It is finished!

Today was my last day at my secondary fieldwork school.  The time really flew by!  The days were not as structured as my time at the elementary site, but I feel like I was able to significantly impact the library, particularly the collection, in my time there.  The fiction section is now near the nonfiction "stacks," and students are already paying more attention to the nonfiction collection since they have to go to that area to find fiction titles. 

The reference section--wow.  There were over 2,576 titles in Lynbrook's reference collection, and the average age was 24.  I weeded over 350 titles and brought the average age up to 22--not huge, but better than it was.  Additional titles are being moved from reference to a "reserve" collection, because the library specialists had been putting anything they didn't want to circulate in the reference collection whether it was a reference book or not.  Some titles will also move to the circulating collection.

I am really surprised by how much my supervisor allowed me to do with weeding.  The library specialists (there are 2 who share the job) only objected to two titles I chose to weed, and when I showed them the more current titles that remained in the collection they backed down.  One of the LS's asked about a book that was written in 1992.  I said, "It's 20 years old, and things have changed since then.  We have a better, more current title."  She hadn't really thought about the fact that 1992 was 20 years ago because to her, it didn't seem that long ago.  I guess people just need a reminder now and again.

I really started to get annoyed today, because people treat libraries like dumping grounds for any book they don't want/need, and then get upset when the library can't use their old outdated books.  I'm also starting to notice that no one cares about the books in the library until you start to get rid of them.  I noticed a teacher looking over some of the discards today.  I can guarantee you that neither that teacher nor her students have ever used the titles she might come back to get for her classroom (where they will gather dust and never be used), but once you move them off the (very) dusty shelves and discard them suddenly they are precious gems.  Libraries are not storehouses or archives.  Yes, those old books look "neat."  But they don't belong in a vibrant school library that is here to serve the students.

Well, that was a little side rant.  Now back to my point--I made a dent in the reference section and hope that my supervisor can continue to weed the collection so that students might actually utilize the good resources that are hiding in amongst the 60-year-old books.  (I wish I was kidding about that.)

I also realized that libraries must be the dustiest places in the world, and that you shouldn't work in them if you have asthma or shoulder issues.  I got quite a work out moving all those books today!  I also got to learn how to delete batches of books from the catalog, which was cool.  I appreciate how much I got to know the catalog system and how to run various reports.  Data is our friend!

And now for some of the pictures I didn't get to include last time:

Short shelves were reference, tall shelves are nonfiction, and blue shelves around the perimeter now hold fiction.

 The center section of the library consists of these tables for student work.  There is a projector in the ceiling and a screen you can kind of see in this picture.  Teachers can bring students to the library for class time using the tables (with laptops, if desired) or the desktop computers around this area, and they can use the projector and screen.  The other side is identical.

The "reading" room, that used to house half the fiction collection (shown in this photo). 

The "study" room, that used to house the other half of the fiction collection.  This is where we moved the reference collection.

A weird "help desk" area that goes largely unused.  My supervisor and I were trying to figure out the best use of this space.  We moved the professional development titles to the shelves here, but don't really have a use for this space yet.

The circulation desk.

The library has two "sun rooms" that students can reserve for group projects/meetings.  Sometimes they are used for testing, or teachers use them as offices when they share classrooms.

The stacks, they are a-changin'

Because of an upcoming construction project, a lot of the books in my secondary fieldwork library are going to have to move.  One room, that currently houses half the fiction collection, will be used as office space during construction.  My supervisor is trying to anticipate this and rearrange things as she can ahead of time.

It is interesting to see how she navigates the political world that is a school.  This is a real strength of hers and something I will need to work on.  She's good at anticipating how people will react and planning her actions so that negative reactions are minimized.  One thing I know from this experience is how valuable it is to run things past another person before you do them.  Often, she will think of things about my suggestions that I would not have considered, and I'm sure the reverse is true.  In my career, it will be important to find another person, whether it is another TL or another teacher, etc., to be my sounding board.

In the best circumstances, she would be able to wait a year before making any major changes (or at least that's what I was told in 202).  However, the construction has kind of forced her hand.  The entire fiction section will be moved to space currently occupied by biographies and "supplemental" novels.  The good news is that the supplemental novels didn't belong there anyhow, so this is a good excuse to move them with minimal pushback from others.  In addition, the need to create more space makes it easier for some people to accept the serious weeding we have been doing.  Some people truly do hate to see any book discarded, even if it is outdated and has been sitting uncirculated for 20+ years.  I am probably a little too eager to get rid of outdated materials, so it's nice to have another perspective to temper my enthusiasm. 

On Wednesday during school we had student aids removing items from one area to prepare for the move that evening.  One student found an entire section of books that were infested with termites (blech), so 30 books (the same title, these were supplemental novels) got discarded immediately and the shelves then got emptied and cleaned.  While of course bugs in books is never good, it did give us an "excuse" to take everything off those shelves.  And of course I'm glad we caught it before more books were infested.

I spent Wednesday after school helping student volunteers rearrange items in the library.  We moved the entire fiction collection and a big section of the reference section.  While moving the reference section, we realized that a lot of the books in that section actually belong in the nonfiction collection.  I will likely spend my day Tuesday and Wednesday weeding reference, with some titles getting discarded and others being moved to nonfiction.  Then I'm going to need to spend some time weeding the 800s to make space for all the literary criticism that was, for reasons I do not understand, shelved with reference.  I'm 99% sure they were there because of lack of space on the shelves, which is hysterical since so much of the nonfiction collection is seriously 40-50 years old and could be discarded.  It will be difficult to get everything finished, but I'm going to try to leave the collection in as good of shape as possible before my fieldwork ends.  I'll probably end up a bit "over," but I don't mind.  I really feel like I've contributed something at this school that will result in a better (and better organized) collection.

I am NOT looking forward to the reaction of one of the paraprofessionals who likely will not be happy with all the changes.  Kind of glad I won't be there when she arrives Tuesday. . .

I was planning to include some "before" shots here, but apparently my iPhone didn't upload them during my last photo import, so I'll have to do that another time.

Five days left???

I will be at my secondary site through the week before Thanksgiving, but because I only go twice a week that means that after today I only have five days left on site.  I asked my supervisor what she'd like me to focus on first.

She's been sending carts of (ancient) books to the science department to have them evaluate whether we should keep them, discard them, or look for more current books on those topics.  They have, thus far, decided we should discard every title we've sent over.  In terms of print resources, what they want are books where a scientist (or journalist covering a scientist) reports on the process they go through to discover something rather than books on specific topics like genetics or disease.  When they have students research, they primarily use databases or other online sources.  So my next project will be to put together a buy list of those types of books.  It should be a little tricky (or just involve reading LOTS of reviews).

I'm finding that, because of the high academic standards at this school, many of the "YA" resources are just too basic to meet students needs.  The adult nonfiction often fits better (though I try to find both), but I have to be pretty careful about reading the reviews to be sure the titles are appropriate.

The reaction of the library support staff to our weeding progress makes me smile.  In my collection development course we discussed how people didn't like to weed, but this is my first experience with someone who really just likes to keep books.  I think, though, that keeping all these ancient, outdated, SERIOUSLY dusty books on the shelves does the students and disservice, though, because it creates the illusion of a complete library collection when the reality is that the usable collection is about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the entire collection.  Is it really better to have a 60 year old book on dna on the shelves than no book at all?  I'm inclined to think it is not, and the circulation data agrees with me.  So far, none of the titles I've pulled from the shelves have circulated since the library adopted the Destiny system in 2001. 

