Diverse YA Literature Resource Guide

I am currently enrolled in a Young Adult Literature course and had to build a thematic resource guide/database for  theme of my choosing. I chose to focus on diverse young adult fantasy literature for the Thematic Resource Guide assignment. Young adult fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and it is extremely popular right now. Because of its popularity, I wanted to hone in on young adult fantasy that contained diverse cultures and characters. I purposely chose novels that contained characters of color, LGBTQ+ characters, and books that contained cultural mythology (i.e. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi is based on Hindu mythology). When I was growing up, most of the fantasy that I had access to was “white-washed” and didn’t contain much diversity or diverse characters. Looking back, it saddens me that there wasn’t much representation in the books published then, but it is very exciting to see how much the young adult fantasy market is expanding to include characters of color, cultures, and sexualities.

Google Sites is my platform of choice. I researched a few sites, including Wordpress, Wix, Weebly, and Blogger, but Blogger didn’t format to my liking and the other sites weren’t as easy to navigate and manipulate as Google Sites. Because of it is user friendly, I believe that Google Sites is a platform that librarians can use that is easy to update and maintain. Another benefit of using Google Sites is that there is an option for the creator to give permission to other users to edit the contents of the website. This will allow other library staff members to help maintain the site, freeing up the head librarian for emergencies or higher priorities.

This thematic resource guide was made in order to give young adults a database that they can refer to when they want diverse book recommendations. The Google Site is streamlined and not overly busy, so it is easy for users to navigate and gain information about young adult fantasy books and authors. Because this is geared toward more diverse literature, I think it will be a motivation for library users to check out these books. Now that they have a database they can reference, that will continue to grow, they can add these books to their “to- be- read” lists. The books in this guide cover a variety of representation, which is important for young adults. It is important for them to read books with characters that come from their culture or their race. It is important for them to read books with homosexual, bisexual, or gender fluid characters. Not only do these books give readers relatable characters in which they can find comfort, but they also expose readers to differing viewpoints and ways of life. They push readers outside their worlds and comfort zones as well as build empathy for others. These books show young adults that they matter, that their culture matters, and that they deserve to be in the spotlight.

Overall I really enjoyed this assignment. Not only was it fun, but I learned a lot about diverse authors and books in the young adult fantasy genre. I am excited to share this knowledge and these amazing works and authors with others, particularly the patrons of my future public or school library. I plan on continuing to maintain this site or possibly expand to a larger site in the future because I do believe that librarians and library users need easily accessible databases that feature diverse literature.

You can view my database here.

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Teach with Me!

This was for a class project. I had to write a speech about librarians as instructional partners. 

How do you view librarians? 

Do you collaborate with the library media specialist in your school? 

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Code.org: A Game Changer!

"Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer...because it teaches you how to think." - Steve Jobs

I have had some previous experience with coding. It was for a graphic design class in college, and the professor gave us a basic coding template that we added to in order to give our websites our own personal flair. Even though the process was intimidating at first, and a little grueling at times, the end product made it so worth it. I couldn't believe that I had written code for my very own website AND it looked awesome! 

Have you ever had an idea for an app, program, or website, but ditched it before getting started because you didn't know where to begin? Are you simply someone who is interested in computer sciences and would like to learn programming? It doesn't matter what age or grade level you are; Code.org is a great place to begin! It is very easy to sign up, and it is free. I created a student account so that I could begin my journey to coding. 

You can sign up for Code.org using a regular log in, Google account, Facebook, or Microsoft account. For the purpose of this blog, and because I am learning code as well, I signed up as a student. The teacher accounts are also free and provide excellent resources for how to teach coding. Once you sign in and verify your email, you can start adding courses. The courses begin at age range 4-6 and go up from there. The great thing about Code.org is that you can use it at home, in the library, in the classroom, or anywhere you have access to the site. Each course is a game-like module that scaffolds the steps for coding so you build on previously learned skills. 

It is very easy for students to track their progress in each course, and the students get a certificate at the end of each course as proof of completion. 

You jump right into writing code by using programming blocks to guide an angry bird through a maze to capture the pig. I had to utilize my critical thinking and problem solving skills to decide which programming blocks would make the bird do the actions I needed to get the pig. Each new puzzle gets more challenging and adds more skills such as directions, jumps, and loops. There a videos dispersed throughout the courses that tell you what your end goal is and relate programming to real world concepts and activities. The courses are scaffolded so well that I was transitioning into using each new skill with ease. It also gives you tips if you mess up and allows you to delete steps and reset the "game." Below is an example of an activity that I need to program. Once you complete the challenge, you can use the drop down menu to display the programming code.

Code.org is an excellent makerspace/game changer for the library! This site can be used as a supplement for any computer science class, as whole-class lessons, group lessons, or individual assignments, and it can be used as a makerspace activity in the library. As with most things, there are always pros and cons. 

Pros:

• Encourages critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration
• Easy to use 
• Game-like structure makes it fun
• Scaffolded skills that are separated into courses and modules so it is easy to track progress
• Real-world applications
• Inspirational, encouraging videos
• Very easy to incorporate into curriculum if you have 1:1 technology in your classroom

Cons:

• No app
• Need a computer
• If you do not have a class set of computers, you will need to plan well in advance to schedule for libary/computer lab/Chromebook time.

Coding Statistics for Arkansas:

• "Demand for computing jobs is 2.9x the state average demand rate."
• "71% of all new jobs in STEM are in computing."
• "8% of STEM graduates are in Computer Science." 
• "Women who try AP computer science in high school are ten times more likely to major in it in college, and Black and Hispanic students are seven times more likely."
• "A computer science major can earn 40% more than the college average." 
• There are around 500,000 current CS job openings, and this number is projected to grow twice as much as all other jobs.

Overall, I am very excited about this site, and I am going to continue using it on my journey to learning code. It is easy to use, fun, and I think it will get students excited about computer science. Technology usage in everyday life is growing daily, and computer science plays a vital role at almost every job. Setting your students up to learn how to program, even if it is just the basic skills, gives them a skill set that will set them apart from candidates for jobs later in their lives.

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