Westwood, April 14th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Friday, April 15 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 176

   Today the students had really high energy! For 2nd grade this week I read the poetry book "Dogku" because I knew the the "Mary had a Little Jam" would be too young for them. "Dogku" is a sweet little book and was well received by the students.
   In the afternoon I helped Mrs. Voigt's class use ConnectEd program on the Chromebooks. I helped them login and get working on the correct math topic. This is a really high needs group, so it can bet a bit hectic but it all worked out quite well. The students work really well on the Chromebooks!
   I taught Mrs. Koopmeiner's class work on their life cycle projects. I showed them how to make one, and displayed the needed vocabulary on the projector screen. Everyone was really on task and only a couple of students required quite a bit of assistance with the project.
   

Westwood, April 14th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Thursday, April 14 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 168

 Today the 2nd grade group met and worked on their national park project. Two students were not so into it today but I was able to help them look at the index and locate information they could use in their report. We also investigated the national parks website as well. By the end they had made some good progress.
  The 5th grade "Week in the Woods" group went well too. Almost half the group was sick (flu is going around again), so we discussed a lot so as not to read too much and get way too ahead of the others.
   At the end of the day I read to two K groups and one 2nd grade group. I had fun helping students find books. Usually I help with the check out but I need more experience in assisting the younger students find books/materials.

Westwood, April 13th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Wednesday, April 13 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 160

   This morning we had the first grade group finish their animal projects and present them to one another.  They really had fun sharing their work and were excited to show their parents at home on their google account.
   The 2nd grade reading group started a project on our national parks. I found books about national parks and made up a graphic organizer for their research. I also set up a a Chromebook for each student opened to the official national parks website. They each looked at the books and chose one to research. It went really well and the students liked this new project and like the break from reading a novel.
   This afternoon, I led the 5th grade "Petey" group. They are so much fun and full of energy. This is quite an emotional book, and it's great to see how well they are able to connect to it and open up about their own experiences.
   I taught Mrs. Koopmeiner's K class more about Pixie today. They had to create a text box, and images of different sizes. It gave them a little more focus and made them try something new that they will to know how to do for their life cycle project. 
   At the end of the day I helped check out books to the 4th graders.
   

Westwood, April 12th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Tuesday, April 12 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 152

   I started to teach Mrs. Koopmeiner's K class to use Pixie. I showed them the basic functions and they had time to explore it on their own. It's funny how most students seems to really like the 'spiral/mirror' function.
   Then I helped lead the 3rd grade reading group. Sara had to help another teacher so she gave me their new choices for their next book. To be honest, I really did not like the choices and the students weren't real into them either. One student was quite upset about them and got really agitated when the other girls didn't choose the one she kind of wanted to read. She just sat there with the book on the table and I ignored her. Finally she picked it up and joined in.
   I also helped lead the 5th grade "Week in the Woods" group.  Some of the students are quite shy and aren't fond of reading, but they are slowly finding their voice. The students are into this story so that is helping the discussion.
   In the afternoon I read the "Mary had a Little Jam" book. A student asked me to read to him during book check-out. I have been waiting for that because again, they usually ask Sara, but today a little boy asked me! It felt great!
   
  

Monday, April 11th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Monday, April 11 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 144

   This morning we had the 1st grade group and I decided to write their google login information on their research sheets because it took so long to have log in with Sara and I helping each one individually. If I were organizing this group I would have them using different websites to find their research because the students that are still looking for facts are having a hard time reading from the Kids national Geographic sites, and Sara has them just googling information if there isn't enough about their animal. I just think the whole process is becoming too complicated for some of these students, so it is not an enjoyable time for them.
   The 3rd grade reading group today finished up their book "The Golden Threaded Dress" Again, I would like to do more of a bigger closing project then just a discussion to conclude the book. It seems that a deeper reflection is needed before pushing onto the next book. They could act out a particular scene of the book, or write a letter to the main character. I think this would bring the group closer and make them a little more interested in the book group.
   Next was the 5th grade group reading "Wee in the Woods." I have become closer with this group and Sara let me lead them on my own today. I tend to stop and ask more questions along the way than Sara does, and I think the students respond well to this style.
   This week I chose the poetry book "Mary had a little Jam" which has poems that are similar to the classic Mother Goose poems. The students enjoy them! I also even got to help a few students find a book to read! They usually go to Sara, but today a few students actually asked me to help them!

Westwood: April 8th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Friday, April 8 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 136

 This morning I picked-up the 1st grade group. They are almost done with their projects,so I showed them how to add transitions and borders around their pictures. They thought that was pretty cool! It did add to the presentation, so it was fun to show them something new.
   I read to three groups the "Name that Dog!" poetry book. Once again, it was a hit. I'm glad I chose a book that appealed to so many students this week. Sara even noticed that the more inattentive groups have been behaving very well for these last couple of weeks. That is good to hear!
   Once again I led half of the "Week in the Woods" group. I was really able to engage them in a great discussion. It took me a while to get in the rhythm of book groups,  but now it is coming more naturally and I feel that I can do it well.
   At the end of the day I helped out Mrs. Voigt's class use Chromebooks. We had them reading from the school's subscription to the online Capstone website. This time we used headphones, which worked out much better because they like the audio books and having 28 students all listening to different books the other week was crazy! It was interesting how the students were so absorbed into their stories! For this school it is worth paying for this site. 

