Course Materials: S671 Email Archives - Fall 2007
December 10, 2007
Hello teacher librarians,
Yes in my view, it's time you assumed the title - - that is if you are not already there. If you prefer librarian or media specialist, that's fine.
GRADES & GRADING
For this course, It's all over except for the grading of the remaining Toolkit components. I will follow up with one more brief email when I finish all of those. I will let you know your final grade; you can also check the gradesheet for scoring.
But in most cases if everything is okay or if only a fraction of point loss with your toolkit items, I will post comments and grade at Oncourse - - I will NOT send email for every component.
DP10
Reading your postings for the last Decision Points was interesting. Just a reminder that a book and it's printed, bound form are not necessarily always synonymous. Audiobooks and e-books (non-print) have been around for years. Last week's media hype was sparked by Amazon's release of their Kindle e-book offering. Jeff Bezos was on PBS the evening of the rollout, and Newsweek featured the technology in last week's edition. One claim that Kindle makes is use of electronic ink (e-ink; a technology that has been in development for the last decade and more) giving an improved and more printed-paper-like interface.
E Ink http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Ink
E Ink Corporation http://www.eink.com/
Read more (if you have not already delved into the topics):
The Future of Reading - the cover story at Newsweek http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983
Can It Kindle the Imagination? http://www.newsweek.com/id/71251
The term bookless libraries has been around too in recent years, with UT-Austin's Undergraduate Library change (Fall 2006):
Bye, Bye, Library: University of Texas Moves the Books Out of Undergraduate Library
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/23/tech/main791462.shtml
Sometimes the terminology use confuses readers. UT moved the print/bound books out of their undergraduate library and housed them at other locations. This seemed to be more about space allocation; the moving of print books and journals to free up space for the addition of more computers and technology services. Is that bookless? I would say it's a radical change that is being followed by a few other academic libraries - - but they still have some books in other forms? I guess it depends on how you see the term book being defined and used.
The continued explosion of information, the corresponding depletion of paper materials, the associated costs for more books and their housing - - all contribute to looking at alternatives. I too like to read and collect printed books, our current collection catalogued at librarything.com (eduscapes is the name of our account) proves that. But I also know that electronic book forms are going to continue to evolve and improve. Do they replace books? New technologies do not exactly replace; they displace (That is they perform in a different way but do not exactly displace - they do something in their own unique way). Just as the horse and wagon was displaced by the automobile, some forms of printed, bound books are going to be displaced by digital forms. But the Kindle is just one more step in a continuing evolutionary process (change). And unless Kindle greatly improves, it will soon be displaced by better technology (improved and expanded publishing agreements, expanded service patterns, etc.). Competition?
Printed books are a technology; a few centuries back, they displaced the works of scribes and oral traditions (storytelling, hand written manuscripts, and the like). Libraries are not just printed books - - school libraries too. The St. Louis Municipal School System began an audiovisual collection about 100 years ago. Non-print media is not new.
Several of you touched on these and other related factors.
MEDIA FAIR SEEKING HELP
In case some did not see this on the SLIS listserv (Recently posted by Dr. Irwin).
For anyone in the Indy area that are interested in helping judge student work in a Media Fair:
Indianapolis Public Schools are holding their 3rd annual IPS Media Fair on Saturday, February 2,
2008 at School #44 2033 Sugar Grove Ave. If any of you are interested in judging, please e-mail Ellen Ashcraft at ashcrafe@ips.k12.in.us.
Speaking from the experience of chairing a statewide media festival in another Midwest state, this can be a great experience. I'm always 'blown away' by the creativity and talent that some of these entries contain. If not in the Indy area, watch for similar events around the state.
lj
November 26, 2007
Hey gang,
Just a few reminders on final assignments:
DECISION POINT POSTINGS
All postings and replies are to be completed by next Monday, Dec. 3rd.
At this point, I have scored postings up through DP 7.
TOOLKIT COMPONENTS
All are due on Wednesday, Dec. 5th.
It was my intention that you post each of the Toolkit components at the appropriate Forum section at Oncourse - - and email me when each was ready for my evaluation. Component sections are posted / completed individually and submitted separately.
QUIZ TWO
I have scored Quiz 2. A few of you may find that you gained 1/2 pt.
One student brought this item to my attention:
According to Morris, the principles for supervising staff include
A. leadership, collaboration, creativity, and documentation
B. coordination, cooperation, collaboration, and public relations
C. planning, leading, directing, controlling, and revising
D. none of the above
Answer: C
The original location of information from where the question was developed is on p. 198; however, I agreed that the wording of the question plus information found on pages 229-30 confuses and confounds. I threw this item out and revised the scores.
The end is in sight . . .
Larry
November 7, 2007
Hey there,
Hope you are all enjoying great Fall weather. Last week, Annette and I made another house move; journeying from Santa Fe, NM to a campground near Johnson City, TX (boyhood home of the former President: LBJ http://lyndonbjohnson.areaparks.com/). The motorhome will remain here until next Spring. Our rural campground actually has us parked in our 'van down by the river' (8-) - - substitute motorhome, but I don't get many opportunities to say that Chris Farley line. This is our first winter stay in this area, Texas hill country west of Austin. http://www.millercreekrvpark.com/
Hope that many of you get the opportunity to attend the next week's combined ILF and AIME conference, Nov. 13-15th in Indy; look forward to hearing a little of your experiences.
Conference website http://www.ilfonline.org/conf/AnnualConference/annconf07.htm
But if you can not make it this year, not a problem - - I do recommend getting involved with your professional organization(s), once you are on-the-job. Participation / involvement can help to jump-start a career, connect you to fellow professionals and colleagues, and can contribute to your continued professional development. Note: I am extending the time period for next weeks quiz an extra day, it will be open next Wed through Sunday.
REALITY CHECK
I completed reading and scoring all of your Reality Check reports last nite. I enjoyed learning about your visits and learning the connections and understandings that you found. Be sure that you take time to skim everyone's work; the ideas and information shared by the 'community' is important and valuable. I always gain new insights and examples from students in this class.
ASSIGNMENTS
Decision Point 7 postings were due last Monday; complete those reply / response 'conversation extension' this week.
Read Chapter 5 - The Media Center Budget by B.J. Morris in Administering the School Library Media Center.
Read Chapter 11 - Acquisition and Organization also in the Morris text.
Also the Web materials to be read are:
Budget Management http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/budget.html
Budget Planning http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/budget2.html
Acquisition http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/acquisition.html
Accounting http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/accounting.html
Funding Sources http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/grants.html
QUIZ TWO
Heads up - - the second and final online quiz comes up next week. Again, you will have Wednesday through Sunday to complete the task. The open-computer, open-book quiz will include a few questions related to next week's assigned reading. There will be twenty multiple-choice questions with one 'best choice' answer - - each worth one half point.
