Pickering H.S. Practicum Hours: October 2-6

IST 972: Pickering High School Journal

10/2/17 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (4)
10/3/17 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (4)

10/4/17 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (4)
Total hours to date: 34.5

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences:
-Labeled, processed, and organized new student workbooks and textbooks.

- Completed reorganization of non-fiction and biography section. 

-Began working on ordering and producing new signage for the library.

-Helped Mrs. Lebato organize materials to be handed out to the classes when they enter the library.  Bookmarks with database information, flyer of what the library offers, etc.

-Met with middle/high school ELA teacher Mrs. Winn to continue working on lesson plans for the introduction of booktalks.  Decided on a date to start working with students at the end of October.

-Worked with Mrs. Lebato on some introductory training in Google chrome.

-Brainstormed professional development delivery ideas for Google chromebooks and possibly a digital portfolio system for the school.

Personal Reflections:

            This week I was finally about to reorganize the library, or at least the portions I had been working on.  The non-fiction collection is finally in working order and is more continuous and easier to follow than before.  You can already see that students are able to find books easier than before.  Unfortunately, I still think the students that come in to assist the librarian should take more pride in putting the books back on the shelf the proper way.  In fact, the middle school students really need to take more pride in their library period.  It was interesting to watch the middle grades come in to the use the library.  There were really no lessons put into play, but this is only the first week that classes have started entering the library.  If this very interesting, especially since school started mid-August and they are just starting to get into the library.  I also haven’t really seen the students come into to utilize anything for research. 

            As of right now, they have just been coming in to check-out books for recreational readings.  In addition, to having a up and down schedule, most of the classes who do come into the library do so to use the computer lab adjacent to the library, and usually the classroom teacher is the one who directs the lesson.  Most of the time when the students are in the computer lab they are using it to access different programs that the school subscribes to to test students.  For instance, AR, STAR READING, etc.  Some students trickle in to work on projects here and there, but classes just really have not started to come in on a regular basis like at the elementary school.

            Mrs. Lebato did inform me that they were going to be receiving Google Chromebooks in the next couple of weeks.  She was unsure how they worked and had many questions.  She will have a class-set.  I asked her if she was familiar with Google Drive and how to go about setting everything up.  She stated that she was not, but said that she would be attending training about them this Thursday.  I’m interested to hear how the training goes and how exactly they plan to integrate the technology into the curriculum.  Is it just going to be another vehicle to use for testing?  Or are students going to be able to create information with them?  I suggested she consider a digital portfolio tool too that could link up with Google.  Seesaw came to mind, but after looking up pricing she found that it would be too expensive.  We’re brainstorming possible alternatives to use to document student work, something they can carry with them from middle school until graduation.

Parkway E.S. Practicum Hours: Sept. 25-29

IST 972 Journal:  Parkway Elementary

September 26, 2017 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (3.5)

September 28, 2017 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (4.15)

Total hours to date: 36.15

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences:
-Helped Mrs. Travis make and distribute ID badges for students to their appropriate classes.

-Ran library classes while Mrs. Travis was helping students in the computer lab.

-Continued to catalog and process new books.  Cataloged over 60 books this past week.

-Looked up books for Accelerated Reader in Renaissance.

-Continued collaboration with Mrs. Friedrich on her country project.  I created and finished all four lessons and ran over them with Mrs. Friedrich. 

-Helped Mrs. Travis to coordinate volunteers and work.

Personal Reflections:

            This week was another busy week for Mrs. Travis and me.  Parkway has begun a volunteer campaign to encourage parents to come in a volunteer their time at the school.  We had several volunteers come in for the first time today and Mrs. Travis was trying to find jobs for all of them to do.  I told her that I could help her with this aspect of her job because it was one of my responsibilities while working as a library assistant in Hawaii.  Often training and coordinating volunteers takes more time away from the librarian than helping them.  It is vital that they thoroughly learn the responsibilities of their duties.  If they do not, it can create more work for the librarian because they will then have to go behind the volunteers and fix mistakes.  

            In addition to helping to run classes while we finished up taking pictures for students’ I.D. badges, I really began diving into cataloging books that needed to put out on the shelf.  Mrs. Travis has some time to do this, but not enough.  This is a problem that I encountered while working under my boss in Hawaii.  Most of the time cataloging the books would have to wait until summer because there were just not enough hours in the day to complete the process.  I cataloged over 60 books and processed them to get them out on the shelves for the students.  We’re in desperate need of more lower level AR books and many of the books that needed to be cataloged were at this level.  It felt great to get them done and out on the shelves for the students!

            This week was also a bit stressful because the library schedule was changed around due to an awards assembly on Friday.  Typically, Friday is reserved for PLC grade level meetings.  The librarian ends up taking classes during this time to give the teachers the opportunity to meet.  However, since the assembly is on Friday we had to readjust.  This required that we had two classes at the same time instead of one.  We decided this would be a great opportunity to teach students about collaboration.  We set-up an activity for the fourth graders using six pieces of construction paper, four paper clips, and two rubber bands.  They were put in groups of 5 and had six minutes to construct the highest free-standing tower.  The activity was a total success and it was great to see all of them talking and working on their towers.  There were two potential winners, but at the last minute one of the tower’s fell.  We took this opportunity to teach them about congratulating others and going over what they could have done differently.

            I also had another collaborative meeting with Mrs. Friedrich.  We set a date for the unit lessons.  They will begin on October 16^th and run for 5 sessions.  We went over each lesson in detail and who would do what and what each of us needed to address before the students came into the library.  For example, she needs to be sure to introduce the project prior to student coming in the library.  I will reinforce the directions and objectives of the project when they come in.  She will introduce the concept of note-taking and I will reinforce this skill through their research.  We will both introduce and reinforce vocabulary words.  I also gave her an edTPA permission form and letter to distribute to parents and guardians, so we could start figuring out who would like their child to participate.  We’re both very excited and we can’t wait to get the unit started.  I’m looking forward to working closely with the students and just being able to show off some of my teaching abilities with a classroom teacher.  It’s been a great experience so far, and I know these are rare and may not always happen this way, but I’ve loved the process so far! 

Pickering H.S. Practicum Hours: Sept. 18-22

You will have to excuse me in the mess I've been making in the labeling and structure of this blog.  I have came up with the proper formula and I will be implementing it from now on.  I will make sure to put the name in the title as well as the dates of the school I attended.  This will help to keep my work straight and make the posts easier to follow.  This whole blog is an experiment to see if I can keep up with it and keep it organized.  Mistakes will happen, but just like I tell my students, we have to learn from our mistakes and try to change them, otherwise we are doomed to repeat them!  

I am also going to try to include as many pictures as possible into my blog posts.  I find that documenting the work one is doing through words is great, but using pictures can sometimes be even more powerful, plus it is a great way for stakeholders to actually "see" what you are doing.  Advocacy is a big part of having a successful school library program, so by practicing my ability to advocate through pictures and online writing, I am hopefully ensuring I will be able to bring awareness to my school library and what is going on within its walls and be able to better advocate for the resources needed to make a successful school library program.

IST 972: Pickering High School Journal

9/18/12 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (5.5)
9/22/12 9:00a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (5.5)
Total hours to date: 22.5

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences:
-Labeled, processed, and organized new student workbooks and textbooks.

-Reorganized non-fiction and discussed reorganizing graphic novel and biography section.  Decided to move these sections and reorganize classroom sets and magazine sections to accommodate the move in the resources.

-Met with middle/high school ELA teacher Mrs. Winn to continue working on lesson plans for the introduction of booktalks.  Discussed the layout and objectives for lesson 1 and resources that will be needed thesaurus and materials (large chart paper that will stay on the wall for students to see appeal terms).

-Worked with Mrs. Labato to figure out alternative funding to add to her non-fiction collection.

Personal Reflections:

            This was a very productive week at the Pickering High School Library.  Mrs. Labato and I have been evaluating the effectiveness of the layout of her collection of non-fiction resources and decided it was best to reorganize and change things up in the library.  Students have not begun to enter the library for lessons yet, and we both saw this as an opportunity to organize and get all the books just right before the students started to come in and utilize the library’s resources.  Student’s will start coming into the library for lessons next Wednesday and I’m looking forward to seeing how Mrs. Labato interacts with teachers and the students who will be coming in. 

            On Tuesday, the internet was down in the whole district so working strictly with the collection was a nice break and let me really can evaluate the currency of the collection.  I would say that the non-fiction section of the Pickering Library is dated.  However, Mrs. Labato is aware of this and knows that she needs to fill in the gaps.  However, I found out that her budget this year was cut from $9,000 down to $5,000.  This is a huge drop in funds and I’ve suggested that we look at donor’s choice for supplementing monies for the collection or considering grants to purchase new non-fiction books.  Pickering High School’s fiction section is very extensive and features a range of serials and genres.  She has both very high-level books and very low-level books and everything in between.  Her students are very fortunate that they have such an extensive collection to choose from, especially when it comes to recreational reading.  When I meet with Mrs. Winn’s class I am going to try to push the fact that they are fortunate to have a library with such a rich and diverse fiction collection.

            In addition to working in the library I could meet with Mrs. Winn again and further tighten our lesson for implementing booktalks.  She brought up the suggestion of having students think about their favorite childhood book to use as an example to build their booktalks.  I thought this was a great idea, as I was a little concerned that maybe the students would not have a book they were currently reading to share with the class.  I also brought up the suggestion that we could extend this activity to include student’s sharing a magazine article, blog, YouTube video, or picture they found and wanted to share.  I think this would be a great way to expand into media and visual literacy and help those students who may not be interested in reading books to want to participate in the activity.

Parkway E.S. Practicum Hours: Sept. 18-22

IST 972 Journal:  Parkway Elementary

September 20, 2017 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (6)

September 21, 2017 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (3)

Total hours to date: 28.5

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences:
-Helped Mrs. Travis make and distribute ID badges for students to their appropriate classes.

-Ran library classes while Mrs. Travis was helping students in the computer lab.

-Continued to catalog and process new books and shelf them accordingly.

-Looked up books for Accelerated Reader in Renaissance.

-Continued collaboration with Mrs. Friedrich on her country project.  I outlined lesson 1 and started to pull books that would pertain to her project.

-Mrs. Travis and I met with administration about the Reading Night event that will take place next month to kick off the book fair.

-Received flyers for book fair and began to count them for class distribution.

