Spring break is almost over. And I need to get busy with lesson plans and an article that need to be written. But I think I'll postpone these tasks for a bit.
So what did I do on my spring break? Oh a variety of things crossed my path this week. I spent some time with one of the grand kids - little girl named Charlotte who is almost 16 months old. she lives about 20 minutes from us, so she's an easy find to take shopping, and a great listener of stories. She loves going to Barnes and Noble, so on that plain we are kindred spirits.
I finished reading a professional book, one by David Loertscher. It's his first of two on the Learning Commons. As I poured over each and every page, I began to get a true understanding of what a learning commons is on the grand scale of things. My task is to bring it into economy of scale for an elementary school learning commons. My immediate conclusion is that I have quite a bit to do to accomplish this task, and at that, it will be an ever evolving adventure. This will be a future topic for my blog.
This led me on to another conquest of sorts. My cell phone had been acting up in recent months, so I had justification for an upgrade with my provider. You may already know where I'm going with this thinking thread - - - I now have an iPhone 4. This is not any ordinary cell phone. I might go so far as to say that I'm in love with this little gadget - - - oops, mobile device. Not content to use it just as a phone, I created several QR codes, downloaded a QR reader app and the rest was a fun ride. Within a few seconds, a QR code scan transported my phone to a web page. I see lots of applications for this in my Learning Commons. And at that, I'll leave the rest to your (and my) imagination.
My next adventure was to charge up 15 old Palm TX handhelds. 13 held the charge, another did not, and another held a charge but it was inactive - tapping the screen with the stylus was like the lights are on and nobody is home. I think exchanging an internal battery from one to the other might resurrect the one that won't hold a charge. That's my next thing on the to do list. These handhelds will be used in the Learning Commons with wireless keyboards for note taking, writing stuff like poetry (April is National Poetry month), and more. So 13 or 14 working Palm TX handhelds could be a good thing. We'll see.
I scored on a shopping trek to Belks in Savannah. New clothes are a good thing, too. Even better than southern comfort food whatever that might be.
But . . .
Back to Saturday night thinking. I have some prep work to do for school and beyond. This has been my challenge all week. I started out great, accomplishing 2 of 3 initial goals for the week. It was adding 2 more to the list that punctured my enthusiasm balloon. So I coasted all week - my term for doing things not of the school or professional kind. Now have you ever seen a punctured balloon spiral around until it touched the ground or floor? MMMmmmm that might describe my frame of mind right now. I'm grounded . . . at least until I can put into print what is in my brain for next week's classes. Harnessing energy can be so much fun and extremely aggravating at the same time. So that's where I am on a Saturday night ... adding a blog post and disclosing my adventures past, present and future or sort of.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
SCASL Overload
Hotel rooms are great places to compose blog posts. All is quiet on the conference front. Let's jump back in time to . . .
THIS MORNING! It was a busy day at the convention center in Columbia. The one bummer was that a session on Prezi was cancelled. Not to worry as there were 5 others from which to choose.
Dr. Loertscher was presenting a session on Transforming Learning Commons. This topic resonated with me - it's been a project in the making at my school for almost 3 years now with no end in sight. The core of his presentation was creating a knowledge building center on the learning commons using Google Sites. This is a great tool. I have a virtual commons a la google now. So I've been google-ized at SCASL.
The next session was w/ Frank Baker. Frank had worked with the state instructional technology team when I was with the team. His forte is visual and media literacy. Frank has a special talent for stretching one's mind painlessly. I came away with new ideas that will work well with my virtual learning commons that is under construction.
The next event of the day was the keynote address. David Loertscher was the keynote speaker. He began his keynote by calling out my name - was I present and if so, would I come up to the stage. Clueless in Columbia here made her way to the stage not knowing what to expect. Well, the next period of time was interesting. I had the honor of assisting him with his presentation - reading the slides as he said. David has low vision, part of macular degeneration. So I went from wondering what was going to happen next to having a wonderful time co-presenting as it were, reading the screen script which I had not seen previous to this. It reminded me of auditioning for district band - had to sight read a piece as part of the audition process. Reading words is like that, too. One can read the words or one can give life to those words as they are read. Funny thing was, as I was reading the script, I realized that I have a long way to go in transforming my media center into a learning commons. It's a true work in progress or as the saying goes, a very fluid environment. David's presentation was great - not because of me but because of his thoughts and ideas.
The awards luncheon followed. I sat with some of my profs from USC - earned my MLIS there having graduated May 2010. It was great to see them again. They had introduced me to the world of David Loertscher via his articles and books while I was in grad school.
I went to the First Year with a Flexible First Grade session. I picked up a couple of ideas I can use at my school not only w/ first grade, but other levels as well.
At the Ten Hidden Secrets in DISCUS, I bumped into a former instructional technology specialist with whom I worked. She is also a media specialist at a high school in Aiken.
The capstone event of the day was my presentation. I thought I would have a few people, given the time of day and other events happening at the center. I was surprised with 25 or so folks including Dr. Loertscher. The downside was the Internet was slower than a snail on hot glue. But overall it seemed to go well. Hopefully when I do it again tomorrow morning, it will go even better. I know I forgot to mention a couple of things, so I'll need to jot down some notes to keep me on track.
I had a chat with David Loertscher after I presented. He has invited me to write an article - traditional format for one audience/publication. Then ramp it up a notch into the virtual world with a hyperlinked article - a virtual tour of my Learning Commons. This is a first for me, an honor to say the least, but a heavy responsibility. I'll need to plot it, plan it, and do it. I have the ingredients; just need to put them into a great recipe.
And now it's time to call it a day. A very busy day at that with surprises, renewing professional contacts, and learning new things. I'm always in a learning mode.
THIS MORNING! It was a busy day at the convention center in Columbia. The one bummer was that a session on Prezi was cancelled. Not to worry as there were 5 others from which to choose.
Dr. Loertscher was presenting a session on Transforming Learning Commons. This topic resonated with me - it's been a project in the making at my school for almost 3 years now with no end in sight. The core of his presentation was creating a knowledge building center on the learning commons using Google Sites. This is a great tool. I have a virtual commons a la google now. So I've been google-ized at SCASL.
The next session was w/ Frank Baker. Frank had worked with the state instructional technology team when I was with the team. His forte is visual and media literacy. Frank has a special talent for stretching one's mind painlessly. I came away with new ideas that will work well with my virtual learning commons that is under construction.
The next event of the day was the keynote address. David Loertscher was the keynote speaker. He began his keynote by calling out my name - was I present and if so, would I come up to the stage. Clueless in Columbia here made her way to the stage not knowing what to expect. Well, the next period of time was interesting. I had the honor of assisting him with his presentation - reading the slides as he said. David has low vision, part of macular degeneration. So I went from wondering what was going to happen next to having a wonderful time co-presenting as it were, reading the screen script which I had not seen previous to this. It reminded me of auditioning for district band - had to sight read a piece as part of the audition process. Reading words is like that, too. One can read the words or one can give life to those words as they are read. Funny thing was, as I was reading the script, I realized that I have a long way to go in transforming my media center into a learning commons. It's a true work in progress or as the saying goes, a very fluid environment. David's presentation was great - not because of me but because of his thoughts and ideas.
The awards luncheon followed. I sat with some of my profs from USC - earned my MLIS there having graduated May 2010. It was great to see them again. They had introduced me to the world of David Loertscher via his articles and books while I was in grad school.
I went to the First Year with a Flexible First Grade session. I picked up a couple of ideas I can use at my school not only w/ first grade, but other levels as well.
At the Ten Hidden Secrets in DISCUS, I bumped into a former instructional technology specialist with whom I worked. She is also a media specialist at a high school in Aiken.
The capstone event of the day was my presentation. I thought I would have a few people, given the time of day and other events happening at the center. I was surprised with 25 or so folks including Dr. Loertscher. The downside was the Internet was slower than a snail on hot glue. But overall it seemed to go well. Hopefully when I do it again tomorrow morning, it will go even better. I know I forgot to mention a couple of things, so I'll need to jot down some notes to keep me on track.
