Sometimes I do activities in class that I want to only run for a specific amount of time and I found a great, simple website to run a big timer on that I thought I'd share with you.
http://e.ggtimer.com
You can take the above URL and add /#minutes for whatever amount of time you want the timer to run.
For example:
http://e.ggtimer.com/5minutes
http://e.ggtimer.com/2minutes
http://e.ggtimer.com/30seconds
If you insert the link into PPT, you can simply click the link and you will be taken to the URL where the timer starts automatically. There are other timers that can be embedded directly into PPT, but I found this one to be the easiest to implement.
Enjoy!
Megan
Showing posts with label instruction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label instruction. Show all posts
Friday, February 19, 2016
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Big Ideas Video Tutorials
NC State Libraries has created several videos on information literacy "big ideas" - general concepts that are important for students to know, rather than specific tools or search strategies. They have intentionally made them non-institution specific (except for their own logo at the very end). Many are quite short, and they could easily be used during an instruction session to demonstrate a concept. They are creative commons licensed, so they could also be included in libguides, etc. Check them out when you get a chance!
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/#bigpicture
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/#bigpicture
Monday, May 11, 2015
Using Libguides for Interactive Instruction
This is a great 10 minute presentation about how you can embed free online tools into a libguide to create an interactive guide that can be used during a class session.
http://buzz.springshare.com/videohighlights/acrl-emilie
She describes using Wordle (not as impressive), Google Forms, and Padlet for student interaction. I'm particularly interested in how she used a Google Form that generates an automatic email so that students could basically create their research guide and email it to themselves. For example, if our English Comp I handout were recreated as a Google Form, it could be embedded in a libguide, the students could fill it out throughout the session, and then it could be emailed to them at the end.
I'm definitely going to play around with this. If you try it and are successful, let us all know! Or if you can think of other tools that can be embedded in a libguide to make a class session more interactive for students, please share!
http://buzz.springshare.com/videohighlights/acrl-emilie
She describes using Wordle (not as impressive), Google Forms, and Padlet for student interaction. I'm particularly interested in how she used a Google Form that generates an automatic email so that students could basically create their research guide and email it to themselves. For example, if our English Comp I handout were recreated as a Google Form, it could be embedded in a libguide, the students could fill it out throughout the session, and then it could be emailed to them at the end.
I'm definitely going to play around with this. If you try it and are successful, let us all know! Or if you can think of other tools that can be embedded in a libguide to make a class session more interactive for students, please share!
Video on publishing process
The graphics are corny but this is one of the best videos I've seen to describe how scholarly articles get published and end up in library databases. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/idea_library/ . It's nice and short and could easily be shown in an English I class.
Friday, February 22, 2013
RVOneSearch - Great Example
I just wanted to share what I found to be a great example using RVOneSearch for English I type topics. I often use television advertising to children as a sample topic, based on the The Say I Say reading about Ronald McDonald, because many of the Eng I classes read this essay. I did a keyword search for "children and television advertising" and the first page of results is a great way to demonstrate how RVOS brings up different sources types on the same topic. There are several books first, and the immediate benefit of viewing catalog records in RVOS is that the subject headings are visible on the initial results list. So I can show them that there are several subjects related to my idea and get into the concept of subject terms without it being a very overwhelming description. The first academic journal source has a great title, "Children's attitudinal reactions to TV advertisements," but when you look at the abstract you discover it's about children in African countries, letting me teach them the title isn't the only thing you need to go by. As you keep going down the list, #15 is one of our Films on Demand titles, which can be viewed with one click from RVOS. I rarely have a chance to show this great resource easily, but now here it is. And #19 is probably the best article for the sample research topic I use, which gives me the chance to show them that you can't rely on just the first five results.
I haven't taught it yet, but I feel like this is going to be a great "canned" example to show many facets of RVOS. Have you tried any others that work really well?
I haven't taught it yet, but I feel like this is going to be a great "canned" example to show many facets of RVOS. Have you tried any others that work really well?
