I'M GOING TO WELCOME OUR PRESENTERS FOR TODAY.
PLEASE WELCOME DR. KATIE DAVIS, WHO COMES TO US FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ROLLS, I'M GOING TO HAVE HER TALK ABOUT IT.
SHE IS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S INFORMATION SCHOOL, AND AT THE U-DUB'S COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, AND SHE'S THE FOUNDING MEMBER AND CODIRECTOR OF THE UW DIGITAL YOUTH LAB.
AND I'M ALSO VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME DR. MEGA SUBRAMANIAN WHO COMES TO US FROM THE COLLEGE OF INFORMATION STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, AND IS THE FOUNDING MEMBER AND CODIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND'S YOUTH eXPERIENCE LAB.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND HAVE KATIE GET US STARTED.
WELCOME, KATIE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, J.P.
HELLO EVERYONE.
I AM VERY EXCITED TO BE JOINING YOU.
ALTHOUGH I AM BASED AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW I'M JOINING YOU AT NIGHT FROM BERLIN WHERE I'M DOING AN EXTENDED SABBATICAL YEAR HERE.
SO I AM TALKING A LITTLE BIT QUIETLY BECAUSE MY 2-YEAR-OLD SON HAS JUST FALLEN ASLEEP AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE HE STAYS ASLEEP.
SO I'M GOING TO GET US STARTED BY FIRST JUST SAYING A WORD ABOUT HOW MEGA AND I CAME TOGETHER AND HOW WE STARTED THIS PROJECT, WHICH WE CALL THE CONNECTEDLIB PROJECT, AND THE BIG PRODUCT FROM THE PROJECT IS CALLED THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT.
SO I GUESS ABOUT -- IT'S 2019 NOW, I GUESS ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO MEGA AND I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT COME TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE AROUND A PROJECT THAT FOCUSES ON BRINGING CONNECTED LEARNING PRINCIPLES TO LIBRARIES.
WE HAD NOTED AT THAT TIME BACK IN 2014 THAT CORRECTED LEARNING WAS WELL REPRESENTED IN SOME LIBRARIES, BUT IT SEEMED TO BE MOSTLY WELL REPRESENTED IN LARGER URBAN, WELL-RESOURCED LIBRARIES OR LIBRARIES THAT HAPPEN TO GET A GRANT FROM THE MacARTHUR FOUNDATION.
AND WE WERE PRETTY EXCITED AND PASSIONATE ABOUT FINDING WAYS TO INTRODUCE THE CONNECTED LEARNING FRAMEWORK MORE BROADLY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES IN ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIBRARIES.
SO THAT LIBRARY STAFF WITH ANY LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE, ANY LEVEL OF RESOURCES WOULD BE ABLE TO INCORPORATE CONNECTED LEARNING PRINCIPLES INTO THEIR YOUTH PROGRAMMING.
SO WE WERE VERY EXCITED WHEN WE PUT TOGETHER A PROPOSAL AND RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE INSTITUTE OF NEW ZEALAND LIBRARY SERVICES.
SO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS JUST JUMP RIGHT IN HERE AND KIND OF START AT THE END BY GIVING YOU A QUICK PREVIEW OF WHAT OUR FOUR YEARS OF COLLABORATION PRODUCED.
SO HERE YOU SEE THE HOME PAGE OF THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT.
AND BASICALLY THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT WAS CREATED REALLY TO EQUIP PUBLIC YOUTH LIBRARY STAFF WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THEY NEED TO CREATE CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAMS AT THEIR OWN LIBRARIES, WHEREVER THEY MAY BE.
THE MODULES YOU SEE ON THIS PAGE, THERE ARE NINE DIFFERENT MODULES.
EACH ONE CAN BE COMPLETED AS STAND-ALONE LESSONS IN ANY ORDER.
BUT REALLY WORKING THROUGH THE ENTIRE SUITE OF LESSONS IS PROBABLY GOING TO HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF THEM.
BUT AGAIN, ASIDE FROM STARTING WITH THE INTRODUCTION TO CONNECTED LEARNING IN THE TOP LEFT-HAND CORNER, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ORDER YOU DO THEM IN.
AND AS A WHOLE, THE TOOLKIT IS DESIGNED TO WALK YOU THROUGH THE CONNECTED LEARNING BASICS, TO HELP YOU LEARN HOW TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUTH, PARTICULARLY TEENS, HOW TO STRATEGIZE AND PLAN TO IMPLEMENT CONNECTED LEARNING IN YOUR OWN LIBRARY, AND HOW TO REACH OUT AND WORK WITH YOUR COMMUNITY TO CREATE EFFECTIVE CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR ALL OF YOUR YOUTH PATRONS.
SO AS I MENTIONED, THE TOOLKIT CONTAINS NINE MODULES LAID OUT ON THE HOME PAGE HERE.
AND I THINK WE'LL JUST TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE FIRST MODULE, WHICH INTRODUCES THE CONNECTED LEARNING FRAMEWORK.
AND IT'S HIGHLIGHTED HERE ON THE UPPER LEFT.
EVERY -- JUST TO ORIENT YOU TO WHAT YOU SEE, EVERY MODULE HAS AN ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TIME AT THE TOP, AND IT WILL ALWAYS START WITH THE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THAT PARTICULAR MODULE.
AND OTHER STANDARD FEATURES ARE LISTED HERE ON THE SLIDE, SO THE LEARNING OUTCOMES WILL ALWAYS BE DISPLAYED IN BLUE, QUOTES FROM RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS ARE OUR RESEARCH WILL ALWAYS BE IN ITALICS, YOU'LL SEE SPECIAL ICONS INDICATING DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONTENT, SO THERE'S A SPECIFIC ICON FOR CASE STUDIES, EXPLANATORY VIDEOS, TIPS AND POINTERS, AND EXERCISES.
THERE ARE A LOT OF EXERCISES THROUGHOUT ALL OF THE MODULES BECAUSE WE REALLY WANTED IT TO BE AS HANDS-ON AND PERSONALLY ENGAGING AS POSSIBLE.
SO IN THIS FIRST MODULE YOU CAN SEE AN EXAMPLE OF A RESEARCHER QUOTE IN ITALICS AT THE TOP.
YOU CAN ALSO SEE AN EXPLANATORY VIDEO BELOW THAT INTRODUCES THE CONCEPT OF CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO, AGAIN, IN ADDITION TO INCLUDING A LOT OF EXERCISES THAT ARE INTERACTIVE, WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF VIDEOS, BUT IT'S NOT TOO TECH HEAVY, AND AGAIN, TO INCREASE THE ENGAGEMENT LEVEL WITH EACH MODULE.
SO THE SAME FORMAT I JUST WENT THROUGH IS FOUND IN ALL MODULES.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, THIS ONE THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED RIGHT HERE ON COMMUNITY MAPPING, HERE WE SEE AN EXAMPLE OF AN EXERCISE IN THE YELLOW BOX.
AND HERE YOU SEE THAT OUR MODULES ARE REALLY WOVEN WITH EXAMPLES FROM VARIOUS LIBRARIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND ALSO QUOTES FROM THE LIBRARY STAFF THAT WE INTERVIEWED IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OUR PROJECT IN ORDER TO BUILD THESE MODULES.
