Media specialist: 3 ways to break down barriers between students and reading

What do you picture when you think of a librarian? If you have an image in mind of this little old woman, stamping books in her half-rimmed glasses, then you would be one of many still drawing on this archetype. Many people today would be surprised by how much librarians have shifted from the stereotype I just described. In fact, we’ve changed so much that the title “librarian” barely applies anymore.

Now, with so much technology as an interwoven part of a library’s infrastructure, my fellow ex-librarians and I are more frequently referred to as “media specialists,” though I sometimes go by “library media specialist” to help people gradually adjust to the new identity.

As a media specialist at Southside Middle School in Tallassee, Alabama, my responsibility is to oversee the distribution and use of most of our school’s technology—both in the library and out. Much of this tech is already integrated into the classroom environment, with every teacher having their own smartboard and projectors and all the middle schoolers in the district carrying their own iPads as part of our new 1:1 program.…Read More

How a focus on teachers helps a charter district serve the most challenging students

When charter schools do well, they often have a lot to brag about. The best-performing charters boast of well-behaved students who earn top grades, high scores on standardized tests, and astonishing college-acceptance rates compared to neighboring district schools. Charter school critics, however, attribute many of these gains to the practice of cherry-picking students.

When a charter can choose only top-performing students through selective admission or else cull under-performing students through arbitrary zero-tolerance behavior policies, they can better control the students that ultimately matriculate. This claim has been discussed at length, but remains a hot topic among charter school communities around the country.

At George Gervin Academy in San Antonio, Texas, the conversation has never been about competing with the city’s best schools by selecting the students most likely to succeed—in fact, quite the opposite.…Read More

How to navigate the new device-agnostic classroom

Technology in the classroom is nothing new; most of today’s educators have embraced the ability to draw upon an increasingly diverse array of digital tools and programs to enrich their lessons.

With the advent of more device-agnostic digital classrooms, many tech-savvy teachers and schools are taking a step back and reevaluating how best to use technology to support their goals. In the new device-agnostic classroom, educators are taking the opportunity to ensure they are focused on purposeful applications first, with a secondary emphasis on the device itself.

So how can schools ensure that they are creating effective, purposeful learning environments in a device-agnostic classroom? Ultimately, it helps to begin by asking three questions:…Read More

Fascinating library project has students award peace prize

[Editor’s note: This piece is the first in our new monthly series focusing on Innovative School Libraries and Librarians. Be sure to keep checking back during the month of August for new library-focused articles!]

The Barrow Peace Prize is a cross-curricular project that allows 2nd-grade students to consider the character traits of peace and extend their voices to a global audience.

Named for our school, David C. Barrow Elementary, the project begins with each student selecting one of six nominees from civil rights history to research. They then create a persuasive video essay as well as a watercolor painting showing why their chosen nominee best displays the qualities of peace. The videos are voted on by people from all over the world, and the nominee with the most votes (and the students who researched them) is awarded the Barrow Peace Prize.…Read More

An overlooked key to success? Teaching teachers how to teach reading

The ability to read, and read well, is a skill that follows students for the rest of their lives and yet it’s shocking how many children lack the early education support they need to develop this essential competency.

Providing proper literacy instruction in my district, the Northern Lights School Division in central Canada, has its own specific challenges. We serve more than 4,300 students spread out over half the entire province of Saskatchewan, and 87 percent of our students are of Indigenous descent, often speaking English. However, due to only being second-generation English speakers with some family members who still speak the Indigenous language, many of our students are not proficient in either language.

About a year ago, Northern Lights found itself with the lowest reading levels in the province, and we resolved to change this.…Read More

This is the best classroom tool teachers are not using

Is there anything a teacher hates more than to look out across his or her classroom and see a group of tired, uninterested, and unmotivated students? Teachers are forced to cover state standards that students may not see any intrinsic reason to learn.  Other students may not care about their grades or understand how their current education connects to their future success. What is a teacher to do?

It is probably not a huge surprise that students need to be motivated. Motivation directs behavior toward goals, leads students to increased effort and energy, increases initiation and persistence in activities, positively affects cognitive processes, and often enhances performance. It may further not be a startling surprise that one huge way students can be motivated is by making real world connections.

