Tough times for public schools, especially where I am. Budget cuts are massive and they can no longer "keep them away from the classroom." It seems like everything in our district has been cut -- across the board, no exceptions. Many elementary schools will be reduced to a half time librarian...including mine. It's very sad, especially for our students.

So, next fall there will be many librarians who will be assigned to two schools. Managing a library, teaching information literacy skills and technology, collaborating with teachers, and providing library services to students, staff and community -- all this is a full time job in any size school.

Which half of my job do I do next year? Do I just do half of everything or leave some things out? What happens to the library when I'm not there? How can we possibly support teachers and students with technology only half of the time?

I know I'm whining. I'm incredibly fortunate in this economy to have a job. I'm just worried about how I'm going to do it all...

Back in the saddle...

Oh, it's high time I get back to this! Where does the time go?

I'm reading a book I'm very excited about - Teaching Digital Natives by Marc Prensky. I'm reading it for an online book study with other librarians in my district. Prensky's approach to teaching (and learning) is making so much sense to me. He calls it "partnering" and it involves a re-definition of the role of the teacher and the role of the student. The teacher's role is to ask guiding questions, coach and guide students while they look for possible answers, hold them to high standards -- and not lecture! The teacher's job is to know the content and the context -- then give students free rein in how they learn and demonstrate what they know. The student's role is to understand and use technology (and other resources) to find information, share it with other students, and synthesize it into a product.

The teacher does not have to be a technology expert - that's the student's job. This is all done within a Problem-Based Learning Approach. The book is filled with practical information and encouragement. I highly recommend it - it has helped me think about integrating teaching and technology (both of which I love) in a whole new way. I am energized by this book!

I'm presenting another Web 2.0 workshop...this time at the Conifer High School Tech Fair. My computer crashed last fall, and took some of my Web 2.0 stuff down with it. I'm still trying to recover some things. It has been good to revisit (and reinstall) all these great tools as I prepare for this workshop.

I need to keep encouraging the teachers in my building to use more of these tools with their students. They are powerful teaching and learning tools -- and come so naturally to our 21st century kids. Using them at school gives us the opportunity to teach safe and ethical use of technology.

I also think it's important for teachers to model learning technology. I don't think we have to master these tools before we use them with kids. They need to see us use trial and error, talk to other people to find solutions, check hardware, and more. Those are the technology skills they will need for their futures.

Web 2.0 Tools in the Library - CAL 2008

I will be presenting "Using Web 2.0 Tools in the Library" at the CAL Conference in November. I facilitate between being really excited about doing this -- to thinking "how can I possible present on something as dynamic and 'in the moment' as Web 2.0?" As I write, wonderful new tools are being created and anything I have to say could sound passe.

I will focus on how these tools are actually used in the library and in the classroom. Once we're past the "Wow" of seeing what all these tools can do -- the questions is how can we use these effectively with kids. Certainly some applications work better than others.

I'm looking forward to presenting this workshop -- and learning as much from the people who attend as they learn from me. We all have great ideas to share.

Library 2.0

Catching up...

#1 - I love the idea of the lifelong learner being in charge -- rather than the institution. I think education in general will gradually move toward this model. Our 21st century learners need, and will either find or create, an educational system that is responsive to their individual needs. They will move seamlessly into the technologies they need to find, create and share information. As librarians, we are in a unique position to lead this work.

Introducing...

My dog, Yogi, is with me in my Avatar picture. He really has longer hair (lab/chow mix) but this is pretty close. I bring him to my library and kids sign up for 15 minutes of reading time with him. Yogi is a good listener and loves to cuddle. I take pictures of the kids reading to him and post them on a bulletin board. I also make them a certificate with their picture on it they can take home. Yogi is a big hit and his schedule fills up quickly whenever he's available.

BTW, I bring my horse to school whenever I can. He's great with the kids too -- but not quite as cuddly.