EMAIL CHANGE
For the last decade, I have used an email account (email server) maintained by a full-time RV group that we are members of (Escapees). I recently received word that Escapees is no longer going to support that service after the end of this year. Therefore, you may notice that I have switched my email to a gmail account. Any email mailed to me at my IUPUI address is also forwarded into the gmail server. For the time we have left in this course, any mail sent to the escapees address will also be forwarded, but next year that will cease. I am working with the IUPUI SLIS office to try and get this email change in place on course information at the campus website(s). If at some point in the future you might take another online course with me, please take time to update the address.
Have a good week. As always, email me directly if you are having problems or do not understand anything related to the course.
Larry
October 28, 2007
Hi everyone,
This week, you can return to blogging with our final guest expert in the field. Our final guest expert blog session for the class is (Mon-Wed) Joyce Valenza.
This year's entire blog 'cast' was a diverse and talented group. I hope you enjoy(ed) interacting and reading the comments, as much as I enjoyed seeing the types of information and ideas that were shared
MORE ON COLLABORATION
This is a topic that comes up throughout the class; it is interwoven into almost every aspect of being a school media specialist. But It can be one of the most difficult concepts for teacher librarians to fully understand and grasp and even more difficult to effectively practice - -to initiate and enact on-the-job. Why is that? For one, the emphasis on this is relatively recent. I know that Information Power has been out since the late Eighties. But we need to have more examples, more models of good practices. Most of us did not experience school libraries where the professionals interacted in this way. And when we visit or work in schools today, we often do not see successful collaborations.
Also people often use the term "collaboration" to loosely apply to a variety of relationships. In some cases, I think the situation being described is closer to "cooperation." These two terms, cooperation and collaboration, are often interchanged, but are actually very different. For me, the term cooperation involves working side-by-side with a teacher. For example, you might act upon a request for materials or teach a lesson that parallels and supports the classroom teacher... however the lesson may not be planned together. Collaboration infers a greater degree of interdependence and truly working together. For example, the teacher and teacher librarian might together design, develop, and deliver a lesson activity that is based upon joint, mutual learning goals. The activity is aimed at having greater impact than could be achieved individually. The teacher and teacher librarian each have something unique to contribute to a collaborative venture. I believe that we sometimes elevate activities to the level of collaboration (It just sounds better!), when they are largely based upon cooperation. Consider ways that your interactions with teachers can transform learning. For example, rather than simply gathering those books that are requested every year, talk with the teacher about redesigning the assignment to also incorporate electronic databases or emphasize specific information skills.
The following comes from a student in another of our online classes; - - talking about a visit with a SLMS:
"I truly admire this school media specialist. In order for the relationship between school media specialist and teacher to be effective, the school media specialist has to be the initiator. Often times, teachers are too busy running their own programs and don’t think to include the library or the expertise of the school media specialist. She said that when she first came to the school, some teachers didn’t even include the school media specialist in research report writing. They just wanted to bring the students down to the library to do research, but it wasn’t guided by the teacher or the school media specialist. That’s why it is so important for the school media specialist to establish him or herself as an open book, ready and willing to help teachers. He or she also has to be the one to initiate ideas, lessons, and feedback from faculty, students, and parents. This helps to create an awareness that the school media specialist is there to work collaboratively with everyone. She now leads the research portion of the unit on research report writing for all the English classes’ grade 9-12. She also, teaches the writing of bibliographies. Her lesson plans change according to the students’ grade level and were very impressive."
WHAT DO ADMINISTRATORS LOOK FOR?
From Barbara Stripling's book: Dr. Mary Beth Lehmanowsky and Ceciliar Rulia (administrators in Lincoln, Nebraska) say they look for the library media specialist that:
Think and do, not watch and observe.
Lead, not manage.
See possibilities, not limits.
Love kids, not data.
Work, not shirk.
Interact, not impede."
ASSIGNMENTS
Web readings for this week:
Service Management http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/service.html
Professional Development http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/profdevelop.html
Also, your Reality Check project should be posted to Oncourse tomorrow http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/realitycheck.htm
No DP posting other than the reply for #6 due this week; Decision Point 7 will be due next Monday, Nov. 5th.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS
The 13th national conference of AASL was held Oct. 25-28 in Reno, NV
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/reno2007.cfm This conference is held every two years, next one will be Nov. 4-8, 2009 in Charlotte, NC. Carl Harvey, North Elementary School, Noblesville, was a co-chair for this event.
In addition to co-presenting a session and pre-conference workshop with Annette, I made some time to visit the vendor exhibits, attend some interesting sessions on topics such as distance education and information inquiry, and met and talked with several SLMSs from around the country. Also privileged to go to dinner and visit with several IN teacher librarians including Carl Harvey, Robyn Young, Bonnie Grimble (All who have been blog participants in this class during previous semesters), plus Alice Yucht and her husband joined us. IN people joked that they had to travel over a thousand miles to get a chance to visit and share ideas; some who work in neighboring school corporations. Former student, Kay Klinker, attended the last session that Annette and I presented (Saturday afternoon). Pleased that she came up an introduced herself; great to put a face to a name from a virtual class. Annette and I came away from the conference with lots of new ideas, got to interact with colleagues from all over the U.S., and were proud of our IN connection.
October 25th, AASL officially released it's "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm
The concepts in this document are intended to serve as as a foundation for a strong library media program; define how it makes a difference for students.
Attending a conference such as AASL or meetings / conferences such as AIME, ILF, or ICE that are held annually in IN are excellent means of furthering our own professional development as teacher librarians. One avenue for getting to such meetings is to get involved with a professional organization, join a committee, write an article, and submit a presentation proposal.
FUN LIBRARY FLASH GAMES
Go to the Library Arcade: Carnegie Mellon Library's Project at http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/etc/index.html
Have fun playing these two library games!
Within Range
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/etc/game1/game1.swf
I'll Get It!
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/etc/game2/game2.swf
Have a good week,
Larry
October 19, 2007
Hello everyone,
Busy, busy time. IT helps if you can prioritize, organize and be as efficient on tasks as possible. There's lots going on in the course. Visits, interviews, work on Toolbook items - - all coming together. I use my desktop tools (calendar, notes, etc.) to help keep on task. And just a quick reminder, the due date for your Reality Check activity is the end of this month.
I hope that you had fun with Decision Point 4 and doing a small collection analysis using the CREW method. I am just starting to read and score those postings. It's always interesting to see the similarities and differences in your findings.
BLOGGING CONTINUES
Hella Rumschlag is online with us for one more day. She is a great information source and has already shared some great ideas.
Next week there is a break in the blog schedule . . . Annette and I along with many of our guest bloggers and other colleagues will be in Reno, NV for the AASL conference. The following week, we will have our final blog session with Dr. Joyce Valenza.
Be sure to gather enough material so that your discussion summaries have substantial content. Rather than sharing an entire conversation word-for-word, I am looking for highlighted "quotes" or paraphrasing, but be sure to include plenty your own insights, reflections, examples, and connections to your own understanding and the course content.
