article 10: surviving the 1st year

Surviving your first year: Strategies and tips that will get you through your first year as a Library Media Specialist.


I'd like to conclude my assignment #4 with this article written by an elementary school Library Media  Specialist, Katie Cerasale-Messina.  It seemed appropriate as in a few short weeks I will be beginning my first official librarian job for the Vancouver School Board.  Needless to say I am very excited, but also quite nervous.

The article begins in a similar style to Margaux DelGuidice's article on advice on how to avoid TL burnout.  It tells a story of how first year TL Cerasale-Messina ends up feeling frustrated and disappointed in how the school library is coming along. She is behind in shelving and administrative duties, feeling low energy, and just about burned right out.  Out of her negative experience however comes an urge to teach others to avoid the mistakes she did and to follow some of her strategies on how to make it through the school year.

-take your time to master one skill at a time
-short staffed, no problem
-keep organized data
-sing your library's praises

One issue that this article brings up is the matter of what I will refer to myself as:  teacher librarian or library media specialist?  The latter seems to be more appropriate for the 21st century library.  What do you think?

Surviving your first year: Strategies and tips that will get you through your first year as a Library Media Specialist. Cerasale-Messina, Katie. Library Media Connection, Aug/Sep2010, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p30-30

article 9 :reference sections

Tough Love for Your Reference Collection.

  I wouldn't be surprised if I learned that there are students at the school where I work who don't know where the Reference section is.  And, even if they did, it might not also be surprising to know that they've never used any materials from the Reference section. With these thoughts in mind we find out that this article's author Terri Kirk has gotten rid of her Reference section altogether. She begins by telling us that she usually weeds the collection using the famous MUSTY acronym, one that I myself have referred to before in other assignments. 

In her case what she found was that for weeding the Reference Collection these handy little guidelines didn't quite apply.  She felt that she ended up keeping several items in the collection even though they might have been out of date, simply because she did find some value in them. Overall however Kirk was able to remove a whole shelf of reference materials so that she could have more space in the library for books that were getting more circulation.

Kirk, Terri.  Tough Love for Your Reference Collection.  Library Media Connection; Oct/Nov2010, Vol. 29 Issue 2, p28-28, 1p

article 8: tech and lib

Techno Geek Brought Very Near.

This article is of an interview with highschool teacher librarian, Carolyn Foote who tells us about her roles and visions as a librarian in the 21st century.

  

Certainly we are hearing more and more about 21st century learners.  If you look up the term 21st learner in Google it will turn up over 18 million references.   As a future librarian  both Foote and I share a common opinion that being that the digital environment is one in which teachers need leaders to guide them toward available materials and technologies.  One of the roles as teacher librarin is to do just that.    Foote brings up the fact that "To think that libraries become obsolete because of technology defies logic" In fact today students are more in need of information literacy skills than ever before.

 

The Vancouver School Board even has a site started on this subject, although in my opinion it barely shows the tip of the iceberg.

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/21st-century-learning

Within this article I started to see a pattern with certain comments that many teacher librarians in various articles were saying. These include such things as :

 

1.making sure our administrators understand our role in terms of student instruction.

2. Understanding how students think and learn (since they are my "customers") and how to convey information to them has been key to me. 

3.being aware of designing a library environment that is respectful of ;and inviting to students 

4.Teacher collaboration is key to becoming more central to this process

 

A quote that I would like to take away from this interview, is the following:  "I find that I continue to become a better teacher by being a librarian, because the library is like a learning laboratory. I get so many opportunities to see other teachers in action, and I have the opportunity to try new practices and approaches myself when working with their classes."

A few other points

-enrich ourselves by becoming comfortable with new tools for collecting, creating, and dispersing information so that we can be teacher-leaders.

-how to deal with books

Foote ends her article by telling us her goals which include

-constantly reinforcing information literacy is for our students who are drowning in information yet don't necessarily have the skills to evaluate the multiplicity of choices on the web.

