My "Fixed" Week

Just finished this week of my "fixed" schedule. I was the special area (ie teacher planning period) for this week. The classes will go to Guidance next week and it will be flex in the library. I am lucky to have 28 computers in the library that I can use and my thinking this year is that if they are here---I should be using them with students. After all our goal in library is to make students independent users of information. So this week every grade from K-5 used the computer in some fashion during the library lesson. My reflection for this week will focus on what "worked". I tend to follow a demonstrate-it then go-use-it pattern for use of computer programs.

I use the video projector with my laptop and demo what I want the students do with the specific computer application. Even if the class has used the program before, I review it. This week we used Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the Jan Brett Website, an online version of The Snowy Day, www.thecolor.com for snowflakes, and www.vancouver2010.com (the Winter Olympics official website). I think what really made my lessons "work" this week was the fact that I was continually monitoring students at the computers. I walked around reminding, restating, re-directing and responding. I try to make student use of technology an interactive experience--not a passive way to fill time.

An example of the Flexible-Fixed Library:
While I was writing this blog I received a call from a 1st grade teacher asking that I help with their animal research during the next "fixed" library week. Yeah! --an opportunity for collaboration. I said sure and also suggested that if more time was needed, classes/students could also come for extra library time during the following "flex" week in the library.

One Less Thing to be Schizo About

The American Association of School Librarians just announced that our official title is "school librarian".
"The leadership of AASL says the title “school librarian”
sufficiently reflects the role of the 21st-century library
professional as a leader, instructional partner, information
specialist, teacher, and program administrator."
read article here

To be honest I always had a hard time with "Media Specialist"...people do not know what "media" means. Of course, I still get call lots of other names like Li-berry Teacher, Library Lady, their teacher's name, my assistant's name or even the AP's name because it sounds like "Bell". I've even been called "mom" a few times. That was nice.

I wonder if I should stop calling the "Library" the "Library Media Center" now?

I've looked at life from both sides now...

Our LMC is scheduled both fixed and flexible right now. In my 20+ years of experience, I've had schedules that were all fixed, all flexible and mixed. I still cannot decide what is absolutely, for-sure, the best form of schedule. My answer keeps changing with the ever-changing environment of education, so for now I'm content to just ask the question and try to make some objective observations and keep learning as each school year progresses.

Introduction: The Flex-Fixed Librarian

I was reading The State newspaper one Sunday morning twenty-some odd years ago when I came across an article about critical-needs teaching areas in South Carolina and the “Library Media Specialist” one intrigued me. I found out more and signed up for a graduate class at USC-Beaufort. After that first class I decided to pursue my Master’s Degree in Library Science. My husband quit teaching for a year also and we moved to Columbia,SC to become grad students full-time. After graduation in 1989, our job search landed us in Horry County in and we’ve been here since. I am currently the Library Media Specialist at Waccamaw Elementary. My husband and I live in Conway with our two teenaged sons.