ASSIGNMENTS
If you are caught up with Oncourse discussions, you should be working on the Decision Point 6 posting and have completed the reply / response to DP5 (Both due next Monday).
This past weeks web readings:
Facilities Management http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/facilities.html
Facilities Planning http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/facplan.html
Elements of Facilities http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/elements.html
Open a New Library http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/newlibrary.html
Close an Old Library http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/oldlibrary.html
Renew the Library Media Center http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/rearrange.html
Also you should have read Read Morris Chapter 7 & Skim Appendix III.
If you work in school library media many years, you will likely be involved to some degree in facilities planning, construction, or renovation. Possibly several times.
Next week, Assigned for Oct. 22nd.
Web Readings:
Human Resources Management http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/humanresources.html
School Libary Media Specialist (Professional) http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/job.html
Library Media Support Personnel http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/support.html
Volunteers in the School Library Media Center http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/volunteers.html
Also read in the Morris text: Chapter 6 - Staff
I will close with another reminder - - if you are having difficulty or do not understand anything related to the course, please get in touch and communicate. My job is to help each of you successfully navigate through the class, and if we work together that will happen. Have a great weekend.
Larry
October 11, 2007
Hi Gang,
Cool, fall weather has arrived and the semester is speeding along.
EXAM ONE
Your scores for the first online quiz have been posted to the Oncourse gradesheets. The two exams in this class are designed as a check for the assigned readings; intended to see if you not only are dealing with the material but making sure that you grasp understanding of some of the key concepts.
If you missed the question below, credit has been added - you have another 1/2 pt. on your score.
The purpose of Information Power is to:
A. revitalize school library media programs.
B. build partnerships for learning.
C. advocate intellectual freedom.
D. promote high school literacy.
That item was originally intended to read 'Library Power' (Appendix A, p. 137) and got switched to information power (keyboarding gnomes strike again!). As worded above, none of the choices were absolutely correct.
The second online exam will be similar, just over different material. It too will be open-book, multiple-choice, and will cover course materials assigned from October onward. It will not cover any of the readings used for Exam 1.
COLLABORATION
The following excerpted ideas come from Maureen Barton, a director of a rural IN library who is in a SLIS course this semester (from her Oncourse posting in another class and provided with her permission):
"I was thinking about how I would go about my collaboration assignment. … how about a binder full of previous collaborations? This would enable “us” as librarians to keep track and improve our activities and for teachers to see all the great resources we have to offer. The binder could include pathfinders, pictures, evaluations, etc. Resource/Topic Inquiry Forms could also be kept in the binder. By a resource/topic inquiry form, I mean the conversation that took place between the teacher and media specialist to ignite the program. The form could list simple questions such as; what type of literacies are you looking for (visual, content, critical, etc.), what date would you like all the materials, do you need my help in the classroom (I would be happy to help), do you want to tie into a particular Indiana Academic Standard or Information Literacy Standard? I was also thinking about the important (importance) of the media specialist hosting a “getting to know each other” meeting at the beginning of the school year. This meeting would give the specialist a time to be heard and explain to teachers why our services are available. . . . I would also use a quote from our textbook, The Blue Book, “The most important reason for building a library media collection in the school is to support the curriculum, (Callison, p. 211). We are here to assist!!!!"
Combining this idea with a tip left by guest blogger Leslie Preddy, why not keep these records in a 'virtual' binder - - a flash / thumb drive that you can carry with you everywhere?
ONCOURSE NEWS
File Storage Space (10/2/07) All Oncourse CL sites, including your personal My Workspace, come with 1GB storage. If you choose, you can grant public access to any file and publish its URL. See File storage in Oncourse CL. - http://kb.iu.edu/data/aroh.html
WYSIWYG Editing (9/27/07) Oncourse CL uses WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor boxes in many tools. You can preserve formatting using the Paste from Word button. See In Oncourse CL, how do I use the WYSIWYG editor?. - https://kb.iu.edu/data/arbr.html
DECISION POINT THREE
As media specialists, it's essential for us to be able to understand and 'see' the varied perspectives of both children and adults with whom we are working. It's also important to provide information and materials that extend to cover a larger community and the globe. No doubt we each hold specific views and values - - we are all biased in some ways. My nonfiction collection always received more of my attention than novels (8-); I had to consciously focus on the need for coming-of-age novels and romantic fiction. We need to respect diversity. Understanding yourself and your perspectives with regard to issues and 'hot-button' topics is a first step toward developing a professional attitude. A custom, value, religious practice, or perspective that may seem odd, contrary, absurd, or threatening in your eyes - - may be perfectly aligned with another's beliefs and attitudes. One of our most important missions is to help students learn. The more they are able to see, hear, and read about the world without our subtle censorship, the more independent thinkers they can become. Students need the information and resource support for seeking and making their own decisions. To do that they need carefully selected, quality materials and resources that meet their personal interests and their instructional needs. To me, this premise underlies democracy and the role of a good citizen. Our job is not to instill one set of values, but rather to respect and help young learners develop as independent thinkers and responsible decision-makers. This can be difficult when we want to steer people toward making what we might consider to be the 'correct' decision. This emphasis on opening minds is at the core of intellectual freedom and our profession. At times, this can be one of the most difficult aspects of our profession.
Confession - - in my youth I had a large collection of comic books. I read everything that I could get my hands on. Comics were cheap. There were fantasy cartoons, westerns, adventure, super heroes, and the collection based on literature classics (Classics Illustrated series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classics_Illustrated). They were a predecessor to today's graphic novels. This year ALA's highest award for a young adult novel (2007 Michael L. Printz Award http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm) went to a graphic novel: American Born Chinese http://www.firstsecondbooks.net/abc.html People sometimes lump all graphic novels together without realizing there are many of great literary value.
ASSIGNMENTS
Check the course calendar for details http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/calendar.htm
Don't forget that we continue with the next round of accomplished SLMSs 'on-board' at the blog-site. This year's complete schedule is at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/slms.html
Thurs. Oct. 11 to Sat. Oct 13 - Chris Somers (2005 & '07), Indian Creek Middle School, Trafalgar, IN
Mon. Oct. 15 to Wed. Oct. 17 - Teresa Garreth, New Castle Chrysler High School, IN
I'll be scoring those DP 4 postings and replies next week. Keep making progress with your Toolkit components. Meantime contact me with any questions or concerns,
Larry
October 5, 2007
Hi all,
Here in Utah we are bracing for high winds in this next hour and they will probably continue through into early evening. We are also supposed to get this season's first significant snowfall tonight; we've already seen snow just above us on the mountains. We are at 6800' elevation. But other than that; we have been enjoying beautiful Fall weather here. Even when it snows here, the sun usually pops right back out and the snow melts soon.
EXAM ONE
Your scores for the first online quiz will be posted to your Oncourse gradesheets - at the end of next week (Deadline is Tuesday night). The two exams in this class are designed as a check for the assigned readings; intended to see if you not only are dealing with the material but making sure that you grasp understanding of some of the key concepts.
