I am bound and determined to finish these 23 things before April 1. I keep getting bogged down by all of the links I follow while working on each activity. That's what I love about the web - exposure to additional information is possible and easy to do - akin to flipping through the encyclopedia looking for specific information while being exposed to so much more. That being said, certain concepts from the articles I read struck me as relevant to what we do.
The article 3 Icebergs by Rick Anderson discussed 3 "things" that affect the way I view my work. "The “just in case” collection" speaks directly to my view of collection development. I no longer feel that there are some items that every library should have. Books and materials, including online databases, are chosen with emphasis on supporting the curriculum and State standards. I also tend to put more of our budget (what's left of it) into online resources. It may seem extravagant to pay yearly renewal fees for an online encyclopedia, but I justify the expense realizing that the online version is updated more often and used more often by my students than any print resource.
"Reliance on user education" spoke to the fact that there is no way to reach all of my students (1 of me/900 of them). I work with small groups, teach them appropriate skills and watch with amazement while they teach their friends. I try and make the library as user friendly as possible - from selecting books to read for AR to using my web page to help guide them through their research. Even though our jobs are on the line, the district has just purchased new user friendly circulation software soon to be installed. One thing I've learned is that if it's not easy for the kids to use, it doesn't get touched.
"The “come to us” model of library service" again speaks to collection development, including online databases. We need to provide students with tools they can use from the library, classroom or home.
Michael Stephens article Librarian 2.0 Controls Technolust really hit home. All too often our district buys technology without thinking things through - buying computers and presentation systems for all of the teachers without thinking of how they will incorporate this technology into their teaching, having a computer lab (apart from the library) without someone to oversee and problem-shoot. The list goes on and on.
I think school libraries have always been 2.0. As teacher librarians we work to create welcoming and friendly spaces (physical & virtual) for our kids to explore, learn and develop skills that will be with them forever. We don't operate in a vacuum, but with the support of our peers and continual feedback from our toughest critics - our students!
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Does your district have a technology committee? You may want to keep them posted on what you are learning, and if they are interested, encourage them to "test drive" http://classroomlearning2.blogspot.com to see if they'd like to offer it districtwide over the summer. This is a good time to position your use of web 2.0 tools.
Best wishes.
We have 2 teachers on "special assignment" to train teachers how to use current technology. I shared the classroomlearning2.blogspot.com with one of them. I'll check back to see if she's done anything with that information. If anything, our district might promote classroomlearning 2.0 next year for staff development hours. Thanks for the reminder.
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