AND SO THOSE AS I MENTIONED, THOSE QUOTES YOU'LL SEE IN ITALICS.
THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE IS FROM THE CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAMMING MODULE.
SO APART FROM OUR RECOMMENDATION TO START WITH THE INTRODUCTION TO CONNECTED LEARNING, AS I SAID, THE MODULES CAN BE COMPLETED IN ANY ORDER, DEPENDING ON YOUR PARTICULAR INTEREST AND YOUR GOALS, AND YOUR NEEDS AT YOUR LIBRARY.
IT CAN ALSO BE READILY TAILORED TO THE WIDE VARIETY OF SETTINGS IN WHICH YOUTH LIBRARY PROGRAMS ARE DEVELOPED AND OFFERED.
SO NOW THAT HOPEFULLY I'VE CAPTURED YOUR INTEREST IN THE TOOLKIT, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO NOW IS BACK UP A BIT AND TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAME TO DEVELOP IT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH MEGA, WHO IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY IS CONNECTED LEARNING, AND SOME EXAMPLES OF LIBRARY PROGRAMS THAT ARE MODELED AFTER THE CONNECTED LEARNING PRINCIPLES.
AND THEN I'M GOING TO SHARE MORE SPECIFICALLY A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CONNECTEDLIB PROJECT AND HOW WE DEVELOPED THE TOOLKIT.
SO I WILL PASS IT OVER TO MEGA NOW.
>> THANKS SO MUCH, KATIE.
HEY, EVERYONE.
I'M SUPER EXCITED TO BE HERE.
SO I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SHARING WITH YOU WHAT IS CONNECTED LEARNING.
AND I'LL JUST BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CONNECTED LEARNING, AND THEN WE'VE GOT A FEW EXAMPLES FOR YOU TO SEE ACTUAL CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAMS MATERIALIZED.
SO CONNECTED LEARNING IS AN EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK CREATED BY SCHOLARS, AND YOUTH CULTURE.
IT'S ESSENTIAL AN APPROACH TO CREATING LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND THE HEART OF CONNECTED LEARNING IS WHAT WE CALL AN EQUITY AGENDA, WHICH IS TO CLOSE THE CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC GAPS THAT YOUTH FROM LOW SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS FACE.
SO BY CONNECTING YOUNG PEOPLE'S INTERESTS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH REAL LIFE OPPORTUNITIES, CONNECTED LEARNING HELPS PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL WITH WHAT WE CALL 21st CENTURY SKILLS, AND ALSO QUOTE, UNQUOTE, NEW EMERGING DIGITAL LITERACIES.
SO EVERY DAY NOW WE HEAR DIFFERENT TYPES OF LITERACIES THAT ARE NEEDED, SO CONNECTED LEARNING REALLY HELPS YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE READY TO MASTER THIS NEW LITERACY.
SO IN TERMS OF CONNECTED LEARNING, THE SCHOLARS, THROUGH RESEARCH, THEY HAVE FOUND THAT YOUTH LEARNING ACTUALLY HAPPENS PRIMARILY IN THREE DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, OR WHAT THEY CALL THREE DIFFERENT SPHERES.
SO THE CIRCLES YOU SEE, THE SPHERES THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE RELATIONSHIP SPHERE, YOU CAN SEE INTERESTS SPHERE, AND ALSO WHAT WE CALL OPPORTUNITIES OR THE ACADEMIC SPHERE.
THAT COULD INCLUDE WORK IN COMMUNITY SETTINGS AS WELL.
SO WHEN ALL THE THREE SPHERES ARE CONNECTED, THE SWEET SPOT YOU SEE IN THE MIDDLE, THAT'S WHEN TEENS, YOUNG PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT REALLY INCREASES.
I'M GOING TO BRIEFLY EXPLAIN WHAT EACH OF THE SPHERES MEAN AND THEN I'LL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO SOME EXAMPLES.
SO THE RIGHT SPHERE, THE RELATIONSHIP SPHERE, IS -- IT'S REALLY KNOWN THAT YOUTH LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND RESEARCH SHOWS AMONG FRIENDS AND PEERS, YOUNG PEOPLE FLUIDLY CONTRIBUTE, SHARE, AND GIVE FEEDBACK TO ONE ANOTHER, AND THIS PRODUCES REALLY POWERFUL LEARNING.
THEY ALSO LIKE TO COMMUNICATE AND SHARE WITH ADULTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND LIVELY STAFF LIKE YOU.
MENTORSHIP IN THIS FORM IS REALLY WELCOMED BY YOUNG PEOPLE.
SO THAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP SPHERE.
IN TERMS OF THE INTEREST SPHERE, THE YELLOW SPHERE THAT YOU SEE, RESEARCH SHOWS THAT LEARNERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING ATTAIN HIGHER LEARNING OUTCOMES.
THIS IS NOT REALLY IS A SURPRISING NEWS, RIGHT?
YOU ALL KNOW THAT THINGS THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN WE LEARN BETTER.
SO IN CONNECTED LEARNING, NOT ONLY INHERENT INTERESTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL LEARNER IS REACHED, BUTTON RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THAT INTEREST AND PASSION IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ACTIVELY DEVELOPED.
SO THE LEARNING PROGRAMS, THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE CREATE NEED TO BE ALIGNED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE'S GOALS AND MOTIVATION, SO THIS IS THE INTEREST DRIVEN PART.
EVEN THE ONES THAT THEY DON'T QUITE KNOW HOW TO ARTICULATE YET.
SO THAT IS THE INTERESTS SPHERE.
AND THE GREENISH-BLUISH SPHERE YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN, THAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY SPHERE, SO THIS IS DIRECTED TO WHAT'S MAKING THE CONNECTION TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND ALSO ECONOMY ENGAGEMENT.
AGAIN, LEARNING THE ENGAGERS ALL THE SPHERES IS NO LONGER LEARNING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE TO DO IT, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE FORCED TO DO IT, BUT IT'S LEARNING THEY REALLY WANT TO DO.
BECAUSE IT'S ALIGNED WITH THEIR GOALS AND BENEFITS AND REALLY KIND OF -- IT REALLY CONNECTS WITH THE EVERYDAY LIFE.
SO BEFORE I GO TO THE EXAMPLE KATIE MENTIONED ABOUT SOME OF THE EXAMPLES THAT WE SAW IN THE BEGINNING OF THE ERA OF CONNECTED LEARNING, SO ONE OF THE EXAMPLES OF CONNECTED LEARNING IS THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY MEDIA SPACE, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE FIRST EXAMPLES OF CONNECTED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN LIBRARIES THAT REALLY CAUGHT A LOT OF ATTENTION.
IN FACT, REFINEMENT OF THE CONNECTED LEARNING FRAMEWORK WAS DONE, LIVELY STAFF HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD THE CONNECTED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARIES, SO WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT.
WE WERE FORTUNATE TO GET A LOT OF FUNDING TO SUPPLEMENT THE WORK.
NOW THAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM WHAT WE CALL EXAMPLES, KATIE AND I BELIEVE THAT LIBRARIES ARE ABLE TO DO CONNECTED LEARNING, WITHOUT HAVING TONS OF SUPPORT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF CONNECTED LEARNING THAT WE HAVE OBSERVED AND WE HAVE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES THAT KATIE WILL INTRODUCE LATER, AND ALSO HELP US TO BUILD A CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT.
