We just had our first RIF distribution coupled with a Pajama Reading Night. The night event was a surprizing success - we had 271 people (kids and their family members) join us which is much more than we usually get for week night events. I think the success was due to the kid's excitement about wearing their pjs to school!
http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/education/x1846405954
Monday, November 26, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Awesome Document for Administrators
Administrative Guide to School Libraries - DRAFT
By Christopher Harris on metamancy
This would be a great thing to bring to your goals meeting or just pass on to an administrator as a helpful way to understand your role. It also advocates for support staff which is helpful for those of us who don't have any.
http://digitalreshift.org/files/adminguide.pdf
By Christopher Harris on metamancy
This would be a great thing to bring to your goals meeting or just pass on to an administrator as a helpful way to understand your role. It also advocates for support staff which is helpful for those of us who don't have any.
http://digitalreshift.org/files/adminguide.pdf
Saturday, November 17, 2007
My Educational Crush
Yesterday was the School Library Systems Conference for all librarians in the Syracuse area. It was AWESOME. The highlight was Will Richardson, my educational crush. Seriously.
He delivered the keynote and then ran three sessions on using technology in education -- one on blogs and wikis, one on RSS and social bookmarking, and one on podcast, vodcast, and digital storytelling. To be honest, the sessions were fairly "Web 2.0 for Dummies" when I had been hoping for more advanced information and/or some discussion about how people are making it work in actual districts around here, but it was still great.
If you don't already follow Will Richardson, I suggest you do the following ASAP:
He delivered the keynote and then ran three sessions on using technology in education -- one on blogs and wikis, one on RSS and social bookmarking, and one on podcast, vodcast, and digital storytelling. To be honest, the sessions were fairly "Web 2.0 for Dummies" when I had been hoping for more advanced information and/or some discussion about how people are making it work in actual districts around here, but it was still great.
If you don't already follow Will Richardson, I suggest you do the following ASAP:
- Buy his book: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms...I loved it, but really everything is online anyway, so moving on...
- Read his blog;
- Check out his wikis: weblogged has a TON of useful Web 2.0 resources, sample projects, etc.; and willrichardson outlines most of what he talked about in his keynote, including tons of links.
- My personal blog;
- My Blackboard site -- most of the "good" content is blocked because of student privacy concerns, but I make as much of my own stuff available as possible;
- The librarians in my district are working on starting a wiki to collaborate and post projects, ideas, etc., so once we get it up and running, I will let you know.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Dictionary Skills
Hey, does anyone have a fun/easy way to intro dictionaries or encyclopedias with 2nd grade students? I know that in the classroom they have been practicing alphabetizing to the 3rd letter, but haven't gotten into dictionary skills yet. Our class set of dictionaries will be over their reading levels, so I wanted to start out with some worksheets to teach the skills or something, but I can't find anything good...
Saturday, November 10, 2007
New resources from the Partnership
I came across this post on Joyce Valenza's blog and thought I'd share. It looks like it could become a great site to support librarians' goals for information/media literacy and technology skills.
New resources from the Partnership:
"Today, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, launched Route 21, a resource kit that: showcases how 21st century skills can be supported through standards, assessments, professional development, curriculum and instruction and learning environments. The site represents the first comprehensive, go-to online resource for high-quality content, best practices, relevant reports, articles and research to assist practitioners in implementing 21st century teaching practices and learning outcomes.
The Partnership's rainbow framework defines three areas of critical 21st century skills: life and career skills; learning and innovation skills; and information, media, and technology skills, around necessary core content knowledge. Underneath the rainbow's arches are support systems: standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development, learning environments."
New resources from the Partnership:
"Today, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, launched Route 21, a resource kit that: showcases how 21st century skills can be supported through standards, assessments, professional development, curriculum and instruction and learning environments. The site represents the first comprehensive, go-to online resource for high-quality content, best practices, relevant reports, articles and research to assist practitioners in implementing 21st century teaching practices and learning outcomes.
