Library Media Tech Talk

One of my favorite things to do while attending conferences is to learn how librarians are using the latest technology to reach their patrons. While attending the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference back in April, I attended a few sessions about Tik Tok. One really resonated with me that was done by a Library Media Specialist from Bigelow High School in Arkansas. I was very excited to hear how Dena Meriweather had been innovative with Tik Tok during the pandemic as a powerful literacy outreach to her students. Pandemic Outreach As Dena's school was locked down for the COVID-19 Pandemic, she wanted a way to reach her students. She began by emailing video book talks to her students while the school was virtual. From this idea, she decided to start sharing her book talks using the Tik Tok social media platform. This continued through the pandemic. She found that this was a great way to reach her students since so many of them use the popular platform. She typically ...

First Conference to Attend Since Pandemic I have been away from public school since the summer of 2020. I have spent the past two years working nearly full-time for the Arkansas Army National Guard. In March, I had the opportunity to teach as an adjunct instructor for McDaniel College in their school librarianship program. It has been wonderful to be involved with graduate students preparing to join our wonderful profession as school librarians. After beginning to teach the course, I discovered that the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media had scheduled a conference in April. I thought the timing would be perfect to attend especially since the course I was teaching covered Personal Learning Networks (PLNs). There are few better places for one to develop a PLN than at a conference! When I was a school librarian, I really loved attending conferences. This was especially true if I could attend one near the end of school in the spring semester. It was always exciting to learn new te...

In my many years as a school librarian, I enjoyed helping teachers connect to distant schools and other places using Skype, Google Meet (Google Hangouts at the time), and Zoom. It was always a thrill to see students learn about destinations they may never physically visit through such connections. In this article, I want to share my best practices for setting up the library or classroom for a session. I will also share a few resources for connecting with other schools. I strongly recommend this activity regardless of the time of year. I guarantee you everyone will be engaged! Mystery Skype is a global guessing game that uses webcam conferencing calls to connect the participating schools or individuals. You can use Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or a similar webcam app. The students do not know the location of the other school, and they must guess where they are by using “yes” or “no” questions only. The goal is to guess the other school's location before they guess your...

As the school year is nearing the last few weeks, things tend to get very busy. Summer is still a ways off, but it is on the horizon. This is a great time to start thinking about how you will end the school year. It is important to search for student feedback so you can get a feel for how the library program served them during the academic year. In this article, I will share two survey templates you can use and/ or edit for your students. One for high school/ middle school and one for elementary. Think about how it will impact students that you are seeking their opinions in a survey. Finally, we will discuss the outcomes and what you can do with them.  My Practice of Using Student Surveys In the past, I have shared reflections about student end-of-year surveys. You can read about one particular instance of that here.  In that example, I shared multiple ways we collected student feedback. We used Google Forms, Padlet, and Flipgrid. I recall Google Forms being my favorite since ...

Back in 2015, I decided to pursue an ALA-accredited MS in Library Science from the University of North Texas. I already have an MS in school librarianship, but I wanted to expand my opportunities and knowledge beyond my public school career. After working on the second degree in librarianship part-time at UNT for five years, it finally came to completion this spring.  I decided to do a study of Arkansas' school library budgets as a major research project for a two-semester seminar class. Since 2009, I've read articles about how numerous library budgets and staff have experienced major cuts in all types of libraries. For the blog this month, I want to share highlights from my final paper and a link to the full document for those that want to read it. I also want to thank the 109 participants in my survey instrument from the membership of the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media (AAIM) for making this study possible! Below are the highlights from the research paper. Y...

Since I started working as a school librarian, I've always found a way to have a book club. In this post, I'll talk about my current method for administering a book club. It has evolved a bit over the years. Since coming to Bethel Middle School this year I have adapted it for 6th and 7th grades in my current position. The students seem to really enjoy it. This year we have read two books in 4 separate clubs. In the fall we read The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn. During the spring semester, we read Pax by Sara Pennypacker. Since we use a Scholastic Book Fair as our main fundraiser for the fall, I use some of the money to purchase book club books (usually from Scholastic). While we are reading a book, I generally have 3-4 book club meetings during lunch in the library. As long as students come to all the meetings and/ or participate in my Google Classroom discussions, they get to keep the book at no cost. I usually have around 10 students in each club. I have ...