Gone Exploring: Using AR and VR Technology in Today's Media Center

 As a child of the 80's, there were few toys I loved more that my shiny red ViewMaster, and the vast collection of picture wheels I amassed for several years that went with it. I have a particularly fond memory of one picture wheel that featured scenes and characters from my favorite cartoon at the time, He-Man, portrayed in stunning (for the time) 3D. I still remember the click- whir sound it made every time I pushed the knob on the right side that advanced to a new frame. 

Why I loved that toy so much isn't easy to explain, but clearly the appeal of the ViewMaster lives on as evidenced by current modern day versions; from the inexpensive and readily accessible Google Cardboard, to the hot item on every kid's Christmas list last year- the VR Oculus. 

However, finding ways to incorporate VR and AR technology into classroom instruction can be challenging to say the least. As the required reading article in SLJ for this week's module points out, there are not many presorted and curated collection resources out there for media specialists and other educators. "Cassidy has identified specific criteria for classroom simulations. She looks for those that require teamwork and are short enough to be completed during a single class period. (Unfortunately, she says that information isn’t always readily available.)" (Virtually There: Kids are using VR to Explore Worlds and Create New Ones)

There is also the matter of students needing to bring their own phone or device to school from home to even be able to participate in such a lesson. While students growing up in affluent neighborhoods and schools may not see this as an obstacle, I know that some of the students I work with at my Title 1 designated elementary school would definitely struggle with this requirement. Not to mention that many schools prohibit students from having their phones out during class time as well. 

So although I do see many potential benefits to using immersive VR and AR tools to occasionally engage students with something new, I don't believe that this technology is quite ready to be widely implemented in schools. However, I do believe that the tools and resources that can be found in Google Arts and Culture offer a great start. In particular, I like the 360 degree tours and other tools offered within Google Expeditions using their "street view" feature and and can see how I will likely incorporate it into what I do next year during my lesson plans.  

I was aware of Google Expeditions prior to completing this week's class module, but watching the Virtual Field Trip webinar on YouTube created by LOM Media Specialist Amanda Jones really opened my eyes to potential applications I had not previously considered. In particular, I loved how she used Expeditions as one of the tools to create her "Journey With Jones" lessons. 

Google Expeditions is part of the larger Google Arts and Culture platform of materials and lesson plans curated by Google. This tool can be found at https://artsandculture.google.com/project/expeditions and once there, one can browse pre-loaded destinations or search for other topics.

One of the lessons I complete every year with my fourth and fifth grade classes is an introduction into genres, with Historical Fiction being a specific example that we study. In the past, I have used one of the books in the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis, I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, as my read aloud example to go with the unit and also played a short video I found using Discovery Education Network that summarizes the events of that pivotal day in ancient history. The student feedback I have received in the past has consistently shown this to be one of their favorite lessons, and after finishing this week's unit, I am excited to incorporate some of the features I found in Google Expeditions into the same lesson this upcoming year. In particular, I would like to print off a copy of the map of Pompeii that can be found within Expeditions and use it in conjunction with Google Street View to have students explore different areas of the city that are settings within the book!

https://g.co/arts/5nR3XXdS2qqyZb646

https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/pompei/DgFCpWRJ88P0ng?sv_lng=14.4861524355&sv_lat=40.7516408190264&sv_h=248.91626617798312&sv_p=-1.0772634033808401&sv_pid=M-rJDVGpU5iim_SoiRJN7g&sv_z=1.0000000000000002

For another great video tutorial on how to use Google Expeditions in a classroom setting, check out this online resource posted in YouTube by Google: https://youtu.be/3MQ9yG_QfDA

  

 I don't know if any research has ever been conducted on the statistical percentage of librarians that were bullied during their adolescent and teenage years, but I would be willing to bet that if such research does exist it would show a fairly high percentage. After all, even the stereotype of a librarian as a bookish, prudish woman in a tight bun and a constant frown of disapproval on her face is enough to make any reasonable person wonder how such an individual made it through high school alive. I graduated high school in 1996 and was the frequent target of a "queen bee" mean girl who seemed to live for moments where she could bring me close to tears. But I count my lucky stars that the internet was still in it's infancy during those high school years and cyberbullying wasn't as much of a thing.