I've been thinking about different school library environments and where I'd like to end up.  While I enjoyed the students in the elementary library and the days, while busy, had a nice structure to them, I really prefer the energy of the high school library.  Because that's where I have teaching experience, I find it easier to relate to the other teachers and feel like I have more to offer them as a collaborative partner.  Of course, the reality is I may not find any openings in any school libraries anywhere near my home, and since I'd prefer to be part-time it's very likely I won't end up employed as a "real" librarian any time soon.  Still, you never know.

I wanted also to mention the "Virtual Vikings."  This is a group of students with computer skills that my supervisor is training to help teachers and students with technology.  Dr. L would LOVE this group--it's exactly what he advocated as his "geek squad."  When they aren't in classrooms or computer labs assisting with technology, the students are working on their website and a "promotional video" describing what they do.  It's going to be cool; I'll have to put the video here if they finish before I'm done with my fieldwork.

Every Day is a Whirlwind

Apparently this is just how things go in a high school library, and I think that's great.  Every day is busy but really feels impactful.  The elementary school was busy, but less frantic, if that makes sense, because the schedule was so regular.  The high school library is different in that it's less regular (and louder), but I love the variety of things that happen in any given day.

Classes come in, mainly to use computers and tables (the library has an advantage over computer labs in that students can both access computers and have tables for working with others or on projects).  Circulation is really low in the nonfiction collection, which is something my supervisor and I have been examining in our efforts to update the sadly out-of-date collection.  After my cdp was complete (or as complete as I could make it and ready for her tweaks), I put together an evaluation of her collection based on age and circulation.  It looks both at the collection as a whole and at each Dewey 100, broken into 10s.  The age of the collection is a huge concern, and browsing the shelves confirms the real need for updating.

She has been working to identify additional funding sources, and as part of gathering evidence I created a staff survey to get an idea of what types of resources they would like to see on the shelves.  A good number of staff members have responded, from a variety of departments, and I am ready to begin building "buy" lists based on their feedback and identified needs.  Today a tech-savvy student (member of what Dr. L would call the "geek" squad) is busy pulling outdated technical books from the shelves.  After checking circulation data on them (I doubt there has been any), I'll look for updated titles to use as replacements.  My supervisor has an idea that we can "sell" titles we purchase based on teacher-identified  curriculum needs as "supplemental" materials, and there is funding for supplemental materials currently available we may be able to access.

As a whole, I feel like I am able to make more of an impact at my secondary site, perhaps because my teaching background is at this level, perhaps because teachers rely on the TL so heavily for help with technology, or perhaps because my supervisor is less experienced and more open to my opinion on how things should be approached, particularly in regard to revamping the print nonfiction collection.

The collaborative lesson I was able to teach focused on a student debate on Napoleon (was he a hero or tyrant?).  While I was involved in the planning of the lesson, it was not what Dr. L. would call a true collaboration in that the role of the TL was more adviser or sounding board than true co-collaborator.  In the flex lab, I was definitely in more of a support role than co-teaching role, although based on the lesson that day I suggested changes and created some documents that will change how the lesson is delivered today.  I am interested to see how many of my suggestions get incorporated and how today's lesson differs from yesterday's.

Whirlwind

Today was a whirlwind day.  My alarm did not go off, so I began by rushing to get out of my house and then sitting in traffic for nearly an hour to go the six miles to my fieldwork school.  I ended up being there late for the tech menu day, but fortunately I had communicated with my supervisor and they were able to move things around so that I presented toward the end of the session rather than toward the beginning.

My session was focused on using blogs in the classroom, both as a prompt for student discussion (responding to blogs written by others or by the teacher) and as a forum for student writing.  I addressed how to get started by having students respond to another blog and how to move into using teacher blogs as discussion prompts.  We discussed teaching students how to comment appropriately, how to assess student blog posts, logistics, and how participating in a blog comment discussion benefits students.  I thought it went pretty well.  I look forward to seeing some of the comments from teachers.

After that I worked on the collection development policy for a bit before meeting with another teacher to brainstorm possible lessons for a world history course.  She is using the flex lab next week, and fortunately I will be on campus and can join her and her students in the lab.  The flex lab is a computer lab with a class set of laptops, smart board, lcd projector, etc.  Teachers must meet with the LMT to use the flex lab ahead of time, just to be sure things are set up and ready for use.  The LMT, depending on her schedule and the requests of the teacher, may stay and co-teach or facilitate the lesson or may just pop in and out.  Since this teacher is having students debate and I used to coach debate, I'm going to stay to help.  I am really looking forward to being in a classroom with students and seeing what they can do.

Next, there was a district technology meeting to attend at the district office.  While it was interesting, the agenda had changed from when the LMTs were invited, and much of it (as it turns out) was not relevant to what LMTs do in this district.  There was a discussion of when to "age out" computers, what to do with them, how to set up an inventory control using the network, etc.  I had a panic moment while I was thinking that I had no idea how to write a script to keep tabs on computers on campus (as one of the men at the meeting indicated he had done).  It turned out that was someone else's job, much of what was said had nothing to do with the LMT (although it was an interesting discussion to be aware of), and the district LMT coordinator was a little annoyed he'd made everyone come to the meeting.  I was relieved I wouldn't have to add network administrator to my list of job duties.

Following that I got to sit in a "debriefing" session with a student who had served on a "digital natives" panel discussion during the tech menu morning.  It was really interesting to get her perspective on how the session went and to hear the questions teachers raised and her concerns as a student. 

Finally, I made some real progress on the CDP.  I have some editing and polishing to do, and then I think it will be ready for my supervisor to look at while I begin working on evaluating the print collection. 

It's difficult not to wonder how Dr. Loertscher would view the role of the LMT at this school and what he would think should be done differently.

First, I think he would love that the LMT is so involved in planning professional development and is such a strong technology leader at the school.  He would love how often she collaborates with teachers to create lessons for the flex lab. 

I am sure he would say there could be more collaborative planning and lesson delivery, and that he'd like to see the LMT involved in lesson assessment and leading students in meta-cognative exercises (the big think). 

The state of the print collection might be a concern, although honestly we rarely discussed the print collection in his classes.  I do think, though, that this is an area where I can make a real contribution to this school. 

It is also impossible to be on this campus and not wonder how the LMT can possibly fit everything in.  One thing I'd like to have in place before I finish my fieldwork is an idea of how to allocate my time as a teacher librarian.  How much time (per week, on average) should be spent on collection development?  Collaboration?  Co-teaching?  Other administrative duties?  Time was much more structured in the elementary school.

Finally, I notice that there is a shocking lack of hand sanitizer on the high school campus.  There was hand sanitizer every 2 feet at the elementary school, lol!  I think I may bring some, just because I have already had 3 colds this fall and I do not have time for them.

Seriously, though, my plan (other than to watch and learn and to work with as many classroom teachers as possible) is to draft a cdp, complete a collection evaluation, and get at least one "buy" list going after evaluating the collection and beginning weeding.  I'd also like to reorganize some of the things in the library so that items like supplemental novels currently on shelves out in the main library are somewhere less "public," and there is a space for the fiction collection to go during construction (or at least create a plan so that can happen).

Elementary Wrap-Up take 2

I wanted to post some pictures of my elementary fieldwork site and reflect a bit on the experience before getting too caught up in the secondary expeirence.

The shelf on the left is part of Spanish fiction. The taller shelf on the right is the "blue star" collection (series fiction).

Part of the "enjoyables" collection (picture books).

English nonfiction is against the wall.  The "island" houses English biographies.

I included this picture because of the great architectural detail that gives the library so much wonderful natural light.

The back row of Mac computers for student use.