-And I want people to understand that librarians are teachers too-we are teacher-librarians.

- encourage teacher-librarians to continually rethink what they do and to be curious-not defensive-about change.

It's also an environment which raises many questions for teacher-librarians and our future practices-so I am constantly working on sorting out issues like building a virtual point of connection for students and how e-books may affect our library collection, for example.

I recently had the opportunity to go to a District Technology Day. I found it to be very rewarding and felt relieved that the VSB, like some of the advice in this article, was heading in the right direction by hosting such an event. 

 

Teacher Librarian; Dec2010, Vol. 38 Issue 2, p59-60, 2p

Article 7: video games to reading

Videogames in the Library? What is the World Coming To?

In the past, videogames in the classroom have been looked upon with frowns and eybrown raises.  The thought of videogames in the library provokes similar sentiments as well. In Sanford's article we are drawn to notice that there is indeed a place for what is referred to as this new Web 2.0 tool.

It is well-known that motivation is the key ingredient in teaching.  Without it a lack of interest and desire can hamper any lesson.  Sanford's suggestion of using videos in the library is a clever idea for bringing motivation in to learning.   


School Libraries Worldwide Volume 14, Number 2, July 2008, pages 83-88. Kathy Sanford – Videogames in the Library? What is the World Coming To?

School Libraries WorldWide Volume 14, Number 2 - July 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://schoollibrariesworldwide-vol14no2.blogspot.com/>.

articles 6 : preventing dementia

The Role of the Library in Delaying or Preventing Dementia  

My first reaction to this article was a bit of a giggle I must admit, especially as it opens with this quote from Bill Cosby  "My grandfather told me about senility, I'm not worried about that. My grandfather said, 'When you become senile, you won't know it." I was attracted to this article for several reasons, but the main one is because of the author being Stephen Krashen. Krashen  is a linguist, educational researcher, and activist, whose name came up quite ofen when I was working on a Linguistics degree many moons ago.    In this article Krashen looks at how literacy can prevent dementia in teh long term. He also touches on bilingualism as well as teh use of coffee as other ways to prevent dementia. Krashen makes us educators feel good in that he believes that when we help students become enthusiastic about reading, we are not only increasing their literacy and knowledge of the world we are also having a positive effect on their future mental health. Krashen feels the same about teaching students to read for pleasure in other languages.   His studies show that in this case again we are not only helping students become multilingual, we also are making an additional investment in future mental health.   This really struck a cord with me as I am a french as a second language teacher and have always encouraged all students to further pursue a second language even after graduating from school. Finally Krashen mentions coffee as being well-researched in its corollations with preventing dementia in adults.  Thankfully he acknowledges that when it comes to children and teenagers drinking coffee there is some controversy! A safe choice is apple juice, which also has long-term mental health benefits. (Chan & Shea, 2009) It may be obvious to some that being a lifelong reader is clearly beneficial to mental health, but its nice to see a reconfirmation that our promoting of reading is not all for nought.

Stephen, Krashen. "The Role of the Library in Delaying or Preventing Dementia." Teacher Librarian 38.2 (Dec 2010): 42-44. Print.

article 5: Stories from the Cloud

Stories from the Cloud

In LLED 462 we learned about booktalks as a way to promote books, and we were given the opportunity to share our ideas for booktalks with our peers. What we have here in this  article is basically a review of Natalia Malesa's blog Stories from the Cloud. 

Stories from the Cloud demonstrates an alternate way to promote books using Web 2.0 tools.  Malesa's blog examines YA stories in their original, print versions and how they can be re-told in new ways using collaborative online tools.  Some examples of Web tools she has used include Google Maps, TimeToast(maker of timelines), StudyStack( a flashcard maker), Blabberize (a humourous video maker), and PikiStrips( a comic strip creator). 