The second online exam will be similar, just over different material. It too will be open-book, multiple-choice, and will cover course materials assigned from October 4th until Nov. 16th. It will not cover any of the readings used for Exam 1.
KEEPING ON TRACK WITH ASSIGNMENTS
Keep up with the course by checking the calendar http://eduscapes.com/sms/syllabus.html#calendar. Many of you are also using the checklist to assist in tracking your own progress with assignments. Make sure that you have covered all the readings up to this point in the course.
Web-reading for this coming week
Program Administration http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/index.htm (Index - we are dealing with the first 3 sections):
Teacher Librarian as Manager http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/management.html
Time Management http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/time.html
Scheduling http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/flexible.html
The assigned reading from course texts are:
Morris Chapter 12 - Program Administration
Information Power Chapter 6 - Program Administration
Assignments Due this Week
Replies to Decision Point 3 should be posted by next Monday.
Decision Point 4 is also due Monday October 8th
Reminder to a few: Replies to Decision Point postings are intended to extend 'conversation' about the topics. Therefore it is important that your comments, insights, examples, etc. be completed in a timely fashion - - so that you are "talking' to others. Generally those responses are due one week after the assigned Decision Points. If you have been leaving these undone and still hope to get the full credit, catch up on those replies.
PROGRESS ON YOUR PROFESSIONAL TOOLKIT
After completing (or completing as much as possible at this time Toolkit Items A and B), you are to select any three of the six options for the remaining components.
At this point, you should be working on Item C - - some have multiple components (Items A and B for example).
For all components, I suggest that you allow time to edit and revise before they are completed and submitted to me for grading. Add essential information and insights as you encounter or develop new ideas throughout the remaining weeks. Check for spelling, grammer, citations, etc.; final documents should be presentation quality.
Make these projects as "real world" as possible. For example if you are already working at a school, consider applying for an actual grant (one of the options). Find a grant project; one possibility is the We the People “Created Equal” Bookshelf http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf/ - - a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) We the People program, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office. If you are a teacher, consider partnering with your LMS to put together and submit the proposal. If you are not in a school, consider working with a school's LMS to do the same. Or you can simulate the process by creating / completing a grant proposal for a 'fictional' setting (Clearly identify that approach). You can base it on a real location (change the name) but collect real world data and information. This is just one grant possibility.
But again for all the Toolkit components, complete them as accurately and as 'real world' as possible; make the product something useful that you can apply now or use as a model later.
ONCOURSE SPACE FOR SHARING YOUR WORK
My Workspace is accessed within OncourseCL. Directions below are at the Requirements section of online course materials http://eduscapes.com/sms/require.html#3
Go to the My Workspace option in the red banner across the top of the new OncourseCL
To Upload files:
Click Upload-Download Multiple Resources and follow the directions for Mac or Windows.
You can upload any kind of document including web pages, Word documents, PowerPoint documents, graphics, video, audio, etc.
Once you've uploaded files return to My Workspace, you should see the new items on the list.
Click the REVISE link next to the file you uploaded.
You'll see choices.
Under ACCESS, choose DISPLAY TO NON-MEMBERS (PUBLICLY VIEWABLE).
Near the bottom of the page you'll see the web address such as https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/ljohnso/newljohnso.jpg
Your address will be your user name instead of ljohnso
If you uploaded folders, your address will include the name of that folder after your username such as https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/ljohnso/project/index.htm
Remember NOT to use spaces in folder or file names. Avoid any non-standard symbols.
You can use this URL to tell others about this document, file, movie, sound, graphic, or whatever kind of file you uploaded. You can also use this as a link on a webpage or blog.
VIRTUAL VISITS AT THE BLOG
Ask that all of you monitor these postings; it is an opportunity to gain valid information and insights from people who are doing the job right now. So keep a lookout and make sure that all of our volunteer participants get some traffic, and try not to overload on specific persons - - in other words see if you can spread out to cover everyone. If you have not read Leslie Preddy's recent posting on professional involvement and presentations - - be sure and take the time to do that. She will be available through the Blog through Saturday.
Next week finds two more outstanding guest SLMS practitioners available:
Alice Yucht - Mon. Oct. 8 to Wed. Oct. 10
Chris Somers - Thurs. Oct. 11 to Sat. Oct 13
There are a total of 7 participants this semester, just received final confirmation from Teresa Garreth, New Castle Chrysler High School, IN and will adding her to the schedule. http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/slms.html
Have a great weekend; I'll be around and get to grading that DP3.
lj
1 October 2007
Blogging session with Janette Fluhary beginning today and continuing to Wednesday.
Blogsite for these interactions at http://slmsbridge.blogspot.com/
If you have a blogger account at Blogger, you can use that or or follow these instructions:
1) At the blogsite, click on the '(number) comments' link (next to the pencil icon) at the bottom of the introductory posting for Janette's session.
2) Then keyboard in your message in the "Leave your comment window." You should add your first name (full name if you want) at the end of your message (identify yourself); also can put any information here that you want displayed publicly.
3) When you have a message as you want it, click on the "Anonymous" button under "Choose and Identity." Next, click on the light blue "Login and Publish" Bar.
If any of this is confusing, email me back . . . I try to stay online - be around virtually most of the days.
- September 26th
Hey everyone,
Another week has sped by . . . for me the Fall season and this semester are certainly going fast.
ASSIGNMENTS
This week's reading assignments include Chapters 8 and 9 in the Morris textbook. These deal with issues and ideas for collection development.
Also be sure to Web read this week's readings at the course website:
Intellectual Freedom http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/cdfreedom.html
Rights of Library Users http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/patriot.html
Internet Access & Filtering Issues http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/filtering.html
In addition, you should be planning and working on Item B for of your Professional Toolkit. Complete as many sections as you can now and work forward into the other components beyond. Work ahead as your schedule allows. The five components of the Professional Toolkit are worth 30% of the final grade but are not due until near the end of the course. However completion of these requirements requires active participation and the development of strategic plans, proposals, and project ideas. The components also allow for a large degree of shaping and flexibility on your part; fit them to your career and professional needs. Because of the ongoing nature of this assignment, I am concerned that everyone stay on task and not doom themselves to a "procrastinators" nightmare. Therefore I remind you that I am available to offer my opinions and reactions, willing to skim sections in their formative stages, and provide feedback during your development stages.
And as mentioned previously - - if you are able, complete any Toolkit sections before the due date.
REALITY CHECK
If you have not already begun, this is a good time to start completing the components required for your Reality Check Project. Instructions for this activity are at http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/realitycheck.htm
My intention is as much as possible is to have everyone avoid going to the same schools - spread ourselves out as much as possible. Sometimes this may not be possible. But you do not have to spend much added time researching and verifying whether anyone else is going; just check with the media specialist you contact to visit?