The Partnership's rainbow framework defines three areas of critical 21st century skills: life and career skills; learning and innovation skills; and information, media, and technology skills, around necessary core content knowledge. Underneath the rainbow's arches are support systems: standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development, learning environments."
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Self Check-Out
Does anyone regularly have students check themselves out? I've had success with it in the past with older students (grades 4 and up, I think) and am trying to implement it with our new circ system. However, it's just not as kid-friendly as Follett and on top of that, my aide is really resisting. My issue is that I need her to be available to help with other things during class transitions -- we don't have a lab, so on Tuesdays when I have 8 back-to-back classes and only a few of those classes are using the laptops, we have to get them all set up and logged on in a few short minutes. It just takes too much of class time to have the kids do ti all themselves -- take off the cart, log on, work, log off, put back on the cart takes half of class! With 4th and 5th grades, it would be so much easier if they were more-or-less self-sufficient with check-out, and of course they love doing it! I am just sick of encountering resistance in so many different things with my aide -- she has been in the job for a while and is definitely against change! Ugh...
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Collection Development
So, my biggest stress so far this year has been collection development. I actually have a lot of money to spend on books this year -- all the elementary schools got an extra $3000 to spend specifically to update the book collections, because they are kind of sad and suffering. And then we switched circ systems from Follett to something called Mandarin and got an extra $1500 towards books that we used to have to pay for Follett services. So, that's good. But the old librarian apparently spent all her money on videos and random books, so we are missing a lot of reallllly basic stuff (like she is missing tons of GOOD Newbery and Caldecotts!). So I have this huge list growing on Follett and I still haven't even considered what to do about a bunch of the non-fiction sections that are suffering, like pets, sports, transportation books, etc. So I am just worried about the budget process -- I want to spend a good half of my book budget NOW and get some stuff in the library. But a. will I be overwhelmed by that many books coming in at once? and b. will I regret spending so large a portion of my budget so early in the year? I'm also wondering if I can use the statistics of what I buy to push for another year with some extra book money, because this collection is honestly pathetic. You should just SEE my list of things that we don't even have!
Also, the woman spent her entire LIBRARY supply budget on random things that should have come out of SCHOOL supplies, like White Out and strange DVD cleaners and who knows what else! She had no book tape, book covers, etc. It is unbelievable. So here's my next question: do you all cover paperbacks? (Megan, what I wouldn't give to have a central office take care of processing!) I have covered them in the past, and I think it is probably worth it when you don't have a ton of money. Our paperbacks that are uncovered get so beat up that they probably only last a year. However, my aide has already hinted that she thinks covering paperbacks is going to be too much work (I like her a lot, but she is SLOW and needs a lot of direction), so that will take some poking and prodding. That's another issue. She is pretty close to retirement, is having a very tough year family-wise, and has been there for a long time, so I feel bad telling her to step it up, but she just doesn't get that much done. I end up doing a lot of clerical stuff whenever I get a chance, because otherwise it will never happen...like we got a couple boxes of GOOD donations from a parent and have to pull records, and she will never do it. It's driving me crazy!
Also, the woman spent her entire LIBRARY supply budget on random things that should have come out of SCHOOL supplies, like White Out and strange DVD cleaners and who knows what else! She had no book tape, book covers, etc. It is unbelievable. So here's my next question: do you all cover paperbacks? (Megan, what I wouldn't give to have a central office take care of processing!) I have covered them in the past, and I think it is probably worth it when you don't have a ton of money. Our paperbacks that are uncovered get so beat up that they probably only last a year. However, my aide has already hinted that she thinks covering paperbacks is going to be too much work (I like her a lot, but she is SLOW and needs a lot of direction), so that will take some poking and prodding. That's another issue. She is pretty close to retirement, is having a very tough year family-wise, and has been there for a long time, so I feel bad telling her to step it up, but she just doesn't get that much done. I end up doing a lot of clerical stuff whenever I get a chance, because otherwise it will never happen...like we got a couple boxes of GOOD donations from a parent and have to pull records, and she will never do it. It's driving me crazy!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
The Library as a Meeting Space
So let me preface this with saying I do really want people in the library - I feel like I'm going to sound a little Linda Herward here.