Spanish 1 was my worst grade in high school, and guess what subject I teach now? That’s right. I primarily teach Spanish.…Read More

In my classroom, students are the teachers—here’s why it works

We have all heard the words, “don’t give up!” It is a constant reminder to keep going, to persevere in tough situations and when things aren’t working well, try again.  Frequently, students in my programming class get frustrated when working on a project and debugging code. As a teacher, how do you keep them inspired to work through their challenges?

I struggle with this thought when I see expressions of defeat on some of their faces after working on code that keeps producing errors. Some students will dig deeper and truly use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to find an answer, but others may give up, convinced that they just can’t do it.

As part of the new MA Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards, teachers are required to use lessons that allow students to use their “critical thinking and problem solving skills.” These skills are usually embedded in their daily teaching environment, but there is no guarantee that students use them effectively to attain their goals.…Read More

How to make the upcoming eclipse an incredible STEM lesson

Later this summer, science and STEM teachers will have the opportunity to engage students in a truly unique—and rare—learning opportunity as a total solar eclipse will span portions of the United States for the first time in 38 years. There are many ways that teachers across the country can incorporate various hands-on, technology-enabled lessons before and during the viewing experience to help students make the most of this phenomenon, known as the Great American Eclipse. The eclipse takes place on August 21, 2017.

About the Eclipse

The difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial eclipse is literally “night and day,” and it is an experience that shouldn’t be missed, if possible. I was fortunate enough to witness the United States’ last total solar eclipse in 1979, and it was so incredible that I traveled to the Australian Outback in 2002 to witness another one. After this year, the next total solar eclipse happening stateside will be in 2024 and then again in 2045. The first will be in the middle of the country and the latter can be viewed from California to Florida.…Read More

Why this IT function is a K-12 edtech savior

K-12 IT teams have many challenges unique to their environments, including typically locally-funded public schools, and very rarely do IT budgets increase. Despite this, changes in educational approaches, and also the demands of parents and tech-savvy students, mean that schools are hard-pressed to adopt cutting-edge new technologies.

The increase in device purchasing and implementation is so schools can achieve an ideal 1-to-1 student-to-computer ratio. This means IT teams are on the hook for securing, managing, and tracking all of these machines. 

Shrinking IT Budgets Continue to Trend……Read More

How to use Snapchat for classroom learning success

Snapchat is turning into more than just an amusing app that lets people send pictures and videos, only to disappear after a few seconds. Many educators are finding ways to make learning fun for their students by incorporating Snapchat into their lessons.

In “Snapchat: Creating an Engaging Learning Experience,” Shannon Holden, assistant principal, Republic Middle School, MO, reviewed why educators should consider bringing the app into their classrooms, and provided specific ideas on how to integrate the app into lessons.

Benefits of Snapchat in Lessons…Read More

How to drive a successful digital transformation in urban districts

It’s generally understood that integrating edtech into schools can be complex, but what’s less often discussed is that it represents one of the most universal pain points for administrators and educators today. And when you look at larger, more densely populated school districts–in urban markets like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or Chicago–district leaders often face added pressures and challenges to do digital right, and often with little support.

Yet, those urban districts seem to have some of the greatest appetites for edtech. According to the National Education Association, educators in urban schools are more likely to strongly agree about the value of technology, both for themselves and for their students.

But in spite of that enthusiasm, the particular challenges that urban districts face often means they are, in fact, among the last to successfully implement technology in their schools.…Read More

5 ways to conquer a curriculum search

In a marketplace saturated with options, the search for curriculum and other instructional resources can be a difficult process for educators. All K-12 stakeholders from curriculum directors to classroom teachers should know the methods districts employ to discover and evaluate the resources that make it to students.

In “How to Conquer a Curriculum Search,” Mindy Sinyak, VP of Customer Success, Noodle Markets, reviewed essential tips schools and districts can use to succeed in their search for curriculum and instructional resources.

1. Lead Time…Read More