National School Library Standards: Engage

 

Librarian Focus: Mrs. Katie Pulley, Ware Shoals Middle School

Years of Experience: 10 years

 

Interview Reflection:

Mrs. Katie Pulley is the librarian at Ware Shoals Middle School in Ware Shoals, South Carolina.  We have worked together at the middle school and have known each other for many years.  I work at the primary school in the same district as Mrs. Pulley and we often email or call each other to discuss library issues or ideas.  She is a great friend and resource!

Mrs. Pulley and I focused on the shared foundation, Engage, for our interview.  I gave Mrs. Pulley time to explore the National School Library Standards and then we discussed Engage and how she implements the competencies of this foundation into her school library setting at Ware Shoals Middle School.

I asked Mrs. Pulley how she implements these competencies and she immediately shared the example of her school news program.  Together with 7^th and 8^th grade students, Mrs. Pulley creates a morning news program.  She shared that she models and teaches the entire school population about ethical use through the program. Any time the news staff highlights an author or musician, they are sure to document a citation giving deserving credit to that person.  Her students in 5^th-8^th grade, and her colleagues, see citations almost daily at the bottom of the news segments!  Additionally, Mrs. Pulley shared that when she collaborates with teachers for co-teaching building up to research projects, she is adamant about showing students how to use SC Discus correctly.  She discusses that SC Discus is reliable and valid and having a built-in citation maker is also appealing!

Speaking of SC Discus, Mrs. Pulley mentioned this as her biggest resource she uses to foster the competencies of the Engage foundation.  She tries to focus her students’ attention on Discus as often as possible because it offers so much for middle school students on any learning level.  One may simply change the level of most articles to suit the needs of any learner.  Mrs. Pulley also shared the information is reliable and easy to navigate.

Mrs. Pulley works with the teachers in her school building often and finds that collaborating with teachers and students makes projects and learning much more important to students.  She shared that it’s always a win when a student can make the connections between classes and courses.

Mrs. Pulley and I discussed challenges she faces implementing the competencies of the Engage foundation and she said that Google is a tough idea to fight.  While many ideas and facts can be found easily via Google searches, it is difficult to convince students to use an alternative such as SC Discus.  Although accessing Discus may take a few more steps, she shares with her students that the end result is much more polished and acceptable to teachers.

In particular, this domain has changed during the pandemic.  Our school district is operating on a hybrid schedule and students are working from home more these days.  They are not receiving the guidance they normally get in the library/classroom from Mrs. Pulley or the teachers.  They typically choose to go for information that is fast and easy to access without fully understanding the magnitude of their decisions. 

Overall, Mrs. Pulley enjoys working on a flexible schedule with her students at the middle school.  She finds that working closely with the students and teachers is more meaningful to students than a single activity one day per week.

 

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. American Library Association.

Pulley, K. (2020, November). [Personal interview].

National School Library Standards: Curate

 

Librarian Focus: Mrs. Heather Peters, Guinyard-Butler Middle School

Years of Experience: 3 years

 

Interview Reflection:

Mrs. Heather Peters is the librarian at Guinyard-Butler Middle School in Barnwell, South Carolina.  We attended the same high school many years ago and have remained in contact through social media as adults.  When I first decided to make the transition from a classroom teacher to seek certification and my MLIS from USC, I reached out to Mrs. Peters to find out about her journey.  She has been a wonderful resource and friend to ask questions during my journey into the world of librarianship.

Mrs. Peters and I focused on the shared foundation, Curate, for our interview.  I gave Mrs. Peters time to explore the National School Library Standards and then we discussed curating and how she implements the competencies of this foundation into her school library setting with her students at GBMS.

Mrs. Peters works, especially pre-Covid to implement the competencies of Curate into her library program.  One way she implements the competencies is by assisting teachers by gathering materials to be used in their classrooms.  She gathers print resources and web-based materials for teachers and students.  She has also worked to create a database of resources for the school.

The resources she uses most often to implement these competencies depends on the nature of the requests.  For example, she uses SC Discus to gather articles and for creating text sets for teachers.  She uses NovelList K-8 and Titlewave for purchasing collection materials.

She works with teachers as often as she can and has worked hard over the past three years to build relationships with her teachers to build co-teaching experiences.  In dealing with new Social Studies standards, she has collaborated with the Social Studies department at her school to begin purchasing new materials that will support their new curriculum.  She works with ELA teachers who request articles and text sets which usually center on a theme or that will supplement the literature they are using in their classes.

