Final Vision Project Submission

 My Final Vision Project and Reflection

(Smassengil, 2011)

My vision for this project stemmed from a personal experience where I entered university and felt high school did not properly prepare me for writing research essays. For my final vision project, I created a binder with resources students can use to learn how to cite sources for research assignments. The purpose for this resource is to teach students about digital responsibility and citizenship, but also to prepare them for post-secondary education. I was hoping to create a resource that would make the citation process more interactive and engaging, but also provide students with digital tools to make citing sources easier and quicker so the process isn't so overwhelming and tedious.

My Final Vision Project

Click Citing Sources Livebinders Resource to access my resource and enter the access code: LIBE 477B

My Journey

I conducted a reading review at the beginning of the course on plagiarism and developing research skills and found several useful resources that I used to create my own resource such as BC's Profile for Digitally Literate Students which provides a list of standards and skills students should be learning in school, including how to cite sources. I also found some tools that could be useful for students to use when creating citations such as RefMe, which is a citation generator tool. While I was familiar with other citation generators such as BibMe and EasyBib, I liked how RefMe could be accessed from a mobile device and had an app that could be downloaded. This tool also provides a web clipper that stores webpages for future use. Students would be able to use their phones or tablets to conduct research, save their sources, and create citations. 

(Clarke, 2014)

Following my reading review, I started collecting resources that could be useful in teaching students how to cite sources. I was going to use a digital curation tool such as Symbaloo to create a collection of resources students could use, but there wasn't really a place to provide any explanation of the resources, or a way to organize them effectively. I was introduced to Livebinders and decided this would be a good tool to collect resources and organize them in a logical way for students to access them. I was able to upload videos, interactive tutorials, tools, and (after some struggle) images. 

While I tried to start small, it was a challenge to stop myself from adding more to my resource. Due to the complexity of teaching students how to cite sources, it is important that the lessons are properly scaffolded to ensure students can build their skills over time. However, since citations accompany research assignments, it was difficult to create a generic resource that could be used with any research assignment. I wanted to keep this resource as general as possible so that it could be used by a teacher or teacher-librarian to use with their students across the curriculum. While I think that the collection of resources I found will be effective in teaching students how to cite sources, it was surprisingly difficult to find interactive resource for APA style compared to MLA style. If I had more time, I would have liked to create my own interactive practice drills and embed them into the binder since the interactive practice tools I found weren`t exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I don`t have the skills necessary to create these types of resources yet.

The best part of this resource, in my opinion, is the review section. I think the Plagiarism Game is a great review for the students. I also developed a rubric for citing sources which will be useful even on its own since I usually just add a section to my essay or project rubrics for when the students need to include their sources. It will be helpful for the students to receive more specific feedback on their Works Cited Lists and in-text citations. However, this section of the binder was also a challenge because I didn't know how to insert an image of the rubric and then once I finally figured it out, the page wouldn't allow me to include any text. I never did figure out how to include text, but rubrics are pretty self-explanatory, so I think it works fine on its own.

In the end I am happy with the resource I have created and I hope that it will be helpful to me in the future. There are many other lessons that could be incorporated into this resource that I may add later on such as a lesson on incorporating quotations and paraphrasing. Once I have tested the resource and worked out any kinks, I plan on sharing this resource with other teachers to use with their students. My hope is that the students will leave high school feeling prepared for the rigors of academic writing at whichever post-secondary institution they choose to attend and that this will help to reduce the digital divide many students face as they enter university.

(University of Oregon, 2010)

Reference List

Clarke, Z. (2014). Try the RefMe app for help with your referencing. Retrieved 03 December 2015, from https://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/ls/2014/12/04/try-the-refme-app-for-help-with-your-referencing/

Smassengil. (2011). Allnighter. Retrieved 01 December 2015, from http://www.toondoo.com/ cartoon/3504503.

University of Oregon. (2010). Digital Divide. Retrieved 04 December 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gydVBXIucRQ

The Technology Behind My Vision

Final Vision Project Progress Report

My Progress Thus Far

To begin with I decided to use the University of Alberta's Guide to Developing Students' Research Skills as the foundational model for my artifact. However, once I had mapped out all of the components in LiveBinders, I realized that I needed to start smaller. As a tool I plan on sharing, I do not want to overwhelm my colleagues with tabs upon tabs of information; especially for my colleagues who aren't very comfortable using technology.

My FAIL (First Attempt At Learning)

(Broussard, n. d.)

I have decided that in order to narrow down my topic, that I should just focus on one of the components of the research process. If it is a success, then I can continue to build the resource to include all of the components required for developing effective research skills. One of the digital literacy skills the BC Ministry of Education (2010) suggests that students learn is to "[m]odel legal and ethical behaviours when using information and technology by properly selecting, acquiring, and citing resources" ("Profile of digitally literate students"). The skill that I would like to create a digital artifact for is citing sources. While citing sources can be a tedious process, I am trying to find some interesting ways to teach students about plagiarism and citations. For example, I found a game that will work well as an effective review of plagiarism.

Triumphs with Technology

For my Vision Project, I have decided to use LiveBinders to create my digital artifact. At first I was considering Symbaloo and Pearltrees because they are both digital curation tools that allow the user to post different types of media that can easily be shared with other teachers and students. After a classmate suggested checking out LiveBinders for my project, I found that I preferred the tabbed organization of the binder over the thumbnails that both Symbaloo and Pearltrees use. Also, I like the format for LiveBinders because it provides the user with different templates in order to present text alongside the embedded media. In terms of strategy, I find this digital resource easy to use because of how simple it is to add a webpage into a binder just by clicking on a tab you can place in your toolbar. Also, since the binders created are so similar to the hard copy ones we all have, it is easy for someone who isn't as tech savvy to be able to access the information without having to learn a completely different concept. Here is a short video on how LiveBinders can be used by teachers:

(Tallent, 2009)

Challenges with Technology

(Parisi, 1998)

As is the case when learning to use a new digital tool or resource, it takes a while for the user to become proficient in using the tool to its full potential. While I feel like I have learned how to use LiveBinder at a basic level, I'm sure with more practice I would discover how to overcome some of the challenges I am facing. The first challenge I am facing with LiveBinder is the formatting of the pages. It is difficult to move embedded videos or place them in a desired spot. I have also hit a roadblock when it comes to inserting images that do not have a URL. I am unable to use the snipping tool to snag an image from within a PDF or website and drop it into the binder, so it has become limiting in terms of which images I can use. The final challenge that I have been faced with is organizing the tabs of the binder. Without a premium account (which costs money), I cannot access other levels of sub-tabs, so it was a bit limiting in terms of how to set up the tabs in a way that keeps them organized. In terms of future road blocks, a problem I foresee is integrating this particular digital artifact into another binder that will incorporate all of the necessary research skills. I have a feeling that I will have to recreate all of the pages again rather than being able to import the information into another binder. While I'm not at Fran's level of frustration with the technology (see above cartoon), I definitely have a few kinks I need to work out.

References

A guide to developing student research skills. (n.d.). University of Alberta. Retrieved 22 November 2015, from http://www.library.ualberta.ca/documents/focusonresearch.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2010). Profile of digitally literate students. Retrieved 21 November 2015, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/1012profile.htm

Broussard, M. (n. d.). Plagiarism game. Retrieved from http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/ tutorials/plagiarismGame.aspx

Parisi, M. (1998). Off the mark. Atlantic Feature. Retrieved 26 November 2015, from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/nGsXjSAO7Jo/UX8Sj7iQLtI/AAAAAAAAAa4/uo2vTcYrgAI/s1600/ Screen+Shot+2013-04-29+at+7.38.20+PM.png

Tallent, B. (2009). LiveBinders for teachers. Retrieved 26 November 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdG56uSubx0.

My Vision for Learning in the 21st Century Rationale

Developing Research Skills for the 21st Century

My Digital Resource

I have started to create my digital resource that will help students develop research skills required for the 21st century. By providing students with tools they can use to learn information literacy skills and to help them with the research process, my hope is that students will no longer view research papers and inquiry-based projects as a daunting task. While there are some great resources already available for students to use such as the Purdue Online Writing Lab, a resource I refer to all the time, directing a student to a website as comprehensive as this one can be overwhelming. By breaking down information literacy skills into its components, students can learn and practice these skills in smaller chunks and will have the ability to view and review the components at any point throughout the research process. In order to organize these components I have decided to use LiveBinders as a way to curate the resources and tools necessary to teacher the research process.

My Rationale

The following video by Seminole State Library (2014) explains the importance of developing information literacy skills and outlines the five components that students need to learn for their academic course work, but also for real world scenarios. It is important that students understand how the skills we teach them in school can be transferable and applicable to their life outside of school. Information literacy skills are necessary for completing research papers and inquiry-based projects, but they are also essential for when a person is wanting to find more information on a product before they purchase something expensive like a car or a house.

(5 components of information literacy, 2014)

My hope for this digital resource is that students will become so familiar with the research process by the time they leave high school, that these information literacy skills will become embedded in them so that they don't even need to think about the process, they just use it. Like with any skill, the more it is practiced, the easier it becomes.

Although I am not currently a Teacher-Librarian, what I would like to see happen at my school is an agreed upon research process that is shared across the curriculum. Students need some consistency when it comes to learning information literacy skills, at least in the beginning stages. Students aren't always able to see the connections or the similarities between writing a literary essay for an English class, a historical essay for Socials, or a lab report for Science. All of these assignments require the student to formulate a hypothesis/thesis and show support for it by providing evidence. These assignments also require information literacy skills; and it would be much easier to teach these skills, and for students to learn them, if the teachers were to all agree on a particular research process and style. This is where the Teacher-Librarian can act as the facilitator between the subject areas by teaching the students how these information literacy skills can be applied to different subject areas.

My Target Audience

(Prose Media)

Since I haven't had much experience sharing my work with a broad audience, I would like to share my digital resources in stages. I would like to start by sharing my resource with my students. I can see whether my resource is easy to use and effective in teaching the resource project and then work out any kinks before sharing it with my colleagues. Once I have tested my resource, I would like to start by sharing the resource with teachers at my school who teach the research process - especially with teachers who teach different subject so that I can ensure that I have created a cross-curricular resource that all teachers can use. I would like for them to peruse my resource or even try it out with their students. When I receive feedback from them, I would then like to share my resource with other educators online. One of my key takeaways from Richardson's (2012) book Why School? is how important it is to share resources among educators. I haven't decided yet where I will post this resource for other educators to access, but there are plenty of online sites that educators access for lesson plans and ideas.

(Campbell)

Students

Like the students in the cartoon, many students are not engaged in the research process and don't put much effort in finding a topic or conducting research on it. If students had a resource to help improve their research skills that they could access at home and school, students may be willing to put more time and effort into their assignment. By incorporating different digital tools, students will hopefully become more engaged in the research process.

Teachers

(Bacall)

 Many high school teachers, including myself, are guilty of assigning an inquiry project or research paper to students with the assumption that they already have some information literacy skills because they grew up in the digital age and we don't have time in the curriculum to teach it. However, most students have not developed these skills or their skills are quite limited. While we want students to be critical thinkers, the research process can be daunting and overwhelming, which can limit a person's creativity. By providing a resource for teachers that they can use with their students in any subject area in regards to the research process, teachers are able to take the time to help foster the students' creativity and critical thinking skills rather than focusing on the basic skills they assume students should already have.

References

Bacall, A. (n. d.). Critical thinking. Cartoon Stock. Retrieved 18 November 2015, https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/c/critical_thinking.asp

Campbell, M. (n. d.). Homework project. Cartoon Stock. Retrieved 18 November 2015, from https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/homework_project.asp

Critical thinkers. (n. d.). Retrieved 18 November 2015, from

Prose Media. (n. d.). 5 tips to find your target market. Retrieved 19 November 2015, from http://blog.prosemedia.com/5-tips-to-find-your-target-audience/

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school?: How education must change when learning and information are everywhere. Ted Conferences. 

Seminole State Library. (2014). 5 components of information literacy. Retrieved 19 November 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ronp6Iue9w.

Phase 2 Reflections

Reflections on Digital Learning and Teaching

My Development as a Teacher and Teacher-Librarian

Learning and Experimenting with Digital Tools

Over the past couple of months I've been reintroduced to digital tools such as blogs and webinars and given the opportunity to try out some new tools such as Digg and Symbaloo.



(Brown)

While I've created blogs before, I had never done anything more than insert a few pictures or links. Over the past few months I have learned how to embed videos and resize them using HTML coding. I learned how to tag and the importance of labeling blog posts in order to make them more searchable. While I don't think I would ever have the time to keep up with a blog, it is great that I now have more knowledge about how blogs work so that I can help my students should they choose to use a blog to demonstrate their learning.



(NSH, 2015)

In the past I have attended a couple of webinars, but during this course I discovered that you can actually save the webinars to watch at a later date. While you can't participate in the discussion that follows a live webinar, it is still a valuable tool for professional development. I already have a couple of webinars saved that I would like to watch during my next pro-d day.



