What I have, What I wish for ...

My media center has technology which students can use to access information, create presentations and communicate with others- although we don’t allow students to email. I do encourage teachers to follow up or extend the learning if I’ve hit upon something that the students can benefit from- such as subscription databases that can help them with research and personalized booklists that they can create in Destiny. And yes, I do welcome new opportunities to learn new technology.

I wish that the computer lab was physically attached to the library, but it isn’t. It’s one floor below me, on the other side of the building … Makes for a logistical nightmare if I want to take a couple of my classes there.

I have an LCD projector in the library and 7 student computers. When I plan a lesson that will include technology- say, a scavenger hunt, for instance, I make the computers one of the “stations.” The kids will travel to several sections of the library to complete the scavenger hunt. When I want students to use a variety of sources for an inquiry project, I will design it so that the computers will only be one component in their research process.

I wish I had a seat on the Technology Committee, because I would like to become involved with district wide technology decisions. I will be revisiting this issue with my principal before the start of the next school year.

My professional goals:
Continue using technology when appropriate to help my students become 21st century learners
Stay current with respect to new trends and tools in technology
Collaborate and work with entire grade levels to make sure we are all on the same page
Continue to offer staff development

Blogging Bonanza

This is an update on the new library blog. I'm thrilled at the response. Last night, before I had an opportunity to share it with my students, 3 of them - the Jacobs triplets- blogged from home. As I sit here typing, I've gotten 2 more email alerts about new postings. I'm going to have to put my thinking cap on and come up with some ways to tap into this obvious interest. As a former English teacher and a West Chester University Writing Fellow, I'm always exploring ways to integrate writing into the library program. I think I've hit on something ...

Meaningful Technology Tools: A BRIEF Survey

I had a discussion earlier today with one of the teachers in my building- a digital native. He teaches 5th grade and I was curious to know what technology tools he felt were meaningful to his students. He says that blogging has been a great experience for them. (I like his blog page. He's imported some Power Point presentations. I MUST ask him to help me with that ... I think he uses Slide.) His class also enjoyed a video conference earlier this year, with Historic Cold Spring Village, an early American village. The kids have been using the Pathfinder to Resources that I created for them and he says that it certainly has simplified his life! (I will be revisiting this with all the 5th grade teachers later this year, to see what changes or additions are needed for next year's research project.) They spend significant time in the lab, he says, writing and researching. Three out of the four teachers in this grade are digital natives. Two of them still use the overhead projector on a daily basis. One of them streams videos.

Fourth grade teachers are very into digital pictures. They are the number one borrowers of the cameras, which they have to sign out from me. They print the pictures for use in their students' journals and they import them into presentations. Only one of the 4th grade teachers really uses the library all day, every day. The kids do mini research projects and book reports. The other 4th grade teachers (2 of them are digital natives) are not in here often enough! They don't stream videos.

I never see 3rd grade teachers, unless they're dropping the kids off or picking them up.

First and Second grade teachers have participated in video conferences. They do not stream videos. I am spending more time this year helping those students learn how to search for books in Destiny. First grade does a mini animal research project. I don't know what second grade does, in terms of research. First grade teachers use the library as a warehouse. They sign out lots and lots of books- usually without my assistance. They take out the same books every year and don't inquire about new ones. I do make an effort to share new ones with them, though. I'm pushy like that.

I an old Spring Villagestoric Cold Spring Village

Oscar and the Movies

I'm watching the Academy Awards and reminiscing about some of the great movie experiences I've had ...

Another thought occurs to me: I don't understand how anyone can watch a film on an IPod!

Back in the seventies, I saw Star Wars in the movie theater and sharing that experience with my fellow movie- goers is one that I'll always remember. (We were booing Darth Vader and cheering on Han Solo!) I will also never forget the collective gasp of the audience near the end of The Sixth Sense.

Technology has its place, but how can you appreciate the artistry of film- making by watching it on a tiny screen?

I feel the same way about reading books. I won't be buying a Kindle. I have to hold the book.

I'm also thinking of the handful of films that I've seen that were as good as the book: Gone With The Wind, The Maltese Falcon, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Exorcist, The Outsiders, and The Godfather. I'm always telling my students that the book is almost always better than the movie ... They don't believe me!

I hear that a film version will be made of The Tale of Despereaux. I loved that book ... very Zen ... and heartbreakingly beautiful ... But the movie? We'll have to see.

Also, I read somewhere that Scorcese bought the rights to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, my favorite book of this past year. The book is a natural for the movies!

The Blogoshpere

Last week, I created a school blog on my school webpage. I've decided, for now, to ask students directed questions about literature and I'm hoping they will have fun with this! (Check it out: http://www.rtmsd.org/7441125615114947/site/default.asp?)

My students are a diverse group- some with computers at home and some with none. With respect to books, the same applies- some have them, some do not.

I worry not only about the lack of books and computers in their lives, but also about them not having opportunities to express themselves about things that matter to them. I'm hoping that if given the opportunity to speak their minds, without having to worry about their penmanship or about being graded, they will enjoy the experience.

There are many times when I feel that technology is not as important as literature, especially when I see some of the boys and girls struggle with reading and writing. Blogging is, I think, a perfect way for me to encourage and support their learning in a way that will also introduce them to technology.

The School Library As Warehouse v. The Library- Lovers

Here's the answer to the question I posed to myself last Thursday ... No. Teachers holding a faculty meeting in my library weren't tempted to check out the gorgeous books that were on display. The books were all standing tall like soldiers. No one even looked at them, as far as I could tell.

Some of my teachers check out oodles of books. They treat the library like a book warehouse.

Collaboration? This occurs when I approach them. I tend to approach the teachers that I believe will be receptive. I don't take rejection well. :0(

The only teachers with whom I collaborate on a semi- regular basis are the 5th grade teachers. Each year, I take a larger chunk of the Big Research Project. This year, I created a pathfinder to the library's resources and it was well received by teachers and students.

And the icing on the cake? Fifth- graders wander in and out of the library asking for all manner of things: a Native American tale because they're curious about something they read in class; a resource on the Rockettes because of an upcoming visit to NYC; more books on poisonous snakes because "they're cool," etc. THIS is why I do what I do!

Don't Mess With Librarians

Last Friday, the librarians in our school district did something shocking ... We met as a team! For the 2nd time this year!

The first order of business? To set 3 more meeting dates before the end of the year. We all agreed that we weren't going to let the principals or any other member of the administration prevent us from getting together. The elementary librarians have no common planning time, so we decided that we could meet with the middle school and high school librarians if we set the 3 meetings in lieu of reading with 2nd graders every morning-- a task we were told about at our first faculty meetings back in August by our respective principals. (BTW, I repectfully objected to that order at that very faculty meeting, stating that it was not in my job description to do this. My principal shot me down.)

In addition, the middle and high school librarians attended a workshop on advocacy at ALA Midwinter and we are going to request a flex workshop so they can share with us a plan for us to formalize our team's plans to be more visible in our buildings and in our community.

Yeah, us!

Test Scores

Our school district has invested a lot of money in technology this year. The kids are using computer programs to help them boost their test scores in math and reading.

My contribution to boosting test scores is teaching information literacy skills: how to use a table of contents, index, and glossary to locate and synthesize information more efficiently. I also ask students to locate specific facts in the World Book Encyclopedia. I'm seeing mixed results, which doesn't surprise me. I have explained to each 4th and 5th grade teacher the particular weakness that needs to be addressed in their classroom before the tests begin the end of March. I hope they follow up ...

Next week, I'm going to have my 5th grades put their shelves in order. They "adopted" their shelves in November, in conjunction with their study of decimals in their math classes. The teachers love that reinforcement and I love neat, orderly shelves!

Black History Month???

I'll be out of my building tomorrow to attend a library team meeting in another building in the district. There will be a faculty meeting in my library during my absence and I spent much of the morning selecting books to display - terrific new books I have about the Civil Rights movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as biographies of notable people and related fiction books as well. At the end of this task, I stood back to admire my beautiful display. As I was mentally patting myself on the back for making such excellent purchases for our library, it hit me. WHY are there so many books on display? Because no one has visited the library to peruse the collection and check out materials for the classroom.

I can't wait to return on Tuesday, to see if some folks checked out some of these books!

Hug Your Librarian

Back in 2004, a colleague, Joyce Valenza, wrote an article called, "Ten Reasons to Hug Your School Librarian." The article was published under the auspices of Classroom Connect and it was directed at classroom teachers. The closing line of her article has stayed with me. "Librarians get their kicks from making you look good. Not only do they help learners learn, they help teachers teach."

I copied and distributed the article to all my teachers and then went around to all the classrooms for my hug. I warned the teachers before- hand that I was going to be visiting the classroom for my hug and the kids thought it was hilarious.

This was also the article that inspired me to redouble my efforts to find teachers who would collaborate with me. Although this is not the latest article on school library advocacy, it's still a goodie. Check it out ... www.sdst.org/shs/library/pdf/hug.pdf

Libraries that are wired- and booked

I read a report about library usage among Generation Y, on or about the same day I started a new class on library issues and advocacy. The Pew Internet & American Life Project released this report on Dec. 30, 2007. (http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/231/report_display.asp) It states that, "Generation Y—18-to-30-year-olds, in particular—is more likely to turn to libraries to ferret out information than their older counterparts are. Furthermore," ... members of Gen Y are the leading users of libraries for help solving problems and in more general patronage." Students may not be abandoning libraries for the Internet, as some people have worried. Whew!!!

Just when I was beginning to see the end of my profession, I'm feeling re-invigorated by these kids- these same kids who are telling us they want American leadership to change course in politics. Maybe Gen Y is at the same place I came to a number of years ago. Computers cannot replace books. It's all about balance.

Mary Alice Anderson, in her article, "Why Are Media Positions Cut? How Not To Survive!" discusses all the reasons that libraries and media specialists are being phased out. Budget issues are mainly out of a librarian's control, but other factors can be used to the librarian's advantage to save the profession. In addition to things like keeping current with technology and education trends, why not look to these young students who are flocking to our libraries, as potential allies and advocates? They can speak forcefully about the importance of libraries in their lives.

The Open Library

Here's what I've done to embrace the district's goal to improve reading test scores:
Second grade reading group
Book clubs- grades 3, 4, & 5
Junior Great Books- grades 3, 4, & 5
Took charge of the Elementary Summer Reading List (I volunteered)
Took charge of 100 Book Challenge (I was volunteered)
Library doors are open before, during and after school
Open access for students, faculty and parents

Here's what I've done to promote the library:
Email teachers about terrific new books and websites
Offer to show teachers how to use Destiny, access online resources and databases, including NetTrekker, and stream videos
Meet informally with teachers to share lesson ideas and plans
The Poetry Cafe
Share data with principals about the importance of school library media centers
Actively recruit volunteer parents
Invite parents to the library to learn about the resources.
Invite the children's librarian from the public library

What do I still need to do?
More of the above!

Why do I feel that the library is being marginalized?
Giving up library class time for Guidance lessons. No other special area teacher has to make that sacrifice.
Teachers that are resistant to change the way they've been teaching.
A principal who does not take a leadership role in library advocacy. (i.e., She could, but doesn't insist that all teachers learn how to use Destiny.)
Teachers who view the library as warehouse. It is simply a place to borrow books (and not always return them!)

I want everyone to view the library as I do: the information hub of the school and the palace of reading!

Election Fever

I've been trying to gather the energy to record my observations of life as an elementary school librarian in the 21 st century, here in the outposts of suburbia. BUT, I've been feeling the effects of the flu. After more than 3 days in bed, I dragged myself to work and back to my bed again. Twice. Today is the first time I have felt coherent enough to write-- without humiliating myself.

The kids have accused me of having Election Fever because I've been talking about the current presidential primary season. It's true. I must have that bug that's going around- the one strain of the flu that my shot didn't immunize me from. I have made it my mission to teach old- fashioned Civics here in the Library. I was the generation that fought to lower the voting age and it distresses me greatly when I look at the numbers and I see that young people aren't voting in droves. The little bit of energy I can muster this week has been spent on sharing books and interactive websites about voting, how our government works, and the responsibilities of citizenship.

I read the most wonderful book to my classes last week: The Day Gogo Went To Vote, by Elinor Sisulu. Based on a true story, it is about a 100 year old great grandmother who gets to vote for the first time in 1994 in S. Africa. I think the kids really got it.