Now that we are 6 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for school media specialists to have information-rich webpages which their students can access 24/7. The following list provides the most important elements you need to place on your media center's site. Media specialists can also go HERE to find everything related to the many hats you wear in your teaching position.
1. Your media center's webpage needs to have a direct link on the home page for your school. It should not take several clicks to get to the page, i.e. District Home > Your School > Extra Resources >Your School's Media Center Home Page. Unfortunately, that's exactly the where my school put our link. 😞
2. Make the home page easy to navigate. Remember that you will have students of all ages and levels, whether you teach in an elementary, middle or high school. Ease of use will not frustrate your kids. Knollwood School Media Center(Elementary) has a clean main page, although I wish the resources page was alphabetically organized within categories, such as subscriptions, reading and research. I would not post user names and passwords for the world to see.
3. Make your website content rich and visually appealing.
In order to keep students interested and focused on learning, your site's interface should keep students coming back to explore more and more of resources you have posted. Convince them that your site can offer them more than a Google search. I created a page devoted just to pathfinders, covering 135 subjects, from African American Inventors and Scientists to Young Adult Authors. With an icon for each subject, the page is not just a list; it's a visual listing.
4. Utilize tutorials and infographics.
Putting tutorials on your site will allow anyone who needs assistance 24/7 help. Tutorials can be in the form of videos, (visual learners love this method) or infographics. Explain the rules of the media center, show how to search the card catalog etc. My media center had 20x30 enlargements of infographics I had created, and others I was able to download for classroom use. The first one by EasyBib should be on your website:
The next one covers the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism. Note the Creative Commons license at the bottom of the infographic:
I created this next example with SnagIt for Education, and because it was done quite a few years ago, this might not look the same on the EasyBib site. I wanted to show how helpful SnagIt is when you are a teacher.
Here's a video example of a tutorial to embed on your media center website:
5. Put a direct link to your online card catalog.
Students and staff should be able to view your collection from anywhere. Books can be easily reserved if they are listed as checked out.
6. Resources should hand-picked by the media specialist and posted on your site.
Important to cover: study skills, research paper formatting, tips for taking tests, recommended reading lists by grade level, website evaluation and cyber safety.
7. Provide contact information so that students and teachers can communicate with you. Use either a contact form, email address, or school phone number, if you are in school.
8. Provide either a photo or emoji of the media center staff:
9. Provide your mission information for the media center, as well as policies and procedures.
There are so many great apps out there and so little time to see them all. Some are available for just the iPad, and some are available for iPhone and Android. Teacher-librarians are always on the lookout for great apps and programs for their students and colleagues. This list will be added to the MEGALIST FOR TEACHER-LIBRARIANS. Just click the tab at the top of the page.
iBooks- for iPhone and iPad; download and read books
Free Books: 23,469 Classics to Go- for iPad; "Browse our handpicked collections, download any of our 23,469 classic books, and read with our fully featured eReader. Notes, highlights, bookmarks, dictionary support -- it’s all here."
Now that I have finally gotten to slow down and relax on my vacation, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who voted for my blog. I am very excited about winning the Edublog for Best Library Blog, but my reasons for wanting it might surprise you. During the voting phase, many of my students (and some friends) asked me what I would win as a prize. I told them that I wanted to expand my Internet presence as a media specialist and educator, and that I would be able to place the "winner" badge on my blog. My hope is that people who have never heard of me would give the blog a chance. Not sure if the students got it, but my friends sure did. Today's world is fueled by social media, and although I know I have an awesome blog, there are many others I continually learn from and respect, including Gwyneth Jones, Joyce Valenza, Tiffany Whitehead, Jennifer LaGarde, Nikki D. RobertsonandShannon Miller. If you are a teacher-librarian or media specialist, you should be following their blogs.
Part 2 of this post will cover this year's voting process.
Now that the summer has come to an end, I wanted to take a moment to personally thank the media specialists who contributed guest posts the past two months. Hope you all have a wonderful, successful school year!
Mary Alice Anderson (who was my teacher for two online courses I took)
Debbie Alvarez
Arlen Kimmelman (incoming President of the NJ Association of School Librarians)
I still enjoy the feel of pages in books and magazines. Reading on my tablet is easier than the computer screen, but that physical copy of a magazine or journal is my personal preference. How many of the following do you have subscriptions with? Many also have digital versions online which won't cost you a dime. NOTE: You can also find this list under the Teacher-Librarians tab at the top.
This week was the first week of school in my district. We had two days of meetings and professional development. On day two, everyone met with their department for their first meeting. I don't have a department; no library aide; no other adult to share concerns and ideas with. (I work in a junior-senior high school) What is your situation like? Please add your comment below.
I realize that I have been absent for 95% of the summer and I apologize for that. Health issues have finally been straightened out, and I'm ready to begin the new year tomorrow. In the meantime, I've prepared some important links for you to use.
New teachers, click here for oodles of assistance.
Teacher-Librarians and Media Specialists will find a ton of resources here.
If you are still looking for a teaching job, try this listing.
I promise to begin more new posts as of tomorrow. Have a great year!!
OnlineCollege.org has put together a super listing of 50 Great Google+ Tips for School Librarians. If you don't have a Gmail account, it's time for you to get one already! There are so many terrific things offered through Google, and one of them is Google+.
