Question Three for OELMA Conference Credit
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Comment on one new collaboration strategy or leadership technique you would like to implement at your school.
October 12, 2009
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In “NSLMPY Winners and Their Tips”, Marcoux not only shares what schools that won the the award did, but the LMS’ philosophies are that lead them to award status. I was hoping for some great ideas and I found that they just took my beliefs of a more global involvement to another level. I loved what a couple of the schools did while collaborating with their public libraries. I have been working on some community projects with our FHPL but never committed to working on an exclusive endeavor that involves just the FHPL and the Findlay City Schools libraries. With the Public Libraries in our state struggling to stay alive, I think it’s time to pair up. I’ve got the captive audiences with my 4 book clubs (85 kids) and they have the resources that need circulation numbers, so it is a win win.
Toni Buzzeo always has something interesting to say. I’ve followed her threads on LM_NET, and listened to her in person at the OELMA conference, so when I noticed this article I was not disappointed. The idea of data-driven collaboration makes a lot of sense. Here at our school we have lots of wonderful learning targets and goals for library media. We do very quick lessons with our classes, but I think that the data-driven method will be a good addition to our instruction. We really are very fortunate to have a freshmen house concept here at Coffman. A core group of teachers work with the same students – part of the small school movement. I want to collaborate with them to identify the deficits their students experience then plan accordingly to instruct those very areas when the freshmen classes come into the library to research. We could look at standardized tests as well as classroom assessments. Another idea I may like to try is to work with those freshmen teachers through their freshmen study halls [House students have study hall with their house teachers] to provide additional library skills lessons and deficit instruction such as Information Accessing Skills or Inferencing Skills.
I would like to implement the creation of student book review podcasts. The initial podcasts would be created by members of our book club. Once those have been started I’d like to collaborate with one or more teachers in the Language Arts department to create podcasts as part of author or genre units.
I read the articles by Toni Buzzeo and Angela Gess. I thought both were very informative. Currently, I think I am working more at the level of trying to find the the right teacher, right topic and right time. I have had some success stories and can always count on certain teachers to try something new. I continue to be challenged to get all of the teachers on board. I am hoping that the data driven collaboration might be the way to hook a few more. I work in a kindergarten/first grade building so reading levels are very important. I feel that I could become involved in the reading readiness program in our building. I would like to collaborate with the kindergarten teachers and the reading teachers who teach a phonemic awareness program. I know that there is an identification process that points out the students who need the most help so we are aware of the deficits. I would like to part of the process that helps these children become life long readers.
One new collaboration strategy I would like to implement in my school is collaborating with parents and the community. It would be great to take the collaboration I do with my teachers to the next level. The public library in the community where I work had to make some drastic cuts (as all Ohio libraries have needed to do) and have actually cut their YA librarian and all YA budgets. There will be no new books or any programs at the public library for the YA population. Mmm…hello?! The YA population is the endangered species of the library world!! (I know, I know. Preaching to the choir. But I just had to say it.) If I can get the word out to parents and the community by bringing them into my library and showing them what I do and how important it is with something akin to a “Friends of the Library” group it would be a step in the right direction. This will drum up support for the public library and build support on multiple levels for all libraries thereby saving the rare but exquisite YA reader.
I’m not sure this is a technique, but I am looking forward to showing my teachers Research Project Calculator and Web 2.0. I expect to gain valuable information at OELMA to plan my attack. I want to demonstrate these at faculty meetings and then collaborate with teachers when their classes are working on research projects. The ultimate goal is for the student to transfer these skills to the college level.