Malesa also uses some more familiar Web tools such as VoiceThread to represent Hunger Games. This was particulary interesting in that it showed several students points of view on the book without spoiling the plot.
I can imagine this being a great link on a school library website. Or, if one were ambitious enough one might consider starting a similar blog of their own.

Barack, Lauren. Stories from the Cloud.  School Library Journal; Mar2011, Vol. 57 Issue 3, p14-14,

article 4 : move over gym class

Move Over Gym Class!


This article is written by a very proud teacher librarian who is told by her students that the best part of school is the school library.   Throughout this artcile we hear a lot about Killeen's goals.   It got me thinking as I am about to start a new position as teacher librarian, what my own goals for the library are.

She says, "first, let me share why I think the kids like coming to our library-notice I said our library and not my library. I think that is step one!"  Killeen brings up a good point; that although it may feel like your library, it does in fact belong to the whole school community.  She seems to highlight this as the main reason for why students love the library so much. By trying to involve the students in making the library a place of their own, she has instilled a sense of ownership and pride.

Killeen believes in doing "whatever it takes to get those kids to read and learn".  She hopes that much of what she teaches them becomes part of their self -talk.  Some of the words of wisdom she mentions are  "Research is hard work." "Learning is what we do every day." "The best thing in the world is to learn something new." "I have really high expectations from you because I know you can do it." and "Reading can take you anywhere and teach you anything."


An important point in this article is where Keileen ponders what the students need most? The answer she comes up with is, "a way to learn, a place to collaborate, an attitude of acceptance and help, a chance to risk and fail, and a safe environment to create will do more for their futures than anything else." I was pleasantly surprised to read this response, as it seems almost exactly what I have written down as my teaching philosophy.  I realize that it is not about the end goal of being the best and brightest student on Earth, but instead it is about the journey of getting there, and what life skills you learn along the way.



Move Over Gym Class! By: Killeen, Erlene, Teacher Librarian, 14811782, Dec2010, Vol. 38, Issue 2

article 3 : avoiding burnout

Avoiding School Librarian Burnout: Simple Steps to Ensure Your Personal Best.

When I  came across this wonderful article, I felt as though I wanted to send it off to all of my colleagues at work.  It is a simply-written article that speaks practically of how you can avoid becoming "burnt out".  Although this article is written specifically with teacher librarians in mind it can apply to just about any field of work.

DelGuidice gives the reader words of advice that can help you in preventing "burn out" and save

your physical and mental health at the same time. (I could sure follow some of this advice right now!)

*  attend conferences and workshops

*  learn to say no ask for help when you need it

*  learn to let go

*  beat the budget blues

*  reach out

 She ends with a checklist of signs of burnout.  It is broken down in to 3 categories : physical symptoms, social indicators, and professional behaviour.  Most of us are good at recognizing when we are experiencing physical symptoms of burn out, but DelGuideice points out that there are such things as becoming annoyed when students ask for assisstance during thh school day, or snapping at co-workers and losing patience when teaching a lesson.  I have to admit that I have gotten to that point a few times, and do know that that is indeed a clear sign that I have reached a point where I need a break.

On that note I am aure looking forward to a break, so as to avoid the dreaded 'burn out'!

DelGuidice, Margaux. "Avoiding School Librarian Burnout: Simple Steps to Ensure Your Personal Best." Library Media Connection 29.4 (Jan/Feb 2011): 22-23.  

article 2 : librarians and writing

  A Collection of Mentors: How the Library Program Can Support Writing Instruction.

One of our main roles as teacher librarian is a reference guide.  Typically we think of help in finding non fiction books for research project papers and projects.  This article however brings in to light how a teacher librarian can help students become better writers.

The author uses the term "mentor texts" to refer to great examples of books and publications students and teachers can use as writing models in writing instruction.  By pulling paragraphs or sentences from a "mentor text" the teacher librarian can provide good examples to inspire and instruct students.

Librarians are shown as a key component in  writing instruction.  After all, as the article states "they have been collecting the work of amazing authors all along."

