Lori Clark-Erickson - Tues. Oct. 4 to Thurs. Oct 6, 2010

Next up on this semester's roster of guests is Lori Clark-Erickson, a teacher librarian at Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming - that's next to Grand Teton National Park, near Yellowstone N.P., and the headwaters of the Snake River.

Lori's library career path included a stint working at the public library and time at a school library paraprofessional position. She returned to school, completed a school library media degree, and a position opened up at the district's high school.

Lori is an enthusiastic and energetic teacher librarian, who enjoys collaborating with teachers, integrating technologies into classroom learning, and teaching information literacy to students.

Learn more about Lori's professional background and interests at her bio information page: http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/clark-erickson.html

As with all our guests this year, I have asked her the startup question: "What is it that people don't get about your job?"

Laura Frondorf - Mon. Oct. 3 to Wed. Oct 5, 2010

A few years back, Laura Frondorf made the career jump from classroom teaching to the library media center. Laura had formerly worked as the grade 6-8 learning disabilities teacher at Brookville Middle School in Franklin County. Today Laura is the LMS at Brookville Middle School (Gr 5 - 8) and Mt. Carmel School (K-8).

Before completing her SLIS degree at IUPUI, Laura holds a degree in special education and a Masters degree in reading. With her strong background in reading and teaching, it's natural that she has plans and orchestrates reading events and promotions at her schools; i.e., book fairs, a book swap, summer reading programs, and author visits. Learn more at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/frondorf.html

I'm asking the same 'startup' question of Laura: "What is it that people don't get about your job?" It is okay to add your own inquiry comments at any time during the three day period.

Dennis LeLoup - Wed. Sept. 28 to Fri. Sept. 30, 2011

Kicking off the Fall 2011 series of blog guests is Dennis LeLoup, a school librarian in the Avon Community School Corporation.

Dennis has a wealth of experiences within the state and at national levels with his leadership roles in ALA, AASL, ALSC, and AIME / ILF.

Learn more by visiting the information webpage at

http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/leloup.html

To get started this year, I have emailed Dennis a brief question: "What is it that people don't get about your job?" Wait for his response and then join in with your own questions or extended ideas.

Have a great three days sharing information and ideas with Dennis LeLoup.

Laura Frondorf - Mon. Oct. 11 to Wed. Oct. 13, 2010

Wrapping up this fall's schedule of guests is another IUPUI SLIS graduate, Laura Frondorf, who made the career jump from classroom to the library media center. Laura formerly worked as the grade 6-8 learning disabilities teacher at Brookville Middle School in Franklin County. Today Laura is the LMS at Brookville Middle School (Gr 5 - 8) and Mt. Carmel School (K-8).


In addition to the degree in special education, Laura also completed a Masters degrees in reading. So naturally she has planned and orchestrated reading events and promotions at her schools; book fairs, book swap, a summer reading program, and author visits.


Learn more about Laura at 
http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/frondorf.html

Susan Eley - Wed. Oct. 6 to Fri. Oct. 8, 2010

Susan Landis Eley is the PreK-4 Library Media Specialist at Hillside School in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

 Susan recently shared three articles that resound with her professional practice and philosophy:

1) Jones, Jami (June 2010). Guest Blogger Jami Jones on Librarians, Caring, and SL Curriculum. School Library Monthly Blog.
"The [most] important role of the school library program is relational, not collecting and housing resources."

2) Valenza, Joyce (Oct 2010). Manifesto for 21st Century Librarians. Voya

3) Valenza, Joyce (Aug 2010). Things Teacher Librarians Should Unlearn (20 & Counting). Never Ending Search, School Library Journal.

Learn more at

http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/eley.html

Kym Kramer - Tues. Oct. 5 to Thurs. Oct. 7, 2010

Kym Kramer began her educational career as an elementary teacher and then took a position as a elementary media specialist (Gr. K-5) at Metropolitan School District of Pike Township. More recently she has worked on completing a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University - Bloomington.

An award winning teacher and library media specialist, Kym is an adjunct professor in the School of Library and Information Science at IU-B. One of the courses that she teaches during the Spring is S671 School Media. She is an active member of AIME and ILF and is currently running for a position on the ILF Executive Board. Kym has written and published professional articles and made numerous presentations at ALA and AASL.

I'm very pleased that Kym has agreed to give of her time and expertise this semester, joining the class as a guest in these blog interactions. Learn a bit more about Kym at:
http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/kramer.html

Cindy Turner - Mon. Oct. 4 to Wed. Oct. 6, 2010

Cindy Turner, an IUPUI SLIS graduate, is the Technology Integration Specialist at the Region 7 Education Service Center in Kilgore, Texas. She is a former classroom teacher who moved to school media specialist positions first in Indiana and more recently in Tatum, Texas. Cindy then moved to a district-wide media and technology position in Tatum. Her leadership, experience, and expertise led to Cindy to the latest position at the Region 7 ESC serving 106 school districts in the Piney Woods region.

