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Community support and problem based learning

This LA Times article, The Science of Science Education, about encouraging more minority students in the sciences made me think about my interest in Problem Based Learning (PBL), which places an emphasis on teamwork and learning from others.

From the article:

"Treisman demonstrated that several widely held assumptions -- that black students were less motivated or less prepared or had less family support -- could not explain their lower grades. His conclusion was that 'the black students typically worked alone' while 'the Chinese students learned from each other.'

Using this insight, he constructed 'an anti-remedial program,' open to all but populated primarily by minority students, which emphasized 'group learning and a community life.' The results were dramatic, with participants in the program not only outperforming their minority peers but their white and Asian American classmates as well."

Emphasis mine. While this is just one example, and therefore can not be taken as a comprehensive study, it is another example of how group learning can benefit the individual. Individuals are not only able to draw from the knowledge and experience of others to increase their own learning, but are also able to get the emotional support that comes from being a part of a community. It would be interesting to see if PBL used in information literacy instruction could have some of the same benefits described in the article.

Winter Crafts

1. The Creature Comfort Blog has a great list of DIY projects. It also features fun holiday cards and labels. I especially like this newspaper Christmas tree, it's cute, festive, and good for the environment! The blogger even made this one out of an old New England Journal of Medicine, so that's what libraries can do with their extra copies of print journals!



2. A cute sleighing Santa from Pepakura. I love his expression.



3. A cute birdcage ornament from Zakka Life. They also have a lot more, including the cute little girl above.

4. Handmade and Homebaked has a good list of fun projects like these easy to make snowglobes.


5. The Purl Bee has a bunch of great crafts for kids and adults. Check out these Hanukkah coasters and this felted garland!

Teen Podcasting Program for Public Libraries

The Challenge:
Choose either an adult services program or a children’s services program in a public library and describe the specific steps that you would take to update the service program to respond to changing societal and community needs.

My Idea:
While essay contests and book reviews from librarians are wonderful ways to provide outreach to teens, librarians can take advantage of new media technologies to appeal to a wider audience of teenagers and allow a forum for teens to actively get involved in the library. Podcasting is a new media and is a great way to reach a large number of people inexpensively. Creating a teen podcasting program will provide a forum for teens to share their ideas and views with their community, as well as gaining leadership skills and experience in audio production.

A podcast is a digital audio or video recording that users can subscribe to using an aggregator or podcatcher such as iTunes. What makes podcasts different from streaming or downloading digital media files is that podcasts use RSS feeds allow users to automatically download a new podcast episode to your aggregator when it is available, like a newspaper or magazine that is automactially delivered to your door. While this subscription feature is what differentiates a podcast, many podcasters (people who create podcasts) offer their shows through streaming and individually downloadable file options as well.

Many public libraries have found success creating teen podcast shows. The Seattle Public Library has teens podcast library events such as performances for Banned Books Week and teen writers reading their work. The Library Loft podcast from the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg in North Carolina features interviews with young adult authors. The Cheshire Public Library uses podcasts as kind of cultural magazine that features teen writers, musicians, reviewers, commentators, and more. There are also non-library teen podcast programs such as Smashcast, a program run by the non-profit Level Playing Field Institute which features video podcasts by bay area teens on technology equal access issues.


My idea is to create a regular podcasting program created by teens through the public library. The teens will meet twice a month in one to two hour meetings. The first meeting at the beginning of the month will be to plan the podcast and the second will be to record and edit the podcast. Creating an "editorial board" of high school students will help ensure that the podcasts will become a regular feature as well as give students an opportunity to take a leadership role in project management.


1. Work with technology department to figure out best way to record podcasts and provide hosting.
a. Can record using laptop with microphone (external or internal)
b. Use free editing software like GarageBand (on Mac OS systems) or Audacity.
c. Should be hosted on the library website
d. Stream through iTunes, provide RSS feed.

2. Market to local high schools, tutoring centers, and in the library
a. Contact high school principles and teachers
b. Contact tutoring centers
c. Create fliers and posters (emphasize usefulness in college apps, fun, leadership, creativity, etc.)
d. Need at least two to three volunteers, can use more depending on interest

3. Teen Podcast Committee Meeting 1
a. Interested students email librarian to participate
b. Set up time to have first meeting at library
i. Create Teen Editorial Board (like Seattle Public Library, Cheshire Public Library in Connecticut) core group to edit and decide on topics.
ii. Brainstorm ideas and choose ideas for show
- examples include reviews, current events, and teens reading from their own work.
iii. Create outline for show

4. Teen Podcast Committee Meeting 2
a. Record podcast show
b. Teens edit audio file
c. Publish show and put it up on the website!


5. Promote Podcast
a. Create business cards and posters, have teens pass out business cards to other students
b. Contact teachers, principals, etc. to let them know the podcast is available
b. Market to local media, newspapers, television, etc.

6. Repeat steps 1-5!

Halloween Paper Crafts

Toys, Halloween, and Paper!

Check out this fun websites for making Halloween-themed paper toys:
CastleForte: Pumpkin Candy Dish (as pictured on the top)

Free Paper Toys: Skeleton, Werewolf, and more

Goobeetsa: John Carpenter themed paper toys includes Dead Sailor (The Fog) and Mike Myers (Halloween)

Cubee Craft: Ghostbusters, X-Files, Jack-O-Lanterns, and a ton more!

All you need to do is print them out and fold! I've made a few of these, and it helps to have an exacto knife for precision cutting.Thicker paper is recommended, but I've used normal everyday paper and it was fine, though I usually do add some tape to keep them together. They are all sorts of fun though, and look really good as decorations!

Errol Morris, Photography, and Media Literacy

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris has a regular feature in the New York Times looking at historical documentation. He often looks at how photography and other forms of media can be manipulated to serve political and personal ends. His latest article "The Case of the Inappropriate Alarm Clock" is about photographs of the 1936 drought in North Dakota accused of being fakes. As part of the information department of the Farm Security Administration, a product of the New Deal, a small photography division took photographs of the great depression, including the drought in North Dakota.

Here's a quote from the article, "What makes these accusations of photo-fakery utterly perverse is the claim that they unfairly portrayed a drought. The photographs led the viewer to infer that the Dakotas were experiencing a drought. But the Dakotas were experiencing a drought. One of the worst droughts in American history."

For any librarian or archivist interested in introducing media literacy Morris' series of articles is a great resource. He brings up issues of how we evaluate sources (in this case photography) for accuracy. If someone moves a cow skull into a picture, does that compromise truth of what the picture is showing? Or is the message of the picture still intact? What are the photographers motivations, and what are the motivations of the critics?
Morris' insight and his curiosity about the nature of documentation makes for thought provoking series, and I really can't recommend it enough.

Paper crafts, graphics, and more

Living Locurto is a wonderful site for free graphics, arts and crafts projects, and recipes. There are a lot of great arts and craft projects that childrens' librarians can use. Who could resist making some of these awesome pinwheels?


It's geared more towards parents with kids, though if you're interested in web design you can find some great graphics for your website. For example, can't you just see this Halloween themed card as a website background?




There is also a section for very cute Blogs, Buttons, and Backgrounds. If using any of these graphics for a website you'll want to check the rights for each graphic, some are free for any use and others only for personal use.