TIMELY REPLY / RESPONSE POSTINGS
For the record, if a point is awarded for your response/reply to another person's original posting; it must significantly add information, further explain, or provide examples - - it must provide additional insight(s). More information can be found at the http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/decisionpoint.htm link from the Requirements section. Replies should be completed in the week following the due date of original postings. For example, next Monday your Decision Point 3 postings are to be completed and then replies should be done within the next week. This timely response is needed so that you have someone joining in your 'discussions'; someone reading your postings.
ABOUT EVIDENCE-BASED DECISIONMAKING
I always enjoy reading your Decision Point postings. As always the varied perspectives from the class add unique insights and examples. However a few missed part of the focus of the discussion in the Decision Pt. 2 postings. In general this was about the evidence to be gathered - - what, who, and how it is collected. For those who chose Option 1, also looking for strategies to convince teacher(s) to collaborate in the effort(s). All too often, we assume that teachers will see the benefit and wisdom of our plans, but in reality that is oftentimes not the case. Looking for your ideas and insights, specific details on how to win over 'reluctant' partners. It can be done, but in most situations it does not just happen. However winning over the support and collaboration of teachers is paramount to succeeding in our positions. The days are gone when a SLMS is only the keeper of the books, the expert on information, the maintainer of order, and the leader of reading promotion in the library media center. These are still central responsibilities, but we have to reach outside into the classrooms and be involved in curriculum and learning.
As one of you stated, without teacher buy-in you will not be successful. I would add that going-it-alone as a SLMS dooms one to a mediocre level; in order to have significant impact on students and their learning and on teachers and their teaching, we must be involved in the classrooms.
EXAM
Coming up shortly is the first of two online examinations (Quiz) on the theoretical foundations. These exams will be conducted via Oncourse. They will focus on the the course readings with primary emphasis on the assigned content in Information Power, the Morris and Doll textbooks, and the website readings up to and including this week's assignments but not those for next week). Within the web-read materials, the quiz will NOT focus on any of the many supplemental articles and websites that are listed at the end of websections, the "Read More About It" items. Rather it may include any of those items in the main body of the readings.
The exam consists of twenty multiple-choice items, each worth .5 pt. It is open computer and open book. Tthe only time limitation is the start and end dates (Midnight Oct 3 to midnight Oct 6th).
The second of these quizzes (given near the end of the class) will NOT cover any of the same material; it will focus on the remaining assigned readings for the class and follow this same pattern.
Finally, the posting of your Decision Point 3 is due next Monday (before the quiz date).
AIME CONFERENCE
Registration is now open for the November 13-14, 2007 Indiana Library Federation (Association of Indiana Media Educators (AIME) meeting too). Registration needs to be post-marked by October 26. Several SLIS students, alumni, and faculty will be involved, and the conference provides a great opportunity for students to network with and learn from school library media specialists in the field. Check out the preliminary program and locate the registration form on the web at http://www.ilfonline.org/conf/AnnualConference/annconf07.htm
If you want to 'jump start' your career, getting involved with a professional organization is a must. You may feel uncomfortable, out-of-your element at first, but you can make valuable contacts and contribute to your own professional growth. Next consider writing / publishing and making professional presentations.
BLOG ACTIVITY
I am working on the final details for this semester's series of Blog interactions with school library media specialists who are currently working in schools. Guidelines for this assigned activity are at http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/toolkit.htm#2
Although I have one person still finalizing the schedule for participation, most everyone is in place. Time to share a bit more information. The list and schedule of this year's 'guests' is in place at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/slms.html
Just to make sure that you don't miss a few details within this distinguished group, this group of SLMS's include
* Well established SLM people and others with a few years on-the-job
* There are representatives from elementary, middle and high schools
* There are persons who work at urban schools and others in more rural settings
* People working in Indiana schools and virtual guests from out-of-state
This activity has worked well in previous years, and I hope that you will enjoy the interchanges, gain lots of first-hand insights as to actual situations in school library media positions. My related concerns are that without a signup sheet, there is a possibility of some people just being overloaded with postings, while a few others might not have anyone coming to talk with them. I'm asking for everyone to monitor these discussions, and if you see that someone is not getting many postings please jump in and make sure that a good discussion gets going. Likewise if other people are being inundated with postings and you were planing to join in; consider holding off to keep discussions at a manageable level. Just use your good judgement. If we do run into issues such as these, I may send a few personal emails asking someone to jump in.
The SLMS participants have been instructed that they will need to monitor and post at the Blog site two or three times each of the three days. Because of their work responsibilities, they can do this at any time of their choosing . . . some may not be online at all during their work hours. Others may be able to come in for short periods of time throughout. And if someone does not reply right away, keep in mind that something unexpected may have occurred. The intention here is for a relaxed, casual conversation to occur . . . much like might be possible if these people came to visit our classroom (if we had an actual classroom, that is . . ) The schedule as it now exists:
* Mon Oct. 1 to Wed Oct. 3 - Janette Fluharty (2006 & '07), Avon Intermediate School East, IN
* Thurs Oct. 4 to Sat. Oct. 6 - Leslie Preddy (2007), Perry Meridian Middle School, Indianapolis, IN
* Mon Oct. 8 to Wed Oct. 10 - Alice Yucht (2007), former SLMS in NJ & NY, currently instructor at Rutgers University, NJ
* Thurs Oct. 11 to Sat Oct 13 - Chris Somers (2005 & '07), Indian Creek Middle School, Trafalgar, IN
* Thurs Oct 18 to Sat Oct 20 - Hella Rumschlag (2006 & '07), Mohawk Trails Elementary, Carmel, IN
* Mon Oct 29 to Wed Oct 31 - Joyce Valencia (2007), Springfield Township High School, PA
At the Blog site http://slmsbridge.blogspot.com/, I will be setting up "entry sections" for each of the people. I am working on this so for now, just keep your own list of ideas and discussion starters for those people that you are interested in conversing with.
BLOGGING WITH SLMS IN THE FIELD
A few instructions (You may not need this). The Blog site is at http://slmsbridge.blogspot.com/
A feature of using Blogspot for this activity is that anyone can join and have their own account or can post anonymously following the procedure detailed below.
Starting at the Blog website: If you want to see all the comments made at "Bridging Theory and Practice" under a specific posting, you can click on a heading in the right column under "Previous Posts." Note: that you can also click on the no. of comments to the bottom right of the first column. Both take you to the same information, just has a slightly different background look. You do this to look at all comments made to an original posting.
I will publish a posting introducing each blog Interaction starting with Janette Fluharty - Mon Oct. 1 to Wed Oct. 3. I ask you to hold off with adding your comments and questions until Monday morning (October 1st) and finish up by Wednesday afternoon / evening.
To post a blog comment anonymously, keyboard your message in the "Leave your comment window." Be sure to add your name at the top of your message. When you have your comment / message as you want it, just click on the "Anonymous" button under "Choose and Identity." Next, click on the light blue "Login and Publish" Bar. In a short time span, your comment will be added below the original posting.