Personal Reflections:

            This was a very busy week for Mrs. Travis and me.  One of Mrs. Travis’s responsibilities is to take pictures and create I.D. badges for each student in the school.  We decided that I would run the classes in the library while her and the volunteers that came in would call students up to take their picture and get their badge made.  I was excited about the opportunity to run the classes and use some of the classroom management strategies that I have either heard about or used at my past job.  The first class to come in on Wednesday did beautifully.  This was a first-grade class and they could check out their books quickly.  I decided that I would read them, “The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors” by Drew Daywalt.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed this book and I really got into character and made it fun. 

            There were a couple of children that kept disregarding the rules and I ended up having to ask them to put their heads down for the remainder of the class.  However, this was after three times of redirecting the behavior.  During the first instance, I made sure to address the child by their name and asked them what the directions were.  He told me and I asked him if he was following the direction.  He told me no and I told him to show me that he can follow my directions.  The second time, I pulled him to the side, addressed him by his name and asked him if he was following the directions, he said no, I then expressed disappointment and told him that by him following the directions he is showing me respect.  The third time I addressed him quietly and told him to put his head down on his desk for the remainder of his time in the library.   I had addressed the class before beginning the lesson by stating that if I ask them to do something three times they will be asked to put their head down and receive a conduct mark and I will let their teacher know. 

            The collaborative meeting with Mrs. Friedrich went very well.  I had been bouncing around the idea of having students do a model UN, but after talking with Mrs. Friedrich we both decided that the activity may be better suited for students a little older than her 3^rd grade class.   However, we did decide that the gallery walk was the avenue we wanted to take and I made the suggestion that the visiting class should have a passport and for them to get a stamp they had to ask one question about the country poster they were looking at or write down one question on an index card as an exit ticket.  She loved this idea and is in the works of asking another class to come in and be the participants of the gallery walk.  I stressed to her that we want to make her students experts on their country, almost like an ambassador.

Parkway E.S. Practicum Hours: Sept. 11-15

So these posts are a huge compilation of the work I'm currently in the mist of.  Besides doing my required practicum hours, I am also working on my initial teacher certification.  New York state goes by the edTPA, a teacher preparation assessment created through Standford University.  I am thrilled to be at this point in my educational career and I'm looking forward to getting it over with!

Mrs. Friedrich and my daughter Kaydence

I have been working closely with Mrs. Leigh Anne Friedrich, a 3rd grade teacher at my daughter's school.  Mrs. Friedrich has seen my potential and taken me under her wing (something for which I will be eternally grateful for).  Through many meetings, we decided to collaborate on a research unit with her class on countries.  Although this is a more guided research unit, I'm hoping by the next unit we can both begin to let go of some control and let students do a more fluid approach to their research and the required research product.  Perhaps giving them options on what they can choose to produce then creating a rubric to make sure all standards are met.  We will see where it takes us.  She will even let me work with her class even after my edTPA is completed!  

IST 972 Journal:  Parkway Elementary

September 14, 2017 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (6.5)

Total hours to date: 19.5

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences: 

-Helped with introducing 1^st graders to the library and their library routine.

-Helped with introducing 3^rd graders to the Accelerated Reader system and finding books that fit within their reading levels.

-Entered newly purchased books into the library catalog and processed them to be placed on the shelf.
-Observed the SLMS teaching a class.

-Met with Mrs. Friedrich to begin planning a unit on culture.  We worked on filling out the Context for learning sheet for edTPA and began hashing out a central focus for the unit.  We plan to meet next week to start working on lessons for the unit and how we plan to co-teach.

-Began talking with Mrs. Travis about setting up a time to interview her and a special education teacher about interviewing them for an assignment in IST 564.

Personal Reflections:

This week was exciting because I got to see more of the students settle into their regular library schedules.  The students seemed to understand their role in choosing AR books for their reading and we only had problems with a couple of students not understanding how the system fully works.  Overall, a bulk of the work came from trying to enter new books into the system.  The Follett Destiny system is different from the LS2 system and I feel I need to brush up on it a little more to learn more of the shortcuts I could use to get the work done quicker.  In addition, a large portion of the books that needed to be entered into the system needed original cataloging because they could not be found in the district system at all.

The best part of the week was working with Mrs. Friedrich on her classes countries unit.  We were only able to meet for 30 minutes, but it was very productive.  We filled out the context for learning sheet, which was great.  I feel more confident about turning in my work for the edTPA after going over it with a teacher who has had to do a similar portfolio.  We also came up with a central focus and pulled some standards that will drive our unit and be reflected in our lessons.  Once again, the overall concern was time.  I’m hoping to have an hour with her class and that we can get everything done that we need to.  I must make sure that the lessons are simplified and broken down.  Perhaps splitting the lessons into a classroom lesson then a library lesson would help us to double tap the information, make it more manageable, and solve the issue with time.

 edTPA central focus stated!  I'm so happy this part is coming along smoothly.  In addition to the central focus being completed, I was also able to finish my context for learning.  Basically, it is a run down of the make up of the class.  It requires that I document and comment on the statistics of the class, and if there are any students who require an IEP, 504 plan, English Language Learners, and Gifted and Talented students.  

TASK 1: PLANNING COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 9 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within the brackets. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Pages exceeding the maximum will not be scored.

1.   Central Focus

a.   Describe the central focus and purpose of the content you will teach in the learning segment.

[The purpose of this unit is to teach students about the different countries and cultures found around the world through research of both print resources and electronic resources, i.e. databases.  Student’s will learn how to properly identify, analyze, and summarize the information found in print and electronic resources.  Student’s will use the information found to create a poster that depicts their country and various topics of the country’s culture, i.e. holiday’s, economics, food, dress, heritage, language, etc.  This unit will be used to teach student’s empathy and tolerance towards other cultures as well as showing student’s similarities and differences among themselves and others.]

Pickering H.S. Practicum Hours: Sept. 11-15

This week was very exciting because I was able to start my practicum hours at Pickering High School Library and see how a different library works in Vernon Parish.  Pickering is a large complex that contains both an elementary school and a middle/high school.  It has a mixed population of both military and civilian children, but is predominately civilian.  Only 20% who attend Vernon Parish School's are military.   There are only about 900 students within the whole complex.  With 630 being in the middle/high school.  So the school is relatively small.  The high school has 36 full-time employed teachers and the teacher ratio is 17 students per teacher.  The graduation rate is 92% and test scores are about average with 60% passing in math proficiency and 54% passing in English proficiency.  It was interesting to note that more than half the students (57%) come from an economically disadvantaged background.  I was also surprised to find out that the high school had recently cut their AR program.  I thought this would make an excellent opportunity to boost student engagement in reading and talking about reading by introducing booktalks to the middle grade ELA teachers.  I'm hoping to have success with this during the course of the practicum.

 Pickering High School Journal

9/12/12 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (5.5)
9/13/12 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (6)
Total hours to date: 11.5

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences:
-Labeled, processed, and organized new student workbooks and textbooks.

-Reorganized non-fiction and fiction shelves in the library.

-Evaluated non-fiction collection for currency in certain subject areas (i.e. technology, space, and medicine).

-Met with middle/high school ELA teacher Mrs. Winn to begin formulating ideas for unit lessons for constructing book talks.  Mrs. Winn would like to increase student recreational reading.  Since the school has recently dropped their Accelerated Reader program I decided it would be a good idea to introduce the concept of booktalks to get students actively reading and discussing the literature they read.

Personal Reflections:

This was my first week at Pickering High School.  The librarian and I have been trying to coordinate times and I think we have finally settled into a schedule that works for both of us.  My first day consisted of getting a feel for the library.  The library has several student aids that help to put away books and check out books for students.  Students mainly run the front desk.  The first task I wanted to tackle was to organize the library shelves.  Although students are helping in the library the shelves were in disarray.  The non-fiction section had not been organized since the end of the following school year.  I noticed that a couple of students who came in to the library to find books, were either taking a long time or were unable to find the book altogether.  I immediately started organizing this section and was able to the 585’s before taking a break.

Throughout the course of my work, the librarian was assisting a teacher who was working in the computer lab with a class.  The librarian was not directing the lesson, but was assisting with technology issues that would arise with the computers.  I was intrigued to see that except for students coming in to find books, there were not whole classes that would come in, except for the computer lab.  Perhaps the teachers are not in a research unit now.  After eating a quick lunch, I started on the fiction section and could organize most of it before I left.  Mrs. Labato controls all the textbooks for the school. This is an aspect that I did not know middle/high school librarians dealt with.  I was presumed that classroom teachers dealt with their own textbooks.  This adds another dimension to the role of the librarian.

Meeting with Mrs. Winn was extremely fun and exciting!  Mrs. Winn is seeking to create a love of reading in either her 7^th grade or 10^th grade class.  We are still deciding on which class to work with, but we are beginning to hash out a plan for the unit that I plan to deliver.  We only had 25 minutes to meet with each other.  This was really to just get to know one another.  I will be meeting with Mrs. Winn a few times next week to further talk about and to produce lessons.  

Parkway E.S. Practicum Hours: Sept. 4-8

This semester is starting off in a whirlwind of activity.  I will be taking two classes.  The first is IST 564: Educating Student's with Disabilities and IST 972: Practicum.  My practicum requires me to perform 120 hours at both the primary and secondary level.  So 240 hours total.  For the primary school I have chosen to work at Parkway Elementary School with Mrs. Tammy Travis.  For the secondary school I have chosen to work at Pickering High School with Mrs. Kelli Labato.  Both are well trained librarians.  I am curious to see how school libraries work here in Louisiana as opposed to Hawaii.  I am sure there will be differences.  I will be observing and taking everything in.

In addition to these two classes, I will also be working on my edTPA in order for me to obtain my certification for teaching.  The assessment requires me to create a portfolio and to collaborate with a classroom teacher on a unit consisting of 3-5 lessons.  I am very excited about this opportunity to work with classroom teachers and to work with students.  I have decided to work with Mrs. Leigh Anne Friedrich, a third grade teacher at Parkway Elementary.  We will be working on a culture unit and students will choose a country to research and create a poster.  I plan to suggest to Mrs. Friedrich that we do a gallery walk to wrap up the unit and invite another class.  This way students will be able to have an authentic audience.  The second teacher I've decided to work with is Mrs. Cathi Winn, a middle school English Language Arts teacher who works with grades 7,8, and 10 at Pickering High School.  We will be collaborating with her on a unit about student led book talks.  I plan to scaffold learning and teach students the necessary skills to successfully analyze books, use descriptive language to relay the content of books to their classmates, create a quality book talk, present it to their peers, and offer constructive criticism.  I am looking forward to working with both teachers and their classes.

For these blog posts I've decided to share my journal entries
that are required for IST 972.   I think they will prove to be an excellent resource for both myself and others who would like to know what school libraries are doing today.  In addition, it will be an excellent chance for me to practice reflective teaching.  I hope everyone enjoys reading them!