Cindy is a great example of a person whose career path extends beyond the classroom and building level library media position to encompass district and regional responsibilities. I am very pleased that she is joining the class in these virtual interaction sessions.

Learn more at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/cindyturner.html

Cindy Newton - Wed. Sept. 29 to Fri. Oct. 1, 2010

Cindy Newton is the school library media specialist (SLMS) at Connersville Middle School (IN). A recent IUPUI-SLIS graduate, Cindy has numerous positive teaching and learning experiences working first as a elementary teacher, expanding to cover technology responsibilities in the same school, and now directing a successful library media program.

As SLMS, Cindy collaborates with teachers and assists student research projects. She has initiated and guided reading promotions and programs at her school. She also serves as the web master for both the Library Media Center and the Connersville Middle School websites.

Cindy is a frequent presenter at professional conferences such as ILF, ISRA, and ICE. She has been selected as the Fayette County School Corporation's Teacher of the Year and was named as an IU Armstrong Educator. Recently she was selected and attended a Library of Congress Summer Institute.

Learn more at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/newton.html

Dana Fisher - Tues. Sept. 28 to Thurs. Sept. 30, 2010

A recent graduate of IU's SLIS program, Dana Fisher is one of two library media specialists working at Southwest Middle School in High Point, NC. Prior to that, Dana held a similar position at Tuttle Middle School in Crawfordsville, IN. Tuttle M.S. was a one-professional operation in a relatively small town location and today Dana works in a large urban school system.

Dana's unique perspectives include experiences with service learning, problem-based learning, collaborations with teachers, reading promotion activities, and her personal blogsite.

It is great to have the participation of a former student who has recently entered the school library field. Learn more about Dana:
http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/fisher.html

Maria Savoldi - Mon. Sept. 27 to Wed. Sept. 29, 2010

I am pleased that Maria Savoldi is joining this class for a return online session.

Maria has experience as a classroom teacher, a media specialist, and as county director of instructional media and technology - - much of that employment with the Glynn County School System, Brunswick, GA. She also has designed and delivered professional learning courses (staff development, teacher training) that foster effective technology integration.

Like most of our guest experts in the field, Maria often presents sessions at state and national conferences and has served in various governance roles in professional organizations.

More recently, Maria made the career jump to working with distance learning, online education. In that arena, she was first employed by the Georgia Virtual School and this year, took a new position with Mercury Online Academy.

Learn more at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/savoldi.html

Dennis LeLoup - Wed. Sept. 22 to Fri. Sept. 24, 2010

Our next 3-day blog guest is Dennis LeLoup, one of our many outstanding teacher librarians in Indiana. When I first became acquainted with Dennis, he was the school library media contact in the Indiana Department of Education. In recent years, he has worked as an elementary librarian in the Avon Community School Corporation.

Dennis has a wealth of experience within the state and at national levels with his leadership roles in ALA, AASL, ALSC, and AIME / ILF. He is a strong advocate for school libraries and libraries of all types.

Find out more about him by visiting the information webpage at
http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/leloup.html

Have a great three days sharing information and ideas with Dennis LeLoup.

Lori Clark-Erickson - Mon. Sept. 20 to Wed. Sept. 22, 2010

Kicking off this semester's roster of guests is Lori Clark-Erickson, the librarian at Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming.

Lori's library career path included a stint working at the public library and time at a school library paraprofessional position. She returned to school, completed a school library media degree, and a position opened up at the district's high school.

Having met Lori, briefly visited her school and the Media Center this past August, I can say that she is an enthusiastic and energetic teacher librarian. Lori enjoys collaborating with teachers, integrating technologies into classroom learning, and teaching information literacy to students.

Learn more about Lori's professional background and interests at her bio information page at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/clark-erickson.html.

As with all our guests we are pleased to virtually have her with the class to share her ideas and insights and respond to student's questions and ideas. This always proves to be an interesting series of discussions.

Liz Gray - Thurs. Oct. 22 to Sat. Oct. 24, 2009

Not all school media specialists and teacher librarians work in public schools. Back with this class again is Liz Gray, Library Director at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA.

Liz Gray's varied work experiences include serving as a School Library Director in Rome, Italy as well as stints in both a public library and an academic library. She is a former English teacher who has taught in Switzerland and England. You can find additional information about Liz at the following website:

http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/lizgray.html

Liz consults on library space planning and has taught "Planning Libraries for the 21st Century" and "Good Ideas: Successful Library Programming and Instruction" at the Taft Education Center in Watertown, CT.

