OELMA (Ohio School Library Media Association), the state professional organization for Ohio School librarians, successfully lobbied Ohio lawmakers to include language in a hotly debated budget bill that included funding for a professional librarian in schools across the state. That legislators recognized the importance of the "professional factor" to success in acquiring and effectively using 21st Century technologies and skills, is both heartening and inspired.
Initially, Ohio House Bill One called for funding for "media services and technical equipment". OELMA leadership suggested that the "media services factor" be reworded to "licensed librarian and media specialist factor." Presentations were made throughout the state about this effort, a wiki with talking points was developed and shared, and the push was on. As the budget was worked and re-worked, OELMA representatives monitored the bills' progress and informed membership regularly. The impact of the countries' economic crisis forced cuts and tough decisions about essential services across Ohio. In the end the language that included the "human factor" was adopted!
This is more than excellent for Ohio's students! School librarians across the state, are uniquely positioned to show leadership and give instruction about finding and critically evaluating web resources and technologies, creating and maintaining a positive "digital footprint," and being a productive, responsible, digital citizen. Thank you to OELMA and the thoughtful Ohio legislators who made this a possibility for all of Ohio's students.
Some detail about the this section of the bill can be found here.
Photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonaria/1484718244/
Last week all 8th grade students at Monticello got their machines and this week all seventh graders. Next week it's the sixth grades turn and then we move on to the two other middle schools.
It is gratifying to walk through the halls and observe classrooms of kids engaged in the screens of these very slick machines. After week one, the wireless is carrying the weight of the constant traffic, and planned lessons are being implemented. Students are respecting the rules established around care and transportation of the computers throughout the building - (that is bag over two shoulders, in the case port side down). The most exciting part of all this though, and I keep forgetting that it is possible, is that now students no longer have to wait for a spot in the schedule in the lab to open up to work on a project or homework. They are able every night, to open up Garage Band or Pages, or their interactive textbook, and interact, learn and CREATE!. There is much to do down the road with regard to teacher professional development, parent education, and student orientation to sites of educational value, but the prospects and promise make this a very enticing and exciting journey.
A recent blogpost by librarian blogger extordinare, Joyce Valenza, has prompted me to rethink copyright protection. Here is the post. I am particularly interested in how the J K Rowling trial will be resolved in light of these new, but not yet official guidlines. Understanding copyright for me has become incresngly complicated and difficult to understand and teach. Accountability for work and sources has become blurred at best!
I have been spending my spring break following, reading and learning. A lame personal life has prompted me to explore this online form of “edutainment.”
I have been watching twitter, followed the links, and found many new, innovative websites and teachers. I feel extremely grateful that my job is all about this, thus the title of this post.
I love the idea of a sandbox. Growing up, my family had a sandbox that my Father built and the creativity and products that were produced were self directed and imaginative. I have spent some time this week in online sandboxes, reacted to thoughtful blog and Twitter posts, and feel “connected” like never before.
Today I visited a website from a journalism class that looks and feels so contemporary. Tammy Parks, a teacher in Howe Oklahoma, seems to be a teacher who “walks the talk.” I am impressed with the blog, the links, and the presentation of the content.
I appreciate the willingness and dedication of all of the Web 2.0 community for fostering the Seymour Papert, Constructivist Learning that I have believed for quite some time should prevail in American education.
Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattwhitlock/871373971/
My friend Anne while sitting in a traffic jam on a spring break trip from Ohio to Florida texted "tks1
I have read about a post recently that is being passed around the blogosphere that is titled 5 Things…. Several prominent connected school librarians have posted their 5 Things I Want you to Know About Your School Library. In the comments I would like you to post the 5 things (or more or less) that you would like the library to know about your job, your students, their use of the library and its resources or anything else that you think is relevant to the conversation. So here goes………….
5 Things I Want you to Know About Your School Library
Concerned about your students thinking skills? The information literacy skills that librarians go on and on about are really skills that support the transferable skills of critical thinking, analysis, reading, writing, and effective communication. Teacher-librarians instruct and support students as they define problems, frame good questions, search for and evaluate information for quality, authority, and relevance
Lonely? We Double-team students. Teachers can get out of the classroom and collaborate to use the library or its technology labs as a classroom. The librarian teaches with the classroom teacher. While the teacher presents the content they know so well, the librarian - teaching partner help deliver such transferable skills as information seeking, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, and communication.
Need a hand with technology? We help integrate educational technology into programs to engage students to help meet curricular and technology standards. Librarians help select software, databases, and online resources to meet curricular needs. We design information systems and create Web sites that lead students to the best resources online. We are expert in the presentation and productivity software that facilitates communication competencies.
Concerned about cut-and-paste plagiarism and ethical use of information? Librarians help teach age-appropriate documentation skills and contribute to developing policies promoting full-school academic integrity.
The librarian doesn’t own the library. You and your students do. You can recommend materials and have a voice in library policy making.
Leave a comment about your 5 things.
Parts of the above have been excerpted from the blogs of Joyce Valenza (Never Ending Search) and Doug Johnson (Blue Skunk Blog)
As I was preparing for a web 2.0 workshop a month ago, I was brought to this video as an antidote to fast paced "The Machine is Us" and other video descriptions of web 2.0 that leave you feeling out of breath or not up to the challenge. The "book" theme is also close to this librarians heart.
Steve Hargadon posted this question on Classroom2.0 Ning site:
If you could offer suggestions for the Design of the most effective School 2.0, what features or options you include. Please comment on as many of the following as you can;
"Big Picture trends in the next 5-25 years that will have the biggest impact on what it means to be an engaged learner.
YOUR definition of School 2.0 and/or Classroom 2.0...and how to help "school design" decision makers use it to inform their thinking, research, leadership, and solutions.
Best way to describe how 'kids' (all ages, really, but I'll use the cute version since most still default to it) are transforming as collaborators, creators, project team members, publishers, etc."
Cartoon from: http://www.weblogcartoons.com/cartoons/google.gif
My response, though short is below. The whole question which can be found here. Other educators have offered their ideas in the commnets.
My hope for high school classrooms everywhere in the future is that fair and equitable access to web 2.0 tools is universal. Bandwidth, individual "computers / cameras / productivity tools" will be in the hands of all students, perhaps in the form of a cell phone. Students and teachers will have access to upload and edit, research and instructional products, throughout the day. Teachers will be notified through a feed, of assignment completion and can respond electronically to students and parents. Time spent on actual school work will be recorded and can be viewed by parents and teachers alike. Students work can be posted and shared through the use of collaborative spaces on the web. A network of teachers around the world will develop around specific curriculum topics so that global perspectives on a topic can be shared. The "hookups" and creative project ideas are unlimited.