This section, in the center of the library, serves as a gathering space.  Younger students sit on the carpet squares for library lessons.  In the red bins, there are "honor" books (books not in the library's catalog that can be borrowed by students who have checked out their limit of books or who have overdue books).

The graphic novel collection, after my "reorg" but before I straightened it (again).  This is probably the most popular part of the library's collection.

Author Lauren Oliver speaks to students.  This was a real highlight and a great way to end my fieldwork.  The students were so excited to have the opportunity to hear her speak!  They had outstanding questions, too.   I look forward to picking up my signed copies of her books!

It is amazing how very different working on a high school campus is from working on an elementary campus.  In an elementary school, the TL spent much more time doing readers' advisory.  On the secondary campus, my supervisor is so busy with meetings, helping in the "flex lab," etc. that helping students select books is really up to the classified staff.  The TL at the secondary level seems to be much more administrator and slightly less teacher (though she is still a teacher, of course).  It is a really exciting time to work in a school library, whatever level.

Off and running.

Yesterday fieldwork at my secondary site began in earnest.  After some more orientation and introductions I spent some time working on the collection development policy I'd already outlined at home.  It was helpful to get my supervisor's feedback.   I also spent some time with the library paraprofessional asking questions about circulation policies and library operations in general.

As part of my supervisor's role in planning professional development, she had a lunch meeting with another teacher who is a co-coordinator of professional development.  There are two strands of professional development--the "tech menu" days my supervisor has started, where staff members choose from several sessions focused on educational technology (this week included blogging, flipping classrooms, creating and uploading simple videos, and an open session where teachers and guests took part in a panel discussion regarding technology trends in education) and the more traditional days where the entire staff meets and are focused on school-wide topics (this year, homework & assessment and creating SMART goals).  Because these two types of days are very different, my supervisor and her co-coordinator have split the job, and she is focused on the tech menu days.  However, she wants there to be some connection between those days and the other days, so she is working to include options aligned with the different departmental SMART goals and with homework/assessment.  For them, working together to plan the same day proved difficult, but dividing the days and meeting from time to time to discuss crossover works.

Then I attended a district Library Media Teacher meeting at another school, which was highly interesting in regards to how the different school libraries in this district are operated.  Since I am working on a CDP for my site, I asked how many of the had written collection development policies.  One teacher librarian just kind of chuckled, and the consensus was they had all created them for coursework but hadn't revisited their CDPs.  There was also discussion about teaching digital citizenship, possibly purchasing e-books, and issues with different technology used at all sites.  Following the meeting I talked to my supervisor about her reasons for wanting a written CDP and how she planned to use it, which was helpful in letting me know how to proceed from here.

I am looking forward to learning more about how she divides her time during the day and how everything gets accomplished.  I am also excited about how my CDP and weeding/cd projects at this school could literally transform the collection in the library and, hopefully, the way the library gets used.  I know I won't be able to see the plan to completion, but if just getting it started is pretty exciting.  I think I mentioned before that the collection is extremely outdated and the space in the library is not being used as well as it should.  For example, supplemental novels used for English classes currently take up shelf space in the library.  Because of some upcoming construction, the entire fiction section will have to be moved, so this is an opportunity to make better use of the space and potentially open up the current fiction area for other uses after construction is complete.

Wrapping Up and Diving In

Things are wrapping up at my Elementary site.  Today I finished my lesson with the first grade students, and as a whole it was MUCH better than last week.  There was one student who just could not seem to behave, but as a whole, things went smoothly.  I'd still rather do check out at the end of the time, but it seems the teachers suggested trying it this way, so my supervisor is doing that (which means I will, too).

One class did come in a bit rowdy, and one student did a cartwheel in the library!!!  We had them go back outside and practice coming in following the library rules (be safe, be respectful, be responsible).  Because we spent a bit of time on that, we did not get to finish reading their picture book.  In the long run, I know the investment in behavior is worth the loss of that picture book.

I also got to go with my supervisor to her pre-evaluation conference.  Although she has been a teacher in this district for decades and has been the Teacher Librarian for 5 years, she just recently finished her credential.  In her district, you can't be tenured until you have your credential, so she is finishing the process of becoming tenured (again). 

It was really interesting to see how her district approaches evaluation of elementary TLs.  The principal observes lessons, the same as she would for any other teacher.  My supervisor also took the principal a rubric for evaluating school library programs as a whole (which would be a more appropriate way to evaluate her in my opinion, since teaching is an extremely important part of what she does but not ALL of what she does).  In the course of their conference, I asked the principal whether her entire evaluation would be based on observed lessons or if library administration/the program as a whole was part of it.  It seemed as if the principal hadn't thought of that before (she is relatively new to the district and since most other districts do not have TLs in elementary schools this is probably new to her as well).  She may well substitute one of the three observations with observations of the TL presenting to PTA, teachers, principals, etc.  It was really interesting to observe their discussion since obviously I'd like to keep my job and be evaluated well in the future!  I would like to find out how the TL at my secondary site will be evaluated.

I have also spent some time at my secondary site and am excited to dive in there.  The current TL is in her first year but is really outstanding at technology and staff development, so I'm looking forward to learning a lot from her on that front.  There currently isn't much in the way of a collection development policy, and the collection, particularly the nonfiction collection, is in need of updating.  I pulled a book about medical procedures from the shelves, and its copyright date was 1968!!  Not only do I have no idea what curriculum need that book supports, but 1968???  Updating is required!  However, I feel that the policy should be defined before books are removed, so that will be my first order of business.

Based on preliminary observations, it looks as if most research takes place using databases (or Google).  I hope that I can leave the site with a good start in refreshing the library's print materials so that they also begin to be useful.  I'd also like to see more nonfiction that students might read for pleasure since Common Core requires more nonfiction reading.  There is also some upcoming construction that will require some shifting of books, and a lot could be done to make the collection better and make better use of the physical space in the library.  It's very exciting, but I also feel like there is a lot to get done and not much time to do it.

Tomorrow I will return to my elementary site for an author visit.  I am really excited to see how the author interacts with the students, how they respond to her (after 3 weeks of preparation for her visit), and how my site supervisor handles the event as a whole.  Book orders were piling up today, and she had organized them by class so she could put post-its on books for the author to sign. 

I really feel I have learned a lot about how to set up and run an effective school library program, but I obviously have a lot more to learn.  I am excited about the contributions I have made and will continue to make at my fieldwork schools, but am also excited at the prospect of having my "own" library!

Principal Meeting

I realized I never documented the meeting my supervisor had with her principal regarding how library funds are spent.  My supervisor had prepared a PowerPoint presentation explaining her rational for selecting books (1. supports curriculum, 2. encourages love of reading).  Other factors include increasing nonfiction "enjoyment" reading for Common Core, purchasing through Follet (district preferred) and Let's Read (book fair funds, all titles Spanish).  She does not purchase titles that have not either been professionally reviewed, been suggested by another teacher/librarian/trusted source, or that she has not personally read.

With a budget of around $8000 (raised from donations and through PTA, plus book fair funds), she spends half on non-fiction, with a focus on a specific Dewey range each year.  She weeds the range, identifies needs, and finds books to meet those needs.  She also asks for titles or topics from staff and has a suggestion jar for students, although they mainly request fiction.

This school has a Spanish Immersion program.  Half of the campus is part of that.  Students in grades K-2 check out books only in Spanish.  In grades 3-5, students may check out 2 books in Spanish and 1-3 (depending on grade level) in English.  The collection of picture books in Spanish is fairly well-developed, as is the chapter book Spanish collection.  The nonfiction is the least developed, for a few reasons.

