Good old times

OK, that was so easy even a tech director can do it. Thanks to Maggie on the TeacherLibrarianNing for the head's up on this fun tool.

Can students cyberbully teachers?

Twice over the past month or so, I've heard reference to teachers being "the victims of cyberbullying," specifically in regard to comments on the Rate My Teacher site.

Most recently, Dr. Micheal Carr-Greg from Melbourne, as part of a very compelling and balanced keynote on CyberSafety at the Tech-It-Up Conference in Kamloops, BC., spoke of instances in which online comments made by students were so distressing to teachers that they suffered such emotional distress that they needed to take professional leave.

 I have a couple questions about using the term "bullying" to describe such circumstances.

First, my personal understanding of bullying assumes that their is an element of the strong preying on the weak. The big guy picking on the little guy. In traditional educational settings, the "big guy" is the teacher; the "little guy" is the student. While we can and should call out libelous or threatening actions by students toward teachers, I just wonder semantically if "bullying" is the right word? Are we in using the term too broadly, lessening its overall impact?

Second, I am not sure how inappropriate sites like "Rate My Teacher" actually are. Do we not use online tools to anonymously "rate" just about everything else - from hotels to movies to physicians? Are there any such sites that don't get their fair share of disgruntled wack-jobs (pardon the technical language) with wildly outlying assessments? If there was a "Rate My Technology Director" website I might feel differently, but were I a classroom teacher today, might I think about using such sites as impetus for changing my classroom practice? I know I value the comments - especially the critical ones - about my speaking and writing, and I do my best to use them to improve my work. (See Constructive Criticism.) Of course, no one has (yet) threatened bodily harm because of a bad keynote address.

Just a few idle thoughts this early Sunday morning, waiting for a flight home...

Image: Norman Rockwell, The Bully Before <http://www.best-norman-rockwell-art.com>

13 Point Checklist 2009

Last August, I put out a draft/revision in progress version of this document. I appreciate the feedback I received. Here is the final? product. Thanks especially to Donna Baratta, Library Media Specialist at ME Strang Middle School in Yorktown Heights, NY and Kate Burgher, retired DPI Library Consultant in Wisconsin for their suggestions which strengthened this tool. Modify it, use it, share it as you will.

13 Point Library Media Program Checklist for School Principals, 2009 

Doug Johnson

Doug0077@gmail.com

Rapid changes in technology, learning research, and the library profession in the past 20 have created a wide disparity in the effectiveness of school library media programs. Is your school's library media program keeping current? The checklist below can be used to quickly evaluate your building’s program.

1. Professional staff and duties

• Does your library media center have the services of a fully licensed school library media specialist (SLMS)?
• Is that person fully engaged in professional duties? Is there a written job description for all library media personnel: clerical, technical, and professional?
• Does the SLMS understand the changing roles of the SLMS as described in Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (AASL, 2009)?
• Does the SLMS offer staff development opportunities in information literacy, information technologies, and integration of these skills into the content area?
• Is the SLMS an active member of a professional organization?
• Is the SLMS considered a full member of the teaching faculty?

2. Professional support

• Is sufficient clerical help available to the SLMS so that she/he can perform professional duties rather than clerical tasks?
• Is sufficient technical help available to the SLMS so that she/he can perform professional duties rather than technical tasks?
• Is there a district media supervisor, leadership team, or department chair who is responsible for planning and leadership?
• Does the building principal, site leadership committee and staff development team encourage the library media personnel to attend workshops, professional meetings, and conferences that will update their skills and knowledge?
• Does the SLMS participate in a Professional Learning Community and Personal Learning Networks?

3. Collection size and development

• Does the library media center’s book and audiovisual collection meet the needs of the curriculum? Has a baseline print collection size been established? Is the collection well weeded?
• Is a variety of media available that will address different learning styles?
• Have electronic and on-line resources been added to the collection when appropriate? Are there sufficient hardware and Internet bandwidth for groups of students to take advantage of these resources?
• Has a recent assessment been done that balances print collection size and electronic resources? Have some print materials been supplanted by on-line subscriptions? Has space formerly used to house print materials been effectively repurposed?
• Are new materials chosen from professional selection sources and tied to the curriculum through collection mapping?

4. Facilities

• Is the library media center located so it is readily accessible from all classrooms? Does it have an outside entrance so it can be used for community functions evenings and weekends? Can computer labs be reached directly from a hallway instead of through the library media center?
• Does the library media center have an atmosphere conducive to learning with serviceable furnishings, instructional displays, and informational posters? Is the library media center carpeted with static-free carpet to reduce noise and protect electronic devices? Is the library media center climate-controlled so that materials and equipment will not be damaged by high heat and humidity, and so that it can be used for activities during the summer?
• Does the library contain general instructional areas, a story area (in elementary schools), and spaces for individuals to work?
• Does the library media center contain a computer lab or wireless laptops/netbooks for students and teachers working with a class or independently in the library and for the SLMS to use to teach? Does the library contain and support multi-media workstations and digital video production facilities?
• Is the library media center fully networked with voice, video and data lines in adequate quantities? Does the library media center serve as the "hub" of these information networks with routers, file servers, video head ends, and technical staff housed there?
• Does the library maintain a useful, up-to-date online presence with resources for students, staff and families?

