Statement of Needs
The John F. Hodge High School media center is in need of some improvements. The media center is not as advanced as the other libraries in the St. James School District. The high school library needs improvements in the areas of technology, teacher resources, and seating available to patrons. The libraries at the middle school and the elementary both have comfortable seating areas, which is inviting to students, as well as areas for teacher resources. The high school library has the library classroom, which is not used at this time, but with the proper equipment, could be used for many collaborative activities.
Goal/Objective
Goal 1: Make the John F. Hodge high school library a place that is more conducive to collaboration and inviting to students.
Goal 2: Make the library a place for teachers to get resources and collaborate.
This is all to be done by the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
Plan of Action
The John F. Hodge library project will take place over a three year period. The library media specialist will oversee the project. Assistance from the technology office will be required for the technology piece of the project.
The first step in the plan is to add some furniture to the section of the library near the fiction collection and the periodicals. The furniture needed will be four chairs and an ottoman ($1,100). This step will be completed during the 2011-2012 school year.
The second step of the plan is to add the teacher resource section to the library. This section will be added to the area that houses the reference section. New shelving must be added to hold the teacher resources and professional books. The books and resources in this section will be compiled by donations from classroom teachers. Teachers can put their resources in the library to share them with one another. This step will be started during the 2011-2012 school year, but will take a couple years to gather all of the materials for the collection.
The third step of the plan is to add technology. First, the AV storage closet will be transformed into a video production room. In order to do this, a computer and video editing software must be purchased, as well as three video cameras for student use ($2,600). Second, a Smart Board will be installed in the library classroom, which is only being used as a computer lab at the present time ($2,000). The tables in the library classroom need to be replaced with tables that can easily be rearranged according to the needs of the group using the room ($1,100).
Evaluation
Most of the evaluation of the John F. Hodge library project will be done through formative evaluation. This includes observations by the library media specialist throughout each step of the project. Summative assessment will be done through the use of a survey taken by students and staff. The survey will include questions about the overall climate of the library, as well as questions about the use of the new technology and resources added to the library.
Dissemination
The library media specialist will keep the administrators, staff, students, parents, and community updated on the project through use of the local media. This includes articles in the local newspapers, updates on the school television station, Tiger TV, as well as presentations at school board and PTO meetings.
Budget and Local Resources
The approximate cost of the John F. Hodge design project is $8,000.
The project will be conducted in the John F. Hodge High School Library Media Center. Personnel working on the project will include the library media specialist, the district maintenance supervisor, and the technology office crew for installation of the technology.
Library Plans
Design Project
Library Furniture and Equipment
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Blog Posts - 7/1
The first blog post that caught my eye this week was at The Adventures of Library Girl. She is doing the 2000 Hours project this summer. She is keeping a log of how many hours she spends working on school-related material. It kind of makes me want to do the same. I have always said that there is a reason that teachers are not paid by the hour! I spend most of my free time working on school-related activities. I will admit, having a baby this year made me change my priorities, but I still put in too many hours! Next year, I will be the middle school library media specialist, so I am counting on long hours trying to learn the ropes!
Free Technology for Teachers talks about the Weaving History website. Of course, the history nerd in me was very excited about this! You can make timelines and maps. This is definitely a site to share with the social studies department!
Also at Free Technology for Teachers, I read the posting about the app, Mastery Connect, for the Common Core Standards. I have this app on my phone! It came in very handy last week at the CCSS workshop! I shared it with several other attendees, who all quickly downloaded it! I first learned about this app through a friend's Facebook status. She mentioned how much easier it made her homework. I was intrigued and downloaded it for myself right away!
The Daring Librarian has a post titled "Lady Gaga and Librarians Unite." I wasn't really sure what to expect from a post about Lady Gaga! The Daring Librarian answers a question about librarians being on the chopping block because they are more expendable than other employees. That question really hits home with me. I mentioned earlier that I get to be the middle school librarian next year (yay!), but it is POSSIBLY only a one-year gig (boo). Reason being, when the dreaded budget cuts of 2013 happen there is talk of the high school librarian taking over both libraries. It just floors me that a librarian position would be the first to go! I am going to do my best to fight for this position to stay, not only because I don't want to be stuck wherever they have a spot for me in the district if they cut it, but because it is what is best for students! I love the last line of this post, "We need to step up our game, get fierce, throw off the pumpkin sweater and be damn awesome at our jobs & fight the good fight! They're gonna take me out of the library by physically dragging me out of there! Booya!" That pretty much sums up how I feel about it too!