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Google Search Education
This is very interesting! Google has a whole page dedicated to search education tools - i.e. lesson plans geared towards teaching people how to use Google. While it's necessarily a bit Google-promoting, some of it could be pretty useful. It's primarily geared towards k-12, but some of the lessons could certainly be used with our lower level students who haven't had as much exposure to web-searching. The video "How Google Works" is also pretty good, except for the second half which is a bit propoganda-ish. But the beginning information about how Google indexes the web is a nice explanation.
Friday, March 2, 2012
The first ten minutes
Someone recently reminded me in the context of another conversation how crucial the first ten minutes of a class are in getting students' attention and setting up expectations for the class. I think this applies particularly to what we do; because the students don't know us they have no idea what our expectations are or what they should expect from the session. So I decided to revamp my lessons this week and get them immediately into groups and actively working on an assignment at the beginning of class, before I do anything other than introduce myself. What I found is that nearly every student was actively engaged in what I asked them to do and the discussions we had as a group were lively and interesting. And that level of engagement kept up throughout the rest of the session, even when I went into the drier/lecture aspects of searching the databases. None of the students in these classes had their own topics picked out and yet they were actively doing searches when I asked them to. It was truly eye-opening. I made sure to include another activity at some point to keep their energy up, but I'm convinced that having them do something on their own, instead of just listening to me for the first 20 minutes, made an enormous difference in their interest and learning. AND it made it more enjoyable for me!
Here are the activities I used:
1. Compare journal & magazine - I asked them to pair up with someone and gave each pair a magazine and a journal and scrap paper. I didn't tell them anything about them, except to define a "periodical" as something that is published periodically. I told them to find as many differences as they can between the two. As their conversations started winding down (and they did this for a lot longer than I expected them to!), I wrote the titles of the two periodicals on the board and then asked them to share the differences they found, and listed them under each title. This led to a discussion of scholarly vs. popular and they were able to point out really precise details that would have been so boring if I tried to just talk about it.
2. Compare sources and select the best one - Each student took a book from my cart or a printed out article as they came into class. Before class, I had posted around the room signs with keywords on them, like "body image and media" or "technology and society". After introducing myself, I told them to look at the book/article they had and figure out which topic it was (I made this pretty easy) and go to that sign. This put them in groups of 3 or 4 with several different types of sources, and I handed out to the groups the extra books that hadn't been taken. I gave each group a sample research topic, like "How does the media affect women's body image?" and asked them to review all of their sources then decide which one would be best for researching their sample topic. When we came back as a group, they talked about why they picked a particular source. The best part was that almost every group picked a book as the best, so we were able to discuss why books make good sources, instead of me just trying to convince them of that fact.
3. In English II, I read aloud a micro-fiction story, then asked them to pair up and think of as many topics/issues that the reading raised that could be researched. They did awesome at this, because it mirrored what they've been doing in class during the semester. We listed them all on the board, then I told them to pick one of the topics and search the catalog for a book about it. This was a good review because I didn't need to walk them through the search, they were working independently, and I could help people who got stuck or weren't familiar with the catalog. They got really into this because we had such a great discussion about the story to start the class.
I want to challenge everyone to try letting the students do something active IN GROUPS at the very beginning of the class, because it gets them talking to each other and to you. If they are working silently, it sets a very somber mood. When they are discussing, it gets them energized. I'm telling you, this really works!!
Here are the activities I used:
1. Compare journal & magazine - I asked them to pair up with someone and gave each pair a magazine and a journal and scrap paper. I didn't tell them anything about them, except to define a "periodical" as something that is published periodically. I told them to find as many differences as they can between the two. As their conversations started winding down (and they did this for a lot longer than I expected them to!), I wrote the titles of the two periodicals on the board and then asked them to share the differences they found, and listed them under each title. This led to a discussion of scholarly vs. popular and they were able to point out really precise details that would have been so boring if I tried to just talk about it.
2. Compare sources and select the best one - Each student took a book from my cart or a printed out article as they came into class. Before class, I had posted around the room signs with keywords on them, like "body image and media" or "technology and society". After introducing myself, I told them to look at the book/article they had and figure out which topic it was (I made this pretty easy) and go to that sign. This put them in groups of 3 or 4 with several different types of sources, and I handed out to the groups the extra books that hadn't been taken. I gave each group a sample research topic, like "How does the media affect women's body image?" and asked them to review all of their sources then decide which one would be best for researching their sample topic. When we came back as a group, they talked about why they picked a particular source. The best part was that almost every group picked a book as the best, so we were able to discuss why books make good sources, instead of me just trying to convince them of that fact.
