School Daze

Friday, July 31 was the last day of school for me. At Lufkin Road Middle School, that is. I've really enjoyed my time there and hope to come back for my full internship. So it was sort of sad, but I didn't have much time to think about it.

It was a busy day. There were new members of the TV news crew as the final track began its new school year. There had also been a storm that created problems with the network connections, so there were lots of questions from faculty to answer. Additionally, in order to accomodate the number of teachers needing access to a computer lab, the school began experimenting with creating an additional lab using laptops and a wireless cart. Since there is always one group of students tracked out, the science room in that pod is converted to a computer lab using the cart. Each time it is set up there are a few glitches. New 6th graders tracking in needed help setting up their usernames and passwords in Blackboard and their were more orientations.

The front page story of the News & Observer was not lost on me, either. I've been job hunting for a considerable amount of time and have a number of resumes sent out to principals and local school districts. The article was about the budget standoff and how teachers, administrators, and parents were frustrated not knowing how many teachers would be hired and how big the resulting class sizes would be. Most schools are not year round and will start in three weeks. It's getting close and the anxiety I feel was certainly echoed in the story.

But the day ended with some fun. Diane is preparing for her National Boards and she's doing a technology project with one of the teachers. They want to set up a history project using Voice Thread software. We ended the day playing with it (I guess I should say, "exploring its features") to see how it worked. We had a mic and a web cam in the back workroom. Sandra and Diane both had accounts. Diane set up a discussion area and Sandra was trying to post audio and video content. We also called in comments on a cell phone. The point of Voice Thread is to hold a multimedia group discussions via the web. The students would get both a technology and a history lesson and have fun doing it. And the software would document the discussion for Diane.

I promised to stay in touch. I'll be really curious to see how both the budget and the Voice Thread play out. And as I mentioned, I hope it's not "good bye", just "see you later".

Everybody loves podcasting

OK, more technology boot camp. As if the podcasting class itself were not enough--another podcasting homework assignment. This (very poor) podcast was created during my vacation with my kids at the John C Campbell Folkschool this past week. Computers and other electronic devices are frowned upon and the only three pronged outlets with wireless access were in the library of all places. I had a tiny netbook with a poor mic and a script I could barely read in the poor lighting, trying not to disturb those around me while the talent show was wrapping up in the next room. But anticipating my post-vacation desk at work, I really didn't want to be a week behind.

The rest of my folkschool experience was great. This is the fourth year I have taken both kids to Intergenerational week. As each child is required to have an adult with them, a friend from Quaker meeting, Linda, comes to be the other adult. Linda lost her husband in the 1983 Beruit bombing and raised her too children mostly alone so she gets it about single parenting. She's a very good sport, great company and has a comfortable van to tote all our stuff in and all our shopping and finished craft projects home. This year she brought with her a map of all the quilt/fabric shops in NC so the trip home was almost as fun as the week there.

Ben and Linda took Blacksmithing with Judy Berger, a wonderful woman who is great with kids, and their sometimes less than enthusiastic parents. This is Linda's third stint with blacksmithing. Fortunately this was the coolest week we've had up there yet. Jessie and I took glass beadmaking. Both kids were thrilled. Where else to they have parental permission to play with fire?! The classes are punctuated with extraordinary meals and each day ends with a program of music or dance or folk heritage.

My first trip to the Folkschool was five years ago with my son, Ben, for Little Middle Week. It's sort of like a daycamp for younger kids with a few class opportunities for the adults. I took felting. He took, among three other activities, lap dulcimer. It was a fortuitous event. He was getting bored with piano and I didn't want him to lose interest in music. He took the class on a lark and discovered he really liked it. He's quite accomplished now. His sister has taken up hammered dulcimer and is pretty mean at it, too.

This is our last year for Intergenerational week. Jessie is too old and Ben wants to go to a dulcimer week in Cullowhee that is always this same week in July. Linda and I may just come by ourselves . . .

The best laid plans . . .

Today was largely about extension cords. And the fire marshall who didn't like where they were. By the end of the last school year, the workroom of the media center was full of new data projectors waiting to be installed. The library spent considerable funds on those rubber strips that lay on the carpet and keep folks from tripping on the cords. And they'd bought lovely new, heavy-duty extension cords to go in them--and somehow managed to find the cords in the school colors of red and black. I was there just after all the installing was finished. Sandra and Diane were full of stories about crawling on the floor and using miles of duct tape to keep them down. Well, all of that was undone yesterday and today after the fire marshall declared the extensions cords inappropriate, despite their colors. So all the data projectors had to be moved to AV carts, the extension cords removed, and the AV cart cords inserted into the rubber strips and then re-taped to the carpet.

The good news is that it is all done. The library now has a generous stash of brightly colored extension cords. And someone had the foresight to put all the cabinets in the classrooms on trolleys so they were easy to move away from the recepticles we needed to access.

In and amongst all this excitement I was able to visit with the art teacher who would like to do a section on weaving. I gave her my contact information (I'm a weaver in my other life) and hope I'll get to help her some when she's ready to plan. I also got to observe another research class in the library. The teacher who was having students write resumes for volcanoes was having them create "wanted" posters of famous scientists following a biographical outline. Not only were they learning about the lives of the scientists, but were learning to insert pictures into Word documents and explore formatting. And the 8th graders made it in for their library orientation.

All in all, it was a busy day. There were classes in the library for all but one period which meant lots of circulation. Generally volunteers do the shelving. But today, Diane asked me to shelve a stack of books with stickers on them. The popular series books are all housed on shelves just inside the library door. They have yellow dots on them. Diane said she wanted them back on the shelves ASAP as they were so in demand. So I got the stack on the shelves just before lunch. And after lunch, I was checking those same books out again. Think I could develop circulation envy.

New School Year

School has been back since July 7. It must have been a rough July 4 weekend as I was startled by the number of students in braces and casts! Or maybe I just didn't see them last time I was there, but there seemed to be a bunch.



The library assistant, Liz, is tracked out this week. She works the schedule her children attend school so she's off for three weeks. This is the week of library orientation so Diane and Sandra greeted me with instructions. My jobs today were to (wo)man the circulation desk and work the laminator.