IST 972 Journal:  Parkway Elementary

September 5, 2017 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (6.5)

September 6, 2017 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (6.5)

Total hours to date: 13

Collage of Parkway Elementary Library

Summary of Daily Activities/Experiences: September 5 and 6, 2017
-Helped with introducing 1^st graders to the library and their library routine.

-Helped with introducing 3^rd graders to the Accelerated Reader system and finding books that fit within their reading levels.

-Processed books for Accelerated Reader levels.

-Delivered instruction to Mrs. Friedrich’s class.  We discussed the importance of not being judgmental and labeling others.  Mrs. Friedrich recently had a student diagnosed with type I diabetes.  She thought it would be a good opportunity to have the me come in and discuss the topic.  The class was step-up like a mini human library session with the students being able to ask in-depth and probing questions to the student and the student’s parent. 
-Observed the SLMS teaching a class.

-Cataloged and processed books to be added into the collection.

-Met with one teacher to discuss a possible research unit for her class.

Personal Reflections:

This week was very productive and I got a feel for the overall structure of the library program.  I will be honest; this library program is set-up entirely different from the libraries I did my fieldwork hours in while in Hawaii.  This school has a more traditional library program, where the program is more of a special rather being fully integrated into the school curriculum.  Classes come in for only 30 minutes, so the librarian has a very limited amount of time with each class.   In addition, this school is very focused on Accelerated Reader, with third graders beginning to receive grades for their participation in the AR program.  I’m not sure how I feel about this, as I believe it cuts down on students being able to have an active voice and choice in what they want to read.  In addition, I see the AR program taking up large amounts of time to teach and manage.  Time that could be spent doing a mini lesson or activity. 

Mrs. Travis has expressed that she would love to hear any suggestions that can help her with approaching her library program differently.  I am hoping that by working on the requirements for the edTPA she will see that she can stretch her services to include more student research and teacher collaboration.  There is a pulse to this library program, but I would love to see the program become the heart of the school. 

There were a couple of interesting episodes that happened this week that directly tie into IST 564 and I was happy that I could experience them.  I think that one suggestion, and possible area for growth, would be to make strides in the inclusion of students with disabilities in the library program and to open more of a dialogue between the librarian and classroom teachers.  I could see this having enormous potential in the growth of library resources and creating a more diverse library program that would ensure all students are included.  I will try to see if I can sneak in my suggestions gently.  Causal observances and just being able to remember them when she asks will go a long way.  Especially if it’s done with a smile!

One Step Close

Hi all!  I'm back again!  This summer has been a whirlwind of travel and school.  I had the opportunity to participate in the last residency for IST612 that Syracuse University is holding for youth/school librarians.  It was a breath of fresh air to meet so many like-minded individuals.

There we so many components to the the residency.  Story-times and techniques, genre studies, booktalks, and increasing diversity in libraries.  In the space below you can find some of the items I created for the residency.  It was a blast to work with others and to know that we could produce quality products when experiencing a time crunch!  This was honestly the most fun I've ever had under pressure!

Here the Google Slide presentation my group created for our genre study on poetry.  Please feel free to use for guiding teachers on the importance of incorporating poetry into their lessons and across the curriculum.  You will also find a two-page handout of poetry titles I recommended for grades K-4.  If you would like more I can email some of the others created for poetry, dystopian, fantasy, non-fiction, graphic novels, manga, biographies, and historical fiction.  These are great resources to pass out to the teachers and for your own reference.

Below is a link to the Google Slide Presentation for Poetry K-12

Poetry Across the Curriculum

Below is a link to a PDF Handout for Poetry K-4 with Recommendations

Poetry K-4 Handout

During the residency participants were required to create something using technology.  We were introduced to Wevideo and given instructions on creating a video that could be used in our library.  One of my group members suggested we make a video on book-care.  That way we could all use it in our libraries.  Other groups did book trailers, or focused on using certain videos to tie in research or get students excited about reading.

Below is a link to Youtube.com where our Wevideo has been uploaded.

Libraries Are For Everyone

If you have never used Wevideo, definitely take a look at it to create videos for your library.  It may be a little time consuming, but if you break it up (or work under pressure) you come out with some amazing videos that will take your students' learning to the next level!  Also, look into Chatterpix, Chatterkid, and iMovie.  I have so many ideas from using all these applications and I cannot wait to use them with my students!

Happy Creating!

Reflections on the dispositions of a successful library media specialist

I'm continuing to study for my upcoming exams and I'm trudging through all the information.  I feel confident that I'll do well on the exams, but I still get nervous even thinking about taking a test.  I guess I've never outgrown my apprehension towards test taking.  Anyhow, it's a process and I'm working through it.  In addition to trying to catch up on my blogging, I'm also working on my digital portfolio.  I've read up on them, weighed the pros and maybe one con, and decided that I would create one.  I chose Wix.com because I'm familiar with this platform and I feel that is offers the flexibility I need and provides me slightly more creative freedom than other platforms.  I will post my portfolio on my blog once I'm done with it.  I think it's going to give me the edge I need when I start looking for a job.

Now let's dive into week 1 of IST661!