3. In English II, I read aloud a micro-fiction story, then asked them to pair up and think of as many topics/issues that the reading raised that could be researched. They did awesome at this, because it mirrored what they've been doing in class during the semester. We listed them all on the board, then I told them to pick one of the topics and search the catalog for a book about it. This was a good review because I didn't need to walk them through the search, they were working independently, and I could help people who got stuck or weren't familiar with the catalog. They got really into this because we had such a great discussion about the story to start the class.
I want to challenge everyone to try letting the students do something active IN GROUPS at the very beginning of the class, because it gets them talking to each other and to you. If they are working silently, it sets a very somber mood. When they are discussing, it gets them energized. I'm telling you, this really works!!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Another fun analogy
Another round of analogies came up in a recent listserv discussion. I really liked this idea to visually demonstrate the differences among databases.
"This is not an analogy for the entire process, but I use the "M&M" analogy to explain to undergraduates why they need to use multiple databases. I have three containers (glass jar, plastic container, and a ziplock bag). They all have brown M&Ms, but each also has another color. I explain that all our business (or whatever) disciplines have some of the same articles (eg: brown M&Ms), and you'll see those same results in each database. But! Each database also has unique results that aren't in other databases, so you have to check each one. Also, notice that each container is different? This one is easier to open, this one to store, etc. Likewise, you'll notice that each database has different tool and features that you might like better than the others. Then, we all eat the candy. -Nom. :)" -Tammy Ivins, Francis Marion University
I think I might use this with English II's to start talking about subject specific databases. Especially since brown is a great color to symbolize all the disciplines smooshed together (like if you smoosh all the colors together, it usually makes brown...too deep??).
"This is not an analogy for the entire process, but I use the "M&M" analogy to explain to undergraduates why they need to use multiple databases. I have three containers (glass jar, plastic container, and a ziplock bag). They all have brown M&Ms, but each also has another color. I explain that all our business (or whatever) disciplines have some of the same articles (eg: brown M&Ms), and you'll see those same results in each database. But! Each database also has unique results that aren't in other databases, so you have to check each one. Also, notice that each container is different? This one is easier to open, this one to store, etc. Likewise, you'll notice that each database has different tool and features that you might like better than the others. Then, we all eat the candy. -Nom. :)" -Tammy Ivins, Francis Marion University
I think I might use this with English II's to start talking about subject specific databases. Especially since brown is a great color to symbolize all the disciplines smooshed together (like if you smoosh all the colors together, it usually makes brown...too deep??).
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Research assignment handouts
A few interesting facts about research assignment handouts from a study done by Project Information Literacy. The full report is available at http://projectinfolit.org/
Friday, April 30, 2010
PREZI - Fun new presentation tool
At NJLA, Bob saw a presentation that used Prezi instead of Powerpoint, so I decided to play around and see what it was all about. Fun stuff!!
Prezi is an online presentation tool that enables you to create radically different presentations from what we're used to with Powerpoint. Instead of individual slides, you create your presentation on one large canvas and use set up your presentation to navigate around that canvas. Below is a Prezi presentation I just threw together in about 20 minutes. (At this point, you have to keep clicking the forward arrow to go through the presentation - I haven't yet figured out how to make it play video-style.)
It's very simple to use; I created this one after watching about 5 minutes worth of tutorials on their website. However, because it's simple to use, it seems like the functionality is a bit limited. I haven't explored all of the options yet, so the above presentation is very basic, but you can see immediately the different style Prezi uses and how this could make for more interesting - and better organized - presentations.
If you want to try it out, go to http://prezi.com/profile/signup/ and click the link for Student/Teacher Licenses. The free educator version has more features than the free public one. All that is required is to sign up with your college email address and provide the college's website address when asked.
Prezi is an online presentation tool that enables you to create radically different presentations from what we're used to with Powerpoint. Instead of individual slides, you create your presentation on one large canvas and use set up your presentation to navigate around that canvas. Below is a Prezi presentation I just threw together in about 20 minutes. (At this point, you have to keep clicking the forward arrow to go through the presentation - I haven't yet figured out how to make it play video-style.)