I had a chat with David Loertscher after I presented. He has invited me to write an article - traditional format for one audience/publication. Then ramp it up a notch into the virtual world with a hyperlinked article - a virtual tour of my Learning Commons. This is a first for me, an honor to say the least, but a heavy responsibility. I'll need to plot it, plan it, and do it. I have the ingredients; just need to put them into a great recipe.
And now it's time to call it a day. A very busy day at that with surprises, renewing professional contacts, and learning new things. I'm always in a learning mode.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Do media specialists have ADD?
Oh this is so funny. I was talking with another media specialist from my school district this afternoon and she said she noticed I was presenting twice. Well, I made light of it, stating I was scheduled for the earlybird special on Friday.
Fast forward to 5 minutes ago and OH OH! I was selecting sessions to attend and when I got to Thursday afternoon, I finally saw what she had seen earlier. Uh huh. And the story doesn't end there. I reflected upon the 2 email notifications I received, and had questioned to which room was I really assigned for Friday morning. The song, "I Can See Clearly Now" comes to mind. And I roared with laughter as I realized that I just might have ADD after all. Those two email notifications were indeed informing me that I had been scheduled to present my topic not once, but twice.
And tomorrow @ 4:30, the curtain will go up and the show will begin! I'm still laughing at myself over this, but I'm ready and that's a good thing.
Maybe as media specialists we are such multi-taskers that FBR sets in - that's Fly By Reading. I do that alot and sometimes, I miss the tiniest of details. Well, a principal once told me that the devil's in the details. Being more of a visionary and imagineer, I tend to see the forest, not the trees. Call it a bird's eye view as opposed to the worm's eye view.
With that, it's to infinity and beyond, and finalizing things for tomorrow!
Fast forward to 5 minutes ago and OH OH! I was selecting sessions to attend and when I got to Thursday afternoon, I finally saw what she had seen earlier. Uh huh. And the story doesn't end there. I reflected upon the 2 email notifications I received, and had questioned to which room was I really assigned for Friday morning. The song, "I Can See Clearly Now" comes to mind. And I roared with laughter as I realized that I just might have ADD after all. Those two email notifications were indeed informing me that I had been scheduled to present my topic not once, but twice.
And tomorrow @ 4:30, the curtain will go up and the show will begin! I'm still laughing at myself over this, but I'm ready and that's a good thing.
Maybe as media specialists we are such multi-taskers that FBR sets in - that's Fly By Reading. I do that alot and sometimes, I miss the tiniest of details. Well, a principal once told me that the devil's in the details. Being more of a visionary and imagineer, I tend to see the forest, not the trees. Call it a bird's eye view as opposed to the worm's eye view.
With that, it's to infinity and beyond, and finalizing things for tomorrow!
Doing the SCASL 2011
Time to catch up on everything. I'm in Columbia, SC as we speak attending the 2011 SCASL Conference. For those of you unfamiliar with SCASL, it is the South Carolina Association of School Librarians. But, does this really accurately describe and/or fit the role for the 21st century? Think about it . . .
Meanwhile, back to the conference. Today I attended a preconference workshop entitled "Leadership Strategies for Building Communities @ Your Library". Dr. David Loertscher did an excellent job in challenging the attendees to think without a box - I like "thinking without a box" better than "outside the box". Why? Not sure except that without a box, it's a "no holes barred" scenario, enabling or empowering one to imagine beyond infinity what might be possible in a school library.
Oh, there's that word again, "library". Rambling right along here, I dont have a library. I have a Learning Commons that contains a library collection, a media center, a mini computer lab, an e-classroom, a readers theater, a discovery dock AND an information island. Yes, I imagined those words and gave them life at my school. All without a box, too!
I have a desk plate that reads "those who see the invisible will do the impossible". I think that captures the essence of how I approach my craft, that of serving as a library media technology specialist. I haven't come up with an improved title yet. I highly suspect it will hit me in the near future though.
The SCASL conference theme for 2011 is Building Community @ Your Library. And so it is the purpose of the Learning Commons. It's the perfect community building playground. More on this in a future post.
