Assessing Learning

Chapter 13 Wools-Assessing Learning Article
Assessing Learning: The Missing Piece in Instruction?
I found this article to be very interesting, on either side of the lesson plan examples. The beginning was informative and I found myself agreeing with a lot that was said. For example, in our district we follow the same kind of questions that are presented here; What have they been learning, how well have they been learning, and how can we verify they are learning? I’m sure that every district has some kind of format that follows this setup. What I always like to see, and it’s something I think most teachers forget about, is the performance task for students. As a teacher this is difficult for me because it requires you to just kind of walk away and let the student show their abilities. However, I think the results speak louder than any assessment given. Quite often when I do these things I’m surprised at what my kids are truly capable of. Another thing I think that is vital in a school community is some kind of assessment that allows you to see evidence in the improvement of instruction. We use a program called Acuity, which is similar to the MAP test, and do it 3 times a year. It allows the teacher and a group of collaborators to sit down and see what needs to be worked on. This year, after taking this class, I plan on asking my librarian for assistance in any information seeking GLE’s that we have problems on.
Since I didn’t care too much for the lesson plans I will only hit on them briefly. Ideally they were great and creative, theoretically they didn’t strive to assess a GLE (which is what leads instruction) or critical thinking. When we have our observations our principals are looking to see what level of DOK students are hitting, and I just don’t see the higher numbers here that I would like to. However, they can definitely be ‘tweaked’ to accomplish that.
The end of the article provided a couple of really great resources for assessments that I plan on checking out. We do a lot of creative hands on things in my classroom, (especially during centers/guided reading time) that I’m constantly thinking of a way to grade them without the 12/12 score. The University of Wisconsin-Stout looks very promising. I personally use one that I would highly recommend to any educator at that is, www.rubistar.com.

Chapter 13:
I love the line, “If you were arrested for contributing to the education of a student, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Talk about thought provoking! I like how this makes you think outside of the box, and really this question can be asking to ANYONE in the building. After reading this chapter I was surprised that some, if not most, libraries are judged on the amount of materials they have or check out versus the quality of those items. However, there was a line under the heading ‘Qualitative Measures’ that made me realize why this is so. It’s so much easier for people to look at numbers and think, ok they’re set they’ve got plenty of planet books for the 2nd grade science lesson. However, it’s much more difficult to siphon through those books and determine what year it was published and if the information is correct and up to date. Imagine, how confusing would it be to a student to talk about Pluto not being a planet any longer, that we have only 8 in our solar system, then they go to the library to find a book completely disagreeing with their teacher. Granted there are steps that could be taken to avoid this, or even a lesson on copy right dates, but how much of that is really going to sink in to a second grader? Instead, the library should take special care to weed out all of those nonfiction pieces that are no longer applicable, instead of worrying about how many books they have in their library. I was surprised to see in this chapter that they don’t expect the entire library to be analyzed each year. After reading about all of the responsibilities and expectations (especially the yearend report), I would have thought that it was expected each and every year. However, this does make sense to me. Why not take the time to really concentrate on a few areas a year instead of frantically scavenging the entire library for out of date books? This would be a lot more methodical and allow the librarian more time to really concentrate on the validity of the text.

Pappas Article, Updated Links

Management Matters
VOLUME XXI, NUMBER 5/JANUARY 2005
Virtual School Library Media Center Management Manual
by Marjorie L. Pappas
Marjorie L. Pappas, Ph. D., is an Associate Professor at the School Library and Information Technology Online Learning, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. E-mail: mpappas@mansfield.edu

School library media specialists often post messages on LM_NET and other state listservs I monitor, requesting examples of information that I used to maintain in a management manual when I was a school library media specialist. I started my manual when I was a student in the organization and administration course we all take in library science programs and I kept it current with information gleaned from conferences, workshops, and networking with other school library media specialists. Manuals are easier to maintain today because of networking through listservs and the Internet. In thinking about the requests for information related to policies, job descriptions, cataloging, resource acquisition, etc., I decided a virtual version of this traditional paper manual might be an interesting and useful concept.

Setting Up My Virtual Manual
My concept of virtual is paperless. Virtual manuals can be maintained without the challenge of adding pages and adjusting page numbers. Virtual manuals can include hyperlinks to information located on the Web. Before starting the development of my manual, I thought about who might access the manual besides the school library media specialist. Library assistants, volunteers, and, occasionally, substitutes should all be able to access this manual. Also, the library media specialist should be able to access the manual when working at home. The best way to achieve that flexibility is to post the manual on the library media center's website or on the school's network, assuming the network is Internet accessible. If a library media center website or network is not available, the concept is still feasible, but a little more challenging, because new versions would need to be loaded on separate computers. Once this decision has been made, the next step is to scan and/or key-in the existing information related to the specific library media center. Following are sections and weblinks to include.

Policies
Some policies need to be written to fit the unique needs of a specific library media center, for example, circulation policies that establish the time periods books circulate and the cost for replacing lost books. Other policies, like copyright, are based on federal legislation. Links to Web-based copyright information will be useful to supplement local policies.

Policy weblinks:
Complete Copyright. ALA. A collection of documents related to copyright issues and libraries on the American Library Association website.
Computer Network/Internet Use Agreement.
Carlisle Place Free Union School District; Carlisle Place, New York. An example of a comprehensive acceptable use policy for computer and Internet use by students and faculty.
Copyright Basics and the Internet.
Margaret Lincoln. Lakeview High School Library. A concise chart of copyright guidelines for schools.
Lost/Overdue Materials Guidelines.PDF.
The School Board of Broward County, Florida. School Libraries Policies and Procedures.
Mesa County Valley School District 51; Grand Junction, Colorado. A comprehensive collection of policies for school library media centers.
Personnel
The school library media specialist's job description should be posted, but it also would be useful to link to job descriptions for student and parent volunteers. The Web provides examples of job descriptions for this section.

Examples of job descriptions:
Certified School Librarians: Duties and Responsibilities.School District of Philadelphia, 1991. Includes administrative and educational functions.
Job Description: Library Clerk. Maine Education Center.
Job Description: Media Specialist . Wamego High School.
Librarian and Media Staff Job Descriptions. Chris Smith. Shambles. A collection of job descriptions for school library media center positions.
Media Assistant Interview Rubric. Mindy Doler. Lawrence High School; Lawrence, Kansas.
Collection Development and Acquisitions
The purchase of resources and technology for the library requires access to information about producers and jobbers.

Useful websites:
Acquisitions, Collection Maintenance and Electronic Access . Della Curtis. Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland. Includes sample policies, procedures, and resources.
AcqWEB. Publisher and vendor information.
The Librarian's Yellow Pages. Publisher, periodical, jobber, and vendor links.
School Library Collection Development. Media Services @ your library. Department of Educational and Administrative Technology. Fayette County Public Schools; Lexington, Kentucky. Includes guidelines for selection and purchasing of resources, hardware, and technology.
Forms
Examples can help school library media specialists develop the forms for use in the library media center. This is a section that can be developed over time.

Examples of forms:
Audio Visual Review Committee Report. Learning Resources Department, Broward County Public Schools, Florida.
Collaborative Planning. Indiana Learns. Office of Learning Resources, Indiana Department of Education. A collection of forms to enable collaboration between classroom teachers and school library media specialists.
Elementary Library Services. Charlotte Lesser. Monadnack Regional School District, 2004. A collection of forms including supply order list, teacher request form, end-of-year library media center closing checklist, etc.
Full-length Feature Films to be Used for Classroom Instruction. Learning Resources Department, Broward County Public Schools, Florida.
Faculty Recommendation for Library Materials. Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland.
Library Monthly Update. PDF. Kevin Finkle. Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland. Form to gather information from teachers about future units and lessons.
Teacher/Librarian Collaborative Unit: Planning. PDF. School District of Philadelphia, 1999.
District Portal as Manuals
School library media services in larger school districts have developed excellent portal pages. These portals provide school library media specialists with both instructional and management resources and tools.
Disaster Preparedness. Marin County Schools Model Emergency Management Plan
Examples of portals:
Indiana Learns. Office of Learning Resources, Indiana Department of Education. This website was developed as a companion to the book Indiana Learns by David Loertscher with Connie Champlin (Stenhouse Publishers, 2002).
Maine School Libraries Facilities Handbook. Maine Association of School Libraries. Comprehensive guidelines for managing a school library media center.
These virtual manuals and portals enable parents, community members, and other school library professionals to view how school library media specialists manage media centers and teach students to gather and use information. Now all we need is a portal page to the portals.

How does my school measure up to 21st Century Standards?

How does my school measure up to 21st Century Standards?
As much as I would like to answer this question about our high school students, I’m not very familiar with the way that it is run any longer. On top of that, we have a wonderful librarian that was moved from the Middle School to the High School this year, of which, I think will bring much needed improvements. Therefore, I will be talking about our Elementary Library for this assignment. Looking at the first standard, Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge, I have to remind myself we are talking about the library and not within my classroom. Overall, as a school I think we excel at implementing critical thinking, however, upon looking at specifics, I see some gaps. For example, students (even at a 5th grade level) are unaware of the term copyright (1.3.1). I did a small activity with students this summer and had to do a mini lesson on what that meant. I think it’s important that they’re aware that even though it’s on the web, there is still an ‘author’ to it and you can’t steal their words. Along the same frame of mind, students also have problems understanding what a reliable source looks like (1.2.4). I can see some of our students searching for ‘Egyptian Myths’ and being linked to a site with zero evidence to support it, and not understand why that’s irresponsible to use. On a lighter note, I think our library is doing a great job on many other skills; searching for new understanding (1.1.3), demonstrate mastery of technology tools available (1.1.8), and to use information technology responsible (1.3.5). Each child has to sign an AUP at the beginning of the school year stating the expectations and the consequences if those are broken.
Standard 2 I think can be used mostly in the upper grades for leading learning, but there are a few that I see to be very important in younger grades as well. For example, our students are good about using technology and other tools to organize information (2.1.4), but they’re not great about how to act on the information, whether to accept, reject, or modify it (2.4.1). I see a lot of these sub-standards in the use of writing papers or creating projects, and that’s why the standard 2.1.5 really jumps out to me at something we excel at. The ability to collaborate is important, not only among students, but with staff as well, and that’s why this standard is so important.
One thing that I think our school struggles with as a whole is the ability to link our learning with events outside of the classroom. For example standard 3.1.5, suggests that learning is connected with community issues. Every once in awhile will something come up that we see is important enough to form a lesson around. However, personally, I struggle with the ability to fit this into my already tight schedule, and the fact that most of the time these events are politically natured or controversial. This leads us to the standard of 3.3.1, respecting people’s opinions. Adults struggle with this quite a bit themselves, and often times their ideas or prejudices will rub off on children. I find it hard (or really impossible) to say to a student, “Well, what you’ve been told isn’t completely true,” or “You’ve been given the wrong information.” I think the best way to teach this standard is through example, or larger, worldlier ideas instead of something local.
If there is one standard that our library excels at it’s the 4th one! Students are always encouraged to look for and check out books that appeal to them or pursue further knowledge (4.1.1, 4.1.2). Our students have 6 years within the same library, so by the second or third year they look at it as a second home within school. This makes them feel comfortable enough to come ask questions, and how to use the library when looking for appropriate resources. One thing I think we can work on as a school with this standard is the safe practice of ethical and personal electronic communications and interactions (4.3.4). So many of these students don’t realize that what you do online can leave a mark forever, and can usually be traced back, even if it’s deleted. They don’t understand how to change their settings to ‘private’ or who to trust on the web and who not to. Part of me wants to say that some of these things are the responsibility of the parent, but the other part of me knows that information will never be given out or dealt with correctly.

Blog Reviews

Larry Ferlazzo- I followed the TV show, ‘The Story of Us’ when it was first released, and kept thinking how amazing it would be to use the videos in class. It basically takes you through the entire development of America, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I was very surprised at the detail that these shows had in them and the stories they chose to tell. That’s why I was so excited to see that Ferlazzo chose the link to this site for his site of the day. It’s been probably around a year since the show was released, and since then I’ve forgotten how amazing they are. Thank s Larry for bringing back this cinematic great to the attention of teachers AND providing a link to view for free!

Free Technology for Teachers- For awhile now, I’ve wanted to check out Google Docs and how to use them in my classroom. (The only reason I haven’t done that yet is because of pure business.) So when I saw free technology for teachers had not only an article, but also a short video, I decided to check it out. They gave an update on all the new elements that Google has recently come out with, and make recommendations about which ones might be most beneficial in the classroom (Circles, is suggested). For me, it’s so much easier to have these things laid out in an article written by someone who I know is seeing these things the same way I need to, versus exploring them myself.

Free Technology for Teachers (again)- Has a small article on a game called ‘Turn-O-Phase’, and a link to play as well. So, of course, I had to try it out for myself. Byrne says this is a game that would benefit ELL students because it has them match colloquial phrases with pictures. However, I think that this game is great for any student because the further along it goes the tougher it gets. I wouldn’t have this as a lesson, but it would be neat to have as a type of individual center for word work. The only downside is that in order for you to play, you have to be signed up through FB or Twitter, which would make it impossible to use in the classroom. It does give you the option to create your own, which leaves me wondering, “Is this something that could be saved to the desktop?” If not, Byrnes suggests creating your own game using the same strategy with pictures cut out from magazines.

Library History Buff- This blog caught my eye this week because it had information about the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, which as Missourians, all know the importance. What’s neat about this article is that the author, Larry Nix, recently purchased an envelope addressed to a motel in St. Louis during that time period. Not thinking any correlation to libraries at the time, when he opened it he received quite the surprise. As it turns out the ALA was having their convention at that particular time in conjunction with the Fair. The letter inside contained information about the rooms, their construction, and even a few ‘famous’ guests including the all important Melvil Dewey.

Larry Ferlazzo (again)- Assessments are a necessary part of education, and there are an unlimitless possibilities to make sure that your students are ‘getting it’. Each school has their own way of assessing, which may include the old pencil to paper routine, or like our school we’ve invested in several technology based options. Currently my favorite assessment option on the computer is a program called Study Island; however, I know it’s expensive for the district. So what do you do when you don’t have that option or worse yet, you come to like and use it only to find out it’s going to be taken away? Look no further, turn to Larry Ferlazzo for the answer. On his blog he has an article that he’s written that gives you several different options for online test creating, and he updates it frequently to make sure the information is current. There are several different types of tests that are provided here, including matching, crosswords, maps, or closed question responses. You only have to figure out what type of assessment will be appropriate for your students.

Week 5 Articles

What is the Future of Teaching?
I found this article to be very informative, but I also found holes in it as well. It’s interesting to read the fact that student who take online courses are testing higher than those in the traditional classrooms. Catone goes on to say that it doesn’t mean that it’s a more effective way of teaching (online), which I have to agree with him. My first thought when reading the results was that generally students who take online classes are more capable because they have to have that dedication to get the assignments done, the ability to understand without a face to face meeting, and the drive to keep at it. Catone then reiterates that it’s combination of things that lead to the higher test scores. I think a better study would be to have the same professor teach the same class with the same assignments and use the same assessment at the end of the course. This way all of the variables are the same, with the exception being in a traditional classroom versus an online one. I like how later in the article it breaks down learners into 3 different categories. I’ve always agreed that people don’t learn the same way, and that’s why I’m a big fan of Gardner. The chart was a great visual because you could see how each learner benefited from taking classes online, which I would have thought difficult to do with the interactive learner.

It’s Broken; Let’s Fix it: The Traditional Model of School Librarianship:
I’ve read this article once before, but have become a pretty big fan of The Unquiet Librarian, so I thought it interesting to read again and pick up on all those things I missed before. (Kind of like watching a movie for the second time!) Her Media 21 Project is inspiring, and would really make anyone second guessing the library and its importance to revaluate their opinion. Basically, she’s calling for a change, to let go of the traditional library as we know it and instead turn our sights onto ideas that are bolder in scope and practice. However, she doesn’t expect the librarian to do this without any support, whether that be financially or through other staff helping. She makes a good point when she says that libraries are understaffed, for example one librarian and a para for 1,000 students, or one librarian to run several different libraries. So the question is where to start for the librarian? Well, if your lucky enough to still be one of those that’s in one building servicing the right number of students, then integrating yourself into interdisciplinary teams is what Buffy suggests. Librarians should no longer be seen as support personnel! One more thing I’d like to hit on in this article is the political aspect in the beginning. I always find it interesting that so much is expected from our schools and teachers in this country, but then they yank things that are proven to be beneficiary, and ask ‘what now’ or better yet ‘what happened’? It’s basically like taking away the Bill of Rights from them and then asking for them to do their job properly.

Tell me, what do you teach?
I had never heard of the radio show that put librarians on the spot and asked them to defend their jobs. Just reading about it irritated me to a point of no end, let alone hearing it. Even if I was not going into this profession, I would wonder who has a right to ask those kinds of things of another person. I feel as though they were bullied and that the questions they were asked (attendance?) were ridiculous! Valenza goes on to make good points, often times quoting from different sources. My favorite argument was from Charles Simic when he asked how many book lovers has the internet produced? I’m sure it’s far less the number of libraries. However, this I could see as subject to argument on the radio show as well, citing the age old question of ‘So what?’. A librarian has to put himself out there, in the classroom, making the lesson plans, as Grobin puts it, not guarding dead paper. The movie poster that Valenza created I think says it best. It breaks it down into 4 easy topics and then gives a broad description of each. There is nothing specific about the topics, leaving it up to the teacher/librarian to cover the information as they see fit. I think this poster would be beneficial to see in every librarians office.

Reframing the Library Media Specialist as a Learning Specialist:
After reading this article I feel once again overwhelmed with the profession I’ve decided to be part of! However, it leads me to believe how important it is that if a librarian is going to have this much say in the way things are taught, classroom experience is vital. We’ve all gotten advice from someone who has been out of the classroom (or never in it) for far too long, and your thinking to yourself, this is NOT possible. However, what this article does is also encourages the librarian to be an ever present person in the classroom, which is vital if you help plan. If you are constantly in the classrooms, you know how each year new things are tried out, old things are thrown out, and how each teacher has their own teaching style. I found an interesting line in this article when it was talking about co-teaching. It says that it’s not about what the teacher or library media specialist prefers, but what the learner requires. This is where it’s vital that the librarian is in the classroom. They have the knowhow, the lessons, the training, and the ability to teach these informational skills that students need so badly today. However, this once again wraps around to what Valenza was talking about in her article. In our school how is our one librarian suppose to get around to all 38 classrooms to teach these things? Staffing is what’s holding it back. But, I also think that the scheduling could be rethought as well, instead of every single class having a weekly visit, why not have a different system for students to visit the media center? I know it’s vital for the young ones to visit often, and truthfully I really enjoy it, but isn’t co teaching even more vital? I was excited to see a KWL chart in our reading, I often use these with my students, so to see it in a professional article was interesting. I got the most from the ‘What did I learn section’. I thought it was important that they did address the fact that some teachers are doing the things that need to be done, they’re not all incompetent (as I sometimes feel that’s the opinions of the authors). Also, you are what staff observes you doing. This is one of the few jobs that you can mold and make it what you want to! So if you’re constantly behind the desk sorting and repairing books, of course the library is going to be one of the first places nixed when it comes to budgets. However, if you’re placing yourself in those classrooms, getting out and making it a point to be vital, everyone will look other places when it comes to short change.

School Library Web Presence Webinar

School Library Web Presence Webinar:
I think the first speaker was probably the most informative for me. However, I did miss her name. What I liked about her was the fact that she showed only the sites she found most important, listed a few reasons why, then moved on. Her explanations were easy to follow and I could see myself implementing a few of them in my classroom the soonest. We’ve heard about Google Docs before, and I want to say it was in the last webinar we watched. Each time I see all the possibilities it makes me want to jump on there at that exact moment and start lesson planning! I really need to look up that map we saw last time. I jotted down a few of her personal websites that I plan on start following, like her FB and blog, Book, Bits, and Bytes. Livebinder is a site that I plan on checking out for both my class and personal use. It seems like my information is in several different places, and it’s never the place I’m working at at that point in time. If I’m at home, then the sites I need are saved to my desktop at school.
Carolyn Swift made a statement at the beginning of her presentation that stuck with me, “You have to believe you have a reason to be on the web, or it’s not going to make a difference.” She then went on to prove she believes in her web presence. I like the fact that she changed her website into a blog. Hers was very nice and clean looking, something that I would like to one day do with my own. I’m taking it one step at a time right now, and changed my newsletter into a blog form, we’ll see how the administration and parents respond to that before I change everything! I missed the title of the article she wrote, and I’d like to have it because of the list of widgets she provides. I love widgets, I think they add fun to webpages! One thing left me wondering about what she said though, is a professional FB page really a good idea?
About half way through Barb Jansen’s presentation I wrote a note to myself asking, “Does this woman have a life?” I think what prompted me to ask this was the fact of how available she makes herself to her students. Don’t get me wrong as a student, being able to go online and ask the librarian a question about homework sounds fabulous! However, as of now I dedicate so much of myself and time to my job, that extra little bit might not be for me. Instead I would like to offer the sites and resource for the students to be able to find themselves. She also does this, after teaching the lesson to the students she puts the lesson on her page with everything available to them. Jansen said this was in case a student was absent that day, but more importantly if a student felt a little overwhelmed, and needed to look at the information later or when it applies to an actual assignment.
Out of all the people I was most excited to hear from it was Buffy, the Unquiet Librarian. However, her presentation left me a little like feeling I just watched an infomercial advertising the use of LibGuides. Like she said though, a lot of the things she was planning on talking about had already been covered, so I’m hoping that’s why she didn’t have many other things to talk about.

Week 5 Wools and Empowering

Empowering Learners:
Chapter 2:
Often times in our community, students don’t plan on going to college, and instead work in the family business or go into a trade. This is their excuse for grades in the classroom. Regardless of what it is the child wants to be, the response should always be the same. Learning these things, like creating checklists, portfolios, journals, will one day help you move up in the job you have decided to do. If it doesn’t help you in your career, then personal life also benefits from having those skills. Also if a teacher/librarian uses effective practices for inquiry, like they list on page 25, they are given invaluable skills that will apply to life in general, like critical thinking strategies. What I found interesting and refreshing was the idea that students should be able to choose their own project at the end of a curricular unit. I can remember doing these things in school and always appreciated it much more because whatever projects I chose to do appealed to me much more than the others. Students have to have ownership of their learning in order for it to mean anything to them. Something that I found alarming, but not really all that surprising, is the fact that it’s truly the librarians responsibility to remain abreast of all new technologies. It’s important to be able to relay this information to educators, so not only do you have to be aware of it, but well rehearsed with it as well. This makes me extremely nervous, because I’m not a big fan of doing things I’m not familiar with. Often times when I learn a new program I’m very stressed at first! In this situation as a librarian you have to remain calm and professional , making sure you’ve worked out all the kinks, and trouble shoot as problems arise. This is something that I’m not all too familiar with. Usually if I have a problem, I send a quick email or pick up the phone after trying some pretty basic things.

The Learning Space: This subject has been quite popular in our class, however, it always amazes me the new information that everyone has to bring to the table. A lot of the actions to me seemed to be obvious, especially the part that says sufficient and appropriate shelving and storage of resources. Anyone who has been in a library knows this, let alone someone take Master’s Classes on the subject. There might always be the odd duck out when it comes to a few other things, like making sure the area is aesthetically pleasing, well-lit, and comfortable. This is especially true if the librarian comes from an age where these things weren’t seen as necessary. These days though running a library is almost like running a small business, making sure that there is flexible scheduling hours, encourages users to come in by providing nice seating, and ensures that there will be someone there to help a ‘customer’ if they need it. I like how the library was split into two different sections; virtual and physical space. Going into this field, and taking a few courses, I’ve learned how vitally important it is to think of both. As a classroom teacher, I think it would be handy to be able to get online and see what resources are available in our school library for certain projects.

Wools:
Chapter 8: I found this chapter interesting, because there were parts in it that I had not thought about before. For example, having it very clearly laid out about the confidentiality of a patron was nice. I’m reassured as a library user that my information will not be spread to anyone who asks unless they have authority to be looking at it. I’ve experienced very invasive parents who will stop at nothing to get any kind of information they can just because their child is in your class. I’ve had them make up fake FB pages trying to get me to accept them as a friend, so I have no doubt that the idea of looking at what books I’ve checked out has come into their mind. As a librarian it is their responsibility to keep correct and clear records on their patrons, which I see has many good reasons, as long as it’s not taken advantage of. Some might ask, “Why the big worry about what you’re checking out, are you doing something you shouldn’t be?” Obviously, the answer is no, it’s just knowing that you have that right of privacy that keeps you feeling safe.
All the different library systems and their capabilities were good information, however, I don’t see this making a giant difference for me today. The reason I say this, is because I have to have specific examples right in front of me, I need to be able to look at the information, read reviews on it, see the benefits, and if possible take it for a trial.
I think having a selection policy is a good idea for a school, as long as it broad, and doesn’t expect much censorship. For example, if a policy said anything about ‘offensive’ books, I would immediately question it, because what one person finds offensive the next might not. I can see the selection policy making a big difference when it comes to what books to accept to the library. There are always those people that mean to do good, and by cleaning out their basement and donating books from the 1970’s with torn covers, they think they are accomplishing that. As much as I want to say that staring a gift horse in the mouth is not a wise decision, I think it’s pretty obvious in this case the books wouldn’t be acceptable. Also, hasn’t anyone thought of the idea of going ahead and accepting these gifts, but not putting them up in the collection? I know this invites lots of ‘what ifs’, but maybe this would also offense a lot less people when you tell them, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Chapter 10: While getting my hair done today I was asked, “How can you take so many classes in library? There aren’t that many things involved.” This is because there are really only 4 components that the average patron sees when going into a library- personnel, materials, equipment, and facility. Just like teachers, there is so much more behind the job that people don’t understand. There were a lot of good ideas in this chapter that I would like to see implemented in our school, that I believe would help with curriculum development across grade levels. The first one is having all the text books from the grades available in the library. Ideally it would be nice to have a to have a teachers book in there as well. However, if that is not possible due to funding (teachers books are pretty expensive I’ve been told),a curriculum map of each grade level in some sort of professional resource area would be ideal as well.
In this chapter I was really overwhelmed with the amount of responsibilities expected from the school librarian. Basically, it’s their responsibility to know the entire school’s curriculum. I understand if this librarian has been in the same place for going on 10 years or so, but to expect this out of a new one is asking a lot. I’m going on my 3rd year of teaching, and find myself still exploring just the curriculum of my grade! I think the classroom teachers would be able to help a lot if they could send a simple map of the different areas they will be teaching each quarter this way the librarian can have the resources pulled and even do some kind of display. It also says in the book it’s the librarians responsibility to know how each teacher teaches. I assume this could be done by classroom visits, but I know of teachers who say ‘Yeah, I’m doing this and this and this’, when in all honesty, they are still sticking to the lecture and worksheet format. So this is where I disagree with the book, the librarian can try to give the teacher all the resources possible, but unless there is another administrator backing up the use of these things, it’s not going to go anywhere. What I have find works best for me as a teacher, is to email our librarian about a week before a lesson and ask if there are any books that would help, or if I’m doing a unit multiple books for research purposes. Not a single time have I been ignored or denied books when asked! I think each teacher finds how the media center works best for them, but if the librarian sees that it’s not being used at all, I feel it’s their responsibility to find out why and see what they can do to fix it.

Budget Project

Budget Project
Year 1: (Implementation of Children’s Section)
- Shelving; 30H x 36W x 12D- $102.57 (12) $1,230.84
-Comfortable Seating
*Bean Bags; $19.00 (10) $190.00
*Couches; $299.00 (3) $897.00
*Area Rug; $300.00
- New Technology
*Smartboard; $449.00
- Certified Staff for Children’s Library
* Certified Librarian; $30,000
Year 1 Total: $33,066.84

Year 2: (Front Area Section)
- Computers; $350 (4) $1,400.00
-Furniture
*Couches; $299 (4) $1,196.00
*Round Tables; $259 (2) $518.00
-Coffee Machine; $40.00
- Resources
*Periodicals; $300.00
* Purchase of Book Club Sets; $ 1,000
Year 2 Total: $4,454.00

Year 3: (YA, Local History, Private Study Section)
-Furniture
*Couches; $299 (2) $598.00
*Beanbags; $19 (5) $95.00
* Round table; $259 (4) $1,036.00
*Study Tables; $70.67 (6) $424.02
*Chairs; $24.88 (20) $497.60
-Technology
*Flat Screen; $450
* Internet Ports; $500
*Copier; $500
Year 3 Total: $4,100.62

Total Cost for Renovation: $41,462.26 *With the cost of a new Children’s Librarian


Proposal for Principal:
The Memorial Library is in desperate need of boosting the amount of citizens who visit their facilities. The resources and building itself has been outdated for years (if not decades), and needs to have a more welcoming feel in order to stay as a focal point in our community. It has almost gone the way of complete disuse. This proposal is to get the James Memorial Library up to current speed on resources, availability, and overall appeal so that it is a hub for the community in which we live. By making these changes and purchases, it will encourage more students and adults to come in and use the resources that are being provided, which is also the main goal of this project. School visits will increase, as there is a more appropriate area for children, a more welcoming atmosphere, and better resources. Compared with other local libraries, the James Memorial is an ancient exhibit, in both resources and atmosphere.
The goal of the renovation of the James Memorial Library is to provide current resources to patrons, increase clientele, and help boost the overall education status of the community. Over the 3 years length of time it takes to complete this renovation, one of the objectives is to increase patronage by at least 50%, if not more. The plan of action for this goal is to offer more activities that entice the community to be involved. A major effort will be placed in getting young mothers into the library to help them sign up for online courses. The staff would be available to help them choose a major, a college, resources, and classes. Reaching out to lower-income families is another action that will help achieve this goal. Flyers can be made that advertise the book clubs (at all ages), and can be distributed to lower income housing or posted in easy to see places in town. One specific activity would be to encourage families to come as a whole to the library, the children’s librarian would have activities and resources set up for school aged children, where parents would be encouraged to drop them off and join the adult activities. The adult activities for these nights would be a wide range of things from book clubs on self help books, novels, or even a tour of the library that shows the resources that are available to both them and their children free of cost. Adult Book Clubs would be offered on several different nights in the library. Books would be provided for patrons (they check them out), and the front area would be reserved for the conversation of the novel. Once a month ads will be ran in the local newspapers to advertise what books are available for the upcoming clubs.

The second objective is to help school aged children become more successful in their education pursuits, either in reading ability, interests in reading, or increasing scores on standardized test by providing at least 5 after school group activities a month, and advertising the use of individual tutoring. The plan of action for this objective is to offer private tutoring sessions to local students. Another major effort in this part would be to convince teachers who are active participants in the Career-Ladder Program to use the library and its resources to their advantage. Librarians could already have resources pulled for these activities to make it easier for teachers to come in and use the facilities. Book clubs offered to school-aged children would help increase the interest in reading by advertising the current novels that have been selected. These would be student led book clubs where, if needed, adults monitor or help in conversations. A weekly meeting would be set up for these students to meet and discuss. Parents would be encouraged to drop their child off, and browse the other sections of the library that interest them. These books would be chosen at a level only a small amount higher than the students reading levels, this way they have questions, encounter unknown words, and have to ‘think outside the box’. These book clubs will be provided for all ages, with a specific interest in the YA patrons.

The method for evaluation will be to document all numbers prior to renovation. These numbers include patrons (broken down into age level, and number of visits), books checked out, hours of computer usage, class visits, people involved in book clubs, hours of tutoring provided, and one on one service hours. Throughout the process of the next three years it will be important to keep track of all the above criteria. Each year will need to be titled by the main renovation that way if numbers decrease it can be accounted to construction. The following year, numbers should go up with the new resources being accessible. In the 4th year, after all the renovation, numbers will be compared to the year prior to all the renovations. If numbers are still not as high as expected, more programs and advertising will need to be planned for.
Prices for this project were found at classroomdirect.com, Teacher Direct Magazine, dell.com, usa.canon.com, scholastic.com, and walmart.com

Week 4 Blogs

Awful Library Books- The name alone made me sign up for their blog! I know it’s not technology or Library Commons related, but I couldn’t keep myself from blogging about it at least once! So overall, the blog is pretty self explanatory, ridiculous books that are still being found in our public libraries. I decided to do this week just to prove a point- how out dated some libraries still are. Too often collections are not weeded out, and horrible literature or how-to’s are crowding the shelves making it overwhelming for someone who wants to find information. This has happened to me several times at our library. This week’s book is called ‘Mask Making’, originally published in 1954. The book has been rebound so many times that the cover is unrecognizable (which makes me ponder, was it really that popular?), and there is a lovely grease stain on the title page. One of two reasons would make me automatically yank this from the shelf; 1.condition 2. Out of date information.

School Library Journal- With all the media and resources floating around it is good to see books that make an impact on students. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one such series that students the world over have grown to love. Today there was an article that showed a NJ teenager winning a contest, judged by the author himself, that won her 500$, and her school 1,000$. Not only is Kinney making an impact in schools by his writing style, but also understands the importance of supporting students and schools financially. I wish I would have known about this contest, because my students absolutely adore these books. I’ve bought the series to keep in my classroom, and never have a single book for more than a day!

Larry Ferlazzo- His blog has to be one of my favorites because there’s always something new that I can use! He doesn’t get overly wordy and just makes sure the information and links are there for you to explore. This week one of his articles caught my eye titled ‘Video Book Trailers’. In our school AR pretty much runs the regiment for independent reading. I understand why it’s a benefit to students, but it also prevents us from doing fun activities such as this. What he does is have his students go to this website called fotobabble, where they create 1 minute long videos about their book using photos. After thinking about this, I think it may be possible to have my students do something like this to ‘promote’ their guided reading book. These are the books that they read in groups and discuss. This not only would be a great discussion start, but also a great comprehension check.

Free Technology for Teachers- The title of the article is ’29,000 eBooks’. Need I explain more? Currently, I do not own an eReader (sigh), but I’m always on the lookout for great deals and promotions in case I ever do get one! This year in my class one of my students was visually impaired, but was very interested in starting chapter books. He hadn’t had that opportunity yet, because the text was too small, and he was embarrassed by the use of a magnifying glass or other visual tools during guided reading time. During his IEP meeting, his mother and I sat down and talked about different options, and that’s when she mentioned his love for technology, “Ding, Ding, Ding” went off in my head. After school that day I went down to talk to the librarian, who is very up to date. Needless to say, a few short weeks later that student had his Kindle available! So even though I wouldn’t be able to use this site for myself, I would have definitely pulled this student up and had him look through age appropriate titles to see if anything caught his eye.

The Unquiet Librarian- In my foundations class we have looked at a few articles regarding the new Media 21 projects. This week she posted what looks like a power point that goes through and not only promotes the idea, but explains why they should be integrated into the classrooms. The slide show (which is 103 slides) is very convincing. However, I think it will take awhile before 5th graders are up to that caliber of work!

Learning Commons Webinar

Joyce Valenza- Wow- there are so many free tools out there available for my students and myself, and I feel so lazy for not taking advantage of it!! One thing I for sure plan on looking more thoroughly for is the Maps/Posters she showed later in the presentation for search tools/ references for kids. I would love to have a poster like that in my room, so students could see visually what is available for them. Also, I’d like to connect a few of those to my classroom webpage. The Google Apps poster would be neat, because I’m not aware of all the possibilities, and this would be a reminder, or even an encouragement to do more research into them. What could I integrate into my school’s library tomorrow? The biggest thing for me was the idea that work is not created just for the teacher anymore; it is the students’ responsibility to publish their work. I think this is a fabulous idea because it gives them ownership. I did something similar with my students, but it didn’t involve technology (cringe!), but they created their own book, I had it published, and parents even had the opportunity to purchase a copy if they chose to. They did their very best work on this project because they knew that others would be looking at their publications. Another thing I would like to look into for integrating soon would be the idea of Skype (hopefully I can talk someone into taking down that firewall) for Children’s Authors and presenters. I do currently have in the works something I learned in this class. I have already changed my newsletter from a link on our webpage, to a link to our new classroom blog where the newsletter will be provided. The next step? Taking Lit. Circles to a blog form, I think I have a lot of convincing to do on that part!
I absolutely adored the ‘adding chapters to the textbook’ activity. We did something like this in high school, but had to outline it and present it orally. There are so many learning opportunities with this activity its mind boggling. It’s been proven that history books are written from a specific viewpoint, and I find it very important that all aspects are provided. This not only gives the missing groups a voice for their time period, but the students as well for presenting the information.

David Loertscher- I found his graphics to be visually arresting, it was hard to take your eyes off of them, because they were so clear and related directly to what he was saying. The one that really jumped off the page to me was the first one he showed with the idea of physical space vs. virtual space. So many librarians get stuck in just that physical realm they completely forget about the biggest resource they have (or have the possibility of having)- wireless capabilities. Collaboration was a big concept Loertscher stressed. I liked how he included everyone in the learning process and not just the students within that group. My students are put into groups based on their reading levels, it would be really neat to have an assignment where they have to relate their book to a different book that another group is reading. They could simply look on the other groups blog/wiki and comment directly on there. This assignment would be very easy to see once it was completed, and it would start even more conversation within that group. Also, David makes a good point that what you are teaching is available in a documented record online! It’s always nice to be able to go to administrators and say “This is what I’m doing, isn’t it great?”. Overall I think David’s quote summarizes it nicely, “Taking a stream of information and turning it into a giant conversation.”

Doug Johnson- It was refreshing to see an administrator so involved and current on technology within the district! With someone like Doug it would be a lot easier to convince the necessity of taking down a few of the firewalls or other blocking tools. His 5 essential conditions for educational networking were very powerful. The one that stood out the most to me was to support best practices not technologies. So often the school I work for (and I’m sure it’s this way nationwide) gets stuck on one idea or concept and we diverge onto it whole heartedly. Johnson suggests that instead of jumping on the bandwagon to take a step back and look. How much would it hurt to combine these new programs or technologies together to create a ‘master plan’? After all, the best technologies do not improve achievement, but they can support the best practices, which in turn leads to achievement. I am also a fan of the idea of creating a ‘galaxy’ instead of a few bright stars. At first I thought he was talking about students, but I quickly realized he meant the educational staff itself. Here it’s easy for me to be ‘all on board’, but I think that often time’s resistance will follow. I work with people who can’t operate Microsoft Word, let alone PowerPoint, and a blog is a form of some kind of Japanese food to them. I think as long as administrators realize there is a learning gap in their staff, just like their students, and they are patient, they will see bigger results than just pushing issues.

Library Budget Articles

Book Budgets-
Loosing funding is never something that people enjoy, but often times it happens in the field of education. We are always getting reminders, ‘this money has to be spent by this point in time’. I really like the idea of the book jobber that was mentioned in this article. It’s a great way to make sure that you have all the money that has been allocated to you in a given year, without the worries that it will be jeopardized. The only thing that would worry me about this is that you might not get ‘the best deal’. When I’m searching for books or resources I always check around 3 different places for the cheapest price before I commit to buying.

Budgeting for Mean, Learn Times Part 5-
I like the three components they talk about when writing successful budgets. First are goals, making sure that the program will have a positive effect on students learning. Second, that everything is specific, how much money, and EXACTLY what will it be spent on? Lastly, assessment, did the money help reach the goals of the program? One line in this article jumped out to me, it was to be sure that the financial decision makers are aware of the consequences of student learning by either an underfunded or non-funded program. I think the realities of what might happen would probably be a little shocking to them and make them rethink about some of their decisions. One thing that I’m sure will appeal very much to them is to make sure that the budget relates directly to the districts or buildings long range plans.

Help Sweep up the Budget Dust-
I learned a valuable lesson by reading this article as a future librarian and current teacher- the end of the year is a great time to ask for money. Being in the upper grades of an elementary school I often feel like we’re neglected when it comes to budget, so it’s good to know all the ins and outs that are available to me. I’m the type of person that will go out and buy something with my own money instead of doing without. We’ve learned the hard way that often times if you don’t use a budget in its entirety you will lose it for the next year. Believe me, we had plans for it, communication was just jumbled and items weren’t ordered. It was interesting to read about how meticulous this librarian was in records keeping, and how it paid off. It was mentioned that a bunch of PE equipment had been purchased with library funds ‘accidently’. Call me crazy, but to me it seems that resources for education might be a little more important than dodge balls or jump ropes.

Zero-Sum Budgets and Technology-
I found this article to be ruthless, but also necessary. The portion where they talk about taking away funds from someone else if you believe your program is important enough really jumped out to me. The reason why I found this as a great idea is because I do see waste often time by other educators in our building. For our entire grade level of 6 teachers we receive around 125$ for textbooks, lit sets, construction paper, colored copy paper, art supplies, etc. What I find interesting is the fact that I’ve worked in a younger grade before and saw them struggle to spend the amount that they were given, which was almost double what we received. So, this comment leaves me to believe, what’s wrong with fighting for more budget if I truly believe we need it? However, I can see where this would also cause problems in the atmosphere of the workplace. In my building, nothing is secret. This leads me to believe that if I went to someone (including administration) and asked for more money from a different area, I would quickly make enemies! Also, I think that everyone believes that what they’re doing is the most important. After all, that is why they’re doing that job. So if funding is pulled from the PE class to put books in my classroom, the PE teacher might not feel as though they can properly do their job.
Another thing that popped up in this article that I saw repetitively throughout the other was to have an advisory committee help you make budget and financial decisions. For some reason I always saw this as a group of adults within the school system, but here it mentions including parents, students, and even community members. This is a fabulous idea, because not only are you getting to showcase how important your activities are, it’s also a lot harder for financial decision makers to say no to a board vs. one person.

Wools Chapter 9; Empowering Chapter 3

Wools Chapter 9:
Budget is something that everyone in the field of education has to worry about. In small districts such as the one I work in it’s a constant wet towel on an otherwise great environment. It was nice to read through this chapter and understand a little more of how things work at an (almost) administrative level. Certainly much higher than what I have to worry about at this current time. The thing I took away to be most important was to have your plan (or proposal) written out neatly, leaving out things that aren’t necessary, and treating it almost like a college paper, making sure you have people reread over it to check for errors.
The purchase specifications helped me understand what needs to be addressed in the proposal more than anything. First, you communicate specific desires of what is needed, how and who will use the equipment, and how will it be installed and delivered? Another important factor is when you need something that is detailed oriented, make sure that it is of high quality, media centers have to be cost accountable to the taxpayers of their community.
I was a little surprised to read, at first, the fact that some school districts refuse for any outside funds to be used for certain school projects. However, upon completing the paragraph, I can see where it would make sense. Obviously, if the money is coming from somewhere like a grant, or non-profit business, there should be no issues. Sometimes though, people ‘donate’ money in thoughts that a favor could or should be returned at a later date by the school system. Use your imagination to think of a few!
This chapter was great, because it walked you through step by step on how to complete all the necessary paper work to run a library financially. I found it a little repetitive at times, and hard to get through, but I understand the fact that it is vital for these things to be clearly defined.

Empowering Learners Chapter 3; Budget:
The section on budget here clearly lets the librarian know that there will be times when money is a shortfall, and they will have to put in extra hours to earn what is needed. The librarian is responsible for doing many things like, writing grants, fundraisers, and even parent donation programs. Our library does an annual book fair that greatly helps the financials. Each year there is usually enough money raised for each teacher to come up and select a free book. This is a big deal considering that each grade has 6-7 teachers, including special education. There is also a program where books can be donated in memory of someone, the students especially enjoy these because there’s always a sticker inside the cover that says who donated it and for whom. This chapter also talks of the importance of the librarian in collecting and using data to support their means. Not only are they collecting the data on how much the library is collaborating and assisting the school as a whole, but also current market trends about resources they need, use, or might want in the future. One thing I would like to see at an elementary level, that would probably help with costs, is an interlibrary loan, or a ‘Craigslist’ type of forum. Imagine, you have 5 copies of Dear Mr. Henshaw, your library only needs two, go online and see if that book is needed and if they’re willing to exchange for anything you need or want. I can totally see this happening!

Dream Renovation of the James Memorial Library

Renovation of James Memorial Library
Name: The James Memorial Library
Location: St. James, MO
Students Served: 400+public
Library Personnel: 1 Librarian, 3 Full-Time Aides
The James Memorial Library is what many would consider St. James’ public library, but in fact, it is not. It is privately ran and operated by the James Foundation. The land and business were donated by the namesake of our library, town, and even school, Lucy Wortham James, and her father. However, they are no longer ran publicly, instead a board of trustees from New York make all of the financial decisions when it comes not only to the library, but to the park (where the library is) as well.
The 4 Sections I would like to Renovate:
-YA section; its in a small corner with 2 shelves behind a wall.
- Local Information and History Section; there are artifacts spread throughout the building, but they’re never on rotation or have any real highlight to them, the place where the actual resources for this is also in a small darkly lit corner opposite the YA section
-Technology Space; there are 4 computers available for internet use all in a small area right behind the circulation desk, thee computers available for card catalog searching only.
-Children’s Section; is at the front of the library, where the kids are encouraged to be quiet, with a table available for toddlers, but zero furniture that’s welcoming for any older children.
Goals for Renovation: Overall, bringing this library to the 21st Century.
- YA section; provide a more welcoming space for teenaged students, where it doesn’t feel like their being constantly monitored because of their age, comfortable seating that encourages students to sit and interact, possibly one of the computers from the main section in this area as well. The main goal is to get kids to use this free resource in our community. I have students that refuse to go here because they don’t even know where the YA section is (a lot of my 5th graders are reading this genre, and there’s a lot of inappropriately aged materials in this section as well, that should be in the children’s section)
-Local Information and History Section; My goal is to have this information all in one section. Also, it would be nice to have some kind of technology that constantly shows local history, facts, and pictures that aren’t available through physical artifacts any longer.
-Technology Space; is right now right next to the Circulation Desk. The areas are cramped, and hardly allow any social interaction whatsoever. Also, with the lack of computers each person is limited to an hour a day on the computers, I understand this, but believe something should be done about it since it’s been this way for years.
-Children’s Section- make the kids feel welcome here just like the YA section. Make it a kid friendly atmosphere, add comfortable furniture, have recommendations on the walls, and if needed provide an aide for strictly this section.
How does my proposal change the concept of the Learning Center?
My proposal changes the entirety of the library by making it a more collaborative friendly environment. The use of space is changed to make sure appropriate age groups are together to ensure maximum interaction. I put the Children’s Section in the back, this way they don’t feel obligated to be quiet, a space in the center allows families or older children to come together to share a book, and this space can also be the new area where all the presentations are made.

The picture below was done in PowerPoint. The top slide is the 'Before' shot, and the second slide is the 'After' shot.
MemLib

Week 3 Blogs

Larry Ferlazzo- Upon looking at this site one might not think it’s exactly educational, and used in the incorrect way it wouldn’t be, but I see the potential lurking there. He blogged about a company called Anmish that allows you to choose a caricature of a World Leader and then you can create a 30 second audio clip recording and mesh the two together. Not only does the world leader say what you did, you’re allowed to change facial expressions as well! Being in the classroom I could see this used especially in a Civics Class or Social Studies, but it would also work for something like Speech where students learn to recognize unspoken communication.

Larry Ferlazzo (again)- I teach Communication Arts, and one thing that my students struggle with is journal writing. You always have a few that will write no matter what or create a story, but for the most parts my students complain, “I have nothing to write about”. I’ve tried giving examples or a question of the day, but have come to realize that students need a visual sometimes. I’m always on the lookout for interesting photos, and Mr.Ferlazzo has provided a who list of “Photo Galleries of the Week” on June 22nd. A few of the sites have to be sort through for content, but the majority are ones that I definitely plan on using next year.

Free Technology for Teachers- I’ve been hearing about Social Bookmarking and web based bookmarking a lot lately, but have never bothered to find out much more about it. I’ve used ikeepbookmarks.com, but I used it in college and didn’t find it to be all that spectacular. However, on this website they do an easy to follow 9 slide power point presentation on how to use and get Google Bookmarking. What gets me excited about this is because I work with a lot of older teachers who aren’t familiar with new technology. This will probably be something that I share with my ‘Teacher Mom’ at school.

Pixelated- Using the Ipad on the Gale demonstrated by a student. I think this is a great clip because it shows how simple it is to use Gale as a resource. I think it probably scares off a lot of students just because they’re not familiar with it. However, within this 55 second video it shows how to start at point 0, and go all the way through to finding your resources.

School Library Monthly- I am constantly fighting the Facebook battle in my classroom. Students and Parents are constantly requesting me to be their friends, even though on multiple occasions I’ve told both that, my FB is for my personal life. However, this does little to stop them. During school I’m fighting the issue of cyber bullying through FB. I guess, though, one good way to look at it is that they are becoming familiar with not only technology, but the use of free programs available to them. This week on School Library Monthly they ran an article on Fakewall. Basically what students do is create a fake FB wall for a historical figure. Even though at first I thought it was encouraging them, I know think it’s a pretty neat idea. The walls are all privately set, and ran on a safe program. It would be a great learning assignment for them to not only create the wall, but act as though they are the actual historical figure, respond like them request the same friends as them, and even learn about some of their famous quotes and post them as they’re post of the day!

Learning Commons Videos and Ideas

What design considerations do you need to take into consideration as you develop a learning commons concept? How would a learning commons function differently from the way your library currently functions?
After watching the YouTube video of the NCSU I’ve realized how desperately important it is for the ability for students to work as a group. A design consideration I would definitely think about would be computer stations that allow multiple people to work one either one computer, or as a group working on multiple stations.
The Learning Commons in Santa Clara do not look anything like our current library. First, the vast open areas are wonderful, with brightly colored, inviting seating that encourage people to come and inhabit the library. As much as I hate to say it; our library is dank, dark, and very, very old. There are zero areas that allow for cooperative work and the only sign of technology is a bank of 6 computers that you can use for only an hour. I noticed at the Santa Clara Learning Commons all the choices that people had once they entered, do they need a quiet area, are they going to be collaborating, looking for a book? All those options are available with the adequate space provided in Santa Clara.
The reason for me behind watching the third video, the CCHS Learning Commons was to watch students in action using the facilities. Most videos show all the architecture features and students working, but from a distance. With this video

5 Significant Design Features/concepts/ideas:
1. Make sure that you listen to the wants and needs of the people who will be using the library, and also those who are helping support financially.
2. Collaborative space is almost as important as the resources that are offered in the library.
3. A Learning Commons can be anything you want it to be (if you have those resources) it can have aspects of the traditional library, or it can be something completely different from what anyone’s used to seeing in the area. (The new Santa Clara Learning Commons is a fabulous example)
4. Make not only teachers aware of the free resources and technology available, but also parents, staff members, or the local library, but MOST importantly, the students! They will be the most capable of using the new gimmicks coming out.
5. Be willing to step away and allow students to work independently. They can do it! If they have questions be there to facilitate, but not lead.

3 Sources:
NCState. “NCSU Libraries Learning Commons”, YouTube. 2008.Web. 23 June 2011.
santaclaraweb. “A New Learning Commons and Library: the Heart of Academics”, YouTube. 2009. Web. 23 June 2011.
Cicchetti, Robin. “CCHS Learning Commons-Chinese”,Vimeo. 2010. Web. 23 June 2011. http://www.vimeo.com/9179860

Week 3 Articles

Best Practices:
Designing a library isn’t an easy task, and lots of things need to be considered before jumping in with two feet. The article ‘Best Practices’ recommends that several things be taken into consideration first; adjustable lighting, electrical connections, sound control, and space for expansion. Also, when building or rearranging the library different areas need to be thought out, especially for noise levels. For example, the work station area and the collections shelves might need to be placed further away from the independent reading section. The staff at WBDG also recommend the following things for a functional learning commons; space to separate activities, an open design, cable connections for videos, acoustical treatment on the walls, and cubicle partitions. There are many others, but these are the ones that I haven’t thought about until sitting down and actually designing a library.

Library Design-
The first line in this article I fell in love with, “the only safe prediction about the future is that technology will change”. This makes perfect sense to me, because who could have seen the invention of blogging or Skype coming? You can’t plan for things that you aren’t aware of. This is the reason why the article tries to influence the makeup of the library to be as flexible as possible. The reason for an outside wall is nice (so an addition can be built later), but I don’t see how that would be possible for most school districts, if they’re library is already established. Once again, it comes down to budget. Some librarians are struggling to keep their jobs in today’s economy, they can’t be too picky about the location they’re given.

Theory into Practice-
I’ve never heard the idea of ‘third place’ before, but it makes so much sense. For myself, the two places I bounce back and forth from are home and work, in high school it was pretty much the same. In our small town there aren’t any activities for our teenagers to do whatsoever, so often times they find ways to keep themselves busy which leads to problems. I could see the library becoming the ‘third place’ in our community, granted it won’t work for every child all the time, but it would give them a positive environment for at least a short time. I like how Erikson once again reminds librarians of the ‘casual area’ with a café like feel to it. In order to attract teens (or even pre-teens) it has to be welcoming and warm.

Library Spaces-
I just loved the image from the Children’s Room in Brentwood, TN. As a child I would have loved to go to the library just to walk under that! Also, I love how spacey their floor plan is, the shelves aren’t so close you get claustrophobic and there’s room for different additions later it looks like. Also, what I’m very impressed with is the flat screen that has a constant role of the local area’s history. That a neat idea, but what about changing it up every once awhile with maybe a spotlight on an author, or librarian recommendations? Another piece I looked at that I automatically love upon sight was Crisafulli Elementary Library. However, once I started reading it explained the fact that although the building looked aesthetically pleasing, the dome like design was impractical for things such as quiet reading time. It was neat to read that even though there were small flaws in the makeup, the library was ‘the heart of their school’. Another article I looked at that really made an impression on me was the School Libraries Project in the Washington DC area. The ideas was to take 8 of the school libraries in the area that were out of date and transform them into something usable by today’s standards. (Of course the first thing I look at is budget, of which there were several contributors, but the biggest being from federal aid.) The layout of the site is extremely easy to navigate and I would recommend going there if you didn’t check it out from the assignment. It’s amazing what they were able to come up with from buildings already in existence. My only complaint: the new learning commons look a little ‘sterile’ (they remind me of a children’s hospital) and I think they could be a little bit warmer.

6/21; Woolls Chapter 6 &7, Empowering Learners Chapter 3

Empowering Learners Chapter 3:
Efficiency, to me, that’s what this chapter was all about. The library is a growing organism that needs to be flexible, is always changing, and it’s the librarian’s job to make sure that aspects of that are covered. Where the superintendent is the boss of the district, the principal is the boss of the building, the librarian is in charge of the library. It is that person’s responsibility to make sure that the learning environment is operating at full capacity. In order to do that there are several aspects that have to be constantly monitored. One of the most important is obviously the learning space. The area needs to look aesthetically pleasing, provides sufficient storage, resources based learning, and the librarian has to be flexible for scheduling. There are other things that fall into this category as well, making sure that appropriate resources are available, which in today’s age includes a fair amount of technology. Something else that’s very important to librarians, and educators, is budget. Since school’s (at least public) are ran on tax dollars it is very easy to over plan or run out quickly for the amount received. Librarians have to be willing to set up fundraisers, write grants, and ask for donations in order to cover any amount left over that they need. Staffing within the library is something that the head librarian is also in charge of. Many elements need to be looked at when considering staff; appropriate patterns, training, applicable job descriptions, and once the person is hired a mutual respect and collaboration. What most people see as the librarians ‘main job’ is actually only part of the career, collections. In today’s times collections doesn’t only mean books; it’s a plethora of items that need to be accounted for, online resources, web catalogs, print resources, workstations, and online databases that include interlibrary loan.
Wools, Chapter 6:
I enjoyed reading this chapter because it let you ‘dream’ a little about what you think your perfect library might be. However, you’re then snapped back into reality at the end of the chapter when they start talking about building and new construction. It left me wondering, how often can librarians walk in and say, “This is not going to work!” and then a team of construction workers walk in ready to do her bidding. My guess is, never. so therefore that leaves you with working with what you’ve got. This chapter provided a lot of ideas for that as well. Obviously the first step is to figure out how much room you have and what materials you have to work with. One thing I wouldn’t have done, that this chapter recommends (and makes sense) is to map it out with a grid. The chapter recommends keeping the ‘noisy’ spaces separate from the quiet places. However, this is not always an option, in our library it’s one big room, so there are no separate areas. Also, I don’t think this mends well with the idea of a learning commons, ideally the whole area would be available for cooperative work, with a small area set aside for quiet or individual projects.
Chapter 7:
Being boss is something I’m used to-in my classroom, over small children. However, being in charge of adults and making sure they do their jobs correctly is something that overwhelms me a little. I was the manager of our local pool for a few years, but then I only had to worry about unruly teenagers, not a school library. This chapter really helped me overcome the idea that being ‘over’ someone would be a worrying experience. The advice offered ways to stay professional, but still make sure your point got across. I learned how important it is that the librarian is included in the hiring process and writing the job description for anyone hired to work within the library. Securing qualified personnel, making sure they are adequately trained, and evaluating are all measures to make sure the library flows the smoothest. As head librarian it will be necessary to evaluate staff, and the best practice for this is through observation. The text talks about how this might be an uncomfortable position for the staff or even the librarian to be in. As a teacher I’ve experienced observations countless times. I’ve pretty much gotten over it, if you’re doing your job you really have nothing to worry about if someone is watching over your shoulder. I found the advice on how to deal with students and administrators helpful as well, and with already working in the school system I plan on adapting a few of these new techniques into my collaborations.

Week 2 Blog Reviews

The Daring Librarian- To me, book reviews are essential. However, I’ve only learned that later in my life. Thinking back to high school there were probably a lot of people who read books similar to mine, but since we didn’t run in the same circle our ideas and thoughts were never exchanged. The Daring Librarian this week gives students a simple format for how to write a book review-ONLINE (specifically Twitter) by using links and emoticons to help express their opinions. She has examples of popular books and for the technical parts of the review has a step-by-step progress for students to follow. This could have changed my earlier book reading life, checking blogs and people’s Tweets to see what books are recommended and what not to waste my time on!
Larry Ferlazzo- In the district I work for there are not too many ELL students, and in my short time I’ve yet to have one in my class. However, I’m always wondering what I would do if/when one of those students are placed in my room. Ferlazzo put a really cool link on his blog this week that will help ELL students do voice search through Google. Not only will this get them practicing vocabulary, but it will make them do it correctly because it has to be pronounced the right way. This is a great activity for when students have to do research on a project, look up a word they don’t understand, or for ELL’s understanding the language they will be working with.
Pixelated: eReaders and iPads in the School Library- the blog for this is very short, but what the interesting thing is, is a link that takes you to a list of all the free/cheap educational applications for an iPad. Now, I’m not too familiar with iPads (believe me, I would love to be), but how cool would it be to have a center in your room with 4-5 iPads in it? Students could be doing anything from writing a book review, practice their typing skills, or spelling drills (all on the list provided). I assume that once you download an app that it stays on the iPad? In that case, you could download several onto each iPad and then have the students choose their own learning activity for the day.
School Library Monthly- I’m always worried about my lower readers. As much as I hate to admit, I do spend a lot of time talking books with my upper/higher readers (often times at recess or in the halls), but not nearly enough with my emerging readers. I often don’t like the books they’re reading or haven’t read them at all. In School Library Monthly they have a great application for an iPad, or iPhone that takes books and turns them into a comic strip format. How much easier would it be for me, as a teacher, now to take 30 seconds and have them show me their favorite slide on an iPad? I know it would be much easier for both the student and myself than flipping through a chapter book and trying to find a specific page with the information they wanted to share with me. The application is called Toon Books, even the name is catchy enough to make kids want to read!
Free Technology For Teachers- (or in this case, students). I’m not sure I completely follow the actions that have to be taken to take advantage of this application, but I’m going to try my hardest to explain it. Obviously students are constantly texting, and an organization called Study Boost has decided to take advantage of this ever-streaming flow of contact. What kids do is sign up through the company, and then being to look for questions that they have about a certain topic. The questions (yes, questions) are then sent to them, they in turn have to send back their responses. After they’ve answered the questions they automatically get feedback from the company via text messaging. I think this is a great idea! Teachers could even sign up for an account, pull up the information on their SmartBoard, and go through the questions together to see which ones would be most beneficial for students.

Philosophical and Attitudinal Changes from Library to Learning Commons

What philosophical and attitudinal changes need to take place on the part of the person running the library in order to create a learning commons?
It’s interesting to look at the broad span of answers for this question. Each article I read this week offers a different, yet oddly similar opinion on the matter. Seth Godin offers a strong opinion on the matter. Even though I’m sure this article irritated a lot of people in the profession I’m planning on going into, I think he offers valid points. What Godin is trying to stress is the importance of a librarian as a venue to higher education. He states that the use of a librarian is more important than ever, but that there is really no use for a library at all. (Not something I totally agree with). In order for the above changes to be made librarians are going to have to look past the way Godin has of ‘laying it all on the table’, and really understand that he has valid points. For example, instead of being ‘a warehouse for dead books’, libraries are going to have to adjust their attitudes as to what exactly it means in providing the best, most up to date materials for their consumers. In this day in age, that means looking further into technology, not only is it more accessible, it’s more welcoming, and a lot easier and quicker to find information. Overall the user-friendliness of the library increases once these options are put into place.
The Unquiet Librarian has a very realistic approach to the fact that philosophical and attitudinal changes need to come to the library, over and over again she brings up the realization that funding is just not there at this point in time. This puts librarians in a difficult situation. You want to prove that you are functional to the best capacities for the community, but you don’t have the resources to do it. At this point I think part of the ‘attitude change’ could come in. Why not start a few fundraisers, ask patrons to donate actual objects instead of holding out a cash hungry hand? Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Another suggestion that was brought up in this article really stunned me. The idea of collaboration is great, but one suggestion was that a librarian be in a classroom 3-4 days a week, and the other 1-2 they can work in the library. Ideally this would be wonderful, but in our school we have 1 librarian and 1 para for around 800 children. How can she possibly be in classrooms AND have the library functioning properly? However, maybe that’s one of my philosophical changes that I need to make- the role of the teacher-librarian.
‘A Long Look in the Mirror’ asks some tough questions, but ones that I think are necessary. If librarians answer these questions honestly, they can see where their changes need to stem from. Can programs be directly linked to student achievement, and if so, why is the library the only one that knows it? Unfortunately, in today’s day and age a library has to prove why it should stay open. It’s obvious to us, but how are you going to show others? So library philosophy can and should start changing here. Instead of worrying about making sure all the books are in order, checked in on time, and sending out those past-due notices, priorities need to be reassessed and changed.
‘Librarian 2.0’ is a perfect example of what and where a school library should be. Students learn so much by creating and collaborating, and the ‘Veteran’s Issues Project Portal’ is a shining star when looking at those two aspects. Obviously someone in this library has stepped back and looked at their philosophy and attitudes when it comes to what they should provide.
My personal opinion to the question is a mixture of all the above articles. Do I think libraries need to ‘step it up’ and start offering things such as ebooks and a bank of research computers? Absolutely. Do I think this is an option for every library at this point? Not in a million years. I keep coming back to the same thing over and over again (probably because it plagues my area and personal life), funding. We live in a rural town of 3,000 people, how beneficial would it be to offer after school tutoring at the library, or a bank of research computers? I don’t honestly know the clear answer to the question, but if I had to guess these services would not be accessed like they should be, or have the potential to be. There is a low rate of college graduates, and most people who graduate high school move right into the working field. So- I guess what I must do is take myself out of ‘what I know’, and position myself into a different area. In that case, as I’ve said before, Kirkpatrick Library is an absolutely amazing example of what a learning commons should look and feel like. It offers layers upon layers of resources for it’s students (and I assume residents?) to engage themselves in. I would be interested also to see how they get clients into the library, and what kind of programs they run.
Overall in the library community I think the changes (I’m not so sure they’re exactly changes per say) need to be the following; the ability to be and stay flexible, providing information to consumers in a number of ways especially the most convenient ways, and to take a look at the questions that LaGarde asked in her article ‘A Long Look in the Mirror.’

Goldsmith, Braxton, and Richardson Articles

Barbara Braxton is an absolute genius when it comes to getting people interested in the library. A few of her ideas I’d heard before, but there were so many I had never even thought of! She suggests developing an interactive-competition between students reading the same series of books. This would have been perfect in my class this year, at one point 7 out of 21 of my students were reading Harry Potter (I just finished the series and was pushing it really hard). I would always allow them to have ‘Potter Time’, but never even considered having them ‘earn’ something for their efforts. Other ideas I love that she mentioned; make them feel ownership by helping choose books, have a principal’s reading challenge, or creating hypothetical dilemmas that favorite characters might get themselves into.
Braxton had a few different pieces that talked about the ‘roles’ of the librarian. I think for some people these might be good to see and look at, but personally, I think there is much more to it than just subsidizing responsibilities into different titles. Under all the different roles there was definitely a common theme about being the information specialist though!
The ‘brain work’ that was talked about in this article really struck me. All through college the big debate was about nature vs. nurture, and I found it relieving that Braxton included both sides of the argument. Even though I’d heard so much about brain development in the past, or everyone in awhile pick up an article in a journal about it, it’s often easy to forget how or why students learn what they do. The one thing that jumped off the page to me was the fact that 70% of what is learned is not directly taught. This makes sense if you take into consideration all the things going on in a single classroom. Alone the socialization is enough to learn about just by sitting back and observing.

Everyone has their own opinion on things, I happen to be one of those that generally has a pretty strong opinion. I always like to make sure that people hear what I have to say on something before the final decision is made. That doesn’t always usually go down so great considering my young age and ‘lack of experience’. So to me the article by Goldsmith ‘Effectively Influencing Decision Makers’ was very informative. Basically it’s how to make sure you’re heard-without being pushy. A few of the suggestions really influenced how I will start looking at things; every decision is made by the decision making person, not necessarily the right or smartest one, realize that powerful people are just as human as myself and they also make mistakes, support the final decision of the organization, focus on the future and focus on issues that make a real difference and be willing to loose on small points. Obviously some of these are common sense, but so often people get wrapped up in what’s going on and believe it’s so much more important than what it really is. Personally I had this issue dealing with a certain set of parents this year. It always seemed like whatever was going on at the moment was just absolutely necessary and I was often times unwilling to back down, trying to prove my point. If I would have stepped back and remembered that little phrase, “be willing to loose on small points”, my year would have been much easier!

I found the comments on Will Richardson’s article even more interesting than the article itself! As I was reading through “Transparency=Leadership” I kept thinking to myself ‘Is this a joke’, ‘Who is this guy’, etc., etc. Upon reading the comments I felt justified in my beliefs and feelings. As a teacher I work my tail off, I’m here at 7:30 in the morning, and don’t usually leave until 5:30-6:00. I am working the ENTIRE time I’m here. If the students are here- it’s with the students. After hours are when I get finished with curriculum, lesson planning, grading, all the fun things that makes up teaching. I almost felt like Richardson was saying “That’s not good enough”. I understand the point he’s trying to make- teachers need to be good leaders and strong role models, but I don’t think in order to fit that criteria you have to be found in a Google Search. One point that Richardson makes and I do think is fitting is the fact that none of the usual status differentiators carry much weight online, whether that be position, title, education, or academic degree. To a certain extent almost everyone is equal (or has the potential to be) online. Anyone can sign into Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, create blogs or wikis, and put information out on the web. This is why it’s so vitally important to make sure our students understand what a good search or resource looks like.
Even though quite a few of the comments didn’t agree with Richardson, I was very impressed that the readers (or at least the ones I read) made sure that they were clear on their opinion but did it in a professional manner. Often times people get very heated about these kinds of discussions, especially when it seems like one side is accusing another of lacking something.

6/14: Learners Chapt 4, Woolls Chapters 12 & 14

Empowering Learners Chapter 4:
I found this chapter to be a great guide to ‘expectations for a media leader’. It basically outlines the things that should already be taking place, options for taking those further, and the responsibilities of the librarian. ALA really stresses the point that the library program needs to be at the front and center of a school in all facets. One thing that really stood out to me was the list of ‘Characteristics of Good Leadership’. Obviously this isn’t just for the media center, but for every walk of life. I’m planning on making some kind of bulletin board centered on these characteristics in my classroom. In 5th grade basically all the kids want to be leaders of some sort or another and this will encourage them by using the right methods to get there. To make it interactive, I’ll probably have them nominate other students who exhibit these qualities to have their names put up on the same board. Positive role models are few and far between for some kids, so every opportunity there is for them to make a good decision needs to be acted on, especially when it involves peer interaction.
School Library Media Manager Chapter 12:
I thought it was interesting to look at the library as a small business. The references to producer, consumer, marketing, products, and services had me flashing back to my freshman business class. However that makes sense, if you want the media center to remain the forefront of a school you have to look at what it is that people (your students) want. Why would you go down and spend hours looking through books and indexes for a research paper when with a couple of quick clicks you have the same information? It’s all about drawing them in, the library can no longer be ‘just about books’. It has to be a welcoming space that encourages interaction, collaboration, and learning. How is a librarian going to do this? Woolls gives several examples in her text; changing bulletin boards and showcases frequently, have a yearly theme to encourage students in year after year, send out lists of new resources, create a blog about the projects or items offered in the library, or writing in the local newspaper or newsletter frequently to make sure that everyone (especially parents) are informed about what’s going on. The possibilities are endless on how to get kids to come to the library- it’s just the amount of work and effort one wants to put into it that matters.
I also love the idea of making sure that the media center has a good reputation. Too often students are sent home with past-due notices or their report cards are kept. I understand this is a significant way to get funds and books back to the library, however, if there were other things going home as well, maybe these letters or phone calls wouldn’t sting as bad. Think from a teacher’s stand point- you always want parent-teacher conferences to go REALLY good, because their at the beginning of the year and you’re just starting your relationship with those people (students as well as parents). It also ensures if later on you have to make a ‘not so happy’ phone call home, parents will be a lot more understanding. The same applies for the library. If there are continuous positive experiences in the media center, those late notices don’t seem like such a big deal. However, I believe the last line of the chapter really sums it all up, “…the media specialist’s easiest marketing techniques is to greet everyone who comes in the door with a smile and eagerness to help.”
Chapter 14:
Chapter 14 is really about getting everyone involved. By everyone, that’s exactly what I mean, the parents, the students, teachers, and even a child the same age half way across the world that might have information to help a student on a presentation about the crops in South America. I love the idea of expanding the borders of education (or really blowing them to smithereens) by use of technology. Something the chapter did hit on that I have concerns about as well; safety and cyber-bullying. Already I’ve had to deal with the cyber bullying issue and I try to avoid it like the plague because it gets sticky and nasty. Another challenge that’s brought up is teaching students to develop effective search strategies. As a librarian I think it’s a great idea, as a teacher I think another thing to teach?!? Later in the same paragraph there’s a line that I just don’t agree with, and honestly made me a little irritated, “Once the student graduates (high school), it is too late to create a lifelong information-literate user”. I believe this is a very closed minded statement, after all haven’t older generations adapted to the internet. I know lots have already bypassed the point where I’m at as far as technology is concerned! In general this chapter is about getting information out to the ‘consumers’ in any way, shape, or form possible. It just so happens that in today’s day and age, the best form happens to be through technology.