Wednesday, November 25, 2009

November 20, 2009

Following Up

Today was a half day at my school so I took the opportunity to do the follow-up visit to Charles Ellis Montessori Academy to see how they were progressing with Animoto. The teachers had several questions. The second visit was very beneficial for the participants because they had been working with the program and were more familiar with the process. I am embedding one of the teacher's videos made with Animoto. This particular video showcased a literacy event held at the school called "Book and a Cookie".

Total Hours: 2 hours




Saturday, November 14, 2009

November 12, 2009

Bookfair!

I returned to Charles Ellis Montessori Academy this evening to assist with the bi-annual Media Center Scholastic Bookfair. It was family night which was scheduled to coincide with the PTA meeting. There was also a special event called "Book and a Cookie" where parents were invited to enjoy refreshments as they read a book to their child. It was a very successful event. Unfortunately, I cannot see putting a bookfair on at the Johnson High Media Center. I think the time it would take away from running the media program would not be worth it.

Total hours: 3 hours

Sunday, November 8, 2009

October 6, 2009

Collaboration is Key

This week I have been working with Brenda Smith's class to finish up the collaborative lesson that we developed. The students read "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in this U.S. History class to deepen their understanding of the growing tensions between the regions and to see how literature can have a profound effect on history. The students read the book individually and wrote a report to present their understandings. In addition, they were directed to find primary source images to create a multi-media presentation of the book using Animoto.com. This web-based program was taught to the class as a whole and I have been working with individual students this past week as they complete the project. I have been monitoring their progress through the common educator account in Animoto and am pleased with their results. Today the class came to the Media Center to watch the film version of the book and will write a brief comparison of the film versus print version. This collaboration has been a great experience for the students as well as the instructors.

Total hours: 8 hours

Sunday, November 1, 2009

October 29, 2009

Progress by Committee

Today I worked at Johnson High Media Center. There were several classes visiting for research on recipes. The Consumer Science teacher is working on a project with her students based on a cookbook series called "Loook and Cook". The students will find recipes, research the main ingredient, take pictures of the equipment needed, photograph each step of the process and complete a visual recipe as the final product. I think it is a unique approach. I must admit that I really love working with this teacher. She embraces new technology and likes to collaborate.

After school I attended the first meeting of the 2009/10 Media Committee. The members of the committee are:
  • Juanita Harper (Administrator)
  • Zyon Smiley (History)
  • Kathryn Sukkestat (Science)
  • Jason Buelterman (International Baccalaureate)
  • Michelle Kilbourne (Language Arts)
  • Cynthia Hall (Technology/Media Specialist)
  • Susan Smith (Media Specialist)
The meeting began by stating the media program mission. I gave the media center report stating the major gains and aquisitions made since last year. This included number of materials added, technology gained, events held, programs begun, plans for immediate changes. Then the most recent analysis of the collection was distributed to members along with the district established goals for our school collection. Members were presented with the proposed plans to meet the goals. Since budget is a key obstacle to meeting these goals, the current budget with expenditures to date were also discussed. Each member was asked for input on areas that need to be improved or addressed in the coming year. Long range goals were also discussed. The meeting was concluded with a reading of the four main standards of the 21st Century Learner as established by the American Library Association.

Total Hours: 9 Hours