Next Year! New challenges!

      Next year I am told  that I will not be doing all day 7th grade all day. So I will be a 'real " librarian.  So my first challenge will be  getting teachers to collaborate  with me  during the following year.  I know several of the teachers will be glad to work with me. 
      For instance , the music teacher always does several projects requiring  research  on famous   musicians.  I am trying to also remember  if there was another project that he did.  We already  have a whole packet worked up for this project.

       Both of  The 7th  grade science teachers also  do at least one project on endangered species that require  the students to do research on an animal.  So I am quite sure that they will also work with me,

      The one 8th grade social studies class does  a  project on Immigration and also I think another on Washington DC before their trip in the spring.  

   So I will springboard off of these and work on getting other  teachers to work with me on different projects.

Free online conference for Teen Librarians

  On Thursday, August 13th, School Library Journal will have a free full day online conference for Teen Librarians.  Topics  will include  programming, and collection development.

  There will be author talks about their current and new titles, and will include a question and answers time for participants.  Focus will also on teen issues and trends, selecting non-fiction , and romance for Ya's/  Also  other topics will be gaming in the library,  and setting up volunteer groups  .  There will be a virtual exhibit hall where you can see publishers newest items.  For more information  and to register visit  Summer Teen Web site.

More Primary Resources

   Check  out different library webpages to find links to Primary Sources. Many university's have great links to sites and databases that have primary resources.  Also large city  and state libraries have links to their states resources.

http://nyu.libguides.com/

http://www.library.virginia.edu/research/

http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/tm/


http://www.nypl.org/collections


  http://www.heritage-images.com/

Choosing the Right Resources - Part 2

     The librarian in a school is key to developing instructional units that expose students to all media in different context areas. The goal is to provide students with a variety and wide range of information and types of media,

   So lets not forget that there are exceptional print resources  that many times are overlooked in our digital society.  Students still to  think of Atlases, newspapers, periodicals, textbooks and nonfiction books in their quest for needed information.

  As the librarian , you can introduce theses to students. Provide opportunities for students to uses theses to help o then complete teacher required tasks.  Remember to highlight complex features of these print resources  as their skills in use of these resources increase,( table of contents, index, headings/ subheadings, summaries and abstract's).

  Remind students that print resources provide facts and figures, are easy to use and portable.

Digital media makes a difference

  I am still on a roll and feeling very strongly about students learning and using the newest media and technology tools.  As librarians we can be key in helping teachers and students learn about using all these new tools /
    Teachers are beginning to use the new technology / digital too and finding that it does make a difference in student learning.  The new digital tools are not like the static printed textbook. The tools , databases, and other media are updated instantly, and most demand interaction by students and other users.
  There are links that allow the user to jump from page to page in different sequences, There are tools that provide audio, and video images , virtual reality , animation and games.
 Students can engage in computer games. student produced pod casts, posts, videos, and on line collaboration projects with others. While students are using the new tools, they are acquiring new information , analyzing the information , interacting with the facts and with others, and most importantly becoming life long learners.
  So lets help  bring our students into the 21st century with these tools. What are you doing with your teachers and students? As librarian , how are you helping your district  and your students?
 

Wired Wednesday - Techology Tools

       Paige Jaeger is the School Library Coordinator for WSWHE BOCES , NY.. which covers many counties.  This is a huge area!  She  is the author of librarydoor.Blogspot.com  which is a great place to learn about the most current issues of school librarians.
      You will find this site that she has hosted to have a wealth of information  and ideas on advocacy for school librarians. 
  Currently  there is an inforgraph that would be helpful for showing all the different tasks and activities that school librarians do on a daily basis.  There are posts on Common Core and Information Literacy. Other posts discuss readability, reading levels, and complexity of text. There are charts and graphs on measuring reading.
      There are blog posts that discuss the need for research as it helps students build and share new knowledge. Also you will find links to Paige's books and articles. Some are direct links to the  actual articles that she has had published in library journals.  
   Check her link to Scoop it- they are very interesting!!   So check out this blog to keep up to date and learn something new!



librarydoor.blogspot.com

Why should we Collaborate?

       True  Collaboration is a process of shared creation of lessons and activities , where at least two educators share the work of creating lessons that provide students with authentic learning.
There are many way to collaborate: in person, on the phone, by email, or a web based tool that allows several people to share ideas and work together.
     Teachers and librarians can work together to identify and develop what students need to know ( information needs , and what skills ( information skills) they can use to find the information . The students need to be able to use the information and share with their classmates. By doing this, teacher and librarian integrate  ELA, Reading, and Media Literacy skills  into one subject area. Students learn the skills they need when they need them and have a reason to learn them.
      The role of the school librarian has many different aspects . Being a  teacher / instructor is just one  major part  of our roles in the school. We need to become more active in encouraging teachers to use our services in this area.
    Librarians can and should be an essential member of every school education team. There are several levels  and stages of collaboration that we will discuss in further posts.

Common Core Standards and School Librarians

    Snow Day again today!!   Really it is a snow and ice day as the right now the ice is just sheeting down! good day to stay inside!

     With the Common Core Standards  (CCS) being  adopted in so many states, it is up to the librarians to also embrace them !  Take leader ship in your role in your school and distinct!!  Show what you do in the library is embedded into the CCS .   Librarians provide information,  and also  instruct in the areas of finding information in informational and literary texts. We  teach students how to find what they are looking for and also provide students with increasingly challenging texts and books. The classroom teacher can not do this all on her own.
   
      As librarians , our job is to study our states CCS . Get to know and understand them.  Inform staff how we can help the teachers and students in  working through the standards. Align  our library curriculum to the standards . Show the teachers what exactly you do to help the students become career and college ready.
Yes , it is a big job but it is one that over time will show to our colleagues that librarians are the core in the  "Common Core"