Today marked the last day of my first year in the library. Overall, it was a fantastic year. The kids really began to gravitate to the library and made it a thriving environment. I can't wait to start implementing all of my ideas for next year.
Today, I also had the opportunity to present a resources workshop to my fellow faculty members. Despite having to attend an inservice day on June 10th when most of us are just ready to hit the beach, my colleagues were so receptive to all of the information I had to share with them. This is so exciting! It validates my decision to move to the library and gives me great hope for next year. Collaborating with each other only makes the work we do with our students that much more meaningful. My list is already growing with new project ideas and team teaching opportunities.
I began my presentation using Prezi (in order to demonstrate the power of a non-linear presentation). The first stop in my Prezi was SHHHHHHHHHHHH! Why? ...in order to emphasize to my colleagues that the library is no longer a place for whispering and worrying about stepping out of line. I moved through some stereotypical images of librarians. Clearly I don't fit the old spinster with reading glasses and a bun stereotype. Short hair and an affinity for shoes will keep me from falling victim to this outdated image. I think my colleagues grasped my message. With that it was off to the myriad of resources that are currently available and will be available in the upcoming school year.
What a great day! Now summer begins. In the upcoming weeks, look for a "Year in Review" blog post, as well as announcements regarding new resources, events, and opportunities in the library for the new school year!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
It Really Works!
I received exciting news yesterday! The Donors Choose project that I created on behalf of the library was fully funded! I was ecstatic reading the notification. In designing my first Donors Choose project, skepticism loomed in my mind. Do people really have a generous spirit? Do they really go in search of charitable opportunities? Yesterday's notification provided me with the answer! Some people really do care about education and are willing to open their wallets to prove it!
The Donors Choose project will supply the library with 2 new flip video cameras for students to use to develop projects and support their classroom work. They will arrive prior to the start of the 2011-12 school year. I'm so excited that the library will be able to offer more resources for students to use. And now it's time to develop a new Donors Choose project. I can't wait to submit a new idea and see the generosity of our community. I also can't wait to see the students in action, using the resources provided from this Donors Choose project. Next year already proves to be an exciting year in the library and for our students.
As soon as my next Donors Choose project is available, I will post a link to it here, as well as on the elcohslibrary twitter page.
The Donors Choose project will supply the library with 2 new flip video cameras for students to use to develop projects and support their classroom work. They will arrive prior to the start of the 2011-12 school year. I'm so excited that the library will be able to offer more resources for students to use. And now it's time to develop a new Donors Choose project. I can't wait to submit a new idea and see the generosity of our community. I also can't wait to see the students in action, using the resources provided from this Donors Choose project. Next year already proves to be an exciting year in the library and for our students.
As soon as my next Donors Choose project is available, I will post a link to it here, as well as on the elcohslibrary twitter page.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Music to My Ears!
This morning, a student told me he really likes using databases for research. He mentioned the ease of use and convenience they afford at locating relevant, current, and reliable information. (Insert the angelic strains of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus) This is music to my ears. I have been working all year to change the climate of the library, the perception of the library, and the way students find information. If we want our students to succeed beyond the walls of this high school, these changes must happen.
I knew it would be a slow process. There are still many people who envision a quiet library and a librarian with reading glasses propped on the edge of her nose and her hair tightly wound into a bun on the back of her head. NOT IN THIS LIBRARY! We also have people who believe that librarians are a thing of the past. Again - NOT IN THIS LIBRARY!
Do you know how to find the most current information regarding important events of the day? Do you know how to search the Internet in the most effective and efficient manner? Do you know that most print materials are also available online in a variety of formats? Do you know how to differentiate between an authentic website and a hoax? Do you know what a widget is, a wiki, a QR code, Web 2.0...? I DO! I CAN TEACH YOU!
So, thank you to the students who realize the importance of information literacy. Thank you to the students who come to the library on a daily basis just because they like the inviting atmosphere. Thank you to the teachers who ask me to help them build lessons and activities that involve information literacy.
And THANK YOU to the student who made my day by sharing his appreciation for all that the library has to offer!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Live White House Webinar
This afternoon, we had the opportunity to listen to Ben Rhodes, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speech Writing. After a 15 minute overview on the recent events surrounding Osama Bin Laden's death, students were given the opportunity to submit questions. Our students backchanneled during the webinar, discussing the presentation as it occurred.
It was a great activity and opportunity for our students to learn about a current event with significant importance to our lives. While I listened to the webinar and watched the backchannel, I couldn't help but think about how far education has come since I was a student sitting in high school. What a difference from sitting at a desk with a textbook open just taking notes - BORING! Now students are able to interact with one another and people all over the world. The education they are getting is much richer and more experiential than even just five years ago.
Anyone who says that technology isn't important to education is out of touch with today's students. I'm so glad to have shared in this 21st century learning experience. I know that the students participating in today's webinar learned a great deal about our government, country, and military and they didn't have to leave the building to do it. These real world experiences are priceless in education.
Today was a great day!
