Gattis library about more than just books

The library at Gattis is more than a place to go to check out books. Librarian Kelly Martin, veteran librarian and certified teacher, brings together the world of technology and creativity.

In addition to normal library duties and responsibilities, Martin magically merges these two areas through her digital storytelling classes.

The overarching goals of digital storytelling are to teach kids about using computers safely and creatively. This includes developing discerning research skills; learning about “netiquette” (etiquette on the internet); cyber-bullying, along with the technology skills these entail.

Students learn about copyright laws for online content, the critical importance of citing sources, and accurately evaluating websites.

Throughout the semester, student learning is all brought together through various types of digital presentations, from building digital movies, to designing online magazine covers, to creating illustrated poetry using technology tools, to developing public service announcements.

Students learn about the importance of developing a good “digital footprint” through healthy social media profiles and websites they visit, since future potential employers review this footprint.

The process to achieving these worthy goals incorporates a wide variety of creative activities. Martin proudly shared a number of impressive examples of student work.

“Students love designing digital magazine covers and brochures,” Martin shared.

Students also like creatively illustrating the different types of poetry: “5-Sense Poems,” in which students choose a single concept — such as happiness, friendship, honor or pain — and write a poem using all of the five senses.

In “Found Poems” students pick a body of text from old books, magazines or newspapers, and select words to create a poem, illustrated by artfully isolating those words on the page.

“6-Word Memoirs” — telling a story using only six words — are also a student favorite. Martin introduces these using the famous example, attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

According to Martin, despite initial student groaning, this is an activity that powerfully engages students as they hone in on capturing their own stories.

Through illustrating their six-word memoir, students learn computer tools and functions, like formatting, adjusting margins, drawing tools, creative fonts, etc.

I can tell you, though, thoughts of computer skills quickly faded as I wandered around Martin’s computer lab reading the student-created six-word memoirs displayed on the walls.

Technology terms quickly faded from my mind, replaced by profound, amazing, beautiful; heart-wrenching, riveting, revealing.

Remarkably humbling, overall.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at: [email protected]