In the past, I have been part of many grants. I was part of a Title IID Technology Grant in 2008 to 2011. I have written mini-grants for both my classroom, as well as had many successful projects on Donors Choose and iPevo's Wishpool. At this particular point in time, Gould Elementary was in search of funding to attain tools and licenses for programs that could be used to improve reading, and collect data for purposes of RTI. When an opportunity arose, a group of teachers, including myself, decided to work together in order to make the grant as strong as possible. The group selected a spokesperson, and then began to work together and coordinate the written aspects of the grant. Over the week, the group met (including digital meetings/emails) to discuss which program was best to write into the grant, and allow teachers and students the most benefits. Scootpad was decided upon, and the group began writing portions of the grant, and working together to make sure the grant flowed, and described the need for technology in our school.
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This week I created a video for Mrs. Jackson to use when teaching students how to shelve books when coming into the media center. The key assessment digital video previously created in my ITEC coursework was a tremendous help when creating this video. Often students think they will not follow the same directions or steps when creating a project in college. However, I used many of the same steps to create this video as I did my key assessment digital video. Below is the final product of my Public Service Announcement for Keeping a Clean Library! Today Mrs. Jackson and I looked over the Library Media Program Self-Evaluation Rubric. Mrs. Jackson explained what each of the criteria was looking for, and also explained many of the difficulties that budget cuts and high class sizes have placed on various expectations within the rubric. She explained the scoring for each section, and how exceeding in certain areas does not guarantee an overall score that exceeds expectations. Some problems that arise that I did not realize is the difficulty in collaborating and planning with classroom teachers. As a classroom teacher, I had always welcomed input and help from anyone who would give it. Part of that reason is because I viewed it as possible help in alleviating the ever growing pile of tasks added to a teacher's plate. However, Mrs. Jackson explained that as a media specialist you have to keep in mind that not everyone welcomes such help or assistance. She said it was a fine line that has to be walked at times. If you offer too much assistance, some could view you as pushy, but if you do not offer enough, then you are not available. This perspective offered me something to think about as to what would be the best method when I am a media specialist? Afterwards, Mrs. Jackson asked me to review the rubric and takes notes of ways the Gould Media Center could improve on in hopes of achieving an exceeds mark in every area of the rubric. Throughout the week, I have been helping Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Chen sort and shelf returned books. This is a daily (or more.... many times more) task. It has taken me a while to get the hang of the locations and placement of books in the library. Nonfiction is fairly easy, since it outlines the walls of the media center. Fiction is much harder. The fiction section of the Gould Media Center is split into two sections: Easy Fiction (picture books) and Fiction (chapter books). Within these two sections, the books are shelved depending upon the grade level that will be looking for them.
In the easy fiction section, books that have an AR level below 2.0 are shelved according to AR level. This helps kindergarten, first grade, and beginning readers locate books on their level quite easily. Books labeled as easy fiction with an AR level above 2.0 are sorted by author. The Fiction section is also sorted by author. However, some series in both sections have their own sections. Popular series within the school, such as Goosebumps, American Girl, Hank the Cowdog, and Geronimo Stillton are placed in special sections close to where their authors would be located. Remembering all the separate series and their locations have been the one hang-up I've had when helping sort/shelve books. This week I attended a Technology/Media Center Committee Meeting. During the meeting the team discussed various sources of grants and funding. The media center is looking for ways to enhance the technology available for teachers at Gould. Some of the methods discussed were various grants from local companies such as Gulf Stream and Georgia Pacific. Also grants from larger corporations, such as Walmart, Sams, and Kroger were also discussed. Below I am attaching the minutes from the meeting that were sent to all members of the committee. Similar to last week, I spent most of the week making sure hardware and software was installed correctly in classrooms. This week it was time for the Mimios! A Mimio is a bar that attaches to the teachers white board and projector. Teachers can then use a pen/stylus to control the computer much like a SMART Board or Promethean Board. The biggest difference between the Mimio and a true interactive white board (IWB) is the price. Mimios are only around $700 each, and are much more portable than an IWB. This week I went to each grade level, and made sure the Mimio was setup, projectors were calibrated, and software installed correctly on the display computer. For more information on the MimioTeach, check out their website!
This week I helped many teachers setup document cameras for use in the classroom. Each day I went to a different grade level to ensure that the document cameras were set up, and to answer any questions they may have had about how to use them. During setup I had to ensure the correct cords were available, and if they were not, get them from the library. I also checked out and delivered document cameras to teachers who had not picked up their classroom document camera from the media center.
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Jason SmithJason Smith is the 3rd & 4th Grade Gifted Facilitator at Gould Elementary. Archives
March 2017
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