If you have your own Blogger account, you do not need to add comments anonymously. You can setup your own Blog; it's free and you do not actually have to create your own Blog to do that. But there is no problem with doing anonymously.
Again, I will publish the first brief posting for each of the Blog sessions. And then you can add discussion / entries (comments) below that.
Hope that this procedure is clear; don't hesitate to contact me with specific questions if not.
I think this is going to be a great activity and provide some needed depth in practical information and ideas about what it is really like out in the schools; what it is really like to be doing the job(s) of a school library media specialist.
BANNED BOOKS WEEK (Sept. 29 - Oct. 6, 2006)
Many libraries and librarians hold special promotions for Banned Books Week, an annual observance. Learn more at sites like:
Banned Books Week from ALA http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.ht
Banned Books Week Handbook from American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression http://www.abffe.org/bbw-handbook2007.htm
Books Challenged or Banned in 2006-2007 by R.P. Doyle http://www.ila.org/pdf/2007banned.pdf
Have a good rest of the week,
Larry
September 18th
Hello Everyone,
This past week has been quiet. Everyone must be very busy both with classes and work responsibilities. On my end, I have lots of scoring to complete for your Oncourse postings - - grading all week. Annette and I are having great Fall weather here in south central Utah. Lots of information below . . .
ONCOURSE POSTINGS AND RELIES
For the record if a point is awarded for your response/reply to another person's original posting; it must significantly add information, further explain, or provide an example - - it must provide additional insight(s). Replies should be completed in the week following the due date of original postings. For example, today your Decision Point 2 postings are to be completed and replies should be done within the week. But since this is the first time that I have clarified this detail, no problem if you need a few more days.
SCHEDULE
Keep on track. Having said that, every semester term has a few people with personal responsibilities and conditions that call for added flexibility. A crisis situation or a serious schedule conflict can sometimes be legitimate reasons for altering due dates. That does not always mean extending a deadline; sometimes students work ahead in order to meet future commitments; i.e. attend a conference/travel, etc.. The key is to communicate with me and to make the class schedule meet your needs. Actually, that is one of the main characteristics that I like about a Web-based course. But the one place that I cannot flex the schedule is at the end of the semester. As an adjunct prof, I have to assign a grade other than an incomplete.
SLMS AWARD
Congratulations should be / have been extended to Carl Harvey II, the library media specialist at North Elementary School. http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/harvey.html
Carl has been a virtual guest in previous semesters of this class but I purposely 'let him off the hook' for blogging this year. He is heavily involved with planning for both the ILF / AIME Conference in Indiana and is co-chair of the AASL Conference in Reno, NV - both later this Fall. Yes he's busy but a few weeks ago, he received some well-deserved national honors. Here are some articles from the local and regional news coverage:
Neckties, Royal Treatment Celebrate North Educator's Award
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070905 . . .
North Celebrates Library Media Program
http://www.noblesvilleschools.org/nobldist.nsf/.....?OpenDocument
It's Good To Be King, Noblesville Daily Times
http://www.county29.net/cms2/index.php?...nt&task=view&id=5940&Itemid=1
ANOTHER REMINDER
I don't want to harp, but remember that It is your responsibility to keep your eye on the schedule, course requirements, and the calendar. Also be sure to read each update carefully. A few semesters back, I had a good student forget to take an online quiz and lose valuable points. A reminder was included in the update message and the requirement was on the course calendar.
Also your responsibility to read and gain understanding of all assignments; make sure you cover the material. Having said that (just want you to devote enough time to successfully complete the requirements); I am here to help you complete the course.
ASSIGNMENTS
This week's reading assignments / web materials are / were:
Information Access and Delivery: Introduction http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/index.htm
The Teacher Librarian as Collection Developer http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/cdoverview.html
Policies and Procedures http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/policies.html
Issues http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/issues.html
Intellectual Property & Copyright http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/copyright.html
TOOLKIT
A few people have made inquiries about the Toolkit projects. First off - - I am pleased that they/you are staying on track and attending to this portion of the class. I would advise everyone not to put these assignments on the back burner. This portion of the course is expected to yield "real content products" (Think portfolio requirement?) that will be useful to you in your role(s) as a school media specialist.
Become familiar with the general requirements starting at http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/toolkit.htm
By now you should be started with Toolkit Item A: Professional Connections 1 http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/toolkit.htm#1
Portions of this component have been purposely left somewhat open-ended, but if you need more specific directions for the Option 1 portion (i.e., conference / professional attendence, etc.), here are some ideas. It's fine if you plan to attend a conference later in the semester such as AIME in November. Any viable professional meeting that you feel would benefit a teacher librarian can meet the requirement. Remember if you are unable to attend a meeting, then opt to complete the alternative component. For a professional meeting, I would suggest that your summary report include but not limit itself to describing your relationship with the meeting / conference, explain your participation (first time, how you became involved, etc.), expectations prior to the event, and a summary of the conference. You can identify what you found to be most beneficial / what was gained and/or not, and your recommendations and reflections.
The Professional Toolkit components for the class are not due until near the end of the class; but where possible, I recommend turning in components earlier than that final due date. For some components, attention will be required throughout much of the course calendar, but items that can be completed will give you earlier feedback / results. In other words, turn in those components as soon as you can complete them. And they do not have to be completed in order A, B etc.
You should also begin looking at Toolkit Item B this week http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/toolkit.htm#2 For a portion of that task, I will soon be uploading a new schedule for guest bloggers (So far, some are returnees from last year, some are new guests - - waiting on a few replies) and updating the specific directions at the website. At some point, you may want to skim through last year's blog interactions. Look toward extending the conversations into new areas rather than covering the same information. You will find a smaller number of participants this year, primarily because the class size is not as large.
RECOMMENDATION
If you are not already on the SLIS Listserv, I would strongly recommend that you join. The list is moderated and therefore not overly inundated with messages, but timely announcements and information is provided on everything from professional advocacy initiatives (important legislation, etc.), career informations (regional meetings and conferences, job vacancies, internships, etc.), and more. Some items may be useful for this class. Instructions for joining are at http://www.slis.iupui.edu/resources/listserv.html
The SLIS Listserv DOES NOT meet the requirements for Toolkit Item A (online interaction). You should join a listserv such as LM_NET for that requirement.
AIME MEETING
Some of you may attend the Indiana Library Federation conference this year. It is November 13th-15th in Indianapolis. AIME is not having a separate conference this year, all of ILF is coming together for one big, super huge conference. Because this is different to have one big conference, AIME doing lots of PR to help explain the change.
Carl Harvey sends this information our way:
We've got a very nice student rate; however, if students agree to volunteer for 2 hours they can get an additional $20 off the student rate (both
full and part time students qualify. The only exception is if they are already serving as a professional librarian, we're not able to give them the student
rate. We're really excited about the concurrent sessions, keynote speakers, etc. A complete preliminary program is posted online, so they can see all the
sessions along with registration http://www.ilfonline.org/conf/AnnualConference/annconf07.htm
ON MY END
I am getting into grading your postings, and you should see some results this next week. It's crunch time!