First, nonfiction titles on the curriculum areas written in Spanish are difficult to find (if they exist) and generally more expensive than their English counterparts.  Second, when materials exist, they often are not reviewed.  Third, they are almost always translations, and sometimes the reviewers note they are not very good translations.  All of this combined means the nonfiction Spanish collection needs more development, but because of lack of availability, it's a real challenge to find those titles.

The Spanish Immersion teachers (or at least one of them?) would like for 60% of funds to be spent on Spanish titles since they cost more/wear out more quickly (often they are only available in Paperback).  The Teacher Librarian does not agree.  First, every student at the school reads in English, while only half read in Spanish.  Second, the range of available titles in Spanish is not as broad, and purchasing books for the sake of purchasing them is not a good use of funds.  Finally, there are specific curriculum topics, such as the California Gold Rush, that just are not available in Spanish.  Fifth grade students all complete i-search papers in English.  Setting a rule about a percentage of funds for Spanish vs. English titles does not help the Teacher Librarian meet the needs of the students or the school.

The principal asked the TL to present the PowerPoint at an upcoming retreat for Spanish Immersion teachers.  Hopefully, when the teachers understand the goals of the collection, they will understand why setting a specific percentage to be spent on Spanish titles is not the best way to handle library funding.  They may also see why it is essential that they be active participants in developing the library's collection--particularly the collection in Spanish since they are all bilingual.

It was interesting to observe the process, especially since I've been working on collection development projects in both English and Spanish and know first-hand how little is available in Spanish.  For one of my sections, there were only 7 titles available in Spanish, and they were all similar titles, so the library would not need to purchase all seven.  I do understand why it might appear to the Spanish Immersion teachers that they aren't getting "enough" books, but I think once they realize that the TL is really trying, they will understand.  And, hopefully, they'll start emailing suggested titles as they find them, because that would really be helpful.

This made me think about how to involve staff in collection development in the future.  Clearly, sending out emails does not work.  I did respond to those as a teacher, but I think I was the exception rather than the rule.  Attending department/grade level meetings, getting extra paper copies of catalogs and asking teachers for "wish lists," asking for lists of major curriculum topics, etc. might help.  I know a lot of schools, particularly secondary schools, use online forms for book requests.  One librarian I worked with asked teachers for copies of assignments they brought students to the library to work on, and then referred to them when selecting titles.

I don't know that any of that is really effective, though.  Teachers have a lot on their plates, so it's hard to figure out what exactly would motivate them to get involved in selecting titles for the library.  Maybe designating one person per grade level/subject area as "library liason" and making it part of their job?  This is a tricky one.

Lesson 1!

I did a lesson with 1st grade classes on Thursday.  It didn't feel like MY lesson exactly since I went by plans that my supervisor made, but with such a short period of time and with such young students I don't know I'd have done anything differently even if I had planned it.   Besides, with this age group I need practice in classroom management more than anything else.

First, I have always said it is essential to know students' names when teaching, and teaching in the library is no different.  I do not know how well I'd do with this, though, because you only see the students once a week, and a lot of what helped me learn names in the classroom, like constantly writing/typing a name, doesn't happen in the library.  The good news is that you have students every year, but it still would present a significant challenge to me.  My supervisor has a seating chart of where the students sit on carpet squares on the floor, which helps, but nothing can replace knowing their names.

Second, the time crunch was a challenge.  There has to be a balance between correcting behavior, not interrupting the lesson, and getting it all in with time for check out.  This was interesting because she had me do check out first and then bring the students back to the carpet.  I don't think I'd do that again, given the choice.  It was hard to get them all re-assembled and ready to listen, and then it was hard to get them to pay attention to me rather than their books.  Between the first and second class I asked her what she does, and she said she has them close their books and put them beside (not in front of) themselves so they are less tempted.  That mostly worked with the other classes. 

Still, getting them all back, sitting, and ready to listen was difficult, and I'm not sure what purpose it served other than making sure they had a chance to check out a book, which could also have been accomplished by watching the clock and checking out after the lesson.

I showed the class two books about apples, one fiction (picture book) and one non-fiction.  We talked about the differences between fiction and non-fiction, and I showed them some of the non-fiction book.  Then I read about half of the fiction title, The Apple Pip Princess.  I ended the book right before it got really good, and it was kind of fun to see how eager the students were to hear the end (which they will next week, with me, so yay for continuity). 

I would say that I got a little better with each class, but that I still need to work on pacing (these are 30 minute sessions, which is much shorter than anything I've ever taught before) and discipline.  When I'm trying to rush to get to the same spot in the book with each class, it makes me not want to stop and wait when students are wiggly, but then if they are wiggly they aren't paying attention and they distract their neighbors.  Once I started reading the fiction title, they generally settled.  But I definitely need more practice and patience with this age group!

Some of her techniques I'd want to steal if working with younger students:

• "locking" questions in your head for later, and putting the key in your lap.
• After a student answers a question, letting everyone who knew the right answer pat themselves on the knee (or wherever) 3 times.
• If you think you know X, raise 1 hair, touch your ear, etc.
• quiet nonverbal signal (like thumbs up) for recognizing something, such as a clue that a book is from the author's imagination rather than nonfiction.
• bum ba da dum dum (bum bum) (Shave and a haircut).  Just something you do that signals that you need their attention.

I wish I'd had the chance to observe some of the Kindergarten classes.  My feeling is that the entire year must be really focused on how to behave in the library, because as a whole, the first graders know the rules and how they should behave.  Of course, at age 6, knowing a rule and being able to carry it out are not the same thing!

I'm glad I get a chance to finish the lesson with them next week, on my last day, because it will let me practice the classroom management skills I'd need with elementary students.  I also need to be more lavish with praise, I know.  It just feels like juggling to get all of the management stuff in while getting the content stuff in and having time to check out.  What a whirlwind!

Busy Day

Today was a busy day!  First, I rearranged the graphic novel section and labeled it so that books now have a spot.  This section has been a pet peeve of mine for my entire fieldwork experience at this school.  Now, the nonfiction titles are in Dewey order (divided by Spanish or English).  The Spanish graphic novels are in order by author's last name, the English graphic novels are in order by author's last name, and popular series (Babymouse, Tin Tin, Asterix, etc.) are in order by number in series.  The shelves are all labeled so volunteers can put them back in the correct spots.  I feel much better, lol!

Then, I pulled books for Kinder checkout on Thursday.  My supervisor starts the Kinder students off by letting them select books from what she puts at their tables (instead of sending them to the shelves).  She says they get overwhelmed by the variety on the shelves and do better with fewer options. 

I did some circulation stuff, added books to the card catalog system, helped get "book sponsor" stuff done, monitored students on the library computers, helped with readers' advisory, and looked for poetry books on topics covered in 5th grade curriculum (there aren't many we don't already have).

My supervisor is meeting with some of the Spanish Immersion teachers tomorrow.  Apparently there is concern that the Spanish Language collection isn't adequate.  It is significantly smaller than the English language collection, and the school is 50/50 Spanish Immersion.  However, students in grades 3 and up can check books out both in Spanish and English.

The problem with growing a Spanish collection is that what is available through Follett (the preferred source for the district) is pretty slim, especially when my supervisor only purchases books that have been reviewed.  Nearly all of what is available is a translation, and often, even when there is a review of the English book, there is nothing to indicate whether the translation is good or not.  Also, for nonfiction, there are significant areas of the curriculum (the California gold rush, for example) that lack Spanish titles.  She also showed me several examples where the Spanish title is more expensive than the English title, even though it is in a less durable format (paperback vs. Follettbound or hardcover).  I know from doing my collection development projects for her that there really aren't lots of Spanish options for several areas of Dewey (400s, for example). 

