Advocacy and Leadership
Candidates advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community. Candidates are committed to continuous learning and professional growth and lead professional development activities for other educators. Candidates provide leadership by articulating ways in which school libraries contribute to student achievement.
Reflection
It is important for media specialists to be strong advocates for their media center programs and to be seen as leaders in their schools by students and by their peers. The media specialist sets the tone for the media center program and should create a positive learning environment in the media center and a virtual presence online that will impact student achievement in a positive way. I have been able to demonstrate my leadership ability and advocacy for media center programs in several ways throughout my graduate program.
In FRIT 7235 (Digital Learning Environments), I created an Online Learning Module based on the instructional design unit I created for FRIT 7231. The professional development class I created for a group of administrators at the local Board of Education was on the topic of designing effective presentations. I set instructional goals for the learners, developed four different learning modules, and developed assessments to measure learner comprehension and growth. This class was designed so learners could move through the unit at their own pace in order to achieve the greatest benefit from the learning modules.
As part of my Practicum, I created another professional development class on the effective use of technology which I delivered to a group of teachers. The topic of this class was Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. The module instructed teachers on the wide variety of Web 2.0 tools available to them and showed them specific examples of ways these tools could be incorporated in their instruction.
As media center advocate, I created two more projects to promote the media center to students and parents. In FRIT 7335 (Web Design), I created a Media Center Web Site for a local primary school. The website included information about the operation of the media center, provided research tips and featured author information for students, informed students about the book review program, and offered links to other age-appropriate educational websites. In FRIT 7230, I put information of this type in video form when I created my Digital Story. The video was designed to introduce students to the media center, provided them with a guided tour, and give them information about the types of books and other materials available to them in the media center.
In FRIT 7235 (Digital Learning Environments), I created an Online Learning Module based on the instructional design unit I created for FRIT 7231. The professional development class I created for a group of administrators at the local Board of Education was on the topic of designing effective presentations. I set instructional goals for the learners, developed four different learning modules, and developed assessments to measure learner comprehension and growth. This class was designed so learners could move through the unit at their own pace in order to achieve the greatest benefit from the learning modules.
As part of my Practicum, I created another professional development class on the effective use of technology which I delivered to a group of teachers. The topic of this class was Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. The module instructed teachers on the wide variety of Web 2.0 tools available to them and showed them specific examples of ways these tools could be incorporated in their instruction.
As media center advocate, I created two more projects to promote the media center to students and parents. In FRIT 7335 (Web Design), I created a Media Center Web Site for a local primary school. The website included information about the operation of the media center, provided research tips and featured author information for students, informed students about the book review program, and offered links to other age-appropriate educational websites. In FRIT 7230, I put information of this type in video form when I created my Digital Story. The video was designed to introduce students to the media center, provided them with a guided tour, and give them information about the types of books and other materials available to them in the media center.