Re: [LM_NET] AASL on National Education Technology Plan

[Paula Yohe <paula_yohe@YAHOO.COM>]

Ah -- the debate begins -- Intersting point of view ---
Any other high school folks care to jump in --
Paula

NHS Webmaster <nhswebmaster@COLLIER.K12.FL.US> wrote:
I will posit a contrarians view.

I believe that school libraries, and especially high school libraries,
are on there way to becoming obsolete. That said, I think we need to
refocus completely what a high school library library can provide.
Please note, I am referencing high school libraries only.

We have a huge print reference collection that is no longer used.
Absolutely. By no one. Not an encyclopedia, not an almanac, not a
dictionary. The only use we get is for road atlases, because Drivers Ed
requires both a print map and an Internet based map.

No student uses are general collection unless required for a school
assignment.

No one, not one, checks out a book for reading for personal development.

Nada, no one.

Teachers no longer use the library. Not our ESOL teachers--they require
that their students select books only from their classroom libraries,
nor the Reading teachers, they are focused on Read 180 and the books are
in their rooms.

There is no focus on outside readings. Social studies and science
teachers from low level to AP are so structured that the use of the
library is out.

The AP programs on the Internet feature their own outside readings.
There is no in-depth reading of books in a library required.

We cannot support the highest level of student researchers, as we do not
have the funds to support books at their level. We ferry them to the
local university instead.

Our library could be reduced by one half. A room for presentations, a
computer lab, and a modest area for recreational reading--paperbacks and
high-interest periodicals.

And our staff could be reduced by at least one professional.

One professional/one aide would be enough (I know some of you would be
blessed to have that) to service 1700 students.

The use of the library media center is declining year by year,
standardized testing plays a part, national studies that say that
reading for pleasure does not improve test scores is another, the rise
in acceptable use of copy and paste assignments by teachers is yet
another.

So, why do we even need libraries? A reasonalbly sized room with
computers and some magazines and paperback fiction is enough!

Food for thought!

Adam


Adam Janowski
Library Media Specialist
Naples High School
1100 Golden Eagle Circle
Naples, FL 34102
E-mail: NHSWebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us
Phone: 239-377-2210
Fax: 239-430-6673
Library web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/lmc/
School web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/
>>> Peter Milbury
01/21/05 9:51 AM >>>
Dear LM_NET Colleagues,

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005, Brent Bradley wrote:
>I'm more interested in what people think of the NCES document
"technology
> in schools" at
> http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003313
> While the AASL and the NETP pieces seem to be a lot of propaganda and
> 'We're doing great things here', this document seems (to my untrained
> eye, I suppose) something actually useful to districts and individual
> schools.

I think Brent made an astute observation. Bureaucracies always seem to
drift toward inertia, or even worse, self-destruction. They become timid
and afraid of offending their perceived benefactors, and even forget
about
who their benefactors are!

We just have to do our best with what we have, and let it be known when
there are deficiencies. There are many ways to band together for
mutual support, and LM_NET is one of them.

Perhaps there is a way that we can let both ISTE and the U.S. Department
of Education know that they are ignoring school libraries in this
important document, the National Education Technology Plan.?

Please, let us all know your thoughts on this topic!

Peter Milbury, LM_NET Co-Moderator pmilbury@iis.syr.edu
School Librarian/CA TeleMentor, Chico HS, Chico, CA
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Paula Yohe
Director Of Technology/Library Media Center
Dillon School District Two
405 West Washington Street
Dillon, SC 29536
Phone: 843-841-3604 Fax:843-774-1214
paula_yohe@yahoo.com
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