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Figure 1

Social Media TestDrive prepares young people for real-life experiences in the digital world through learning and practicing within a realistic social media simulation.

EDUCATOR GUIDE

Figure 1

Figure 2

Below is the letter I crafted to send to 4th grade teachers and administrators. You can also see HERE the original lesson plan I sent to Kathleen Lawrence, Chautauqua's teacher/librarian, when we started to discuss the possibilty of teaching this class:

Hello CES Educators—

Some of you know me as a writer and artist teaching through the VAIS (Vashon Artists in Schools) program. I am also a current second year graduate student at the University of Washington studying Library and Information Science (MLIS). I will be doing my directed fieldwork this year with Kathleen Lawrence in the CES library. One of the first projects we will embark upon is an exciting program we will be bringing to 4th graders regarding an online application. Researchers from Cornell University’s Social Media Lab in collaboration with Common Sense Education created an excellent app called Social Media Test Drive .

The lab explains, “Social Media TestDrive teaches key concepts of digital citizenship and allows young people to navigate, in a safe virtual environment, realistic scenarios and dilemmas they might encounter as users of social media."

In this era of information overload, where children are exposed to social media without understanding 1) how it works, 2) why they are fed the information they are seeing 3) how to respond to negativity or fake news, and 4) how to protect their personal information, I believe it is imperative that youth are taught how to navigate the online world. Social Media Test Drive is an excellent program that addresses all these issues.

I will be working with Kathleen all year, so feel free to come to me with questions or ideas regarding this application or any other concerns. I encourage you to check out the website (link above.) I’m excited for our collaboration to begin!

Tavi Taylor Black

Here is the letter that Kathleen showed me how to send to 4th grade parents through the Parent Square app (very similar to the letter to teachers):

Hello 4th Grade Parents:
My name is Tavi Taylor Black.
Some of you know me as a writer and artist teaching through the VAIS (Vashon Artists in Schools) program. I am also a current graduate student at the University of Washington studying Library and Information Science (MLIS). I will be doing my directed fieldwork this year with Kathleen Lawrence in the CES library.
One of the first projects we will embark upon is an exciting program we will be bringing to 4th graders regarding an online application. Researchers from Cornell University’s Social Media Lab in collaboration with Common Sense Education created an excellent app called Social Media TestDrive .
The lab explains, “Social Media TestDrive teaches key concepts of digital citizenship and allows
young people to navigate, in a safe virtual environment, realistic scenarios and dilemmas they
might encounter as users of social media."
In this era of information overload, where children are exposed to social media without understanding 1) how it works, 2) why they are fed the information they are seeing 3) how to respond to negativity or fake news, and 4) how to protect their personal information, I believe it is imperative that youth are taught how to navigate the online world.
Social Media TestDrive is an excellent program that addresses these issues.
I encourage you to go to the web site and poke around. We will be utilizing all 12 modules
throughout the semester.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions to tblack@vashonsd.org!

Figure 3

Here are some photos of shelf organization that I've been working on. The interesting thing is that Kathleen prefers I arrange the graphic novels by age level/ interest on the shelves instead of following a strict adherence to DDS. I'm intrigued by this thinking, though slightly angsty about it.

Before:

After:

Figure 4

Here is a link to the original Power Point slideshow regarding Media Literacy

POWER POINT

I also had available 2 videos, but only had time to show part of one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD9jhj6tM50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD7N-1Mj-DU

Figure 5

Figure 6

The redesigned slideshow slows down the concept of Media Literacy so that the class can discuss different forms of media.

Redesigned Power Point

Figure 6

Below, find the original questionnaire as well as the redesigned, simpler 3-question version.

ORIGINAL QUESTIONNAIRE

REDESIGNED QUESTIONNAIRE

Figure 7

Figure 8

Here is the email correspondence with a parent regarding Social Media TestDrive:

Figur 8

On Tue, Sep 10, 2024 at 7:11 PM <———————-> wrote:

Hi Tavi, thanks for providing information and links to the Social Media Test Drive app that is being proposed as part of curriculum for the 4th grade students this year. I visited the site and did a test drive of one of the modules to try to familiarize myself. I can appreciate that the modules seem to be setup in a "lesson" format and cover a wide variety of topics around safe navigation of social media and believe that this is important but I want to clarify and confirm that the students will not be using the app to create their own profile or be interacting through the app in similar capacity as a social media platform.

Dear________,

Thank you so much for testing out the app for yourself. I really appreciate it when parents are engaging with what their students are doing in class. That's a great question, and I want to assure you that everything we do on this app is temporary and no data is collected. Each module is purely practice regarding how---when children are ready for real social media accounts--they can engage safely. The creators of Social Media TestDrive explain:

"Young people do not need to create accounts or log in to use TestDrive. Every time a user accesses TestDrive, a temporary account is created and it will be deleted after the user finishes a module or leaves the TestDrive website. All data uploaded to the temporary account (e.g., text uploaded with posts, comments on the timeline, profile edits, etc.) is also deleted at that time."