These days, bullying has evolved as the internet has expanded and allowed users access to resources. In the Red Frame article we were assigned to read for this week I was surprised to see that the analysis of numerous studies on traditional bullying and cyberbully showed such huge discrepancies on the prevalence and underlying factors associated with bullying behavior, down to whether or not cyberbullying should even be considered a separate type of aggression or whether it should be lumped in with traditional forms bullying. I agreed with the statement made early in the paper on section 2 that states: 

"However, a number of nuances have been drawn in order to articulate what repetition, intent, and power imbalance represent when it comes to cyberbullying, such as: the potential for anonymity in online communications; the detachment that results from not seeing the target’s reaction to a message; the permanent nature of online messages (i.e. self-repeating); the wider audience of bystanders to cyberbullying; and the variable nature of the power imbalance in online communications." (Cassidy, Brown, & Jackson, 2011; Cassidy, Faucher, & Jackson, 2013; Dooley, Pyżalski, & Cross, 2009; Grigg, 2010; Kowalski, Morgan, & Limber, 2012; Menesini, 2012; Smith & Slonje, 2010; Vandebosch & Van Cleemput, 2009).

 I agree with this statement and the proposal that this is an important topic that needs to be addressed frequently with students starting at a young age, especially considering the increasing rate of suicide amongst ever younger children, much of which has been linked to cyberbullying. I also agree with the sentiment that cyberbullying should be classified as a different type of aggression with different qualifiers to meet the definition of a qualifying occurrence due to the permanence of content posted online, and the (much) larger potential audience within social media as opposed to in person, physical aggression. 

In terms of how I plan to address this topic with my own students when we go back in August, I have used the Common Sense media website resources, including their pre-assembled lesson plans -in past years and will likely do so again. When I completed my digital curation assignment on this project I also discovered Google's "Be Internet Awesome" resources and was impressed by those, particularly some of the interactive games.

In all, I think it is important to unify as one: one class, one school, one district and one community as a whole, to condemn bullying in all forms and help students understand the important distinction between life as it is portrayed online in formats such as social media, and the often harsher and less perfect version of life that is reality. 

Easy Adaptive Features in Zoom You Might Not Know Exist.

     In this week's readings, I appreciated the point made in A Summary of the Evidence on Inclusive Education (Hehir, 2016) that there is a difference between integration and inclusion of students with differing-abilities within a classroom setting. While integration has become standard practice in most schools these days, the same cannot always be said for inclusion. The article points out that not all obstacles to inclusion are political or financial in nature, but some come down to a simple lack of time for teacher training or even, unfortunately, negative perceptions regarding students with differing abilities and the additional time and effort it would take to implement assistive technology into teaching methods.

    This is one reason I enjoy being a media specialist so much; my job requires me to constantly learn and train professionally on how to integrate technology into education- not just within the classes I teach during my specials rotation, but also in ways I can share quickly and easily with other educators in my building. It's been my experience that many of the tools I share with teachers, parents and students are easy to implement- sometimes just requiring a feature to be toggled within a setting- but are infrequently used simply because teachers aren't always aware of them.

    Two great examples of such easy to implement tools can be found within an online meeting forum we all become very familiar with during the past year of virtual learning during the pandemic- Zoom. Both features can be found and enabled within the account settings, and once enabled, require little other preparation or effort. 

    The first is a feature that enables non-verbal communication. In my experience with Zoom, I found that, ironically, emoticons allowing students to raise their hand, clap, cheer or give a thumbs up are automatically enabled but within the same area in the account settings, there is another non-verbal communication option that, at least in my meetings, starts out as automatically disabled. This non-verbal communication feature allows students to request teachers to slow down, speed up or respond 'yes' or 'no' depending on their level of understanding. While this feature is described as a way for students to communicate without having to interrupt their teacher, it could also prove beneficial for non-verbal students or those with learning disabilities who would rather communicate their difficulties privately rather than drawing attention to themselves.