5. Curriculum and integration

• Is the SLMS an active member of grade level and/or team planning groups?
• Is the SLMS an active member of content curriculum writing committees?
• Is the SLMS a part of grade-level or content area professional learning communities?
• Are library media center resources examined as a part of the content areas’ curriculum review cycle?
• Are library media and information technology skills taught as part of content areas rather than in isolation? Are the information literacy skills of evaluating, processing and communicating information being taught as well as accessing skills?
• Is the safe and appropriate use of online resources a part of the information and technology literacy curriculum?

6. Resource-based teaching

• Does the SLMS with assistance from building and district leadership promote teaching activities that go beyond the textbook?

• Do teachers and administrators view the SLMS as an instructional design and authentic assessment resource? Does the library program support inquiry based and student centered learning activities throughout all curricular areas? Does the SLMS collaborate with students and teachers to create a wide range of opportunities that enable the development and practice critical thinking skills and responsible digital citizenship?

• Does flexible scheduling in the building permit the SLMS to be a part of teaching teams with classroom teachers, rather than only covering teacher preparation time?
• Is a clear set of information literacy and technology benchmarks written for all grade levels available? Are these benchmarks assessed in a joint effort of the SLMS and classroom teacher? Are the results of these assessments shared with the student and parents?

7. Information technology

• Does the library media center give its users access to recent information technologies such as:
  • computerized library catalog and circulation system for the building collection
  • access to a computerized union catalog of district holdings as well as access to the catalogs of public, academic and special libraries from which interlibrary loans can be made
  • full on-line access to the Internet
  • a wide variety of online reference tools like full text periodical indexes, encyclopedias, atlases, concordances, dictionaries, thesauruses, reader's advisors and almanacs
  • a wide variety of computerized productivity programs appropriate to student ability level such as word processors, multi-media and presentation programs, spreadsheets, databases, desktop publishing program, graphic creation programs, still and motion digital image editing software
  • access to collaborative learning/networking tools such as wikis, blogs and other online sharing programs and cloud computing resources such as online productivity tools and file storage?
  • production hardware such as multi-media computers, still and video digital cameras, scanners, and LCD projection devices.
  • educational television programming and services
  • access to desktop conferencing equipment and software
  • educational computer programs including practices, simulations and tutorials that support the curriculum
• Are the skills needed to use these resources being taught to and with teachers by the SLMS?

8. Telecommunications

• Is the school linked by a telecommunications network for distance learning opportunities for students? Are there interactive classrooms in the building?
• Does the library media program coordinate programming which can be aired on the local public access channel?
• Does the library program coordinate in-house video broadcast programming?

9. Reference, networking and interlibrary loan

• Does your SLMS have the expertise needed to provide effective and timely reference services to the building students and staff?
• Is your school a membedr of a regional multi-type system or library consortium?
• Does the SLMS use interlibrary loan to fill student and staff requests that cannot be met by building collections?
• Does the SLMS participate in cooperative planning opportunities with other schools, both locally and distant?

10. Planning/yearly goals

• Does the library media program have a district-wide set of long-range goals?
• Does the SLMS set yearly goals based on the long-term goals that are tied directly to building and curriculum goals in collaboration with building leadership?
• Is a portion of the SLMS’s evaluation based on the achievement of the yearly goals?
• Is the library media program represented on the building technology planning committee? The district technology planning committee?

11. Budgeting

• Is the library media program budget zero or objective based? Is the budget tied to program goals?
• Does the SLMS write clear rationales for the materials, equipment, and supplies requested?
• Does the budget reflect both a maintenance and growth component for the program?
• Does the SLMS keep clear and accurate records of expenditures?
• Does the SLMS write grant applications when available?

12. Policies/communications

• Are board policies concerning selection and reconsideration polices current and enforced? Is the staff aware of the doctrines of intellectual freedom and library user privacy? Do these policies extend to digital resources?
• Does the district have a safe and acceptable use policy for Internet and technology use?
• Does the SLMS serve as an interpreter of copyright laws? Does the SLMS help others determine the rights they wish to put on their own intellectual property?
• Does the SLMS have a formal means of communicating the goals and services of the program to the students, staff, administration, and community? Is the library's web presence professional, easy-to-navigate, current and useful?

13. Evaluation

• Does the SLMS determine and report ways that show the goals and objectives of the program are being met and are helping meet the building and district goals? Does the SLMS create an annual library report for administrators, staff and parents that include qualitative and quantitative measurements?
• Do all new initiatives involving the library media and technology program have an evaluation component?
• Does the district regularly evaluate the library media program using external teams of evaluators as part of any accreditation process?
• Do the SLMS and school participate in formal studies conducted by academic researchers when requested?