Tag: capstone

The Way of the Librarian

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1/28/2021

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For those of you new to librarianship or curious about librarianship, there is a Code of Honor that frames and guides our vocational life. When we agree to become a librarian, we agree to follow the Code, exhibit the behaviors and dispositions defined in the Code, and learn to recognize these qualities in others. This practice is known as The Way of The Librarian.
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This is the Code.
As a librarian, I promise to:

  • Be a searcher: I will look for information before asking anyone else. I will not email another to ask them where to find something until I have exhausted all possible sources. I will always seek the best proximity to the primary source.
  • Be a protector: I will preserve my patrons’ privacy, voice, and ability to access the information they want and need. I will stand by the ideals of equity, fairness, and justice in all that I do.
  • Be open: I will embrace outside opinions, new ideas, and multiple perspectives and share them widely. I am willing to modify plans, collections, and policies based on a variety of new information, and I will proactively and persistently pursue avenues of finding new information to better meet the needs of my patrons.
  • Be confident: I will accept uncertainty and understand ambiguity in all aspects of my practice. I understand that I will have to make informed decisions in ambiguous situations that are in harmony with my values and the values of my library, school, and/or, community.
  • Be Brave: I will strive to exemplify strength through vulnerability, honesty, and transparency. I will serve as a vanguard when others can or will not. I may fail, but I will fail forward and will learn from failure to better serve my patrons.

When we choose to become a librarian and walk the Way we agree to obey this Code of Honor. It is a duty, responsibility, and privilege of the highest order. 

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THIS IS THE WAY
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The Way of the Librarian by @pamlibrarian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Your ePortfolio

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ePortfolioIn the LMS and ETI programs we are helping you to develop into innovative, passionate, and competent professionals. Your ePortfolio is one of the main tools to demonstrate your competency as a professional. We want you to use your ePortfolio to show off your professional successes using authentic examples of work that showcase your achievement and passions. 

I encourage you to evaluate several ePortfolio tools and choose the one that is best for you. We encourage you make this ePortfolio a valuable resource moving forward: not simply a checkbox on your diploma planning guide. How can your ePortfolio represent you and all your have learned? Here are some suggestions:

Be Creative
In order to share your passion your ePortfolio needs your personal touch. You may want to use a different tool (check out this list of possible ePortfolio tools). Customize your colors, pictures, and layout.

Use Interesting Evidence
Find work that demonstrates what you are good at and what you care about as an educator. Throughout your program you will receive suggestions from your instructors on what to include in your portfolio, but they are simply suggestions. This is your ePortfolio. We want you to choose how you demonstrate your competence. Show us what you know by sharing videos, lesson plans, tweets, projects, photographs, illustrations, booklists, notes from students, papers your have written. The sky is the limit. Actually, there is no limit!

Try a Different Tool
Check out this list of ePortfolio tools (most have a free option for educators). http://plymouth-lis.libguides.com/ePortfolios  I use VisualCV as my professional ePortfolio.

Make it Relevant
It’s important to me that your ePortfolio remain a vital part of your professional career. You will continue to learn and will want a place to share your successes and reflections on your learning process. An ePortfolio is a crucial tool to assist you in sharing your professional accomplishments with an authentic audience. Think of it as a digital resume!

Align it to the Standards
If you are in the Library Media program use the five AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians:

  1. Teaching for Learning
  2. Literacy and Reading
  3. Information and Knowledge
  4. Advocacy and Leadership
  5. Program Management and Administration

If you are in the Technology Integrator program use the 6 ISTE Coaching Standards:

  1. Visionary Leadership
  2. Teaching, Learning, and Assessments
  3. Digital Age Learning Environments
  4. Professional Development and Program Evaluation
  5. Digital Citizenship
  6. Content Knowledge and Professional Growth

Take the Class
Register for CE 5140 ePortfolio Development and Assessment – where we will help you to set up your own professional ePortfolio. Library Media and Ed Tech Integrator candidates should all take this course. Let me know if you have questions about our ePortfolio requirements.

Contact: Pam Harland pcharland@plymouth.edu

Student Learning Projects

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Student Learning ProjectsLibrarians and Tech Integrators are great at collecting data: circulation checkouts, database use, Chromebooks per student, number of patrons walking into the library, etc. But how valuable is this information? This kind of data has little to do with our students learning to evaluate sources, understand content, gather evidence to support a claim, and ask good questions.

I ask you to reconsider how to collect data about your program. We all need to ask ourselves:

  • How does my work make a difference in improving teaching and learning?
  • What is my value to the learning culture?
  • How might I use evidence to improve my practice and enhance learning?

When you develop your Student Learning Project during your field experience, you will be coming up with inventive ways to measure those questions.

Start with a Lesson Plan Template Tool
There is a value in different lesson plan template tools. The one you pick will help you stay focused and on task as your plan your Student Learning Project. Try out the STEM Inquiry Lesson Template from the OER Commons.