Mrs. Peters shared that challenges have grown immensely due to Covid-19.  It is difficult to balance pre-Covid expectations with new responsibilities.  For example, over the past three years she worked to develop trusting relationships with the teachers in her school building.  She was spending more time with the teachers and classes teaching 21^st Century skills and digital literacy skill lessons.  She was available at the teachers’ beck and call!  Now, that Covid-19 has entered the scene, she has to plan differently.  She is now assigned a virtual class.  She must prepare, teach, contact, parents, etc. and she must intentionally make time for her library responsibilities.  As well, she works by herself and she knows the reach of her library would be wider if she had an assistant.  Circulation, which was through the roof, is almost nonexistent this year.  Checking out books, collecting books, etc. are difficult. 

In closing, Mrs. Peters shared that she knows collaboration and curating are foundational to her school library program. She has realized through Covid that she misses her library and she is working to learn what works best for her students and colleagues in this new library world she is navigating.

 

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. American Library Association.

Peters, H (2020, November). [Personal interview]. 

National School Library Standards: Collaborate

Librarian Focus: Ms. Roxanne Spray, Ware Shoals High School

Years of Experience: 11 years

 

Interview Reflection:

Ms. Roxanne Spray is the librarian at Ware Shoals High School in Ware Shoals, South Carolina.  We have a close working relationship because we are employed by the same school district and Ms. Spray served as my supervising librarian for my internship experience during SLIS 794.  Ms. Spray has served as a library media specialist in all areas of K-12 education.  She was the librarian at a middle school in Columbia, SC, and she worked as the librarian at the primary and middle schools in the district we now serve in together.  We communicate often with the third librarian in our district to help navigate new learning platforms, for help in Destiny, and as a sounding board before we implement new ideas.  For example, Ms. Spray recently worked to genrefy her high school’s fiction collection.  She discussed several scenarios, pros, and cons with us before she made the decision to do this for her students.  She has been an invaluable resource for me during my journey through the MLIS program and as I have started my career as a school librarian.

Ms. Spray and I focused on the shared foundation, Collaborate, for our interview.  I gave Ms. Spray time to explore the National School Library Standards and then we discussed collaboration and how she implements the competencies of this foundation into her school library setting with her students at the high school.

As we began our interview, it was clear that Covid-19 has changed and shaped a new way to look at collaboration in the library.  Ms. Spray works with her colleagues often to provide co-teaching opportunities in the classroom and in the library.  However, true collaboration has been difficult due to the recent pandemic and new health guidelines our schools are following to protect student and staff health.

Although things are different, Ms. Spray is still working with teachers and students.  She is helping in as many ways as possible to still provide meaningful learning experiences for the high school students.  Part of “Think” under the School Librarian Domains and Competencies applies.  Ms. Spray mentioned that when students visit the library as a part of a co-teaching experience, a project has already been assigned by the content teacher.  Usually, her role is to help students locate sources, cite sources, and use those sources to help develop a final project.  If students pay attention, they learn these skills and the rest of their class period is spent using the skills they have learned.  She shared that other competencies within the “Think” section often don’t apply because once students have had the mini-lecture, they work independently and not as a group.

Within the other areas, Create, Share, and Grow, Ms. Spray works to provide communication tools and resources.  She usually begins the school year teaching and refreshing OneDrive skills and knowledge.  Due to a hybrid schedule the district has adopted, instructional time has been cut in half on campus and there hasn’t been time to hold sessions like this in the library this school year.  Part of the Share section highlights involving diverse perspectives in their own inquiry processes and Ms. Spray shared that many of the databases used at the high school foster different perspectives, especially Opposing Viewpoints in Context.  She shared that this has been particularly useful in argument assignments.  Group work is more of a challenge due to Covid-19, but Ms. Spray has made sure to make the most of co-teaching opportunities this school year.  She creates and facilitates group discussions when the classes visit the library.

Some resources Ms. Spray uses in her library to promote collaboration are OneDrive, SC Discus, Schoology, high school eBook collections, and the public library and school library resources.  OneDrive and Schoology allow collaboration as students are able to work together on assignments.  For example, students can create a PowerPoint in OneDrive together, adding and editing as a group.  In Schoology, the school’s learning management system, students are able to share resources and discussion boards are usually a part of all assignments.