Westwood: April 7th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Thursday, April 7 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 128

  Today I led the 2nd grade "Chocolate Fever" group. I think this group was anxious to finish up this book! We discussed how this book ended and we compared it to "Rosie's Story" just to come full circle with that discussion from our previous book group sessions. It ended in a bit of an anti-climatic fashion because there wasn't any big ending or mini-project to wrap things up. I guess I would have had the group process this story more and make sure they really understood the meaning.
   Then I read to a second grade group, and helped them check-out their books. Second graders are so much fun! It is one of my favorite grades to teach.
   Later I helped lead the 5th grade reading group, which is reading the "Week in the Woods." This week went much better! I think the students are becoming more comfortable with me and my style of leading book group.
  Then in the afternoon I read to two groups of K and one 2nd grade group. I read the poetry book "Name that Dog!" It was a lot of fun because they wanted me to keep reading more poems and they thought they were funny, so everyone was attentive which was awesome!
  

Westwood: April 6

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Wednesday, April 6 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 120

Along with reading to the library groups and leading book groups today, I have also been cleaning up the Easy Reader (ER) books. They were entered in with odd call tags, so I'm standardizing them and shelving them appropriately. Some of them are arranged by character, so I'm finding pictures and taping them to the front of the bin/shelf. This is really helping students locate the ER books on their own. 
We started a new book group for 5th grade today. They chose to read the book "A Week in the Woods" by Andrew Clements. It is a large group of 10 so Sara and I divided the group up. My group is pretty quiet but I know them from helping them with their online books, so that helped. Although they were quiet readers they did respond well to the discussion questions. Since I haven't read this book, I'm going to go online to see what I can find. There's a bit about the Hindenberg maybe we can research that a bit, or watch a video about it online. 
I read to 2 K groups and 1 2nd grade group. Again, they enjoy the poetry book so it was fun. However, I do know what Sara means about reading the same book to all groups. This book fits all ages well, so I thought why not, but I don't think I'll do that again!

Westwood: April 5

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Tuesday, April 5 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 112

I had the 3rd grade book group. A few didn't have their books so they had to share, which isn't ideal when they each need to be following along and reading. They get off track quite easily so it was a bit harder today to get them to stay on task.
For the K book group they worked on their animal research. They will start creating their presentations next week.
I read to two groups of K and it went very well. I'm getting a better grasp on what each teacher wants from their library time.
5th grade also vote this week for their favorite Maude Hart Lovelace book. Of course some want stickers and some students are just too cool for that! Again, I'm curious to see which book they choose as their favorite!

 

Westwood: April 4

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Monday, April 4, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 104

We read books with the K group today. Most of these students do OK with me, but a few either don't read at all with the group or they are almost shouting, so it's hard at times to balance them all out.
The 2nd grade "Chocolate Fever" book group is almost done with the book, so I think it will be nice to start something new with them!
I met with the 5th grade book group reading "Kidnapping" which was good because since they've been doing those online books, we haven't been able to meet with them each week as planned. They are kind of into this book, but I can tell it's not quite peeking their interest. I'm going to see if there are any online activities or information about this book to liven things up a bit. 
I chose a poetry book called "Name that Dog" to read to the library groups today. They really liked it! It is a fun read, so I'm glad they enjoyed it. I didn't read all of it, I explained to the groups that with some poetry books you can pick and choose which poems you want to read. Only one or two students in each group did not like this idea, but I think it's good for them to experience new things too.
At the end of the day more groups came in for voting! I'm interested to see which book wins!

 

Westwood: April 1

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Friday, April 1, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 96

Today we start Poetry month! Sara came in this morning and said that she saw on Pintrest this idea to make a Poet-tree. I looked at a few pictures and said that it looked really fun. She laughed and said that her and Dawn have zero creativity so if I wanted to make the tree I could.  I told her I would, so I got the paper and within the hour I had a pretty good tree up, and leaves cut out for students to take and write down their own poem or to copy one down on it to stick up on our Poet-tree. I saw Dawn scoot into Sara's office and then I looked back and Sara walked out and she said "Wow! That's awesome! How did you do that?" Whew, I wasn't sure if she'd like it or not, or if she thought I could get it done, so it felt good that she liked it. They even joke that they'll have to just put it away int the closet to use again next year. I love to make displays, so it was really fun for me.
The really fun part was that after Sara emailed the teachers about it lots of kids came down to pick up a leaf. I even had to add another branch because we had so many poems!
I read to a few groups today and that went quite well. Sara has warned me about a few groups, and how squirrely that are but them have been good for me. Sara noted this too, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm just new so they are feeling me out to see how I am going to do.

