Author's Last Name Starts with "K-I-N"

I just entered an online contest for classrooms and libraries to win a viewing of the new movie based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I could also win a class set of books which would be nice also. We have 2 hardback copies of each title in the DOWK series and multiple(5-6) paperbacks that I get from the Book Fair each year. The copies of these books are always checked out and they are the most often requested books. Until I read the first book I didn't fully appreciate the appeal of Jeff Kinney's characters. The format of the book--well, yes I saw the appeal of a font that looked handwritten with lots of doodle-like drawings. But until I read and laughed out loud I did not grasp the popularity. The way Kinney writes about relationships between siblings is so true that it is funny: laugh-out-loud-funny even for an old lady like me! Because of the daily requests for this book I have developed a strategy for encouraging kids to use the online catalog to find the book on the shelves.

Scenario #1:
Student: Are there any green Wimpy Kid books?
Me: Did you check the the shelf?
Student: No
Me: (I start walking towards Fiction shelves--most of the time they follow) Last name of author is Kinney---Fiction Section, K-I-N shelf...here are books with authors whose last name starts with K...read the spine...etc.

Scenario #2:
Student: Do you have any Wimpy Kid books?
Me: I don't know. (I really do know because I can glance at the spot on the "K" shelf where the books are if they are available) Have you looked it up in Destiny?
Student: No
Me: Well then, lets go look it up...last name of author starts with K-I-N...

Do I ever just go grab the book that I saw laying on the top of the shelves waiting for re-shelving and hand it to the student? Honestly--yes. But I try to do the "teacher" thing and seize the teachable moment. Thanks Jeff Kinney! I hope I win that contest.

For The Youngest of Researchers--Where's The Info?

My mantra this past week has been an old one in the teaching profession, "Monitor and Adjust". My lesson with 1st graders doing research on animals was monitored and adjusted every day after each first grade class. I realized in retrospect that I went a little overboard with expectations for this lesson---thought we'd even get to a "wall-wisher" at the end of the lesson. (big-sigh) The first big ah-ah moment came Monday afternoon with the first of the 1st-grade classes when it was quite apparent that they cannot read yet. They are learning to read Mrs. Bell! Why didn't you remember that? I was briefly waylaid by the bells & whistles of technology and forgot to start at the beginning especially with beginners. My database of choice for animal research was Encyclopedia Britannica via SC DISCUS. It has an "Animal Kingdom" option that has the most user-friendly search I could find. It still was to hard for more than 75% of the first graders. Coincidentally a discussion on the SCASL Listserv last week was about animal research for young students. This led me to a resource that I'd never heard of before called PebbleGo Animal Database. I immediately signed up for a free trial (https://www.pebblego.com/UserLogin.aspx) and thought it would be great for my 1st graders. I didn't get the trial to work for multiple users though and am looking into the yearly subscription. (pretty reasonable $) Back to EB for the first graders and I changed my lesson to focus on finding pictures of animals to start with---learning what the words "images & media" meant and how to navigate the web page. That worked better, but it was still a struggle because the students became frustrated very quickly when things didn't work quickly or easily. Another insight...problem-solving is a technology skill as is patience and perserverence.

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.