Please do let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Tavi Black

Figure 9

Hi Tavi,

My name is ______, I’ve CC’d my husband and Kathleen on this email. We have two kiddos at CES, our kindergartner who loves Library most of all, so I hope to meet you if I/we haven’t already! It is however our 4th grader ________ that this email concerns. After reviewing just about all the material sent (website/links etc.) about the Social Media Test Drive my husband and I have some concerns.

Our first and main concern is that although this is intended to help children navigate social media safely, for our child this will actually be his first clear introduction to social media. We have worked diligently to protect our children from the world of social media and personal devices. ________ has watched some cooking and fishing videos with his dad, however he doesn’t have any real idea about what social media is. Upon reviewing the material we are very concerned that he will not only begin to understand the world of social media and its reaches, but he will then learn how to set up an account, comment and even “like” pictures etc. We know at some point he will be exposed to this world and we understand the need to have it introduced safely, however we believe whole heartedly that this is too soon for our child. We understand that other children are already exposed to social media and this could benefit them greatly, we do not oppose the project as a whole, we simply aren’t ready to introduce this to _______.

Our hope is to understand further about this project and if we choose to, what opting out for our child would look like?

We appreciate your understanding on this sensitive matter in a time of high tech. We feel lucky to have kiddos that want to be climbing trees and making forts or listening to audiobooks instead of isolating and staying on phones, our hope is to preserve that for as long as possible!

Respectfully,

____________

*******

Hello _______,

Thank you so much for reaching out. It is always good to know that parents are paying attention to both our emails and our curriculum.

Believe me, I understand your concerns around social media, which is exactly why we are bringing in the curriculum. By myself and the mother of a 14-year-old girl who has no social media accounts and just this month purchased her own phone by working through the summer. She definitely understands that she’s not allowed to have social media on her phone or any other device.

Just so you know, I checked in with the developers of the application, the social media lab at Cornell and asked specifically if they thought fourth grade was too young to teach this curriculum. They assured me that 9 to 13 is the target age. I agree that it’s so important to protect our children and it is my object to make sure all of the children are safe. Rest assured that none of the data is collected and the children are not creating actual accounts.

Through my studies in information science at the UW, it has become clear that social media, AI, and personal devices will most definitely be a part of all of our children’s lives. Our goal is to make sure that the students are informed and prepared for what will face them.

That said, It is always an option for you to choose to opt out of the program. ____ can sit in another part of the library and read a book while I teach the curriculum.

Thank you again for reaching out.

Figure 9

Figure 10
Photos of a repaired Totoro and Guiness Book of World Records-- a popular choice in the elementary library. I repaired the book with what was available: Elmer's glue and packing tape. Book restorers may cringe at that!

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 11
Here are photos of the dismantling, the shelf repair and the reshelved books (I put them in the correct order while I was had them all out.)

Figure 12
Look closely to find the small white paper labels that are taped up to help 3rd graders find subjects with the Dewey Decimal System

Figure 12

Figure 13

A few of the projects I worked on this week: Reapplying the sensory squares to the sides of the bookcases and labeling books with category stickers.

Figure 14

Figure 14

Here is one of the steps in removing titles from the library when they are damaged, such as below. The books then go to facilities to recycle, resell, or donate, depending on the reason for weeding.

This is a page from the
document used to keep
track of procedures in the
library.

In the process of cleaning up serial books.

This is the library's portrait wall

HALLOWEEN!

Figure 15

Here is a screenshot of the document that Kathleen created to teach students how to find a book and put it on hold in the CES library.

Next week will be instruction on how to find books on SORA to read online.

Figure 15

Figure 16

Here is part of the Collection Analysis
Report I pulled. To the right are the steps
I added in the "How To" document.

Figure 16

Figure 17

This is the list of fabulous Sasquatch books that KCLS donated to Chautauqua Library.

Figure 17

Figure 18

Here are some of the steps in adding a copy to Follett when it scans as "not in the system".

1) Type in the ISBN

2) Choose the correct book

3) Choose "Add Copies"

4) Add Barcode and Call Number (and any other relevant data)

Figure 18

Figure 19

Sample schedule documents I
updated for Kathleen.

Figure 20

We started writing this grant by listing the nonfiction subjects that students tend to ask for.

Then we checked book lists and popular books to create a list of books we would like to order

Figure 21

I learned to make lists in Titlewave for books we would like to order if we are awarded grants. This one is for books nominated to the Towner Awards. We have to calculate tax and shipping to make sure we do not go over budget.

Figure 21

Figure 22

Here is one of the boxes of donated books

These are the "no"s

This is the "keep" pile
that I will add to the inventory

Figure 23

Here is the cover and first pages
of the book that Kathleen asked me
to assess for weeding. I need to do
more research to see if this is appropriate
and respectful.

Figure 24

Some of the books we pulled for
displaying for
Native American Heritage Month

Figure 25

Figure 25

Here is one of the letters
we received announcing
the grant award from PIE

Figure 26

Kathleen and I worked on this list
together in order to guide the
volunteers at the local thrift shop
when choosing books to donate
to CES library.

Figure 27

More books to catalog!