According to the author Friese, students are "reading like authors every text offered to them opens up new possibilities for their writing."  She encourages librarians to assure that their collection has  a variety of genres and styles of books, from picture books to short stories and novels.

The article also mentions online resources.  Authentic persuasive letters are easily available online.  (the opinion section of a newspaper, for example ).  Using group inquiry, students can examine a piece of writing and elicit what the effective aspects of a  persuasive letter are.

The article gives suggestions on how teacher libarains can develop their collection to include "mentor texts"  The author makes sure to add that organization and accessibility are of equal importance. One suggestion is to tag the "mentor books" with specific terms so that teachers can easily locate them..

I found this article to be somewhat unique in that it brought the teacher librarian in to the writing process. I don't usually think of that as being one of our roles.  

I wondered if I in my future job as TL if I would be familiar enough with my collection to decide which resources would be deemed good enough to be "mentor texts".

Friese, Beth.   A Collection of Mentors: How the Library Program Can Support Writing Instruction. School Library Monthly, Mar2010, Vol. 26 Issue 7, p17-19

Article 1 : The Library Adventure Game

The Library Adventure Game: Using a web-based simulation to teach reference skills.


In this article we learn about a web-based simulation whose goal is to educate librarians in being effective in what the authors call the "reference interview". Although the game was created for the Belk Library at Appalachian State University in North Carolina most of these concepts and goals are transferable to an elementary or secondary school library.

The game was created essentially to provide training to staff at service desks who may or may not be professional librarians. I can see a tool like this perhaps being helpful to new Teacher Librarians or those who are in training. There are 8 different adventures dealing with the topic of reference services that the player must complete in order to pass the game.

An example we are given in the article is of a game in which a patron asks for help in finding the reading level of a book. (This is a scenario that could hypothetically happen at the elementary or secondary level.) The player is given four choices: telling the patron to figure it out for himself, showing the individual the library databases, looking on the library’s website for the answer, or looking on Amazon. The choice the player selects will lead to a response. If the library databases are selected, the patron will ask for help again. The player then gets more choices to select. Eventually, the series of choices will lead to a satisfied or a frustrated patron.

While playing the games the players are provided with reference interview strategies that they could apply across the board when assisting patrons. 

With the use of pre and post-tests the authors were able to verify the effectiveness of this tool. According to the article 80-90 of staff who played the game chose the best response on the post-test. Whereas only 25% chose best responses on the pre-test.

The article is helpful in that it provides a few links to online training games:
I’ll Get It (a reference game produced by Carnegie Mellon) eps.library.cmu.edu/rooms/documents/libraries-and-collections/Libraries/etc/game2/game2.swf
The Information Literacy Game (A web-based board game that can be adapted for your own use) www.library.appstate.edu/elearn/game/
Order in the Library (a game using the Dewey Decimal System and the alphabet to sort, shelve, and re-order books) users.ece.utexas.edu/~valmstrum/s2s/utopia/library4/src/library4.html
Within Range (an LC shelving game produced by Carnegie Mellon) eps.library.cmu.edu/rooms/documents/libraries-and-collec tions/Libraries/etc/game1/game1.swf

Although amusing, I found it a few of these to be somewhat confusing. Nonetheless the concept is quite a good one.

Not only is this a good idea for a tool for teacher librarian but it is a reminder that video games can be great alternative tools for learning. Something similar to the Library Adventure Game could be devised to teach students about library skills.

I believe that it is our duty as educators and teacher librarians to to develop 21st-century skills in both ourselves and our students. 


Rice, Scott; Gregor, Margaret. The Library Adventure Game: Using a web-based simulation to teach reference skills. School Library Journal, Aug2010, Vol. 56 Issue 8, p22-23 

"The new web is increasingly the pen and paper for young people.  It's one of the places they experience and create narrative.  It's where reading and learning takes place, where recreational needs are met, communities are formed, and knowledge is created."

B. Kenney, "You 2.0" in School Library Journal, January 2007.

What is your purpose in creating this blog? 