Westwood: March 31st

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Thursday, March 31, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 88

In the morning I once again led the "Chocolate Fever" 2nd grade book group. We had a great discussion and also compared and contrasted this book to one called "Rosie" about a girl who gets teased for having freckles. The group did a fantastic job understanding the message and comparing it to "Chocolate Fever".
We had a 2nd grade library group come in and they vote this week for their favorite Star of the North book. I suggested to Sara my first week that we order "I Voted" stickers and place up those testing cardboard "cubes" for voting stations. She thought that was a neat idea, so she did order the stickers and we set-up the voting stations. The 2nd graders loved this, and actually thought the stickers were cool!
We had 2 groups of K come in and I helped check out their books.
At the end of the day another 2nd grade group came in to vote. Their love of reading and excitement about voting was so great!

Westwood: Wednesday, March 30th

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 80

 Today I started out by teaching a new group of first graders how to access the school Symbaloo to find the animal research sites available to them. They needed to choose an animal and write out on a provided graphic organizer, facts about their animal. This information will then be put into a Google Slide presentation.
Next, I led the 2nd grade "Chocolate Fever" book group. We are really bonding now, and they respond well to my questions and when I ask them to get back on track they do. So it is nice to work with this group.
Then I helped the 2nd grade group finish up their animal Google Slide presentations. They look great, but it sure does take patience to work with each student and get everything corrected.
After lunch, I helped lead the 4th grade "Petey" book group. This group is also talkative and have great discussions!  I'm getting more comfortable with the book groups, so that feels great!
I read to one group of 1st graders, which is always fun! It is just hard to remember which teacher uses certain methods when checking out books, or if they can sit in the 'fun' rocking chairs etc. It's a lot for me to remember at this point.
In the afternoon the older grades just came in to check out books. A lot of them only want Sara to help them find books, so I'm doing my best to engage with them and help them when I can...when they let me!

 

 

Westwood: March 29th

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 72

Today we finally used the Snipping tool with 5th grade. It was interesting because some students were like "Yeah, no I'm fine with using the program." and then later they asked me "So, how do you use that Snipping tool thing?" Needless to say it really made the project easier for most students. That made the teachers happy too because they were at their wits end trying to get this all done.  It felt good that my idea worked well for everyone!
I also read to a few groups.  Sara said that next week I can pick the books to read if I'd like. I think I'll choose poetry books for Poetry month!
I helped lead the 3rd grade group reading Golden Threaded Dress.  Last time the received a bookmark type of activity that they could write down as they read things they liked, were confused about etc. This facilitated the group discussion quite well.
We also have a Kindergarten book group, and they are working on animal reports. It is interesting to work with such young students on Google Drive. They haven't learned how to type or that they can just click the cursor where they want - they just delete everything up to where they want to change something! I'm not sure how I feel about having them on Google Drive in Kindergarten and First grade. They don't have email, but it just takes so long because they can't type at all. So I'm not sure it is enhancing their learning process.

Westwood March 28th

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Monday, March 28, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 64

   This morning we had the 1st grade small group. They worked on their animal research projects. This group learned quickly how to use google drive. It is quite impressive what these students are able to accomplish!
   The 2nd grade "Chocolate Fever" book group met. We continued on with the story and one group is close to finishing it. Sara gives some of the groups reading prompts and I wish she did that with this group too because sometimes I'm not sure they fully understand what they are reading.
   The 5th grade "Petey" book club met in the afternoon. They love to discuss things so this group goes quickly.
   This week Sara chose the book "How Martha Saved her Parents from the Green Beans" by David LaRochelle. Sara read it to the groups today. It is a very funny book, it really holds the students attention. I told Sara that I would like to read it to some of the groups this week too.
   This was another day of finishing up all of the Pixie life cycle projects. They have all finished one project and have had plenty of time to play on Pixie! Sara and I agree that this was not the best way to go about this project but she felt she had to comply with the teacher's wishes. When I'm in this situation I will have to think about how to go about it because I'm not sure I'd have the patience to have students do something that I know is not the best use of anyone's time and when it doesn't really teach them something. I don't like projects where the teacher is completing the work. It needs to be done by the student to the best of his/her ability. And to begin with, the project must suit their knowledge and ability to accomplish the goal!

Westwood March 24th

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Thursday, March 24, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 56

   This morning we gave another 5th grade survey but in the computer lab this time. It went well and students finished it in about 40 minutes.
   We had the third meeting of the week with the 2nd grade book group reading "Chocolate Fever". They are moving through it quite quickly.
   We went into a 2nd grade group to work on Chromebooks again. This time we showed them how to use Capstone to listen to an audio book. I also had them read a short story called "Rosie's Story" about a girl who is teased for having freckles. They then compared and contrasted these two stories using Venn Diagrams.
   Sara wanted to read to the K groups, so she read to them It's Spring. I think she misses reading to them!
  At the end of the day we helped out again with the Pixie life cycle project. It is just a bit frustrating because it is taking so long, and I don't think the students can really say they did it because we had to help them so much with it!
   I read the Will Allen book to a 2nd grade group. It gets a bit long to read at the end of the day, but the video helped keep them engaged. I'm getting down the way library time is handled here at Westwood.
 