It's very simple to use; I created this one after watching about 5 minutes worth of tutorials on their website. However, because it's simple to use, it seems like the functionality is a bit limited. I haven't explored all of the options yet, so the above presentation is very basic, but you can see immediately the different style Prezi uses and how this could make for more interesting - and better organized - presentations.
If you want to try it out, go to http://prezi.com/profile/signup/ and click the link for Student/Teacher Licenses. The free educator version has more features than the free public one. All that is required is to sign up with your college email address and provide the college's website address when asked.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Google's Wonder Wheel for keyword instruction
Have you seen Google's Wonder Wheel? I just learned about it on the ILI-L listserv, and it's a pretty fun feature. Similar to the concept map available in Credo Reference, the Wonder Wheel takes the keywords you enter in a Google search and displays them in a concept map with other relevant search terms/phrases. The Wonder Wheel is in the middle of the screen with results for the main search term to the right. If you click a search term that is linked on the wheel, the search terms on the right change to websites relevant to that search term.
When looking at results for a Google search, click Show Options from the top left. Then along the left side of the screen, scroll down and select Wonder Wheel to see your results in this view. Detailed instructions are available here.
This might be an interesting and engaging way to get students thinking about keywords in an info lit session. They will be more interested in anything coming from Google than what we come up with, but it gets across the idea that there are other ways to phrase a particular search idea. Although many of the initial "spokes" on the wheel are very similar to the first search, there are slight variations that ultimately bring up different results. This is a concept that I think our students struggle with, as they constantly put the same phrase over and over again into every search and wonder why they can't find anything useful!
Do you see any potential uses for this tool?
When looking at results for a Google search, click Show Options from the top left. Then along the left side of the screen, scroll down and select Wonder Wheel to see your results in this view. Detailed instructions are available here.
This might be an interesting and engaging way to get students thinking about keywords in an info lit session. They will be more interested in anything coming from Google than what we come up with, but it gets across the idea that there are other ways to phrase a particular search idea. Although many of the initial "spokes" on the wheel are very similar to the first search, there are slight variations that ultimately bring up different results. This is a concept that I think our students struggle with, as they constantly put the same phrase over and over again into every search and wonder why they can't find anything useful!
Do you see any potential uses for this tool?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Concept Map in Credo Reference
Has anyone else tried the Concept Map feature in Credo Reference? I just discovered it! I'm going to use it with the Academy (high school) students, but it could be a useful tool for getting students thinking about keywords and how ideas are connected.
From the Credo main search screen, you can select the tab Concept Search. Enter a general keyword, and the database generates a map of related keywords derived from entries in the database. Way cool!
From the Credo main search screen, you can select the tab Concept Search. Enter a general keyword, and the database generates a map of related keywords derived from entries in the database. Way cool!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Free foreign language resource
BBC Languages offers lessons in a number of foreign languages for free for beginners. The lessons appear to be mostly video based and to help beginners learn things like how to order in a restaurant and such. This could be a great resource to point users to, and they offer free "12 week courses" online as well. I found about it from Librarianinblack.net, who said this:
I was astounded by the amount of language learning material available on their website for free. The full beginner’s courses (12 weeks long) are available in 4 languages. The site also provides audio & video courses for learning Spanish, French, Chinese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Gaelic (!), and so on. And, finally, the site covers essential phrases in 36 languages. It is easy to use and the language materials are practical, rather than esoteric. Congrats BBC on yet another top notch resource.
I was astounded by the amount of language learning material available on their website for free. The full beginner’s courses (12 weeks long) are available in 4 languages. The site also provides audio & video courses for learning Spanish, French, Chinese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Gaelic (!), and so on. And, finally, the site covers essential phrases in 36 languages. It is easy to use and the language materials are practical, rather than esoteric. Congrats BBC on yet another top notch resource.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
New York Times Video site
The New York Times video page hosts a decent collection of news video clips. It can be accessed from NY Times homepage using the Video tab, or directly at http://video.on.nytimes.com/. There is a category listing, a search box, and a "Most Watched" feature to find and select videos.
