Readings


Looking to define our role as educators,and integral members of our  learning community, this article looks at the identification of Core Standards and ICT Standards as an opportunity for media specialist to shore up partnerships with our teachers.. Albert Einstein's observation that, "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity" should become our mantra, teachers don't want to be on their own, there is a  need  to collaborate.

  • Formanack, GailPietsch, Laura "Fixed Schedules Can Support 21St- Century Skills.". School Library Monthly 27.6 (2011): 8-10. Professional Development Collection. Web. 18 Apr. 2012


    The article discusses the relevance of a flexibly scheduled school library program in the U.S. It states that the model, as opposed to a fixed schedule program, offers distinct advantages including the likelihood of developing collaborative lessons, having students as the point of need, and avoidance of skills to be taught in isolation. It notes that school librarians are considered effective when they are able to produce evidence on the positive impact of their programs on student achievement.


  • Hurley, Christine A. "Fixed Vs. Flexible Scheduling In School Library Media Centers: A CONTINUING DEBATE." Library Media Connection 23.3 (2004): 36-41. Professional Development Collection. Web. 10 Apr. 2012
 Although this article is 8 years old the arguments for flexible scheduling still hold true.  Flexible scheduling fosters collaboration based on instructional and curricular need, rather than on a set time. Teaching information skills occurs at the point of need. Despite the theoretical acceptance of flexible scheduling, fixed scheduling remains not only a fact of life in many elementary schools in which library is seen as a special, like art, music or foreign. The insufficiency of research on flexiblescheduling contributed to the debate over the relative merits of flexible and fixed scheduling by practitioners.
             As a district we use the Big6 Information Literacy Module to teach students how to be information problem solvers. This article             describes how to integrate information search and use skills with technology tools, emphasizing the need to cultivate critical thinking skills that will enable the student to meet the ICT proficiencies.  I particularly liked the alignment charts with Big6- 21st Century - NETS - Content Standards.
The article reports on learning commons that are being developed by the Information Network for Ohio Schools (INFOhio) and how they are changing the way educators and librarians are using school libraries. Emphasis is placed on the way learning processes have evolved with globalization and the advancement of technology, and how school systems must adapt to this change. Topics discussed include INFOhio's research into how libraries can help improve student achievement, the design and structure used to develop a 21st Century Learning Commons, and the education research that was utilized to ensure students were being prepared for a global information-based economy.









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