Ms. Spray works with her colleagues on a daily basis.  She maintains a Google calendar and teachers use it to sign up for co-teaching experiences.  She may teach an English class how to find sources for a research paper one period, but may work with a history class the next block to properly cite sources. 

When we discussed challenges implementing the competencies from the shared foundation of collaboration, Ms. Spray mentioned that she hasn’t seen a lot of group work take place in the library.  She feels as if her role is to teach research skills and resources, and to be on hand to monitor progress and answer questions.  Specifically, Covid-19 has put a damper on the Collaborate domain, which emphasizes group work, especially when you are supposed to be six feet apart.

It is always a treat to work with Ms. Spray.  She has been instrumental in my journey through the internship experience, but also is a treasured colleague who always listens and offers great advice for the library world.  Overall, Ms. Spray shared that collaboration isn’t as up front and center as the competencies of this domain assume.  She is pleased with the group discussions she can foster during her co-teaching experiences, but she mostly helps students to complete work independently when they visit the library.

 

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. American Library Association.

Spray, R. (2020, November). [Personal interview]. 

National School Library Standards: Inquire

Librarian Focus: Mrs. Jana Davis, Wright Elementary School

Years of Experience: 17 years

 

Interview Reflection:

Mrs. Jana Davis is now the librarian at Wright Elementary School in Belton, South Carolina.  She was formerly the librarian at Ware Shoals Primary School, where I now serve as the librarian.  She has been helpful during my journey beginning my MLIS at USC and transitioning into my position as our school library media specialist.  I reached out to her to schedule an interview and she was again a wonderful resource.

Mrs. Davis and I focused on the shared foundation, Inquire, for our interview.  I gave Mrs. Davis time to explore the National School Library Standards and then we discussed inquiry and how she implements this into her school library setting with her students.

Ways Mrs. Davis implements inquiry in her library are through research projects, inquiry stations, and mini lessons.  She shared a recent research project with me during our interview.  Mrs. Davis’ students completed a mini research project on dinosaurs.  She shared that elementary students have always been fascinated by dinosaurs and she could tell through circulation statistics, but she recently found a class who craved more information regarding dinosaurs.  She coupled the research with Who Would Win Books, also popular in her library.  Students chose two dinosaurs to research and compare.  Based on their research, they predicted who would win and then they presented their findings to the class.  She shared that this research sparked great discussions and was a hit with her students.  She also shared that mini lessons are a great way to implement inquiry in the library.  She stated that many elementary students struggle to formulate good quality questions.  She uses Google’s Mystery Animal, a game, as an introduction to help students understand how to formulate research questions that extend beyond simple yes/no questions and raved of her students’ engagement with this technique.

Mrs. Davis uses books from her school’s library collection, SC Discus, subscription databases, and websites like Wonderopolis and Epic to foster inquiry in her library and she often collaborates with her colleagues to help implement these competencies.  She mentioned that one of her goals this year is to build inquiry stations with her second grade teachers.  The stations are related to the science and social studies topics the students will study this year, as well as, personal interests the students have.  They have created inquiry stations for weather, U.S. symbols, bats, and spiders so far.  She also provides books and digital collections through Destiny and Epic.  The students visit the inquiry stations during science, social studies, or ELA blocks during their schedule.  Students are allowed time to explore the overall topic and then narrow their focus to help form questions for research.  Some of the products students have created from using the inquiry stations have been posters, Google slide presentations, and green screen video projects.

I asked Mrs. Davis to identify and explain challenges she faces when she tries to implement inquiry in her lessons and collaborations, as well as, to explain the difficulties Covid-19 has created.  Mrs. Davis’ response was that time is the biggest challenge, but always has been regarding inquiry.  Effective inquiry requires time and there is never enough of it, according to Mrs. Davis.  Due to Covid-19, her school has shortened its school day by 45 minutes which has cut her library class times to 30 minutes each day.  She also mentioned that management is difficult when students have so many interests because it is hard for them to focus on one topic or hone in on a topic.  Lastly, it is difficult to share as many resources this year because sharing resources during Covid-19 is highly discouraged. 

It was a pleasure to work with Mrs. Davis again to conduct an interview.  She was so helpful as always and gave great ideas that I would like to implement into my school library!  Overall, Mrs. Davis mentioned that implementing inquiry among elementary students works well because these students are naturally curious and ask lots of questions.  The shared foundation, Inquire, easily builds upon their natural curiosity.

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. American Library Association.

Davis, J. (2020, November). [Personal interview]. 

