Developing a Librarian PLN

The work behind networking...

Networking always has an intimidating ring to it. Perhaps because it has the word "work" in it. However, that is essentially what networking is: the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contact. Yikes! Sounds like a lot of work right? 

Don't worry! No matter if you are an extrovert or an introvert, networking can be simple if you create a plan and stick to it. Just how you wouldn't put a cabinet together without instructions, you wouldn't start networking without a structured plan, or a PLN.

Image Source

What is a PLN?

PLNs are short for Professional Learning Networks. It is a great way to ease yourself into the networking pool. Below is an infographic I made that shows how you can build on your PLN with the resources available to you.

Image Source: Personal Image

Not sure where to start? I recommend joining a Twitter Chat! Below is a step-by-step guide on how to participate in those.

Twitter/X Experience

In order to begin this new professional journey I started with Twitter. I created a Twitter account with the same name as my blog, Librarian Who:

Image Source: Personal Image

 

The first step I took to create a network is to follow all of the major libraries, museums, and organizations:

1. Library of Congress @librarycongress

2. US National Archives @USNatArchives

3. Smithsonian @smithsonian

4. Smithsonian Libraries and Archives @SILibraries

5. National Gallery of Art @ngadc

6. American Library Association @ALALibrary 

7. New York Public Library @nypl

8. Library Journal @LibraryJournal

I then branched out to local libraries in the Maryland and DC area:

1. Anne Arundel County Public Libraries @aacpl - my local library

2. Pratt Library @prattlibrary

3. DC Public Libraries @dcpl

4. Maryland State Library @MDStateLibrary

5. Folger Shakespeare Library @FolgerLibrary

And through those official channels I found those gem Twitter accounts that are active in the library profession:

1. @shannonmmiller - she is a teacher librarian who is active in education

2. MARCHIVE @cleancatalog - a great account that highlights library programs

3. @LibnOfCongress  - the official account of the 14th librarian of Congress

While following these accounts I re-posted posts I found interesting and are related to my future field. Here are some examples:

 

Image Source: Personal Image

Image Source: Personal Image

Image Source: Personal Image

Image Source: Personal Image

Twitter Chats

Okay so I have found organizations to follow on Twitter... now what?

The next step is to join a Twitter Chat! This is different from replying and re-posting with other Twitter users. A Twitter Chat is when you attend a scheduled "Q & A" online using the appropriate hashtags. 

The moderator will start a question with Q1,2,3 etc. and then you answer with A1,2,3 etc. while using all of the appropriate hashtags.

REMINDER: In order to participate in the chat and for people to like and reply to your comments your profile must be put on PUBLIC.  

Do you need to be in a Twitter Community to join the chat?

No! Anyone can join the chat. What you need to do is get the hashtags used and the time when the chat will take place. This chat was at 10pm EST so at around 9:55 I went to the search page and put the hashtags in. The moderator for the chat was sending tweets counting down when the chat will start. 

REMINDER: The entirety of the chat takes place on the "search" page of Twitter. Make sure you are on the "Latest" tab and continually press the refresh browser button to receive new updates to the chat.

 

Image Source: Personal Image

Once the chat started, the moderator introduced himself and asked others for their introductions and their favorite childhood book.

Image Source: Personal Image

After some participants introduced themselves with the appropriate hashtag(s), the moderator moved on the first question labeling it "Q1":

Image Source: Personal Image

In order to answer you must put A1 in front your answer with the appropriate hashtags, otherwise no one will see it!

Image Source: Personal Image

Throughout the chat, you just stay in the search page with the hashtags copied on the search bar. Pressing "refresh" will show new answers and questions. Here is my Q2 and A2 example:

Image Source: Personal Image

Image Source: Personal Image

NOTE: My first couple answers were missing two hashtags, but I was still part of the chat and could see the answers. If you are not sure what hashtags to use, just copy the hashtags the moderator uses for the questions to your answers.

 In addition to answering questions, you can also reply to others in the chat. Here is an example of me replying to a participant's A3:

Image Source: Personal Image

REMINDER: Make sure to add the hashtags to replies as well, so people can see your response in the chat. 

Honestly, I felt a bit out of my depth during this chat. I am not a professional librarian or teacher, I am just in the training stage, so I didn't feel like I could answer the other questions, but that shouldn't stop you from reading replies and answers. Kayla Towner provided a wonderful example called choice boards to Question 4. 

Image Source: Personal Image

Choice Boards

I have never heard of choice boards! Then again, I am also neither a teacher nor in the profession so it is probably common knowledge to most, but for me it was a great new tool to learn about.

 

Choice boards are what the name implies... the student chooses the activity related to the subject matter from a board. It is a fantastic way to raise the student engagement level while assessing their reading comprehension. You can find choice boards online and some websites provide free downloads, all you need to do is give your email. The link below the picture provides free downloads:

Image Source

 As with all discussions... there comes a time when it ends. The moderator ended the chat on a lighter note, which I definitely felt confident to answer!

 

 

Image Source: Personal Image

 

Image Source: Personal Image

 

The chat officially ended when the moderator gave his thanks and farewells. He also said that the chat will be archived in case you missed some of the chat, or weren't able to make it.

Image Source: Personal Image

 

Reflections on my first Twitter Chat

As I mentioned above, I felt like I was completely out of my comfort zone. I am not in the profession nor do I feel like I can contribute anything of substance. Honestly, I feel more comfortable meeting people in person than online because you have to compose a message instead of just having a conversation.

However, once I was in the chat... I had fun! Before I knew it, that hour flew by. I learned some new techniques and gained some confidence. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend!

Image Source

A (hopefully) easy to understand guide to using copyrighted work in the classroom

 All may be fair in love and war, but not copyrights!

When creating a presentation or a lesson plan you don't just want to use words... you want to use images and video clips to capture the student's attention. Thanks to the internet and their wonderful choices of search engines, you can find all sorts of images and videos to enhance your presentation. However, just because it is on the internet doesn't necessarily mean that you can use it freely.

 

Image Source

What does copyright mean? 

 

Copyrights are what the name implies... the creator's rights to protect their work from unlawful sharing. In the US, these published and unpublished works are automatically protected by US Copyright Laws. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, everyone is a copyright owner. Once you post a picture or create a song or poem, artwork, etc. your rights as a creator are protected. 

Although anyone can be a copyright owner, this also means anyone can be a copyright user. When you find an image on Google, and you want to use it in your presentation it doesn't mean that you should. There are three routes you can consider when choosing a creator's intellectual property: Fair Use, Public Domain, and Creative Commons.

 

First, we will start with Fair Use. Here is a simple breakdown of its purposes:

 

 

Image Source: Personal Image

What is "Fair Use"?

 

Fair Use is when you copy a copyrighted work for a transformative, educational, or non-profit purpose.

 

What are transformative purposes?

Transformative purposes refers to utilizing a copyrighted work in a different manner or purpose from the original that does not infringe on the creator's copyright.

There are two categories of transformative purposes:

 

1. Commentary and criticism - using excerpts, quotes, and examples for analysis or review. 

Example: book reviews, class worksheets, etc.

2. Parody - mocks or ridicules the original work for comedic purposes. 

 

Example: Spaceballs (1987) is a parody of the Star Wars franchise owned by Lucasfilm Limited.

 

As a teacher how does this effect you?

 

Here is a simple breakdown of what is allowed and not allowed in the classroom:

 

 

Image Source: Personal Image

 

REMINDER: these rules only apply to copyrighted works, if you are interested in free and non-restrictive options, you can choose works from the public domain and creative commons.
 

 

What is Public Domain?

 

A copyright lasts the whole life of the creator plus another 70 years. So after that it is available to the public, and there is no risk of copyright infringement. 

Where can I find public domain examples?

Project Gutenberg - a digital library of over 70,000 free eBooks which have their US copyright expired. 

