Due to family reasons, I took a few months off from working, but I am back! Today is my first day as an academic librarian! HUGE change from public school. So far I have not had one person come in and check out books. It has been rather quiet. I am hoping to find some innovative ways to change that. Unfortunately, they did not have a librarian all last semester, so the library has been closed. It is going to take a little bit for students and faculty to start trickling through. First things first, I cleaned off some bookshelves full of books the previous library had pulled from the shelves and system. It looks much better and the space is all ready for me to fill it. I am just not sure with what yet! I have a clear view of the cafeteria from the circulation desk, and have a seating area in front of me that is also in desperate need of some updating. The signs and outside of library also need some sprucing up. I am including a few pictures just so you can keep up with my new adventures in librarianship!
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If you would have told me when I started this journey of being an educator 10 years ago that I would be where I am today, doing what I am today, I would have probably laughed. I would have thought there was no way ever that I would have gone back to college for a M. Ed. Instructional Technology Library Media K-12 degree. I would have told you there was no way I would be considered an innovator, or mentor, or have been doing anything remotely close to opening doors for students using technology. Back then, I was just an English teacher trying to keep my head above water because I realized that teaching was not what the professors made it out to be in college. It was not all fun and fabulous. It was not all enjoyable. There were so many days I went home crying and so many years I said I was never going back. Yet, 10 years later, here I am still as an educator.
This is my third year as a librarian. I have told my story of how I got started in another blog post, but to recap, I started as a librarian with 3 college courses under my belt and zero idea of what I was doing. I knew I loved books, and I wanted kids to love books. A couple months into the year, I saw a video on Facebook about Stony Evans and Kaitlyn Price and their wonderful library collaborations. I contacted them, we did a Skype session, we collaborated, and *boom!* things took off. Stony told me at the end of the school year that I should apply to be a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, but I waited. I am not really sure why, but I did. The impact that using Skype in the classroom had on our school and community was amazing. The students had never done those things before, and may never get to go visit some of those places in their lifetimes. I may not either. Doors were opened. Barriers were knocked down. It was wonderful. It is still wonderful, and awe-inspiring to think of all the endless possibilities. My mindset has definitely shifted. This is one of my passions. At the end of this past school year, I finally decided to go for it. I created my Sway presentation. I submitted it. I waited. One day, I got an email saying that I had been accepted as a #MIEExpert. I was beyond ecstatic. I remember my husband telling me that I wasn't stopping there. I was going places helping students. My journey was just beginning. I remember how amazing it felt to hear him say those words because he believed in me, and I realized once again just how life changing these experiences can be for all of us and how important they are. If those words and these experiences mean that much to me, how much more do they mean to our students? Because of that, I decided to apply to be a Skype Master Teacher. I got the news yesterday that I am also one of the 180 chosen to be a #SkypeMT. Needless to say, I am over the moon excited. So here is to a year of continuing to grow and overcome challenges. Here is a to a year of knocking down walls for students. Here is to a year of collaboration with some wonderful professionals all over the world that are passionate about students. Here is to a year of innovating. Here is to a year of stepping out of our comfort zones and engaging students in ways they have never been engaged in the classroom before. Thank you to all of those that have invested in me along this journey. May we all remember to pay it forward. I know one thing I have learned as a regular classroom teacher, a teacher librarian, and a person in general is that kids and adults alike are not reading. I think much of it has to do with we have not created a culture for reading. We, as adults, have convinced ourselves we don't have time or we aren't that good of a reader (practice makes better). We, as teachers, have crushed students' desires to read by giving them read-this-because-I-said-so-even-though-you-hate-and-despise-it books. We, as teachers, have not planted seeds of reading, or if we have, we have not nurtured or cultivated them. We, as adults and students, have labeled those that like to read "nerds" or "bookworms" or "smarty pants". I proudly embrace my booknerdness. Yes, I just made up a word. I graduated with an English degree which means I can do that (okay, okay, probably not, but my professors used to say the same thing). I am here to tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a reader. In fact, there is everything right with being a reader. Reading takes you places. I have been a doctor, a scientist, hunted down serial killers, gone to carnivals, traveled the world, been a princess, a hero, fought wars, nursed the wounded, joined the circus, traveled through time, and so much more in books. I have done things that I would have never done in "real" life. I have been people I could never actually be. I have met people who have passed. I have lived 1,000 lives. I have escaped my reality. I have found an endless supply of gold and jewels. And guess what? I don't just want to keep it to myself like some heavily guarded secret treasure. No way! I want to share it with the world. How do I do that? By sharing what I am reading, creating videos using silly Snapchat filters and posting them on my library Facebook page, by printing off the book covers and hanging them on the wall outside the library in the section for "Mrs. Reed's Reads", by asking students in the hallways or the cafeteria or going into their classrooms during independent reading time and saying, "Hey! What are you reading? Tell me what you love about it? What has happened? Who is your favorite character?" or some other question about what they are reading in an enthusiastic and passionate way, by forming Connected Book Clubs (#connectedbookclub) with my librarian friend Ronda Hughes (@rondahughes10). I ask teachers what they are reading as well, and it does wonders for the students to see them reading and hear them talk about what they are reading. I told some high school students one day that our principal was a reader. They were shocked. I mean SHOCKED! Why? Because he had never mentioned it to them before. But you know what it did? It opened the door for him (who happened to be standing right there) to talk to them about books. When we care about something we talk about it. When we are selling something, we advertise it. When we are passionate about books and changing lives, we should want to shout that from the rooftops too. Don't be a stick-in-the-mud closet reader. Get out there and share, share, share. Oh, and let students choose what they want to read. Instead of confining them to a box, find out their interests and help them find books that they want to read....I will stop there because that is a soapbox for another day. Until then, be a radical reader.
***************************************************************************************** A professional text that I highly recommend for any educator wanting to increase literacy and promote reading is: Sparks in the Dark: Lessons, Ideas and Strategies to Illuminate the Reading and Writing Lives in All of Us by Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney Another text that was just released that I have ordered and am excited to read: Lead with Literacy: A Pirate Leader's Guide to Developing a Culture of Readers by Mandy Ellis Also, follow @TechNinjaTodd @TeacherMannTrav and @mandyeellis on Twitter! ***************************************************************************************** Share your ideas for promoting literacy here: https://flipgrid.com/6f828b Grid Password: Readbooks This year has definitely had challenges and frustrations. We redid our schedule to where 2nd and 3rd grades are combined and 5th and 6th grade are combined in the classrooms and for activities. It has not been easy trying to find activities and lessons for multiple grade levels at one time. My budget is small and does not stretch very far. I am over the elementary ACSIP plan, on both the elementary and high school leadership teams, am in charge of AR and our AR incentive program that is new this year, have K-6 and 9-10 scheduled weekly in the library, and so much more. It feels like a whirlwind of activity all of the time, and sometimes feels like I am getting nothing accomplished. I also have felt like I have not been able to plan some of the awesome activities and lessons this year like we did last year, or hardly had a chance to catch my breath. However, seeing students' eyes light up when they find a book they love and get to participate in things they never did before and are just so stinking excited it is "liberry" day makes it all worth it.
This year we have been able to Skype with a wonderful teacher in Egypt, Dave Burgess (author of Teach Like a Pirate), teachers in Nigeria, and a teacher in Argentina. We have Skype sessions coming up for the Joshua Tree National Park, the NC Natural Museum of Science, Peter Raymundo, Jean Pennycook at the Penguin Breeding Zone in Antarctica, the NC Aquarium, Fire Safety Dogs, and more. The opportunities and experiences Skype in the Classroom provides are absolutely amazing! Though they are not new, we have added 15 Chromebooks and 12 iPads. We have also added a projector screen, a green screen, 30 VR viewers, a tinker room, and flexible seating to the library this year. Students of all grade levels enjoy the comfy seating that is now available, as well as still enjoy getting to use our VR system. I am hoping to plan some activities for our high school students that include making their own VR and AR materials. Looking back, I can see a lot more has happened in the library this year than what I realized, and I cannot wait to see what all the future brings!