Robyn Young - Thurs. Oct. 15 to Sat. Oct. 17, 2009

Like several other of our guests, Robyn Young, director of school media at Avon High School, has interacted with students in previous years. But last year, she was busy serving as President of AIME - - I didn't even try to schedule her participation then. A visit to her bio site will confirm that she is busy . . . all-the-time http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/young.html

She has a rich background in teaching and school library media including expertise and experience with the assessment of school library media programs, use of graphic books, learning standards, grants and funding, leadership, mentoring and more.

Hella Rumschlag - Sun. Oct. 11 to Tues. Oct. 13, 2009

Hella Rumschlag is the media specialist and technology coordinator at Mohawk Trails Elementary School in Carmel, IN. Start learning about Hella by reading a brief bio at http://eduscapes.com/- - rumschlag.html.

Mohawk Trails Library Media Center http://www1.ccs.k12.in.us/- -media-center/

Hella is an active member in ILF and AIME; she is a presenter at the upcoming conference. She has been able to effectively collaborate with teachers and students in her building. Helen uses Moodle for a YHBA (Young Hoosier Book Award) program and also supports several teachers with their use of Moodle in the classroom. She is about to launch another collaborative Moodle between two grade 2 and 3 transition classes at two different schools.

Hella's extensive background makes her an excellent resource for discussion on career change, combined responsibilties for technology and library media, and other topics directly related to schools and learning.

Robin Tanis - Thurs. Oct. 8 to Sat. Oct. 10, 2009

Robin Tanis is the Head Librarian at St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, GA. At St. Pius, Robin has worked to establish a collaborative partnership with teachers. She was an early pioneer in technology integration bringing computers, automation, and the Internet into the library and then the rest of the school. Robin was the original Webmaster for the school and is still responsible for keeping the Flannery O’Connor Library Website up to date.

Encouraging pleasure reading is a professional interest of Robin’s. Robin is also known for ASPIRE! - - a Summer Reading Enrichment program. She has presented her program at state and national conferences. ASPIRE! was featured in both Knowledge Quest (Sep/Oct 2003, Access to PDF document requires login) and School Library Journal (Jan. 2004). She has established a Teen Library Council to give interested students leadership opportunities. She also moderates the Anime Club.

Learn more about Robin at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/tanis.html.

Blog Interaction with Chris Somers - Mon. Oct. 5 to Wed. Oct. 7, 2009

Chris Somers is the media specialist at Indian Creek Middle School in Trafalgar, Indiana. Chris has been successful in securing grants for her school and collaborating with teachers. She is another Indiana teacher librarian who is integrally involved in classrooms and student learning and who is always looking for new and interesting opportunities.

Learn more about Chris and her professional interests and expertise at:
Chris Somers http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/somers.html.

You can also visit her school's and media center websites:
Indian Creek Middle School http://www.nhj.k12.in.us/icms/
Media Center website http://www.nhj.k12.in.us/icms/library/index.htm

Blog Interaction with Elizabeth Winningham - Thurs. Oct. 1 to Sat. Oct. 3, 2009

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

Visit the site for her Media Center at

http://media-cen.media-center . . . . . . 517ecf

Blog Interaction with Maria Savoldi - Mon. Sept. 28 to Wed. Sept. 30, 2009

Maria Savoldi has work experience as a classroom teacher, a media specialist, and as county director of instructional media and technology - - much of that employment with the Glynn County School System, Brunswick, GA. She has a wealth of experience in designing and delivering professional learning courses (staff development, teacher training) that foster effective technology integration.

Like most of our guest experts in the field, Maria often presents sessions at state and national conferences and has served in various governance roles in professional organizations. She is a former President of the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology (GAIT) and the Division of School Media and Technology (DSMT) of AECT. For a number of years Maria also worked as a trainer for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards™ in the Library Media certificate area.

Maria now works for the Georgia Virtual School where her current role is technology support specialist. Learn more at http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/savoldi.html

Blog Interaction with Nancy McGriff - Thurs. Sept. 24 to Sat. Sept. 26, 2009

Nancy McGriff is another school library media specialist with a proven "track record." She has headed up library media programs at all grade levels.

At two different schools and in three different school years (1992, 1999 and 2005), Nancy's media programs have garnered outstanding awards. She is a strong mentor and a leader in the profession. Nancy has published articles and frequently presents at state and national conferences.

To learn more, be sure to visit http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/mcgriff.html

More recently Nancy received the "American Star of Teaching" Award for Indiana (Link to article at LaPorte County Herald-Argus) from the U.S. Dept. of Education and its No Child Left Behind program.