The New Librarian: Leaders in the Digital Age - Digital Promise | by Digital Promise Part of a series of case studies produced by Digital Promise examining the work of members in our League of Innovative Schools. Click here for more info on the League. To stay up to date on future case studies, sign up for our email newsletter. Location: Vancouver, WA Enrollment: 22,192 students Superintendent: Steven Webb Per-pupil funding: $7,447 Low Income: 53% As school districts confront budget constraints and cuts, one of the first places administrators often look for savings is the school library. These cuts can impact both students and teachers. For these reasons, Vancouver Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington, is investing in its librarians while others are cutting back. A cohort of 33 teacher-librarians is viewed as indispensable to the district’s vision of a technology-infused path to improved outcomes for students. Teacher-librarians at VPS play a crucial role in this digital transformation and other strategic initiatives. Reasserting Relevance
Tutorials Get Started on Flipboard Welcome to Flipboard, your personal magazine. Here are tips on how to get started. You can watch our quick video tutorial, or read more below. 1. Available for free in the App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Blackberry World, Amazon App Store and Nook App Store. 2. When you launch Flipboard for the first time, swipe past the “Welcome to Flipboard” screen. On the next page, tap to start following different topics from Tech and News to Style and Film. 3. After setting up your Flipboard, you will arrive at the Table of Contents—the “front page” that houses all your favorite content. 4. Explore the Content Guide for hundreds of recommendations for what to read, look at, or listen to. Follow what you love to customize your Flipboard. 5. Add your social networks to quickly browse newsfeeds from that network. 6. It’s easy to share the amazing content you come across on Flipboard. Creating Your Own Magazines 1. 2. 3. You can also select a cover for your magazine. 4. 5.
The changing role of the school library The changing role of the school environment—where students have access to tech all day long and inquiry assignments set each student or student group on their own learning trajectory—means that educators need to re-think how and where we work with students during the school day to best help them navigate their learning. We know that most students know how to use a computer, but experience has shown that they often don’t work well online yet. In order to function well in their workplace students must know how to organize their workspace, research effectively, analyze their information, and express their opinions and new learning successfully. Third space in the school – that space between the classroom and home – is an important place for on-site, individualized, and directed learning and practice. Sophia, a high school students describes why the library is important to her: Students have been coming in and out of the library during the school day for years, so would much change? Sophia.
RebelMouse: Let Your Content Roar Reimagining the role of the library in the digital age: changing the use of space and navigating the information landscape Yesterday Carnegie Mellon University announced a new partnership with technology company Digital Science. CMU’s Keith Webster describes the mutual commitment to research discovery and smarter workflows that underpins this collaboration, and also outlines some of the ways in which academic libraries have changed; from their more dynamic use of space to the redeveloped tools and services made available to students and researchers looking to navigate the vast information landscape. At Carnegie Mellon University, we traditionally mark Library Lovers’ Day through a number of events, but this year we added an extra celebration by announcing our development partnership with Digital Science. “When your average citizen thinks of a library they think of floors filled with shelves of books. Sorrells Library, Carnegie Mellon University. What librarians can certainly report is that their libraries are busier than ever. “What will academic librarians of the future be tasked with doing?”
Cheat Sheet: Twitter For Teachers By Kimberly Tyson of learningunlimitedllc.com We’ve sung the praises of twitter in the classroom in the past–far and away our favorite social media tool of 2012. But while simple to use simply, it’s not the easiest tool to master. Thus this chart. Twitter for Educators Twitter, the popular social media platform, is continually picking up momentum in its number of users; however, I find many educators who are not tapping into the power of Twitter. For those just getting started, I’ll explain a few basic terms to help you easily and quickly navigate your way around Twitter. Twitter: The Basics Twitter: According to Wikipedia, Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages, called “tweets.” Benefits for Educators Connections: Twitter, at its heart, is a place to build connections with other educators – those next door and those across the country and world. A Word to the Wise
The Changing Role of Libraries in the Digital Age | The Huffington Post “We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. ~ American Library Association Since the founding of our country, libraries have always been important to freedom. Today we are in the midst of a tremendous shift in the way Americans consume literature and other content, but one thing has not changed — the library must continue to play a central role in providing open and free access to information and ideas. Exactly what that role looks like is the subject of much debate and many differing perspectives. While providing books was a standalone function for libraries throughout the last few centuries, their offerings have evolved with the digital age to meet the changing needs of their patrons. Regardless of its exact nature, technology will play an increasing role in shaping our future libraries. Free means Free Digital reading has taken off over the past three years in ways that no one would have imagined a decade ago.