Westwood March 23rd

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 48

   There is a state survey that we are required to give to our 5th graders. Today we gave the survey to two groups in the morning using the Chromebooks. Some of the questions were difficult for the students and I'm not sure what the data will really show from these students.
   I helped lead the 2nd grade book group reading Chocolate Fever. Again, they read in pairs while Sara and I circulated around helping them with their reading and comprehension skills.
   Then I assisted Sara in helping the 2nd graders with their animal presentations. This group is just starting, so they are beginning the research phase of this project.
  After lunch we had the group reading Petey. I'm impressed with how well the students are handling this topic. They are very sympathetic to Petey's life, which is great to see!
   Then I read It's Spring to the younger library grades. It went well, the kids love being read to during library time.
   At the end of the day we helped with the Pixie life cycle project. Today they started the life cycles, and it is difficult because the teacher wants them to write out very specific information with complete sentences. This basically means that we are walking around student by student helping them to type and write their life cycle. This is not how I would approach this assignment. Sara has tried to give her ideas to the teacher about how it might work better but the teacher wants to stick to her plan.
   I ended by reading the Farmer Allen story to a group of 2nd graders.

Westwood March 22nd

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Time: 7:30-3:30

Hours: 40

   We started a new book group for 3rd grade today, it consists of 5 girls. They chose to read the book "Golden Threaded Dress." It is about a girl from Thailand whose family moved to the USA. It is quite interesting and the girls seems to enjoy it.
  I worked again with the first grade group on their Pixie life cycle project. The teacher wanted them to have one more day to play with Pixie, so I reminded them where the tools are and what they can do with them. This would not be my way of teaching this lesson, but it is what the teacher wants, so that is what we're doing with the class.
   First grade asked for time with the Chromebooks, so Sara decided to show them how to login to the Westwood account for Capstone. There the students were able to create their own book about penguins. It was fun because all the students wanted to share their book with me when they finished.
   I read the book When it's Spring! to two library groups today. It's a cute book, and I also am more in the swing of things as far how the teachers want to have their library time.  
   I also helped check in and shelve books during the day. 
   After school there was a meeting to give out MCA information to teachers. Most of them have given them before, but some are new to the school and appreciated the meeting.

   

Westwood March 21st

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Monday, March 21, 2016

Hours: 32

   Today I worked on researching some books for Sara. Her book orders are due, so she wanted me to find books that are considered the best of 2015, engineering books for STEM concepts, and popular elementary level graphic novels. I used the Goodreads, B&N and Kirkus Review websites to find books for these areas. It was a good project for me to work on because I also became more familiar with the reading interests and trends for the elementary grades. I shared these lists with Sara via google docs and she ordered most of what I found. I then worked with Sara as she entered in book orders to see how that process works for Follett and Capstone.
   Another big project that has popped up, not originally on this week's schedule, is assisting 5th grade with creating these memory books that will then be sent in and published. Through this company, each child can have a book published for free, and then if they want to order another copy, it costs $15.00. The issue is that this program is a nightmare to use! The text box editing options are awful and become quite frustrating for these students. Since the students had created everything in google docs, and are copying and pasting into this program, I suggested to Sara that they use the Windows Snipping Tool to take a picture of their work in google, and then just insert the picture into the book creator program. I showed her how it would work. She loved the idea and checked to make sure that the Snipping Tool was on all of the computers. It was installed, so she and I went and talked with the 5th grade teachers about this option. They thought it was worth trying because this project has become so time consuming and frustrating that they are willing to try using the Snipping Tool. We'll see how it goes tomorrow!
   I also worked with the 2nd grade book group. Again they are starting a new book, and they chose to read Chocolate Fever, which I think they will really get a kick out of reading. They are a pleasant group to work with and I enjoyed listening to them read and helping them with their pronunciation as they read.
   This week we are finishing the Star of the North books. I was able to read to the library groups at the end of the day. This week we are reading Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table to grades K-2. Sara also found a Youtube clip of the real Will Allen, and that really engaged the students. 

  

Westwood, March 18th

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: Friday, March 18, 2016

Hours: 24

     Today I helped Sara with the 1st grade group work on their animal reports. This group has already researched about their animal using links posted on the school's website. They wrote them down on a graphic organizer that Sara had given to them. Sara showed them the basics of how to use google drive. She showed them how to create a new presentation, choose a theme, add a slide, write in the text box, insert a picture, size the picture, type a capital letter, and title their report. Then Sara and I had to log all of the students into their  google accounts because they do not know their passwords yet. They really only had time today to add their title, name and maybe the first slide. We will continue working on it with them next week.
    I also assisted with the 5th grade reading group. They are starting a new book, so Sara and I chose books for them to vote on to help them choose their next book. The group chose the book Petey, which I haven't read before. It sounds really interesting and I think we'll have some good discussions with this book. The group decided to read together today, so we read popcorn style around the table and Sara asked them some questions along the way.
   Sara explained her summer bus program to me today. When she was at Talahi she wanted kids to be able to read in the summer, so she got it approved to use a district school bus and driver to load up books and drive around areas of need to check out books to students. She wrote a grant for the next year and they received enough money to get their own bus and outfit like a tiny library inside! It is run by volunteers, and I offered to help out this summer and experience this bus book mobile first hand. I'm excited to see how it all works!
 