As part of our new focus on literacy, we now have 6 people devoted to reading instruction and their job is to pull small groups of low reading students and give them phonics instruction. However, since we're a charter school who rents an old, tiny Catholic School building there isn't really any space for them to do this, besides a few tables set out in the hallways. So they've discovered the library and pretty much requested to use it for any period that I don't have a class scheduled. Meanwhile, the ESL teacher, facing the same problem is also using the library.
Here's the problem: my library is tiny - it was a classroom once. We make it work, but there's only two tables for meeting (which are also my work space other than the checkout desk. It's a little annoying listing to phonics instruction, but there's no where they can go within the library that isn't going to be right where I'm working so I guess I can deal with that. But the other problem, is a lot of our low readers are also our behavior problems and I feel like I'm constantly being pulled into their lesson to deal with the one kid who is either running through my stacks and throwing books or refusing to go back to their classroom and needs an escort.
On top of that, I've been working really hard to make the library a place my fourth graders and third graders like to be in on their own time, and they like to come to the library during their snack or SSR or morning work and look at books or magazines and hang out a bit. This is really important to library mission I think, but as soon as they come in (and they aren't quiet because they are nine and ten), I have a phonics teacher getting annoyed because they are disturbing her lesson. If I have to get on them to be silent or just pick a book and go, they won't see the library as a great place to be. Worse, this week, I had a few teachers who wanted to sendkids down to work on projects (which is the point of the library) and I had to ask them to do small groups because the phonics class take up so much space.
I realize most elementary libraries have way more classes so I have been spoiled in comparison (I only have 15). But at this point, I think I'll piss off the reading teachers if I tell them they can't come all the time when I'm "free" (which I don't want to do). I also don't think I'll get much back-up from administration since reading is our big focus this year and they don't see how letting kids make their own choices on their own time is as much a part of that as phonics. I just don't see a way to handle this tactfully and I'm considering being passive agressive and just letting the third and fourth graders be as loud as they want to convince the phonics crew it just isn't working. Any better ideas?
As part of our new focus on literacy, we now have 6 people devoted to reading instruction and their job is to pull small groups of low reading students and give them phonics instruction. However, since we're a charter school who rents an old, tiny Catholic School building there isn't really any space for them to do this, besides a few tables set out in the hallways. So they've discovered the library and pretty much requested to use it for any period that I don't have a class scheduled. Meanwhile, the ESL teacher, facing the same problem is also using the library.
Here's the problem: my library is tiny - it was a classroom once. We make it work, but there's only two tables for meeting (which are also my work space other than the checkout desk. It's a little annoying listing to phonics instruction, but there's no where they can go within the library that isn't going to be right where I'm working so I guess I can deal with that. But the other problem, is a lot of our low readers are also our behavior problems and I feel like I'm constantly being pulled into their lesson to deal with the one kid who is either running through my stacks and throwing books or refusing to go back to their classroom and needs an escort.
On top of that, I've been working really hard to make the library a place my fourth graders and third graders like to be in on their own time, and they like to come to the library during their snack or SSR or morning work and look at books or magazines and hang out a bit. This is really important to library mission I think, but as soon as they come in (and they aren't quiet because they are nine and ten), I have a phonics teacher getting annoyed because they are disturbing her lesson. If I have to get on them to be silent or just pick a book and go, they won't see the library as a great place to be. Worse, this week, I had a few teachers who wanted to sendkids down to work on projects (which is the point of the library) and I had to ask them to do small groups because the phonics class take up so much space.
I realize most elementary libraries have way more classes so I have been spoiled in comparison (I only have 15). But at this point, I think I'll piss off the reading teachers if I tell them they can't come all the time when I'm "free" (which I don't want to do). I also don't think I'll get much back-up from administration since reading is our big focus this year and they don't see how letting kids make their own choices on their own time is as much a part of that as phonics. I just don't see a way to handle this tactfully and I'm considering being passive agressive and just letting the third and fourth graders be as loud as they want to convince the phonics crew it just isn't working. Any better ideas?
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