What's on your library website?

My friend and colleague David Loertscher send me a link to his newest creation: The Virtual Learning Commons - a thoughtful template for a useful, collaborative, and comprehensive school library website. He writes:

Thought you might enjoy taking a look at a Virtual Learning Commons template that my students and I have developed as we have looked across a couple of years development attempting to replace the boring and dead library websites.  I am debuting it in Syracuse on Wed and a couple of workshops.

It turns the library website into a giant collaborative and each major page can allow approved teachers and students to post alongside other experts in the school.  Anyway, it is simple to just download the template, rename it to your school and start building...

Here is the url: https://sites.google.com/site/templatevlc/

As a profession, we've been building webpages for our libraries for, what, 15 years or more? Yet in my experience, school websites display a huge range of features, content, readability, design sense, and usefulness. Do we need some specific conventions that all librarians should abide by when constructing their libraries pages? I'll start with seven that seem to be no-brainers. (Dr. Loetscher's VLC pages can be comprehensive; I'll be barebones.)

Every school library web site must display:

1. The name and location of the school of which it is a part, both a contact phone number and e-mail address, and the date the page was last updated.
2. Links to its electronic resources including its library catalog, databases, and e-book collections.
3. Calendars of library-related events and links to calendars with schedules of class visits, lab bookings, etc.
4. The library mission statement, its long-range goals, and current objectives.
5. Link to the latest library newsletter, annual report, and up-to-date usage data.
6. Link to lists of recently acquired new resources.
7. Link to forms for requesting materials.

In our district with its dozen school libraries, we've worked toward a balance of commonality of content, organization, and design among all of them, while still allowing librarians to create sites that reflect each program's unique attributes. It's a balance for sure.

Developing some common standards for all school library webpages would be good for libraries, but would be especially helpful for library users. 

More bandwidth or more conservation?

You can never be too rich or too thin. - Wallis Simpson 
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much bandwidth. (Johnson’s Law of Network Capacity)

This came across my inbox this week, just as we are beginning to discuss Internet bandwidth needs in our region:

Schools  Need 100 Mbps per 1000 Students
The State Educational Technology Directors Association recently released a report that set a target for broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps per 1,000 students/staff for 2014-2015. The FCC has long had a program that helps school afford broadband. In fact, the  FCC’s E-Rate program subsidies offset more than$20 million in Minnesota every year, historically about half of the cost. Unfortunately, total demand  for 2012 is $5.237 billion. For the first time in the program, demand exceeds the $2.3 billion in funding available, without rollover funds, which indicates  that some applications may not get funding. http://wp.me/p3if7-1IL

If my math is right, SETDA recommends that my district of 7500 kids and 800 staff needs about 830 Mbps - let' just call it a gig. At the current time we have 200 Mbps. 

While we get some complaints about YouTube download speed (we don't block it for anyone) and we shape our bandwidth during online testing, our current access seems pretty good. (We've quadrupled the capacity in the past two years.) But I can also see some big needs coming. These include:

• Increased use of personal devices as more teachers take advantage of our BYOD plan and with everyone and their dog having a smart phone, it seems.
• Increased use of CMS (Moodle), our website, GoogleDrive, GoogleSites, e-book programs, and other educational cloud-based apps and storage.
• Increased (legitimate) use of streaming media.
• Pilot 1:1 projects.
• Increased use of externally hosted services like our library system, our data warehousing/data mining solution, and our IEP program

Let's face it. We access our payroll information online, we track our job applicants online, we access our budgets and HR files online, and we use an online helpdesk. We send our print jobs across the network to copiers and printers. Our phone system runs across our data network as do our video security cameras and door locks. Kids use GoogleDocs, Wikipedia, and the student information system portal.

I have no doubt that our bandwidth needs will grow. But something tells me we may also need to get smart about ways to conserve bandwidth as well. Prioritizing applications through packetshaping? Restricting the use of bandwidth intensive resources such as YouTube, Pandora, and Netflix. Selecting new solutions based in part on their bandwidth efficiency? Bandwidth conservation is not something I hear much about since it's not real sexy, I'm afraid.

It's a tired, but good, analogy that network bandwidth is much like the road system. Traffic seems to grow right along with increased capacity. Perhaps there is a Moore's Law of network speed that may keep us from having to conserve.

But I'm guessing we will need to both add and manage bandwidth into the foreseeable future.

Your thoughts?

Technology "look for's" in teacher evaluations

My attempt to integrate technology use into Charlotte Danielson's Frameworks of Learning has gone absolutely nowhere in my district. In February 2011, I proposed adding some technology competencies to our system of teacher evaluation divided into Danielson's domains. The original document/tool I wrote is here.

So last week I was whining to our Professional Development Coordinator about this sad lack of progress, when she asked me to resend her the proposal. She then very kindly responded by suggesting that I should simplify the technology lists under each domain, picking the most important skills in each domain and changing the items to "Look for's." In other words, when doing a teacher observation or evaluation, the observer should look for _____________ related to technology use.

Brilliant!