THE FIRST EXAMPLE THAT I WANT TO SHARE HERE IS THE CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM THAT WE OBSERVED AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
THIS IS A FOUR-WEEK PROGRAM, FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, THESE ARE THE TINY WHITE THING YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT PICTURE ON THE SLIDE.
THE WHITE ROBOT THAT YOU SEE.
THOSE ARE CALLED [INDISCERNIBLE] ROBOTS.
THEY ARE DESIGNED TO INSPIRE YOUNG PEOPLE TO LEARN COMPUTER SCIENCE BY PROVIDING THEM A TANGIBLE AND PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION OF CODING.
SO THIS PROGRAM, THE LIBRARY STAFF AT SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY WORKS WITH YOUNG ADULTS, THEY INTRODUCE THE ROBOT, THEY ALSO WORK WITH THEM TO PROGRAM THE FINCH ROBOT TO DO A FEW THINGS.
ONE THING THAT THEY DID IS THAT THEY HELPED THEM TO CREATE EYE ON PAPER BY ATTACHING PENS PERP DICK RADAR TO THE TAIL TO POINT TO THE GROUND.
SO THEY PUT PAPERS UNDER THE PEN AND IT WAS PAPERS ON THE FLOOR, BUT THE TEENS WERE PARTICIPATING, THEY PROGRAMMED THE FINCH ROBOT TO MOVE OVER THE PAPER TO CREATE DIFFERENT DRAWINGS.
I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT ON THE SLIDE, BUT WHAT I DO HAVE IS THE WEEK THAT WE WERE ABLE TO OBSERVE WHICH IS THEY WORKED TO PROGRAM THE FINCH ROBOT TO GO THROUGH A MAZE WHICH YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, RIGHT PICTURE.
THIS IS A CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM.
WHY IS THIS A CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM?
LET'S GO BACK TO THE THREE SPHERES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
THE FIRST ONE IS INTEREST DRIVEN, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS WITH THE KIDS YOU WORK WITH, YOUNG PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH, THEIR ABILITY TO MOVE THINGS AROUND, LIKE RENOT CONTROL CARS, FOR EXAMPLE, REALLY FASCINATES YOUNG PEOPLE, RIGHT?
SO THIS IS THE INTEREST-DRIVEN PART THAT WAS LEVERAGED.
AND THE RELATIONSHIP SPHERE THAT I TALKED EARLIER, THIS PROGRAM WAS SUPPORTED BY PEERS, THEY WORK TOGETHER TO PROGRAM THE FINCH ROBOT.
AND ALSO THERE WERE ADULT MENTORS.
THE LIBRARY STAFF WAS THERE, SO THEY WORK IN TEAMS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOVE THROUGH THE MAZE, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT YOU SEE HERE WITH THE HELP OF THEIR LIBRARY STAFF.
AND THE LAST SPHERE, THE OPPORTUNITY RICH ENVIRONMENT SPHERE IS -- THEY'RE ACTUALLY LEARNING CONCEPTS OF BLOCK-BASED PROGRAMMING AND PRINCIPLES OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TO DETERMINE THE MOVEMENT BY THE FINCH ROBOT.
SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITY.
SO THIS IS THE NEXT EXAMPLE -- THE FIRST EXAMPLE I HAVE.
THE SECOND EXAMPLE I HAVE, I HEAR THIS A LOT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIBRARY STAFF AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT DOING THIS TOOLKIT, IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT CONNECTED LEARNING NEEDS TO BE TECHNOLOGY-BASED.
NOT REALLY.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE.
IT ONLY HAS TO BE WHEN THE INTERESTS IN YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WE ARE LEVERAGING HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH TECHNOLOGY.
SO IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO BE, IT CAN BE COMPLETELY TECHNOLOGY-FREE.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THIS EXAMPLE HERE.
FROM PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY, SO OUR TEAM, THE PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY BRINGING A GROUP OF TEENS TO THE LOCAL MALL, WHICH HAD NORDSTROM, SOB THE NORDSTROM REGIONAL MERCHANDISING TEAM WERE LOCATED -- WAS LOCATED IN THEIR PROVIDENCE MALL.
SO THEY WORKED WITH THE TEENS TO DESIGN EYE-CATCHING WINDOW PRESENTATIONS IN A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS.
THIS WAS ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO.
THE ONE THAT WE ACTUALLY OBSERVED IS WHEN TEEN ACTUALLY MADE A TRIP TO NORDSTROM AND THEY WORKED WITH THE VISUAL MERCHANDISING TEAM AND THEY CREATED THE MANNEQUINS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE, THIS MANNEQUIN DISPLAY INCORPORATED THE SUMMER READING THEME OF WELLNESS, FITNESS, AND SPORTS.
THIS WAS A REALLY FASCINATING PROGRAM.
THE TEENS, THEY PULLED VARIOUS FASHIONS FOR THE MANNEQUIN IN THE STORE, AND -- BUT THEY DID THIS WITH THEIR MERCHANDISING TEAM.
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION THAT WAS GOING WHICH HAD TO PICK, WHICH HANDBAG TO PICK, AND THEY CHOSE THE ITEMS INCLUDING LIKE THE ACCESSORIES, EVERYTHING, AND THEY DRESSED THE MANNEQUIN.
AND THEN THEY BROUGHT THAT BACK TO THE WHOLE TEAM, TO THE MERCHANDISING TEAM.
THIS IS CLEARLY A CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM.
IT'S INTEREST FORWARD, KIDS ARE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN FASHION, NOT ALL, BUT A LOT OF TEENS ARE INTERESTED IN FASHION.
AND THEN SUPPORTED BY PEERS AND ADULT MENTORS, CLEARLY HERE WE HAD THE NORDSTROM VISUAL MERCHANDISING TEAM, THE ENTIRE TEAM SERVED AS MENTORS TO THESE TEENS.
AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY-RICH ENVIRONMENT.
THEY LEARNED MERCHANDISING, THEY LEARNED MARKETING, ADVERTISING.
THE NEXT EXAMPLE I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU IS COMING FROM SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
THIS IS A PROGRAM CALLED BUILD A COMPUTER AND BEAT THE CLOCK PROGRAM.
IT'S INSPIRED BY THE SLOWEST COMPUTER IN THE EARTH, WHICH WAS CREATED BY TWO GAME DESIGNERS, SO THIS IS A COMPUTATIONAL THINKING HEAVY PROGRAM, WITHOUT USING ANY COMPUTERS AT ALL.
SO THIS IS AGAIN A PROGRAM FOR TEENS, THIS PROGRAM, WHAT THEY DO IS THEY BUILD AND PROGRAM THE SLOWEST COMPUTER IN THE WORLD USING RESPONSE, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE -- SPONGES, MARKERS, AND TAPE.
AGAIN, NO COMPUTERS WERE USED.
THE TEENS ARE GIVEN A SET OF INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ORDER THE RESPONSE.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE SPONGES ARE BEING ORDERED IN THE TOP RIGHT HANDPICK WHICH YOUR.