We had 6th and 7th grade students today. Orientation consisted of a Camtasia PowerPoint created for each grade level. Sixth graders needed to learn how to log into the computer and receive their user names and passwords for Blackboard. The school does not allow personal email, so students use the Digital Dropbox function in Blackboard to make assignments available at home or to turn in assignments to their instructors. The seventh grade orientation was focused on plagiarism--note taking and using citations. Afterwards, students were allowed to check out books and magazines.

Lots of happy students plowing through the books. Diane was right, the shelves had plenty of room again for reshelving. And the new computer system kept a couple of 6th grade students from checking materials out as they had overdues from their elementary schools.

Some observations: I teach handweaving and have for years. One of my discussions with beginners is that there is a body English to working at the loom. Your head gets it before your fingers do, but once your fingers get it, it gets a whole lot easier. Apparently laminators and barcode readers operate the same way. Except I haven't had enough time with them to master either one. Fortunately, the students were patient while I wrestled with the barcode reader. And a teacher, to whom I apologied for my "creative laminating" just grinned and said that forgiveness was a requirement for working here. The good news is that Destiny is a whole lot easier to use (and much easier on the eyes) than our Sirsi Dynix system at work and I don't think I made too many mistakes there.

But the big discovery of the day was a book on Diane's desk, The First Days of School: How to be an effective teacher. I didn't have to read too far to realize what an outstanding resource it was. My personal copy, via Amazon, is on the way . . .

Technology Boot Camp

This is week three of Technology Boot Camp, an effort by the community college system to offer technology training to educators. This is a six week program of distance ed funded by a grant from AT&T and hosted by the Center for Organizational Research and Development. Even though I have a foundational background in the topics they are discussing, it has been both demanding and interesting.

There are 28 of us in the class, but based on this week's discussion posts (or lack thereof) I'm wondering if we haven't lost some folks. Through my library training, I've been reading about, and to a degree, using the web 2.0 technologies the class is reviewing. I can see their applications in other libraries and have worked with a couple of instructors on campus to explore their use in the classroom.

Apparently, some of my class members have not had such exposure. Some of the feedback from the class is beginning to sound a lot like overwhelm. "How am I going to use This?! in my class??" A few folks already have been implementing what we've discussed and have examples to share, but they are the minority.

The Internet as we know it is less than 20 years old, but the exposure to all the new technology it has spawned may actually have physically changed the brains of the students now flooding our schools. Those of us whose education predates the 'net are now forced to learn to teach in new ways. And while I, too, am struggling to determine just what use some specific applications, like Twitter, have in the classroom, it strikes me that the time for reluctance is over.

I turned 55 a week or so ago, so the brain is not young. I don't expect ever to be fluid with this stuff. But I'm doing my best to jump to the seargent's call. I do want to be effective. And that means I have to learn the turf and the language. I just hope they make earbuds that will fit around my hearing aids . . .

The sesquipenultimate school day

(Note: In music, the ultimate note in a composition is the final note. The penultimate note is the one before it, hence the sesquipenultimate note is the one before that. According to NPR, anyway.)

Friday, June 26. Clearly the last week of school. In contrast to the previous week, there were no flashcards or study sheets or students anxiously reviewing or clutching final projects. As I entered the school this week, they were all chatting and fingering digital cameras. Throughout the school day, I could feel the energy. Several times, the library assistant was called to help out in ISS. Apparently it was full of students unable to contain their enthusiasm for the end of the school year.

I actually remembered my check list this visit and began making more conscious observations outside the media center. The offloading of students in the morning is an exercise in highly organized chaos. As I mentioned, the school is in the middle of an industrial park. The early school bell probably helps avoid much of the morning traffice, but it is still a very busy area. The busses are incredibly efficient, discharging volumes of happy, excited kids in a very few minutes. However, the parade of cars offloading one or two students seemed endless (especially at the end of the day when a tired intern is trying to get through the line to the exit). Fortunately, busses are on one side of the building, the parents are on the other. The two parking areas do not appear to connect so bus and car interaction is limited.While the lines of cars and busses were neat and orderly, the noisy gaggle of students assembling near the entrance was anything but. When the doors opened, students streamed into the foyer. Walking among them felt like being pulled along by the tide.

The office is immediately inside the main entrance and to the right. Visitors are greeted by a colorful computer screen asking for their name and the purpose of their visit. They are rewarded with a bright yellow sticker printed with their name and destination This particular morning, the receptionist was out and the school's book keeper was trying to manage visitors, the phone, and students anxious to correct their attendance records. To the left, an infirmary provides needed first aid supplies and is periodically visited by a nurse who rotates between several local schools. Beyond the desk, a hall curves towards the mailroom with offices for the principal and other administrative staff members. On Fridays, the principal and many of the teachers and staff members wear bright red T-shirts bearing the LRMS Lightening mascot. This Friday, the office is particularly busy as students and parents try to clear up end-of-year details.

When I got to the media center, sporting my bright yellow badge, Diane was still on the hunt for individuals who hadn't turned in their library books. This was her last opportunity (or the last day she was making an attempt this school year). The list was substantially shorter than last week and she did nab a few more while scouring the halls and visiting homerooms, clipboard and marking pen in hand. However, as soon as that job was done, she had me accompany her to one of the special education labs where we were to assist the instuctor with her students. The students had been writing a journal all year. Their final assignment was to put their favorite selection from each month into a PowerPoint presentation. Diane and I brought microphones from the library's AV collection so students could record their final statements--what was the most valuable lesson they had learned that year--into their PowerPoints. The teacher was collecting their presentations on a disk for herself and giving each student a disk with their own journal on it. She'd made a CD label for each disk with a great picture of the class as a gift back to them.

The other big job that day was helping faculty members get all their files off their laptops. The school was migrating to a Microsoft server from their current Novell system. All the laptops had to be wiped clean and the new software installed. A team was coming in Monday to make the migration. All the laptops had to be emptied of personal files and collected by the end of the day. Some instructors were having trouble removing their files. One of the resource teachers came by the classroom and saw Diane and asked for help. As Diane was busy with the students, I assisted with the laptop. It was a great chance to chat with her about services for special needs students.

I have a 29 year old stepson who was born at aound 25 weeks. He is a happy, successful young man now, but with all his developmental delays and associated hardships, school was a nightmare for him. As his dad and I were the custodial parents, it fell to us to negotiate for the special services he needed and deserved. Our experience was that each profession we consulted had their own perspectives and success stories to back them up. And often they were in conflict. Classroom teachers wanted to retain such kids and press them for more "reinforcement" through added homework. The doctors wanted to medicate. Other specialists wanted self-contained classrooms or hours of resource time with no meds and a reduced class load. But schools may be limited as to the number of resource staff, self-contained classrooms, or resource slots available. While the state mandates that each child is entitled to an IEP, figuring out what is needed, getting everyone involved on board and then finding the time and resources to deliver the services can be daunting for families. So while we were waiting for the teacher's files to transfer, I was full of questions about how students like my stepson would be handled at Lufkin.

I was told that this school did not have "self-contained classrooms" like the one I observed in Randleman or as had been proposed for my stepson. Special needs students were taught in small groups in computer labs like the one we were in. It was still called "resource" and there was a resource teacher for each grade. They typically met for four hours a day. I was working with the 8th grade resource teacher who loved her job and made a career change specifically to have the chance to do it.

Diane and Sandra and myself made several more excursions out to make sure everyone had turned in laptops and had no problems retaining files. The rest of the day was spent shelving books--or trying to. A major shelf shifting was in order. Many shelves were so full, all I could do was lay books sideways on top of those shelved. I was assured that by the time I returned on July 10 (July 3 is a holiday), there would be plenty of room on the shelves again and the volunteers would manage the straightening up they required. My final excursion was to the staff lounge to see what was happening there.

This building had been a pharma manufacturing facility, remember? The lounge was lovely--spacious, with a nice kitchen, gorgous second floor view, and lots of vending machines. It was also empty. And it had been empty the last time I visited. I quizzed Sandra who said that not only was it really cold up there, but most folks ate lunch in small groups in their workrooms like we did in the library. She wasn't sure it was ever used much unless the PTA brought in a teacher appreciation lunch. Oh well, no hot gossip to be found there!

Monday and Tuesday are the last two days of school. Wednesday and Thursday are teacher work days. The following Monday is a workday and orientation for new students. And it all starts over again Tuesday, July 7. I'll be there again on the 10th, curious to see the school year from the other end.

LRMS-TV

Friday, June 19. Next week is the last full week of school for this school year. As I walked in the building, I passed students helping each other remember test facts with flash cards, pouring over review sheets, and clutching final projects.


When I got to the media center, I learned it was also the last day of broadcast for LRMS-TV, a daily news show that broadcasts from the media center each morning. Sandra said she's chosen to stop broadcasting at the beginning of the final week in part because there is so little news, and in part because the students are so rambunctious. They certainly were this morning. I arrived as they were rehersing their farewell to their fans and there was much silliness. As I entered the door, I was informed that I would work the teleprompter so they all could be in the final sign off.

The teleprompter was fun. I just had to hit the space bar to start and stop it according to the pace of the reader. Throughout the school year, there are four news crews of 8 students each--two from each track. Since one track is always out, there are six students at a time working on the broadcast. After the morning news show, the day's messages appear in a scrolling PowerPoint throughout the rest of the day. Sandra says she has a stock of 100 PowerPoint backgrounds to draw from to make the scrollling announcements interesting. Each student received a certificate of appreciation from Sandra, but it was evident they got a taste of celebrity status from their peers as well.


Another sign of the school year's demise was the list of overdue library books to be distributed to each homeroom. The library's collection includes about 15,000 copies representing about 12,000 titles. They also carry 11 student periodicals and 4 professional publications for staff. I learned in studying for the praxis that the accreditation folks recommend including money in the budget to replace about 5% of the collection each year due to loss or damage. The number of missing books at Lufkin was substantially below that. They have a new ILS that does a much better job of tracking books than their previous system. And it is now integrated county-wide. Which means that lost books follow a student from school to school until the fines are resolved. Dianne told me they'd had a student at the high school who couldn't buy a prom ticket until he came and cleared his middle school library record. Bet he had fun explaining that to his date! They do give some students the option of working in the library to pay off their fines if the fines are a hardship. I liked that idea. They don't have student volunteers like Maddie does and I like the idea of students working in the library. Mostly I like the idea of students getting hands-on experiences anywhere they can as a balance to their mostly academic pursuits. But that's another post.


In addition to the new ILS, the librarians also start well before the end of the school year tracking the missing books. Sandra and I went to each home room with the missing books lists and she knew the students well enough to speak to a number of them personally. During the day, Dianne would dash out into the hallways during passing period with a cardboard box asking students for library books while they were rummaging in their lockers. Each trip netted a few.


I'll be interested to see how they've whittled the number down when I go out there next Friday. Then there's the July 4th holiday week, and a new school year begins July 7--for Tracks 1, 2, and 3, that is. Track 4 starts July 27. I'll keep you posted.

Lufkin Middle School

6/5/01 I almost didn't find Lufkin Middle School. It is in the middle of an industrial park. Which surprised me until I learned that it was a renovated pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. Which explains this impressive smoked glass entrance. It is probably the most attractive school I have ever been in. Apparently the county experimented with the cost of renovations vs building new buildings. My two gracious hostesses, Diane and Sandra, could not tell me what the county determined by its experiment, but the school is lovely.

We actually did talk a lot about media center issues, and will do so again on subsequent visits, but taking in this impressive facility was a big part of my first visit and a good place to begin the record of my visits there.

One of the things I particularly liked were the broad, expansive hallways. There is something oppressive about low ceilings and narrow halls with dully painted cinderblock. The whole building has a light, airy feel. This is the entrance to the media center.

This stunning piece of artwork is leftover from the building's previous owners. There is a plaque describing its imagery with relation to the corporation's vision. After the building became a school, resident artists created work along with students to decorate other areas of the building.

This is a mural painted on the walls to resemble a mosaic created under the direction of a resident artist. It is directly across from the media center entrance.

But, of course, it is not the building that makes the school. However, having the funds to create an attractive, exciting learning environment does have an affect on student and faculty moral. They are certainly off to a good start here.

Praxis 0310

I took the praxis this morning. The School Library praxis. Maddie took it a month or so ago and had a nightmare. Her knees bother her. The test location was moved--uphill and upstairs and with no warning or sign posted at the stated exam site. The parking was in the hinterlands. She got lost going back to her car. Folks are supposed to report at 7:30a and start testing at 8:00. Her test was substantially delayed. All in all, it was a long, grim morning. Good news is, she passed. But of course, she didn't know that for a month. All she knew then was that it had been a very rough morning.

