jkarpportfolio - AASL Standards

AASL Standard One-Use of Information and Ideas

School library media candidates encourage reading and lifelong learning by stimulating interests and fostering competencies in the effective use of ideas and information. They apply a variety of strategies to ensure access to resources and information in a variety of formats to all members of the learning community. Candidates promote efficient and ethical information seeking behavior as part of the school library media program and its services.

AASL Standard Two-Teaching and Learning

School library media candidates model and promote collaborative planning with classroom teachers in order to teach concepts and skills of information processes integrated with classroom content. They partner with other education professionals to develop and deliver an integrated information skills curriculum. Candidates design and implement instruction that engages the student's interests, passions, and needs which drive their learning.

AASL Standard Three-Collaboration and Leadership

School library media candidates provide leadership and establish connections with the greater library and education community to create school library media programs that focus on students learning and achievement; encourage the personal and professional growth of teachers and other educators, and model the efficient and effective use of information and ideas.

AASL Standard Four-Program Administration

School library media candidates administer the library media program in order to support the mission of the school, and according to the principles of best practice in library science and program administration.

Assignments, AASL Standards Alignments, and Reflections

I-Search

Product Learning Log Reflection

The I-Search is an inquiry-based research process. Along with locating, evaluating, and synthesizing information, the I-Search contains a reflection element that tells the story of the research.

AASL Standards

Standard One: Efficient and Ethical Information-seeking behavior

Standard Two: Information Literacy Curriculum

Reflection

The I-Search project provided me with experience in locating, evaluating, and using information for a specific purpose. My motivation came from an interest in taking my children on a trip to Washington, DC. Using the steps in the I-Search method of research, I made a personal interest web, read without note taking, used the double entry draft to take notes and synthesize information, and answered my essential question.

I experienced, using pathfinders provided by the professor, Boolean logic, and using specific keywords in searching for information on the Internet and online databases. The professor modeled how to integrate information literacy skills into the content curriculum and practice legal and ethical policies. Using the double entry draft encourages learners to evaluate and synthesize information so that illegal use of information is not in question.

This experience provided me with valuable tools that I will use as a media specialist. There are many research methods and the I-Search is just one way of presenting the skill. We became familiar with other methods of research such as Pathways and the Big-Six. Using any research method as a media specialist will allow me to integrate teaching skills with information literacy skills and provide a meaningful learning experience for my students.

Order

Order Checklist Presentation
Using the Selection Policy or PDEP to identify an area of need, the order is made using appropriate selection tools and evaluation criteria. The justification for the order is presented to the media committee.

AASL Standards

Standard One: Access to information

Standard Four: Managing Information Resource

Reflection

Increasing the quantity of multi-culturally diverse resources available in the Media Center was a goal from my group’s PDEP. We compiled an order that will help us meet this objective and created a presentation for the media committee. Additionally, we developed a processing checklist to help us remember the steps of the order process.

We selected print and non-print materials by evaluating our collection and the diverse curricular and personal needs of our patrons. Using sources such as award winning book web sites, ALA’s suggested titles for diversity, book reviews, and staff/student suggestions, we compiled an informed list of materials to enhance the quality of our collection. We modeled our personal enjoyment of reading by planning announcements about the materials, having celebrity readers read the books, and placing the items on the “New Arrivals” shelf in order to promote our new materials. We considered patron privacy, open access to all materials by all patrons, and supported the principles of intellectual freedom while compiling our order.

This assignment provided us with real life experiences through all steps of ordering materials for the media center. While I see the value in the media committee presentation as part of this assignment, I question to need to provide a formal presentation. I think the media committee should be part of the ordering process and may not need to be presented with a proposal.

Program Development and Evaluation Plan

PDEP

The Program Development and Evaluation Plan demonstrates an understanding of the policies and procedures necessary for effective management of a school library media program. This plan reflects the philosophy and vision for the media center by developing long range and short-term goals.

AASL Standards

Standard One: Access to Information and Stimulating a Learning Environment

Standard Three: Instructional Partner

Standard Four: Managing Program Resources and Comprehensive and Collaborative Planning and Assessment

Reflection

The PDEP is a very comprehensive assignment because it incorporates many of the AASL standards into one document. By looking at the philosophy, facility, and our mission, my group developed this plan to establish and maintain a positive educational climate in the media center. Additionally, our philosophy promotes ethical and legal principles of education and librarianship by stating that we provide intellectual and physical access to all materials.

