Follett Challenge - Vote through April 4th!

Follett Challenge - Recognizing Innovation



The Follett Challenge is really a grant disguised as a contest and I hope our parents, students and friends support our school by voting each day through April 4. I included a lot of detail about our media program, writing sections of the grant from home and at the circulation station between check outs. One of the best things about our program is how much of it belongs to the patrons.  Many stop by for just a few minutes every day or so to straighten and inventory their shelves. They are shelf managers and they are one of the main reasons I decided to enter the Follett Challenge. We need new books; we need new digital devices to check out and use for research. (We are using first generation iPads and Nook Tablets to search web based resources on Galileo and locate books on the online card catalog.)

So, for the shelf managers, please vote for our students' video!

Follett Challenge - Recognizing Innovation

Follett Challenge - Recognizing Innovation

Get Ready for our Spring Book Fair!

The Scholastic Spring Book Fair will be here the last week of March and I hope everyone -- that includes our community friends -- can stop by to browse and shop. The online part of this fair begins March 20 and will continue through April 9. We invite you to shop and support our media program.
All of the money earned at our fairs go toward purchasing reading incentives, digital and regular books for the media center. I was able to purchase three new Nook Color Tablets for students to check out with money earned from the fall fair.
If you haven't heard about our digital book lending program, ask your middle schooler or check out our web page at http://bravesread.net. Students must earn the privilege of checking out an eReading device (Nook, Kindle) with good behavior, attendance, owe no fines, maintain a good classwork attitude and be respectful to staff. There are  more than a hundred students on the list to check out devices at this time. I include all teachers in the approval process each round through emails. Some of the devices are aging quickly and have been used a lot. So, book fairs and Boxtops for Education are essential funding solutions for this part of our program. Thanks to everyone who supports us by sending in boxtops or purchasing items from the book fairs!
--G

HCMS Book Fair’s Best Guessers!

 

Congratulations to Daniel Bonner, who guessed 287 items in the Guessing Game Book Fair Contest! His guess was closest to the actual number of items in both containers – 290.

Four book fair shoppers tied for second place by guessing 286: Rachel Dyer, Maggie Henderson, Brew Covington and Blake Timmons. Maggie won the “sort and shuffle” tie breaker game to win the second container. Others got to choose prizes from the Prize Box. Congratulations to all winners – and thanks to everyone for supporting our book fair!

--GS

LMS: Trained To Serve All Patrons

Who is a library media specialist and what do we do?
(Hmmm. Raising my hand, jumping up and down to answer this one!)
A library media specialist is trained to help people find pertinent information efficiently, critiquing each source for relevance and reliability. A library media specialist serves all patrons, including students, teachers, staff members, administrators and parents by communicating and working with all of them individually, in small groups or large groups. The LMS tracks statistics, seeks out best books in print and digital formats, monitors new technology and spends budget funds wisely for program needs -- which are accessible to everyone. The LMS maintains a web page, reviews and writes about books and technology, is an advocate for library media centers and recommends good books to patrons.
Okay. I'll stop with that, though there is so much more to it. I could've just Googled it. So, I did. Here's the Wikipedia response:
A LMS is a "...teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator. In the teacher role, the school librarian develops and implements curricula relating to information literacy and inquiry....

In the instructional partner role, school librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to create independent learners by fostering students' research, information literacy, technology, communication, and critical thinking skills. As information specialists, school librarians develop a resource base for the school by using the curriculum and student interests to identify and obtain library materials, organize and maintain the library collection in order to promote independent reading and lifelong learning. Materials in the library collection can be located using an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) This role also encompasses many activities relating to technology including the integration of resources in a variety of formats: periodical databases; Web sites; digital video segments; podcasts; blog and wiki content; digital images; virtual classrooms, etc. School librarians are often responsible for audio-visual equipment and are sometimes in charge of school computers and computer networks. As program administrators, school librarians define, lead, and manage school library media programs by establishing library policies; overseeing the library budget; planning the physical and virtual library space; and maintaining a welcoming, positive, and innovative learning atmosphere...."

Pretty good definition, Wikipedia. Our students know though, that Wikipedia is an edited encyclopedia so anyone could edit that definition. Use Wikipedia, but get a second, even a third source to compare facts. Check with me next week for this quarter's Galileo password to use at home. The very best info can be found in the Galileo databases!

Today was a typical day. It's 7:25 a.m. A student walks with me as I unlock the media center doors. I turn on all the computers and the coffee pot for the Info-Literacy Cafe. I turn on the data projector, pull up The Morning Show's Powerpoint and make sure the equipment is ready for the 7:45 a.m. show. It's not. The camera, now 10 years old, flashes a message to "Remove the tape." Again. I remove it, put it back in and the camera likes it.

It's 8:15 a.m. Students are coming individually from various classrooms to check out books. Students return Nooks and Kindles they've had for the past week. I check the devices in on our automated library system, then note the return on the collaborative Google Document I share with teachers. Two students come to check out eReaders early, but must return later when the devices are charged. 

A teacher emails to let me know that a student on the Nook/Kindle list has been placed in ISS. I note that on the Google Document, meaning that student won't get to check out a Nook or Kindle for this round. (He will get another chance later.) I hand out more copies of our Bring Your Own Device User Agreement so students may use their eReaders from home at school and know the correct way to use them. I hand out more copies of our Nook/Kindle User Agreement for students who want to check out a Nook or Kindle from the media center. This part of our program is based on good behavior, attendance, no school fines or overdue books. Teacher, staff input are considered each round. 

It's 8:45 a.m. An eighth grade student with his iPad wants to check out a digital book through the Follett Shelf app and needs help. Students may check out digital books with their student identification (library card) number and their password through Surpass. This part of our program allows students to check out extra books on their own -- even at home. We have a few digital books. I'd like to buy more if the book fair is successful.

Speaking of the book fair, it's 9 a.m. I set up the book fair web page, speak to the Scholastic representative and print information for posters and handouts. 

Okay. Enough. You get the idea. If only our state and federal lawmakers could understand who we are -- and what we do. 

--Next time...

--G

Blog or Tweet for prizes!

It's been a busy first week for me in the media center. I've missed my assistant from last year. Mrs. Janet is now helping with Physical Education classes at Heard Elementary. All sixth grade classes have had orientation and I'm working on identity cards now. We multi-tasked during those orientations with students lining up, writing their names on a list and sitting for me to take a photo of them with the webcam at the Circulation Desk -- all while listening to "Mr. Speck" tell them about how to successfully use the resources in our media center. (Actually, Mr. Speck looks an awful lot like Mr. Spock -- one of my favorite fictional TV characters!)
A Text-To-Speech program called Xtranormal brought Mr. Speck to life, saving time and my voice. This way, each student hears the same information in the same way. It's really cool! I hope there'll be time to show students and staff how to use a program like this in our Technology Literacy Cafe.
Okay... Students who listened very carefully to Mr. Speck this week, may tell me something learned during orientation for a prize from the Prize Box.
Simply comment here or Tweek something to @bravesread on Twitter. (I will also accept emails or facts written on paper -- and help you post it online. The facts have to be correct and must be something Mr. Speck told you. If you aren't sure, click on the orientation movie link on the bravesread.net home page to listen again. The movie runs just over 8 minutes).
Be thinking about whether you want to bring your eReading device from home or if you want to check out one of our Nooks or Kindles this year. User Agreements will be available during your first group check-out.
Happy Reading!
--See ya...

Top Readers @ HCMS!

 Congratulations to the top 3 readers @ HCMS! Shane F. took first place this year with 400.9 points at 94.6% reading comprehension. Last year's top reader, Carmen E., came in second place with 399.3 points @ 94.9%. Riley C., the top reader two years ago, came in third place with 376 points @ 99.1%.
Points are good, but 90+% scores
on reading comprehension
are really awesome!  Great job!

Who will win WWF?

Who will win the Words With Friends tournament -- administrators or students? Students are coming to the IT Cafe (Information Technology Cafe) for a cup of hot chocolate and a little practice time on the iPads. Sixth grade students (Zane, Emily, Nathan and Kaylee) and learned strategic plays during a Cafe session with me last week. Seventh grade students (Carmen and Elexus) came twice! (I think the competition is on!) Once everyone has had a chance to practice, the HCMS WWF Tournament will be announced.

WWF is an educational application, similar to Scrabble. Students will play on iPads or Nook Color, while administrators will play on iPads, Kindle Fire or other devices for the tournament. This application shows instant scoring and tile status. Letters are moved by touch across the screen and a slight shake of the device can resort letters. Using this app, students will figure out how versatile the iPads and technology devices can be!

DOE Exceptional/Exemplary LMS 2011

2011 GA DOE Exceptional/Exemplary LMS

It was an honor to present our media program at the Georgia Convention Center this week, along with these library media specialists from Georgia: Janell McClure, Tayklor Wickline, Cristina Dover, Shawn Hinger, (me :-) ) and Anna Murdock. We collaborated online with a Google Doc to make a Weebly about our programs for our presentation at the Georgia Education Technology Conference (GaETC).
We were introduced by Judy Serritella (left), Coordinator of Library Media Services at the Georgia Department of Education.

Students...Are you ready for the book fair?

There are so many good books at the fair! First class comes right after The Morning Show. See ya tomorrow!