It was a great activity and opportunity for our students to learn about a current event with significant importance to our lives. While I listened to the webinar and watched the backchannel, I couldn't help but think about how far education has come since I was a student sitting in high school. What a difference from sitting at a desk with a textbook open just taking notes - BORING! Now students are able to interact with one another and people all over the world. The education they are getting is much richer and more experiential than even just five years ago.
Anyone who says that technology isn't important to education is out of touch with today's students. I'm so glad to have shared in this 21st century learning experience. I know that the students participating in today's webinar learned a great deal about our government, country, and military and they didn't have to leave the building to do it. These real world experiences are priceless in education.
Today was a great day!
Monday, May 2, 2011
QR Code
So what is this thing? It's called a QR code. In a nutshell, it's a code, that when scanned by a QR reader (look for apps for your smartphone), provides the user with additional information. QR codes are popping up everywhere! Look in magazines and you will see them! Many products now have a QR code as part of the label. The next time you're out shopping, look for the QR code and you might find yourself linking to product reviews, commercials, or product demonstrations. Scan the above QR code and see where it takes you! In the near future, you might just find QR codes on new books in the library. If you have difficulty selecting which book to read next, scan the QR code for a book review to help you decide!
Information at your fingertips!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Free Verse Fun
We're nearing the end of April and National Poetry Month. Yes, a bit sad... BUT, what a great month it has been in the library! We were busy doing all kinds of things, but my favorite has to be the Free Verse Poetry Gallery. I am blown away by the creativity of our students. The choices made in their poetry interpretations are fantastic.
It seems all we hear lately is how awful the state of education is and struggling budgets and negative, negative, negative. Rather than contribute to the negativity, I would rather highlight the outstanding efforts and work of our kids. If you have a chance, visit the virtual free verse gallery and be inspired. Our students are doing great things. Why not celebrate them?
It seems all we hear lately is how awful the state of education is and struggling budgets and negative, negative, negative. Rather than contribute to the negativity, I would rather highlight the outstanding efforts and work of our kids. If you have a chance, visit the virtual free verse gallery and be inspired. Our students are doing great things. Why not celebrate them?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Trouble for "Tea"
After watching a 60 Minute segment on Sunday night, I couldn't help but feel disappointment at, of all things, a book. Ok, that's not quite right. My disappointment isn't really with a book as much as it is with the so-called author of the book, Greg Mortenson.
If you haven't read Three Cups of Tea, you're probably wondering why it, and Mortenson, elicit such an emotional response. Here's the deal. Mortenson built, and supposedly continues to build, schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His memoir, Three Cups of Tea documents his accounts. Here's the catch. Reportedly, some of his accounts are not accurate or are potentially outright works of fiction. You might still be wondering why my reaction is so strong to hearing this information. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I love it for its message of hope and overcoming adversity. I love it for the fact that it shines light on the power of humanitarianism. And now all of that might be a lie?
Then I got to thinking. Ok, so what if Greg Mortenson fabricated parts of the story. Yes - he allegedly lied. But at the end of the day, I still love the book. It still resonates with the messages of hope and overcoming adversity that I loved the first time I read it. I am still inspired by acts of humanitarianism, even if Greg Mortenson's humanitarian efforts are more self-serving than he cares to admit. I don't like that Mortenson potentially has made fools of his readers, including me. I don't like that he allegedly lied. I don't like that he won't come forward to defend himself if he is innocent. I don't like that he won't come forward and admit the truth if he is guilty. But I do like the book. And for a reader, that's the power of literature. Fact or fiction, truth or fantasy, a good story is inspiring. End of story.
Read Three Cups of Tea and decide for yourself. If, in fact, parts of the story are fabricated, then read it as a work of fiction. Odds are, you'll still find yourself inspired.
If you haven't read Three Cups of Tea, you're probably wondering why it, and Mortenson, elicit such an emotional response. Here's the deal. Mortenson built, and supposedly continues to build, schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His memoir, Three Cups of Tea documents his accounts. Here's the catch. Reportedly, some of his accounts are not accurate or are potentially outright works of fiction. You might still be wondering why my reaction is so strong to hearing this information. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I love it for its message of hope and overcoming adversity. I love it for the fact that it shines light on the power of humanitarianism. And now all of that might be a lie?
Then I got to thinking. Ok, so what if Greg Mortenson fabricated parts of the story. Yes - he allegedly lied. But at the end of the day, I still love the book. It still resonates with the messages of hope and overcoming adversity that I loved the first time I read it. I am still inspired by acts of humanitarianism, even if Greg Mortenson's humanitarian efforts are more self-serving than he cares to admit. I don't like that Mortenson potentially has made fools of his readers, including me. I don't like that he allegedly lied. I don't like that he won't come forward to defend himself if he is innocent. I don't like that he won't come forward and admit the truth if he is guilty. But I do like the book. And for a reader, that's the power of literature. Fact or fiction, truth or fantasy, a good story is inspiring. End of story.
Read Three Cups of Tea and decide for yourself. If, in fact, parts of the story are fabricated, then read it as a work of fiction. Odds are, you'll still find yourself inspired.
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