This is a good thing that SAPL is trying to do with the 11.5. It is up to the individual how much they get out of this sort of program. You can slide by, consider it a joke and not learn anything or you can keep an open mind, even if you think you know everything about a specific topic, the chances are you will learn something new. Sometimes the exercises were silly but overall, I think it serves a good purpose.
COSA’s 11.5 Series 2 Lesson 11 Challenge
I use the website Common Sense Media often while at the reference desk. This website is great for parents who are concerned about the content in books, movies, games and more. Their tagline is: We rate, educate, and advocate for kids, families, and schools. The interface takes awhile to get used to but I have recommended it and use it all the time.
As a teen librarian I have often gotten great information from the young adult division at the American Library Association (YALSA) I also have some go to websites for ideas for crafts for my teens & tween. One of my favorites is called Instructables which has a tremendous variety of instructions. My go-to search for inspiration is to use google images and then go to the specific website from the image I like. For professional development, I do subscribe to the PUB-YAC list serve and follow the ALA Think Tank on Facebook. Many time there will be thoughtful conversations about library issues that are informative.
COSA’s 11.5 Series 2 Lesson 10
So, this challenge would not apply at my branch because the closest bus stop is 3 miles from the branch and the closest McDonald’s is right across the street from the bus stop. Anything to do with Via bus routes, I would check the Via website for information. However, I did spend some time with Google Maps playing around with it. I usually used Mapquest to get my driving directions. I do not use or have gps in my car. I have found Mapquest to be more accurate than Google Maps and easier to use in my opinion.
COSA’s 11.5 Series 2 Lesson 9
So I went to Google’s Made with code website, which is marketed to girls. I really liked how easy it was and clear in their directions about what to do and when. I picked an activity in which I designed an LED dress. I added 3 different LED patterns. On each on I was able to choose the pattern, direction, color & speed. I thought it was pretty cool even though I can’t really think of an instance where this would be useful to me, personally or professionally.
I also went on Code Academy to check it out and went to “animate your name” & did a few lessons. They gave me a badge for the first one!
Well, I thought I could insert the animation of my name but it only came out like this:
At any rate, Code Academy had a lot more lessons and different things to do where you actually were learning coding and given the opportunity to type in code and see the results. I could use this during programs for my tweens and they would probably get a kick out of it.
COSA’s 11.5 Series 2 Lesson 8 Challenge
Situation 1: I am having a virtual meeting on Skype with another Teen Librarian about Summerfest. The benefit to this virtual meeting is that it saves travel time and it saves the city money on mileage reimbursement. The main challenge is just making sure your technology works. Using staff iPads, which has Skype already on it, does makes it easier than driving 45 minutes one way for a 2 hour meeting. Using virtual meetings for one-on-one meetings certainly makes sense. Problems would arise as more people are added but we should totally be using this for some of our mandatory training especially if half of the training is watching a video.
Situation 2: I am conducting a reference interview with an unknown patron on Skype. First off, I don’t think one needs to see the person in order to conduct a reference interview so I would question why you would use this type of technology. Instant messaging or phone calls would do the job just as well. Since I use a computer to research while conducting a reference interview, it would awkward to have to hold the iPad to Skype and also type on the keyboard for the answer. So, for me, I don’t see the advantage of a virtual reference interview over a face-to-face or phone interview except maybe to see the patrons expression and body language.
I prefer face-to-face interactions over any other kind but I do see a place for these types of virtual meetings. I know it is very helpful for patrons accessing our Tutor.com for mathematics help because you can show your work and the tutor can correct it.
COSA’s 11.5 Series 2 Lesson 7 Challenge
I did not know there were so many different 404 error pages! I’ve never come across any cute ones. I had a lot of fun looking at the different types when I googled “404 error pages”. I found these that I thought were pretty awesome:
COSA’S 11.5 Series 2: Lesson 6 Challenge
I have used NovList frequently at my branch and I promote it to patrons whenever I can. It is a great way to find the right book especially with a patron who reads a ton. I just finished a great YA historical novel called, The Hired Girl by L. Schlitz so I used that title for this challenge. I selected “Historical fiction”, “Character-driven”, and”Likeable” as my limitors. In the results I saw some books I have already read but, also a bunch that sounded really good like, Down the Rabbit Hole: the diary of Pringle Rose by S. Bartoletti which had this blurb: “It is 1871 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and fourteen-year-old Pringle Rose, still grieving from the death of her parents, takes her brother Gideon, who has Down syndrome, escapes from her uncle and aunt, taking a train to Chicago–but disaster seems to follow her there.” So yay for NovList!
Exercise 5 Badge
sparkylibrarian 