3.1 Efficient & Ethical Information Seeking Behavior

​Candidates are familiar with a wide range of children’s, young adult, and professional literature in multiple formats and languages to support reading for information, reading for pleasure, and reading for lifelong learning.
PicturePage 1 of written instructions for using SIRS Discoverer
Description
This artifact includes written instructions for how to use the database SIRS Discoverer as well as a screencast demonstrating how to use Britannica School Elementary Edition. In both sets of instructions, I modeled for students, teachers, and administrators how to locate and ethically use information for specific purposes.
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Analysis
Both artifacts effectively provide visual guidance in the navigation of powerful databases. Step-by-step written instructions, along with screenshots, help researchers find the most useful features of SIRS Discoverer. The screencast on using Britannica School Elementary Edition effectively uses both audio and visual cues. Those who learn best by doing can easily pause the screencast as they follow along in the database. I shared the SIRS Discoverer instructions in Google Drive with students at the beginning of the year. This allows them to access it whenever they need it for research throughout the year. Some of my struggling readers have a hard time following the written instructions, so I plan to create a screencast for this database as well.
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​Reflection
When I am learning something new, I always benefit from seeing the instructions as well as hearing them. The invention of YouTube has saved me so many times when putting things together or trying to figure out how to do something I have never done before. I love being able to see a person do it, while explaining what he is doing. This is why I love my Britannica School Elementary Edition screencast. I have not had a chance to use it because we don’t have this database in Howard County, but I plan to create similar screencasts for the databases that we do have. These screencasts are a great way to help teachers and students locate, evaluate, and ethically use information

3.2 Access to Information

Candidates support flexible, open access for library services. Candidates demonstrate their ability to develop solutions for addressing physical, social and intellectual barriers to equitable access to resources and services. Candidates facilitate access to information in print, non-print, and digital formats. Candidates model and communicate the legal and ethical codes of the profession.
PictureWebsites page of my reference website
Description
I developed a website that provides access to information in print, non-print, and digital formats while modeling and communicating the legal and ethical codes of school librarianship. My reference website includes links to the public library system, research sites, databases, and pathfinders. It allows students and teachers open access to library services and resources from school or home.
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Analysis
There are many sites that compile lists of resources, but not all are geared specifically to students, and many do not have a good description of each resource. My reference website is excellent because it is tailored to my students and has solid descriptions of each featured resource. There are a wide variety of links to explore such as Web 2.0 tools, sites for exploring art or science, and pathfinders to help with specific curriculum content. Students of all ages and abilities will find something on this site. Library patrons can find books using the link to our school’s PAC as well as the link for the public library. To model the legal and ethical codes that I follow, students and parents can visit the “Policies” page.​

​Reflection
I put a link to this site on my Canvas page at the beginning of this year so that students, staff, and parents could access it easily. Before I even had the chance to point it out to my students, I got an email from a parent thanking me for sharing it. She has four children, one in fourth grade, one in seventh grade, and twins in tenth grade. She was so appreciative of the many different resources that I highlighted and had used several of them at home with her children. This is one of those proud moments in your career when you realize that you are having an impact and that what you do matters. I plan to continue to update the site with the most recent resources and would like to add a page of apps for tablets.
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3.3 Information Technology

Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research, learning, creating, and communicating in a digital society.
PictureScreenshot of my video explaining how to use Blabberize
Description
These Web 2.0 tools represent the latest and greatest in educational technology. My group members and I worked to create a comprehensive list of tools that students and teachers can use to support their research, learning, creating, and communicating in this digital world. 

​Analysis
There are so many digital tools, and it can be overwhelming to weed through them all. We created this collection to help students and teachers to find the best tools that will be most useful to them. There are tools for creating slideshows, reading and creating ebooks, recording and sharing audio, and creating videos. Teachers can use all these tools to enhance lessons and present information, while students can use the tools for research and to share their learning with peers. Each digital tool has a detailed description of how to use it as well as its strengths and weaknesses. The one weakness of this artifact is that it is in a Wiki.  It is a bit hard to navigate and is also visually unappealing. I plan to transfer this list into Google Slides, so it will be easier to access and read.​

Reflection
I had the opportunity to use Blabberize to support a unit on the Middle Ages with my class shortly after finding it for this artifact. My students loved finding photos and animating them to show what they learned in their research. They were so engaged in this project, and I never saw them sit so quietly while listening to the animations of their classmates. Like so many of the tools that we found for this project, Blabberize is a fantastic tool for learning, creating, and communicating. I would love to be able to use it in my library and share its usefulness with my fellow staff. As soon as I have this Wikki transferred to Google Slides, I will post them on my Canvas page so students, staff, and parents have the opportunity to view them and try them out.​

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3.4 Research& Knowledge

​Candidates model and facilitate the effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research, learning, creating, and communicating in a digital society.
PictureSlide detailing the questions that drove my action research project
Description
The goal of this multimedia presentation was to share how collaboration can affect the success of students at my school. I presented an area of weakness, reviewed research that supported my goals, presented ways to collect data, and offered my ideas for a solution to the problem.

​Analysis
This presentation is a powerful tool for affecting change in my school. The questions at the beginning of each slide encourage teachers to think critically and engage personally in the presentation. I used real data from surveys and observations, as well as educational research studies, to support my belief that we should be working together to help our students succeed. This action research plan shows the entire school how dedicated I am to work with teachers. Collaboration is challenging in elementary schools with fixed schedules, and not all teachers are convinced that working with the school librarian can have an impact. 

Reflection
One of the biggest weakness of my library program is the lack of true collaboration between myself and my staff. Every teacher teaches note-taking in a different way, and by the time they get to middle school, students must learn an entirely different way of taking notes. This presentation is an excellent tool that uses evidence to show how important note-taking skills are and how collaboration could have a big impact on student success. Through patience and diligence, I will work hard to gain the trust of my staff and administrators, so they too can see the benefit of working together to streamline our note-taking process.​​