Westwood March 17th

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: March 17, 2016

Hours: 16

   Today I shadowed Sara and got into the rhythm of how she checks out books and helps students find the books they need. It really reinforces the importance of knowing your collection and students so that you can help them find and interesting book that will also suit their reading level.  A few times I was going to check out a book to a student but the teacher said that the book is not for him/her, that it is too difficult and made the student choose another book. I can understand that to a point, but at the same time maybe they want to try something different or harder. I guess I would give them a few days to try it and check in with them and see how it's going. I'm not too fond of the teachers telling them what they can and cannot read.
   Sara and I also assisted a first grade classroom use a program called Pixie. It is a paid program where students can insert pictures and text boxes. This teacher wants them to create a life cycle using the provided life cycle templates in Pixie. Today Sara showed them how to open Pixie and use the tools it has. Then the students had time to just play around and get used to using the program. Since they are only first graders,and have not yet learned about life cycles, I'm curious to see how well they will be able to complete the life cycle assignment.
   I also listened and sat with the students as Sara read a book to them during library time. he is very animated and it is fun to listen to her read. The students also really enjoy this reading time!

Westwood March 16th

School: Westwood Elementary

Mentor: Sara Martini

Date: March 16, 2016

Hours: 8

  
     Today I met Sara's Media Para, Dawn. She has been working with Sara since she was at Talahi Elementary. Sara has been a LMS for 17 years in the St. Cloud school district. I am excited to see how she runs her media center and to pick up all of the tips from her that I can during my practicum.
    For the most part I just shadowed Sara today. I watched how she read to her groups in the media center, and how each teacher does things a little bit differently in the way they want the kids to sit, when they get their shelving stick, how many books each kid can check out that day, who can sit in the black rocking reading chairs, where they sit after they check out their book etc. There seems to be a lot of variability in what each group is expected to do in the media center during their library time.
    I also helped check out books, but this took some getting used to as well, because the students may only check out as many books as the grade they're in that year. So a third grader can only have 3 books out. In Kindergarten and I believe First grade they can always check out one book because Sara believes they need access to books and need a chance to have them at home to read. At least Westwood uses the Follett library system called Destiny, which I know how to manage quite well.
   Sara is very motivated and works fast, so I'm adjusting to being in an elementary setting and (figuratively and literally) getting up to speed with how she works. I find it difficult sometimes to work at another person's pace. She has her schedule and pace very established, so I'm doing my best to keep up and get my head around everything as quickly as I can.
    Below is an image of this week's scheduled library classes and book groups. This comes from Sara's Google Calendar that she shared with me to make planning each day's activities easier for us both.
    

March 14 - 18 Media Center Schedule

Thursday, March 3rd

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Thursday, March 3rd

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 203.75 hours

    Today was my last day with Maria, and it went by fast!
    To begin the morning I attended a head of department meeting.  Various topics were discussed and I just absorbed the viewpoints given by the teachers and administrators. It is always interesting to see everyone's perspective on hot topics such as athletes and grades, opening Youtube to students etc. It was a heated debate this morning, but in the end everyone was content with the next steps to be taken.
     I completed the March Madness Book bracket, and it turned out great. I created the polls in Google Form, and Maria took my suggestion and she is going to enter in each students name for every time they vote (once/week) and the winner will receive a copy of the winning book! We drew the bracket on one of the large windows along the hallway using window markers, and then taped the book covers next to each bracket. I then made a QR code for the voting that week and placed it on a poster below the bracket. I asked Maria to tell me how this activity turns out and what the wining book is form this activity! It looks bright and inviting, so I hope it goes ok.
     I came up with a procedure for checking/marking series on the shelves. Maria and I sat by the books and went through a few shelves to test this procedure. We made a few tweaks, but other than that it went really well, and Maria is ready to show her media clerks the process.
    In the end, it feels great to have made a positive impact on this media center. I worked well with Maria and the media clerks, Pat and Tish, and also left a lasting mark with the genre stickers! I might even come back in the summer and help Maria flip the fiction and nonfiction books and set up how to promote the genres.
     Media centers are in a huge time of change, and it feels great to be a part of it!

Wednesday, March 2nd

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Wednesday, March 2nd

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 195.75 hours

     Today I created posters to show the top books per genre. It's so nice to have a color poster printer in the media center! It took me a while to search the genres and find the top ones in Alexandria. I was able to print them a hang them up by the card catalog computers. It is also a nice way to show how the collection has been changed to reflect the genrefication. I also explored Alexandria more and learned a few more things that it can do.
     The next step is to get the records updated in Alexandria. We need to use the bar code to coincide with the genre. Maria will consult with the middle school on this procedure because they did it last year.
    