My group began this plan by looking at policies and procedures that would support the mission of the school. We developed long range and short-term goals to support the school’s mission. Using this plan, my group devised a selection policy, which describes our policies on collection maintenance and development, and how to handle challenged materials. Policies and procedures for the media committee, media center personnel, and budget for the media center are established in our PDEP. One of our goals states that we will increase the amount of collaboration between teachers and the media specialist. This goal will be accomplished by attending grade level meetings, creating curriculum maps, inviting staff into the media center to view new or relevant materials, getting administration involved in collaboration, and creating a survey to determine expectations of the media center from teachers.

This assignment contains the nuts and bolts of being a media specialist. It provided me with the experience of developing a plan for a media center. It will be important to have had this experience when I have my own media center, because developing a strategic plan for any learning environment is essential in ensuring student achievement.

Collaborative Unit

Unit Lesson One Lesson Two

The Collaborative Unit is created with the classroom teacher and the media specialist working together to develop lessons, deliver instruction, and assess student learning. A journal of the planning process is kept to evaluate future collaboration.

AASL Standards

Standard Two: Knowledge of Learners and Learning and Effective and Knowledgeable Teacher

Reflection

Planning this unit, in collaboration with the teachers, implements to the greatest level the instructional partner role of the media specialist. Co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing are essential in ensuring that the media specialist plays an important role in the overall academic success of the students. I, along with the fifth grade teachers, developed this lesson based on the curriculum objectives and information/technology literacy standards. In addition to the unit plan, I planned two information literacy lessons in detail, to be taught during the unit. The diverse learning styles, abilities, and needs of all the students were considered when planning this unit. With the diversity at our school, it has become second nature to provide differentiated instruction in all lessons.

The summary of the planning is useful in that it provides information for further collaboration. I feel that collaboration is the most important role of the media specialist because it can make the biggest impact on student achievement. While I think it is not realistic to collaborate with every teacher on every subject, I do think it is where I will place my greatest efforts as a media specialist. I think by developing several collaborative units a year, a bank of units will evolve over time, and can be used year after year.

Internship

(not available online)

The internship provides a practicum in a school media center. Authentic experiences serve as a basis for developing professional vision and having knowledge of the responsibilities of a media specialist.

AASL Standards

Standard Three: Connection with the library community and Educational Leader

Reflection

The internship was the most valuable experience in preparing me for my role as a media specialist. As part of my experience, I planned and implemented for the first time, a “Battle of the Books” contest. By connecting with two other media centers, I gained an understanding of how the contest works. The media specialists from these two schools shared advice, resources, and directions. This reading promotional activity led to much excitement by the participants and a desire to continue the program. I am a member of two professional organizations, AASL and PAGE. Memberships in these organizations help me connect the media program with current trends in education and legislature. I planned and implemented a professional development class on the use of the I-Search research model. This class led the fifth grade teachers’ decision to use this model for research. I was then able to provide instructional leadership by collaborating with these teachers on how to implement the I-Search. I taught and modeled many information literacy skills, including Internet search skills, through the implementation of this model of research.

I was fortunate to attend the Georgia Educational Technology Conference. The connection between technology, learning, and the media center was evident throughout the day. I attended a session in which the Exemplary Library Media Specialists winners presented their programs. It was extremely motivating to hear the winners describe their programs.

As a teacher, I serve on the media/technology committee at my school but I was able to attend a district cluster meeting during my internship. At the meeting, I met the district media coordinator and several other media specialists. I was there as an observer, but I was able to contribute when a question was posed about a reading standard for fifth grade.

I have mixed feelings about my internship being spread out over a whole year. I would have preferred to do my internship in consecutive hours because it would have made the experience seem consistent. However, there are experiences that I had, that I would not have had if I had done it that way. For example, the summer camp program, the completion of the “Battle of the Books”, and the implementation of the I-Search. Therefore, I am glad it turned out that I did my internship over a long period so that I could experience the whole process of these programs.