One technique I am looking to initiate at my school is resource sharing. This comes in two forms. One is a brief introduction to resources during staff meetings. I have talked with my administrator about being a permanent item on the agenda and being given 2-5 minutes at each meeting to share resources with the staff. These resources may be electronic or print, new or time tested. The second is a series of after school electronic resource in-services. Again, I have talked with my building administrator and have her support. She also suggested that I make contact with our Professional Development Department to explore the possibility of offering CEUs to those who participate. These in-services would cover one or two resources each session and be held once each month. I will work with small groups to introduce and explore various resources such as databases and those offered through INFOhio. I believe resource sharing will be an effective technique for both leadership and collaboration. As a leader I will be working to guide my staff to valuable resources. Through leading, I will be opening doors to teachers who may have ideas that I can help explore and that may evolve into collaboration opportunities.
I read the articles by Killeen, Marcoux and Coatney. for the purposes of this question, I would like to focus on the article by Erlene Killeen. She states that the library teacher needs to focus on reading, technology, and research. I really liked her article, because she starts with reading – that as librarians, we spread the word about the joy of reading; the excitement. I think we sometimes lose sight of that in the scramble to learn the latest technologies, the best web sites, the coolest gadgets. One of the best parts of my job is when a student comes back to me saying, “I LOVED that book!” One thing I’ve never done at my school, though, is a Book Club. If I’m really going to build excitement about reading, I think I need to do that. One of my goals this year is to learn more about book clubs (I already have a title on my book order), decide how I want mine to run, and get started!
Another one of my goals this year involves technology and research. I am involved in the research unit done at my school with 3rd graders (they do their online search for information with me, and I provide the training to help them do that effectively), but I would like to set the groundwork for that project more thoroughly than I’ve done in the past. That is, take the students through the steps of research process with me before they tackle that with their classroom teacher. Instead of training all the students to use the databases at the same time, I’d like to set up a research “block” set to begin just prior to their research unit (which all the classes do at different times). In short, more effective planning, so that the research project will have more meaning when they’re doing it.
I would like to do a few mini workshops lasting around 30 minutes for the teachers. I have been learning some new technologies and gathering new book resources and would like to share them. I would have to talk/collaborate with the teachers to see what they have been planning. I read the article “Learning to Lead” and it makes a lot of sense to me. Get a vision or mission statement that (hopefully) aligns with the school’s mission. It seems like common sense to think about the goal of the library and work towards it. I have learned many new ideas at this conference like the digital story telling and would like to collaborate with the teachers/students with that technology.
I have been reflecting on the article/blog entry that Joyce Valenza & Doug Johnson wrote entitled “Things That Keep Us Up @ Night.” It was posted to Joyce’s blog, The Neverending Serach” on Oct.1, and it has really “lit up the blogosphere,” as they say! I feel all school librarians should read it! It has definitely touched many nerves as it begs the questions: 1.) Are we relevant if we don’t embrace new literacies? 2.) Do we need to remake our image? and 3.) What do we do w/those who don’t/can’t/won’t subscribe to the idea of school librarian 2.0?
Since the conference, I have been thinking about the issues that keep some school librarians from exploring new territories and how we, OELMA leaders, can help others so they can instruct the 21st century student who is crying out for new learning! Because I am retired, my leadership on this issue must take another route! In my session “Dipping your Toe into 2.0” we discussed putting our journeys using new tools online via this blog. That’s a start! I also like the idea of “each one reach one.” After the session that Louise & I did on 2.0, I offered to come visit anyone in our audience who would like to have a 1-to-1 session with me. Some folks learn better when being shown a technique & trying it out w/a guide on the side. I have had 1 lms ask me about this opportunity already! Finally, on twitter I have been following a librarian named librarybeth, who teaches in Georgia. She entered the “Things That Keep Us Up @ Night” debate in a big way and has now offered to start a library chat on twitter that would be similar to edchat. Librarychat has not yet started, but I will inform OELMA of the opportunity via listerv & blog when it begins. This chat would be an easy, safe opportunity to enter the twitter space! Finally, I will be continuing to use my own blog “Just on the Horizon,” to chronicle my path of personal learning to become a 2.0 educator.