YOU CAN SEE 10 BY 10 SPONGES, 10 SPONGES IN EACH AXIS.
ALL THE YELLOWS FACING UP FIRST, AND THEN THEY BUILD THE AXIS ON TWO SITES USING TAPE AND IF YOU OBSERVE VERY CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE THAT ON THE TOP RIGHT PICTURE.
AND THEN THEY MAKE THE SHAPE WITH THE AXIS USING THE TAPE AND THEY WRITE 0-9 ON THE MASKING TAPE FOR BOTH THE COLUMNS AND ROWS AND THE LABELS THAT YOU ACCESS THE COLUMN AND ROW.
AND UNDERNEATH THAT IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU SEE THEY ARRANGED 16 POST-IT NOTES IN TWO ROWS AND THEY LABELED EACH POST-IT WITH A LETTER A-P.
SO ESSENTIAL THE GREAT IS -- THE SPONGES IS THE SCREEN AND EVERY SPONGE REPRESENTS THE PIXEL.
SO THE GOAL, THE PIXELS ARE GOING TO BE TURNED OFF, OR TURNED OFF, THE GREEN SIDE.
AND THE POST-ITS ARE ARRANGED, THEY ARE THE MEMORY OF THE COMPUTER.
SO THEN WHAT THEY GET A SET OF INSTRUCTIONS WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE PICTURE THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS WILL PRODUCE.
SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE LEFT SIDE HERE, YOU SEE THAT IF YOU COMPLETE ALL THESE INSTRUCTIONS YOU WILL GET THE SCREEN WITH A SMILEY FACE.
SO THEY -- THE TEAMS WHEN THEY RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTIONS THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IS THE GRAPHIC THAT'S GOING TO BE PRODUCED.
SO THE INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDE PLOT, WHICH MEANS FLIP A SPONGE AT A COLUMN AND ROW, GIVEN BY TWO MEMORY CELLS, THERE'S SET INSTRUCTIONS, THERE'S JUMP, IT'S GREATER THAN, LESS THAN, I PROBABLY DID NOT DO A GOOD JOB EXPLAINING IT, KIND OF JUST WITH WORDS, BY NOT SHOWING YOU, BUT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE DETAILS OF THIS PROGRAM, SIMPLY JUST GOOGLE "THE SLOWEST COMPUTER ON EARTH" AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FIND ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS.
SO GOING BACK TO THE ACTUAL PROGRAM ITSELF, THAT WAS WHAT THE KIDS DID, THE TEENS DID.
THE GAME DESIGNERS ACTUALLY CAME TO TRAIN THE LIBRARY STAFF, AND ALSO NOT JUST THE LIBRARY STAFF, BUT THEY ALSO TRAINED THE TEENS ON HOW TO BUILD AND PROGRAM THE SLOWEST COMPUTER ON EARTH.
AND THEN THE TEENS ARE THE ONES WHO ACTUALLY FACILITATED THIS PROGRAM.
SO I THINK AT THIS POINT, THIS IS PROBABLY QUITE CLEAR TO YOU HOW IS THIS INTEREST DRIVEN, HOW IS IT SUPPORTED BY PEERS AND MENTORS, HOW IS THIS OPPORTUNITY RICH ENVIRONMENT, I HOPE I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT THIS, BUT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REFLECT ON HOW IS THIS INTEREST DRIVEN, OR OPPORTUNITY RICH, OR RELATIONSHIP-DRIVEN YOU'RE WELCOME TO POST THAT ON THE CHAT.
BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME I'M GOING TO QUICKLY RUN TO THE NEXT PROGRAM.
THIS PROGRAM IS RUN BY ONE OF OUR PARTNERS AS WELL, [INDISCERNIBLE] REGIONAL LIBRARY, IT'S CALLED MAKE DO SHARE.
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF CONNECTED LEARNING AT WORK, BUT FOR LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.
THE ONES WE SHOWED YOU EARLIER, LAST FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND REPEAT.
BUT THIS IS MORE SORT OF A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.
SO THIS IS REALLY DRIVEN BY THE TEEN ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS.
SO THE TEEN ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS MEET ON THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH AND THEN THEY DECIDE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT WHOLE MONTH.
SO IT COULD BE TEENS WHO WANT TO TRY SOMETHING NEW T. PRESENT THE IDEAS FOR WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO LEARN.
TEENS WERE EXCITED ABOUT A SKILL THEY WANT TO TEACH.
THEY HAVE THAT SKILL, THEY WANT TO TEACH OTHER TEENS, THEY PITCH THE IDEA AND HELP, AND THEY WANT TO BE LIKE THE FACILITATOR OR THE PEER MENTOR FOR THE PROGRAM.
SO ONE OF THE GOOD EXAMPLES THAT WE SAW WHEN WE OBSERVED THIS PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE TEENS IN THE TEEN ADVISORY BOARD WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ANIMATION SKILLS THAT HE HAD.
AND HE WANTED TO TEACH THE OTHER TEENS HOW TO DO ANIMATION AS WELL.
SO THAT TEEN HELPED TO LEAD THE CLASS THROUGH ANIMATING A MUSIC VIDEO, EACH TEEN ACTUALLY HAD LIKE [INDISCERNIBLE] TO ANIMATE AND THEY COMBINE EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
SO THIS IS THE CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM, RUN ENTIRELY BY TEEN INTERESTS.
THE TEEN LIBRARIAN IS THERE, HE BRINGS IN MENTORS TO HELP TEACH THE TEENS THINGS THEY'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING, IF THE TEENS DON'T HAVE THAT SKILL.
BUT IF THEIR SKILL IS ALREADY THERE, THE TEENS CAN ACTUALLY TEACH IT.
THE TEEN LIBRARIAN JUST FACILITATES AND SERVES AS A MENTOR.
CLEARLY THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEENS TO TEACH EACH OTHER AS WELL, AND WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM IS IT BUILDS DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE TEENS AND MENTORS, AND ALSO PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS TO LEARN THINGS BASED ON THEIR INTERESTS, AS WELL AS NETWORKING WITH MENTORS IN THAT FIELD.
THOSE ARE THE EXAMPLES THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU THAT -- TO GIVE YOU A VERY DIFFERENT FLAVOR OF CONNECTED LEARNING, I HOPE, SOME TECHNOLOGY, SOME WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY, SOME WHERE THERE ARE VERY CLEAR CONNECTION TO INHERENT INTERESTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND SOME ARE INTERESTS THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED.
SO I'M GOING TO PAUSE THIS -- PASS THIS ALONG TO KATIE TO CONTINUE AND TALK ABOUT HOW WE WENT ABOUT CREATING THE ACTUAL TOOLKIT THAT SHE INTRODUCED IN THE BEGINNING.
>> GREAT, THANK YOU, MEGA.
I WONDER IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT, IF THIS MIGHT BE A NATURAL PLACE TO TAKE QUESTIONS IF ANYONE HAS THEM OR COMMENTS ON THE EXAMPLES THAT MEGA SHARED.
>> EXCELLENT.
YEAH.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR QUESTIONS TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, AND WE'LL BE SURE AND CATCH THOSE, I'M SO EXCITED THAT HALEY SHARED AN EXAMPLE OF CONNECTED LEARNING GOING ON AT HER LIBRARY WITH A SEWING PROGRAM.