I absolutely love this revolutionary software! As a former high school English teacher and current K-12 librarian, I understand exactly how hard it is to be able to observe every student in the class. Often when doing projects, having book club, using maker space, or other activities, there are so many students doing things that it is easy to miss some awesome moments. It is also easy to miss students who are struggling but will not come forward. With Swivl, I can have multiple cameras set up so that I get multiple angles, can record all students, and I can go back and watch the videos at any point and time. I also love how everything uploads to the cloud. This is also a great way to record students working on STEM/STEAM projects, and/or working in groups. I cannot wait to use Swivl with book clubs next year! It can also be used for TESS evidence. Students and teachers can use the videos as reflection. I think the creators of Swivl have outdone themselves with software that will help in so many ways and on so many different levels in the classroom experience. It is also very user friendly. I downloaded the teacher app on my personal iPad, and the student app on my personal cell phone. I currently do not have any other technology in the library which is the biggest challenge that I face with incorporation of Swivl. I am hoping to be able to have more technology/devices in the library media center next year, as well as hoping to somehow be able to purchase a Swivl by finding a grant or some other means of funding since I have such a small library budget. I cannot wait to begin fully implementing Swivl in the library program next year! This is literally a game changer!
A fellow teacher librarian and friend, Ronda Hughes (@RondaHughes10), and I had been brainstorming for quite some time about the possibility of doing a connected book club via Skype. The more we talked about it the more we felt we just had to try it. She told me a two different titles of books she had ordered through Book Depot, and we decided on the one we felt would be the best with which to start. I placed my book order for Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff for our 4th grade students. We set the date, she created the schedule, and we began. I have to say that it has been so much fun!
Each week, Mrs. Hughes and I take turns leading the book club and we each have nine students participating. Since she is at a larger school, her students have to apply to get into their book clubs, but our school is so small we ended up having the entire grade participate. We scheduled our meetings so that we would have one a week for four weeks. This week will be the last time we meet. During our time that we are together, students will discuss the characters, connections made to the books, reactions, setting, predictions, favorites. The students have absolutely loved this! Not only do they love the book Absolutely Almost, but they love being able to connect with students at another school in another town to share about the book and get to know one another. Our students have not really participated in anything like this before now. They have not done a book club so this has been a great opportunity and experience for them. Each week they look forward to coming to the library to meet with their new friends. I have enjoyed seeing so many of the "aha!" moments and hearing the connections that have been made with the book. It lets me know that they are truly reading, analyzing, and understanding the text. My students have been making lists of what they want to talk about with the other class. We have discovered there is never enough time to fit it all in. Since my students had not done a book club in general or anything like this before, they weren't sure exactly what to expect or do. I will say that they caught on quickly and have shown so much growth. They were ready to rock and roll last week, but we had some technological difficulties so we had to cut the meeting shorter than we wanted. Next year, Mrs. Hughes and I hope to do more connected book clubs with more grade levels. I would like to connect with other classrooms even internationally to do a book club. If you are interested, please let me know! Follow me on Twitter- @msclift or use the contact me option.
Today was a really neat day for our 3rd and 4th grade students, their teachers, and myself. I will be honest about the fact that many of the opportunities that have been presented to us have absolutely caused chill bumps to spread across my arms and butterflies in my stomach from excitement. I leave work on so many days thinking, "Wow! That really happened today!" I never in a million years knew that I would be able to be a part of and help others be a part of such awesomeness. Being a library media specialist and making connections has literally changed my life, and I would like to think that I am helping our students and teachers be a part of something bigger and inspiring them.