Figure 27

Figure 28

Here is a link to the document from KCLS librarians to elementary and middle school librarians. What excellent collaboration!

Figure 28

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Back to Weekly Reflections

Social Media TestDrive prepares young people for real-life experiences in the digital world through learning and practicing within a realistic social media simulation.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Below is the letter I crafted to send to 4th grade teachers and administrators. You can also see HERE the original lesson plan I sent to Kathleen Lawrence, Chautauqua's teacher/librarian, when we started to discuss the possibilty of teaching this class:

Figure 3

Here are some photos of shelf organization that I've been working on. The interesting thing is that Kathleen prefers I arrange the graphic novels by age level/ interest on the shelves instead of following a strict adherence to DDS. I'm intrigued by this thinking, though slightly angsty about it.

Before:

After:

Figure 4

Here is a link to the original Power Point slideshow regarding Media Literacy

I also had available 2 videos, but only had time to show part of one:

Figure 5

Figure 6

The redesigned slideshow slows down the concept of Media Literacy so that the class can discuss different forms of media.

Below, find the original questionnaire as well as the redesigned, simpler 3-question version.

Figure 7

Figure 8

Here is the email correspondence with a parent regarding Social Media TestDrive:

Figure 9

​

Figure 10 Photos of a repaired Totoro and Guiness Book of World Records-- a popular choice in the elementary library. I repaired the book with what was available: Elmer's glue and packing tape. Book restorers may cringe at that!

Figure 11 Here are photos of the dismantling, the shelf repair and the reshelved books (I put them in the correct order while I was had them all out.)

Figure 12 Look closely to find the small white paper labels that are taped up to help 3rd graders find subjects with the Dewey Decimal System

Figure 13

A few of the projects I worked on this week: Reapplying the sensory squares to the sides of the bookcases and labeling books with category stickers.

Figure 14

Here is one of the steps in removing titles from the library when they are damaged, such as below. The books then go to facilities to recycle, resell, or donate, depending on the reason for weeding.

This is a page from the document used to keep track of procedures in the library.

In the process of cleaning up serial books.

This is the library's portrait wall

HALLOWEEN!

Figure 15

Here is a screenshot of the document that Kathleen created to teach students how to find a book and put it on hold in the CES library. Next week will be instruction on how to find books on SORA to read online.

Figure 16

Here is part of the Collection Analysis Report I pulled. To the right are the steps I added in the "How To" document.

Figure 17

This is the list of fabulous Sasquatch books that KCLS donated to Chautauqua Library.

Figure 18

Here are some of the steps in adding a copy to Follett when it scans as "not in the system".

1) Type in the ISBN

2) Choose the correct book

3) Choose "Add Copies"

4) Add Barcode and Call Number (and any other relevant data)

Figure 19

Sample schedule documents I updated for Kathleen.

Figure 20

We started writing this grant by listing the nonfiction subjects that students tend to ask for.

Then we checked book lists and popular books to create a list of books we would like to order

Figure 21

I learned to make lists in Titlewave for books we would like to order if we are awarded grants. This one is for books nominated to the Towner Awards. We have to calculate tax and shipping to make sure we do not go over budget.

Figure 22

Here is one of the boxes of donated books

These are the "no"s

This is the "keep" pile that I will add to the inventory

Figure 23

Here is the cover and first pages of the book that Kathleen asked me to assess for weeding. I need to do more research to see if this is appropriate and respectful.

Figure 24

Some of the books we pulled for displaying for Native American Heritage Month

Figure 25

Here is one of the letters we received announcing the grant award from PIE

Figure 26

Kathleen and I worked on this list together in order to guide the volunteers at the local thrift shop when choosing books to donate to CES library.

Figure 27

More books to catalog!

Figure 28

Here is a link to the document from KCLS librarians to elementary and middle school librarians. What excellent collaboration!

Back to Weekly
Reflections

Figure 10
Photos of a repaired Totoro and Guiness Book of World Records-- a popular choice in the elementary library. I repaired the book with what was available: Elmer's glue and packing tape. Book restorers may cringe at that!

Figure 11
Here are photos of the dismantling, the shelf repair and the reshelved books (I put them in the correct order while I was had them all out.)

Figure 12
Look closely to find the small white paper labels that are taped up to help 3rd graders find subjects with the Dewey Decimal System

This is a page from the
document used to keep
track of procedures in the
library.

Here is a screenshot of the document that Kathleen created to teach students how to find a book and put it on hold in the CES library.

Next week will be instruction on how to find books on SORA to read online.

Here is part of the Collection Analysis
Report I pulled. To the right are the steps
I added in the "How To" document.

Sample schedule documents I
updated for Kathleen.

This is the "keep" pile
that I will add to the inventory

Here is the cover and first pages
of the book that Kathleen asked me
to assess for weeding. I need to do
more research to see if this is appropriate
and respectful.

Some of the books we pulled for
displaying for
Native American Heritage Month

Here is one of the letters
we received announcing
the grant award from PIE

Kathleen and I worked on this list
together in order to guide the
volunteers at the local thrift shop
when choosing books to donate
to CES library.