She meets with them tomorrow.  Hopefully, the meeting will happen right after school so that I can attend.  Tomorrow, I am also doing a lesson with the first graders on fiction vs. nonfiction, focused on the topic of apples.  I'm looking forward to reading with them; they are fun!

My time at this school is nearly over.  I do feel I have learned a significant amount about how to structure and run a successful elementary school library program.  Being an elementary school librarian is a LOT of work, because so much of your day is spent instructing and not much is left for the business of caring for the collection.  Having a group of dedicated, well-trained volunteers is essential!  I also think I would have to spend significant time in the summer, especially for the first few years, getting things done that just didn't happen during the school year.  I think Dr. Loertscher said you want about 80% of your time to be directly impacting learning, and 20% to be spent on "administrative" tasks.  I do not see how you could manage everything if you only spent 20% of your time on admin.  20% of the school day, maybe, but not 20% of the time you work (unless you count collection development as impacting learning, which I think it does but I don't think it's what he meant).

Author Visits: A tutorial

My fieldwork school is preparing for an author visit in a few weeks.  Today as my site supervisor spoke with our students about the visit, I learned a few things I want to keep in mind regarding author visits.

1. Form relationships with local bookstores.  They are the key to getting well-known authors to visit your school (at no cost).  It sounds as if authors typically have time to visit 1 or maybe 2 schools, and you want to be on the short list.
2. Prepare your students for author visits.  Take the time to introduce them to the author and his or her works.  
3. Request that students who wish to purchase a copy of the author's book (which of course is not required) NOT purchase the book from Amazon or even from a local store.  Purchasing the book through the author visit/bookstore is preferable because then the book gets signed, the local bookstore gets the sale, and (sometimes) the school PTA gets a percentage of the sale.  This is how we say "thank you" to the bookstore for bringing us the author.
4. Have the students start thinking of questions for the author.
5. COME TO SCHOOL on the day of the author visit and let the rest of the school staff know it is happening.  This seems obvious, but apparently in a different school this was an issue.
6. Stock the library with copies of the author's works, because they will skyrocket in popularity before/after the visit.  This is an instance when paperback copies might be a smart choice.

I am super excited about this visit.  Although it is not on one of my regular fieldwork days I am really going to try to come to it.

Next week, I will deliver a lesson to first grade students, again focusing on the differences between fiction and nonfiction works.  I think it will be good.  Because my site supervisor is so focused on getting the older students prepped for the author visit, I don't think I'm going to have a chance to teach them a lesson.  While it's kind of disappointing, I certainly understand her desire to "own" the process since it is her relationship with the bookstore and she does need to protect it.

I've had a chance to learn a few more "tricks" in the library circulation program, which is good.  Collection development projects continue (and keep expanding to include more Dewey areas).  I only have a few weeks left and still have a lot of projects I want to get done.  I am finished with my e-Portfolio, though, so should have more time at home to focus on them.

I also had a good discussion with my supervisor about the importance of relationship-building with volunteers even though sometimes it costs time in terms of getting other things done.  She said she prefers to put her classroom visits back to back so that there is a "forced" cut-off to chats with volunteers (not that she doesn't enjoy them but she does have other things to do).  But I do recognize the necessity of making a connection with library volunteers so they are invested in YOU and the library.  And the time volunteers save her is WAY greater than 15 lost minutes because of a conversation at recess.

A good day.

Today as one of the first grade classes left the library I got a hug from a little girl.  It made my day. :)  The lack of TLs at elementary schools makes it less likely I'll ever work in one, but if I did, I'm pretty sure the hugs alone would make it worthwhile.  A close second was the smile on another young patrons face when I showed her a book she knew she'd enjoy.

Things to remember:  hold system for students.  Slips they fill out (name, room number, date stamp), books in basket by day they come to the library.  Seating chart on floor spots for younger kids.  Specifically teaching them to use shelf markers so books go back in the right spot.  Having library volunteers "read" shelves so when things do get put back incorrectly it gets corrected. 

If by some chance I do end up in an elementary school, I will need to slow my "high school" brain down.  Often, the lessons my supervising TL gives probably seem repetitive, but I need to remember these are young students who need that repetition.  Today, after I observed her talking to them about the difference between fiction and nonfiction (a lesson I know they also learned from their Kindergarten teachers), I was doing readers' advisory and asked the student if she wanted fiction or nonfiction.

"What's nonfiction?"

I had to laugh, because it's easy for adults to forget that sometimes, it just takes a while for new information to sink in.

Another lesson:  sometimes, a student just doesn't know what he or she wants.  I tried for quite some time to help two other students find books, and even when they'd say a book looked good or when they obviously had a positive reaction when I showed them some pictures, they didn't want to take them home.  My supervising TL just told them to try one of the new books she had on display, and if they didn't like them, they could bring them back.  That idea--that you're just borrowing the book and are under no obligation to like it, and you can always get a different one--is kind of tricky for students to get.

One downside to the fact that the TL is teaching all day both days I am there is that I don't get a chance to really ask her a lot of questions about her practice.  I do at lunch, of course, but that's not a ton of time and I'm not the only person she has to speak with.  I should start carrying a notebook where I can record questions to ask her, because of course another issue is I forget the questions!

I'm also learning quite a bit about how to manage classes of young students.  My supervisor is extremely patient, but firm.  She does a lot of positive discipline.  Today when one class couldn't remember where to sit, she took the time to remind them, then let them have another chance finding their seats.  Yes, it ate up a good 5 minutes, but the students will remember next week (I hope!!).   She also finds ways to have students use their bodies during the lesson (raise one hair on your head if you think X, or if you got a nonfiction book, put it on top of your head).  It's little stuff, but stuff I didn't do with high school kids.

Digital Citizenship

Today in addition to other usual "library" stuff, I observed my supervising TL give a lesson on digital citizenship focused on netiquette.  It was interesting to me how quickly the students sat up and paid attention to this--they are much more interested in anything that has to do with technology than they are on "old fashioned" library stuff, although many of them are interested when the TL does book talks.

What is obvious to me is that these students, as 4th graders, are already using technology or are on the cusp of really beginning to have undirected time online.  This is the perfect time to begin to address issues such as online behavior with them.  The TL let hem watch a brief brainpop video focused on netiquette as well, which they all seemed to enjoy.

This afternoon she was meeting with 4th/5th grade teachers to determine who is teaching which portion of the BIA required topics.  I would have liked to have stayed for that meeting, but I was not aware of it in advance and I had to get home for my children.

The collection development project is moving on, slowly.  It's relatively tedious work.  There are significantly more items in the 300s than were in the 400s, so it is taking a while to get through everything and weed out the items that I don't want to include.

I do not know when the TL would do this type of thing without an intern.  She literally teaches all but about 15 minutes of the day on Tuesdays and all day on Wednesdays.

Sponsor a Book, District Meeting

I just wanted to write a quick post to document a program my supervisor has in place at her school that significantly adds to the library's budget:  sponsor a book.  A form goes home to all parents inviting them to sponsor a book in the library.  For $20 (per book), they or their child can choose a book to sponsor.  Parents can specify an existing title or let the child choose, and parents can also specify an inscription or let the child choose.  The forms come to the librarian (money goes through PTA) and she organizes them by class.  Then, when that class comes to the library, she has the students select books, fill out the book plates (stickers she prints), and puts the label in an EXISTING library book.  Books can have more than one sponsor.  Students can check their book out then, even if they have overdue books or have hit their "limit."  This takes quite a bit of work but has greatly increased her library budget.