Last week, I was sent an email about a live streaming event at the Library of Congress with Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, and Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author. The program was in celebration of Women's History Month and about her book Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped the Nation. It was open to 3rd and 4th grade students. I asked Mrs. Harmon (4th grade teacher) and Ms. Starnes (3rd grade teacher) if they would like to participate. They both said yes. So I hurriedly sent an email saying we would love to be a part of the event. Karen Jaffe, children's librarian at the Library of Congress, promptly emailed me back with more details. Our 3rd and 4th grade students were sitting attentively in the floor of Mrs. Harmon's room listening to Cokie Roberts speaking about influential women in American history. There were so many details I had forgotten or never known (such as Sacajawea being 15!) that I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be reminded and to learn. Plus, it feels like we met a celebrity (well, in her own way, she is!), as well as traveled to Washington D.C. without having to leave our school! Also, we were able to submit a question that was answered live and our school was mentioned live. How cool is that!?! I loved how our students were participating by answering questions that were being asked during the live event, and mentioning information that they had learned in their classes. It was a great time to share their knowledge and expound upon it. I am not going to lie. Today is a day that I will go home and say, "Wow! That really happened today!" as I already feel the chill bumps forming on my skin and the butterflies in my stomach. These opportunities are what education is all about- opening doors, inspiring, empowering, encouraging, and exciting students about learning. May we never stop learning, growing, and seeking. Our kids depend on us, and they are worth it. Last week was my very first Read Across America week to organize. We had different dress up days, a Dr. Seuss poetry contest, and had a few guest readers via Skype. I absolutely felt like a kid on Christmas morning this past week! One of my new librarian friends and co-planner/co-teacher for some upcoming events (stay tuned for more information on connected activities) was able to Skype Tuesday and read Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! to our kindergarten class. They were so very excited (so much so that I was asked to read it again after the Skype session ended)! They also enjoyed seeing her Marvin K. Mooney stuffed animal and making connections with the book. I have been hoping for a few months that we would be able to Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca Gomez visit with us. Our schedules have not worked out until this past week! Thursday morning K-3 was blessed with the opportunity to Skype with Corey Rosen Schwartz, and 4-6 got to Skype with Rebecca Gomez that afternoon. Corey Rosen Schwartz is the author of Ninja Red Riding Hood, Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks, and Three Ninja Pigs- just to name a few. We are very much looking forward to her new book that comes out this year. The students and teachers have already requested that we add it to our collection. She spent time speaking to the students this morning about where to get ideas for writing, where she gets her ideas for writing, her books, her family, and let them ask her questions after she read. She was also very entertaining and captivating. All eyes were glued to the front of the room, and listening ears were on. Rebecca J. Gomez has co-authored books with Corey Rosen Schwartz including What About Moose? She read the book Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks to our 4th and 5th grade students. They thought it was very punny! :-) She did an awesome job reading, and helping create interest in the book by changing her voice to match the text. Then, I had the opportunity to read to kindergarten students at Langston Elementary in Hot Springs, Arkansas where Mrs. Ronda Hughes is the librarian. I was absolutely thrilled! I enjoyed seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing them discuss if they would eat green eggs and ham or not. To end the week, we did our very first Cat in the Hat/Dr. Seuss Breakout EDU with 2nd grade. All in all, I would say it was a great week, and I have so many more ideas for and am looking forward to next year! Back in October, I saw a video that had been posted on the Arkansas Department of Education's website recognizing the library media program at Lakeside High School and Stony Evans and Kaitlyn Price. I was immediately inspired. Being a first year library media specialist (former high school English teacher for seven and a half years), I was a little nervous. I knew one thing for sure- I wanted to knock down walls and open up doors for our students. I sent Stony a message on Facebook. I knew that the worst that could happen was he just would not respond. I was thrilled when he did and he, Kaitlyn, and I set up a time to Skype shortly afterward. Stony asked me if I had a Twitter account. I told him that I did, but I did not really use it. He encouraged me to change that, and began introducing me to so many different teacher librarians and educators on Twitter. I absolutely loved getting to virtually tour their library and glean from their