For now, I need to review the program and identify sessions that are important to me and my imagination. I also need to finish or polish my presentation for Friday. I'm presenting Friday morning @ 8am. My presentation is entitled "Is your media center stuck in the 20th century?" So is it or is it not? The choice is yours!
I don't believe in boxes. I believe in infinity and eternity.
Meanwhile, back to the conference. Today I attended a preconference workshop entitled "Leadership Strategies for Building Communities @ Your Library". Dr. David Loertscher did an excellent job in challenging the attendees to think without a box - I like "thinking without a box" better than "outside the box". Why? Not sure except that without a box, it's a "no holes barred" scenario, enabling or empowering one to imagine beyond infinity what might be possible in a school library.
Oh, there's that word again, "library". Rambling right along here, I dont have a library. I have a Learning Commons that contains a library collection, a media center, a mini computer lab, an e-classroom, a readers theater, a discovery dock AND an information island. Yes, I imagined those words and gave them life at my school. All without a box, too!
I have a desk plate that reads "those who see the invisible will do the impossible". I think that captures the essence of how I approach my craft, that of serving as a library media technology specialist. I haven't come up with an improved title yet. I highly suspect it will hit me in the near future though.
The SCASL conference theme for 2011 is Building Community @ Your Library. And so it is the purpose of the Learning Commons. It's the perfect community building playground. More on this in a future post.
For now, I need to review the program and identify sessions that are important to me and my imagination. I also need to finish or polish my presentation for Friday. I'm presenting Friday morning @ 8am. My presentation is entitled "Is your media center stuck in the 20th century?" So is it or is it not? The choice is yours!
I don't believe in boxes. I believe in infinity and eternity.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
BES Media 2.0 - where life is taking on a new twist.
The beginning of August brings with it the excitement of another school year, a time of great adventures, many virtual places to visit, books to read and share with others, podcasts to produce, morning news shows to produce and more.
BUT WAIT! BES Media 2.0 - where life is taking on a new twist is about to happen in true twister form. I can hardly wait to return to school and get into the groove, to kick things into high gear. This return will be delayed a few weeks due to surgery a few weeks ago - total hip replacement. Here is a glimpse, a tiny one at that, of the vision I have for BES Media 2.0.
- Change in the landscape - the LMC sports a new look - pictures coming later.
- BES will have a new related arts special for grades 3, 4 and 5 - Media Technology. There will be an interesting mash-up of library information literacy skills, media literacy skills, technology skills, and project based learning. Simply put, Buzz Lightyear said it with "To the future and beyond . . . ".
- Puppet Patrol - temporary name for the moment as the kids will determine the real name for this troupe.
- Resumption of the weekly podcast show
- Revision and resumption of the daily morning news broadcast
I get so excited just thinking about all of the things the kids will do this year!
Here's to another fun-filled, adventure-packed school year where kids will explore, read, and learn about the world around them.
BUT WAIT! BES Media 2.0 - where life is taking on a new twist is about to happen in true twister form. I can hardly wait to return to school and get into the groove, to kick things into high gear. This return will be delayed a few weeks due to surgery a few weeks ago - total hip replacement. Here is a glimpse, a tiny one at that, of the vision I have for BES Media 2.0.
- Change in the landscape - the LMC sports a new look - pictures coming later.
- BES will have a new related arts special for grades 3, 4 and 5 - Media Technology. There will be an interesting mash-up of library information literacy skills, media literacy skills, technology skills, and project based learning. Simply put, Buzz Lightyear said it with "To the future and beyond . . . ".
- Puppet Patrol - temporary name for the moment as the kids will determine the real name for this troupe.
- Resumption of the weekly podcast show
- Revision and resumption of the daily morning news broadcast
I get so excited just thinking about all of the things the kids will do this year!
Here's to another fun-filled, adventure-packed school year where kids will explore, read, and learn about the world around them.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
March Madness is about to happen, and ???
It seems hard to believe that 2 months have passed since my last post. Being a library media specialist is akin to walking the Schuylkill Expressway during rush hour traffic in Philly. Always something to do, learn, ponder, research, and more. Speaking of Philly (my home town region), I'm watching a center city Philly piece on HGTV which makes me a wee bit homesick. I so miss my museums and the huge Philadelphia Library in center city.
