Digital Trends article from Education Week

There are three things I took away from about this article from Education Week: "Digital Trends Shifting the Role of Teachers" (May 22, 2013):

1. The teacher is a facilitator, which has always been my goal, at least in lessons not involving reading a book aloud to students.
2. Using digital tools and innovative ideas can create an environment where students are not only responsible for their learning, but where they become the teacher in certain situations.
3. Teachers who are effective are continually learning and growing.  They are willing to try new things: a new environment, a new tool, a new method, then evaluate it and keep on thinking about new ways to teach their students.

Key quotes:

"There's so much you can now do to innovate and adapt. It almost becomes addictive," [Mr. Merkert] said, with a smile. "I'm more enthused and involved than I've ever been. I can only hope that enthusiasm translates to my students." 

The road was bumpy at first, Ms. Throckmorton admits. She started out by trying to focus too much on the technology itself and not enough on the content. But after growing frustrated, she decided to simply plan her lessons the way she always had, and used the technology as an additional layer, or tool, to advance it. 

"The biggest shift has to happen in teaching. It's a pedagogy shift that teachers will have to undergo, from teacher-centered to student-centered, and it's pretty incredible what we're seeing so far," said Mr. Anderson, who has worked in the district for the past decade. 

"Teacher-centered to student-centered" is also a key element of the new (in 2013-14) Washington State Teacher Evaluation System, focusing on the teacher as facilitator.  Not only is the "flipped classroom" a system that allows students to take control of their own learning and use classroom time effectively, it is a strategy that reflects well on a teacher who can set up and manage such a system where students can be successful.

I will spend my summer thinking about what this might look like in the library.  I can make videos that students can watch in the computer lab, then show their learning through formative assessments and activities.  I can create book trailers, and then have students create their own trailers to share with each other.  I know that for this to work, a management system has to be in place which has clear expectations and procedures.  I will be observing some fellow librarians over the next week and formulating some new ideas for procedures, I am certain.  I will be keeping this article in mind as I set up those expectations.

This Week in the Library

I am heading off to 6th grade camp next week Tuesday through Friday, so I spent some time preparing for our team building and orienteering courses that I'm helping to lead.  In addition to that, we had our old graphite iMacs in our computer lab replaced with the staff MacBooks that are three years old but still functioning.  Anything has to be better than the 13-14 year old iMacs!  Much of my week was spent preparing for that switchover and then putting signs up and teaching classes about the differences.  I look at this as a chance to reteach lab expectations and to instill new pride in our newer-looking lab.    The difference is amazing!

I decided to read fun books that didn't take a lot of thought this week to Kindergarten and 1st grade.  I just love "Cat Secrets" and "Oink-a-Doodle-Moo" by Jef Czekaj (pronounced "check-eye" - I had to look it up so I could tell the kids!).  The Kindergarteners loved pretending to be cats, no surprise there.  I started to explain the "Telephone" game to them for "Oink-a-Doodle-Moo", but believe it or not, most of them knew it already, though some looked confused when I asked them if they had a telephone at their house.

In 6th grade we continued some internet safety classes, talking about spam and phishing and a few other things related to email.  I had fun showing them some of the spam in my Gmail account originating from "Nigeria."

I like to read "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day" during the MSP state testing, so I pulled that one out for 3rd and 4th grade this week. 

I tried to order some caterpillars to show off in the library, since 2nd grade is studying butterflies and has their own caterpillars, but something happened to them on the way and they arrived motionless and covered in their own frass (look that one up if you dare!).  So they are sending new ones.  In the meantime we have been watching the Reading Rainbow called "Bugs" and reading "Insects Are My Life" by Megan McDonald.  One of my 2nd grade boys made the connection that she is also the author of the Judy Moody and Stink books, which you think I would have noticed years ago.  Luckily the students are paying more attention than I am.

Off to camp next week, bringing good scary story collections for the counselors to read to the kids, the iPad to help us identify leaves, and cameras to record the whole thing.

Lab before: