Elizabeth Winningham of the Avon Community School Corporation is another outstanding Indiana school media specialist. She is active in IAME and has served in a number of committees and roles - - IN DoE: Information Literacy Task Force Committee, involved with the integration of INSPIRE resources into teaching lessons, and a member of the Blue Ribbon School Committee.Elizabeth began her school library career opening the media center at Avon Intermediate School (Now designated as East). More recently, she was centrally involved in the planning, development, and opening of the media center for a new school, Avon Intermediate School West (Her current school location).
Learn more about Elizabeth Winningham at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/winningham.html
Learn more about Elizabeth Winningham at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/winningham.html
Visit the site for her Media Center at
Ms. Winningham,
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher and librarian at the Indiana School for the Blind. How have you integrated Inspire into library lessons? At my school, this of course takes some extra effort when students can't see the screen, but it's worth the effort!
Dayna Masih
Good Morning Ms. Winningham:
ReplyDeleteAccording to your profile for this interaction, you have been instrumental in opening several media centers in your career. What do you think are the key ingredients in transforming an everyday library into a media center for today's students?
Thanks,
Carol Sanders
Bedford, IN
I use Inspire to help students find research materials before just cruising the internet or "goggling it". Since we are a 5th and 6th grade building we usually give the students two to three locations to start their research from. After they have tried our resources they can then cruise. We find that most students find what they need from Inspire, Destiny Quest, our online catalog, and Sirs Discoverer. Our use is subject specific.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the media center is different from a library is a few ways. I encourage inquiry using all forms and formats of materials. We provide the tradional reading, computers for research, but we also have a writing center, daily welcome board with agenda's, geography pictures of the day for students to watch, music, games, puzzles, and a small production room for mutlimedia production. Some of our students participate in e-pals with classrooms from other countries, write book reviews into our on-line catalog, participate in discussion groups through online blogs and work as student assistants. I am not sure if this makes the media center any different from a library but the atmosphere and students willing to use your center to me is the most important. It is their media center not mine.
ReplyDeleteHello Ms. Winningham~
ReplyDeleteI am a media specialist in a K-4 building. It is my first year and I am loving it. I will admit; it is an overwhelming job!
I know that there are many databases like Inspire for students to access to find information. I know that students often times think googling any topic is the end all and be all of accessing information. There are also online encyclopedias, etc...
This summer (thinking I was going to be teaching fifth grade again), I found a 2006 set of World Book encyclopedias for a very reasonable price. Because the encyclopedias in my former media center were from 1982, I wanted my students to have access to print information that was more current.
The library aide at my school was told by the principal that because everything is online, there was no need to purchase an updated print version. This shocked me.
I was wondering your opinion on the subject. Consequently, I donated the set I had purchased to my old school. My new school has a pretty new set, plus I ordered the World Book Student Discovery set this year.
Thanks for you time. Also, I was wondering if you were enjoying your new location. Were the books in the media center purchased brand new?
Thanks,
Elissa Ellis
Ms. Winningham:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your earlier comments about what makes a library a media center! I spent some time in a middle school (grades 6-8) media center today and an issue that kept coming up was kids forgetting their passwords to login to the computers then forgetting to log out. With even younger students at your school, do you find this a problem at your school too? If not, how have you aleviated this simple task so that it doesn't become the monster in the rooom everyday?
Ms. Winningham,
ReplyDeleteI am a media specialist in a K-12 school which desperately needs updated science and other nonfiction. Being new, I am not sure where to start looking for quality science books. The junior high science teacher has sent me a list of topics from her curriculum. For collection development, are there certain reviews and book companies that you favor for quality selections? Are there any websites you would recommend to help?
Sorry, I got click happy. I am the "anonymous" above.
ReplyDeleteAmber H.
Hello Elizabeth Winningham - I am interested in this: Teach research skills using the AASL “Know it ALL” research process.
ReplyDeleteI am curious why you prefer this research process over others?
I am also very interested in your comment below - I agree it is students media center and the things they find fun or interesting may not be ones I appreciate as an adult. I am particularly savvy that middle school humor is not my cup of tea! Anyway, can you tell me about using games in the media center? I am particularly interested in educational online games if you use any of these with students. Thank you. Judy
ReplyDeleteWe provide the tradional reading, computers for research, but we also have a writing center, daily welcome board with agenda's, geography pictures of the day for students to watch, music, games, puzzles, and a small production room for mutlimedia production. Some of our students participate in e-pals with classrooms from other countries, write book reviews into our on-line catalog, participate in discussion groups through online blogs and work as student assistants. I am not sure if this makes the media center any different from a library but the atmosphere and students willing to use your center to me is the most important. It is their media center not mine.
When I'm working on research projects, the biggest issue I have is the amount of skill levels. I have one student who can see fine and another student who is totally blind! How do you present the databases when you have a large discrepancy in students' understanding/comprehension of the internet?
ReplyDeleteDayna
I allow my students to use both the print and the online World
ReplyDeleteBook. I use the print version to teach students how to read non- fiction informational text. This is an area that our students need a lot of work with. I teach headings, sub headings, note taking and paraphrasing using print. I then let the kids use the on-line version for faster access and information for research. Print text is used to help strengthen the kids reading skills.
Students in our building have student id's. All student's in the corporation have a number that they use on the computers for their school career. Their passwords change every year but we do not have much trouble after the first month. We teach them that they must log out and usually have a very small percentage of students that do not. We have no generic logins and students must use their own. If you are consistent and have set rules logging in and out of computers becomes second nature. I also worked at a k-5 building eleven years ago and everyone including kindergarten logged in. They just has cards with their numbers on.
ReplyDeleteI usually use the professional journal reviews, and I purchase from Follett. They list reviews in their database.
ReplyDeleteLook at other schools collections and don't consider anything that is more than five years old unless you have to. Science changes very quickly.
When I first blogged for this class, I was using that research process. Since then our corporation has developed a combination process that is taught k-12. It gets progressively more in depth the older the students.
ReplyDeleteWe combine the 4 questions of:
What do I need to Know?
Where can I find it?
How am I going to use it?
How did I do?
If you are interested in the new process, I can e-mail it to people. I do not have it here at home. I will post it in the morning when I am at school
Danya have you heard of Book Share. It is a site that allows students to have materials read to them. Do you have voice readers for the completely blind?
ReplyDeleteIf I did not have the resources and we don't we pair our students up so that one reads and the disabled student verbally tells us what notes they want to write or they type them if they can type.
Can the student tell you what they thing the internet is? You need to find a way to help them understand the complexity of the internet.
Sometimes print materials are best.
Tough one...I would have to do some research on the adaptations available for the blind.
I love my new building, we have been here going on four years. I got everything brand new, it was a huge job, I also purchase a fair number of books each year to keep up with my students. We are fairly well funded. Budget is starting to get tight, but I am using book fair profits and find that my non-fiction collection is very curriculum based. Very little cash for things that aren't taught. I have a great principal, he supports and finds money when he can.
ReplyDeleteGames is an area that we are expanding. We are using games like apples to apples for vocabulary, logic puzzles and games that involve thinking. The new scrabble card games, boggle, math games, I use one that I had as a child.
ReplyDeleteAs far as online games, the students use a variety of these in the computer labs. I personally like free rice .com. The students like donating food to the hunger while working on vocabulary and math skills. We also use spell city,. I actually do not know all the games they have available in the labs because we use our lab for research and online book reviews and projects.
Hello Ms. Winningham,
ReplyDeleteI see that you have an undergraduate degree in recreational therapy. How do you encourage recreational reading in your school? Do you do programs or clubs? Do you use the media center for other recreational activities?
~Jenny C-J
Ms. Winningham:
ReplyDeleteYou stated in one response that book fairs help fund your library in addition to regular funding that is "starting to get tight". Does your multimedia equipment come from a different account than your purchases for print, databases subcriptions, etc? How do you advocate your need for multimedia equipment? I am speaking of items other than computers, such as flip cameras.
Thanks,
Carol
I am sure buying all new materials must have been a daunting task, but so exciting at the same time. I just put in my orders for new books, both from my budget from my corporation and then I found out I have over $3000.00 dollars in my Scholastic account! It was a lot of fun, but difficult trying to get a handle on what I needed in my collection. I love that Follett has the reviews right on the site. Something else I found extremely helpful was the Titlewise. We use Surpass and my collection can be uploaded from surpass to titlewise. Once that happened, it gives you many reports, plus tells you if you already have the title in the collection. This was a great feature for a new person on the job!
ReplyDeleteI am interested in your new research process and would love if you would email me the information: elissa.ellis@duneland.k12.in.us. I would really appreciate it.
I, too, am curious what you do to encourage recreational reading. I have many kids bring books back on a regular basis, but sometimes I think it is too regular, especially the chapter books. I feel as if there is no accountability for the reading. I would rather have my circulation go down, if it meant the reading was going up. Any ideas?
Thanks for your response about print vs. non-print. I completely agree that students need to be taught how to read non-fiction!!
:-) Elissa
My recreational therapy degree has helped me in my interaction with our students with disabilities. Recreational reading programs have been developed over the years using my school experiences more than my undergraduate degree.
ReplyDeleteWhen I begain in Avon all the schools used AR (Accelerated Reader. Now we have progressed away from that and we have all developed our own reading programs. I have had students read a certain number of pages each grading period, see which class reads the most, participate in the IYHA book program, etc. Last year I started a school wide reading program that allowed the students to select their own books, teachers approved and assisted with book selection allowing for differentiation where needed and they then had to complete different types of projects to report on the books. We had some technology projects, on-line book reviews, creat a cartoon strip, new book cover, research the setting of a non fiction book, magazine, newspaper and internet page review, etc. The first nine week students complete two books and two projects to participate in a decorate your own cookie party. The second and third nine weeks it is three books and two for the last nine weeks because the spring we work on a huge multi-cultural project.
I also have my lunch bunch students who eat lunch with me in the media center and read a book together. I have both 5th and 6th graders doing this. I had so many 5th graders wanting to do it that I had to divide them into first sememster and 2nd semester groups.
Unfortuately my schedule doesn't allow for much else.
I do not know if this going to work. But I am going to try and post the Avon Research here.
ReplyDeletePre-Search/Questioning (Plan)
Work with content knowledge
Ask questions
Develop Product (Create)
Graphic organizers
Effective notes
End product — show or explain
Bibliography — list information
Share/Evaluate (Review)
Share your product
Evaluate—self, peer, and teacher
Research/Reflect (Do)
Look for appropriate information
Decide what is important
Learn and use key words
Skim and scan
Read, read, and read again
Include only useful and accurate information
K
What I Know
W
What I Want to Learn
L
Where I Can Look
For Information
I lost the formating but the basic information is here.
AV equipment is paid for out CPF funding now. We use to be able to use our AV budget but now we are only allowed to buy CDs, DVDs, movies, tapes,etc. Flip cameras and any other fun technology have to go through our Sups office and are considered to be out of a completely different account. We all feel that flip cameras should be allowed out of AV because they break so easily and need to be replaced quickly, not once a year on the Sups office time frame.
ReplyDeleteMany members in my family are dyslexic. Some of them have worked through it because o their love of reading others only read if they need to. It is very difficult to get those members excited about books.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in the "Know it ALL" research process, where can I get more information? I also see you do the website, what can you suggest I use for starting a media center website?
Thank you for allowing me to ask you some basic survial questions over the last two days. Returning to the equipment issues, specifically the fragility of some equipment in the hands of children, how do you convince your administrators that you need these items? Do you have some evidence (movies) the kids have created or other evidence of their worth in terms of student learning?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the guidance on collection development. I had not thought of looking at other schools' collections for ideas!
ReplyDeleteIn another post you had stated you "provide the traditional reading, computers for research, but we also have a writing center, daily welcome board with agenda's, geography pictures of the day for students to watch, music, games, puzzles, and a small production room for multimedia production."
Our media center is going to be renovated, hopefully in the near future. I was wondering what your writing center and production room include. We have a room that I would like to clean out and use for a production room, but I wasn't sure what might/should be included.
Thanks for your time and guidance!
Amber
You have tried several different reading programs. Which reading program do you think the students enjoyed the most?
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of your reading lunch bunch. How often do you meet? Do you actually read while eating or are you discussing the book? Is everyone reading the same book?
~Jenny C-J
Thanks for sharing your about your reading programs. I like the idea of the "Lunch Bunch". I may try that with my older students.
ReplyDeleteI was debating on whether or not to continue purchasing AR quizzes, in fact, I didn't purchase any with the last book orders I placed. Currently only about 4 teachers are using the program and not regularly. I think it would be great to come up with a list of all the different things kids could do after they have read a book and use that for the program, rather than taking quiz after quiz. Thanks again for your insights! You have been very helpful!
Elissa Ellis
Thank you for commenting on games -some LMC I know are trying to figure out how to use online computer games in the library. If they were in the library and finished their work, could they play Free Rice? Woudl a teacher ever send a student to the library to work on something like a review game?
ReplyDeleteGames is an area that we are expanding. We are using games like apples to apples for vocabulary, logic puzzles and games that involve thinking. The new scrabble card games, boggle, math games, I use one that I had as a child.
As far as online games, the students use a variety of these in the computer labs. I personally like free rice .com. The students like donating food to the hunger while working on vocabulary and math skills. We also use spell city,. I actually do not know all the games they have available in the labs because we use our lab for research and online book reviews and projects.
Hello - I just returned from the MEMO conference for Minnesota LMS and there does seem to be a backlash against AR. Can you elaborate on why this may be so?
ReplyDeleteMy reading disability was one that I had to learn to handle and work through myself. I still do not like to read hard technical materials. I prefer YA literature but I do read adult literature but I really have to be interested in it. Audio books, and pair reading help students develop the joy of a good story. Once they realize their is a good reason to push through materials, no matter how hard, they are more willing to try. I read out loud to my students and they love it even at this age. Sometimes teachers and parents forget that being read to his not just a young child activity.
ReplyDeleteWebpage design for our corporation has been made very simple through the use of standardization and a company called Schoolfusion. We all have templates and we just now fill in the information. We are no longer writing code. If you need to develop a page from scratch I would recommend taking a class. You can make simple pages with Microsoft Word, or the Adobe products are very good but do require some classes to really utilize the features to the max.
My writing center basically provides students a location where they can come and work on assignments. We have dictionaries, and other writing resources in print format. They can use the computers in the lab, but the writing center gives them a place to sit and process materials and write just on paper and pencil. Some students prefer this method of writing.
ReplyDeleteProduction room was set up as a tv studio and has four multimedia production computers. We have webcams, microphones, dvd burners and video production software. These are the machines that we down load pictures to, flip camera videos, and other large files.
ReplyDeleteOur tv studio was set up by professionals and is very impressive; however, someone in the tech department thought that we did not need to be hooked up to the building so we are not able to go live. We have to video tape everything and then convert it to a DVD and show it through a DVD player that is hooked into the building. I have been told that it is way to expensive to wire the studio into the in school wiring. As a result the studio doesn't get done nearly as much as I would like.
The points I am about to make are my own personal ones that I have developed from using the program for 10 years. AR is a program that is used to help students select materials on their reading level and then tests the students on their comprehension of the materials. We had students who were instructed that they had to read books at the high school reading level. AR does not take into consideration content of the book. It is based on the level of the words, not content. We had teachers that were requiring students to read and pass their AR test at least a 75 % and if they did not they would get a failing grade for every book they read. This use of the program makes students to hate reading. We were finding that students hated AR because they had very little personal choice of what to read and even less choice as to how to prove they had read the book. All schools in our corporation got rid of AR.Some principals allowed some departments and media centers to purchase Scholastic's Reading Counts. Personally this is another form of AR.
ReplyDeleteMy principal agrees that either program would turn our students off to reading. My Reading program has seen an increase in circulation and students are completing book reports in many different formats and they get excited because they are assisting their friends find books.
As a student, I would have hated AR because I did not want any other students to know I could not read in 5th grade. If I had to read at my "level" I would have been made to read first and second grade materials. This has a very long lasting effect on a students self esteem.
If anyone has any questions that I have not answered or would like further information please e-mail me at mewinningham@avon-schools.org.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed blogging with everyone and I hope that I have been able to provide you information that you can take into the field with you. Good Luck guys, this is the best job I have ever had.