SLIS 761 Reflection

Final Thoughts

I have enjoyed working on our almost weekly blog assignments.  Now that I see how easy it can be and rewarding it is to accumulate blogs, I want to try something similar with my older students at school.  I love how Dr. Green set up the blog list and I can always go back to it to review my peers’ blogs.  I think my students would love this as well.  Perhaps, I could begin with blogging about books that we read aloud in library, books the students check out (like blurbs to inform others about the books they’ve been reading), and expand from there.

I’ve always wondered about digital bookmarking.  I know it would be beneficial to use with my students.  Often, I give them my library website and I’ve posted links to it for them to review.  Now, that I understand more about digital curation, I want to create resources for my students, but especially for my teachers.  I want to sit down, review standards, and find great resources for my teachers to use.  Emailing a link to a digital curation of Social Studies books, articles, videos, etc. would make life so much easier for many teachers.  One day, I hope to be able to offer things like this to the teachers in my building.

Hosting a website is important and it is also hard work.  I have a website that I dabbled with prior to this class.  My district left the typical website space with teacher web pages in substitution for a district app more responsive to mobile devices. When my teacher web page was deleted, I didn’t know the best way to get information to my students anymore.  I created a Weebly and then weekly, I would post the links I wanted my older students to visit.  This has been helpful, but I’ve learned so many new tricks from this class to make my website even better.  I want to post other digital curation projects to my website (for example-links to 3^rd grade Science topics or Kindergarten ELA concepts) and I want to expand beyond my students to offer resources to both the teachers in my building and the parents of our school children.

This class has helped me read wonderfully relevant articles, listen to timely podcasts, and explore some of the best resources I’ve seen.  I know technology changes daily and what may seem hip today will be an afterthought next year, so I want to try my best to remain current with my students and teachers.  This course has helped to point me in the right direction for this goal.

HoloLens

I’m a complete newbie to the VR and AR world, but I will share that I bought a set of VR goggles at the end of the school year last year with some of my library “tech” funds.  Sadly, I didn’t open the box until I started reading this week’s module.  A few downloaded apps later and I have now decided VR is pretty fun!  I know my students would enjoy using the goggles as well, but my only hiccup is figuring out the mobile device side of things.  I can offer my phone, but that creates a great fear that students may break or mess up my personal phone.  So, at this point I will most likely set the goggles back on the shelf until I am ready or willing to trust my older students. Another idea I have had is to simply set them up at a literacy night or open house for parents to use their cell phones with the goggles.  If I include directions and downloadable app suggestions, I think this would be fun for family engagement.  I also have a lot of work left to do in finding how to use the set of goggles I bought to enhance learning.

In one of our readings, it stated that “VR and AR are not gimmicks, and must be seen as valid additions to the toolkit that may be used by libraries to engage its audience,…” and I think this is a wonderful thought in today’s age of technology and resources (Massis, 2015).  With that thought, I am curious and want to learn how this technology would best benefit my students.  If I can figure out the set of goggles I purchased and also how I could regularly implement this technology, then I may be more inclined to possibly write a grant for something a bit pricier like the HoloLens in our module this week. 

HoloLens-wow!  I love the applications I saw in just the introductory video of the set.  The HoloLens is a mixed-reality device that allows users to see holograms as they investigate concepts and things within the universe through hologram technology.  It is a headset that allows a user to move through new learning without hassle or obstacles.  If students of any age could use this technology to learn how to change parts on a car, or investigate human body—the possibilities for hands-on learning seem endless!  It just seems like a wonderful way to learn and engage students. 

One of the features touted online is that the HoloLens2 offers “the most comfortable and immersive mixed reality experience available” and when I viewed the headset, I thought the design was a thousand times better than the set of VR goggles I purchased.  However, the HoloLens is also a hundred times more expensive than the pair I snagged!  Although expensive, it also seems to be a great tool to introduce users to concepts without wasting resources in some cases.  The set I purchased is front-heavy and bulky.  The HoloLens’ design is balanced.  This design is also “untethered” which allows all movement.  My pair is also, but I had to hold the strap to my head to walk around the library as I was trying out apps, so it wasn’t seamless as the HoloLens appears.  The HoloLens is approximately $3500 for the device, so I know I would need a grant in order to purchase something like this.  Another option would be to combine finances with other librarians in my small district and then share the technology.  Again, I have a lot more research to conduct before trying to implement this technology into my school library.