Here are my originals and my revisions in italics. See what you think:

Domain 1:  Planning and Preparation
Technology-related competencies in this domain:

1. Teacher uses online resources, including professional social networking sites, to stay current on the latest research and best practices in his/her field.
2. Teacher is aware of the characteristics of "net generation" learners and their relationship with technology and its uses. Teacher uses this information in using technology in the classroom to design engaging activities.
3. The teacher determines the technology skill level of students, knows the expected competencies for productivity and research, and finds means of remediation of individual students when needed.
4. Teacher uses adaptive and adoptive technologies with special needs students.
5. Teacher establishes appropriate goals for technology applications for students.
6. Teacher knows, accesses and uses digital resources provided by the state and district, including productivity tools, online teaching/reference materials, and textbook supplemental materials. Teacher uses other digital materials available online outside the district that support student learning.
7. Teacher designs learning activities that use the technology resources available.
8. Teacher uses online resources to provide instructional materials at differing levels and subjects to meet individual student abilities, needs and interests.
9. Assessment criteria of student work include qualitative indicators of effective technology production.

Look for....

1. The teacher creates assignments appropriate to the technology abilities of his or her students.
2. Teacher uses digital resources provided by the district, including GoogleApps for Education, Moodle, e-textbooks, Learn 360 and Worldbook Online.
3. Teacher designs learning activities that use available technology resources including laptop carts, iPads, computer labs, and SmartBoards.
4. Teacher uses digital resources to differentiate instruction, including using devices for special needs students, by using a variety of computer activities and online materials suited to different reading abilities and/or learning preferences.
5. Assessment of student work includes technology production when applicable.

Domain 2:  The Classroom Environment
Technology-related competencies in this domain:

1. Teacher interactions online follow the same guidelines as face-to-face interactions.
2. Teacher demonstrates an enthusiasm for educational technology and its uses.
3. Teacher uses technology to provide a wider audience for student work, which in turn leads to higher levels of concern by students about their work's quality. Appropriate safety and privacy efforts are made.
4. Teacher helps student use technology in the revision process of their creative efforts.
5. Teacher uses technology to facilitate peer editing of student work.
6. Teacher has rules and expectations for productive technology use in the classroom, including rules regarding the use of personally owned technology devices.
7. Teacher use the student information system efficiently, resulting in minimum use of class time in management tasks.
8. Teacher monitors student technology use and responds to misbehavior if it occurs.
9. Technology in the classroom is arranged for ease of monitoring and flexible use.

Look for....

1. Teacher demonstrates a positive attitude toward educational technology during class.
2. Teacher uses technology to help students “publish” their work online for other students, parents, and the public to view, following district safety and privacy rules.
3. Teacher uses technology to facilitate collaborative creation and peer editing of student work.
4. Teacher has rules for technology use in the classroom, including rules regarding the use of personally owned technology devices such as cell phones.
5. Teacher monitors student technology use and responds to misuse if it occurs.

Domain 3:  Instruction
Technology-related competencies in this domain:

1. Teacher gives students alternate means of discussion and asking question using online communication tools to bring out the ideas of all students.
2. Teacher allows students to initiate discussions in online forums such as classroom blogs, discussion lists and social networking tools.
3. Teacher expects and reinforces appropriate student interaction when using online tools.
4. Teacher uses technology to create and project visual images that help explain content and concepts.
5. Teacher uses technologies such as interactive white boards, student response systems and computer games to engage students.
6. Teacher encourages students to use online resources to answer questions and explore concepts during class and teaches search and information evaluation strategies.
7. Teacher uses technology in ways that make students productive and meet the instructional goals of the lesson.
8. Teacher uses adaptive and adoptive technologies with students with special needs and to differentiate instruction for all students.

Look for....

1. The teacher uses the classroom sound amplification system if available.
2. Teacher uses technology to create and project visual images and video that help explain content and concepts.
3. Teacher uses the interactive white board (Smartboard) in ways that engage students. These uses include student use of the board, gaming applications, actions based on student responses, and polling.
4. Teacher encourages students to use online resources to answer questions and explore concepts during class and teaches search and information evaluation strategies.
5. Teacher uses technology in ways that help make students productive (writing, designing, creating) and also meet the instructional goals of the lesson.

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

Technology-related competencies in this domain:

1. Teacher uses online grading and reporting system to maintain information on student completion rates and shares this information through student and parent portals in real time.
2. Teacher uses online grading system portal to inform students and parents of upcoming assignments, projects and assessments.
3. Teacher uses the district website to provide a wide range of current information to students and parents.
4. Teacher uses online communication tools such as e-mail, blogging and social networking to keep students and parents informed on a regular basis. Teacher engagement with students and parents online is frequent and successful.
5. Teacher uses collaborative online tools to communicate and work with colleagues.
6. Teacher volunteers to share effective uses of technology at staff meetings and inservices; through professional writings and presentations; and through demonstrations to parent-teacher and community organizations.
7. Teacher participates in both organized and personal learning opportunities online.
8. Teacher honors and learns from students who have technology competencies and knowledge.
9. Teacher keeps an open but critical mind about technology uses.

Look for....

1. Teacher uses online grading and reporting system to maintain information on student completion rates and shares this information through student and parent portals in a consistent and timely manner.
2. Teacher uses online grading system portal to inform students and parents of upcoming assignments, projects, and assessments well ahead of the date due.
3. Teacher uses the district website to provide current information to students and parents.
4. Teacher uses online communication tools such as e-mail, blogging, and social networking to keep students and parents informed on a regular basis.
5. Teacher uses collaborative online tools to communicate and work with colleagues. 

Those of us who are immersed in technology need a reminder now and then that we should speak plainly and prioritize technology use expectations. A little kick in the pants never hurt anybody - for long anyway.

Let's see if the revised "look for's" have better success than my original model. Your revisions to make this stronger?