SARAH SELK ANNUAL REPORT

2013-2014 MEDIA CENTER HIGHLIGHTS

MISSION STATEMENT
I worked this past year to develop a library media program where I collaborate with staff and the community to provide an environment in the library that will empower students with access to information and the 21st century skills theyll need to become self-directed, life-long learners.

This past year, I collaborated with teachers to design, implement, and evaluate engaging inquiry based lessons that offered opportunities for higher-level thinking. In addition, I worked to provide teachers with curriculum based resources in various formats. The implementation of my departments new ICT standards (Inquiry; Critical Thinking and Collaboration; Technology) driven by AASL, NETS, Common Core, and 21st Century national standards has allowed me to collaborate with all classroom teachers and revisit many of our projects. The ICT standards assure that all my projects are a collaborative effort and implement technology and higher order thinking skills. Some of these projects include the following 1st Grade Graphing Project 2nd Grade Community Project 3rd Grade Native American Project 4th Grade Explorer Project 5th Grade Light and Sound Project School Wide Columbus Day Activity School wide Veterans Day Activity In addition to ICT driven, collaborative projects, I developed and offered a Columbus Day school wide activity that touched on the understanding of history itself as unchanging and our understanding of history as something that is always changing. The activity required students to analyze primary and secondary resources to evaluate a current historical dispute. To promote the activity, I emailed teachers and clearly identified how the activity ties into national standards. Many classes participated in and enjoyed the activity. The truth that only our understanding of history changes is something that applies to all social studies units and can be revisited throughout any social studies curriculum.

Collaborating to Deliver the Curriculum

In the implementation of our districts ICT standards, all projects have been a collaborative effort between myself and classroom teachers. I worked with the second grade this year to develop a new project for their unit on building a society. Students used Google Maps along with our new Kidspiration software to develop an understanding of what makes a society urban, rural, or suburban. Google Maps allowed students to analyze elements of rural and urban areas and compare them to Fairfield. Kidspiration allowed our students to create their own urban, rural, or suburban society.

Anansi and the Magic Stick Ms. Carignans Kindergarten Class

I continue to attend a teacher planning meeting once a month for each grade level. We also collaborate through email or during lunch as needed.

In addition to attending the AASL national convention this year, I continue to subscribe to professional journals and stay up to date on national technology, reading and literacy trends to improve student learning and continue my own education. In addition, I participated in the professional development necessary to sustain and develop knowledge and skills. I provided my staff members with professional development in technology three times throughout the year. My favorite being the workshops on Web 2.0 applications and SCRATCH, a new programming application created by MIT. I enjoyed seeing my staff members integrate these applications into their curriculums.

Students at schools with strong media centers scored significantly higher on standardized tests Educationworld.com
I am proud of our McKinley students this year for once again surpassing the state averages in regards to CMT scores. A study conducted by Colorados Library Research Services found that students attending schools with strong media centers score significantly higher on standardized tests than those who do not (Star). The study concluded that effective library media centers have the staffing and resources to support the schools students, implement information and technology skills, collaborate with classroom teachers, and provide flexible scheduling (Star). It makes me proud to know that we are providing these same services to students at McKinley

Technology Integration
Students must possess technology skills to be successful in todays McKinleys CMT Scores information age. The district initiative to implement 21st century skills into our new library curriculum has caused us to rework many of our projects, making them even more technology driven. Our new Kidspiration software was used in the second grade community project and allowed students to create their own communities. In the third grade Native American project, students use eBooks for their research and Clicker Paint to draw Native American artifacts. In the fourth grade explorer project, students used digital resources for their research, and Glogster to create digital posters that persuade their classmates to fund their exploration. In the fifth grade Light and Sound project, students use digital resources for their research, and then choose either PowerPoint, Glogster or Prezi to present their answer to their essential question. An EduBlog is used throughout the Light and Sound project as a weekly digital reflection. The new iPods we received this year through a United Way grant have helped tremendously with our ELL students. We are now able to easily download audio books or upload voice recordings to supplement reading materials for students. Our new lap top cart, a district purchase, has helped to bring more technology into classrooms. Teachers have taken them into the classroom for word processing. Some borrow them to supplement printed text with multimedia formats for students in need of reinforcement. They were even used to create a temporary lab in the library during standardized testing periods. During my monthly Technology Committee meeting to discuss what is currently happening in the field of technology, what the school could use, how the budget could best be invested in technology, and what the school will need in the future, I worked with my peers to draft, create, and implement teacher pages on the schools new website. These pages allow teachers to post up-to-date classroom information, improving communication with the community. In addition, we discussed the districts new student information system, Infinite Campus, specifically, how to go about training our staff and parents. Our decision to offer training sessions to staff members before school and invite parents to attend after school training sessions has proven successful. We plan to continue to offer these services for new parents and staff.

CLASS VISITS AND USAGE PATTERNS

I helped to conduct 18 collaborative units this past year. Each grade level comes to the library for a collaborative unit each trimester. I also invite classes throughout the year for story time. Students also come as a class, in small groups or independently to select books.