Be aware that the Non-verbal feedback option may be automatically disabled in settings. 

 

    Another easy feature within Zoom is directly geared towards students that are hearing impaired; the ability to turn on Closed Captioning within Zoom meeting settings. Turning on this feature allows the presenter to have their speech automatically transcribed by the Zoom software. And while Zoom does include an important disclaimer that the accuracy of the transcription depends on the clarity of the speaker, amount of background noise and other features, I have personally found this tool useful and had few problems with accuracy. Below are some screen captures of where to find and enable this tool within settings and also a still shot demonstration of the software at work. 

Enabling Closed Captions within Zoom meeting settings

During a meeting, turn on Closed Captioning under 'More' 

Speak clearly and away from background noise and you'll have a high degree of accuracy!

    For more information and useful tutorials, Zoom support offers the following online support: 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115002522006-Viewing-closed-captioning-in-Zoom-Rooms#:~:text=%20Enabling%20closed%20captioning%20%28admin%29%20%201%20Sign,%28Advanced%29%2C%20toggle%20Closed%20Caption%20to%20on.%20More%20

Standards and Domains and Foundations- Oh My

Classroom teachers have it pretty easy. Kidding. But when it comes to educational standards; both expectations in student learning outcomes and teacher professional evaluations, one thing classroom teachers have in their corner is that these standards are clear cut, detailed, free, and easily accessible to teachers and the public. 

For instance, K-12 teacher in South Carolina follow the South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards, which can be accessed and downloaded at no cost on the SC Department of Education website. These standards are broken down by subject and grade level; then further broken down into sub-categories with specific learning outcome goals that should be achievable for students in that grade, within that subject of study. As an example, below is a screenshot of an SCCCR ELA Standard for Kindergarten:

Note that these standards are well organized, specific and thorough. A quick google search will lead any interested party to the SCCCRS website, where one can find the standards for nearly every subject under the sun. ( Access it here if you like! https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/) Subjects include ELA, Math, Science, History, Physical Education, Health Education, Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages, Advanced Academics, STEM/ STEAM and Computer Science. 

Notably missing? Standards for Media Specialists. Many media specialists are on the daily specials rotation in their school along with subjects such as art, music, gym, dance etc. We are expected, like classroom teachers, to teach classes all day, submit weekly lesson plans and often times even give grades. We are evaluated on the same 4.0 rubric as classroom teachers. But what separates media center classes from the rest is that we can't go to the SC Department of Education website and at least see, in black and white, what we should be teaching students, when we should be teaching it, and how it is best taught. Sure, we can cobble together something that works by borrowing a little from ELA, maybe a little from Computer Science and STEM, but there is nothing in SC Standards specifically for us.

But wait, that's where the AASL comes in, right? The American Association of School Librarians. And they have standards! Great! Let's get on their website, download them and be on our merry way! Only it's not that easy. 

Clicking on the links in Blackboard that lead to the AASL website, one gets the uneasy feeling almost right away that we aren't in Kansas anymore. Librarians are known for their passion for unfettered and unlimited access to knowledge and information. But on the website all I am finding is links to incomplete (and, frankly, unhelpful) graphics, posters and talking points. If you want to see the full set of standards, you are required to buy the book for.... $200.  Confused, I access the introduction video linked on BlackBoard and here is where the real education begins. Not in what the presenters are saying because honestly they don't really get into detail about the actual standards in either of the videos. My educational take on these standards came from the participant comment section in the video.

I know, I know, they say never read the comments. Only, if you are a professional organization on a national scale and are expecting people to fork over $200 dollars on a school librarian's salary (don't even get me started), then gathering input from your members is a possibly a good thing. So what did the audience for this live computer presentation have to say? Here is a screen shots from the chat board. 