It looks like there is some good content here relevant to typical English I research topics. Introducing a topic through video is a great attention grabber, and can be used to start a discussion about how one might go about further researching the issue presented in the video.
It looks like there is some good content here relevant to typical English I research topics. Introducing a topic through video is a great attention grabber, and can be used to start a discussion about how one might go about further researching the issue presented in the video.
The Future of Libraries
In June I attended a discussion of "The Future of Libraries" at FDU. Anne Ciliberti of William Paterson University and Richard Sweeney of NJIT shared their top 5 issues concerning the future of libraries. Participants also shared what they felt were pressing issues in academic librarianship and we tried to reach a consensus of the most important issues we will continue to deal with.
Anne's top 5 focused on user services and the academic library's public face, while Rich's tended towards technology and access concerns.
Here are Anne Ciliberti's top 5 issues:
#1 Academic Engagement - how is the library adapting to new pedagogies and technologies that require fewer information resources and different information seeking behaviors.
#2 Information Literacy - Can we convince faculty that information literacy skills are as important as critical thinking skills?
#3 The Culture of Assessment - How are we going to adapt to this culture and assess what we do on a daily basis.
#4 Redesigning physical and virtual spaces - It's not about us anymore! Physically, provide furniture that can be easily rearranged for patron needs; have noisy places and quiet places. Virtually, redesign web pages to make them more attractive and valuable for users. (See Stephen Bell's blog Designing Better Libraries)
#5 Stimulate Staff & Exceed User Expectations - Develop a culture of customer service by stimulating your staff to try new things and be challenged. Go beyond user expectations with a culture of customer service.
Here are Rich's top 5 issues: (his Powerpoint can be downloaded here, select "Five Strategic Areas of Academic Library Focus" from the bottom of the page)
#1 Web 2.0 & Learning Innovations - tools allow us to reach out to users "where they happen to be, and in association with the task that they happen to be undertaking." NJIT has done this with a natural language knowledge based search box on their homepage. Try it here.
#2 Promote and Expand Information Literacy - we need to understand millenials's learning strategies and teach to them. Rich suggests things like increased experiential learning (gaming, simulations, etc), more peer-to-peer learning, and offering web based learning options that teach a skill at point of need.
#3 Outsource feasible resources & services to consortia alternatives - collaboration can and will stretch across many facets of libraries: open source software, open access publishing, information literacy, networking, social networking, etc.
#4 Support & Promote Open Access Publishing - Rich quotes Kate Wittenberg, "It will be important for publishers and librarians together to engage in experiments that test various models for creating and disseminating content."
#5 Support, Staff & Implement an Open Library Environment - Rich discussed the OLE project and how it can create a "common open infrastructure and standards to collaborate and accelerate academic library innovation and student learning."
Additional suggestions of pressing issues in academic librarianship included:
Anne's top 5 focused on user services and the academic library's public face, while Rich's tended towards technology and access concerns.
Here are Anne Ciliberti's top 5 issues:
#1 Academic Engagement - how is the library adapting to new pedagogies and technologies that require fewer information resources and different information seeking behaviors.
#2 Information Literacy - Can we convince faculty that information literacy skills are as important as critical thinking skills?
#3 The Culture of Assessment - How are we going to adapt to this culture and assess what we do on a daily basis.
#4 Redesigning physical and virtual spaces - It's not about us anymore! Physically, provide furniture that can be easily rearranged for patron needs; have noisy places and quiet places. Virtually, redesign web pages to make them more attractive and valuable for users. (See Stephen Bell's blog Designing Better Libraries)
#5 Stimulate Staff & Exceed User Expectations - Develop a culture of customer service by stimulating your staff to try new things and be challenged. Go beyond user expectations with a culture of customer service.
Here are Rich's top 5 issues: (his Powerpoint can be downloaded here, select "Five Strategic Areas of Academic Library Focus" from the bottom of the page)
#1 Web 2.0 & Learning Innovations - tools allow us to reach out to users "where they happen to be, and in association with the task that they happen to be undertaking." NJIT has done this with a natural language knowledge based search box on their homepage. Try it here.