Choose Your Standards
Focus on 3 standards. It’s overwhelming when faced with the Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, C3 Social Studies Framework, ISTE Standards for Students, and National School Library Standards.

Nail Down Student Learning Objectives
What is it that you want students to know and be able to do when they complete the unit? Be specific and make sure these are measurable. Consider the diverse student populations in your classes and how you will meet their needs, too.

Develop Pre-Assessments
How will you know if your students actually learned what you are trying to teach if you don’t start off with some data? Think of creative ways to gather this data about your students. It doesn’t have to be a test or a quiz. Read this excellent blog post called 10 Creative Pre-Assessment Ideas You May Not Know by Angela Stockman. Once you have a pre-assessment, you can deliver it at any time and analyze that data. Do you notice any trends?

Plan
Prepare your actual lessons. Test your technology tools. Do you need any assistive technologies for your students? Talk to your collaborative partner about who is going to do what. I’m not recommending a rehearsal, but it’s great to know which content you were planning on delivering before you stumble over each other in front of students.

Co-Teach
While you are teaching, ask your teaching partner to video a presentation. You can use this to submit as your video demonstration of teaching.

Post-Assessment
This is your final project for your students. They will complete their projects, create their masterpieces, or share their knowledge in an inventive way. How will you measure whether they met the goals you set for them? Did they learn what you thought they would? Gather your rubrics, review your data, and analyze. How does it compare to the pre-assessment?

Reflect
“We don’t learn from experience… we learn by reflecting on experience” John Dewey. I know! Another John Dewey quote, but this is so important. Sit down and write a reflection on your student learning project. What went well? What needs improvement for next time? How can you use the data you found to improve your teaching practice? Be honest. Be thoughtful. Look at student work and think about how you could have done something differently.

Let me know if you have questions about your student learning project. The detailed description and rubric is in your Moodle. Now go forth and teach!

Creating a Rich Field Experience

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Whether you’re completing an internship or a practicum, this is your chance to pull it all together. Your field experience should serve as the culminating project in your program—where all your learning comes to life!

In the Digital Learning Specialist (DLS) track, you’ll likely be teaching, planning, and collaborating, with a strong focus on technology integration. If you’re in the School Library Media Specialist (LMS) program, your practicum will involve observing and participating in the day-to-day world of school libraries across grade levels.

No matter your path, a rich field experience includes a variety of learning opportunities—and the more well-rounded your experience, the more rewarding (and fun) it will be.

Here are some ideas to deepen your experience and log meaningful hours:

Attend PD at Different Grade Levels

Sit in on PD sessions at elementary, middle, and high school levels to see how strategies shift across age groups. Compare classroom management, grading practices, or digital tool use. Conferences, district trainings, or webinars geared toward unfamiliar levels = great insights + alternate hours!

Read (A Lot)

Read picture books, YA novels, academic articles, and everything in between. Read across content areas and grade levels. Interested in a specific topic? Do a mini literature review and add it to your ePortfolio as a showcase of your scholarly skills.

Build Your ePortfolio

Start building your professional identity now. Choose a platform (Google Site, VisualCV, Padlet, etc.) and begin organizing your work. Link your portfolio to your resume and bring it to interviews—it will speak volumes.

Shadow Across the School

Spend time with tech integrators, special educators, interventionists, administrators, counselors, or even the IT team. Notice how tech, data, and instructional support flow between roles. Ask how they collaborate—or wish they did. Log the overlaps and insights.

Co-Design a Learning Experience

Partner with a teacher to design a mini-unit, station rotation, or student choice board. Integrate media literacy, inquiry, or design thinking. Even better? Test it with a small group and reflect on what worked.

Run a Micro-Workshop

Offer a short PD session for teachers or students: 15 minutes on Canva, podcasting, digital citation tools, or AI. Keep it low-key and conversational. It’s all about building confidence and community.

Explore the Learning World

Binge a podcast series on equity in edtech, school library trends, or AI in K-12. Host a “listening club” chat with a peer or your mentor. Take notes on what inspired you and how it could show up in your future practice.

Facilitate a Student Voice Session

Ask students what they want in a library, what tech tools they actually use, or how they search online. Use Flip, Padlet, or old-fashioned sticky notes. What you learn can help shape a future collection, lesson, or space design.

Try Emerging Tools Thoughtfully

Experiment with AI tools, digital portfolios, or mixed reality apps—and document not just how they work, but how you might teach legally, ethically, and creatively with them. Consider writing short tool reviews to share with your mentor or colleagues.

Conduct a Mini Needs Assessment

Survey students or staff: What tools do they use? What books do they want? What would make the library or tech support more helpful? Analyze the data and share a quick summary with your mentor.

Your practicum or internship is more than just a checklist of hours. It’s your launchpad. Fill it with creativity, risk-taking, and curiosity—and make it your own.