Scratching The Resolution Itch

As the sun sets on another year, it's only natural to reflect on what's transpired over the last 12 months and to then look ahead to the 12 on the horizon. Indeed, many of the blogs I read are currently sporting New Year's Resolution posts and it's been inspiring to read what others are reaching for in 2011. It is in that spirit of healthy self refection and in knowing that, as someone "of a certain age," writing things down is always a safe bet, that I too started making a list of professional goals for the coming year.

For me, 2010 has been a year of extreme professional growth. Even though the connections I've made have been almost entirely virtual, I feel more connected to my colleagues than ever before.  What's more, these connections keep me constantly striving to do and be more. These days, it seems like not a day goes by when I don't find myself inspired to try something new or to push myself one step further. I love that feeling, but there are things about it that make me nervous too.

Being something of a librarian newbie, (this is only my 5th year in the library, after 10 years in the classroom), sometimes I worry about leaping before really looking - that is to say, diving into to new programs/projects without fully exploring the *why* of it.  This is compounded by the fact that, more often than I care to admit, the time I need, post lesson, to truly reflect on student learning is simply not there.(I'm hearing Mr. Schu's Metacognition song in my head even as I type this).  If nothing else, I am desperate to be purposeful in my practice.  Even if I can't be as formally reflective as I'd like to be, I *can* act with intention.

And so, here I am, with a goal setting itch that needs to be scratched. 

The Goal	The Why
1.  Explore/begin using Evernote & Diigo: I know there are plenty of high schools that have integrated both of these tools as a part of their instructional programs, but I'm unaware of middle school examples. That said, I'd like to take the Evernote plunge PERSONALLY and implement it as a cloud replacement for MS OneNote (which has, sadly, gone from life changing to increasingly clunky as of late) but also as a research tool for my students.	I feel that one of my strengths as a librarian is teaching students how to locate and evaluate resources - particularly those online. However, I also know that I am weaker at showing them how to stitch all of of the information they find together together into a useful, ever evolving tapestry of resources. I believe (hope!) a tools like Evernote & Diigo might help me help my students collect and organize information.  This has been on my radar for awhile, but 2011 feels like the year to do it!
2. Increase visibility/validity of library Facebook Page: I've already taken the plunge and created a facebook page for our library, but in 2011 I'd like to see the followers increase to 450 (half our students population) and I'm committed to updating the page at least once per week.	I'll admit the why of this goal is partly selfish. I believe strongly that this kind of promotion and branding of our library will be an essential part of our survival as we head into budget talks this year. However, I'm also committed to connecting with students in the digital world where they already live and to proving that social media can be a force for good in education.
3. Complete 365 Photo-A-Day Project:  As a part of our library's FB page, I'd like to start a photo a day project (Diane Cordell Style) to include as part of the FB feed. Some of the photos may be personal, but I'm planning to make those taken on "school days" in particular related to the library so that they can become a feed for students to access.	There are so many opportunities for me to enhance the connections I make with students via digital images. As I'm planning to have students both access and contribute to the feed, I'm hopeful that this project will provide another avenue for students to feel connected to the library, its resources and to me.
4.  Explore/Implement QR Code program:  Truly, I need a whole other blog post to talk about how excited I am about QR Codes, (thank you, Gwyneth Jones and Steven Anderson - and thank you Ryan Redd for showing me the way) but I plan to integrate them into NUMEROUS collaborative projects *and* as a means of transforming my library into a creation station - (more on this later).	Following Joyce Valenza's assertion that the library is a place to learn and create, I believe QR Codes will provide my students with a creative, innovative means of sharing their digital, "library-made," creations. I can't wait!
5.  Continue to grow Nook program, explore other options for student use, grow Nook wiki: Project Nook will continue in 2011. As they cannot be checked out in my district, my work will be focused on their continued integration into content area instruction.  Further, I want to grow the Nook wiki to include student and teacher reflection videos.	I believe our Nooks provide the perfect opportunity for students to engage in open choice reading. Following Donalyn Miller's example in The Book Whisperer, it's my goal to both encourage and actively collaborate in literature projects that afford students the opportunity to choose what they read. Frankly, this will require a shift in thinking for some of our teachers, but I'm ready to "direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path" in order to make this a reality.
6.  Continue to grow "You Might be a 21st Century Librarian in NHCS" wiki: I have the specific goal of increasing participation in my district's "You Might Be A 21st Century Librarian" wiki to 80% by the end of the school year. I will also add pages for links to artifacts (with a nod to Kathy Kaldenberg for the idea!)	Like many districts around the country, ours is facing even deeper cuts into budget and personnel next year, I believe our wiki will provide us with a means of focusing our instructional efforts and provide documentation of our "value added" for shareholders. Plus, I love reading about what others are doing and implementing some of those same ideas with my own students.
7.  Continue to grow/promote Gators Read Everywhere Project: I have the specific goal of increasing participation in my Gator's Read Everywhere Project to 250 students with at least 10 classes having used instructionally - by the end of the school year.	I love this project and want so much to see it grow in 2011. I started the map because I truly believe that the Gators Read map is the perfect marriage of 21st century skills, reading promotion and connecting the library to the learning that goes on in every class.I feel there's so much potential in this project, I just need to stoke the fires a bit.
8. Help Develop and grow a long distance Collaborative Book Club:  I wish to implement a collaborative book club with at least one other librarian and his/her students in 2011.	I have learned so much by connecting with others from around the world, I can only believe that the same would be true for my students. Plus, collaborating with other libraries from around the country/world would provide my students with another opportunity to use tools like wikis, blogs and skype as a part of the book club process.
9.  Maintain and update Library Girl blog with more frequency: I have the specific goal of updating this blog once per week.	This blog provides me with a platform for reflection. It's a place when I can think about my own learning (queue Mr. Schu again). I believe this makes me better at what I do. At least, I hope so. :)
10.  Write monthly "Professionally Reading" column:   I have the specific goal of contributing one review, of a professional resource, to our district's employee newsletter - our district PR officer has named this column "Professionally Reading w/Jennifer LaGarde"	I often joke that I never read books for anyone over 4ft tall. This project gives me an excuse to step out of the world of YA fiction and read some of the professional titles that I've been longing to dig into, but that I keep putting off!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.  That feels better. :)