I took Friday off work to rest and catch my breath. This is the second week of working four 10-hour days. Last Friday, I spent at Lufkin Middle School--the subject of my next post. It was a lovely day, but a hellacious week. One of my co-workers observed that there was no time to unwind in the evenings and she was sleeping poorly. Me, too, in spades. So I took Friday off. I puttered and reviewed my notecards. I tucked myself in at a decent hour and was just drifting off. My kids are volunteering at a local church camp. At 11:15p, my daughter called to wish me luck. I was so startled by the phone (but deeply touched by the gesture, Jessie) that I couldn't get back to sleep. At 5a I was up to be in Durham by 7:30a. Educational Testing Service, despite getting my credit card number and billing address correct to the tune of $150, could not give a correct address for the building where the test was being given. After a couple of wrong turns on the way, I discovered that the test site was three blocks from the address given and parking was at a premium. Afraid of being late, I ditched the car in a reserved spot and dashed to the building.

This was not the test site that Maddie had used. I was on the campus of NC Central and they were wonderfully organized. There was a greeter to answer questions, rooms were clearly marked, and our proctors were on top of things and got us started on time. Maddie had loaned me her copy of the state IMPACT guidelines and I'd read Information Power for class this term. And I'd bought a couple of review books, so I felt well prepared. What I was not prepared for was how much age and sleeplessness had affected my ability to concentrate during testing.

I've been an online student since 2000, but evaluation has been through either papers and projects, or open book exams. I haven't taken a timed standardized test in YEARS (one reason I chose ECU was that they would not require the GRE again since I already had a masters!). Years. It's a 120 question, two hour test. About question 45 I began to wonder if I'd make it through. The questions were complex and subtle and I was having trouble taking all the details in and remembering why they mattered. And then I discovered that my #2 pencils were SO old (who uses these anymore?!) that the erasers were hard and wouldn't erase. But I got done with 10 minutes to spare so I checked my bubbles, thanked Godde it was over, and began savoring the idea of lunch and a nap. Then I remembered the car.

I'm taking the fact that it was there and unticketed as an omen. And lunch and the nap were as good as I'd imagined. We'll hope for the scores . . .

The Technology Native Crosses the Stage

Photos courtesy of Duane Hall who joined us that evening. Jessie graduated from the Middle College High School at GTCC on May 21. She graduated with honors and 24 other seniors from a very special program. All the students that started the program in her class completed it. 100%. The program is for at-risk kids. They are all going on to school after graduation (all- 100%) and between them have garnered well over $300,000 in scholarships. I didn't know much about the program when I enrolled her in the middle of her sophomore year. I did know that the school she was in had a high drop-out rate, a very low percentage of students going on to college, and the attitude that if she wasn't disruptive, she didn't need help. She has some learning differences, but she's bright and she lays low in class. Nobody cared (except for a new, young, enthusiastic guidance counselor who could not get the teachers to rally behind her). At GTCC, they cared. The theory was that having small classes in the atmosphere of a college campus would inspire students to achieve more. This was an experiment by the Guilford County Schools. The teachers were hand-picked. I was working in Greensboro when I moved her and paid out of county tuition--a modest expense for the tremendous results they achieved. It is just a blessing they had an opening for her at that time. She is going on to Guilford College with nearly half her tuition covered in scholarships and her first year of college credits behind her.

I didn't expect to cry so much. Of course, there was lots of hub bub beforehand while gowns were donned and pictures taken. Then the solemn procession in to Pomp and Circumstance. The heavily gowned officials on the stage and valedectorian all made the required speeches, "Wah wa wah wa wah . . . you are the future . . .wah wa wah . . . you will never forget your friends here . . . wah wa wah . . . follow your dreams . . ." Pretty standard stuff, but I cried anyway. We were cautioned early on to be respectful and not catcall or cheer, but as each name was read, the response got louder. For many families, this was a real first. The valedictorian went through school as a single mom. Each young person had their story and their families were there as witness to their success.

Afterwards, we (miraculously) all found each other in the lobby. There were hugs and more pictures and a few more tears. And cake and ice cream back at the house. And a return to ALMOST normal.

Spring Fling with Maddie

This is what it looked like when I arrived at Maddies's middle school for Spring Fling. I almost didn't make it in the torrential rain. Spring Fling is a treat for those students who attended all three days of the EOGs. There were games, food booths, and activities in the gym. And a silent auction as a fund raiser.

When I got there, some of the outside games had come down but there were plenty of damp kids noisily waiting in line for food or having a blast in the gym. Maddie was in charge of the silent auction. The auction items were lovely baskets of goodies each around a different theme that homerooms had put together with contributions from the students. There was some intense competition in the bidding and the principal was in the middle of it. I was delighted with the originality of the contents and the display and I think the school made a little money on it. They made some off me. I couldn't resist bidding on the art basket. I felt foolish putting it in the car, thinking my kids were really too old for the contents. I decided I'd probably just donate it to the PreK at the college.

Then my kids saw the basket. My college bound daughter was the worst. I have no clue what she'll do with the playdoh but I haven't seen her this excited in awhile. So we all had a little spring fling. After all that camcorder/camtasia burnout, happy kids were the cure.

Camcorder morning, Camtasia afternoon

In addition to the podcasting class, I've been asked to work with the instructional librarian to update some tutorial videos we have posted to our web page. More technology immigration. Whew. The Luddite in me is having stress issues. I spent the morning learning to use our camcorder. I've never really used one. The goal for today was to create a video clip with the camcorder, then create another video clip using Camtasia software (for capturing computer screen videos) and see if I could edit them together in the Camtasia software and get a product. The ultimate goal being to learn to use Camtasia.

Well, it's lumpy but it's a video. PLEASE keep in mind this is a practice and NOT a product. And I learned some stuff, some of which confirms why I'm so uncomfortable with technology:

1) The .mpg files created by the Sony camcorder can't be read by the Camtasia software. I'm presuming some proprietary issues here. Theoretically, Camtasia can read .mpg files. But theoretically, computers were supposed to give us a paperless society by now.