#2 Promote and Expand Information Literacy - we need to understand millenials's learning strategies and teach to them. Rich suggests things like increased experiential learning (gaming, simulations, etc), more peer-to-peer learning, and offering web based learning options that teach a skill at point of need.
#3 Outsource feasible resources & services to consortia alternatives - collaboration can and will stretch across many facets of libraries: open source software, open access publishing, information literacy, networking, social networking, etc.
#4 Support & Promote Open Access Publishing - Rich quotes Kate Wittenberg, "It will be important for publishers and librarians together to engage in experiments that test various models for creating and disseminating content."
#5 Support, Staff & Implement an Open Library Environment - Rich discussed the OLE project and how it can create a "common open infrastructure and standards to collaborate and accelerate academic library innovation and student learning."
Additional suggestions of pressing issues in academic librarianship included:
- The impact of Google's book digitization and expanded digitization of resources
- Retention and recruitment of librarians
- Managing polar opposite skill sets among library staff
- Compatibility of access tools; having equipment that is compatible with current and past/future technology
- Disruptive intermediation making our jobs obsolete by eliminating libraries as a link between user and information
- The greying of the profession - What is a librarian? How are we training future librarians?
- How do we do more with less; can we become more productive with technology
- Collaboration with IT and other departments
- The role of reference - how is it changing, how should we be changing the way we offer reference services - roaming, chat, text message, etc.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Better presentations
An ALA preconference focused on using images and visuals to enhance presentations. Instead of slide after slide of text and bulleted lists, visuals are memorable ways to get your message across. The conference materials are accessible here. I've also saved two of their presentations and a list of related resources to the Reference drive under Instructional Materials. Look for these files:
Power of Image - ALA conference presentation
Get the Picture - ALA conference presentation
Resources for effective presentations - ALA conference presentation
Although the Power Points utilize the presenters' philosophy to tell a story using images, not text, you can still gain a lot of valuable information from their slides (and the notes that are visible if you do not view it as a slideshow).
The list of resources includes links for finding free creative commons images. I've also tagged some sites for this purpose which you can access at http://delicious.com/bookchic831/images.
Power of Image - ALA conference presentation
Get the Picture - ALA conference presentation
Resources for effective presentations - ALA conference presentation
Although the Power Points utilize the presenters' philosophy to tell a story using images, not text, you can still gain a lot of valuable information from their slides (and the notes that are visible if you do not view it as a slideshow).
The list of resources includes links for finding free creative commons images. I've also tagged some sites for this purpose which you can access at http://delicious.com/bookchic831/images.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Proquest Unified Content Platform
In 2010, Proquest plans on launching a unified content platform with a single sign-on and improved searching capability. While I'm not sure how this will impact our current Proquest subscriptions, there is more information available in this LJ Academic article. Given the recent enhancements Ebsco and JSTOR have made, it seems like Proquest is a little slow to jump on-board. But hopefully the new platform will update and add more useful features and make it easier for us to move away from "tool" instruction and towards concept instruction.
Monday, June 29, 2009
LC Call Number game
This is fun.
The Library of Congress Call Number Game, by someone at the University of Pittsburgh
The Library of Congress Call Number Game, by someone at the University of Pittsburgh
Friday, May 1, 2009
Popculture Multi-Media and Library Instruction
CyberZed Shed: “Popculture Multi-Media and Library Instruction”
Nedra Peterson, Director, Library, Woodbury University
Nedra Peterson demonstrated film clips related to information literacy concepts that she uses to capture students’ attention, illustrate the concepts, and encourage discussion in a library instruction class. Film clips are good for visually oriented learners, but they also trigger emotions which stimulate brain activity, thus enhancing memory and learning. She suggests using the captioning feature so if the sound is not great, students can read the dialogue. For ACRL Standard I (organization of information), Nedra shows a clip from High Fidelity where the main character is organizing his record album collection. This humorous clip spurs discussion about the many possible ways of organizing information, and how it is important for an organization system to be useful to many users. For Standard II, a scene from The Ring shows the research process in action, including a keyword that becomes a clue to find more information, appropriate research methods, related terms. The protagonist even has to go to PRINT RESOURCES to find what she needs! For Standard I & IV, a scene from School of Rock is used to explain how research builds upon previous research, the same way musicians “sample” earlier pieces of music and build upon them (always giving credit to the original source!). Other media Nedra uses include a tv episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “I Robot – You Jane”, which questions this issue of quality control on the internet. The song American Idiot by Green Day includes the lyric “one nation controlled by the media” which can also spur discussion about evaluating sources. Nedra says she just notices these things in her normal television and movie viewing and they make for great lesson components.
