022/06/21/reducing-waste-in-a-makerspace/

Preddy, L. (2013, February). Creating school library “makerspace.” School Library Monthly, 29(5), 41 - 42. 

Young, B. (2022, March 24). Are you spring cleaning? Spring cleaning = free makerspace stuff. The Disruptive Librarian. https://www.disruptivelibrarian.com/2022/03/24/spring-cleaning-free-makerspace-stuff/

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 Useful Technology Applications and 1:1 Technology

As an educator, I need guidance with the use of technology devices in the classroom.  We work with students on a spectrum of technology usage in the kindergarten classroom.  Some students tell us they have unlimited iPad time and even eat dinner with a tablet while others are limited to only watching one television show after school.  We can help with this digital divide by providing students with rich resources on technology devices that complement the academic curriculum.  The library transcends physical books and needs to include other technological resources for reading and exploring books.  These applications include: Starfall, Epic!, ABCmouse, and Scratch Jr. (stayingcoolinthelibrary, 2024). This module's readings have helped me reframe my prior thinking regarding technology.  Applications are another way to help students experience books and develop a love of reading.  Not all learners enjoy reading a hard copy and technology can help us reach a greater population of students. 

The digital divide with students can be bridged through 1:1 technology access throughout the school.  Ensuring that all students have access to a technology device is the first step to bridging this gap. However, educators need the resources, training, and comfort of using these devices in their classrooms.  Librarians play a crucial role in professional development with educational peers and administration.  Educators can understand the importance of incorporating technology with curriculum standards but lack the training in the technology.  Librarians can help ease the demands of the administration and the technology department by providing professional development programs for teachers.  In addition, a librarian has a unique perspective on the needs of the community.  This perspective allows librarians to effectively reach the needs of students, the community, teachers, and administration (Smith et.al., 2022).  My takeaway from these readings is that librarians can fill another critical role in their school communities by being the “go-to” for technology assistance and also continued education for their peers.  At a time when school library positions are being eliminated, this is another opportunity for school librarians to validate their worth and necessity in the school community. 

References

Smith, D.L., Milburn, S.M., Yildiz, E., & Colby, D. (2022, May). Teacher perceptions of one-to-one laptop implementation: Suggestions for the role of school librarians. Research Journal of the American Association of School Librarians, 25(2022), 1-28.    

Stayingcoolinthelibrary. (2024, February 1). Educational learning apps bring reading adventures

            to life.    https://www.stayingcoolinthelibrary.us/educational-learning-apps-for-school-

            libraries/