2) Free file conversion software is iffy at best. I tried three different packages and either I could not intuit the operating instructions (no tech support for freeware) or the quality was very poor. The camcorder video of the library is lovely and smooth in the original version. My voice sounded like a zombie as the converted video jerked and dragged. Fortunately, part of updating our instructional videos includes adding recordings to the screen shots. So I got to practice that by voicing over the zombie in the converted camcorder clip.

Clearly, planning is everything. Planning the script so the screen action doesn't drag, planning commentary (or edits) in the places where the computer hangs up loading a new page, planning the camcorder motions and zooms. Right now, I'm planning to take a rest. Good thing it's a Friday.

Library Services for K12

Early College High School (ECHS)

The main campus of our college has an early college high school that serves about 400 high school students who are dually enrolled in the community college. In addition to providing a core high school curriculum, the program allows them to take their high school electives in regular community college classes and earn college credit. The presence of an ECHS program has not required many changes in the main library’s collection as the high school instructors found the resources they needed in the existing materials. The main library has, however, added a number of young adult fiction titles to support pleasure reading among the ECHS students. The main campus librarians have had some complaints about noise and behavior of the ECHS students, that they have changed the atmosphere of the library, but they also have seen an increase in their reference and circulation statistics since the ECHS started. Our campus does not have enough classroom space to have and ECHS program, but will consider it once a new classroom building is constructed. In addition to the new classroom building, we are on track to receive a new library building at the same time. Our branch library will merge with the local public library in the new building. This will represent a new client mix for us and there may also be ECHS students added to that. It will be interesting to see how the atmosphere of the library changes with a new mix of patrons.

Huskins

The Huskins program was initiated by the State of North Carolina as an alternative means of providing vocational training to North Carolina high school students. Vocational education varies among school districts depending upon the funding available. Through the Huskins program, high schools can partner with community colleges to provide this training. Like ECHS students, Huskins students have dual enrollment. Their Huskins classes qualify as both high school electives, but they also carry community college credit. In some cases, the community college provides instructors that travel to the high school campus. Other classes are offered on the community college campus and some are delivered online. On our campus, welding and criminal justice classes are held at the local high schools. We also have a World History class that alternates between the high school campus and the college campus. Early Childhood Development and Auto Mechanics are held on the college campus because we have the specialized facilities these classes require. Some business classes are offered online. On all three campuses, Huskins students are issued ID cards and have library access just like the regular college students. The Huskins instructor I interviewed noted that there were some problems offering college classes to high school students, mostly behavioral. She observed that some high school principals were more supportive of the program than others, and occasionally the program was seen as a place to “dump” problem students, but overall, her experience with the program had been really good. All campus libraries provide library instruction upon the instructor’s request. My experience giving library orientation to some of our Huskins classes has been very positive. While they may not have been familiar with the level of research expected of them in a college level class, they all seemed eager to learn and were pleased with the library resources available to them.

Adult High School (AHS)

On the main campus, AHS and GED students meet in a satellite location. The main library has provided reference books and encyclopedias for the satellite classrooms and occasional library instruction, but these students do not regularly use the main campus library. On our campus, AHS and GED students meet on campus. As the AHS classroom is just down the hall, AHS students are regular visitors in my library.

AHS was designed to serve adult individuals who were returning to pursue their high school diploma but were not prepared enough to take the GED exam, which reflects the 11th and 12th grade high school curriculum. The AHS instructor noted that over the years, the average age of her students is getting younger. She serves primarily 16-19 year olds who have dropped out, had their high school careers interrupted by pregnancy or getting into trouble, or who struggle socially or academically. Some of her students are children of families moving in from out of state who are not satisfied with area high schools. Some are home school students whose parents are not comfortable with the high school curriculum. Some students just do better in a smaller setting. Her average class size is about 12 seated students but she also currently has 20 online students. There is a maximum time limit of 2 years for students to earn the required 20 credits. Many students either need just a class or two or were unable to pass a gateway exam and need additional preparation for that. The challenge for the instructor is to provide help and support in a variety of subjects according to each student’s needs all in a single classroom setting. Her classroom has a variety of computer resources so students can work independently.

Our small library does not have the resources to support special recreational reading materials for high school students, but the main library has been generous in providing a selection of reading materials for the AHS English classes. And we can borrow a variety of items through the community college consortium. I have enjoyed providing support and library orientation to these students. For some, this is their first library experience and I hope to make it a positive one. When they need to take an exam or need more quiet than the classroom provides, the library provides that as well.

Adult Basic Skills

The community college supports adult basic skills instruction in a variety of packages. I spoke with the Basic Skills assessment and recruitment counselor on our campus about our programs. Her job is to recruit students and administer assessments that help her place them in the right program. If they need a lot of remediation for the GED test, they may go into an ABE class that helps boost their math, reading and writing skills. Then they can test into a GED class which helps them prep for the GED specifically. Or she may direct them to the AHS program if that is the appropriate setting for their goals. The college also offers ESL (English as a second language) instruction. AHS, ABE, GED, and ESL classes are all free. State and federal tax dollars support these programs and also subsidize the fees for taking the GED. Compensatory Education classes are offered at a different site. I don’t see these students often, but I’ve been offering our basic skills faculty information about our access to Career Library and the Learning Express database of practice exams. They are beginning to use them. As they refer more students to these databases, I expect to see more of them in the library.

New School Buildings

This has been a week of visiting new schools. Last night, my son and I attended a play at the newest high school in Randolph County. It is a lovely new building with an extensive parking lot. The music teacher with whom I spoke on the phone to reserve tickets advised us to arrive early as they expected a sell-out crowd. When we arrived, we were amazed to not find a parking space AT ALL. I couldn't imagine the play being that popular or where they'd seat all these folks. As it turns out, Randolph Community College doesn't have a space big enough to host their own graduation, so RCC's graduation ceremonies were going on in the gym and cafeteria while the play was next door in the auditorium. Talk about multi-purpose rooms!

