Survey Questions to LM_NET subscribers:=20
1. What is the one most important issue facing the school technology =20
coordinator in our state? =20
2. What is the one most important issue facing the library media =
coordinator
in our state? =20
3. What one thing has contributed the most to the success of your =
library =20
media program? =20
4. What one thing has contributed the most to the success of the =
technology
program in your school?=20
Send your responses to my email. These can be as short as a sentence or =
two
or longer if you prefer. Your respones will be compiled and published =
in the
next online issue of AECT News. Your responses will be confidential =
and no
names or schools will be revealed.=20
Many Thanks to you all,
Carol Brown, Assistant Professor
East Carolina University
************************************************************************=
****
******
1. What is the one most important issue facing the school technology =20
coordinator in our state? I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IS MONEY. =
HOW
ARE WE GOING TO FUND=20
TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS WITH ALL THE ADVANCEMENTS THAT OCCUR ALMOST DAILY.
2. What is the one most important issue facing the library media =
coordinator
in our state? AGAIN MONEY IS AN ISSUE. I THINK AN EFFECTIVE LIBRARY =
HAS TO
NOT ONLY HAVE=20
BOOKS, BUT ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. =20
3. What one thing has contributed the most to the success of your =
library =20
media program? OUR PTA IS A LARGE CONTRIBUTOR TO OUR LIBRARY. THEY =
GIVE
MONEY EVERY YEAR=20
TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BOOKS AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS.
4. What one thing has contributed the most to the success of the =
technology
program in your school? OUR PRINCIPAL. HE IS A WONDERFUL ADVOCATE FOR =
THE=20
PURCHASE OF ADDITIONAL HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT. I=20
THINK HIS SUPPORT IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR PROGRAM. HE PUSHED =
FOR THE PURCHASE OF LAPTOP CARTS THAT WOULD ALLOW ALL STUDENTS TO USE=20
COMPUTERS SIMULTANEOUSLY. =20
=20
=20
Laura Norris=20
IU South Bend, IN=20
SLIS Student=20
naura79@yahoo.com
=20
************************************************************************=
****
******
The big issues, huh? Well, in the state of Texas there are many. =
However,
probably the biggest issue I=20
face on a daily basis is how to make library lessons meaningful. Our =
campus
is pretty much locked into=20
a fixed schedule, which will probably become even more ridged since =
during
the last 3 years we have=20
seen our student population rise from 612 to 825 and is projected to be =
925
next year. There is little=20
time for any formal collaboration with teachers who are already =
overburdened
and up to their necks in=20
paperwork, district testing, state testing. Besides, I really don=92t =
care HOW
the kids get to the library;=20
I=92m just glad they are there.
I have found that in our current situation informal collaboration such =
as
discussions during lunch, after=20
meetings, or chance meetings in the hallways are about the best I can =
hope
for. I keep my ears open for=20
what the teachers are doing and I ask the kids. I send out LOTS of =
emails (I
try to keep them light and=20
entertaining as well as informative.) When I find something that I =
believe
to be of particular help to a=20
specific teacher or grade level, I email it. I also do something I call =
the
Library Resource of the Week=20
and keep teachers informed about different resources that are =
available, but
perhaps not remembered.=20
It is only my 2nd year at this school and the school=92s first complete =
year
with a principal who is open to=20
new ideas. I feel like I am laying groundwork and it will take time,
creativity, and a new school=20
opening in our area (one is planned for 2 or 3 years down the road) =
before I
can even broach the topic=20
of flexible scheduling and more formal collaborative planning =
opportunties.
But I think as the teachers=20
become more comfortable with me and the ideas that I share with them =
they
may actually ASK for=20
such a change.
Rachel HInds
Librarian
Burton Elementary
Fresno Tx
mcquita2@aol.com
************************************************************************=
****
******
I guess my biggest problem is how teachers are trained. Collaboration =
is
not generally part of their=20
vocabulary, so to speak. Second the issue of copyright. Old habits =
are not
always good habits. The=20
law makes the topic of fair use very hard to understand and explain.
Finally, the problem of AR/RC=20
and how it =93looks=94 in the library.
On to the positives. LM-NET and continuing education provide me with
ongoing learning which=20
keeps me curious. My classwork for my MLS was great. It did help that =
I
was already in a library and=20
could tailor assignments to seek either understanding or solutions of
situations that arose. Perhaps the=20
most helpful is my listening to teachers. They don=92t come right out =
and say
what they want/need. =20
However, in casual conversation they often share a lot.
Jennifer Rike=20
Roberta Tipps Elementary=20
3001 N. Walnut Creek Dr.=20
Mansfield, TX 76063=20
rikeje@mansfieldisd.org
************************************************************************=
****
******
I am the lone Librarian at my site and the co-technology coordinator =20
(with the programming/computer apps. teacher). Without a doubt money =
is =20
the central issue/problem every year. =20
For the Library: =20
During the 80s and most of the 90s school libraries in California were =
criminally under funded. Our district, unlike most of the districts in =
=20
this area, did manage to keep fulltime librarians at each site but with =
=20
no money the collections deteriorated to the point of being useless. I =
=20
have been aggressively weeding for about 5 years and still have tons of =
=20
garbage that needs to go. We had 3 years of state funding that helped =
a =20
lot but that has all but evaporated (the current and former =
governors=92 =20
statements that they have not cut education funding are lies). Between =
=20
the district and the site I get about $12 per student. In California =20
that is considered generous but after supplies, service and support =20
agreements, and online subscriptions that leaves very little for books. =
=20
I am left scrounging for pieces of one-time monies and unexpended =20
categorical funds.=20
For Technology: =20
The money for technology seems to come spurts. We have a little bit of =
=20
yearly site money that is hardly adequate to deal with crises, much =
less =20
an organized repair and replacement schedule. About 4 or 5 years ago =
we =20
received a state =93Digital High School=94 grant which put computers =
all =20
over campus and paid for some staff training. The yearly follow up =20
money (Technology Support and Staff Training grants) were, of course, =20
cut from the budget after one year. We now have aging computers with =20
little money to replace them. Money also limits the amount of help we =
get. Our site pays for one period per day of network support from the =
computer teacher and the district gives us a technician for 3 days per =
week. We have almost 400 computers and 4 servers so the support is not =
=20
nearly enough.=20
From an instructional standpoint I think information literacy skills =
are =20
a big issue. Most teachers don=92t bother teaching the students proper =
=20
research methodology or they will ask me to do a =935-10 minute=94 =20
explanation (they don=92t want to waste valuable research time teaching =
=20
kids how to do research). Some of our English teachers do a good job =20
but in other disciplines students are left to their own devices.=20
Success comes from having a supportive principal who does make money =20
available when he has it. The library has been expanded and =
transformed =20
in the last 5 years with his support. We have also made progress =20
updating the print collection (although current budget problems =
threaten =20
to undo that). Success also comes from having a good working =20
relationship with the other technology coordinator. He trusts me so I =
have full administrative rights to the network and the Web server. =
This =20
means I can get things done when I need to and don=92t have to wait for =
=20
someone else to update my web page or install software. We are both =20
teachers so instructional implications are always considered when =20
decisions are made (unlike other schools in our area that have techies =
making all of the decisions).=20
---- =20
Tony Doyle, Librarian =20
Livingston High School, Livingston, CA =20
tdoyle@muhsd.k12.ca.us =20
<Http://www.lhs.muhsd.k12.ca.us/library/index.htm> =20
=94You don=92t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get =20
people to stop reading them.=94=97Ray Bradbury=20
************************************************************************=
****
*****
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
LM_NET
Mailing List Home