Digital Bulletin Board
Maura Rhodes, Teacher Librarian | Fairview High School
Inspiration
How many of you notice digital signage everywhere we go? Many public spaces have them including our public libraries and many of our newly renovated spaces do as well. I wanted to incorporate this into the high school library as a way to publicize events that were happening and also de-clutter the walls from all the flyers. I receive constant requests to have flyers placed all around the space on the walls, windows, etc. I try to keep the signs and flyers to one large bulletin board at the entrance to the library but it can get crowded and it has to be maintained. As a solution, I wanted to a have a digital bulletin board--I envisioned a large TV/monitor, centrally located, placed at the right height so it could be easily seen, and would allow me to update content on the fly.
Research
I spoke with several people about system set-ups through email and phone calls, did research about the best set-up for digital signage to learn which solution would be the least expensive and the most easily managed. I wanted to be able to update announcements and not have to actually go and plug something into the TV each day or do anything too complicated. After investigating many options and prices I decided on the following solution.
Funding
In September, I wrote a grant for our Parent Organization to fund this project. I originally asked for $1200 dollars and got $800 dollars. I created a full scale mock up of the the TV display with black banner paper and placed it on the wall of where the display would be located. I wrote on the paper in chalk what was going to be there and asked students comments and feedback. Many of them had positive things to say and approved of the idea. Next step, contact the IT department to come and take a look at where I wanted to put the display and to make sure it would be feasible. This required an IT work request ticket.
Materials:
- Chrome Sign Builder app (free),
- Electrical outlet
- Chromebox (about $200) or Chromebit (about $60) BVSD device
- Ethernet jack if you want it wired or can be wireless
- TV/ monitor compatible with device
Implementation
I had the district electrician put in an outlet, IT department ran the CAT 5 cable and plug, and the maintenance department hung the actually TV. Each department charged a fee for their service. If you already have the outlet, then there would be no fee, but the maintenance department should hang the TV, just because of liability issues. I choose to get a 40” TV/monitor (which is really sized 39”) for $329 because of where I was placing it and also at my principal’s request. The smallest TV/monitor the IT department sells is a true 43” Sony model (at $706). The Chromebox needs to be a district device so they can be enrolled by into the Google Administration console. I happened to have an extra Chromebox so it was simple to give IT the info they needed to get the device enrolled.
Voila, Digital Bulletin Board
I created a Google slide deck/presentation, published it the Web, this creates a URL that opens the slide deck in presentation format.This URL was shared with IT who then added it to the Chrome Sign Builder schedule which is a calendar that allows you to schedule when information will display. When I make changes to the slide deck it automatically updates the presentation on TV display. I also set the transitions to SLOW so, when the screen moves from one slide to the other it does it at a slow pace. I wanted to show flyers, book promotions, OverDrive info, seasonal info, images, etc., throughout the day on our digital bulletin board. I delete things as events pass and keep a few that are persistent. For example, “Keep the Castle Clean” is a general reminder about taking care of the library space. I have about 55 slides showing now on the screen and it just continuously loops all day. All I do is turn the TV on and off each day to get the slideshow going. Students really stop and look at it too! They love seeing pictures of themselves.
Mobile Maker Kit Reflections: Change How Learning Looks for Students
Tracy Huffman, Teacher Librarian | Superior Elementary
Mobile Maker Kit Supports Redefining the Library
Using the Mobile Maker Kit for the month of December was a profound experience at Superior Elementary and helped our staff begin to make a philosophical shift in not only expanding the definition of the library, but also redefining how learning can look. I have been a teacher at Superior Elementary since it first opened in 1996, and the school library has remained a very traditional space where students checked out books and listened to stories. Teachers have been eager to reinvent the library and as a staff, we are in the process of changing how the space is used, the resources available, and the actual role of teacher librarian. During the first week in December, we were fortunate to have an entire staff meeting dedicated to exploring the tools in the Mobile Maker Kit. Immediately, teachers saw potential to use the kit with specific areas of their grade level curriculum and were also interested to explore how various tools could be used in open-ended challenges. It was an ideal way to kick off the month and energize grade level teams prior to using the kit.
Mobile Maker Kit Ignites Excitement for the Library and Learning
The Superior library is in the center of the school on both the first and second floors of the building. Possibly in response to an era of schools being built without any windows, our school is unique with windows everywhere! There are so many windows that one could stand in almost any classroom in the building and see through several windows to the library. After a semester as teacher librarian, I am getting used to teaching in a fish bowl, and I’m even beginning to see the benefits. During the month of December, students would be walking through the halls, peer into the library windows to see other students using Ozobots, Spheros, Cubelets, Keva Planks, Makey Makeys, etc., and would literally stop to stare. Repeatedly, students would come by the library to find out about the tools and ask when their class would be using them in the library. The excitement was so palpable that students would leave the library asking for more, and teachers scheduled extra sessions in the library. With time being the most valuable commodity that we have in education, some teachers were wanting to spend the entire month of their grade level library time using various tools in the kit. As educators, we marveled at how engaged and motivated all students were as they used the tools in the kit.
"...learning was much more centered around the process than creating a final product."
Our staff is eager to change how learning looks for students; we want students to do the work, be the creators, and solve the problems. However, we haven’t been entirely sure how we would change our instruction or where to begin. Watching K-5 students utilize the Mobile Maker Kit tools over the month of December was a meaningful way to see how specific tools boost engagement, provide real world connections, and increase opportunities to create. We also observed students sharing ideas, listening to each other, incorporating various ideas, being strategic, re-reading directions, revisiting and reworking their original plans, and persevering. Believe me, there were times when things didn’t work (even when directions were followed), students were frustrated, and working together was challenging. The difference for students was that they were more willing to keep working because they were invested. The difference for me as an educator was that I didn’t feel like I had to fix the problems. In fact, students weren’t asking me for help and were motivated to persist on their own. Reflecting on the success of using the Mobile Maker Kit tools, I realized that the learning was much more centered around the process than creating a final product. At the same time, I have also realized creating a new vision for the library is also a process. Collaborating with the staff, changing our instruction, taking risks, and learning together as we try new ideas with our students is not only making a difference in redefining the library, but also in how learning looks at Superior Elementary.