Welcome to my blog for LLED 462.  I will be using this blog as a space to bring to your attention articles that I have found interesting that pertain to issues in a teacher-librarian's world.  This assignment has given me reason to explore deeper in to topics that we've been discussing throughout the term, as well as throughout my diploma.

I am currently on the last two courses of the Teacher-Librarian Diploma, and have learned much along the way. I find myself at a very exciting phase in my life today.  Not only will I be finished with my formal education here at UBC, but I will be starting a new job as a part-time librarian at a school in my very own community.  This job begins after Spring Break.  To add to the excitement of starting a new job, I am also begining a new chapter in my life as I will be getting married over Spring Break as well.  Needless to say, I will be very busy over the next couple of weeks!


Why did you include the specific elements that you did?
For this particular blog I am writing about 10 articles from professional journals. I picked them somewhat randomly.  A few of these articles came about after putting in certain keywords in EBSCO's search engine. Others were chosen by simply looking at the latest issues of Teacher librarian journals.  I was also drawn towards articles that were directed towards new teachers.

How did you arrive at your decision about the genre or format you are using? 

I am a big fan of reading blogs. More and more as well it seems as though blogs and wikis are becoming more prevalent in society.  As a teacher I have noticed more and more blogs popping up, edublog being one of them.  Here are a list of the best edublogs of 2010.  There is some very exciting reading here : http://edublogawards.com/2010awards/best-individual-edublog-2010/

A blog I check a few times a week is TL Special Weekly Blog:  "The Blog" here for Vancouver TLs.  It has served as an inspiration to me.  It is informative, often witty,  and up-to-date with current affairs for teacher librarians.

I have created a blog for previous course, so do have some experience with setting it up.  As part of the district wide professional development day last month, I decided to attend a Tech Conference where one of the workshops was on how to create a blog.  I am now more familiar with the fancy tricks such as adding a link or changing the colour of the words.  I also learned about the seriousness of copyright.  In my previous blog I had included several pictures for each post.  For this blog I added a couple but was cognizent of including the source, and in one case I used a picture from a site that offered free pictures, free of copyright rules.

 

What problems or challenges did you face as you worked toward your final product?

Believe it or not, one of the problems I faced while working on this assignment was remembering how to access my blog. I was always trying to go to Blogs which was under the 'more' dropbox on my gmail homepage.  I now know that by going to Settings in my Google account I can go to Reader and then to my Settings and pull down Google Account Settings.  Actually, I'm sure there's got to be an easier way -still to be discovered!!

What were your expectations about the process? Were there any surprises in its development?

I was expecting to read a lot of fun articles. I really like that teacher librarian jounal articles, by and large, appear to be written at a very comprehensive level.  By that I mean that most of the ones I read were written by teacher librarians FOR teacher librarians.  There weren't really any surprises in the development, except for that I must admit it seemed to take longer to create this blog than I expected.

What did you learn from this assignment?

In reviewing the multitude of articles, I began to notice several key points mentioned over and over again. These include such things as

l. Making sure our administrators understand our role in terms of student instruction.

2.Teacher collaboration is key to becoming more central to this process

3.Creating a library environment that is respectful of and inviting to all students

I also found that reading off an online journal page, such as School Libraries Worldwide seemed to more challenging than an isolated article in EBSCO for example.  I suppose it takes some getting used to, but as I say I prefer using the online database EBSCO. It seems much less "busy".
What would you do differently if someone else sought your advice about the process?

I might have tried a different blog spot. I would like to try WordPress for my next blog.

What is the next step or what would you like to do with your blog next?

As previously mentioned, I would probably use WordPress for my next blog.

In closing I can say I am proud of my blog.  I don't envision myself adding much material in the upcoming months, but I do see it as a learning experience and a springboard for my next project, whether it be a wiki or blog, or a website.  For now, I hope you have enjoyed my comments and that you leave some comments for me too!