I continued working on collection development (I've moved from the 400s to the 300s) and am making decent progress there.  Also got to do some readers' advisory with the 1st graders today.  It's clear that they don't trust your suggestions until they know you, though.  Relationship-building is essential.

I also attended a meeting of elementary librarians from throughout the district today.  Most of the meeting focused on how they will show compliance with the Broadband Information Act and what they will put in place to ensure digital citizenship skills are being taught.  Because these TLs teach students weekly and have a specific curriculum they follow based on the model library standards, their time is already pretty full.  They are going to take responsibility for many, but not all of, the digital citizenship lessons.  It was interesting to see how they were approaching the staff regarding this.  Most felt presenting a basic overview at a staff meeting and then meeting with grade levels for a deeper discussion was the best method.  They want to get teacher input on when/where each requirement is taught, etc. 

My real take-away, though, is that this district is on top of it and these librarians are extraordinarily fortunate to work in a place that actually employs elementary librarians.  I don't know who, if anyone, is doing this at my child's school.  It feels completely unfair that this is supposedly the same free and equal education other students in the area are getting when none of the other districts in this area have elementary TLs.

Reality Check: Elementary School

I have started working on a collection development project for my elementary site.  I really enjoy collection development, but in the past any projects I completed were completely theoretical.  Now that a real school with real budgetary constraints and a real collection with real students are involved, things are a bit different.

In the past, my CD projects have focused on a specific curriculum unit--for example, in LIBR 264 (Materials for Tweens), I focused on The Age of Exploration.  While of course I was looking for current books, I was more concerned with content and availability than with the copyright date.  While many of the books shared similar DD numbers, that was not my primary focus--I was mainly looking at the standards being taught and finding resources to support those standards.

For this project, my supervisor had me take an entire section of Dewey (the 400s) and search for materials there.  When I started, I was at home without her guidance or the ability to ask questions, so I really just put everything on the "list" I created on Follett and figured I'd weed out what I didn't want later.  Her only parameters were format (Follettbound if possible, Hardcover if not) and the 400s.

I emailed her some questions about budget, number of items, etc., but I knew she had a full day of teaching and wouldn't have time to respond right away.  Between her response and our conversation the next day, I added the following limitations:

• copyright date of 2010 or later (with very few exceptions)
• professionally reviewed, and review can be accessed

The copyright date surprised me, because when you are doing collection development to support specific curriculum standards sometimes your only option is one that has been around for a while.  However, in this context--just updating the library's general collection--it makes sense only to invest in current titles (for nonfiction).  If I were specifically looking for a book on the history of the alphabet for a teacher, then maybe that rule could bend if the best resource was older.  My supervisor also shared a brochure by the CSDE outlining the acceptable average age for materials by Dewey range, and the date for 400s was 10 years.   This shifted my approach to this project and forced me to consider other factors, such as reports to administrators and parents, when selecting materials.

Of course it makes sense that you don't want to buy materials if you can't preview them or at least get a sense of what they are.  However, again when the focus is specific content, sometimes that rule gets bent.  For general collection updating, though, I can see why you'd want to stick to those titles with positive professional reviews.

The other thing that struck me about general collection development at the elementary level is the range of materials librarians must supply.  You can't purchase only one title on sign language, for example, because you need titles for emerging readers as well as for fluent ones.

She also gave me a sense of her budget for new materials and how she divides it (complicated by the fact that Escondido is half dual-immersion Spanish language, so she purchases books in Spanish as well).  That helped me get an idea of how many titles to include on my list.

In the end, I think I came up with a solid list of English titles.  I am still working on the Spanish list, which is really a challenge since I do not read Spanish and often, the books are not reviewed.

Another surprisingly valuable part of my fieldwork is lunch.  My supervisor makes a point to eat lunch in the staff room and talk with other teachers while she is there.  She often finds ways to advocate for the library casually during those conversations.  For example, when discussing what they did over the summer she told teachers how she and another librarian had spent time looking at the Broadband Safety Act and coming up with a plan to ensure that their district was in compliance.  This lead to a discussion of what Teacher Librarians are teaching, the fact that there are library content (model) standards, and how the role of the school librarian has changed over time.  At first I thought I might choose to work through lunches, but seeing how valuable these conversations with other staff members are has changed my mind.  If teachers in schools do not understand what school librarians do on campus, how can we expect to avoid being cut?

A challenge I see with this site is that the TLs teach scheduled classes on a weekly basis.  My supervisor's schedule is largely comprised of teaching time, with classes or sometimes 1 1/2 class coming to the library for a lesson and a brief check-out period.  Classroom teachers use that time as prep time.  This does not mesh at all with the view of collaboration and co-teaching promoted by Dr. Loetscher in LIBR 233 or 250.  However, I don't think the classroom teachers are going to give up their precious prep time to co-teach with the librarian.  From what I can tell, the TL tries to focus her lessons on topics currently being studied in the classroom.  For example, if, at the time she is teaching database searching, the 4th graders are studying California Missions, she would have them search for information regarding missions.  While this is not really what Dr. L has in mind, I'm not sure how the TL could accomplish a deeper level of collaboration while juggling a very full schedule of teaching.  I will have to think some more about how to break this isolation.  I think (hope?) it is a bigger issue in elementary schools when TLs are used for prep time than in secondary schools.

Reinventing Again

This blog is now becoming a place for my reflections from my fieldwork as a Teacher Librarian.

I've now been to campus twice, for a total of 10 hours.  The first visit was mainly administrative work.  Students were on campus but not yet visiting the library, and the teacher librarian was getting the library ready for students in the next week.

Things I should remember:

• Type out instructions for volunteers, including tasks to do when they run out of other things to do.  Checking books in/out, shelving items, basic book repair, and "reading" shelves can be done by well-trained volunteers.  I had my mentor send me copies of her documents to use as a starting point in the future.
• As I did when I was a classroom teacher, I need to prepare "guest teacher" plans. 
• When the TL teaches lessons, as is the case in this elementary school, it is helpful to see all of one grade level on a specific day (if possible).  I think I would prefer to see each class (or group) at the same designated time each week, but if teachers are not happy with that arrangement I can give them the available time slots and let them work out a schedule that makes sense for them.

The second time, I got to observe the TL with students.  She primarily did an introductory lesson, going over library rules, letting her students get to know her, and pointing out new sections of the library.

My take-aways:

• Students really liked having the series fiction pulled out and arranged by series.
• Small world language collections brought huge smiles to the faces of English Language Learner.  These can be obtained through donation or by checking public library "friends" sales.
• An "honor" library of books students can take and return at their leisure for those students who cannot check out books (either because they are new and not yet in the system or because they have overdue/missing books) is popular, practical, and takes very little effort on the part of the TL.
• Allowing holds or book suggestions is a good way to handle most student issues.
• Volunteers are key.  Get them early, train them well, invest time in visiting with them/getting to know them so that they are invested in YOU and in the library program and will be reliable helpers.
• Let students know when they can come to the library, the lending policy, etc.
• Put books cover out as much as possible.  Those are the ones students grab.  When finding titles to place cover out, check the bottom shelves--those are the most often neglected. (learned from a library volunteer!)
• Shelf place-holders:  find them, teach students to use them!

Seriously, this is the best job on the planet.

Seven Spaces of Technology in School

http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2010/10/-cefpi-tep10-the-seven-spaces-of-technology-in-school-environments.html

"Six Spaces" concept by Matt Locke, expanded to 7 by Ewan McIntosh.

The Third Teacher--book about learning spaces.