    

Tuesday, March 1st

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Tuesday, March 1st

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 187.75 hours

     This morning I watched Maria teach a lesson on editing music in Garageband and placing a sound clip into a Keynote presentation. I took lots of notes and made sure to note the tips and messages she wanted the students to understand because I knew that I needed to teach this lesson during 5th hour. I found a bit of time to type up my notes and a brief lesson plan before I had to teach this lesson. It went very well and the teacher, Ms. Foy, complimented me on the lesson and asked if I would be able to help her students next week. I told her I would love to but that my student teaching ends this week. She was disappointed that I wasn't available, and that made it clear that she really did appreciate my delivery of the lesson, which felt great!
     Maria and I decided to create a March Madness Book bracket for the students to participate in during this month of March. I searched the catalog and put the list of book together and found their covers to use for the display. I also located an image to follow for putting books into the correct bracket. I have never created this before so it is a fun experience.
     Maria and I also discussed how to update the collection's series. I recommened that she buy series stickers to place on the spines because in my experience as a media clerk, it really helps when shelving the books and also for students to locate books that are in a series. There are many students today who only like to read series. Maria did buy these stickers and so now we are trying to determines how to also make sure the records are updated in Alexandria.

Monday, February 29th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Monday, Feb. 29th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 179.75 hours 

     Before school started, I went to a meeting with Maria about setting up Pearson Science tests. This content is familiar to em as I was an MCA Proctor for the past two years. I was actually able to aid them a bit in this meeting.
     Next we had a book club meeting. Only one student showed up and so we discussed what book to read and how we could get more people to participate. I really probed this student to see how she finds her book recommendations, and when she would like to meet. I asked if during a lunch hour would work and they could give passes to students so they can go to the front to get their lunch and get to the meeting at a decent time. I also suggested taking a poll in Schoology to get book suggestions. They had only read books from two genres, so I suggested doing a mystery or something not so feminine/female protagonist. These suggestions are being taken into consideration.
The student also mentioned several Youtube people she follows who give book talks. Youtube is banned at this school so she was unable to show us the channels she follows. I hope to get this information from Maria at a later date.
     Today I taught three classes to Mrs. Buchanan's English 10 classes on how to use the Biography Reference Center database that Maria subscribes to each year. I asked the teacher for feedback after each lesson and I was able to incorporate her suggestions and comments about what she would like me to focus on more or leave out of the lesson. I had only received information from Maria about what to teach, so in hind sight, I would have liked to meet with Mrs. Buchanan about this lesson so that I knew exactly what she wanted to cover. I will take this knowledge with me into my elementary practicum time. Overall the lessons went quite well, and the students were able to answer my questions and understood the objective of the lesson. I felt satisfied with this lesson and how it was delivered.

Friday, February 26

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Friday, Feb. 26th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 171.75 hours 

Today Maria and I met with Laura Mackenthun and Ann Cameron to listen to Ann Cameron explain the program Mouse.org. This tech site has been opened in MN and is offering it to 200 schools. SRRHS has been accepted and Ann will being teaching these courses. It is basically an online learning program consisting of tutorials and projects that guide students through various parts of technology. For example, how to take apart and put together a computer, clean a computer, create apps and websites etc. The end goal is to train a core of students to create a help desk team.

One of the media clerks was out a while today for para training, so I filled in at the circulation desk. I was actually able to assist several students and it felt good to be able to know my way around this media center more than I did a couple of weeks ago.

I also worked on my presentation for the lessons I'll be teaching Monday on the Biography Reference Center site.

Later in the day I also worked on putting genre stickers on the fiction books. I'm up to the P's...the end is in sight!

Thursday, February 25th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Thursday, Feb. 25th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 163.75 hours 

Today Maria and I met with the counselors and the Assistant Principal to discuss creating a 'boot camp' for new and transfer students coming to SRRHS. Everyone was on board so Maria will begin working on a layout for getting new students acquainted with the culture of the school-using laptops, google and Schoology accounts etc. It is an exciting project, and one that is needed in today's 1:1 schools. I will keep this in mind when I work in a school that uses student devices. 

Maria also showed me her budget and we discussed those needs and what categories she has added. For example, I haven't really thought about a staff development area. This is what she uses to pay for her ITEM membership and TIES conference which is a great idea. Otherwise everything else seemed pretty standard. She doesn't negotiate her budget too much, but is given some flexibility with each area. So if she overspends in one area and under spends in another it is OK as long as it does not go over her total budget.  

Wednesday, Feb. 24

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 24th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 155.75 hours 

This morning I printed out the final lists of students going to World Read Aloud Day, and checked off who returned their guardian permission slip.  Maria and I then headed to the bus, and we took roll call and collected the remaining permission slips. I got off at the first stop at Hillside, the ECC in Sauk Rapids. I took 4 pairs of students inside and was greeted by their media specialist. She showed the students to their classrooms and introduced them to the teacher. I then walked around and took lots of pictures! The teachers all had an activity to do with them as well because we were there for an hour, so they knew the little ones would not sit and be read to for an hour! Some played BINGO, sang different ABC songs etc. It was so fun to see the high school students read so well to the kids and to take part in each activity. When we left the kids were sad to see them go and jealous that they got to go on a bus :) The teachers and everyone at the school were really pleased with our visit, so that was awesome! Next we picked up Maria and the others at Pleasant View and headed over to Rice Elementary. Again, everyone did a great job reading and it all went extremely well. Some kids 'adopted' certain high school students and just didn't want them to leave, it was very sweet. When we returned, Maria and I talked about what worked, and what could be improved for next year.  

