Leadership and ALSC
#LeadALSC
I’m taking notes on the programs I’m attending at ALA Annual Conference. This one I was invited to because I’m going to chair ALSC’s Grant Administration Committee this coming year.
Here are my notes!
Media Mentorship White Paper — get a copy!
2016 Bill Morris Seminar coming up next Midwinter
Applications due August 13, 2015 Joining with colleagues at CSK committee.
2016 ALSC Institute coming up in Charlotte
New semester of ALSC online courses available. Start Monday July 13.
ALSC book lists ala.org/alsc/booklists
Building STEAM with Dia
Summer Reading Lists
Graphic Novels Reading List
ALSC Professional Awards Applications due Fall 2015.
2015 ALSC Awards Presentation Monday 8-10 3006(W)
Membership Meeting 10:30-11:30
Monday 1-2:30 President’s Program about common core – Melissa Sweet and Julie Cheatham
Look at Usbby.org for conference in NYC.
Met everyone!
Thank you for saying Yes!
Kevin Maher — Washington Office Update
Appropriations bills moving through Congress now. House bill was bad for education, cutting funding for education. IMLS was level funded, though. Library funding slight boost to leadership grants. Eliminated some programs. Head Start gets a boost. Innovative Approaches to Literacy kept funding. IDEA gets a boost.
After this, becomes murky. This is just appropriations bills. Controversial things get added to this. There will be fights over appropriations bills.
e-rate funding — need to get ready to apply for it.
FCC has proposed expanding the Lifeline program. Broadband to low income.
Sen Jack Reed — Effective School Library program bill in the works. Allow schools to spend money in library programs. Include library and librarians in definitions.
Probably won’t see a final bill this year. Regulations will probably come from a new administration.
Lisa Guernsey, author of Screen Time
Authors of white paper on media mentor (Cen Campbell, Amy…)
Lisa was their inspiration.
Mentoring can be like planting a seed.
We may not always see the results.
Important, worthwhile work.
What better place to find media mentors than at your library.
Amy Poehler — Main takeaways
“It is a fundamental …”
We tend to be attuned to our communities.
Children and families are using digital media in increasing numbers.
Content developers are marketing digital content to children more and more every day.
Experts in child health and development have been weighing in on appropriate use.
We’re not necessarily seeing those three things overlap.
Some informed children and parents and some less informed.
Parents and children need support to make the best use.
It’s a chaotic, emerging field.
What families need is a guide. Think librarian!
Affirms vital role of librarian in media advice.
Children require mediated and guided experiences.
Kids need mediated access, even with alphabet books.
Media mentors support children & families in their media decisions.
Lisa Guernsey:
A constant and continual supporter of libraries and librarians.
Commitment to action in the Media Mentorship white paper is inspiring.
Literacy and Equity:
The Critical Role of Media Mentors
Equity needs to be at the core. We need to reach all kids.
Ability to be creators and expressors.
Edcentral.org — from New America, a thinktank in DC. (Education policy)
new book: Tap, Click, Read, with Michael Levine
What does it mean to be literate in the digital age?
2 years of research on this book.
Michael Levine is on Joan Ganz Cooney Center
The Quiet Crisis: So many kids today are struggling to learn to read proficiently.
numbers have been flat since 2009 — 2/3 of American 4th graders are not reading proficiently. Numbers for children of color and children with free & reduced lunch — over 80%
Even if you look at state tests, still in 40-50% range.
Technology can be the elephant in the room when we’re talking about this.
How do we bring that in?
Four principles:
1) When it comes to literacy, becoming literate isn’t just the skill of decoding. Also need knowledge.
2) Parents are critical in children’s lives, though they don’t have to be strong readers themselves.
3) If we were to ignore where technology fits, we’ll miss opportunities to reach them.
4) If we think technology is the answer, we’re lost. It’s an assistant to human beings.
What parents get instead: Mixed messages.
Look at all these apps! Or NO! Don’t expose young children to that!
Middle to upper income strata worry about it and grapple with it.
Lower income want tools for their kids.
Touchy subject — American Academy of Pediatrics statement. (Some really good stuff) Recognizes need for families to have a media plan. They discourage screens under age of 2. This is based on research for Passive Media Use.
What about skyping with Grandma, interactive media use?
Start grappling with these issues!
Media overload? Apps in itunes store — over 1 million apps now
Education section — 80,000 apps.
“Educational” apps explosion.
What Science Tells Us —
Ecological Perspectives on Development — idea that there are many different pieces that come into children’s lives. Many different layers.
There’s more research than you might think.
It’s about a lot more than time limits.
3 Cs framework: We have to recognize the Content, Context, and the individual Child and what they need.
Content: A lot of studies now on educational TV.
Even Barney helped kids interact better — were more civil to each other on the playground.
Plenty of research that shows adult content is not good for little kids. Kids between 1 and 3 with a lot of exposure to adult programs are performing worse on executive function. Controlled for economic level.
Straightline storytelling (helps)
Participation – where children can talk back
Labeling on screen
Engagement
Repetition, review, routine
Non-violence
Not as much research as you’d think, because it’s unethical to put violent content in front of children
A long way to go in the research about what interactive content even means.
We have learned if the interactivity is tied to what you’re trying to teach them, that helps. Not indiscriminate clicking!
Context:
Avoid background TV!!!! Distinguish between purposeful foreground media use.
It affects the way children are playing and parent-child interaction.
Promote good sleep. Light from screens isn’t good.
Hour before sleep shouldn’t have a lot of light on their eyes.
Other healthy routines (like physical play!) How do you want your child’s day to go?
Think about the whole healthy routine for a child
Interact with Media together! This may be critical for young children
Dialogic questioning techniques with reading
Parents can be distracted by cell phones — not good for kids.
A lot of judging and judgment calls that go into this.
Is it spoiling kids to give them constant attention?
Individual Child:
Under Age Two:
Can they learn from screen media without an adult around? Can they learn from a children’s book without an adult around.
A few studies: a mixed bag. Mostly, they need adult interaction.
Tune into individual needs!
Science is still evolving, but needs to underpin what we do.
The Field is Responding (of Early Childhood)
“Take a Giant Step” — about early childhood teachers.
“Strengthening Teaching and Learning”
*NAEYC — “Position Statement on Technologies” guidepost for the field.
Be professionals. Think about what you’re using
“Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years”
Paper out from 0 to 3.
“Pioneering Literacy in the Digital Wild West”
Evaluating Apps & ebooks.
Looked at a sample of apps from a two-month period. Do some analysis
Many are aimed at 3 to 5 year olds (55%)
Most say they’re teaching basic literacy skills. (list of 23 literacy skills and looked for evidence)
Alphabet apps especially high. Narrative and story-telling, not as much.
App developers gave almost no info about who they were. Less than 5% mentioned any literacy or language expert.
Putting Human Interaction (not Tech) first.
Allow technology to be an assistant.
atlas.newamerica.org
Texting, video, and tablets — Using new tools to encourage families to talk & learn together
Ready Rosie — video modeling for parents
Media Mentors
A new position for the 21st century — help families find these things!
Children’s librarians can become that!
A lot of organizations are trying to play this role. (Commonsense Media – but they’re not in communities, working with families directly.)
Public Resources – We should be making sure all families have access and can find these resources.
Powerpoint is available at mediamentorship under ALSC.
Questions: Crucial to be interacting with the parent. For under twos, it’s the joint moments that are so important.
Reading on screen versus reading a book: Research is mostly on people who already know how to read.
Highlighting words might help with fluency. It’s not clear how long to use them.
We’re at the beginning of some very interesting questions.
Another issue: Learning to keyboard versus learning to print and write.
National Association of Media Literacy Education meeting – Finland is phasing out cursive writing.
Keep the interpersonal in interactive! Say this to parents! (Saroj Ghoting)