Personal note: Annette and I are enjoying the Fall season with it's cooler weather and rustling tree leaves - - never mind that occasional cool and rainy day. Here in south-central Utah. The aspens on Bolder Mountain are just beginning to turn from green to yellow. We will remain at the Torrey, UT / Capitol Reef National Park area for a few weeks. Hope that you are getting an occasional chance to enjoy the outdoors in your neighborhood too.
As always, email me with any concerns or need for clarification. Let me know if something does not make sense, otherwise I assume that everything is going okay. I will always do my best to help, that's my job! (8-)
Dr. J
September 5th
Hello Everyone,
I hope that you had a great holiday weekend. Most everyone seems to be on track and posting their assignments.
ONCOURSE
After those few hectic days last week (this seems to happen every year with the beginning of Fall semester when the system just gets inundated), things seem to have settled down a bit at Oncourse. Oh I'm sure that once in a while, one can not logon the first time tried - - but giving a few minutes break and trying again seems to work. General rule of thumb with computing and web activities: Try again / reload.
Therefore we need to get back on track with the course calendar. I still will be lenient (give a few days grace) but by this weekend, if you are still behind - - I need to receive a brief explanation and your plan for catching up. It's best to keep me informed, and I will do the same from this end of things.
REMINDERS
I've been teaching online classes for several years now, and have began to notice a few subtle changes. 'In the old days' (8-) a few years ago, this learning environment was relatively new for most students so everyone followed the course of study very closely. Now today more and more of you have experienced other Web classes, the course environment is somewhat familiar, and a few find your own 'shortcuts.' Be aware that you are expected to follow the Course Guide http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/courseguide.htm and read the online materials. Those in the mainline are to be read completely, some are designated to be explored or skimmed, and most pages have a list of supplemental resources at the bottom (these are optional resources provided for people who needed added depth and further understanding.
Be sure to read these Update Messages for added hints and information, but the primary course content is already in place.
WEBSITE ERRORS & DEAD LINKS
Having written the mild warning paragraph above, I now need to admit that a few glitches have been found. This past Summer, the course website was revamped with an updated look, improved html coding, and some other needed changes in the website structure. At the same time, several websections were improved with the latest information or revised content. But I recently discovered after email from Carl that there have been some 'misplaced' webpages (links lost) and dead links. I still may have not caught all of them - - so I ask for your help. When you are reading the online pages and discover a problem(s), please email me. It's even more helpful if you can identify the exact webpage and the specific problem. I will correct or change as quickly as possible.
BLOG WITH THE EXPERTS
The Professional Connections 2 assignment of the Toolkit requires that you interact with expert 'guests' at a blogsite. The scheduled 3-day interaction sessions will be scheduled from late September into November. This year's participant list (usually around 8 to 10 people) and schedule are being finalized in the next few weeks. I have been able to bring in some highly qualified, new guests this year as well as bring back a few people who have participated in a previous year. Look for that schedule to be fully developed in the next two or three weeks. Before the sessions begin, I will come back with some more guidance and suggestions. For now, I just wanted you to know that the process and procedure is in place and that the final details will fall together soon. This has always been a fun and rewarding activity; it's has been a good way to bring in outside guests to our class.
I should mention that Joyce Valencia is one of our scheduled expert guests. Joyce is also on the 'Notable Library Media Professionals' list http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/people.html. Therefore exclude interviewing her as part of the Professional Connections 1 (Tooklit assignment); that is if you are completing Option 2 http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/toolkit.htm#1 (May not apply).
HAVING PROBLEMS
Last thing, if you are lost or having a problem, do not understand something, need some help, or just feeling lost - email me. Use my direct email address ljohnson@mail.escapees.com And if you do not receive a reply from me in twenty-four hours (Usually only a few hours but I occasionally leave the work area for a day), contact me again. Make sure that I received your message; that's one of the reasons that I asked everyone to email me a brief message at the beginning of the class - - checking to see if the communication lines were working. Have experienced one student's email from their workplace being blocked (this Summer), not going out - - and unfortunately the student did not catch the problem for a few critical weeks. No way that I can tell that from this end.
Have a good week and I'm around online most every day. If the weather cooperates here in Southern Idaho, Annette and I do plan to go exploring on Boulder Mountain (11,310' elevation) for much of the day Friday. There are thousands of acres, aspen groves, lots of wildlife, over seventy lakes, and a very few dirt, unimproved roads up there. We first want to stop and take the brief hike to the highest point, Bluebell Knoll; then head out from there. Don't worry, we drive our Jeep Wrangler, carry some food and water, and have a tow winch (never have needed to use it; installed for insurance) (8-).
Dr. J
August 28th
Hey there,
Read, read, read . . . but there is relief in sight. Once you get through this week's readings, the assignments slack off just a bit - - as we begin to shift to activities and projects such as the Professional Toolkit components (require attention, steps completed throughout most of the semester), Reality Check, and more Decision Point postings.
ONCOURSE BLUES . . .
As most of you know, ONCOURSE is experiencing major problems. Today it's been up and down; oftentimes you cannot login. Even when you are able to get into the system, it runs VERY SLOOOOOW. So for now and until this semester 'settles down' a bit, due dates will not be severely held to for your classwork.
Even with some expected improvements this week - - here are a few suggestions for coping:
First -
Consider working at off-peak times such as early morning or late evening.
Second -
You can complete ALL of your assigned readings without entering Oncourse. Go directly to the course website. You don't need to go to Oncourse until you're ready to post. Remember, you have an extra week to post a reply.
http://eduscapes.com/sms/index.html
http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/courseguide.htm
Again, don't fret about the due dates. You can prepare your Oncourse postings without being logged in. Save the files and post them when you can. The Oncourse situation should improve.
ASSIGNMENTS
Already assigned for the week (Syllabus listing):
Morris text; Chapters 3, 4 & 13 and Appendices I, II
Also read in the Doll textbook: Chapters 4, 5, 6 & Appendix (Watt)
Web Read:
The School Library Media Specialist
http://eduscapes.com/sms/specialist.html
Your Role as a Professional
http://eduscapes.com/sms/professional.html
Web Skim:
Professional Organizations - http://eduscapes.com/sms/orgs.html (Explore six sections)
E-Communication - http://eduscapes.com/sms/lists.html (four sections plus linked page at Teacher Tap)
Professional Journals - http://eduscapes.com/sms/journal.html (three sections)
Professional Books - http://eduscapes.com/sms/print.html (List of supplemental texts for this class, optional readings)
Professional Websites - http://eduscapes.com/sms/web.html (seven sections)
Notable Library Professionals - http://eduscapes.com/sms/people.html (35 people who, by the end of this course, you should know something about plus an article)
Government Resources - http://eduscapes.com/sms/government.html (three sections and a linked article/site)
Collection Development Resources - http://eduscapes.com/sms/selectiontools.html (ten sections)
Notice that the sections identified for each webpage above are all on that one page. You will be selecting and using some of these resources in your 1st Toolkit assignment and your Decision Point(s).