After an exciting morning, it was calming to go back in the stacks and put on more genre stickers!  

 

Tuesday, February 23

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Tuesday, Feb.23rd

Time Worked: 7:30-4:45pm

Total: 147.75 hours 

This afternoon Maria and I met with the 42 students signed-up to do World read Aloud Day tomorrow. It was a quick meeting, but we were able to explain the expectations of them at the elementary schools, collect guardian permission slips and students partner up with someoneto read with at the elementary schools.

There have been a couple of odd things happening with the staff and student Mac books that Maria and I are trying to solve. One is that the login screen suddenly disappears. This creates an issue because you then have to log out of your computer every time you step away for it to be secure. However, I did find in the settings where the user can switch it to a log in screen, but again, having to do this each time is inconvenient. Another quirk is a student's computer keeps printing everything backwards. We found a mirroring option in the print setting but this still did not fix the issue. Maria says that the next step is to consult with one of the network administrators to work on this issue. 

In the late afternoon I worked on the genrefication process. 

After school, I attended a leadership meeting where the Principal played a video showcasing the standards and how to think about Project Based Learning opportunities. We then broke into small groups to discuss how this could be implemented at SRRHS and to keep in mind that there are no limitations or boundaries. It was an interesting meeting but my group was anti-technology and so it was hard to make real progress. We came back together as a large group to share ideas. There was nothing radical proposed and it felt a bit incomplete. I'm not sure the goal of this meeting was met.

Monday, February 22

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Monday, Feb. 22

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 138.5 hours 

Today Maria and I worked on coordinating the World Read Aloud Day student meeting tomorrow, and making sure everyone that signed up has a guardian permission slip.  

I continued putting on the fiction genre stickers. I should finish by next week. I already went through 2 boxes of Realistic Fiction and Fantasy stickers - 500/box! I noticed we were getting low in certain genres and running out of clear stickers to cover them, so I put a Demco order together and Maria ordered them. Hopefully they arrive by next week.  

 Maria printed out various lists of top books from 2015, and award winning books for me to check which ones they have and which ones should be considered for purchase. It's interesting because many of these books have a similar theme. I'm trying my best to decipher which themes/genres the collection is lacking, and which are also most likely to appeal to the students.

Thursday, Feb. 18th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Thursday, Feb. 18th

Time Worked: 7:30-11:00pm, 1:30-3:30 

Total: 122.5 hours

Today I continued working on the genrefication of the fiction books. 

I also helped Maria with a staff member who had her gmail account hacked into. We had to get assistance from the Tech Integrationist, Laura Mackenthun, to get everything fixed.  It was quite a long process to get the account's password verified and reset, and to make sure that she was enabled and clear to send out and receive emails again! 

Maria and I discussed some issues with the budget, like paying for busing for the World Read Aloud Day event, buying Makerspace items, and how to fund raise. For example, we are still contemplating organizing an Art & Book event B&N offered to us as a fundraising option.

At the end of the day I assisted the Media Clerks in checking-in the devices and putting them in the correct charging station.  

 

Friday, Feb. 19th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Friday, Feb. 19th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 130.5 hours

I have made it to the H's this week on genrefying the fiction collection. Feels good to be making my way around the book shelves! Maria is also having me weed out some of the books as I go along placing on the stickers.

This morning I attended a 2 hour long District Technology Meeting at Mississippi Heights Elementary School. The meeting's agenda had been sent out prior to the meeting and was shared via google docs. The layout gave everyone a chance to jot down their ideas before the meeting started. The progression of the 1:1 program, handling the process for registering damages/repairs to 1:1 devices,and current projects happening in the media center's were all topics discussed during the meeting. I took notes and got some good information to consider when setting up a 1:1 program. 

I created a sign-up sheet and TV slide to promote the World Read Aloud Day event coming up on the 24th. There are about 25 students who have signed up and we need 40. Hopefully some will think about this weekend and sign-up on Monday. Maria and I also filled out the transportation request, and prepared the parents permission forms ready to hand out on Monday.  I'm learning more about the process of setting up a field trip!

Wednesday, Feb. 17th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 17th

Time Worked: 10:30-3:30pm

Total: 117 hours

I worked for a while on the genrefication process of the fiction books.

Maria taught a few classes today on how to use Garageband to splice their songs for an essay project. I helped students download Garageband from the Student Service Center on their MAC and made sure everyone was following Maria's steps. I also overheard some questions about the project as I was helping them, so at the end when Maria asked if there were any questions and no one answered, I said that I heard there were some questions about if the audio button shows when you play the Pages presentation, what to do if Garageband won't download etc. Maria was then able to answer those questions that for some reason the students didn't want to ask in front of the whole class. When class ended those students came up to me and thanked me for asking their questions. It felt great to be able to help out in a classroom situation!