Happy New Year, everyone!

EduBlog Awards 2010 Nominations

I'm so excited to be casting my virtual ballot for the Edublog Awards this year.  There are so many wonderful bloggers out there -from whom I learn so, so much. Honestly, it's tough to pick just one for each category, but, in my opinion, these folks represent the gold standard in each category.  Really.  If I had a dollar for each time I referenced or shared a link from one of these people, well.. you know the rest.  To sum up, they are definitely what I aspire to be if/when I grow up.  It is my pleasure to recognize them (in this small way) for helping me become better at what I do.  Both I, and my google reader, thank you! :)



Best individual blog: Gwyneth Jones:  The Daring Librarian
Best individual tweeter:  Shannon Miller
Best group blog:  Hanging Out In The Library
Best resource sharing blog: iLearn Technology
Most influential blog post: Doug Johnson:  Wishful Thinking Won't Save Librarians
Most influential tweet / series of tweets / tweet based discussion: #speakloudly
Best teacher blog:  Middle School Matrix
Best librarian / library blog: Buffy Hamilton/The Unquiet Librarian
Best educational wiki:  Joyce Valenza Workshop
Best educational webinar series:  TL Virtual Cafe
Best educational use of a social network: The Educators PLN
Lifetime achievement:  Doug Johnson - Blue Skunk Blog

Our Nook Adventure Part I

If imitation really is the purest form of flattery, then Buffy Hamilton and Kathy Parker should feel extremely flattered right about now.  Their eReader journey, involving the Amazon Kindle, has provided a framework that has proven invaluable to me as I start my own foray into the digital book world.

At the beginning of the school year, I purchased 30 Nook eReaders for my middle school library. These posts will chronicle that journey.

Full Disclosure:

First of all, I think it's only fair that I come clean and admit that I used to work for Barnes & Noble.  Back in the day, I was a bookseller at the big box store helping people find copies of The DaVinci Code part-time during both the holiday and summer breaks from school.  However, I received absolutely no discount on the Nooks I purchased for our school and I received no monies or incentives whatsoever to promote their products. In fact, when I first decided to take the leap into digital content for our library, I explored both Kindles and iPads as possible options.  Once I came to terms with the fact that I couldn't afford iPads, I used the Edukindle Ning as well as the plethora of reviews that are out there to explore my remaining options. 

In the end, I chose the Nook for one reason alone: support.  Barnes & Noble has provided 3 separate trainings for my staff, will come to my school for hands on support if I ever need them and if a Nook goes bad, I can take it over to the store for replacement.  This is the basic service they provide to all customers and has nothing to do with my relationship with them.  To be frank, I think the Kindle is a better device (the speech to text option is something I desperately wish the Nook had and hope will be included in future upgrades).  However, because of the learning curve that exists for everyone involved in this project, I wanted the safety net of a *real* person who could walk me through any process I couldn't understand on my own and/or help me out when things (inevitably) go wrong.  One last thing, and then I will move on, I promise.  And perhaps this really goes without saying, but... these posts are not designed to convince you to buy Nooks for your library.  Rather, their purpose is simply to share our experiences. Implementing eReader programs is something many school libraries are grappling with right now and I firmly believe that all of our practices are elevated when we share stories, resources and ideas.