I graduated from high school in 1972 (my daughter affectionately refers to it as "Pangea High", Pangea referring to the supercontinent that existed before the continents separated). It has been at least that long since I attended a high school musical. Despite the remarkably contemporary architecture and considerable change in the audience's attire (I was not allowed out of the house back in those days without a girdle, make up, and hose), little else had changed. The high school actors all looked like kids I'd gone to school with--no kidding, I swear they are all in my yearbook. The actors were exuberant and did a really good job. The audience was supportive and enthused to see their family members/friends on stage. The props were clearly student made, but clever and well done. And the sound was abysmal. How all this time has passed and engineers still haven't figured out how to make a student's voice intelligible in a school auditorium is beyond me. The play was about the cartoon strip, "Peanuts", which is pretty timeless, so it was not hard to feel pulled back in time to my own high school musicals.

We had a really good time seeing the play but it was also great to see the new school we'd heard and read so much about. This morning, we went to a fund raising yard sale at Woods Charter School which also has a brand new building. My children attended a charter school in Siler City. My son has friends who transferred to Woods Charter when their parents moved further east so we'd heard a lot about the move to new digs. Charter schools are not provided building funds by the state so finding a place to hold classes can be a challenge. And raising money for a school building is an even bigger one. Woods had been holding classes in empty retail space in a strip mall. My kids' school had been a private school before they went charter. They already had a school building. But when they decided to add a gym, the fundraising effort was enormous and it has taken them several years to get the building up and the nice flooring in. I couldn't imagine what the Woods parents had gone through to get this gorgeous school building up, though the size and organization of the yard sale was evidence they could handle a fund raising project.

Which brings me round to the issue of parents. I know the students in both schools are enjoying their lovely buildings. But both activities, the play and the yard sale, could not have happened, much less happened successfully, without a huge input of parental volunteer time. All the time my kids have been in school, I've either been running a small business at home, or working and in school. And these last three years I've been a single parent on top of it all. One of my big regrets is that I have not been able to volunteer at their schools. I've tried to make up for it by writing checks, which I know does help, but checks don't get kids to rehersals or unpack boxes of donations. And my kids have still not forgiven me for never chaperoning a field trip. The other side of this equation, however, is that the more people there are involved in a project, the more opportunites there are for conflict to arise. I've yet to meet a teacher without a collection of parental horror stories. It's only human nature that when someone has put a great deal of effort into a project, they develop a sense of ownership. I can see from here that, like classroom management, I'm going to need some mentoring to negotiate this turf. Sonja? Maddie? Do you carry your cellphones at work?

A trip back to Maddie's

On March 31, I was back in Maddie's realm to assist her with her book fair. It was an evening event. The original plan was to serve a dinner in the cafeteria and there was a sporting event that evening. Folks had ordered food from a local (excellent) restaurant as a fund raiser for the school. Maddie's library has an outside entrance. Parents coming for supper were to be directed through the library, past the book fair, and to the cafeteria for the plates they had ordered.

In my grade school in Indianapolis, the book fair was always accompanied by a pancake supper. Both events were held together in the gym. Tired mothers loved it. It was an excuse not to cook, a great way to support the school, and we were each allowed to pick out a book we'd like to receive for Christmas. Dare I reveal my age and say they also sold records, too? I was never able to convince my children's school to do this kind of combination event so I was delighted to see that Maddie's school was using this strategy to draw a bigger crowd for their book sale and sporting event.

Typically Maddie does two book fairs a year as a fundraiser for the library. She does a large one in the fall and a small one in the spring. For most of her families, money is a little tighter in the spring as they plan for camps, summer childcare, and vacations, which is why the spring fair is a smaller event. But she still had a great display. She works with Scholastic (my children's grade and middle school regularly had Scholastic fairs so it was all really familiar). She is clearly in touch with the students' reading interests. She also carefully avoids having lots of the little plastic chachkas that generally permeate the book fairs and take attention away from the reading materials.

Unfortunately, the evening plans had changed. Instead of bringing parents through the building to the cafeteria, the food was set up outside so folks just picked up their plates and went home or to the sporting event. Few even got out of their cars. Some interested parents did come in. Those that did were warm and enthusiastic. The kids, of course, loved the set up, knew which books they wanted, and dragged parents over to see. Having done this routine with my kids for years, it was fun to relive. I found myself parousing the shelves in hopes of finding something my (much older) kids hadn't already read.

But I didn't and interested parents were few and far between. So Maddie and I talked about the perils of moving her inventory to a 14 digit barcode and how much she liked the Follette Destiny system. She even had a moment to demonstrate it for me.

I'm sorry the book fair that evening was not a big financial success, though hopefully the other days were better. She obviously had put a tremendous amount of work into the selection, set up and sales effort. I don't know who changed the evening's plans, but they really messed up a great marketing opportunity.

Early College High School

I've got two children in early/middle college high school programs. One is off to college this fall. She entered a middle college program the middle of her sophomore year in high school. This program allowed her to take community college classes for her high school electives during her junior and senior years. She's basically completed her freshman year in college while in high school. My son is a freshman in an early college high school program that has enrolled him in college classes while just a high school freshman. His program is part of the governor's initiative to help high school students complete an associates degree with a fifth year of high school. Both my kids love their programs, feel their school is better than the sibling's, and think they are college prepared and more mature than their standard high school peers.

I am now working at a branch campus of a community college that has an early college program like my son's on their main campus. Some of our faculty teach on both campuses and have a lot to say about it. There is a real frustration expressed by many of them that their high school freshman and sophomore students are not mature enough for college work. They feel they either have to fail a large number of them or water down their requirements with the end result that the students are getting college credit without doing college work. I also hear frustration from my library co-workers on the main campus about the behavior of the high school students while in the library.

It has been interesting observing this from both sides. I recently wrote a paper for this class on early college high school programs. The programs are new enough that there isn't a lot of hard data, but the early college graduates, so far, do seem to be holding their own when they get to a university setting. And the confidence my own kids feel from being in the program has been really good for them. And I do think their programs are an excellent preparation for college level work on a univeristy campus when they get there, even if my colleagues are frustrated with having to deal with younger students. As I said, it's been interesting to hear from both sides.

After Mary and I presented our lunch and learn on my branch campus, we were asked to present the program on the main campus. We used a computer lab in the main library. I came early that day for two purposes. One, of course, was to be sure Mary and I were comfortably prepared for our program. But I also asked for permission to observe the early college students at a time when they were working in the library between classes. Having heard my co-workers complaints, I was expecting the library to be a real zoo. I'm not a SShhhhh! kind of librarian so maybe I'm not such a good judge, but the day I was there, the high school kids were indistinguishable from the rest of the students and everybody was quiet and focused as Mary and I set up for our program. All h__ may have broken out after I left, but while I was there, they were good as gold.