(Rahul, 2013)

I have never used any type of bookmarking or RSS feed program before and, while I haven't spent too much time playing around with this particular tool, it has been an effective way of accessing the blogs of fellow classmates and commenting on each others' ideas. I would love to introduce this idea to students so that they are able to follow teacher websites and access them all in one place. I find it frustrating to continually update my class website when only a handful of students actually check it on a regular basis. By introducing this tool to my students, it will hopefully make my website more accessible to my students.

(Symbaloo Mobile App)

I have also never used digital curation tools in the past; mostly because I didn't know they even existed. I am currently in the midst of experimenting with Symbaloo and Pearltrees to house websites, documents, and tools. I also like that the webmixes that I create can be easily shared with colleagues, because that is one of my goals that I would like to work towards.

Moving Forward as a Teacher and Teacher-Librarian

Over the past month I have enjoyed viewing my classmates' blogs and having other people view my posts and comment on them. I think as a teacher and teacher-librarian it is easy to isolate ourselves in these jobs because we don't always work in the same space with our co-workers. It is also difficult to find time outside of the work day to meet with other teachers at the same school, let alone teachers at other schools within the school district. As a teacher-librarian, it is important to encourage collaboration between teachers within the school and within the district. I would like to start reaching out to other teachers in order to share ideas and lesson plans. As I said in an earlier blog post, I find myself "borrowing" material from other teachers online, but I never return the favour. While I would like to start small by expanding my Personal Learning Network to include my school district, I would like to eventually start sharing my ideas with a broader audience, perhaps even online.

(Via, 2010)

Sharing Lessons and Ideas by Expanding My Personal Learning Network

Over the last 7 years of teaching I have created numerous lessons, assignments, and projects that I am proud of, and feel as thought it is important that I share these resources with other teachers. While I do share with other teachers in my department, and sometimes with other departments at my school, I feel like it is my duty to start sharing my resources with a broader audience. Using digital tools such as blogs, Twitter, or other social media sites could be one way to reach a wider audience of teachers. I also feel as though I am at the point where I would feel comfortable presenting some of my ideas at a professional development seminar. While I would definitely be stepping outside of my comfort zone by posting my work online or presenting in front of a group of my peers, this is the next step in becoming a leader in teaching and learning. 

(Kincaid, 2015)

Fostering a Positive Reading Culture

The topic that resonated with me the most is fostering a positive reading culture in my classroom and in the school. After reading the blogs of my fellow classmates, I compiled a list of ideas I would like to try out. The first one is having our staff create reading doors, or as another classmate suggested, a "Caught Reading" display, where teachers in every department would share the books they have read and enjoyed. While our library already has a "Staff Picks" section, having reading doors or displays around the school will receive attention from all students, not just those that use the library.

Another idea I gleaned from a fellow classmate is to look into virtual author presentation or webinars. While our school library already organizes at least one author visit a year, not all students are invited to attend because the library only has so many seats available. If the author visit was virtual, students could access the author presentation from their devices. Also, author visits are usually quite costly, so attending a virtual author presentations will keep costs down. After doing a bit of research into this topic, I discovered that Random House offers virtual author visits through Skype or other methods of video-conferencing (view the brochure here). As well, after visiting the Scholastic Book's website, I found information on Kate Messner, an author who advocates virtual author visits. Her website Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs provides a list of authors for students of all ages who will video conference with students for free. I haven't had a chance to browse through the authors, but have passed this list on to our current Teacher-Librarian to see if she is interested in organizing a virtual author visit.

References

Brown, P. (n.d). Blog Icon. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAMQjxxqFQoTCKSn0bTK7cgCFUPfYwodv_QGNQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaulabrown.net%2Fblog-icon-png&bvm=bv.106379543,d.cGc&psig=AFQjCNF1 tvcFBEI7VQ9HoclLpazIw2jicA&ust=1446410815417832


Kincaid, B. (2015). 4 Tips for Creating a Personal Learning Network. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://mad-learn.com/4-tips-for-creating-your-very-own-personal-learning-network/


National Society for Histotechnology. (2015). Get Connected: Live Webinar Series. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://www.histoconvention.org/index.cfm.


Rahul, R. (2013). Digg Reader App. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4033/digg-reader-launching-week.html

Random House. (2011). How to Host a Virtual Author Visit. Retrieved 01 November 2015 from http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/HowToVirtualVisit_Brochure _WEB1.pdf

Symbaloo Mobile App. (n.d.). Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://mobile.symbaloo.com/press/

Via, S. (2010). Personal learning networks for educators. Retrieved 03 November 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6WVEFE-oZA