Nedra Peterson, Director, Library, Woodbury University
Nedra Peterson demonstrated film clips related to information literacy concepts that she uses to capture students’ attention, illustrate the concepts, and encourage discussion in a library instruction class. Film clips are good for visually oriented learners, but they also trigger emotions which stimulate brain activity, thus enhancing memory and learning. She suggests using the captioning feature so if the sound is not great, students can read the dialogue. For ACRL Standard I (organization of information), Nedra shows a clip from High Fidelity where the main character is organizing his record album collection. This humorous clip spurs discussion about the many possible ways of organizing information, and how it is important for an organization system to be useful to many users. For Standard II, a scene from The Ring shows the research process in action, including a keyword that becomes a clue to find more information, appropriate research methods, related terms. The protagonist even has to go to PRINT RESOURCES to find what she needs! For Standard I & IV, a scene from School of Rock is used to explain how research builds upon previous research, the same way musicians “sample” earlier pieces of music and build upon them (always giving credit to the original source!). Other media Nedra uses include a tv episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “I Robot – You Jane”, which questions this issue of quality control on the internet. The song American Idiot by Green Day includes the lyric “one nation controlled by the media” which can also spur discussion about evaluating sources. Nedra says she just notices these things in her normal television and movie viewing and they make for great lesson components.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
YouTube and Info Lit
There has been a lot more talk about bringing videos and other multi-media into the information literacy classroom. Here is a description of a presentation from the LOEX conference describing a lesson that starts with a news clip and has the students find additional information using the research techniques we model.
Problem Based Learning meets Web 2.0: Using a YouTube video to teach information literacy in a Problem Based Learning format
Frances A. May (University of North Texas)
Most of the available knowledge about NetGen or Millennial students indicates they are visual and kinesthetic learners, who like to work in groups. In addition, they get their information primarily from news media on the web. To capitalize on these trends, a powerful way of teaching information literacy was developed, combining Problem-Based Learning techniques with a 3-minute BBC news clip on YouTube. They were asked to list facts, define the problem, determine what other information they needed, and then shown how to find books and articles on the topic. They were then asked to propose a solution based on what they had learned. The librarian acts as a guide on the side, asking questions of the students to draw their knowledge and experience into the class, thus creating more interest and buy-in on their part. The skills thus learned are transferable. And it can be done in a 50 minute session.
The widespread lack of knowledge of media and visual literacy are limiting the ability of our students to think critically. It is a broad generalization to say that most people get their information from news broadcasts via television or web; however, it is probably an accurate observation. Therefore, incorporating visual media into an information literacy instruction session helps students of any age to be better informed citizens and more critical information consumers.
Problem Based Learning meets Web 2.0: Using a YouTube video to teach information literacy in a Problem Based Learning format
Frances A. May (University of North Texas)
Most of the available knowledge about NetGen or Millennial students indicates they are visual and kinesthetic learners, who like to work in groups. In addition, they get their information primarily from news media on the web. To capitalize on these trends, a powerful way of teaching information literacy was developed, combining Problem-Based Learning techniques with a 3-minute BBC news clip on YouTube. They were asked to list facts, define the problem, determine what other information they needed, and then shown how to find books and articles on the topic. They were then asked to propose a solution based on what they had learned. The librarian acts as a guide on the side, asking questions of the students to draw their knowledge and experience into the class, thus creating more interest and buy-in on their part. The skills thus learned are transferable. And it can be done in a 50 minute session.
The widespread lack of knowledge of media and visual literacy are limiting the ability of our students to think critically. It is a broad generalization to say that most people get their information from news broadcasts via television or web; however, it is probably an accurate observation. Therefore, incorporating visual media into an information literacy instruction session helps students of any age to be better informed citizens and more critical information consumers.
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