This got me thinking. Like all parents, I have had the situation where I've fussed to friends about my kids' behavior but the feedback I get from those adults is incredulity. Apparently when I'm NOT looking, the kids' behavior is great. When I interviewed for my present position, there were a number of questions about how I would handle patrons who were rude or uncooperative--as if this were a regular issue in the library. The evening person in my library has implied that trouble is to be expected, that difficult patrons are part of the job. But in the almost year that I've been here, I've been treated with nothing but courtesy and respect. Maybe I've been lucky. But maybe it also has to do with our expectations. I've read that students tend to live up to whatever you expect of them. It may also be that they respond to what you model. If you are defensive, if you expect trouble, you may be more likely to get it. If you are positive, maybe you get positive back. In any event, until things change, I'm going to be naively positive and enjoy my students for the good kids I perceive them to be. I guess that's what my friends do with my kids. If they only knew . . .

Techno-frustration

I can NOT get the checklist from my visit with Maddie on the 11th of March to load into this blog. I have tried to load it as a cut and paste from Word, I've saved it as a bitmap, jpeg, web page and anything else I could think of to try. If ya really want to see it, here is the link: http://portfolio.coe.ecu.edu/students/jav0629/6989checksheet1.pdf. Humph.

March 11--A visit with Maddie

No, this is not Maddie. Maddie is on the right. Maddie rescued this former art project from a trip to the dumpster. She is now the library mascot. Maddie will have to tell the rest of that story.

My MLS has been earned completely online so there hasn't been much opportunity to make friends--with the exceptions of Maddie and Sonja--two school librarians who came to ECU for their MLS and who are now mentoring me through my education classes. I think they figured out early on I needed the mentoring.

Maddie presides over the Randleman Middle School Library, a cheery and spacious place. On March 11, I spent the day with Maddie to complete as much of my internship checklist as possible, the details of which I will try to paste into the following post. I had a great time with Maddie and her student assistants and was given the grand tour of the school by a retired teacher who now volunteers there, knows everybody, and clearly loves and is loved by students and faculty. It was great to have her energy shepherding me around while Maddie held down the fort.

And it was equally great seeing Maddie in action. Maddie is a teacher with many years of classroom experience before pursuing her MLS. We've taken a number of classes together, and ultimately, most of our classes have been the same. So our library conversation was all very familiar--the technology, the policies, the nuts and bolts details of running the shop. But the real gap in my education is in classroom management. I've spent 25 years teaching adults, and I do that well, but children are another species all together. Parent that I am, they are still not my natural environment. Maddie, on the other hand, is in her element teaching children. And she has a gift for it. The highlight of my day was watching Maddie guide four wiggly 6th grade English classes through the aspects of a novel. I've since been reading some on classroom management, specifically Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites. Not only has my reading been enhanced by what I saw, but so has my appreciation of all that Maddie did. Just as natural as walking, she incorporated a variety of learning strategies--auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. She related her material to familiar experiences, she promoted the books in her library, and she kept it fun while keeping it to the point.

I learned a lot about middle school that day, about the collegiality among staff members, about the way time flows, and about the sense of caring that was all around the place. And I heard some about the frustrations that can be found in any workplace. But most of all, I learned that I have a lot to learn. I hope Maddie doesn't mind another student.

Smooth Operators is an educational powerpoint I created during my last internship to help faculty members in the corporate library better use our databases. I've edited it some for the community college and used it in the podcasting class to create my first "enhanced podcast". Not professional quality yet, but a beginning! Actually, I've just been in correspondence with the instructional librarian who was concerned that students were not familiar with Boolean operators and how to use them and was frustrated with a decreasing amount of class time to teach them. Soooooo, maybe we can use this new technique with some eye-catching graphics and some quick quizzes embedded and make it fun for all of us AND get the job done. Once we master the technoglitches . . .


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by weavery

Yodio - Bookgroup's (not really) Podcast

Ok. I'm taking an Ed2Go class on podcasting. The instructional librarian and I came up with a lunch and learn to introduce instructors to some of the Web 2.0 technologies they can use in the classroom. Our Distance Ed department has just added a podcasting feature to our DE portal and we included that in the lunch program. So now somebody needs to learn how to make podcasts. I grew up with the rule that if you pack the bag you tote it. It would logically follow that I'm now taking this Ed2Go podcasting class. As part of the class assignment, I need to post the results of my efforts. This is my first audio podcast created through my phone using Yodio.com. Rather than read the scripted podcast for the class (an imaginary book report for an imaginary sick-at-home student named Nathan), she-who-rarely-follows-instructions decided to read my favorite poem by Edgar Guest instead. I'm sure my library patrons thought I'd really lost it reading poetry to my cell phone in the back room. But podcasting engages several learning styles and can create a welcome break in a print online lecture. And having the library offer technical support to faculty underlines our connection to information and technology and hopefully opens the door to other types of collaboration.

We'll see. Brace yourself for more of this. I'm only a third of the way through the class . . .

The technology native in her environment versus the technology immigrant receiving cell phone instruction from the native. Photo courtesy of Marie Tretiakova, another accomplished digital native.

Helping Teachers Teach

Many of the instructors on our campus are similar to me in age, which means that like me, computers are an add-on. Technology Immigrants my daughter calls us, as opposed to the Technology Natives that are my children. Fortunately, between my recent online education and the prevalence of Web 2.0 discussion in the professional literature (and some great experiences at my previous place of employment) I have at least a cursory understanding of how technology is being used in the classroom and workplace.

I had just had a discussion with my boss, the dean of libraries, about possibly providing instructors with a class on RSS when the college's new president announced an initiative to increase student's exposure to technology in the classroom. At the same time, the Distance Education department was announcing new Web 2.0 features they were adding to our Blackboard portal.