knowledge, and then visit it in person a couple of weeks later. We also set up our school's very first Mystery Skype for the next week which was the last week of October 2016. Stony and Kaitlyn are truly inspiring people. Since then, I have found that there are many ways to be a connected educator. One of my favorite ways is through Skype in the classroom. Skype can open up a whole world of possibilities that might not otherwise be possible. Through this, a teacher can make connections and collaborate with other educators around the globe. One way to use Skype in the classroom or library is by participating in a Mystery Skype. I have connected and collaborated with schools in the US and internationally for our students to participate in several Mystery Skype sessions. With a Mystery Skype (or Mystery Google Hangout), students will be given different roles. You will have some students seated at the webcam. They will be the inquirers or the ones who ask the questions. Some students will be using atlases, maps, and Google Maps. Some students will be runners going from station to station and relaying information. Other students may be taking pictures or recording videos. There also need to be students recording the questions that are asked to make the process of elimination easier. Students learn collaboration skills, research skills, learn how to use informational texts, make connections, have fun, and so much more. If you do not speak the same language, do not worry. Skype has a translator. Skype also allows you to go on virtual field trips. We have visited Yellowstone National Park and chatted with a park ranger. Many of these connections can be made through Twitter or by signing up on the Microsoft in Education website. You can also visit with many, many different authors. I never knew I would be able to help our students be able to meet so many different authors on our small budget (many will do it for free) and have these incredible experiences. The largest resource I have found for scheduling these author visits is Twitter. We have had Skype sessions with Salina Yoon, Lisa Brown, Dan Santat (Caldecott medalist), and Rubin Pingk so far this year. I also met another teacher librarian back in November from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan via Twitter. She and I planned a day for our kindergarten classes to connect with each other to read. They absolutely loved it! Our 4th graders will be participating in a book club with a school in Hot Springs in March through our library program. Something else that is fun to participate in is Skype-a-ton. Using the Microsoft in Education website, you can schedule Mystery Skype sessions, Guest Speakers, Virtual Field Trips, and make connections to see how far you can travel virtually within a 48-hour period. It is very easy to register for any of these things using the site. You can click on one of the categories, browse until you find someone or a school or a trip that sounds interesting, and register. Many post the times that they are available so you can automatically see that information. It will also let you know the time zone differences (how many hours ahead or behind). This resource does not have to be reserved only for Skype-a-ton, but can be utilized any time. If you use Twitter, you can use hashtags such as #tlchat, #mysteryskpe, #skypeintheclassroom, #tlap, #makeitreal, #edtech, #educhat, #msftedu, and so many more to make connections. One of the teacher librarians that Stony introduced me to was Lynn Kleinmeyer. She lives in Nebraska and works in Iowa. She asked me if I would like for our 2nd and 3rd grade students to participate in a Mock Caldecott project. I readily agreed! I was not quite sure what the project entailed, but I am so glad that she included us! Lynn got us all set up in the connected Google Classroom, and it just grew from there. The kids loved every minute of reading picture books, discussing picture books, getting to talk to authors, voting on which book they felt should receive the Caldecott medal, and getting to Skype with the other class in Iowa to finish off the project. I cannot wait to participate in more activities like this! This was also a great opportunity to expand my PLN. Through this project and Lynn, I was also able to connect with Alyssa Calhoun and Miranda Kale. All three of these ladies are amazing! You may have noticed that several pictures that I have posted show us using a laptop instead of a projector and screen for our Skype sessions. That is because for several months we did not have anything. My principal is letting me borrow his personal portable projector. I got it from him back in December. Before this, we used my laptop, other classrooms, and even my cell phone to be able to participate, but we did not let it stop us. Students from kindergarten through high school have been participating in so many connected activities over the last few months. There is so much more I would like to do. The possibilities are absolutely endless, and I feel like we have only scratched the surface! Being a connected educator has truly changed everything for me!
*more information on several of the activities can be found in some of my other blog posts. |
Kimee ReedI am a Teacher Librarian that believes in out of the box experiences to make learning fun, inspire, encourage, excite, and empower students. Archives
June 2018
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