Meanwhile, back in Beaufort I'm getting ready to spring March Madness at the Media Center upon my school community. I can hardly wait! Books are ready for the Read Across America book give-away. One of my two costumes is on hand. I'll be the chick with the blue hair at some point during the week. Friday, March 6th will be our Books, Blankets, Jammies and Reading Stuffies Day. Everyone, YES, EVERYONE puts on their jammies, stretches out on a blanket and reads. This will be an all morning event and Thing 1 will be on the loose, and maybe the Cat in the Hat, too! Kids will be challenged to read as many books as they can in March. Logs will be kept and the ones who reach their goals will be rewarded!
Next on the to do list will be the SCASL conference in Greenville, SC. I'm looking forward to this one as Doug Johnson will be there. Author Angela Johnson [The First Part Last] and others will be on site as well.
Now that I've told you where I'm going, I need to tell you where I've been. January and February have been busy months - like what month isn't, right? Many books to read and share, poets to introduce and more. This week was a classic example. To cap Black history month, I focused on Langston Hughes who was, in my estimation, a very compelling author. I shared two of his short poems with the kids: Dreams and Children's Rhymes. I read a newspaper article about St. Luke's AME Church in Lawrence, Kansas - the church Hughes attended as a child. It is in need of restoration and was added to the National Historic Register in 2006. Hughes stated that his church influenced his writings. Then I used Google Maps and the Google Dude to take them to Kansas and stand in front of the church. WOW! The kids were spellbound! After that we "flew" via Google Maps to visit President and Mrs. Obama. The only problem was we did not make a reservation and the Secret Service would not allow the Google Dude to stand on the White House grounds. UGH! Not to disappoint my young travelers, we used our Google Map "jetpack" and went a few blocks west to visit the Lincoln Memorial. One class visited Arlington National Cemetery. After that we sent the Google Dude to our Principal's office at our school.
Like I told the kids, you have to hang on to your dreams as dreams can and will take you just about anywhere. Without a dream, you have no hope. I shared what my 2 dreams were. #1 was to become a teacher when I grew up, and I did. #2 was to become a library media specialist, and I am living that dream now!
I do believe that this is the best of times to be an educator, and the greatest of times to be a library media specialist. I am indeed very fortunate.
So what if I miss center city Philly, the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Free Philadelphia Public Library, Independence Hall, and others. I may miss them, BUT with Google Maps and the Google Dude, I can stand in front of them whenever I want!
Til my next great adventure, read, read, read and dream!
Meanwhile, back in Beaufort I'm getting ready to spring March Madness at the Media Center upon my school community. I can hardly wait! Books are ready for the Read Across America book give-away. One of my two costumes is on hand. I'll be the chick with the blue hair at some point during the week. Friday, March 6th will be our Books, Blankets, Jammies and Reading Stuffies Day. Everyone, YES, EVERYONE puts on their jammies, stretches out on a blanket and reads. This will be an all morning event and Thing 1 will be on the loose, and maybe the Cat in the Hat, too! Kids will be challenged to read as many books as they can in March. Logs will be kept and the ones who reach their goals will be rewarded!
Next on the to do list will be the SCASL conference in Greenville, SC. I'm looking forward to this one as Doug Johnson will be there. Author Angela Johnson [The First Part Last] and others will be on site as well.
Now that I've told you where I'm going, I need to tell you where I've been. January and February have been busy months - like what month isn't, right? Many books to read and share, poets to introduce and more. This week was a classic example. To cap Black history month, I focused on Langston Hughes who was, in my estimation, a very compelling author. I shared two of his short poems with the kids: Dreams and Children's Rhymes. I read a newspaper article about St. Luke's AME Church in Lawrence, Kansas - the church Hughes attended as a child. It is in need of restoration and was added to the National Historic Register in 2006. Hughes stated that his church influenced his writings. Then I used Google Maps and the Google Dude to take them to Kansas and stand in front of the church. WOW! The kids were spellbound! After that we "flew" via Google Maps to visit President and Mrs. Obama. The only problem was we did not make a reservation and the Secret Service would not allow the Google Dude to stand on the White House grounds. UGH! Not to disappoint my young travelers, we used our Google Map "jetpack" and went a few blocks west to visit the Lincoln Memorial. One class visited Arlington National Cemetery. After that we sent the Google Dude to our Principal's office at our school.