Ok.  Moving on.... :)

Show Me The Money:

Although we did not use a purchase order to buy our Nooks, Barnes & Noble did give us that option.  Because we had raised enough discretionary monies, through fundraisers, etc., we were able to request a quote from  B&N, mail them a check, and within about a week 30 Nooks arrived at our door. Purchasing the eBooks themselve proved to be a bit more challenging.  B&N does not accept purchase orders for this process, so we had to work out some procedures for buying content that would work for B&N and satisfy the requirements of our district's finance department.  More on that later.

They're here!  Now what do we do?

1. Unpacking: Like others going through this process have suggested, we kept the boxes so that we would have them if we ever needed to return a Nook.   The boxes are labeled with each Nook's serial #.  You can also find it on the menu bar by going to settings: it will appear on the first screen displayed.  
2. Charging:  According to the set up instructions, the Nooks needed to charge for 30 minutes prior to use. 
3. Physical Processing: It was easy for us to do this while the Nooks were charging, and since we were all very anxious to get the digital ball rolling, we started labeling them right away.  The information that we wanted clearly visible on each Nook was:
1. The Serial #
2. The Barcode
3. The Nook Name**:  This relates to the B&N account associated with each Nook.  Because B&N eBooks can be shared among 6 Nooks, we wanted to make sure we knew which Nooks were associated with which account.  
4. We also made sure we labeled our Nook cart to correspond with all of the Nook Names.  This will just make it easier for us to keep track of which Nooks are in, which Nooks are out and which ones we've completed certain processes with. 
5. Finally, we made a spreadsheet of all of this information for our equipment inventory.
4. Registering the Nooks:  In order to load content on the Nooks, we had to create accounts with Barnes & Noble.  One B&N account can be shared by up to six Nooks.  Since we have 30 Nooks (for now!) we created five Barnes & Noble accounts.  The advantage of a limited number of accounts is not simply that it's... well, a limited number to keep up with, but more significantly, the content purchased on one account can be shared among the six Nooks - which of course, leads to savings down the road.  This kind of grouping also has many of our teachers excited about the possibility of using the Nooks for Literature Circles.  Anyway, like anything worth doing, registering Nooks takes a little work.  Here are the steps:
1. Create email accounts for your Nooks - these accounts will be used to register your Nooks with Barnes & Noble.  We used gmail to create these accounts.  We chose account names that were easy to remember and were all the same except that they ended with Nook1, Nook 2, Nook 3, etc.
2. Create an account with B&N at BN.com.  To do this  select "My Account" in the upper left corner of the site, and then select "Create an Account."  Note:  You do not have to enter a credit card at the time you create your account - however, you will need one on file when you go to make a purchase - EVEN free material (Attn B&N:  This is really irritating!) More on making purchases later.
3.  Turn on the Nook and register it by typing in your B&N account email and password.  Note:  you will need access to WiFi in order to do this.   
4. Now you're ready to shop!  figure out how to catalog these things! (Shopping is more fun, but first things first!) So... while we figured how to make our new toys library friendly, we offered our teachers the chance to request content.

**One final note about Nook Names:  Based on the fact that we ended up with five accounts, we organized our Nooks into five groups.  (Nooks 1, 2, 3 etc.)  From there our Nook Names became Nook 1a, Nook 1b, 1c... you get the picture.


Soliciting Help:

One thing that makes our situation a little unusual is that, for now, our district technology department is unwilling to let us send the Nooks home.  This makes me a little grumpy, but the bottom line is that they have concerns and it is my job now to collect the data needed to ease them.  Until then, we're rolling out our Nooks for in-house use, both in our library and in classrooms. 

Anyway, in keeping with my ever diligent efforts to be the solution to my stakeholders problems, I solicited imput from teachers regarding the content to be purchased for the Nooks using this Google form.   Many of the questions are directly related to our school improvement goals.  (A quick aside:  just today, my principal asked me how I thought the Nooks could be as a tool for impacting whole family literacy.  After sharing my thoughts, she gave me an additional $500 to buy eBooks.  I can't stress this enough:  if you are offering solutions to the things that keep your principal up at night, he/she will do the best they can to provide you with the resources to fund your requests).

