Program+Administrator


 * Media Specialist as Program Administrator**

//This month has been a busy one as students return from winter break. Books are being checked out so students can gain Accelerated Reader (AR) points. The purpose of this program is to make sure that students are finding books that they enjoy and that reading comprehension and fluency are growing. We will see evidence of this on the CRCT test scores this spring. We have the mobile iPad lab just about ready to be checked out by teachers. The cart is set up with iPad holders, power adapters, and a place for the computer to sync them. We have downloaded many free apps that have been requested by teachers, as well as some very inexpensive apps that will benefit the students in the classroom. We lack 10 iPads, which should arrive at the beginning of February, which will give us a total of 30. The Media Specialist attended a county wide meeting other MS's in the system to discuss current issues, particularly the possibility of funding being dropped by the state for Galileo. This would be a disaster for students who access this database daily to gain the information they need and to develop the information literacy skills they need for the future. For the year 2010, K-12 students conducted over 13 million searches on GALILEO and accessed 27,823,049 full-text articles. Searches: 13,100,865// //Full-Text Articles: 27,823,049 These are some impressive numbers that show the need for GALILEO across the state. Please contact our district representative Jay Neal, to share the need for GALILEO and that budget cuts can be made in other areas, besides schools.// //Also this month, the media center hosted area business leaders to highlight what the school is doing for career development with GA411 and to demonstrate the technology the school is using in the classroom and media center. Professional development for LMS staff took place in the media center. Teachers discussed the book study on the Curriculum development blog. The media center also hosted the Gifted Teaching endorsement classes for teachers from all over northwest Georgia. It has been a busy first month for 2011. We have hit the ground running and look forward to making this a productive year.//
 * //January Memo to the Principal//**

//**February Memo to the Principal**// //The media center is back in full swing as February brings many individuals and classes for research, lessons on information and media literacy, and students checking out books to accumulate Accelerated Reader points. The media center collection is improving as older titles are weeded out of the collection and newer ones added. As many teachers and administrators are giving their third benchmark test for the year, many are using the media center's resources to prepare. The mobile MacBook lab and new iPad lab are both reserved weeks in advance. Teachers and students are clearly growing in their ability to use technology to access educational resources. As CRCT review is becoming the next big focus, the students have shown thousands of hits on Study Island both at school and at home. The media center has recently hosted a faculty meeting to facilitate CRCT-m and CRCT training for all faculty involved in giving the standardized test. These test scores will be not only a reflection of how our teachers are doing in the classroom, but how central the media center is in the learning process.//

//**March Memo to the Principal**// //Spring is in the air and a spring cleaning is what the media center has had both at the Academy and main campus. Staff development in the media center was a fun and informative experience for everyone. In order to explore the new Class Keys evaluation instrument, teachers and administrators participated in a competition to create the best presentation using iMovie, flip cameras, and a scavenger hunt for Class Keys related artifacts around the school in anybody's classroom. The movies were entertaining, thought provoking, and a very productive way to use our resources to enhance our professional development and overall quality of instruction. The media center hosted a monthly meeting of media specialists from around the county. We were joined by a representative from Follett who presented some new resources and features in TitleWave, as well as interactive eBook subscriptions, databases, and reading intervention programs. The media specialists from around the county will consider their budgets in selecting any upgrades to current subscriptions. The media center not only has what students need, but also what teachers need. The professional section has been updated. The media specialist made appearances at recent grade level curriculum development meetings to give teaching a state of the media center address, discussing the technology and text resources in the media center. Many teachers take full advantage of the technology, many more will be using the professional section and reference section for creating engaging lesson plans. Anticipation is growing with the CRCT coming up in April. The media center is always available to provide anything we can to make sure that all students are adequately prepared to demonstrate the meaningful learning they have achieved throughout the year.//

//**April Memo to the Principal**// //April is Advocacy month for the media center! The media center is integral to the learning process as we provide the print and non-print materials as well as the technology needed by teachers, students, and support staff to create the ideal learning experience to reach each individual student's unique educational needs. Every student deserves to have access to the latest books and the most current publications available. Students must be able to make connections between the curriculum standards and real world issues and the media center provides for that. The digital needs of the 21st century learner are changing and the media center equips educators with the technology and training to facilitate this process. Not all students have access to technology at home and the media center is playing a significant role in bridging the digital divide. These skills are necessary to prepare students for graduation and ultimately to contribute to the world in a meaningful way through their future careers. To make a difference in their communities, students must be able to think critically in order to approach problems with creative solutions. Media/information literacy and digital citizenship are necessary for continued growth throughout one's life, and this begins in the media center. April may be Advocacy month, but what the media center and staff provide everyday is significant, necessary, and cannot be replaced.//