Celebrate: Digital Sunday Edition

Combining two meme today. Thanks Ruth Ayres and Margaret Simon for hosting these two important communities.

It’s been a busy week.Our deputy Superintendent called for a meeting with all Library Information and Technology Teachers (LITT) for Friday at 3:15 PM.  He wanted to discuss our future and role with technology in the district.  Some people complained about the timing.  After all it was early release for elementary.

Too bad some chose to miss the optional meeting.  The Dep. Superintendent delivered a presentation about the district.

First he shared this: Internet in Real Time. a new vision and the plan to go 1:1 for student devices Grades 4-12 by the fall of 2017.

The new brand for the district is “LIFT Evergreen: Linking Individuals’ Futures Today.  It is evident that the district is putting much thought into how to be a 21st century district. Do you realize that 16% of the 21st century is in the books?

Our role is changing.  It’s clear the district wants us to be coaches for technology in this new vision. They don’t want us troubleshooting but teaching.  Of course, after reading this article by Fareed Zakaria, I hope the district will remember the importance of the arts and writing.

The Dep. Superintendent and other key stake holders actually listened to our concern about  the laptops used in the library now not available because of state testing.  It’s been frustrating to teach as I am in the middle of several projects and I am lucky if I have a couple laptops for grades 3-5 to teach.  Hopefully this will change next year.  How can we be the leaders in the school and not have the tools to use in class?

The meeting ended at 5PM or shall I say I left but some still lingered.  I walked away celebrating that the next years of teaching will be exciting.

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Poetry Friday: Poetry in Library

Poetry Friday is held today at Robyn Campbell.

It’s the time of the year I love; working with students to create poetry postcards to send during National Poetry Month.  Of course before the poetry postcard, students need to write a poem.

In grades three and four, students have selected an animal to do a micro-research for facts using World Book online. I believe that students need to be creators of new information not just users of information. Once the students have their facts, they then get to write their poem.  It’s a lot to cram into a thirty minute block for library.  Our lessons take several weeks.

One of the neat things is that not library can be a bit more fluid, meaning that the students have their library work in their Google Doc and can work on them in class. And as they share their work I can, view it and respond.  This makes for way more interaction between us.  It seems like I never could give immediate feedback on their papers.

Many are in process but I did find this in a student’s folder so I’ll share it today:

I am a curious koala

I am as soft as a teddy bear

I climb cuddle and sleep

I climb in my moms pouch and get piggy back rides

I am a cuddly marsupial or a Phascolarctos cinereus

~Jasmine O., 3rd grade

More will be shared during April.  Soon the poems will be on their poetry postcards.  And if you desire one to be sent to you in April, you can sign-up HERE.

Happy Friday.

Happy Poetry.