All the while, my thoughts about why I'm doing this have been further informed by the student reactions to the arrival of the Nooks and their appearance in our library. Even though they've yet to make their big debut, the big gray and red cart is tough to miss and the kids have been quick to gather 'round as I explore and prod and process.  Their reactions have been interesting -- ranging from giddy excitement, to questions about how books would be purchased for them (more on that later!) to having no clue what an eReader even is.  Our school has a very diverse population made up of kids from all sorts of backgrounds - both cultural and economic.  The diversity in their reaction to these new devices brings questions about the digital divide to the forefront of my thinking.  I'm not sure where all of these ruminations are headed, but I'm confident that they're an important component of this journey and to my evolution as a librarian.

Anyway, that's all for tonight, I think.
Next up?  Cataloging/Circulation procedures.  Stay tuned!

Go Forth and Quantify

I saw a post on facebook recently by a veteran teacher bemoaning the focus on data in education.  She posited that the emphasis should be on kids, not numbers.  I hear this kind of thing a lot.  "I don't teach [insert subject here]; I teach children."  Or "nobody cared about data when I was in school, and I turned out just fine."

These are the kinds of populist witticisms that *seem* to be grounded in common sense and are therefore tough to argue with.

But I think good teachers have always relied on data to inform their instruction.  Formative assessment isn't a new development.  It's something effective teachers, whether in the classroom or in the library, have always relied on to guide their practice. 

One thing that classroom teachers have going for them, in this regard anyway, is an abundance of data.  These days, there's a test for everything and, regardless of how we feel about them, they do make it relatively easy to quantify student performance. An aside: as a former classroom teacher myself, I realize that not all of this data is valuable or even reliable, but for the sake of this post I'm simply "not going there." Rather, I'm suggesting we pick up the sword our teachers and administrators must live/die by and defend (to the bitter end!) our programs and even our jobs.  That said, for better or for worse teacher-librarians are not in the same data wealthy position as classroom teachers.  The line between us and student achievement is, at best, discreet.  Therefore, it's up to us to connect the dots for the rest of the world.

So... how do we do that?  Good question!  :)

Before I get into how *I* do it, let me say that I'm open, heck! I'm even EAGER, to hear about how this is done in your library.  Because there is no universal handbook for quantifying the effectiveness of school library programs (perhaps this is the book I was meant to write!) the more we share, the more we elevate our entire profession.  But I digress.

Ok.  Here goes:

Step 1:  Identify yearly goals that seek to solve the problems faced by your principal.

Example:  If your principal is under pressure to bring up the test scores of ELL students, then everything you do should also be openly and obviously focused on that goal.  Some ideas would be to create a collection development plan that focuses on buying paired novels in both English/Spanish so that ELL students can share the reading experience at home with parents who may not speak any English at all. Then plan a Family Literacy Night and invite those families to your library where you can get to know them and they you. This is your chance to put the resources you've lovingly picked directly into their hands AND identify yourself as their key to success.

Quantify it: By all means, keep data of your own (ie: collection/checkout/attendance stats). However, if bringing up the scores of this subgroup has been identified as an area of focus at your school, then both your teaching and administrative staffs will spend the year collecting data on their performance. When their test scores come in, use the data you've collected in concert with the scores to illustrate how your programs were an integral part of the strategies that impacted student growth. 

Bonus:  Purchasing requests that are focused on solving the problems faced by your principal are FAR more likely to be funded than those that aren't.  If he/she has said no in the past, making his/her goals the focus of your purchasing proposals may very well untie those purse strings.

Step 2:  Identify yearly goals that seek to solve the problems faced by your teachers.

Example:  Every year teachers are faced with "one more thing" that they have to do in order to prove the effectiveness of their instruction.  You need to be the answer to that problem.  For example, if teachers must include 21st century technologies in their lessons, you need to be jumping at the chance to collaborate with them. When you hear teachers moaning about how the world would be a better place if we all went back to teaching with nothing but a piece of chalk, instead of shaking your head in disgust while checking in on Foursquare, you need to jump up and down and yell "pick me! pick me!" And when they do call on you, your motto must be, "I've got the answer to your problem." 

Similarly, if teachers need to participate in a PLT to show professional growth, you need to find out the topics they're studying and create a collection development plan that includes professional resources on those topics.  Even better -- you need to let the teachers create the plan and then, rather than simply putting the books on the shelves and wondering why nobody checks them out, you need to set up a PLN preview event where teachers can come in and ooh and aaaah over their new toys.  (Having chocolate there helps). Again, this is your chance!  Take a look at the topics they are studying, figure out how your expertise can help them and then identify yourself as the key to their success.

Quantify it:  Again, if this is a focus of your school, you won't be able to swing the proverbial dead cat without hitting some data.  Your job is to a) collect the library related stats, b) help teachers collect and mine the data they need for their own evaluations and c) make sure that combined data gets in the hands of your principal and/or other stakeholders.

Bonus:  I find that teachers are more than willing to share the glory.  When your principal tells them that a particular lesson was inspiring or compliments them on implementing a new strategy, they are usually quick to say "I couldn't have done it without _________."  The important thing is to make sure your name fills in that blank.

Step 3:  Find or create a rubric for your programs that address school/district wide goals and share it with stakeholders.

Example:  I use Joyce Valenza's Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarianship. Not only is Joyce Valenza a library rock star, but for me, this just looked a lot like the gold standard of what librarians in my district should be doing.  So I created a wiki based on its contents and, as the year progresses, all librarians in my district have been using it to evaluate their programs.  At my school, teachers and administrators who serve on the Media Technology Advisory Committee have been helping in that self-evaluation process. I've since shared this wiki with my principal, my superintendent and anyone else who was in earshot and might have a role in saving libraries. 

Quantify it:  Changing the info on the wiki to numbers is not hard if you ever wanted to do it, but I think it's more useful as a self-assessment tool.  Because I've put it into a table, it's easy to identify areas of strength and weakness and, more importantly, to grow your practice from there.

Bonus:  If I ever meet Joyce Valenza, I've got some instant brownie points.

So... that's it.

Clearly, I don't have all the answers.  I can only say that this is what has worked for me and therefore I think it might work for you.  And I know... I know... if you're on a fixed schedule, teaching 6-8 classes a day with no assistant, this is a tall order, but  here's what I do know for sure:  However we can, whenever we can, we MUST seek to align ourselves with the goals of our school.  Then we must be able to provide some quantifiable data to prove that we are necessary to achieving those goals.  If we don't, we're sunk.

Finally, if any of this reminds you of Doug Johnson's Three Commandments for Successful Library Programs, it's only because he (and others) continue to be a great source of inspiration.   Besides, when you're only 5'3" standing on the shoulders of giants is practically a requirement.

A Big Sloppy Love Letter to My PLN

When I was a classroom teacher, I often found myself feeling isolated from the rest of the world.  Perhaps it was the era in which I taught (it was definitely a web 1.0 world back then) or maybe I didn't "put myself out there" as far as engaging in more professional learning opportunities.  Don't get me wrong, I loved teaching.  For the whole of my 10 year stint as an English teacher, I was fortunate to work with great people and great students.  And yet, for all the joy I experienced during that time, I don't think I grew very much as a learner or as an educator.  Certainly, I can pin point pockets of inspiration or moments in which I stumbled upon people or resources that inspired and challenged me to reflect on my practice and evolve as an educator. But given the length of time I taught, the professional growth I experienced as a teacher truly pales in comparison to how much I've learned and grown during the four years I've worn the hat of librarian.

Indeed, in an era defined by no money, no resources and no hope, I feel as though my professional cup runneth over.

This year, I have started a PLT for librarians in my district - with our goal being to collect data and study literature/research that helps us draw the line between our programs and student achievement.  So far, about 10 librarians have officially joined and I'm hopeful more will jump on board.   Ultimately, after a year's worth of work, we want to emerge with a compelling argument and formal presentation that will help us save positions and reinstate line-item library budgets in our county.

Image: www.dccomics.com/mad/ 9/13/10

Even as I type all of that out, I realize that it may seem like a daunting, if not impossible, task.  And yet, I have to admit that I feel a bit like the Alfred E. Newman of Librarians, insomuch as, I'm simply not worried.  Yes, it's hard and important work, but I've never felt less alone and more empowered as a professional than I do right now.  In addition to the group of professionals in my own district who have stepped up to the plate, I feel buoyed by the combined knowledge of the people I follow on Twitter, the Diigo group I've started related to the topic, the members of my state professional organization's listserv and the enumerable blogs that I follow.  Whatever gaps in knowledge I may possess, (and let's face it, there are many), I know they are more than filled by the people I choose to hang out with.

Tonight, I had the pleasure of hanging out with nearly 100 really smart people in a TL Cafe Webinar. As is almost always the case with these things, I emerged inspired and, if I'm honest, a little overwhelmed - not by the sheer amount of genius in the room, (frankly, I'm growing used to that), but by how fortunate I am to have access to such brilliant and generous people.  Truly, however many notches I am able to put in my own personal victory column, I owe a debt of gratitude to the people who let me sit next to them (either literally or virtually) and soak up their knowledge.  I am one lucky girl.

That said, if it's true that the key to appearing smart is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are, then I must look like a genius.  And, frankly, I'm okay with that. :)