1.  Secret Spaces:  For tech, means instant messaging, text messages, etc.  1:1 communication.  In schools, generally not accepted or harnessed.  Getting "off-task" can be powerful and productive as a way to find new ideas.  Traditional classroom pushes learners too far apart to have meaningful conversations.  Make communication in "secret spaces" part of lessons (think-pair-share, etc.).  "Niche" spaces--little places where 1 or 2 students can go to read, have conversations, etc.

2.  Group Spaces:  online, things like facebook.  "bring a friend along, add your existing friends to this space online."  In physical spaces.  "Community as designer."  Flexible spaces that allow reconfiguration for multiple group types on a "just in time" basis.  "you need dynamic objects in order to create dynamic spaces."  Stanford d-school as example.  Need to factor noise into this--how do you have multiple small groups and keep the "productive noise" level low enough that the groups ARE productive?

3.  Publishing Spaces:  blog, flickr, photobucket--put something online so people can find it.  Show off learning.  Twitter feed?  "open air learning"  Make public the best of your student's work.  How could we design our space so that it's not just used from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ?

4.  Performance Spaces:  tech--allow people to be something they are not--avatars.  In physical space, play.  Example of elementary school with netting to get from one floor or classroom to another. 

5.  Participation Spaces:  tech--live web events, markets like ebay.  In physical place, theory is turned to practice in these places.  "Tilting the project towards completion."  Students work on creating, and share what they learn in the process with each other.  Create spaces where you need to participate in order to learn.

6.  Data Spaces:  tech--How could real-time data about a school be used to improve it?  ex. of school with solar panels/windmills had digital readouts to show students how much energy the school is producing.  What type of data could schools provide to engage students in learning?

7.  Watching Spaces:  tech:  Ted Talks, YouTube.  In physical spaces:  great lectures.  An ampitheater for lectures could mean fewer lectures but BETTER, more engaging lectures.  Activities in a different space every day.

This concept really goes well with the Learning Commons concept, particularly the idea of creating the same "types" of spaces in the physical world as the virtual world.  How can we, as TL's, create these spaces for our students in the PLC AND VLC?  How can we help teachers create them in our classrooms and beyond?

Advocacy and Radical Change Theory

SHANNON, D. (2012). Perceptions of school library programs and school librarians. Teacher Librarian, 39(3), 17.

This article focuses on the relationship between TLs and administrators and the fact that principals often do not understand what the TL does, especially in regards to collaboration and co-teaching.

"Administrators are critical to the success of school library programs. Therefore, it is important to develop ways to inform and educate them about (1) the potential positive impact of school library programs on student achievement, (2) the role of the school librarian in support of teaching and learning, and (3) what they can do to support school library programs and school librarians in their schools and districts. In order to accomplish these things, school librarians should be able to articulate their vision for the library program and to develop program goals and objectives based on that vision and on the principal's agenda. But regular communication with the principal by way of face-to-face meetings and written reports at established intervals will also be needed to provide a constant reminder of the important role of the library program."

Dresang, E. and Koh, K. (2009).  "Radical Change Theory, Youth Informaiton Behavior, and School Libraries."  Project Muse, 58(1), retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/journals/library_trends/v058/58.1.dresang.html.

This article has a lot of good information and is an interesting look at how today's youth interact with information and what we as TLs should be changing to keep up with them.

"“The Future of Reading,” a series of articles in the New York Times about how the Internet and other technological and social forces are changing the way people read, reports the information behavior of Nadia, a fifteen-year-old girl, who regularly reads and writes online: “Nadia said she preferred reading stories online because ‘you could add your own character and twist it the way you want it to be.’ ‘So like in the book somebody could die,’ she continued, ‘but you could make it so that person doesn’t die or make it so like somebody else dies who you don’t like’” (Rich, 2008). Nadia’s story demonstrates the ways digital media appeal to and engage young people by providing a forum for youth to speak for themselves."

Youth are creators of information (back to the REMIX thing).

"Digital age youth are “creator(s) of information in a larger social context” (Radford et al., 2008, p. 4). Young people who engage in virtual discourse using wikis, blogs, and social networking sites are not only expressing opinions for themselves but also shaping their identities. Their performances, such as the use of avatars, e-mail signatures, IM nicknames, and managing personal homepages and blogs can be considered as a process of identity formation and expression (Buckingham, 2008; Mazzarella, 2005b)."

Teaching digital citizenship--they are creating their online persona.  We must show them how to create a persona that will not hinder their future goals.

Another idea--participatory culture.  The internet has created a "participatory culture," and that is what today's youth expect.  For us as educators NOT to require them to carry out that participatory culture in the classroom is a real waste of opportunity.

This graphic from the article demonstrates how TLs could apply radical change theory to the school library:

"In the practical day-to-day world of K-12 education and school libraries, school librarians, and teachers must make choices about how to best help students to learn. It is essential to know what strengths twenty-first-century students bring with them, what information-seeking skills are already fairly well developed. The goal of the current research project discussed here is to provide librarians and teachers with a means to gain this knowledge."

Everything I read indicates a need to teach digital citizenship across the curriculum and throughout education, evolving as technology evolves to meet the needs of our students.  Teach them the 21st century skills/digital age principles above and more so that they are prepared for the changing world they will step into as adults.

Teaching Digital Citizenship

Hollandsworth, R., Dowdy, L., & Donovan, J. (2011). Digital Citizenship in K-12: It Takes a Village. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 55(4), 37-47. doi:10.1007/s11528-011-0510-z


Definition of Digital Citizenship:  " The term digital citizenship might create a confusing mental picture of what it represents in the K-12 classroom. If aligned with character education, it would lend itself to becoming a good citizen in the digital community. In many of the projects and curriculums examined through this article, the term represents a more comprehensive view of technology usage. In addition, it would include considerations for student safety and security, educational enhancement, ethical and legal behaviors, and becoming an effective member of digital communities. Mike Ribble (2010) defines digital citizenship as, “a concept, which helps teachers, technology leaders, and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately” (p. 1). He further elaborates that, “it is a way to prepare students, children, and technology users for a society full of technology” (p. 1)."

"In reference to the negative events associated with the K-12 digital usage, Davis states, “this is an opportunity to empower a new generation of students who will stand up and speak out when they see these things happening”

"Carrie James from the Good Play Project states, “One of the strongest takeaways from our studies of digital youth is that they most often think and act in individualistic ways online” (personal communication, August 1, 2010). Students will require awareness that online behaviors can impact people within their immediate circle of friends but also outside of that circle. Additionally, student digital behaviors can impact their own personal social dynamics, personal resources, careers, and safety."

"“While the bulk of youth’s online activities are conducted beyond the school day, educators often have to deal with effects in school – e.g., conflicts
between students due to online bullying or gossiping. Moreover, some parents may expect teachers and administrators to address digital citizenship issues. For a number of legitimate reasons, many schools tend to be reactive, rather than proactive, about such issues. However, the groundwork for digital citizenship is best laid in a proactive way, before problems arise”

"Students must be taught digital literacy. Digital Literacy and Citizenship in the 21st Century offers a definition for digital literacy as “the ability to use technology competently, interpret and understand digital content, assess its credibility and create, and research and communicate with appropriate tools” (Common Sense Media, 2009, p. 1). Many new programs that address digital citizenship are designed for students of middle school age and older. Research shows, however, that many students have already derived their own rules for use of technology by this age. Students use technology at home before they start school, requiring parents to begin teaching their children digital citizenship as soon as they begin to use a computer."

This is starting to remind me of sex ed--by the time we teach it, it may be too late.  Teaching digital literacy and citizenship from Kindergarten (or whenever they first use computers) is essential.

