The good news is there are lots of companies who want to help teachers plan their online content, and the bad news is there are lots of companies who want to help teachers plan their online content. There is a plethora of resources out there, folks. Some of it is good, and some of it is distracting. This is where my journey begins . . .
At first, I couldn't keep up with the tsunami of free resources, eBooks and activities. I knew that if I was overwhelmed, so were the teachers. I started out by keeping a running list, looking over the information, and then curating a top 10 Wakelet to send out. I decided not to email the teachers with this because they were buried under a lot of emails already. I decided to share the lists on the library's social media accounts. Then if a teacher needed information, I would be ready.
So the first 3 weeks of information looked like this . . .
- School Closure Activities - Week 1
- School Closure Activities - Week 2
- School Closure Activities - Week 3
I also curated 2 collections of resources for the ELAR teachers . . .
These last 2 lists are already on the SHS Library website, but I curated them in a different format so the teachers could easily share the links in their online classes. Our campus is using Canvas. In order to get to the digital resources from our traditional website, the students would have to navigate and click on more than one link. If you know kids, they stop at one click. So this was the "one stop shopping" answer that seemed most appropriate.
As I was posting my top 10 lists each week, I also joined a PLN (Planned Learning Community) through Region 11. We meet once a week via Zoom. One of the topics was "dumping" information versus "feeding" information. Both have their places, but is that really what I wanted to do at a time when so many other resources were being dumped? This made me rethink my delivery. Then another point was made that the library website should also reflect what is happening, and that it should include online learning resources, carefully curated resources. We are looking for quality, not quantity. Makes sense. This led to a lightbulb moment for me. I was concentrating on social media and Canvas. I totally neglected the traditional library website. Taking all of that into account, I created the 24-7 SHS Library which was inspired by the Virtual Reference Desk of Castleberry ISD. (okay - maybe it was more stolen than inspired)
This seemed to solve all of my issues at once. First of all, I didn't want to dismantle my traditional website as we are 2 months away from the end of the year. Then have to face coming back next year to fix it all over again. So I put the link to the 24-7 library at the top of the traditional website, which can then be removed once the shelter in place has expired. In addition, the 24-7 library can also house my resources - which I disguised as virtual library activities. Instead of a Wakelet with a list of resources, I highlight one resource a day and add a family activity to go with it. Learning in context is always the best.
So here is what the list of resources looked like this week. It's more fun this way as I always like to have physical activities in the library. Here is a way to do that virtually. Thank you, Castleberry ISD.
I am happy with what I have now, but it took me a month and some guidance to figure it out. By the way, if you are in education right now, I highly recommend that you find your own PLN. There are lots of groups on both Facebook and Twitter. There are lots of Zoom meetings and webinars. Find one. It is a good way to stay connected to your field of study. No matter how long we have been in education, there is always room to learn something new.
As I was posting my top 10 lists each week, I also joined a PLN (Planned Learning Community) through Region 11. We meet once a week via Zoom. One of the topics was "dumping" information versus "feeding" information. Both have their places, but is that really what I wanted to do at a time when so many other resources were being dumped? This made me rethink my delivery. Then another point was made that the library website should also reflect what is happening, and that it should include online learning resources, carefully curated resources. We are looking for quality, not quantity. Makes sense. This led to a lightbulb moment for me. I was concentrating on social media and Canvas. I totally neglected the traditional library website. Taking all of that into account, I created the 24-7 SHS Library which was inspired by the Virtual Reference Desk of Castleberry ISD. (okay - maybe it was more stolen than inspired)
This seemed to solve all of my issues at once. First of all, I didn't want to dismantle my traditional website as we are 2 months away from the end of the year. Then have to face coming back next year to fix it all over again. So I put the link to the 24-7 library at the top of the traditional website, which can then be removed once the shelter in place has expired. In addition, the 24-7 library can also house my resources - which I disguised as virtual library activities. Instead of a Wakelet with a list of resources, I highlight one resource a day and add a family activity to go with it. Learning in context is always the best.
So here is what the list of resources looked like this week. It's more fun this way as I always like to have physical activities in the library. Here is a way to do that virtually. Thank you, Castleberry ISD.
I am happy with what I have now, but it took me a month and some guidance to figure it out. By the way, if you are in education right now, I highly recommend that you find your own PLN. There are lots of groups on both Facebook and Twitter. There are lots of Zoom meetings and webinars. Find one. It is a good way to stay connected to your field of study. No matter how long we have been in education, there is always room to learn something new.
Stay safe out there, and don't forget to wash your hands.
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