I collaborate with teachers in my building on a regular basis, but it is the same teachers consistently. They are great to work with and see the value of using the media center to accomplish their standards as well as mine. However, even with research time built into the schedule I have a group of teachers who won’t even think about collaborating with me. So my dilemma is coming up with a way to make them see the importance of doing a research project together. At one time I thought modeling would work to bring teachers in: they would see how well a project with another class worked and voila they would want to collaborate too, but unfortunately it hasn’t worked that way. I know that once we just get them to do one, they will be back for more because it does make their work that much easier. So coming up with tactics to draw them into the media center is not an easy feat. At the start of each year, I ask teachers to fill out a curriculum map to help me match my library lessons with what they are doing in their classrooms and as it turns out, those teachers who collaborate with me; are the ones that turn in their curriculum map–the teachers that don’t–well let’s just say I never see their maps. So it is up to me to come up with a way to get a pulse on what they are doing in their classrooms. The big question is HOW??? Again as always–time plays a big issue. How do you find time so that you and your colleagues can meet to talk about what it is they are doing in their classrooms–especially when those teachers are uncooperative to begin with. I think really I may just have to corner people in the halls and bluntly ask what they are teaching and just bluntly say–when can we do a unit together? I think face to face it may really be hard for them to say NO. Persistence may be the answer–can I be enough of a PEST that they just wear down?
Erlene Bishop Killeen’s article Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Transitions of the work but not the mission discusses the media specialist’s role as technology leader as one of the “constants” of our position throughout the years. It states that leading teachers “to understand and apply technology to learning not only establishes the teacher-librarian as helpful, but also insightful–both leadership qualities.” My first year as a media specialist in my elementary school, we had an “instructional coach” as our technology leader. I could see how teachers were awed by his ability to integrate technology into student learning and make it look so easy! He has since become our principal and I have been gradually taking over that role as technology leader. I would like to use technology as a springboard for building collaborative relationships with those teachers I have not been able to reach yet. More often than not it’s those veteran teachers who have been around for years and years that are wonderful educators, but are just not comfortable with the ever-changing technology aspect of learning. Even though I am young and new to teaching in general, I think those veteran teachers will be able to view me as an educational leader when they see how I can help them use technology to enhance student learning.
The Learning Commons concept is intriguing. My big Ah-ha! moment happened during David Loertscher’s session entitled Collection Development in the 21st Century at which he led us through rethinking how our current collections were available to students. He stated that kids want information delivered quickly and that our current organization of materials requires digging and searching. The Dewey Decimal system itself requires students to look in multiple places to acquire different perspectives on a single topic. His suggestion was to use Web 2.0 tools to create virtual learning spaces where students and teachers can collectively share resources they have found. I have decided to talk with our technology coordinator about how our elementary building can pilot some online collaboration tools while working around a tight filter. Science fair is just around the corner which provides a perfect content piece. The meeting is Monday – send your positive collaborative thoughts this way.
I would like to respond to Michelle’s blog on finding a way to collaborate with those teachers who are reluctant to work together on a lesson. I am relatively new to my district (2nd year) and was able to work with a small handful of high school English teachers last year, but are now looking to the others in the department who have not willingly allowed me to come into their classrooms yet. I have to believe that if we show those teachers how our involvement can help them by saving them time, preparing their students for OGT or college readiness, or in some other way make their life easier, then they may open up. The teachers with whom we can talk freely at lunch or in the hall, are often those that welcome us in the classroom again and again. I have found however, that the teachers that we have less in common with are the toughest with whom to develop a relationship. One solution may be to offer to come into their classroom, or to allow them to come to the library for book talks when they embark on an independent reading project. This is usually appreciated greatly because teachers generally do not have time to read an enormous amount of YA literature. Even though conducting book talks is not exactly co-creating lessons as collaboration is defined, but it may be something that is truly appreciated and the start of a working relationship.
After hearing more about AASL’s 21st Century learning standards, my goal for this year is to talk to my administrators about these standards and how they are reflected in our state standards. With the administration’s push to use “more technology,” I want my role to be how to use new, emerging technology effectively and ethically.