"Digital citizenship can be compared to American citizenship in that all digital citizens have the same basic rights: to privacy, free speech, and creative work rights. Teaching students how to protect their privacy is critical. Everyone has the right to free speech but students need to be taught to think about what is said and posted online, which has far reaching effects. Students should also understand that when something is created it belongs to the creator. It should not be copied or altered in any way. Students do not fully understand copyright laws or how to legally obtain information, songs, pictures, etc. The village must take responsibility to ensure students know not only what is illegal but also what is legal. Students must understand that with rights also comes responsibility, the responsibility to conduct themselves legally and ethically, as well as to help their peers
accept responsibility."

Teach them what they CAN do, not just what they "can't" do.  Engage them in role-plays or give them ethical scenarios to work out.  How should they react if they "witness" cyber bullying?  Begin the discussion.

"As media specialists, you are encouraged to do the following in regards to digital citizenship initiatives:
•    Establish appropriate policies and practices for digital practices in K-12.
• Educate all stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, students, parents, library media specialists, technology coordinators and community members
• Evaluate digital citizenship curriculums critically.
• Explore references and feedback from previous users of commercially developed digital citizenship curriculum.
•    Emulate effective digital citizenship initiatives.
• Emphasize a collaborative approach to digital citizenship by all k-12 stakeholders, including
parents and students.
• Equip students through proactive efforts versus reactive responses."

I really believe this is essential, and that TLs, CTs, administrators, parents, and businesses must combine forces to teach digital citizenship to our youth.  Until we teach students how to handle information and how to conduct themselves online, it is irresponsible of us to teach them to use those resources.  And they are going to use technology whether we teach it to them or not (and we should teach it to them, I'm not advocating against teaching technology).  I just think this should be a central part of all curriculum.

Speaking of teaching students how to learn

Johnson, B. (2012) Matching Teaching with How Students Learn.  Edutopia.  Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/matching-teaching-student-learning-ben-johnson?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=matchingteachingtolearning.

"As we mature, we learn (and remember what we learn) more and more by exploration and discovery. We learn with hands-on and minds-on. We learn in the situation, in the moment and in the locale. Unsurprisingly, this type of memory is called locale memory and it is instant memory. For example, we all remember what we were doing on 9/11. So, we learn instantly by experiencing events that are important to us."

Project-based, experiential learning is what we need to really learn.

". . .  we can easily remember complex storylines from movies or television shows that we have seen just one time. Using Star Wars as a story example, Willingham goes on to describe the four C's that serve as a foundation for any worthy story: causality, conflict, complications, and character -- all held together by action. So, we easily learn content in the action and adventure of the story structure."

In teaching, we can give any topic these qualities.  This is also why most readers can recall what they read when they read fiction or narrative nonfiction, but struggle more with reading/recalling informational nonfiction.  Can we teach students to turn what they read into a "story?"

Giving students the opportunity to experience learning and "remix" it, aka tell the story of it, is how they gain "instant memory" of learning events.  We have to create opportunities for them to do that.

Engage

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bird-school-20120416,0,1384226.story?page=1

Project-based learning is not new, so why does it take so much to get it going?

I am fortunate that my daughter attends a constructivist-based, developmental, parent-participation school within our public school district.  Teachers at her school use project-based learning, portfolio assessment, small groups, individual conferencing, and regular field trips to ignite student interest and encourage them to engage with curriculum.  They also have about 75 hours of parent volunteers per week to help them make those lessons happen, which I think is why it has worked.

How do we support project-based learning in the face of standardized test score mania?  I can tell you from personal experience that when you teach in a high-performing district, it's easy to do.  In a lower-performing district, there's a lot of drill and kill in a misguided effort to raise test scores.  It's frustrating.

http://www.fluency21.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=2605

Technology can certainly help move us toward project-based learning and engagement, because "lectures" can be viewed at home and projects can happen during class with adult mentors to help keep students on track and focused, to help them problem solve, etc.  That adult mentor factor is what makes my daughter's school work.

http://www.fluency21.com/blogpost.cfm?blogID=2534&utm_source=Committed+Sardine+Blog+Update&utm_campaign=88a3bd2517-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email

Technology as a way to boost engagement.  Can technology in itself boost student engagement?  Well, it certainly can increase student interest in completing an assignment, but does that necessarily translate to more engagement with the curriculum?  As we design lessons (whether they use technology or not), the question to ask is "how does this enhance learning--how does it allow students to connect with material in a meaningful way?"  If it doesn't, then we're just using technology as a gimmick.  And gimmick's may be fine now and again, but to really impact learning we need to be looking at how we use technology, not just whether we use it or not.

http://gettingsmart.com/blog/2012/03/why-my-six-year-old-students-have-digital-portfolios/
Getting students engaged in their assessment.

Jacobsen, M. and Friesen, M. (2012) Hands on vs. Hands up: Technology-enabled knowledbe building in high school.  Candada Education.  Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/web-exclusive-hands-vs-hands-technology-enabled-knowledge-building-high-sch

The technological infrastructure and network designs used in most high schools – built on broadcast media and information delivery assumptions about knowledge flow – are not serving students well. Professionals and outside experts create a firewall by selecting information and ideas, and metering out content in small, manageable, and simplified chunks. Participatory technologies, social media and knowledge building pedagogy disrupt that firewall.

• Audience/learners can talk to each other, build and share information together, and publish ideas and expressions online to a global community.
• Knowledge is created and shared by learners and by teachers.
• Information comes from many diverse sources, cultures, and locations.
• There is immediate access to current information and knowledge.
• An already huge knowledge base grows at an exponential rate.

" But most students use personal connectivity for socializing and play, not for knowledge building, exploring compelling science or mathematics problems, improving and building on each other’s ideas, or writing persuasive arguments. Young people need engaged teachers more than ever to make the leap from digital technology as play to digital technology as a tool for knowledge creation."

Amen!

According to a study completed by the authors and others, teachers are using technology to push information to students, NOT to engage with students and allow them to "remix" their knowledge.  There is a disconnect here between teachers using technology and teachers using technology in a way that is meaningful to their students.

" Teachers need support to design inquiry-based tasks and assessments that integrate digital technology into one or more disciplines of study. They need to harness their enthusiasm about technology to the design and support of knowledge building work that cultivates genuine engagement with learning.
Great inquiry-based learning tasks – with or without technology – are authentic to the discipline; involve active and participatory student groupings and interactions; are academically rigorous; connect learners to resources and communities beyond the school; provide for elaborated communication and expression; and use assessment of and for learning. Rigorous, technology-enabled learning experiences contain all the components necessary for a strong inquiry: rich, authentic problems/issues/questions to investigate; clear learning outcomes; curricular integration; learning tasks; appropriate use of technology; ways of working and knowing that experts within the disciplines use to build knowledge; and timely assessments with clear criteria to make students’ thinking visible to both students and teachers. In inquiry-based, technology rich learning environments, assessment makes up a large part of the high school day."

Important to keep in mind when planning lessons.

"
If we really want our children to face the challenges of the future with confidence and skill, we must teach them not only that they can acquire current knowledge, but also that they can help shape what their society comes to accept as knowledge.[6] Participatory digital technologies and new social media landscapes, combined with engaged teaching and designs for learning, offer new opportunities for knowledge building and interconnected relationships.
Today’s youth will inherit a global, socially connected, and media rich world. The competencies they require to live well differ from those even ten years ago. As our participatory digital world accelerates, high schools cannot afford to stand still."

Finally:  sites that list resources I want to check out:

 http://www.leadandlearn.com/multimedia-resource-center/video-library

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/03/best-of-web-2012.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

http://dailytekk.com/2012/03/06/the-50-best-ways-to-curate-and-share-your-favorite-social-media-and-news-content/#.T53rjb8sGjK