Decision Point
The first Decision Point assignment was to be due Wednesday (Aug. 29th). This activity is to be posted in the Oncourse Forum - - but for now, prepare offline and post as soon as you can get access.
PROFESSIONAL TOOLKIT
Even though it is early in the course, I should mention that one of the options in the Professional Connections 1 section of the Tookit is to attend a professional conference or meeting (Option 1, my personal recommendation for completing but there is an alternative option and no penalty for anyone who cannot arrange to attend). There are a number of possibilities for this (Some that I am aware of, others that you may know about).
The (AIME) conference is November 13-15, 2007 (One-day attendance will meet course requirements)
http://www.ilfonline.org/conf/AnnualConference/annconf07.htm
If you are not able to attend the AIME meeting, there are a number of other state and regional meetings that are acceptable. I prefer that you select a workshop, meeting, conference that you have never been involved with before. I will accept any professional meeting that can be related to the work of a school library media specialist. I just wanted to mention this early in the class so that you can begin to consider and look for various opportunities. For those who cannot get away from work during the week, look for Saturday events. An though I recommend attending a professional meeting of some sort for this assignment, I understand completely if someone is unable to arrange that this semester. Again, there is no penalty for completing the alternate activity.
If you are on the SLIS mailing list, there are announcements of possible meetings posted there. If you are not on the list, contact the SLIS office and ask for your email address to be added to the list.
Close with the tireless phrase: "If you are having difficulty with the course or need a little extra information, some added help - - just let me know." That's my job! I am happy to do what I can . . . but for the current Oncourse problems, there's no need to email me presently. Hope to see some improvements made there - sooner than later.
(8-)
Larry
August 22th - Startup Message
Hello Everyone,
Just a few preliminary directions (I do realize that some of you have already found these starting points, but just want to make it official). Class begins . . . let's get started.
TO DO
I hope everyone has or will soon have the required textbooks.
Read the Introduce Yourself directions at http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/require.htm#introduce
Open Oncourse https://oncourse.iu.edu/portal (Requires IU username and password) and go to Forums section.
Introduce yourself to the class.
If you are new to the Oncourse environment you might fill out your Profile (Access that on your OnCourse entry page). Consider providing a photo (not required) but it is a good startup "techie" task.
TEXTBOOKS
1) Doll, Carol. Collaboration and the School Library Media Specialist. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8108-5117-2 (paperback).
2) Morris, Betty. Administering the School Library Media Center . 4th edition. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2004. ISBN 0-313-32261 (hardcover) or ISBN 1-5915-8183-4.
3) Information Power: Building Partnership for Learning (1998). Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN: 0-8389-3470-6 (paperback).
You may already own Information Power from other SLIS courses. We will be concentrating on Part One - - focusing on Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning.
Order Information:
There are several ways to acquire the books:
1) Go to the IUPUI bookstore.
2) Information Power can be ordered direct from (a) ALA online at http://www.alastore.ala.org/ or by phone at 1-866-746-7252 or from (b) AECT online at http://aect.org.
3) Purchase online from booksellers sun http://www.amazon.com/ or Barnes and Noble http://barnesandnoble.com/.
COURSE MATERIALS
In additon to the textbooks, the online course materials are at http://eduscapes.com/sms/
The details on course requirements will be available within the rest of the course materials. Explore the components in the Course Materials http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/index.htm
Explore the Course Requirements http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/require.htm
Use the Calendar for assignments, due dates http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/calendar.htm
Use the Checklist for tracking your progress http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/checklist.htm
Work through the Course Guide http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/courseguide.htm
The Archive will house this communication and others that are sent throughout the term http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/archives.htm
THIS WEEK
You'll notice on the Calendar that your Introduce Yourself assignment is due Wed Aug 24. Your next assignment isn't due until Aug 29th.
E-mail COMMUNICATION
I have emailed and gotten replies from most of you; if you have not emailed me this semester - - please send a brief note confirming that I have the correct email address that you would like me to use.
Note that I respond to email sent to my main address at ljohnson@mail.escapees.com (I check Oncourse mail less often, go there to check your postings/forum discussions and gradebook). Therefore if you need to get in touch with me, say that you have an urgent question etc., then it works best to use the Escapees address rather than Oncourse. Normally, I check and read that mail daily. As the class continues, I will notify you of known off-line periods - - I will keep them to a minimum.
Throughout the semester, I will mail out direct communications to you. These periodic email updates are to keep you informed on details directly related to the class, and I may include some personal stuff once in a while (where we are, what we are doing, etc.).
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
A little background (For those few who have taken a course from me before, please excuse the repetition), I have been a classroom teacher, a school library media specialist at a junior and senior high school, a district wide media administrator, a media administrator at a community college and a university, and have taught at a few universities. I've been doing web development for over ten years. My wife, Annette Lamb, and I maintain an award-winning website for educators (http://eduscapes.com) that has thousands of pages and receives over ten million hits each month. We also co-author the Info-Tech column in the Teacher Librarian.
I believe that all of you have some degree of classroom experience and several are already working as library media specialists and/or teacher librarians. Still our backgrounds and academic preparation are varied; together we can bring different perspectives into the online class discussions. I look forward to getting better acquainted and learning more about you during the semester.
I enjoy teaching web-based online and exploring and learning new things. I'm a relatively new kind of professor - - I teach classes at IUPUI, but do not live in Indiana. Texas is my official address (for voting and snail mail); however Annette and I live and travel all over - - spend quite a bit of time out West and the Southwest. Learn more about our lives and lifestyle at http://www.eduscapes.com/lamb/
Don't worry about being able to keep in touch; as I hinted, I'm online most days / every day using a high-speed satellite system installed on top of the motorhome - - or using a land line or wireless network if away from the RV. E-mail works . . .
Back with you shortly. If you have questions and or concerns, do not hesitate to get back in touch.
lj
August 10th - First Message
Hello everyone,
Time is nearing for the startup of classes. Just a few preliminary details before we begin. You will find the syllabus and listing of needed textbooks at the online course material location:
Syllabus http://eduscapes.com/sms/course/syllabus.htm
Course website http://eduscapes.com/sms/index.html
I'm still making a few changes in the online course materials - - primarily in sections occurring in the latter part of the course.
If you have a preferred email address (Instances where I am emailing two locations) or name / nickname, etc., let me know. If you have not previously emailed me confirming that you are enrolled in the class, please do so. Kinda like the 'email me if you do not receive this message' thing (8-).
Also if you have any questions or concerns, email me. Have a good weekend, and I will be back in touch next week.
Larry
