Final Reflection

The 2015-16 school year has been an exciting time for me in my new position as a Library Media Specialist for HCISD.  After 20 years in a classroom setting, my biggest regret is that I didn't do it sooner!  I love learning and I have always loved books and my courses at Sam Houston State University have provided both and much, much more.  As I finish the semester at SHSU, I reflect on what I have learned and accomplished, as well as what will be most beneficial to me and the students in the library.

In Digital Technology For the School Librarian, we were introduced to many social media tools. Several of these tools, I had used before, but what was new was that instead of using them for personal reasons, I looked at them envisioning how they could be used in the school library.

My favorite tools are YouTube, Screencasts, and Bloglovin'.  YouTube has so many educational things that have been created by others that I don't need to recreate.  I use it on a regular basis and this week I have been using it daily to show Bluebonnet Book trailers to my 3rd - 5th graders. Screencasts are beneficial to students and parents.  I have already made a few screencasts and plan to introduce my teachers to it soon.  Bloglovin' is a great site for tracking all the blogs that give us inspiration without going to multiple blog sites.  These are all tools that I am using and plan to use much more in the future.

There are a couple of tools that I'm not really very crazy about and will most likely not use.  A couple of them are due to technology issues or restrictions on our school filter.  My least favorite app was Jing due to the frustration I had with technical difficulties.  Another app that I felt was redundant was Vine.  With all the other Social Media that I have available to me, I do not plan to use Vine.

The most useful apps for students are the podcasts, screencasts, and ToonDoo.  The podcasts and screencasts are the most useful because students can use them to help them learn something new or review something they have learned.  Their favorite app that I have introduced as the result of this course is TooDoo.  Students absolutely love creating cartoons to present their learning.

As I continue in my career as a Library Media Specialist, I know that I will need to stay on top of the new and upcoming technologies that my students and teachers will benefit from.  This course was very beneficial to me.  Reading my classmate's blogs was very helpful, especially when I had difficulty with an app or website.  It was nice to hear from others that had similar experiences or could share a better way to do things.  It reinforced the importance of networking by following other professionals on blogs and social media such as Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and Tumblr.

Happy Holidays!
-Lisa

Teens, Technology, and Romantic Relationships (Pew Internet Reading)

Lenhart, A., Anderson, M., & Smith, A. (October 1, 2015). Teens, technology, and romantic relationships. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/01/teens-technology-and-romantic-relationships/

“Have you ever dated, hooked up with or otherwise had a romantic relationship with another person?”   Pew Research Center’s Teen Relationship Study asked teens ages 13-17 and their parents this question as well as others to determine how teens are using technology to develop romantic relationships.  

A few of the facts:

1. 64% of teens have never been in a romantic relationship.  Of the 35% that have been in a relationship, only 8% have met their partner online with the majority meeting them on Facebook.
2. Social Media is widely used for flirting or "friending" crushes even among teens that did not meet their partner online.
3. 25% of teens have unfriended someone that made them feel uncomfortable with their flirting.  Girls are more likely to be the recipients of the uncomfortable flirting.
4. Social Media can help teens stay connected, but also fuels jealousy and instability in relationships.
5. Teen daters like to be able to publicly show their affection for their partner but dislike that too  many people can comment on their relationship.
6. 85% of dating teens expect to hear from their partner daily.
7. Most teens prefer in-person visiting, calling, and texting with their partner versus using social media.
8. Teens prefer to break-up in person versus via text message.
9. Very few teenagers are controlling or digitally stalk their partners or ex-partners.
10. 54% of teens prefer to ask a person out in person.  Only 24% would ask them out via text.
11. Girls are more likely to block or unfriend ex-partners in Social Media platforms.

After reading this report, I have to admit that I'm a little surprised that more teens are not meeting their partners online.  In the world of ever changing technology where teenagers sit in the same room to text each other (read as pet peeve! LOL!), it is nice to see that teenagers still appreciate the personal face-to-face contact and interactions that we enjoyed when we were their age. (77 pages)

-Lisa