Good evening!

Thank you for the opportunity to bring you up to date on what weve been doing
in our School Media program. Im Chris Wilson, Media Specialist for the K-4 schools in our
district, and my colleague Lisa Winchell, Media Specialist for the 5-8 schools, is joining us
remotely tonight.
We want to focus tonight on some innovative tech programs were working with, but I want to
give you a few facts and figures about our libraries.
Each of our three K-4 buildings and our intermediate and middle schools have a traditional
library, in which print, audio and online reading materials are available. Various literacy programs
like the Illinois Readers Choice contests and lunch hour book clubs are used to help students
develop a love of reading. Each building has a collection of approximately 75 volumes per
student of fiction, biography, non-fiction and reference. We examine each collection annually,
pulling volumes that are worn or out of date, and replacing them, as budget permits, with items
more appropriate to todays curriculum. As we transition to the Common Core, evaluating the
efficacy of our collections to support curriculum and developing an improvement plan has been
intense.
As you know, the term media in schools has come to encompass technology as well as print and
traditional A/V.
Each of our K-4 schools inventory includes 150 desktop and laptop computers, and 150 tablets
iPads or similar. About 2/3 of the computers are desktops in fixed positions in computer labs and
classrooms. The rest are laptops available for checkout by classes for projects. About of the
tablets are also available for classroom use, and the other half are used in our experimental 1:1
classrooms. We are among the leaders in Illinois experimenting with 1:1 classrooms in the lower
grades. It is often thought that since K-3 teaching is teacher-centric and that younger children
learn better through tactile encounters, that 1:1 is ineffective with those age groups. There are
some theories that younger children still benefit from 1:1, and well get a chance to evaluate that
for ourselves.
At the intermediate and middle school level the benefits of 1:1 are more widely documented.
1.

Students are much more able to stay organized on a single device than with multiple
folders, books and notes jammed into their backpacks. Theyre also much more able to
read the notes they make when theyre typed than when theyre scribbled on a scrap of
paper. Organization is one of the major life skills we find we have to teach in
intermediate and middle school, and this makes us better able to demonstrate that and
then get back to core teaching more quickly.

2.

Teachers are able to access a much wider variety of materials to support the
curriculum. Yes, were still buying textbooks, but we all know that information changes
constantly. When we have an electronic classroom, were much better able to keep our
students up to date with whats happening in the field. The teacher can even do a movie
that students access, in which the teacher explains a concept or procedure (think
algebra!) step by step. Students may get it on the first viewing, but if they dont, they
can replay it as many times as they need to. Students can also access outside materials
like Kahn Academy for different approaches to the same concept. Teacher Mark Pullen
says Human beings dont naturally all learn the same material at the same pace
and in the same way. 1:1 technology allows teachers to differentiate their content

delivery and student assignments to meet the needs of all students. Differentiation is
a key term there, one of the buzzwords Im sure you hear in education circles.
In addition, we are able to place access to our electronic textbooks and databases right
on the student desktop for instant access to reviewed, endorsed material. Teachers
maintain a Google site with links to online books, articles, websites and videos he or she
wants to access for the course. Students have time to review these materials in class, but
they can also refer back to them on their own time. Finally, they post their assignments
to the page when theyre complete. Yes, we did have one my dog ate my tablet
episode, but it didnt fly with Mr. McRory, and the students family has replaced the
tablet!
3.

Students are responsible for a relatively expensive piece of equipment for the whole
year. Responsibility is another life skill we are charged with developing in our students,
and this is a powerful real-time lesson. If/when devices are lost or damaged, we
encourage parents to make sure that the student is responsible for a good part, if not all,
of the replacement cost. When each student has an electronic device, we are also able to
weave state media standards like responsible online citizenship into our daily routine.

Personalized online learning is invaluable in the mainstream classroom, but we believe that it
may be even more useful in non-typical situations. Heres Lisa to describe that.
*See video below*
Thanks Lisa!
So to recap, we are working simultaneously to maintain a print library that supports the Common
Core, piloting 1:1 classrooms to differentiate learning, and working on other tech solutions to
meet student and family needs outside the norm.
Thats our Media program in a nutshell. Are there any questions?
ISAIL Guidelines:
o Teaching for Learning(p. 26) 4. The school library media program provides opportunities for
differentiated learning of multiple literacies through the integration of existing and emerging
technologies.
Student Impact
Learning and achievement improve when information is presented through a variety of
approaches. Technology aids students in comprehending information and producing new
knowledge. Students motivation increases as informational needs, both curricular and personal,
are met.
Implementation
*Understands the significance of differentiated instruction and is conversant in its various aspects
*Is a school leader in the integration and use of instructional technologies
*Guides students to formats most appropriate for their learning styles
*Offers access to technology tools to equalize opportunity for all school community
members
*Incorporates innovations in educational technologies

o Learning Environment (pg. 32) 1. The school library encompasses both physical and virtual
spaces that provide flexible, equitable, and efficient access to resources for all learners.
Student impact
Students with access to physical and virtual libraries are empowered to be well-informed learners
and decision makers.
Implementation
The school library information specialist:
*Ensures equitable access to local, regional, statewide, national, and global information
*Maintains a collection that is bibliographically and physically accessible, providing assistive
technology where appropriate
*Sets curriculum policies, hours of operation, and scheduling to provide maximum access to a
full range of information resources and services
*Provides information in a variety of print and electronic formats
o Leadership (pg. 50) 2. The school library information specialist explores new technologies
and actively models the use of those technologies for learning.
Student Impact
Students are active participants in the learning process through the use of technology.
Implementation
*Explores the educational uses of new technologies in collaboration with other teachers
*Trains students to use electronic media
*Sets policies and procedures to enable equitable access to hardware and software
*Stays current on the development of technologies
Illinois School Library Media Association. (2010). Linking for Learning. 3rd edition. Canton,
IL: ISLMA.