How does this effect you as a teacher?

It doesn't! Public domain means it is free to the public for any use. So if you want to quote Shakespeare or use an excerpt from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you are free to do so without any restrictions.

Just to clarify... The original work, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) is in public domain, but if you want to use images or examples from the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland (2010), you will have to follow the fair use guidelines.

What are Creative Commons?

 

So far we have works that can be protected by fair use or they are in public domain. What about the creators that allow their work to be used? That is where the Creative Commons comes into play. However, it is not as simple as that... the creators can choose between 6 licenses for their works which can make them more restrictive. The picture below breaks down the different types of licenses a creator can choose:

Image Source

 

There is also a "Creative Commons Zero" which is similar to public domain except the creator is still alive and has granted permission for free use without any restrictions.

Where can I find images from creative commons?

Here are some websites where the content is part of the creative commons realm:

1. Unsplash - this is a database with images you can use freely within the creative commons rules.
2. New Old Stock - this is a database of vintage photos from public archives and are free from copyright restrictions.

3. PxHere - this is a database of free images under the Creative Commons Zero rule.

 

Still have questions? This video from Copyright & Creativity can help answer those questions. It is a great source for educators and librarians. 

Image Source

Moral of the story?

When you use an example from someone else's work, make sure to credit them 😁

A New Generation of Learning

 A wealth of information is at one's fingertips

As technology evolves. so does education, and so do the students. Each generation has grown up with a certain level of technology interaction and it is safe to say the newest generations are at the forefront. Generation Z (born mid 1990s-mid 2010s) and Generation Alpha (born 2010 to present) have a completely different technological upbringing than their predecessors. They are from the age of social media and search engines, as opposed to Polaroids and physically visiting the library for research.

Image Source

 

This is the ultimate age of convenience... you need a house? You can search online. You need new shoes? You can find online. You need to find a reference for your research paper? You can find that online. Can't make it to the grocery store? You can order online and have it delivered. Can't deposit your check in the bank? You can take a picture and deposit through your phone. The possibilities are endless.

 

How can we keep students engaged in a digital world?

As I mentioned above EVERYTHING is online. So how do we keep students engaged when everything is on the internet? 

Instead of fighting an uphill battle by trying to keep the internet out of the classroom, why not join them? Teachers can utilize current technology in the lesson plan by implementing active learning activities.

What is Active Learning?

Active learning is what the name implies: students are proactively learning through an interactive activity. Instead of the traditional setting of sitting at the desk and taking down notes, teachers can now flip the script. Have the students interact with their project by using technology and collaborating with each other. The result will be students that feel they are learning in the moment instead of just observing.

What is an example of Active Learning?

I found a fantastic example called QR Code Mysteries. I have a made a Jam Board about the topic, and below is a picture reference. 

 

Image Source: Personal Image

 

So what are QR Code Mysteries?

This is a fun and interactive activity where students use the QR Code to fill in the blanks of famous quotes. After they complete the teacher's quotes, the students flip the script and create their own quotes for students to solve.  

 

The active learning traits of QR Code Mysteries are as follows:

1. Student collaboration - students work in teams to solve the mystery.

2. Technology integration - students scan QR Codes and use the internet to find the clues.

3. Interactive - instead of sitting at their desks, the teacher put the codes all over the room, so the students have to walk to each clue and investigate.

4. Activity engagement - in order to solve the mysteries, the students must be involved and engaged, therefore being active is required.

5. Students become the teacher - once they finish the teacher's quotes, the script is flipped. The students create their own quotes for their classmates to solve.

 

Suggestions for this activity:

I love this activity! If I were a student I would really enjoy it and it wouldn't feel like "work." These types of games leave a positive influence and the students will retain the information more easily compared to the traditional method of taking down notes. 

This specific example was created for 4th grade students, but I wonder can it be used for older students? My suggestion would be to use this for quotes in reading. For example, if students were reading classic literature or classic plays this can be used to help retain famous quotes and characters. 