Tuesday, Feb.16th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 16th

Time Worked: 7:30-1:30pm

Total: 112 hours

In the morning I helped the Media Clerks check out the daily laptops. It's good to learn this process and engage with some students.  Maria and I discussed how working with the laptops has put her in contact with more of the students then she had before going 1:1.

I continued placing genre stickers on the fiction books. It is taking a bit longer than expected because some books are not placed in the correct genre, so it takes a few minutes to figure out the best genre for the book. 

I also assisted Maria with a staff member's gmail account. It somehow got linked to a student's gmail account who had used her computer. We finally found the correct setting under one of the privacy settings, but it took google a while to reset the account and reflect the changes we made. 

Thursday, February 11th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Thursday, Feb. 11th

Time Worked: 7:30-11:00pm

Total: 106 hours

The genre stickers arrived this morning! I worked on placing these genre stickers onto the spines of the books. It is taking me longer than I thought because I need to find the books on the shelf. Therefore, this process is also getting the collection completely in order and ready for spring time inventory!

Wednesday, February 10th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 10th

Time Worked: 7:30-2:00pm

Total: 102.5 hours 

Today I completed weeding the nonfiction according to the list I created with Maria. I ended up weeding five regular sized book carts! Maria will also do a quick run through these books to see if there are any that we should keep.
Feels good to have this portion of the weeding completed. It will assist us when Maria goes through the rest of the genrefying process and moving the books.

Tuesday, February 9th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 9th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 96 hours 

   I continued to weed the nonfiction according to the list previously created. I am 3/4 of the way finished. The sections that were most difficult are the ones I am interested in learning. This was a good insight, because I tended to want to leave more books on the shelf simply because to me they are interesting! I had to step back and think about our criteria for weeding these books.
   I watched a few more Atomic Learning videos with Maria about Acitvboard's Inspire software.

 

Monday, February 8th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Monday, Feb. 8th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 88 hours 

Today I worked on weeding the collection. Maria and I created a list of nonfiction books that were published before or on 1978 and have never been checked-out. I used this list to guide my weeding. I looked at each book and evaluated its condition and checked to see if the content is relevant or valid. I worked my way through 1/4 of the nonfiction collection.
I also visited an English teacher's classroom to give a quick 10 minute explanation of how students need to find, download and upload music for their memory book presentations. This went well and the teacher was pleased with my presentation.

Friday, Feb. 5th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Friday, Feb. 5th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 80 hours

   This morning I helped the Media Clerks check devices out to the students.
   Today we almost finished genrefying the fiction collection! The genre stickers should arrive next week, so we'll be ready to put them on the books.
   Maria showed me how to run collection reports in Alexandria, and we created a list of nonfiction books that have never been checked out. This generated 18 pages of books that have never been checked out! Maria is going through this list for classics or books she feels need to remain in the collection and then we are going to weed out the remaining books. We also discussed how one can approach weeding, and what determines under her selection policy which books should stay or be weeded. I'm excited to begin this task next week!
   I also viewed a few more Atomic Learning videos on Activboard software.
   At the end of the day I also assisted the Media Clerks with checking in student devices and storing them for the weekend.

Thursday, Feb. 4th

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Thursday, Feb. 4th

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 72 hours 

    I continued making progress on genrefying the collection. Getting to the bottom half of the list! It feels good to be moving along so quickly, although I know this is just one step in a long process!
   Maria and I attended a meeting on the district's state testing schedule. It was interesting to learn how they set-up their testing sessions, who is in charge, where they take place etc. I have experience administering these tests, and I'm glad to see that I do have a good understanding of this process.
   I also spoke with Maria about training Media Clerks and her daily interactions with them as part of her staff. We discussed how to get them on board with the activities and events that happen in the media center. There is a shift happening today with what Media Clerks did in the past vs. today with the integration of technology. What I took away from our conversation is that it is key to have good communication between the LMS and Media Clerk(s) so that everyone is on the same page with where the media center is headed.

Wednesday, Feb 3rd

Sauk Rapids-Rice High School (SRRHS)

Mentor: Maria Burnham

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 3rd

Time Worked: 7:30-3:30pm

Total: 64 hours 

   Today I spent time working on genrefying the fiction collection. We are making good progress, and I think we will have things done by early next week!
   Today I shadowed Maria a bit more in regards to the troubleshooting she does with students and their school laptops. Each district has their quirks with devices, filters, networks, LMS etc. and I have my own tricks and "go-to's," but it was interesting to learn about what she has to troubleshoot on a daily basis. Some of the things she encounters I do not have experience with, like having to login to a portal to agree to the network terms or printing from their own devices. Maria also showed me their Google docs that she fills out when devices are damaged, or returned by the user. These were very helpful to see as I am sure many districts have something similar in regards to their 1:1 programs.
   Today's Learning Lunch sessions were about Schoology. I was a Schoology Administrator at another district, so this was very familiar to me. Knowing this, Maria let me lead this session as well. I was able to cover setting up the grade book, grading groups, showing them how to unenroll a student, and embedding material into an assignment. These were very productive sessions, and the teachers left with a better understanding of these specific Schoology tools.