Collection Statistics
Our circulation has gone up this year after removing some limits on book checkouts. Students are now allowed to check out three instead of two books. More books are lost, but the increase in circulation far outweighs the loss. The total circulation in this past year was 36,000, which breaks down to about 75 books per student. We hope to improve our circulation statistics in the upcoming year by allowing 4th and 5th grade students to borrow books independently. If all library staff member are teaching or otherwise away from the front desk, these students can leave their information and the barcode of their book. The book is then officially checked out to the student by a staff member when it is more convenient. We have 20,116 print books and 12 e-books. The average age of this collection is 15 years. Our highest circulation area is picture books. However, we expect that to change as the common core changes the language arts curriculum to incorporate more non-fiction. We added to our folktale collection this year to supplement the 3rd grade culture and second grade fairy tale curriculums.

McKinley Elementary School LMC

Our brand new website, which I created using a template designed by our district webmaster, did an excellent job of addressing our schools needs. So far, the website is working successfully and the most popular sections are the links to our Destiny catalog, the computer class websites, math and science applications, and the links to our grade level projects. Staff and students continue to use our databases, Discovery Education, Encyclopedia Britannica Culture Grams, NetTrekker, TeachingBooks, Brain Pop, and WebPath Express, to conduct research and supplement curriculum materials. The databases are used by students in grades 3-5. The 3rd grade uses culture grams to learn about Africa and Encyclopedia Britannica for both their Africa and ecology projects. The fifth grade uses Britannica and WebPath Express for their Light and Sound project. The 4th grade uses Encyclopedia Britannica during their project on explorers. The library was used throughout the year for various family reading nights. Families were invited to visit the LMC for a family reading night. Books are chosen by theme. One night in March focused on friendships which tied in nicely to our anti-bullying initiative. After I read a book to everyone, families broke up and read chosen books to each other. The library was also used during my afterschool nutmeg book club. Both programs were a successful use of the LMC and I will work to make sure they continue into the upcoming year.

MY EXCELLENT STAFF
My full time paraprofessional, Debbie Smith, provides me with the time I need to fulfill my role as a library media specialist. Debbie works with students to assist with technology needs, she assists in collaborative units working with me and classroom teacher throughout projects as needed. She works with small groups to complete projects. She works with student council to produce a Monday and Friday cable morning news program. She also assists me during technology club. She is a wonderful asset to our team. The ticket system used by our part time IT specialist, Sue Doward, keeps her up to date on our schools needs even though she is only here once every four days.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
This year I created a community outreach program to address the needs of our McKinley families and provide them with the technology needed for students to be successful and parents to stay well informed. The weekly hours held in the library allowed students and parents to access the resources in our library. I also, once again, reached out to the town librarian to discuss summer reading lists. I will be loaning some of my copies of our summer reading books to her this summer.

LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE Challenges

As we work to implement technology into all our collaborative library units, we come across more technological problems. One solution could be for an IT specialist to have more of a presence in our school. When technological issues arise during a lesson, I put in a ticket and the problem does get fixed, but, not in time for the technology to be of use that day. It is difficult to overcome the technological glitches we often face as technology is incorporated into all of our units with an IT specialist who is out of the building so often.

Progress towards Current School Year Goals

1. Elementary Library Media Specialists are continuing to meet and identify ICT standards that will be assessed at each grade level. Reflection: We met each trimester to talk about our grade level projects, what worked and what we could do better with. We collaborated to add HOT to at least one ICT project for each grade level. Based on our discussions, we looked at the grade level ICT skills for each project and in some cases we did some tweaking of the skills as well as moving some of them around. 2. We will be revising our library curriculum Reflection: Our curriculum presentation to the Board was moved ahead one year. Therefore our work on writing the curriculum was put off until next year. We spent this year piloting what we have so far, seeing what worked and what didnt and making adjustments. 3. Rubrics are/will be created and piloted Reflection: We created basic rubrics for each project addressing the ICT skills identified for that project. Once the ICT skills/projects are finalized we will add additional ICT skills to project rubrics.

Goals for Next Year

Continue to identify information, communication and technology skills and link them to core curricular areas in science. A lot of what I do is related to social studies so this year I will work to implement these skills into the science curriculum. 2. Continue to collaboratively develop and revise new ICT projects to include higher order thinking. 3. Continue to create rubrics for ICT projects. - ICT skills will be assessed at all grade levels each trimester - Higher order thinking skills will be part of at least one ICT project at each grade level this year. Higher order thinking skills will be assessed after the first trimester. - Students will complete and be assessed on at least one ICT project through the LLC each trimester. Rubrics will be created to assess the ICT skills. Observational data will be collected as students work. 1.

WORKS CITED
Star, Linda. "Strong LibrariesImprove Student Achievement." Education World. N.p., 11 July 2000. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin178.shtml>. United States. Connecticut State Department of Education. Strategic School Profile 2010-11 Fairfield School District. N.p.: n.p., 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://fairfieldschools.org/downloads/2010-2011-Strategic-SchoolProfile.pdf>.

SARAH SELK

McKinley Elementary School Fairfield, CT