I CAN KEEP MY EYE OUT --
>> AN INTEREST-DRIVEN ACTIVITY THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE TECHNOLOGY.
OR UPPING RATE -- YOU COULD INCORPORATE TECHNOLOGY IF YOU WANTED TO.
>> ALL RIGHT.
KEEP MULLING YOUR QUESTIONS, THEY CAN BE AS SPECIFIC OR AS BROAD AND LIKE I SAID, MANY OF THE FOLKS ON THE LINE MIGHT HAVE IDEAS AS WELL.
SO LEVERAGE THE COLLECTION OF FOLKS WE HAVE HERE.
>> SOUNDS GOOD.
SO NOW THAT HOPEFULLY YOU ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ORIENTED TO WHAT IS CONNECTED LEARNING AND HOW IT ACTUALLY LOOKS WHEN IT'S IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR SPECIFIC PROJECT.
INVOLVING THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT.
THE TOOLKIT SUPPORTS LIBRARIANS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO USE MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, BUT AS MEGA NOTED IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY NEED TO USE TECHNOLOGIES.
AND PROMOTE YOUNG PEOPLE'S CONNECTED LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN LIBRARIES, AND BASED ON THE EXAMPLES THAT MEGA GAVE, ONE WAS EACH ONE THERE WAS ONE FROM EACH OF OUR THREE PUBLIC LIBRARY PARTNERS, SO WE TEAMED WITH SEATTLE, KITSAP, REGIONAL LIBRARY, AND THEY WERE FANTASTIC PARTNERS, BECAUSE THEY SERVE A VARIETY OF TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED YOUTH POPULATION, INCLUDING RURAL, IMMIGRANT, AND LIVE OAK YOUTH, AND THEY ALSO AT THE SAME TIME HAD QUITE A BIT OF EXPERTISE AND FAMILIARITY WITH CONNECTED LEARNING GOING INTO THE PROJECT.
SO THEY WERE REALLY GREAT PARTNERS FOR US.
AND OF COURSE WE OWE A HUGE THANK YOU TO IMLS FOR FUNDING THIS PROJECT AND GRANTING US AN EXTENSION, BECAUSE WE REALIZED PRETTY EARLY I GUESS, BUT IT BECAME APPARENT AS WE WERE DEVELOPING THE MODULES IN THE THIRD YEAR THAT WE HAD REALLY IS BITTEN OFF MORE THAN WE COULD CHEW FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT.
BUT IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO GET AN EXTRA YEAR, BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP THE TOOLKIT FULLY AND MAKE IT EXACTLY HOW WE WANTED IT.
THIS IS AN OUTLINE OF THE MAJOR ACTIVITIES DURING EACH YEAR OF THE PROJECT.
I'LL BRIEFLY READ OUT EACH ONE LISTED HERE, AND GO INTO A BIT MORE DETAIL FOR SOME OF THEM ON THE FOLLOWING SLIDES.
SO IN YEAR ONE AFTER WE HAD RECEIVED THE GRANT, WHAT WE DID WAS WE DID A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ALL OF THE LITERATURE OUT THERE BOTH PEER REVIEWED AND POPULAR PRESS, AND EXAMPLES IN LIBRARIES OF CONNECTED LEARNING.
WE ALSO CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS WITH TEEN LIBRARIANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.
AND WE DID SITE VISITS TO PARTNER LIBRARIES, WHICH MEGA REFERRED TO EARLIER.
IN THE SECOND YEAR WE ENGAGED IN A SERIES OF DESIGN SESSIONS WITH OUR PARTNER LIBRARIES -- LIBRARIANS, SOME WERE VIRTUAL, SOME WERE IN PERSON, TO DEVELOP THE TOOLKIT.
IN THE THIRD YEAR WE PILOT TESTED IT WITH OUR PARTNER LIBRARIANS AND WE REFINED IT BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THEY GAVE US, AND IN YEAR FOUR WHICH JUST WRAPPED UP, WE REALLY FOCUSED ON DISSEMINATING THE TOOLKIT WIDELY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, AND EVEN OFFERED -- ACTUALLY TWO E-COURSES ON THE TOOLKIT.
SO IN THE FIRST YEAR AS I NOTED, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID IS A COMPREHENSIVE SCAN OF THE LITERATURE OF CONNECTED LEARNING IN LIBRARIES.
WE PRODUCED A WHITE PAPER AND YOU SEE THE LINK TO IT HERE.
SO YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THAT FROM THE LINK THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE FOUND WHILE WE WERE DOING THE SCAN OF ALL THE LITERATURE IS THAT THERE ARE REALLY SOME KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES THAT LIBRARIES FACE WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO IMPLEMENT CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES INCLUDE ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TO GET UP TO SPEED AND GAIN EXPERTISE IN CONNECTED LEARNING PRINCIPLES.
THE PERENNIAL RESOURCE LIMITATIONS, AND ALSO THE CHALLENGE OF BEING ABLE TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF PROGRAMS THAT ARE BASED ON CONNECTED LEARNING PRINCIPLES.
SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES WE DISCUSS AND EXPLORE IN THE WHITE PAPER.
ANOTHER ACTIVITY THAT WE BEGAN IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND WE CONTINUED AND FINISHED IN THE SECOND YEAR, IS WE CONDUCTED A BUNCH OF INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS WITH ALMOST 90 LIBRARY STAFF NATIONWIDE WHO WERE WORKING IN SOME CAPACITY WITH YOUNG PEOPLE, AND THEN ON THIS SLIDE YOU CAN REALLY SEE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET AND SPEAK TO LIBRARY STAFF ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, THEY REPRESENTED URBAN, SUBURBAN, AND RURAL LIBRARIES, ALL OVER THE U.S., AND THERE WERE 40 STATES REPRESENTED.
AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO DETAIL OF WHAT OUR FINDINGS WERE, BUT THE LINK HERE THAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE IS A LINK TO A PAPER THAT WE WROTE BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF OUR ANALYSIS OF THESE INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS, AND IT IS OPEN ACCESS, SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DOWNLOAD IT AND READ IT.
LIKE THE WHITE PAPER, WE DID IDENTIFY A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES THAT THE LIBRARY PARTICIPANTS IN OUR FOCUS GROUPS SURFACED, SO RESOURCE STAFF, RESOURCE CHALLENGES WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS MENTIONED, THE CHALLENGE OF NOT KNOWING EXACTLY HOW TO INCORPORATE TECHNOLOGY IN AN ACTIVE WAY, THERE WAS A LOT OF PASSIVE EXAMPLES OF USING TECHNOLOGY, SUCH AS PUTTING IN A VIDEO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THERE WERE SOME MISCONCEPTIONS THAT SOME LIBRARY STAFF HAD ABOUT CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO THE LIST GOES ON, BUT SUFFICE TO SAY WE LEARNED WHERE LIBRARIANS NEED HELP, AND WE ALSO USED THOSE INSIGHTS TO DEVELOP THE PARTICULAR MODULES THAT ENDED UP IN THE TOOLKIT BASED ON THE NEEDS THAT WE WERE HEARING AS WE SPOKE WITH LIBRARIANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
ONCE EWE HAD IDENTIFIED THE MAJOR THEMES FROM OUR INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS, THAT'S WHEN WE ENGAGE OUR LIBRARY PARTNERS IN A SERIES OF PARTICIPATORY DESIGN SESSIONS.
