In the age of technology, teachers have a multitude of choices to help inspire their students. The only problem is the time to find them. That is where librarians come in. We are the curators for our schools. We not only collect and organize books but online resources as well.
There are a number of ways to collect the online resources, but are we doing it correctly? This question is discussed in Jennifer Gonzales’s November 4, 2018 article “Are You a Curator or a Dumper?” Gonzales explains that dumping is giving too much information to fast. When someone asked you to give them information about a subject, and you start sending or giving them a lot of web address to find the information it can overwhelm them. Yes, they wanted information, but the brain can only take so much information on one topic at a time before it shuts down. Also, she explains that the information could be giving easier and less stressful by using a program designed to organize information in a simple easy to read curation resource. Gonzales list a number of curation programs. However, I want to focus on Wakelet. I have not been using this program for a very long time, but have got much uses out of it.
Wakelet allows you to create collection folders that when opened show the different items you have collected about your collection subject. Not only can Wakelet be used to collect websites, but videos, articles, social media posts, and pictures. Your collections can be shared with others or viewed only by yourself. One of the benefits of Wakelet for teachers is it allows you to locate the information you want your students to have for a project without having them get lost in the sea of online information. I’m a visual learner, and when I bookmark things in my browser, even if I make folders, I forget why I thought that website was important. Wakelet allows me to easily see a picture and short description of the website, video, or item I was bookmarking. So, since seeing is believing checkout my Wakelet collection and like any good teacher or librarian feel free to “Beg, Borrow, or Steal” anything from my collection.
J. Gonzales. (2018, February 4). Are you a curator or a dumper?. Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/curator-or-dumper/
Deborah Gibbs 