Like I told the kids, you have to hang on to your dreams as dreams can and will take you just about anywhere. Without a dream, you have no hope. I shared what my 2 dreams were. #1 was to become a teacher when I grew up, and I did. #2 was to become a library media specialist, and I am living that dream now!
I do believe that this is the best of times to be an educator, and the greatest of times to be a library media specialist. I am indeed very fortunate.
So what if I miss center city Philly, the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Free Philadelphia Public Library, Independence Hall, and others. I may miss them, BUT with Google Maps and the Google Dude, I can stand in front of them whenever I want!
Til my next great adventure, read, read, read and dream!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Time Flies or what?
I didn't realize how long it's been since I posted on my blog. Well, I'm back for a quick post for now. The first semester has concluded, and the second has begun. I feel like I've been caught up into a time warp called library media and more. I'm enjoying and savoring every moment of every day. I'm in a constant learning mode, and when time allows, inventive/creative mode. In short, I really do believe I have found "the job" for which I was wired by the Creator.
What's it like being a library media specialist? Hmmmm....hard to put into a few words. I love books, technology, diversity, creativity, kids, and people in general. Now if you take these raw ingredients and mash them in the media center, life gets very interesting. I am always exploring with my school kids, constantly looking for that new, something special twist to put on the learning ball to minimize the learning curve for the kids and the teachers.
Books are a great adventure, and when coupled with learning projects, it creates a very royal cranial explosion of ideas, thoughts, and products. Take the past week as an example. I meet with a small group of 4th graders daily to work on ELA skills. These are the classic digital natives who really come to life when given anything of the digital kind as their tools of choice. The task was learning about a variety of evergreen trees. This mini project started when they had a short story to read about the red mangrove tree a.k.a. the walking tree. It is in the evergreen family and yours truly decided that these kids needed to expand their depth and breadth of knowledge about all things evergreen. They were busy researching using virtual library resources as well as traditional reference books in the media center. Once they had learned all they could possibly learn, they created and communicated that new found knowledge using PowerPoint. I must say that they did an awesome job. Little do they know that this is their first digital artifact for their e-portfolio. They are true 21st century knowledge workers.
Stay tuned as I hope to update more frequently about my life in Library 2.5 or the 21st Century Library Media Center. I really don't think it can get much better than this. But with emerging technologies and intelligent kids, it surely will.
Linda
What's it like being a library media specialist? Hmmmm....hard to put into a few words. I love books, technology, diversity, creativity, kids, and people in general. Now if you take these raw ingredients and mash them in the media center, life gets very interesting. I am always exploring with my school kids, constantly looking for that new, something special twist to put on the learning ball to minimize the learning curve for the kids and the teachers.
Books are a great adventure, and when coupled with learning projects, it creates a very royal cranial explosion of ideas, thoughts, and products. Take the past week as an example. I meet with a small group of 4th graders daily to work on ELA skills. These are the classic digital natives who really come to life when given anything of the digital kind as their tools of choice. The task was learning about a variety of evergreen trees. This mini project started when they had a short story to read about the red mangrove tree a.k.a. the walking tree. It is in the evergreen family and yours truly decided that these kids needed to expand their depth and breadth of knowledge about all things evergreen. They were busy researching using virtual library resources as well as traditional reference books in the media center. Once they had learned all they could possibly learn, they created and communicated that new found knowledge using PowerPoint. I must say that they did an awesome job. Little do they know that this is their first digital artifact for their e-portfolio. They are true 21st century knowledge workers.
Stay tuned as I hope to update more frequently about my life in Library 2.5 or the 21st Century Library Media Center. I really don't think it can get much better than this. But with emerging technologies and intelligent kids, it surely will.
Linda
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