NHS Library Connection Northwest High School - Cedar Hill, MO NHS Library - March Happenings March 12 - Girls Only "Appy Hour" March 28 - Author Visit - Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall series, sponsored by Barnes & Noble, Fenton, MO - MarchMarch 25 - April - Senior Advanced Composition Classes - Research "road trips" to St. Louis County Libraries Girls Only "Appy Hour" Eleven students attended the first "Appy Hour" in the NHS library. NHS Students Welcome Mike Mullin, Author of Ashfall Series On Friday, March 28th, Mike Mullin spoke with students about writing novels and the science of super volcanoes. Check out the Ashfall books from the NHS Library. NHS Library Author Visit - Friday - March 28th Mike Mullin - Awesome author splitting a cement block! Seniors Plan "Road Trips" for Researching Advanced Composition Papers Seniors enrolled in Advanced Composition are working on their last major research paper assigned by Mrs. NHS Library Stats - January - March 2014 TOTAL Books Checked Out = 1,982
The Brave New Librarian Why Brave? For several decades now we have seen some school leaders dismantling the library programs and cutting back the library staffing of their districts. During this period, some school librarians did not view the struggle as one of survival, and in many districts they have seen the cuts happen without putting up much of a fight. There are exceptions to this trend, but we have reached the point where all school librarians must view the threats to program and position as severe. We are facing what amounts to a war against libraries and information literacy. There are ignorant and cynical forces at work trying to convince the general public that library services are not needed while we have Google helping us to find the truths we need. This article builds a case for a shift in the job definition of school librarians that will increase their importance, optimize their impact on student learning and require proper funding and staffing. Joan of Arc?
Dangerous statements librarians make Sometimes librarians can be their own worst enemies. I shudder when I hear these phrases uttered: 1. But the school HAS to have a librarian/library. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. OK, those are 21 fast ones off the top of my head and are dedicated to Chris Harris who sparked the idea. I am not convinced that the profession as a whole is in a crisis. And rightfully so. What other dangerous statements do you hear from your library colleagues that make you wince?
Ten Things Your Administrator Needs to Know as the School Year Begins 10. That you are a teacher who teaches not content but process. You teach children to be information literate, digitally literate, media literate, and visually literate. The skills that you teach, the dispositions that you help children to develop, the responsibilities that you foster, and the self-assessment strategies that you instill will serve children not only in school but also in life. You are, first and foremost, a teacher! 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. If your administrator already knows these things, wonderful! Author: Audrey Church, Leadership Development Committee Chair and 2017-2018 AASL Past President Like this: Like Loading... Categories: Advocacy/Leadership, Blog Topics, Community, Presidential Musings
The Fake-News Fad: Let it Fade | Opinion Have you heard the news? We have a new four-letter word featuring an “F” and a “K” in our lexicon: It is F-A-K-E. The 2016 Presidential election campaign made fake news one of the hottest topics in—ahem—the news. For those who are not in education, the interest in fake news exploded during the 2016 presidential election campaign. As a consequence of its findings, SHEG offered the following recommendations to educators: Students as early as elementary school must learn how to distinguish online ad content from news content (p. 10).Students should learn to question everything they read, hear, and see in the media. UNESCO’s Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy. This should be great news (no pun intended) to the 62 percent of Americans who, according to the Pew Research Center, get their news from social media sources. evidence-based learning isn’t new Research and the CCSS. Emphasizing evidence-based learning is not a new instructional priority. It has always been about learning.