Participants asking if the AASL standards are available online (the short answer is no, not in their entirety), asking if there is a more affordable way to access the standards and asking if there are any crosswalks that reference the ISTE Standards or Future Ready Framework? One participant specifically mentioned that the graphics and organization in the AASL standards remind her of the Future Ready Framework to which the presenter somewhat passive aggressively responds that they are like minded organizations but reminds her that "AASL was out of the gate several decades earlier than Future Ready." Well, congratulations, you were here first. I guess you win? 

But my favorite comment from above comes from Ms. Christine Clark, who states 

"We (School Librarians) want a voice and a strong voice- but we don't offer our standards for others to see free like other disciplines." 

Now I don't know Ms. Clark personally; but if I could, I would buy a microphone and mail it to her, just so she could drop it. BAM! Mic drop moment for sure. 

Which brings me to the standards themselves, or what snippets you can see of them on the website. Ironically enough, you can access more of the AASL standards by accessing the crosswalks they developed comparing them to ISTE and Future Ready Framework. Ironic not just because they offer more content in these contrast models than they do in their official publications, but also because accessing the crosswalks allows one to see exactly how deficient these standards are when compared with others.  Exhibit A: Crosswalk comparing AASL standards (on the left) to the Future Ready Librarians Framework, which focus mainly on professional standards for media specialists rather than student outcomes. Compare row two of both these organizations' standards. One is specific and detailed, the other is... not so much. "Leading learners and staff through the research process." OK, but how? Which process? And why lump learners (students) and staff together when clearly the way you would explain any research process to the former would be vastly different from how you would instruct the latter? 

Which brings us to Exhibit B: The crosswalk between AASL and ISTE. While FRF focuses more on professional expectations for media specialists, the ISTE standards featured in this crosswalk are geared more towards student learning outcomes, although it's worth noting that the ISTE offers standards for many roles with a school such as student, teachers, administrators and coaches. Again, note the difference in complexity and detail: 

My conclusion after finishing week 2 of this class is that there is still work to be done. The ISTE standards are a great reference for many disciplines within the media center, but not all. After all, while a thriving media center will certainly utilize technology and teach digital literacy and citizenship skills to students, it is not the sole focus of a media center. I do like how the ISTE offers standards geared towards students, educators, educational leaders and coaches.

On the other hand, Future Ready Librarians Framework offers professional standards for librarians but not as much curricular guidance on student learning objectives. However, their professional standards for media specialists are thorough and I find them helpful, as they are more specific to my field than most other standards that seek to define the role of a school media specialist.

One area in which the AASL standards excel over both ISTE and FRLF is their standards for the physical and digital learning space that is the media center itself. These standards seem to be the most well thought out and relevant to guiding my short and long terms goals as I plan the type of space and materials I want to offer my students in the future. 

As far as student learning objectives and professional goals for media specialists however... I won't get into a copyright mess by creating a meme with a Disney image, but picture Captain Barbossa of Pirates of the Caribbean in his conversation with Elizabeth Swann, saying "The AASL are more what you call... guidelines... than actual standards." 

References

Gore Verbinski; Rob Marshall. (Directors). (2003). Pirates of the Carribean [Motion Picture].

ISTE Standards. (2021). Retrieved from International Society for Technology in Education: https://www.iste.org/standards

It All Fits Together: The New National Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. (2017, November 16). Retrieved from American Association of School Libraries: https://aasl.digitellinc.com/aasl/sessions/484/view

National School Library Standards crosswalk with Future Ready Librarians. (2018). Retrieved from Amarican Association of School Librarians: https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180828-aasl-standards-crosswalk-future-ready.pdf

National School Library Standards crosswalk with ISTE Standards for Students and Educators. (2018). Retrieved from American Association of School Librarians: https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180828-aasl-standards-crosswalk-iste.pdf

Standards and Learning. (2021, May 23). Retrieved from South Carolina Department of Education: https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/