An example:

"To be, or not to be: that is the _______." 

The Importance of Active Learning

In these new and ever changing technological times, I believe active learning is here to stay. Technology has many pros but also has its cons. For example, technology has a negative effect on memory. Since this is a possibility, active learning is more crucial than ever. Instead of quickly searching for answers on the internet, these activities have students physically solving mysteries that keeps them engaged. The more engaged a student is during an activity, the more information they will retain in the end.

My experience with active learning?

Honestly, I am new to what active learning is, but I think one activity I did in the past qualifies. When I was teaching in China, I always started my English Drama lessons with a warm-up to wake up the students. I would give them a tongue twister (my go-to is Dr. Seuss's "Fox in Socks") that we would practice together. Then I would pick a student who would stand up and read it aloud, and then that student would pick the next student to speak, and then that student would pick the next one, and so on. Sometimes I will time the individual students to create a competition to see who can say the tongue twister the fastest. Whoever wins get a candy!

I have learned that no matter the age, students will always enjoy candy. 🍬

Are you a digital tourist or a native?

With great technology comes great responsibilities...

Let's be honest... technology can be pretty intimidating. There are so many applications and accounts (and their passwords!) to keep track of, how do you know if you are on top of things or just barely getting by?

Whenever I feel overwhelmed with all the accounts and ways of communication, I am reminded of a scene from the movie, "He's Just Not That into You” (2009). Drew Barrymore talks about the struggles of online messaging and reminisces about the good old days when communication was much simpler. 

 

 

Image Source

 That was in 2009. Now in 2023, having an online presence is becoming second nature. Living in China for 5 years, you would think I would be technologically ahead of my peers, but everything that I would have normally used was blocked by their government’s firewall. When I moved back in 2020, it was a whole new technological world to discover.

At first it was a little intimidating, but as I learned more about how you can connect with people who share your same interests and views, it’s not that scary and actually quite fun!

 

Digital Resident or Digital Visitor?

When it comes to shopping, do you just window shop or you do like to go into the store and see what they have to offer? The same concept can be applicable to websites. When you visit a website, do you just browse, or do you make an account? Overall, the difference between a digital resident and digital visitor is how an individual wishes to engage on the web.

When asked if I am a digital resident or visitor, I immediately thought that I was a visitor. I don’t see myself as a tech extraordinaire, and when I see my peers with their professional online presences, I know I am nowhere near that level. For example, when I am on LinkedIn, my personal page is no where near the professional level of my career rivals.

Since I am currently in a career transition trying to land on a good job trajectory while studying for my MLIS, I have been pushed into the online job pool. Every day, you are applying against hundreds of applicants for the same position, and there is always someone who will have a better resume than you. Like education, job searching has evolved hand-in-hand with technology, and if you don’t keep up with the times, then you will be left behind. 

How do I find out my digital engagement level?

In order to answer this question, you need to do some digital soul searching. David White suggests creating a digital map to understand whether you are a visitor or a resident. 

Below is my personal digital map:

 

Image Source: Personal Image

 

Honestly, I was shocked how much I had on the resident side. I just assumed I was a visitor, but I have accounts for all these applications and websites, and I do engage on varying levels. For example, on social media applications (Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X) I mostly just “like” or “repost”, I never create posts on my own anymore, but I still engage and check them daily. There are also my creative applications (Kapwing, Word, Adobe) where I work on personal projects such as memes, stories, and art. I check those applications every other day.

 For my professional side, I only log in when I need to use the applications for projects and assignments, mainly Google. The main social media application on the professional side is LinkedIn, which I only check once or twice a week. 

Whereas my personal resident side of the map is active daily, my professional side is only used during the week. As it is crucial to separate your private life from your professional life, I believe this also applies to your digital life.  

 

Image Source

 

After mapping out my digital activity, and realizing that I am more of a resident than a visitor, I don't feel overwhelmed anymore. If you haven't done it, I highly recommend it because it puts things into perspective, and you will gain more confidence about your abilities moving forward.