SOME WERE VIRTUAL, SOME WERE IN PERSON AND WE FLESHED OUT THESE IDEAS AND WE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT WOULD EACH MAJOR THEME LOOK LIKE IF WE TURNED IT INTO A MODULE THAT WAS GEARED TOWARDS PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUTH LIBRARIES?
SO THEY HELPED US THINK ABOUT THE SPECIFIC CONTENT THAT WENT INTO EACH MODULE, THE TYPES OF EXAMPLES THAT WE SHOULD USE, ACTIVITIES, AND EVEN THE FORMAT OF DELIVERY WITHIN THE MODULE.
AND HERE YOU SEE IS A PICTURE OF OUR WORK WITH THE LIBRARIANS ON THE LEFT, AND THEN SOME BRAINSTORMING ON THE RIGHT.
SO IF YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE, WE ACTUALLY ENDED UP DEVELOPING 10 MODULES, BUT THE FINAL LIST IS ONLY NINE BECAUSE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS WORK THE CONNECTED LEARNING SCHOLARS WHO ARE LED BY MIMI AT U.C. IRVINE, THEY UNVEILED A REVISED FRAMEWORK THAT DID NOT INCLUDE OPENLY NETWORKED.
SO YOU SEE HERE THE THIRD ONE THAT WE HAD CREATED WAS OPENLY NETWORKED INFRASTRUCTURES, BUT THEY WERE -- WHAT THEY FOUND, WHAT MEGA ALLUDED TO EARLIER IS THAT THIS ASPECT OF THE ORIGINAL CONNECTED LEARNING MODULE KIND OF THREW SOME PEOPLE OFF A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE IT REALLY SUGGESTED THAT TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO BE A CORE PART OF ANY CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM.
WHEREAS THAT WASN'T REALLY THE INTENT OF THIS OPENLY NETWORKED ASPECT OF THE MODEL -- MODEL, SO THEY DECIDED TO GET RID OF THAT AND SO AS A RESULT WE DECIDED TO GET RID OF THAT PARTICULAR MODULE.
BUT LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE WILL TO INCORPORATE A LOT OF THE IDEAS AND EXAMPLES IN OTHER MODULES.
MOVING ON HERE, AS WE CONTINUED DEVELOPING THE LEARNING MODULES, WHAT WE DID WAS WE NOT ONLY ENGAGED OUR PARTNER LIBRARIANS IN DEVELOPING THEM, BUT ONCE WE DEVELOPED EACH MODULE WE ACTUALLY HAD THEM PILOT TEST THE MODULE.
SO WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH FIVE LIBRARIANS WHO -- TWO WERE IN SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, TWO WERE IN KITSAP AND ONE WAS AT PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAD THEM WORK THROUGH EVERY SINGLE MODULE, AND GIVE US FEEDBACK ALONG THE WAY.
SO WE INTERVIEWED THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN STARTED, WE INTERVIEWED THEM THROUGHOUT, WE HAD A WAY FOR THEM TO RECORD THEIR FEEDBACK DIRECTLY INTO EACH MODULE AS THEY WERE WORKING THROUGH IT.
FOR EACH LIBRARIAN WE HAD THEM CHOOSE ONE PARTICULAR MODULE, AND THEY ACTUALLY WORKED THROUGH IT WITH US, AND THEY -- THE PLATFORM WE OARNLGLY USED WAS GITBOOKS, BUT IT WAS CLUNKY AND POSED A LOT OF USABILITY CHALLENGES FOR THE LIBRARIANS, AND SO WE SWITCHED OVER TO GITHUB PLATFORM.
AND THAT WAS MUCH BETTER FOR US, AND WE ALSO IN THE PROCESS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT OF THE LOOK, WE STREAMLINED IT A BIT, WE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF ICONS THAT WERE -- THAT WOULD BE SEEN THROUGHOUT SO YOU COULD EASILY RECOGNIZE OH, THIS IS AN EXERCISE, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OR THIS IS A VIDEO, OR THIS IS A SERIES OF TIPS.
SO A LOT OF THOSE USABILITY AND FORMATTING CHANGES THAT WE MADE CAME FROM OUR WORK WITH THE PILOTING, WHICH WAS FANTASTIC.
WE ALSO HAD A LOT OF GREAT FEEDBACK ON THE PARTICULAR CONTENT, WHAT WORKED, WHAT DIDN'T WORK, WHERE THE CONTENT COULD BE IMPROVED, MAYBE MAKING IT MORE ENGAGING.
THE LIBRARIANS WERE PARTICULARLY HELPFUL IN WORKING WITH US ON THE ACTIVITIES, IDENTIFYING WHICH ACTIVITIES WERE THE MOST USEFUL, AND WHICH COULD POSSIBLY BE CUT FOR TIME.
I THINK IN OUR ORIGINAL SERIES OF MODULES THERE WAS JUST A TON OF -- EACH ONE PROBABLY TOOK OVER TWO HOURS TO DO, BUT WE REALLY STREAMLINED THEM, RECOGNIZING -- AND THIS IS THE OTHER REALLY IMPORTANT LESSON THAT WE LEARNED FROM THESE MODULES, EVERY SINGLE LIBRARIAN THAT PILOT TESTED THESE MODULES WERE EXTREMELY BUSY, AS LIBRARIANS ARE, AND SO THEY HELPED US TO THINK THROUGH WHAT WOULD IT ACTUALLY BE LIKE TO WORK THROUGH THESE MODULES IN THE CONTEXT OF ONE'S DAY-TO-DAY BUSY SCHEDULE AT THE LIBRARY?
WHAT WOULD A REAL WORLD USE OF THE TOOLKIT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE?
SO WE FEEL GOOD THAT WHAT WE CAME UP WITH AND THE STREAMLINE VERSION REALLY SPEAKS TO THAT.
MEGA, DID YOU UNMUTE YOURSELF?
YOU'RE JUST GETTING READY.
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> OKAY.
I'M ALMOST DONE.
I THINK I JUST HAVE ONE LAST SLIDE HERE.
THIS IS BACK TO OUR HOME PAGE HERE.
THAT'S BASICALLY HOW WE DEVELOPED THE TOOLKIT.
WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO YOU NOW FOR FREE.
AND IMGOING TO PASS IT OFF NOW TO MEGA TO WRAP THINGS UP.
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU, KATIE.
SO THERE YOU GO, RIGHT?
NOW YOU ALL KNOW HOW WE CAME UP WITH THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT, WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE TO YOU.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR LIBRARY STAFF TO KNOW HOW WE CAME ABOUT BUILDING THE TOOLKIT BECAUSE KATIE AND I ARE BOTH FACULTY MEMBERS AND RESEARCHERS, SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE MADE THIS UP AND -- IN THE IVORY TOWER AND SORT OF SAYING ALL THIS TO YOU, BUT THIS IS REALLY DRIVEN THROUGH ALL THE PROCESS THAT KATIE JUST MENTIONED, RIGHT?