Bib 2.0 posted about Common Sense Media's 12 lessons on Digital Citizenship. If you haven't checked them out, it is well worth it! I only clicked on the first couple units, but I plan on going back to check out the rest. The lessons are geared for grades 9-12, but I am already thinking of adjusting them to work for middle schoolers.
Free Technology for Teachers talks about the Weaving History website. Of course, the history nerd in me was very excited about this! You can make timelines and maps. This is definitely a site to share with the social studies department!
Also at Free Technology for Teachers, I read the posting about the app, Mastery Connect, for the Common Core Standards. I have this app on my phone! It came in very handy last week at the CCSS workshop! I shared it with several other attendees, who all quickly downloaded it! I first learned about this app through a friend's Facebook status. She mentioned how much easier it made her homework. I was intrigued and downloaded it for myself right away!
The Daring Librarian has a post titled "Lady Gaga and Librarians Unite." I wasn't really sure what to expect from a post about Lady Gaga! The Daring Librarian answers a question about librarians being on the chopping block because they are more expendable than other employees. That question really hits home with me. I mentioned earlier that I get to be the middle school librarian next year (yay!), but it is POSSIBLY only a one-year gig (boo). Reason being, when the dreaded budget cuts of 2013 happen there is talk of the high school librarian taking over both libraries. It just floors me that a librarian position would be the first to go! I am going to do my best to fight for this position to stay, not only because I don't want to be stuck wherever they have a spot for me in the district if they cut it, but because it is what is best for students! I love the last line of this post, "We need to step up our game, get fierce, throw off the pumpkin sweater and be damn awesome at our jobs & fight the good fight! They're gonna take me out of the library by physically dragging me out of there! Booya!" That pretty much sums up how I feel about it too!
Bib 2.0 posted about Common Sense Media's 12 lessons on Digital Citizenship. If you haven't checked them out, it is well worth it! I only clicked on the first couple units, but I plan on going back to check out the rest. The lessons are geared for grades 9-12, but I am already thinking of adjusting them to work for middle schoolers.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Webinar Reflection
Joyce Valenza-
My favorite presenter was most definitely Joyce Valenza. I loved all of the projects that she presented. My favorite was having the students use wikis to create their own textbooks. I agree that many schools have outdated textbooks. The world is constantly changing and textbooks are pretty pricey, so this is a wonderful way to keep up with today's events without replacing the books! I also like how Joyce focused on making the learning and research process meaningful to the students.
David Loertscher -
David focused on the theory of the learning commons. He broke it into physical space as well as virtual space. I liked how he said that the learning commons should be a giant conversation. That statement made me picture several groups of students collaborating, not only in their groups, but between groups too. I also really liked when he said that collaborative groups can "produce a product that none can do individually." I jotted down the many different uses of a learning commons. I think that it should definitely be used as much by teachers as by students. Loertscher mentioned PLCs and professional development as a way to teachers to utilize the learning commons.
Doug Johnson -
Doug listed five ways to create a "galaxy" of bright stars. When discussing clear language and terminology, he mentioned social networking and suggested that it be called educational networking and social learning. I like that terminology. In my opinion, it sounds better for use in school. Doug also talked about empowering staff. I think this is a large obstacle in many schools. You have to get the staff on board before the students can get on board and get excited. I really liked the quote, "Unless it empowers the teacher, the teacher won't use it to empower students." That is a quote that I would like to use in the future in presentations to the staff. Doug had many resources for collaborative writing. A couple I have tried in my classroom before. For example, after I introduced Moodle to my students I had them begging to write and use Moodle! Doug mentioned Google Docs several times, and I made a note to look further into it.
My favorite presenter was most definitely Joyce Valenza. I loved all of the projects that she presented. My favorite was having the students use wikis to create their own textbooks. I agree that many schools have outdated textbooks. The world is constantly changing and textbooks are pretty pricey, so this is a wonderful way to keep up with today's events without replacing the books! I also like how Joyce focused on making the learning and research process meaningful to the students.
David Loertscher -
David focused on the theory of the learning commons. He broke it into physical space as well as virtual space. I liked how he said that the learning commons should be a giant conversation. That statement made me picture several groups of students collaborating, not only in their groups, but between groups too. I also really liked when he said that collaborative groups can "produce a product that none can do individually." I jotted down the many different uses of a learning commons. I think that it should definitely be used as much by teachers as by students. Loertscher mentioned PLCs and professional development as a way to teachers to utilize the learning commons.
Doug Johnson -
Doug listed five ways to create a "galaxy" of bright stars. When discussing clear language and terminology, he mentioned social networking and suggested that it be called educational networking and social learning. I like that terminology. In my opinion, it sounds better for use in school. Doug also talked about empowering staff. I think this is a large obstacle in many schools. You have to get the staff on board before the students can get on board and get excited. I really liked the quote, "Unless it empowers the teacher, the teacher won't use it to empower students." That is a quote that I would like to use in the future in presentations to the staff. Doug had many resources for collaborative writing. A couple I have tried in my classroom before. For example, after I introduced Moodle to my students I had them begging to write and use Moodle! Doug mentioned Google Docs several times, and I made a note to look further into it.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Article Reflections - 6/29
I loved Jacquie Henry's plan in "Book Budgets - Hanging On to What is Yours". She must have learned from mistakes to protect her library budget. I did not know that this was possible. She fills out three "Do Not Exceed" purchase orders at the beginning of the year, so in the eyes of the budget office, her money is already spent. I also liked the categories she breaks the orders down into: replacements and updates for outdated books, non-fiction books to support curriculum, and literature and fiction to support English, Language Arts, and Reading.
Doug Johnson gives great suggestions for creating an outcome driven budget proposal in his blog post "Budgeting for Mean, Lean Time Part 5". He says that good, outcome driven budgets have three components: goals - the effect a funded program has on student learning, specificity - exactly how much you want and exactly how you will spend it, and assessment - how you will be able to tell the the money helped the program to meet its goals. Doug also says to use local needs and objectives because they will have a larger impact.
In "Help Sweep Up the Budget Dust," Doug Johnson discusses that end of the school year money that is sometimes left over. I agree, many times you can get what you want at the end of the year. Administrators tend to be frugal throughout the year, which often leads to the leftover, the "budget dust".
In "Zero-Sum Budgets and Technology," Johnson gives suggestions for getting money when there really isn't much money left to get. He talks about the outcome driven plan and its components. He also suggests describing the consequences of an under-funded program. How will this impact technology users? Use examples from the school. He also says that others need to understand "maintenance" when it comes to technology. Without yearly maintenance, the technology will decline. He also suggests using an advisory committee. Rally support from parents, students, and teachers. As a group, your voice will be louder. The last thing that Johnson suggests is to serve in school and professional leadership roles. Go to meetings for various committees, serve on boards, join professional organizations. The more you do, the more your voice will be heard.
We are in tough times, especially when it comes to schools and budgets. I know that the administration at my school is terrified for the 2012-2013 school year when budgets are slated to be slashed. They are even talking about cutting a library position. The high school librarian would serve the high school 3 days a week and the middle school the other 2 days. Budget cuts make administrators take drastic measures.
Doug Johnson gives great suggestions for creating an outcome driven budget proposal in his blog post "Budgeting for Mean, Lean Time Part 5". He says that good, outcome driven budgets have three components: goals - the effect a funded program has on student learning, specificity - exactly how much you want and exactly how you will spend it, and assessment - how you will be able to tell the the money helped the program to meet its goals. Doug also says to use local needs and objectives because they will have a larger impact.
In "Help Sweep Up the Budget Dust," Doug Johnson discusses that end of the school year money that is sometimes left over. I agree, many times you can get what you want at the end of the year. Administrators tend to be frugal throughout the year, which often leads to the leftover, the "budget dust".
In "Zero-Sum Budgets and Technology," Johnson gives suggestions for getting money when there really isn't much money left to get. He talks about the outcome driven plan and its components. He also suggests describing the consequences of an under-funded program. How will this impact technology users? Use examples from the school. He also says that others need to understand "maintenance" when it comes to technology. Without yearly maintenance, the technology will decline. He also suggests using an advisory committee. Rally support from parents, students, and teachers. As a group, your voice will be louder. The last thing that Johnson suggests is to serve in school and professional leadership roles. Go to meetings for various committees, serve on boards, join professional organizations. The more you do, the more your voice will be heard.
We are in tough times, especially when it comes to schools and budgets. I know that the administration at my school is terrified for the 2012-2013 school year when budgets are slated to be slashed. They are even talking about cutting a library position. The high school librarian would serve the high school 3 days a week and the middle school the other 2 days. Budget cuts make administrators take drastic measures.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Reading Reflections - 6/28
Empowering Learners - Chapter 3 - Budget
Empowering Learners - Budget
Empowering Learners addresses the importance of the budget to the library program. The program must have sufficient funds to progress. If the money is not there, progression would be pretty much impossible. It is the duty of the librarian to show the progress being made to those who control the budget. The librarian must present a detailed analysis of how a well-funded library program impacts everyone in a positive way. The way to show progress is in an action plan with goals and objectives clearly defined.
Woolls - Chapter 9 - Managing the Budget
Although budgets are distributed by the district administration, they are generally dictated by the state, in our case, DESE. Funding is usually set up to be allocated based on the number of pupils. Woolls states that states may mandate a minimum amount that is allocated to library.
When working with a budget, the fiscal year is very important to keep in mind. I know that in my district, the fiscal year runs from July 1 - June 30. I know this because I was just visiting the administration building last week and everyone was hard at work on the budget. Woolls stressed the importance of the LMS working with the person in charge of the budget to make sure that all orders and invoices are correct. She also mentioned that many districts may not allow any order to be submitted within a certain amount of time before the end of the fiscal year.
Writing specifications is important for a couple of different reasons. The specifications make the school district and the library media specialist look credible to vendors, but also to make sure that orders are completed correctly.
Running a library is quite costly, and it is not easy to estimate the cost. Librarians generally move up on the salary schedule each year, therefore, the cost to employ the librarian rises each year. This also depends on the type of degree that the LMS obtains. A LMS with a Bachelor's will not make as much money as his/her counterpart with a Master's. One cost that never occurred to me was the cost of equipment use. Woolls said to estimate about $1.00 per hour of usage. Then you have the cost of materials. This is estimated by the cost of the replacements, which are always on the rise. Library money must be used effectively and the library takes a loss when the librarian's time is not used to collaborate with teachers, but spent on clerical tasks. I see this happening in my school quite a bit. Our librarian is constantly being pulled to complete tasks that have nothing to do with the library, like make a new early dismissal bell schedule.
A very important task of the librarian is to write proposals to expand programs. Proposals must be carefully thought out and documented and then presented. Wools states that proposals should include: a statement of needs and of goals and objectives, a plan of action or activities and procedures, an evaluation plan, comments about facilities and other resources available, and a carefully planned budget (Woolls, 153). The statement of needs must present a strong case for need. Woolls suggests comparing your library to one from a similar school district. And like all arguments, it is best to be supported. Rally support from the library patrons (students and teachers) to reiterate the need.
A carefully planned out design is a must. It is also extremely important to plan for evaluation. Woolls suggests even contacting others, such as those in test and measurement offices at colleges or state agencies, to help plan how to evaluate.
Librarians should be prepared to share the plans with the general public. The proposal should also include what local resources are available, this means describing the facilities.
The budget for the project must be put together item by item. Woolls mentions that there are two areas that may cause hiccups; fringe benefits and overhead. Fringe benefits include salary statistics and overhead is the use of staff, equipment, and facilities that will be specifically included in the proposal (Woolls, 158).
Budgets and proposals take a lot of hard work. In my opinion, this will be the most difficult part of running a library.
Empowering Learners - Budget
Empowering Learners addresses the importance of the budget to the library program. The program must have sufficient funds to progress. If the money is not there, progression would be pretty much impossible. It is the duty of the librarian to show the progress being made to those who control the budget. The librarian must present a detailed analysis of how a well-funded library program impacts everyone in a positive way. The way to show progress is in an action plan with goals and objectives clearly defined.
Woolls - Chapter 9 - Managing the Budget
Although budgets are distributed by the district administration, they are generally dictated by the state, in our case, DESE. Funding is usually set up to be allocated based on the number of pupils. Woolls states that states may mandate a minimum amount that is allocated to library.
When working with a budget, the fiscal year is very important to keep in mind. I know that in my district, the fiscal year runs from July 1 - June 30. I know this because I was just visiting the administration building last week and everyone was hard at work on the budget. Woolls stressed the importance of the LMS working with the person in charge of the budget to make sure that all orders and invoices are correct. She also mentioned that many districts may not allow any order to be submitted within a certain amount of time before the end of the fiscal year.
Writing specifications is important for a couple of different reasons. The specifications make the school district and the library media specialist look credible to vendors, but also to make sure that orders are completed correctly.
Running a library is quite costly, and it is not easy to estimate the cost. Librarians generally move up on the salary schedule each year, therefore, the cost to employ the librarian rises each year. This also depends on the type of degree that the LMS obtains. A LMS with a Bachelor's will not make as much money as his/her counterpart with a Master's. One cost that never occurred to me was the cost of equipment use. Woolls said to estimate about $1.00 per hour of usage. Then you have the cost of materials. This is estimated by the cost of the replacements, which are always on the rise. Library money must be used effectively and the library takes a loss when the librarian's time is not used to collaborate with teachers, but spent on clerical tasks. I see this happening in my school quite a bit. Our librarian is constantly being pulled to complete tasks that have nothing to do with the library, like make a new early dismissal bell schedule.
A very important task of the librarian is to write proposals to expand programs. Proposals must be carefully thought out and documented and then presented. Wools states that proposals should include: a statement of needs and of goals and objectives, a plan of action or activities and procedures, an evaluation plan, comments about facilities and other resources available, and a carefully planned budget (Woolls, 153). The statement of needs must present a strong case for need. Woolls suggests comparing your library to one from a similar school district. And like all arguments, it is best to be supported. Rally support from the library patrons (students and teachers) to reiterate the need.
A carefully planned out design is a must. It is also extremely important to plan for evaluation. Woolls suggests even contacting others, such as those in test and measurement offices at colleges or state agencies, to help plan how to evaluate.
Librarians should be prepared to share the plans with the general public. The proposal should also include what local resources are available, this means describing the facilities.
The budget for the project must be put together item by item. Woolls mentions that there are two areas that may cause hiccups; fringe benefits and overhead. Fringe benefits include salary statistics and overhead is the use of staff, equipment, and facilities that will be specifically included in the proposal (Woolls, 158).
Budgets and proposals take a lot of hard work. In my opinion, this will be the most difficult part of running a library.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Library Design Project
The library that I chose to renovate is John F. Hodge High School Library in St. James, MO. This is the high school in the district in which I teach. The library serves about 450-500 students. The library is staffed by one full-time librarian only.
This particular library has been neglected for several years, which made it extremely hard for me to narrow down the areas of renovation. This library is set to undergo major changes this year, as the librarian that has been running it is no longer in the district, and the librarian from the middle school is moving over to the high school. Side note, I happened to be teaching summer school and had my class in the library and I designed this plan, so that did help to be able to look around and gather ideas!
Areas of renovation/innovation:
1. The Library Classroom – This classroom has so much potential. It already has windows into the library, much like the library in McHold’s video. Right now the classroom is being used as nothing more than a computer lab. Computers already line two of the walls in the room, which is great, but I would add tables that are easily moved and rearranged. This would make the classroom very versatile to suit any group that needs to use it. I would also add a Smart Board. Our district is lucky enough to have Smart Boards in nearly every classroom, so it makes sense that there would be one in this classroom that would be readily available to anyone, students or staff, who needs to use it. This would be the perfect room to go to give a presentation or just to collaborate in peace and quiet. This addresses the concept of a learning commons by providing a place for a variety of collaborative activities.
2. The Equipment Storage closet – I understand that the equipment needs a place to be housed, however, I don’t feel like a closet of this size is necessary. I think it could easily be used as both a closet, but also a video production/editing room. My goal in this area is to provide a space for students to branch out with their use of technology. Right now, the only video production area is for the school tv station, and it is not for use by non-Tiger TV students. This would give everyone else an opportunity to use the technology. This addresses the concept of a learning commons by providing the technology and the space for collaboration.
3. Fiction section/Periodicals – Right now, the periodicals are on display in the middle of the fiction section. I wouldn’t move them far, but just move them against a wall to clear space to add comfortable seating. There are no couches or comfy chairs in the library at this time, which adds to its uninviting feel. My goal is to add the varied seating to make it a more comfortable and inviting place for students (or staff) to hang out and read or work on projects. Learning centers are supposed to be an inviting place and the hub of the school, the varied seating helps to make it just that. Side note – I would eventually want to add even more varied seating, but there are some space problems, so that would definitely take some creativity!
4. New Book Display/Teacher Resource area – Right now, the reference section takes up more space than it really needs to and there is some wasted space. I would take this wasted space and do two things with it: create a place to display new library acquisitions and create a place for teachers to share resources. I would make an attractive table or rack to display the new books. These can be books for all categories, not just the new fiction. There could also be a poster or sign listing the new materials purchased, so that even if the item is check out, the students know that it is now in circulation. For the teacher resource area, this could include professional books and even literature sets. It could include all of those training manuals that we receive from various workshops. It could also be a place for teachers to check out manipulative. The materials from this section would be gathered from the teachers. The elementary in my district is doing something like this in a room separate from the library. Teachers send their resources (that they don’t use on a daily basis) to the room so they are available and useful to all.
Design Project
This particular library has been neglected for several years, which made it extremely hard for me to narrow down the areas of renovation. This library is set to undergo major changes this year, as the librarian that has been running it is no longer in the district, and the librarian from the middle school is moving over to the high school. Side note, I happened to be teaching summer school and had my class in the library and I designed this plan, so that did help to be able to look around and gather ideas!
Areas of renovation/innovation:
1. The Library Classroom – This classroom has so much potential. It already has windows into the library, much like the library in McHold’s video. Right now the classroom is being used as nothing more than a computer lab. Computers already line two of the walls in the room, which is great, but I would add tables that are easily moved and rearranged. This would make the classroom very versatile to suit any group that needs to use it. I would also add a Smart Board. Our district is lucky enough to have Smart Boards in nearly every classroom, so it makes sense that there would be one in this classroom that would be readily available to anyone, students or staff, who needs to use it. This would be the perfect room to go to give a presentation or just to collaborate in peace and quiet. This addresses the concept of a learning commons by providing a place for a variety of collaborative activities.
2. The Equipment Storage closet – I understand that the equipment needs a place to be housed, however, I don’t feel like a closet of this size is necessary. I think it could easily be used as both a closet, but also a video production/editing room. My goal in this area is to provide a space for students to branch out with their use of technology. Right now, the only video production area is for the school tv station, and it is not for use by non-Tiger TV students. This would give everyone else an opportunity to use the technology. This addresses the concept of a learning commons by providing the technology and the space for collaboration.
3. Fiction section/Periodicals – Right now, the periodicals are on display in the middle of the fiction section. I wouldn’t move them far, but just move them against a wall to clear space to add comfortable seating. There are no couches or comfy chairs in the library at this time, which adds to its uninviting feel. My goal is to add the varied seating to make it a more comfortable and inviting place for students (or staff) to hang out and read or work on projects. Learning centers are supposed to be an inviting place and the hub of the school, the varied seating helps to make it just that. Side note – I would eventually want to add even more varied seating, but there are some space problems, so that would definitely take some creativity!
4. New Book Display/Teacher Resource area – Right now, the reference section takes up more space than it really needs to and there is some wasted space. I would take this wasted space and do two things with it: create a place to display new library acquisitions and create a place for teachers to share resources. I would make an attractive table or rack to display the new books. These can be books for all categories, not just the new fiction. There could also be a poster or sign listing the new materials purchased, so that even if the item is check out, the students know that it is now in circulation. For the teacher resource area, this could include professional books and even literature sets. It could include all of those training manuals that we receive from various workshops. It could also be a place for teachers to check out manipulative. The materials from this section would be gathered from the teachers. The elementary in my district is doing something like this in a room separate from the library. Teachers send their resources (that they don’t use on a daily basis) to the room so they are available and useful to all.
Design Project
Friday, June 24, 2011
Blog Posts - 6/24
On the School Library Media Blog I read about a site called "My Fakewall" where students can create faux Facebook pages for historical figures or literary figures. This site looks really fun and I think I can definitely use this in my classroom!
Also at the School Library Media Blog, I was directed to the NY Times website where I read an article about informational texts and the Common Core State Standards. This was of interest to me because I have spent my last three days in a workshop about the transition to the CCSS. One of the main questions that kept coming up was "what can I do now?" The representative from DESE told us that right now one of the most important things to do is to provide our students with more informational text and teach them to understand it. The first couple days of the workshop left me feeling very overwhelmed, but on the last day we were able to sit down and devise a plan and figure out exactly where to start and how to present it to the rest of our faculty without overwhelming them.
I visited Buffy Hamilton's blog, The Unquiet Librarian, and I saw that she won the Salem Press Library Blog Award. She listed several other library blogs in this posting and she had them separated by category. I added a few of the blogs that she listed to my Google Reader.
On Joyce Valenza's blog, Never Ending Search, I ran across a post called "Why Cite" about citing sources. The posting included a video of a skit. Valenza said that she plans on using this at orientation for 9th graders, and I think that would be a wonderful idea. Students really struggle with citing sources. I have several ideas about how to work on this issue when I become a librarian.
Free Technology For Teachers has a post about how to use Google Bookmarks. I have heard/read about online bookmarking, but I am not too familiar with it. The slideshow on the posting walks you through how to use it and it seems like it is something that is fairly simple. I think this would be a great way for teachers to share sites that they have found to be resourceful. Librarians could do the same. And I think that it looks user-friendly enough that even the teachers that are not so tech savvy could use it without frustration.
Also at the School Library Media Blog, I was directed to the NY Times website where I read an article about informational texts and the Common Core State Standards. This was of interest to me because I have spent my last three days in a workshop about the transition to the CCSS. One of the main questions that kept coming up was "what can I do now?" The representative from DESE told us that right now one of the most important things to do is to provide our students with more informational text and teach them to understand it. The first couple days of the workshop left me feeling very overwhelmed, but on the last day we were able to sit down and devise a plan and figure out exactly where to start and how to present it to the rest of our faculty without overwhelming them.
I visited Buffy Hamilton's blog, The Unquiet Librarian, and I saw that she won the Salem Press Library Blog Award. She listed several other library blogs in this posting and she had them separated by category. I added a few of the blogs that she listed to my Google Reader.
On Joyce Valenza's blog, Never Ending Search, I ran across a post called "Why Cite" about citing sources. The posting included a video of a skit. Valenza said that she plans on using this at orientation for 9th graders, and I think that would be a wonderful idea. Students really struggle with citing sources. I have several ideas about how to work on this issue when I become a librarian.
Free Technology For Teachers has a post about how to use Google Bookmarks. I have heard/read about online bookmarking, but I am not too familiar with it. The slideshow on the posting walks you through how to use it and it seems like it is something that is fairly simple. I think this would be a great way for teachers to share sites that they have found to be resourceful. Librarians could do the same. And I think that it looks user-friendly enough that even the teachers that are not so tech savvy could use it without frustration.
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