This week professor Kawolski had us focus on these objectives:

• Understand the diverse roles of a school librarian
• Understand the dispositions of a 21st-century school librarian
• Reflect on your own dispositions and their impact on the roles you assume
• Decide on the roles that you will assume to implement your vision, mission, and goals
• Reflect on the implications of the virtual environment for LMC services and librarian roles

The structure of this class is such that each week a different member of the class comes up with the discussion question, posts it, and then continues to monitor and engage with classmates during the discussion.  Here is the question my classmate asked.  I'm not really sure about putting in names.  So I'm going to keep things discrete, unless I directly ask that person if they would like to be mentioned in my blog.  Please keep in mind that all discussion questions, unless indicated by me, are not my own and have been constructed by members of my class.  However, my responses are solely mine and are my own thoughts and reflections.  So without further adu, here was the discussion posted for week 1 of IST661:

As we are discussing dispositions of school librarians this week, I have few questions on top of the ones Professor Kowalski has posed to us. After reading through Gail Bush and Jami L. Jones two articles on professional dispositions of school libraries, I really appreciated the look into what the school librarian community is developing. Are there any dispositions (referring to their list that was displayed from the panelists) that you feel you are comfortable or have developed well? What dispositions do you feel you need to work on? And finally, any dispositions that are missing from the report that need to be addressed?

My reflection:

I believe the role of the library media specialist is a diverse and complicated one.  It is a role that wears many different hats and cannot neatly fit into any one category.  At the same time we're both teachers and librarians.  However, we're also advocates, critical thinkers, lifelong learners, collaborators, and one of the most important characteristics or disposition...leaders.  I believe there are two dispositions that every library media specialist should strive towards.  One was mentioned in our reading for this week and that was the disposition of a leader.

Library media specialists should be leaders for change.  We should know the latest tools and tips of the trade to make learning successful for both the teachers and students we work with.  We should step up our presence in our school communities by taking on a leadership role within them.  We should be a part of the leadership teams within schools, especially when it comes to the school's curriculum.  If we want our students to succeed, we must be able to be an integral part of the curriculum process.  By positioning ourselves within this leadership role, we are better able to change the content within our libraries and offer students and teachers the opportunities and avenues to build their literacy skills and ultimately be more successful in their educational careers.  It's too easy for us to get stuck in the rut of just doing surface level library lessons, and not helping teachers and students see that we can offer them solutions to connect content across the curriculum.  Also, and I'll be honest here, if we can successfully merge the library and the curriculum, and if our students' test scores improve; then it would stand to reason that our library budgets may improve as well.  I could be totally wrong about this, but it seems plausible and makes sense.

Some may wonder why their libraries are drowning or their budget is slowly dwindling year after year.  Let's be honest, at this point the library does not have a true presence within the school, or it is seen as irrelevant.  If a library media specialist wants this to change, they must enter a position of leadership and start connecting their library with the needs of the school and the curriculum at large.  To do this library media specialists should attend school data meetings, grade level meetings, community meetings regarding their school,etc.  Connect with their administrators more, attend school board meetings.  Get a feel for the climate.  Put yourself out there, and prepare to get busy.  If your successful, your library will blossom.  You can do this!  Because, if you don't, the people who are the most affected by the loss of a library program are the STUDENTS!  And let's face it, isn't that why we're all here in the first place?

The second disposition, which wasn't really stated as a disposition in any of the literature, but rather fell under a broader disposition, was the act of being innovative.  Bush and Jones' article, "Forecasting Professional Dispositions of School Librarians," places innovative under the broad disposition of critical thinking (2011).  While critical thinking can bring about innovation, so can creative thinking, collaborating, as well as empathy. I argue that it's not enough that being innovative be placed under a category, but rather be a broader disposition that encompasses and creates certain attitudes.  For example, being innovative means being curious, enjoying a challenge, being on the cutting edge of skills and resources, thinking deeply, willing to see others points of view, being flexible, being resilient, or have a certain stick-to-it-ness even though an idea or product may fail, being able to think outside of the box, and use materials/resources/products/systems in ways not previously imagined.  

I believe that the greatest tool, besides leadership, that is going to bring about change for a library media specialist, is their ability to be seen as a truly unique innovator.  Our administrators and fellow teachers want to see what creative things we can do with the resources we have, without breaking the bank.  They want to know how can we re-vamp old and tired lessons to breathe new life into them to peak students' interest and increase engagement.  They want us to be able to pass these skills in innovation down to the students we teach.  In today's educational climate it is important that we separate ourselves from the traditional view as the same-old, same-old librarian and approach our libraries as a place where innovation happens through creative thinking, collaboration, the sharing of ideas, and in some instances play.   

To wrap it up.  The roles I see as being most important in order to make a successful school library program are: program administrator, leader, professional development coordinator, information specialist, instructional partner, and innovator.  A healthy balance can be difficult to maintain, but with lots of self reflection (and trial and error) I have no doubt I will rock these!

Almost forgot this!  So much for being a good librarian!

Reference:
Bush, G., & Jones, J. L.  (2011).  Forecasting professional dispositions of school librarians.  School Library Monthly, 27 (4), 54-56.

Reflections for IST663: Introductions and Week 1 Discussion

Over the past day or so I've been extremely busy!  My kids are gearing up for their summer vacation, and I'm deep in the mist of studying for my initial teacher certification exams for New York State (Content Specialty Exam and Educating All Students Exam).

Literally surrounded by all the materials I've been studying.

However, I've been thinking about the overall structure of this blog and how I would like information to flow.  I know some love to read long, drawn out, wordy explanations.  Me, I prefer to be more to the point.  So, I've decided to break up the posts by alternating between the two classes according to week.  For example, IST661/week 1, then IST663/week 1.  I feel this will help me, and others who are reading this blog the opportunity to follow either a class of their choosing and/or easily find information.  Plus, I'm just a sucker for organization.  I mean really, what librarian isn't?

Activity For IST663 Introductions

Once again, this week consisted of introductions, but Dr. Stripling also had us jump into our week one discussion.  The method for our introduction was for students to write a brief paragraph introducing ourselves and add a picture.  Yet again, I liked that I could link a name with a face.  I also liked that in this exercise I didn't have to worry about creating a video and there being too much background noise from the hotel.  Dr. Stripling also laid out the structure for the class, weekly modules, and discussions.  She was very thorough and her directions helped to put everything in prospective.  

In our first official discussion we were asked to reflect on inquiry.  Specifically, "What have you learned from previous experiences with inquiry, either your own inquiry or that of students?"

I won't lie..my response was lengthy, but it's only because I was tying in my work at my previous library with what I was currently about to learn.  I have become fascinated by the inquiry process, and while working on my M.S. I vehemently expressed that the success of college students', in regards to research, is directly tied to their experiences and engagements with previous inquiry processes.  In addition, I advocated for introducing and establishing the process of inquiry as early as kindergarten.  It's been 10 years since I graduated with my M.S., and I believe it's especially important that younger students begin to learn the inquiry process, begin formulating questions, know which avenues to find relevant and pertinent information, and decipher authoritative sources from non-authoritative sources.

Here is my response to the above question.

Project Based Learning and Inquiry Based Learning

COLLAPSE

During the course of the last year and a half I had the opportunity to work on a leadership team whose main objective was to switch the school's traditional method of teaching to more inquiry based learning and eventually lead to more of a project based learning environment for students.  In the past the school had experimented with blended learning for students and parents who expressed interest.  Once the courses were completed and the principal was satisfied with the outcome, she decided to explore and research PBL.  She liked what she saw from other schools around the country, so she decided to try it at our school.  

Many of the topics discussed in the lecture and readings directly related to not only the teachers experiences in learning and experiencing more inquiry based learning and PBL, but also the students' reactions and views of these new learning processes.  The first hurtle encountered was making the learning experiences for both the teachers and students relevant.  Some of the teachers pushed back during the professional development because they simply could not see how this type of teaching was relevant to their immediate needs.  For example, Pre-K teachers did not see how PBL could be translated to their classrooms.  I encouraged these teachers to not concentrate so much on a typical PBL project with their students, because the concepts would be over their heads.  Instead, I suggested that the Pre-K teachers concentrate on modeling wonder and simulating curiosity in their students.  I wanted the Pre-K teachers to have students open to the opportunity to explore through their senses.  So, that was one way we connected inquiry and brought it down to the pre-operational phase.

Another obstacle that we encountered was teachers stating that their students didn't know how to ask good quality/intriguing questions.  Professor Stripling touched on this in her lecture and I was happy to hear that other teachers have encountered this.  Our teachers really thought they were alone in this matter.  Once again, the team and I stressed the importance of going back and teaching students what constitutes as an intriguing question.  I really thought this process began in kindergarten and we encouraged the kindergarten teachers to try to foster an atmosphere for questions.  That way students could begin to see that question asking was ok and that some questions that fellow classmates had could help them to refine a question they may have.  Once again, with this grade level we had to help teachers find the right amount of stimulation to keep them focused.  Modeling was very helpful in this grade.  

For our fourth graders the teachers came up with a natural disaster PBL unit to help tie in their science unit on fast and slow processes.  They created a gallery walk where students could ask questions on sticky notes regarding information they read or pictures they saw.  The goal was for students to develop a certain level of empathy so that they could better relate and connect with their eventual authentic audience.  The biggest problem encountered here was time.  We also found that by integrating technology we could keep the students in the right zone of stimulation.  We used many applications to help with capturing and keeping students' attention and further igniting their curiosity.  Seesaw and Popplet were invaluable because the students could connect with peers to bounce around questions and ideas.  Students really felt they were creating meaningful information and experiences; and as a result of this process the natural disasters that they learned about became a part of their world view.  They were really able to understand the projects usefulness and how it related to their present world and the future.  I commend the teachers in this grade level, because they were able to convey to the students why they were doing this research.

There were many more examples I saw over the course of time I worked in the elementary library.  Looking back on it, I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the PBL professional development team.  It was fun, exciting, but sometimes daunting to really explore the concepts of inquiry.  However,  I believe it was well worth it.  Some aspects could have been done differently, but inquiry is a field that is cyclical so teaching it to other teachers felt that way at times.  I'm really looking forward to being able to help refine how I might frame, package, and deliver this line of teaching to other teachers I work with in the future.  

Avenues for Application

Inquiry skills are a vital aspect of student achievement.  Many organizations have pointed out that it is necessary and required for students to learn how to ask quality questions and be able to navigate through the process of inquiry in order to synthesize information and construct or create new knowledge.  The American Association of School Librarians Standards for 21st-Century Learner (AASL, 2007) outlines the criteria or skills a student should be able to demonstrate throughout a given inquiry process.

Although, there has been much debate surrounding The Common Core State Standards Initiative (2010), the literacy standards specifically outline the skills necessary for students to conduct research, read informational texts, and produce informational writing.  These are necessary skills to promote inquiry in an educational environment and directly affect the relationship of the librarian with students and the classroom teacher.  In addition, the skills learned from the CCSS will transfer to students' lives outside of school as well.  When students are encountered with a problem or with information they wish to look for, if CCSS skills are achieved, students will have the skills necessary to ultimately make an informed and independent decision.

Standards from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2007) also dictate the need for students to learn the skills necessary to integrate technology into their educational experience.  Creativity, communication, collaboration, research, information fluency, critical thinking, and digital citizenship are also aspects that are covered under the standards and are vital skills that all students, regardless of future educational endeavors, should be provided the opportunity to learn.

It is vital that today's librarians be up-to-date on inquiry models and processes and integrate them into their library lessons or be willing to collaborate with teachers in a inquiry unit.  Because of today's technological climate, the role of the library media specialist is more than just about promoting reading or traditional literacy.  Our role is to provide a framework and environement in which students can inquire about topics they are learning about in class, or are interested in outside of school.  It is about equipping them with the tools, knowledge, skills, and know-how to be able to find quality and reliable information, construct new meaning from it, and if necessary make an informed and conscientious decision on how that information can be applied to their lives.

References

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). 2007. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.   Chicago: American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

Common Core State Standards Initiative. 2017.  "The Standards."  National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers.  http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards.

International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE). 2017. "ISTE Standards for Students." https://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students.

Week 1: Spring 2017 Semester

My semester started off with a BANG!  Well, maybe not so drastic, just a complete and utter change in scenery and the obstacle of having to do course work in a hotel room with three other people and a dog.  It was a challenge, but for the first 10 days I made it work.

This semester I was required to take IST661-Managing a School Library, and IST663-Motivating 21st Learners.  I was thrilled to be able to take both courses, particularly 661.  I've had experience doing cursory work in libraries, but I have not been able to really get into the nitty-gritty of the policies, operating procedures, budgets, etc. that make a school library (or any library for that matter) must have in order to operate smoothly.  I was also excited about receiving a more in-depth learning experience on the inquiry process; and how I could take the lessons learned from 663 and apply it to lessons for teaching students inquiry skills.  I have had some previous practice with learning the basics of the different inquiry models and how to transfer those skills over to students.  The school I worked at in Hawaii had been moving towards a more Project Based Learning model of student learning, and I was able to research and dive into some of the concepts we would be learning about in Dr. Stripling's class.  Plus, just to be able to say I had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Stripling was a treat!  She's been such a positive force for the school library/library world, especially in regards to her inquiry model.

Lessons and Activities for IST661:

Both classes started off with introductions.  Sue Kowalski was my professor for 661.  She is a energetic force of thoughtful and creative insights and information about the management of school libraries.  She required us to make a video introducing ourselves using the application Flipgrid.  This was my first time using the application and it's one I will use in the future with students.  However, for future reference note it is called Flipgrid for a reason, everything gets flipped, so be sure to explain this to students.  The first is last and the last is first.  Other than that I love video introductions, especially for online classes!  It makes the class actually seem like a coherent group, rather than just those people you talk with online.  Your able to put a face with the name and get a feel for a persons personality.  I loved watching my classmates introductions and learning about them. Once again it was a bit of a struggle for me because of the "hotel situation," but I holed myself up in a quite place and knocked it out.

Here is the video I was able to post:
https://flipgrid.com/6a5590

While I was working on my video, I thought it would be neat to have students make a video about themselves during the first week of school that they could post on either a classroom website/blog or a school website.  It would be an amazing way to include English Language Learners in an introductory event as well, and help them to feel comfortable with their school.  A teacher could have students construct videos and post them on a digital portfolio platform and have students watch and comment on videos.  This activity could allow students to quickly connect with one another, and have them begin to build a community environment in their classroom.  Plus, the teacher could use this activity as a foundation to introduce digital citizenship and build upon those concepts throughout the school year.

In addition to using Flipgrid for introductions, classroom teachers can use it as an avenue for assessments.  This application would be beneficial for students who may not feel comfortable speaking up in class.  They could use it break out of their shell and really express themselves in a way they feel comfortable.  Students would be engaged in the activity, because technology is being employed in a way to enrich a lesson and the classroom teacher could switch up from having to grade papers to watching a video to assess student learning.  The uses for this application are endless, so much creativity could take place!  From orchestrating a talk-show or news report, to having students use it for book reviews in the library and posting to a library website.  It's a wonderful tool, and fun for both students and teachers. For more information on Flipgrid visit: https://info.flipgrid.com

In addition to our instructions, Professor Kowalski had us start thinking about and reflecting on our beliefs about school librarianship, the role of the library media specialist in today's future ready libraries/schools, and how those would transfer over to developing a vision and mission statement for our future learning commons and ultimately our goals as a library media specialist.  This was an extremely thought provoking exercise for me.  I started on notebook paper and found myself crossing out words and ideas, and ultimately switched to the computer, because well it was getting messy.  Do not get me wrong, creativity=messy, but in just reflecting about it I was getting lost.  I knew as time went on I would get my beliefs down more concretely and be able to construct and express them in a clear, concise manner, but that first week was a doozy!  As Professor Kowalski told us, BREATHE DEEP.

My reflections on my library's mission.  Disregard the messy handwriting and misspellings.  My hand can't keep up with my mind!