FOUR YEARS WORTH OF WORK, TALKING TO PEOPLE, FIGURING THINGS OUT, AND REALLY A LOT OF SWEAT AND TEARS ALONG THE WAY, BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE TOOLKIT AND WE HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL ACTUALLY USE IT.
AGAIN, I MENTIONED EARLIER THE TOOLKIT IS FREE, AND IT'S AVAILABLE, YOU CAN DO IT AT YOUR OWN PACE.
WE ALSO HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH YALSA, WHICH IS THE YOUNG ADULT LIBRARY SERVICES ASSOCIATION TO THE DIVISION WITHIN THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION TO OFFER AN E-COURSE, I THINK KATIE MENTIONED THIS BRIEFLY EARLIER, WHERE YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO USE THIS TOOLKIT WITH A PERSONAL GUIDE.
AND THE GUIDE IS A VERY, VERY AWESOME GUIDE, IT'S ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS, KELLY HOFFMAN, WHO DEVELOPED MANY OF THESE MODULES HERSELF, SHE WORKED ON THE CONTENT BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED BY TALKING TO LIBRARY STAFF NATIONWIDE.
SO YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE HER AS A GUIDE, BUT ALSO YOU HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENROLLED IN THIS E-COURSE, WHO ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS MODULE TOGETHER IN A GROUP WITH KELLY AS THE GUIDE, AND YOU CAN DO THIS TO CREATE A CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM FROM SCRATCH, OR YOU CAN EVEN REVISE AN EXISTING ONE THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE CONNECTED LEARNING COMPONENTS OF THE SPHERES THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER EVEN IS FURTHER FLESHED OUT OR STRONGER.
SO THE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS E-COURSE IS ON THE SLIDE, THE COURSE IS GOING TO THE -- THE NEXT COURSE, THIS WILL BE THE THIRD COURSE IN THE SERIES, AND EVERY TIME WE OFFER IT, IT GETS FILLED UP PRETTY QUICKLY, AND THERE'S A WAIT LIST, SO BASED ON THE WAIT LIST WE ARE DECIDING TO OFFER MORE AND MORE.
THE ONE THAT'S COMING UP, IT'S A FOUR-WEEK COURSE, OCTOBER 20th IS THE BEGIN DATE AND IT WILL END RIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING, AND WE HAVE THE LINK POSTED ON CHAT AND ALSO ON THE SLIDE FOR YOU TO REGISTER IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
SO WITH THAT, TODAY'S TAKE-AWAYS, YOU NOW KNOW ABOUT THE CONNECTED LEARNING FRAMEWORK AND HOW IT'S BEEN APPLIED IN LIBRARIES.
YOU ALSO OBTAINED INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONNECTEDLIB PROJECT, I HOPE YOU HAVE THE LINK AND YOU'RE READY TO BROWSE IT AT YOUR OWN PACE, AND TO CATER TO YOUR OWN NEEDS.
AND WE ALSO SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND LAYOUT OF THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT.
WE WERE THINKING ABOUT DOING A LIVE DEMO, BUT WE WERE NOT SURE HOW THAT WOULD WORK WITH WEBEX AND JUST TO BE SAFE, WE DID THE SCREEN SHOT JUST TO GIVE YOU A TASTE OF THE LAYOUT OF THE CONNECTEDLIB TOOLKIT.
BUT I HOPE YOU HAVE THE URL AND YOU WILL ENJOY EXPLORING THE TOOLKIT.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE ABOUT 10 MINUTES FOR Q AND A, AND THIS IS PERFECT.
IT'S HOW WE PLANNED IT.
WE WANTED TO SAVE THE LAST 10 MINUTES FOR Q AND A.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO OPEN THE CHAT TO ANYONE WHO HAS QUESTIONS.
AND KATIE AND I ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
>> FANTASTIC.
THANKS SO MUCH, BOTH OF YOU.
THIS IS SO EXCITING TO SEE.
THERE WAS A QUESTION, THERE WAS CURIOSITY AROUND SOME OF THE A HAS YOU HEARD FROM THE LIBRARIES YOU'VE WORKED WITH.
WERE THERE SORT OF CONNECTIONS THAT WERE MADE AND A-HAS AS PEOPLE LEARNED ABOUT CONNECTED LEARNING?
>> ACTUALLY, I THINK ONE THING THAT CAME THROUGH WHEN WE ANALYZED THE INTERVIEWS WAS THAT EVEN WHEN LIBRARIAN DIDN'T KNOW GOING INTO THE INTERVIEWS, THEY FORMALLY KNOW THE CONCEPT OF CONNECTED LEARNING, TURNS OUT AS WE HAVE THEM DESCRIBE WHAT THEY DO IN THEIR YOUTH PROGRAMMING, A LOT OF WHAT THEY ARE ALREADY DOING IS VERY MUCH ALIGNED WITH CONNECTED LEARNING PRINCIPLES.
SUCH AS STARTING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE'S INTERESTS, MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PEER SUPPORT AND MENTORING GOING ON, THINKING ABOUT CONNECTING WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN LIBRARIES TO FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE EDUCATION AND JOBS.
AND SO I THINK ONE OF THESE AH-HA MOMENTS ARE WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING A LOT OF THESE THINGS, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE LANGUAGE OF THINKING ABOUT IT IN THAT WAY.
AND WHAT'S HELPFUL ABOUT USING THIS FRAMEWORK IS TO GET VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW YOU GO ABOUT PLANNING A YOUTH PROGRAM AND WHY YOU MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS, AND WHAT SORTS OF OUTCOMES YOU'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR.
SO THAT WAS A FUN THING TO DO AS WELL.
MEGA, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER EXAMPLES OF AH-HA MOMENTS?
>> JUST TO CLARIFY, THE MOMENTS THAT WE FOUND DURING THE INTERVIEWS, IS THAT THE QUESTION?
BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THE QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
>> JUST WITH ANY OF THE -- IT WAS JUST WITH ANY OF THE LIBRARIES THAT YOU INTERSECTED WITH THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO I CAN SHARE ANOTHER WAY THAT I HAVE BEEN SEEING PEOPLE USING TOOLKIT.
THIS WAS KIND OF AN AH-HA MOMENT FOR THE TEAM, I THINK.
IS THAT I HAVE -- WE HAVE HEARD FROM TEEN SERVICE CONSULTANTS AT THE STATE LEVEL WHO HAS BEEN USING THE TOOLKIT TO TRAIN THEIR OWN LIBRARY STAFF.
AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL, AT THE BRANCH LEVEL, AND ALSO AT THE STATE LEVEL.
SO I THINK WHEN WE WERE FIRST CONCEPTUALIZING THE TOOLKIT WE WERE THINKING THIS WOULD BE USED FOR INDIVIDUALLY, INDIVIDUAL LIBRARY STAFF WILL BE USING IT, BUT WE ARE REALLY DELIGHTED TO LEARN THAT PEOPLE ARE USING IT MORE AT THE BROADER LEVEL, LEARNING TOGETHER, BUILDING SORT OF A GROUP THAT'S KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE MODULES TOGETHER, AND THEN COMING BACK DURING THE STAFF MEETINGS TO DISCUSS WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED AND HOW IT CAN BE APPLIED DIRECTLY TO THE TYPE OF YOUTH AND POPULATIONS THAT THEY SERVE.