Check out this resource I found for the HoloLens in regards to application to the classroom.  Some of the ideas of using this device in the classroom include virtual field trips, storying in immersive formats (i.e. comic books), and game-based learning.  One of the tools which stood out to me was the virtual frog dissection.  This was a moment in high school where I felt as if I could throw up and I relied on my lab partner to pull us through.  If I had had virtual access, I think my stomach could have handled the process a bit easier.  Lots of great teaching ideas (more for high school)!

Overall, I’m impressed that there are devices out there and within reach that we could introduce our students to so many concepts!  This module has inspired me to do more research to determine possible benefits for my students and library!

Resources:

Massis, B. (2015). Using virtual and augmented reality in the library. New Library World, Vol. 116, 11-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/NLW-08-2015-0054

Makerspaces and littleBits!

In this week’s module, as I searched for a meaningful blog regarding maker spaces, I was drawn to Colleen Graves’ blog with her introductory questions.  She posed the following questions and although I’m learning/creating a makerspace in my school library, I found myself quickly clicking on her linked questions to read the answers.  Here are the frequently asked questions she addresses on her blog.

·       What is a Makerspace?

o   Graves answers this question with a list of several bulleted points.  Makerspaces are places where people create, not consume.  Makerspaces are places where you can learn and grow together.

o   I never really knew what a makerspace was until I entered the MLIS program.  My school library did not have a designated space for students/staff to explore and create.  I quickly jumped on board and started making a space for the people in my school building to create.  I have several STEM manipulatives, arts and crafts materials, Makey-Makey kits, puppets with a theater, and the list is growing.  I want to offer a creative space to my students especially.

·       What is a Maker Librarian?

o   Graves shared tweets entered into a contest she posted on Twitter.  She asked on social media, what a maker librarian was and offered a tee shirt as a prize.  She had several entries.  One entry said a maker librarian is learning, doing, risking failure, etc.

o   I’m not sure if I can call myself a Maker Librarian YET, but I want to do more with my space in the future.

·        How can I truly run a library AND a makerspace? (I am dying to know this answer.  I honestly feel like I need a library assistant to check books in, check books out, teach a lesson, and offer the maker space to my students.)

o   My burning question was answered and my stress has decreased.  Basically, Graves shares that your library is still your library; the makerspace is simply an extension of the library.  You can have both.  Perhaps, in my own school library, I should focus on offering my maker space more in my flexible afternoon scheduling instead of during my morning classes.  The main thing is to offer a space for learning, reading, and creating to our students!

·        What kind of activities can we do?

o   Anything!  In looking at Graves’ suggestions, there aren’t any prescriptive elements in her answer.  Simply, do what you have the tools to do or offer.  Let your patrons/students use their imagination (along with any tools and materials you have available for use).

Why did this particular blog stand out to me?  I saw in the graphic on the home page, a Makey-Makey kit.  My school purchased 15 Makey-Makey kits and they are housed in the library.  They are in my system ready for checkout, but most of the teachers are nervous about using them solo.  I have partnered with a handful of teachers thus far to create fun projects.  As I moved through the site, I found that Graves has created several Makey-Makey lessons and has helped write a book with Makey-Makey experiments.  Graves’ Collaborative Makey Makey Sensory Maze (check out the video!) blew my mind!

Although intrigued by her Makey-Makey resources, I really enjoyed learning about littleBits.  In a resource created by Graves (littleBits for Librarians), I found a new learning tool I never knew about.  LittleBits are electronic bits that snap together using magnets and allow users to create and learn while having fun.  I read the document created by Graves and everything sounded wonderful.  It included that students and adults were fascinated by littleBits and could play and tinker all day.  There were tips from several reputable librarians with pictures showing the littleBits in action.  However, I didn’t fully understand how they worked because I’ve never tinkered with them in real life.  If you haven’t seen this technology, watch this quick video above!  LittleBits are amazing!  I think students and teachers would have a great time using them to make, create, or learn a bit about science and engineering.

This week’s module has pushed me to reflect more on the tools and materials I have offered my school library in my maker space.  While I have wonderful resources, I think I need to take a step back and figure out how to offer more time with the materials in this space.  I’ve been challenged and inspired this week by the reading, exploring others’ maker spaces, and finding Colleen Graves’ Create + Collaborate Innovate blog.

Resources:

Graves, C. (2019).. Create + Collaborate Innovate. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://colleengraves.org/

littleBits Electronics. (2013, April 2). What is littleBits?  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPHj2H1C8JE