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
************************************************************************=
****
******
Principals who do not understand the role and importance of the media =20
specialist especially at the elementary level, lack of appropriate =20
funding for media programs; older experienced teachers who want to =20
become media specialists with no effort on their part....thinking it is =
=20
an easy job and wanting to retire on the job; the Department of =20
Education letting people become certified by testing only creating a =20
pool of certified but unqualified persons, evalutaion of appropriate =20
materials/censorship challenges; unrealistic staffing patterns which =
are =20
one to infinity at elementary and middle school level and two to =20
infinity at the high school level; . =20
Paula Gleason =20
Coordinator District Media Services =20
Instructional Materials =20
************************************************************************=
****
******
The lack of time to do everything really has to be my number one =
problem. I
am the only person in a=20
middle school library with almost 700 students. I do have 2 student
volunteers who do a lot for me,=20
but there simply isn=92t enough hours in the day to do it all. So I =
try to
set my priorities and also try not=20
to beat myself up about things. Another problem is the =93island=94 =
effect. I
am a very social person and=20
work hard to interact with the staff. This is my first year in this
building. Unfortunately, many of my=20
coworkers simply have no idea what we do all day. I am trying to =
diplomatic
educate them without=20
bellyaching about my work load. After all, I want them to use the =
library,
not feel like they should stay=20
away. My district is very small, there is one librarian with an aide =
in our
K-2 school, and one librarian=20
(also with an aide) in our 3-5 school. We do communicate when we can, =
so
that along with this=20
listserv really helps tremendously !!!
Having the support of my building principal really makes it all worth =
while.
Do not underestimate the=20
power of a supportive and encouraging administrator. I have been =
pretty
lucky in this area. I have=20
worked for 2 awesome principals and only one that I wouldn=92t work for =
again.
Diane
************************************************************************=
****
*****
The biggest problem that I face is being stretched too thin. I am =
the
only paid staff in a library that serves=20
720+ students K-2. The schedule is totally fixed (which I find =
appropriate
for this age) and I see each student=20
each week. My most effective coping mechanisims for dealing with the =
time
crunch:=20
1. I plan lessons that connect with what each grade level is doing, =
rather
than collaborate individually with each=20
teacher.=20
2. I devote a substantial amount of time and energy into recruiting,
training and rewarding volunteers who=20
perform almost all circulation and shelving tasks.
What has contributed most to our successful program? maintaining =
good
relations with staff and parent=20
community.
Thanks for asking! =20
Mary Flanagan, Librarian=20
Chandler School=20
93 Chandler Street=20
Duxbury, MA 02332=20
************************************************************************=
****
******
I think the biggest problem facing media specialists in my district =
(and =20
probably in a lot of other districts also) is the fact that we are =20
required to cover plan time. Teachers have no interest in collabortive =
=20
planning and just want us to =93babysit=94 so they get their plan time. =
Most =20
of them really don=92t care what we=92re doing with their students =
although I =20
do have a few that will at least let me know what they=92re working on =
in =20
the classroom so I can try to reinforce that in library/computer lab.=20
What contributes most to the success of the program is probably =20
administrator support. If you don=92t have that, you won=92t get very =
far. =20
Unfortunately, as has been discussed on LM_NET often, many =
administrators =20
are not taught in their graduate coursework the true role of the =
library =20
in schools. Many of them also feel that it is our job to cover plan =
time =20
and to let kids check out books. With this mindset, it=92s very hard =
to get =20
much accomplished. Get the principal on your side, invite them in to =
see =20
what you=92re doing, etc. and you=92ll have more success with your =
program.=20
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ =20
Brenda Young, Library Media Specialist =20
Rose Hill Elementary =20
Omaha, NE =20
brenda.young@ops.org=20
************************************************************************=
****
******
I am graduating from ECU this spring and have been in my k-5 =20
library for four years. I need to qualify my answer to your question =
by =20
saying that I have a wonderful full-time assistant and we are in a new =
BIG =20
library. My biggest problems are 1. an overworked tech who has 6 =
schools. =20
He never has time to come fix stuff for us. We used to be able to =20
troubleshoot our eqipment but now that we are on a LAN, we can=92t even =
=20
install new computers, we just have to wait. 2. teachers who don=92t =
help us
get books back from the children. Some teachers do a great job and =
never =20
have lost or damaged books and others don=92t do anything and their =
children =20
lose and damage books or just keep them out for weeks without renewing =
them.
Mary Lou Hoffman =20
Media Specialist =20
Sand Ridge Elementary =20
Hubert, NC=20
************************************************************************=
****
******
1. What is the one most important issue facing the school technology =20
coordinator in our state?=20
Lack of state funding for this position/lack of state funding for STATE
recommended number of tech. facilitators per=20
school. (At Triton, by DPI standards, we should have 2.5 full time tech
facilitators and 2 aids. We are lucky that Harnett=20
County funds this position for all middle and hs, as most counties do =
not.)
2. What is the one most important issue facing the library media =
coordinator
in our state?=20
Lack of funds to update collections and include technology in media
programs.=20
3. What one thing has contributed the most to the success of your =
library =20
media program?=20
Excellent media coofdinators supported by the state=92s best county
media/technology department.=20
4. What one thing has contributed the most to the success of the =
technology
program in your school?=20
A team approach uniting media/technolgy in our school and support of =
the
state=92s best county media/technology=20
department.
************************************************************************=
****
******
Background: =20
I work in a high school in NE Florida. 1500+ students, 70+ faculty, 26 =
schools within the district. =20
What is the biggest problem you face consistently on the job? Changing =
focus/priority based on current need and shortage of staff. =20
Current focus: Our student population has a significant percentage of =20
students who are reading below grade level. Because so much emphasis =
and =20
recognition is placed on school grades and FCAT, I have been focused on =
=20
reading remediation and intervention this year. I have been fortunate =
in =20
that we have a Reading Specialist on faculty, and together we have =20
collaborated to create some fun, casual, and effective strategies for =20
improving reading skills. Our FCAT tests begin next week. To this end, =
we =20
have under-served the rest of the student population. This is also due =
to =20
the fact that we are understaffed with only one full-time Media =
Resource =20
Technician and one full-time Media Specialist. Our budget is less than =
$25,000 and we are able to draw financial support from other resources =
on =20
campus. Our goal is to demonstrate that we need to have 2 LMS on staff =
to =20
fully deliver good, balanced service and support to both faculty and =20
students.=20
What has contributed the most to the success of your media center or =
your =20
technology program? =20
A supportive administration, knowledgeable technology staff, teacher =20
collaboration.=20
I=92d like to hear from media specialists and technology coordinators =
and I=92d
love to see a discussion evolve with perspectives and opinions from =
both. =20
Perhaps you have dual responsibilities. If so, reply to both questions =
as =20
they impact media and technology.=20
************************************************************************=
****
******
Our tech coordinator is an enabling educator; I am fortunate. =
Maintaining a
positive, open line of=20
communication with our tech coordinator has helped me to achieve =
progress.=20
=20
=20
Martin Swist=20
mswist@asij.ac.jp =20
Library Media Specialist =20
The American School In Japan (ASIJ) =20
1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi, Tokyo, 182 Japan =20
Hospitality Committee Member of the Listserv, LM_NET =20
For a good time, click on http://www.asij.ac.jp/middle/lib/index.html
Many Thanks for these responses,
Carol Brown, East Carolina University
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