SO I'M PLEASANTLY DELIGHTED, ACTUALLY, AND KIND OF SURPRISED, BUT I AM GLAD THAT PEOPLE ARE USING THE TOOLKIT THAT WAY.
>> THIS SEEMS LIKE AN EXCELLENT CURRICULUM FOR LEARNING TOGETHER WITH OTHERS, KNOWING BE THAT FOLKS CAN WORK THROUGH IT AT THEIR OWN PACE, OR AT THE PACE THAT WORKS FOR THEIR COHORTS.
SO, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND I JUST HAVE TO REITERATE, KATIE, YOU TOUCHED ON THE FACT WITH THE AH-HAS WITH THE STORIES YOU HEARD, I FEEL LIKE LIBRARIES ARE -- HAVE BEEN DOING CONNECTED LEARNING SINCE THE DAWN OF LIBRARIES.
REALLY.
YOU KNOW, THAT -- ESPECIALLY I WOULD SAY WITH YOUTH SERVICES, BECAUSE THE TEEN COMMUNITY, THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE MAYBE ON TEEN ADVISORY BOARDS, THOSE THAT ARE MAKING SENSE OF THE WORLD AROUND THEM AND THE LEARNING THAT THEY'RE DOING ARE JUST PERFECTLY POSITIONED TO BE ADVOCATES FOR CONNECTED LEARNING AT THEIR LIBRARIES.
AND I KNOW I'VE SEEN EXAMPLES OF SORT OF THE -- OF A STORY OF A COUPLE CONNECTED LEARNING STUDENTS OR YOUTH WHO MAYBE REALLY STRUGGLED AS LEARNERS BEFORE THEIR EXPERIENCE OF MAKING THAT CONNECTION WITH YOUR -- WITH THE THREE MODES, AND IT'S SO -- IT CAN BE SO POWERFUL FOR A LEARNER TO EXPERIENCE LEARNING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THAT WAY, AND REALLY TAKE OFF WITH IT AND I KNOW I'VE HEARD STORIES OF PEOPLE BECOMING HUGE SUCCESSES IN FIELDS AFTER THEY LEAVE SCHOOL AGED EXPERIENCES.
SO I -- AGAIN, LIBRARIES, WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME, SO TO HAVE A LANGUAGE AROUND IT AND TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON STRATEGIES IS SO HELPFUL.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE TO PUT INTO IT TO HAVE -- HELP THAT SENSE MAKING HAPPEN.
I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OTHER QUESTIONS COME THROUGH.
I WANT TO REITERATE TO FOLKS TOO THAT THE LEARNER GUIDE IS A WAY TO SORT OF START THAT LEARNING PROCESS TOGETHER AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ON THE LEARNER GUIDE ASKS TO DO SORT OF AN ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL ASSETS, POTENTIAL PARTNERS, OR POTENTIAL ADVOCATES THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO HELP ENHANCE YOUR CURRENT OFFERINGS.
AND PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO I ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO BRAINSTORM, MAYBE SOME OF THOSE UNLIKELY PARTNERS OR AGAIN, IT COULD BE YOUR TEEN ADVISORY GROUP, OR OTHER EDUCATORS OR PARENTS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THINKING ABOUT THE PRETEEN FOLKS THAT ARE COMING INTO THIS IS A GOOD WAY AS WELL.
HERE'S A GOOD LONG QUESTION THAT CAME IN.
OH, VERY GOOD.
ARE THERE PATHWAYS BEING BUILT FROM THESE CONCEPTS TO FUNDING SUPPORT?
I AGREE LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN DOING THESE THINGS, HOWEVER, THE RECENT REPORT LEARNING ACROSS BOUNDARIES INDICATES FAMILIES ARE NOT THINKING ABOUT LIBRARIES AS A RESOURCE FOR THE NEW CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO THAT'S A HUGE QUESTION AROUND ADVOCACY.
HOW DO WE -- THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
HOW DO WE TELL THAT STORY IN A BETTER WAY AND THEN IN TERMS OF CAPTURING OUTCOMES TO SHARE WITH THOSE WHO CAN FUND FURTHER EFFORTS IN THIS AREA FOR LIBRARIES?
>> SO I CAN TAKE A STAB OF THAT QUESTION.
EXCELLENT QUESTION, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING THAT.
SO THERE IS A TEAM FROM UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO IN BOULDER THAT ALSO RECEIVED A GRANT SPECIFICALLY ON CAPTURING OUTCOMES OF CONNECTED LEARNING.
SO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE WORKED WITH -- I CAN'T REMEMBER, THREE OR FOUR PARTNER LIBRARIES TO DEVELOP THE INSTRUMENTS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO CAPTURE OUTCOMES OFF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN THE CONNECTED LEARNING PROGRAM.
AND I CAN LOOK FOR THE URL RIGHT NOW AND POST IT IN THE CHAT, BUT THAT IS A GREAT WAY OF CAPTURING THE OUTCOMES TO SUPPORT -- TO SHOW TO YOUR SUPERVISORS OR TO YOUR FUNDERS HOW THEY CAN FIND MORE POSITION, MORE LIBRARY STAFF TO SUPPORT THE CONNECTED LEARNING IN LIBRARIES.
THE OTHER THING I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT WE DO HAVE A MODULE ON EVALUATION IN OUR TOOLKIT, WHICH ACTUALLY SUMMARIZES A LOT OF THINGS THAT THAT DPLIEWP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUND.
SO THAT'S THE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION MODULE.
SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET SOME TOOLS AS WELL, VERY QUICK SUMMARY OF THE TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO CAPTURE THOSE OUTCOMES.
>> EXCELLENT.
YES.
AND THE LINK, WE'LL BE SURE AND ADD THAT LINK TO THE EVENT PAGE AS WELL.
SO YOU CAN CHECK THAT OUT MORE.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH BOTH OF YOU, THIS IS REALLY EXCITING TO SEE, VERY INSPIRATIONAL.
AND THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING YOUR EMAILS IF FOLKS DO HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS AS YOU BEGIN, ESPECIALLY AS YOU BEGIN TO EXPLORE THE CURRICULUM, DON'T HESITATE TO CHECK IN WITH MEGA AND KATIE.
I KNOW THEY WOULD BE VERY EXCITED TO HEAR FROM YOU.
AND I'LL BE SURE AND SEND YOU ALL AN EMAIL ONCE THE RECORDING IS AVAILABLE LATER TODAY, AND I'LL ALSO MENTION THAT WE WILL SEND YOU TO A SHORT SURVEY AS YOU LEAVE, AND WE'D LOVE TO GATHER YOUR FEEDBACK ON TODAY'S SESSION.
WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH THE PRESENTERS, AND IT ALSO HELPS US GUIDE OUR ONGOING PROGRAMMING.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MEGA AND KATIE, AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN HERE TODAY.
AND TO JULINE OUR CAPTIONER.
>> THANK YOU FOR HOSTING.
>> THANK YOU, WEBJUNCTION, FOR THIS WEBINAR.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND EVERYONE HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY.