Thursday, June 9, 2011

TASLA 2011: A Little Bit More

I did not get this information posted in a timely manner relating to the administrator's conference in June. Life, my topsy-turvy life, got in the way! I wanted to go ahead and include it here, particularly because of the author Lester Laminack and his books! Charming word-involved picture books, but more importantly a master in drawing you into how to use his books or anyone else's for matter to convey an idea, share knowledge or create a mood. If you ever get the chance to experience him go for it! You will not be disappointed!

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Day 2 is not starting off well...our Internet is being clunky! A room full of Librarians not connected is not a happy place. Grrr.


PSJA Reads Together...Catch the Reading Wave...Read!

A 7-year old community wide reading promotional program coordinated through the Library Department of PSJA ISD. Nora Galvan, one of my favorite TASLA friends, passionately is explaining it to us. It is a multi-level, multi-age program using lots of donated and half-pice books. Lots of book clubs giving the students a chance "to belong." Timeline seems to run by six-weeks periods.
Cute book Shiver Me Letters was part of her presentation. A very touching tribute to the New Orleans tragic hurricane--the film produced by middle schoolers was very emotionally charged for the book Ruined by Paula Morris. The high school example was for Speak. Another great production was for Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Incredible student productions! (with editing help from the district) You can't help but want to read the books.
Some of the featured books (and others) are here on a YouTube collective video.

Maybe this can be adapted for a school who could work with a high school video crew???? A collaborative opportunity.

Project Share - Lannon Heflin, Region 13 ESC

You can have a url as a part of this program..space online for you
www.epsilen.com/[your name once you register]
use it as a "teacher page", a training area, a whatever!
it can be your professional portfolio...something you really need to develop if you haven't!

There is a course catalog with projects developed and shared by others. You can see them by date or subject.

TEKs - updates & materials available for use

Digital resources .. free and otherwise
  • science resources will be here in place of the no textbooks plan.
  • open source content
  • NY Times digital archives - the speech example
Professional networking

Districts have space for PD (moodle, Blackboard idea)

student learning access - probably secondary level most beneficial. This part is just know starting, in the infancy stage.

Life-long teacher account. Has to be set up within an institution connection, but is ongoing.

Texas Education Itunes U - videos from colleges, univerisities, other entitites, free to use!

OnTrack - end of course prep materials

The Faces of Project Share - each school district has a presence.

Phase 3 - student account portion.
  • earth to space High School course - official online course for credit
  • OnTrack end of course info
  • other things I didn't capture

the after lunch speaker

keeps a writer's notebook
telling a good story is his reason for writing

The book he is currently working on ---Sam Loves Pink , 4 1/2 rough & tumble boy who just likes the color. A real-life experience he has had with a young kid; sounds fabulous.

Discussion of picture book uses...explanation of war
Playing War
Faithful Elephants - personally one of my favorite books..is NOT for young children or those who can't get through emotionally charged material!

Harmonica
Yellow star
erica's story
The woman's hat
scene from number the stars

railroad in the sky
under the the quilt of night

Ruby Brdges
Through my Eyes
Remberence

bullying
accentuate that we are the same
there is difference
be good to eddie lee
momma zooms
human beings can be acting based on their feelings love and fear
show active violent reactions...direct bullying
One (another title Zero)
the terrible thing
Bystander
Thank you Mr turrupt

critical literacy

Getting Boys To Read
ABDO has a list on web site
sophisticated media consumers by the time they enter school!
collection development ideas from boys' pajamas
using video games to develop collection
duty to have great football collection football literacy on the website


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

TASLA 2011: One More Time

Eighth year for my very favorite professional gathering!
The Texas Association of School Library Administrators conference...a small group of school library folks, about 75-100. Heard attendance is around 90 this year even in the midst of the changes and cuts. Many, many new folks on board...lead librarians were really encouraged to come this year.

Remember when you read this...it is a rough cut!!

Selecting Multicultural Materials and the Tejas Star Book Award
Good list of books from ESC Region One for the 2011-2012 award.
5th year for this award. Let's get more students involved in these books..from across the state.
These books were originally written in Spanish or true Spanish/English bilingual format.
The year's list are all in the bilingual format.

Other lists to consider when working on collection development:
Mildred L. Batchelder Award - published in another language and translated into English
more later!

Facts worthy of thinking about:

English language learners in Texas schools - involves 86 different languages...86!!! 830,713 students. Almost 91% of these 830 thousand + students are Spanish speakers learning English.

Hispanics currently make up 16% of the U.S. population but only 2% of the books published have Hispanic characters and Hispanics make up only 2% of authors publishing.

African-Americans currently make up 12% of the U.S. population but only 5.2% of the books published have Black characters and African-Americans are only 2.7% of the authors publishing.


Advocacy for School Library Leaders: A Call to Action
Judy Moreillon

What ONE role of the five that we do will save us!
The group voted this way:
leader 24
instruction partner 15
info specialist 11
teacher 7
program administrator 0

her group when she initiated this study chose instructional partner as the most influential.

My personal choice is teacher...in order to survive I believe we must be seen as a teacher first and foremost because the power brokers understand that position, that term itself. The other roles are natural partners to being an effective teacher.

As is my problem often, I think instructional partner is a semantic issue...to me collaborative teacher is the same thing!
And what I have know for a VERY long time is we must be ALL FIVE all the time!
But I still stick with teacher being my primary role if I am to survive as a school librarian.
Feel free to share your own thoughts!

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
God bless her, Gloria Meraz of TLA is trying to update the legislative/school financial issues as best she can with the positive approach she always presents. I just can't capture all the ideas in my head, much less try to put it on the blog. Read the papers, go to the internet, read what you want, write to who you think can influence the issues...it is just TOO much for me at this moment...maybe I can make sense out of it later. And remember one of the best ways to tell them how you feel...whatever side you are on, whatever group you support..VOTE. The primaries in March, the general election the next November.

Questions
SB8 vote next week

SB6 / HB6
instructional materials allotments
use the money to purchase databases, technology or textbooks "super fund"
must be spent on things that related to assessments....STAR, the tests
another version...must be spent on things that cover the TEKs

remember that allotments do not always get funded!

Moving from ratings to distinctions
School can earn distinctions in
fine arts
physical fitness
acquisition of foreign language, 2nd language (ASL)
academics
21st century workforce
and the new 6th one advanced learners - high performers ...this one is still in development

it will still be a "competition"
but think about how you as a librarian can help your school achieve these distinctions!

Remember - SILENCE GETS YOU NO WHERE

Ok...I need to close out this session...more later. I am overwhelmed thinking about all of this AND all the side conversations going on both in sessions and breaks and meals!!