I had asked the dean about the RSS instruction as a way of promoting our databases as many of them offer Table of Content alerts and content updates via RSS feeds. I was hoping this might up our database useage stats by getting our faculty more familiar with the databases and endouraging more classroom assignments using them. A few days later, she came back with the idea of creating a lunch and learn introducing five Web 2.0 technologies that were relevant to the classroom and in line with the new president's technology initiative. If there was sufficient interest, we could develop more in-depth instruction as we had requests. She assigned the instructional librarian from the main campus and myself to come up with an hour long presentation that included a brief description and educational uses for Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, RSS and Social Networking (the college had JUST launched it's first Facebook page).

Before the freeze on travel money, the instructional librarian (another Mary) and I presented the program on two of our three campuses. We've had really good feedback from it. Not only were we able to help the DE department promote their new Blackboard features, we were able to put the library before the eyes of the faculty as the resource that we are. Since then, I've had two instructors approach me about helping them add new features to their classes, which I am in the process of doing. One of them wants to add podcasts to a DE class. I am allowed a free class myself each term and I'm taking an Ed2Go class in podcasting to help her do this. Another wants to embed some information literacy and copyright info into her class.

Another instructor invited me and several others to each present a class on an aspect of technology to an Early Childhood class. I chose the PowerPoint unit as Mary and I had just created the Web 2.0 presentation and I'd learned a few new tricks doing it (thank you, Mary). This same instructor had asked me to help her develop a list of subject specific library resources that her Huskins students could choose from for an essay assignment.

One of the ongoing themes in LIBS 6142 has been teacher/librarian collaboration to enhance student learning. Helping teachers teach is the major library goal that parallels helping students learn. These teaching opportunities have also been another wonderful opportunity to promote the library and its resources. I am hoping this is just a beginning.

The collaboration with Mary has been a great experience for me. She has great skill in preparing presentations that are visually interesting (she is a painter in her secret life) and she is an excellent editor. We have been asked to work together again updating some tutorials on the library web page. It will mean a couple of technology immigrants learning some new territory this summer, but I'm looking forward to it.

Art in the Library

Part of promoting the library means partnering

with other departments to create programs and displays that draw people into the library, and also promote the other department while promoting the library. Our college has a pottery and sculpture program in a satellite location. Early on, I requested student work to display in the library. We now have a lovely selection of pieces atop the book cases that surround the library walls. But the bonanza came when the Early Childhood director asked me to help her promote April, the Month of the Child by displaying preschool artwork in the library.

Institutional colors can be hard to work with. And I have no clue what they paint our cinderblock walls with that make it impossible to post things on them. But the children's paper sunflowers and blossoms made from paper muffin cups were the perfect cheery addition. And some high tech bubblegum like stuff has mostly kept them on the walls. Best of all, they provided an excellent theme for a book display and a great new question for the InfoQuiz (Who is ERIC?). Any suggestions for May?!

Promoting the Library

Libraries are under assault everywhere. Funding cuts and budgetary crises affect all libraries whether they are in schools, universities, communities or corporations. But corporate librarians probably struggle harder than anyone because corporations view their libraries as overhead, a business cost always under intense scrutiny. If a library cannot prove its benefit to the bottom line, it is eliminated. And yet we all know that the benefits of knowledge and learning often cannot be quantified.

My previous job was in a corporate library and no one could have taught me more about promoting the value of the library than my supervisor, Mary. The company was an internationally recognized research and training organization whose faculty and research department kept us hopping. But we were always under pressure to prove our worth to the organization. A lot of image-making was involved in addition to the detailed statistics we kept. We created displays of our resources, we offered short instructional pieces during staff meetings, we partnered with other groups in the organization to host programs. And we demonstrated our capabilities by providing proactive service--service before it was requested--directing our staff to articles and resources as we discovered them. It must have paid off. In this last economic downturn, the company underwent subtantial staff reductions across its five campuses. But the library was spared. The organization focused on leadership training, and Mary's leadership in promoting the library as a research partner and valuable resource left and indellible impression on me.

When I came into my current position, the library was substantially underutilized. For a variety of reasons, the library's image among faculty and staff was suffering, and statistics were correspondingly down. In addition, as the only day time staff person, I was lonely! I had plenty of time to think about what Mary had taught me even as some of these same issues were being raised in LIBS 6142--issues of professional leadership and promotion of library resources. The first part of developing a collaborative atmosphere for information literacy instruction is to let people know what you have and that you are there to help them use it!

Besides just falling over myself to let people know I was here to help, I began with the basics--library displays of new books or themed selections, dragging book carts of relevant materials to staff meetings, circulating a new books list to everyone on campus, sending out proactive emails with resources attached, and then I was offerd a bulletin board to decorate. Now I have a confession to make. I was an undergraduate science major with 8 o'clock classes every morning and afternoon labs every day. I busted myself to graduate cum laude and was always resentful of the elementary education majors that seemed to breeze through to their Phi Beta Kappa keys doing cut outs and bulletin boards. But when confronted with the blank cork board across the hall, I panicked. I truly was not prepared to create a visually engaging, instructional display using paper and scissors. Fortunately, Hobby Lobby has great bulletin board accoutremonts and a friend suggested the catchy first question for my InfoQuiz--"Why Should You Never Google Alone?" (if you don't know, you'll have to come to the library to find out!). In any event, the effort was traumatic enough that I set the thing up so all I have to do is come up with a new question and answer each month. I figure it should be good for school year, anyway. Maybe after another education course, I'll figure out another bulletin board display :-)

Where I work/Who I serve

Where I work . . .

In addition to our regular college students, Continuing Education and Basic Skills Education are a priority.

Some of the programs our library serves include:

ABE--Adult Basic Education

"Adult Basic Education (ABE) is a program of instruction designed for adults who need to improve their reading, writing, speaking, problem-solving, or computation necessary to function effectively in society, on a job, or in the family.
Adult Basic Education (ABE) includes coursework designed to improve the employability of the state's workforce through instruction in mathematics, reading, language, and workforce readiness skills. It is designed to provide adults with sufficient basic education to enable them to benefit from job training and retraining programs and obtain and retain productive employment so that they might more fully enjoy the benefits and responsibilities of being citizens." (NC Community Colleges: Creating Success: Adult Basic Education http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/basic_skills/adultbasiceducation.htm)

AHS--Adult High School

"Adult High School is offered by 41 of the 58 community colleges in North Carolina. The program consists of core courses required by the Department of Public Instruction along with electives required by the public school system and the community college. The number of credits (20-28) varies depending upon the specific affiliation agreement between a particular community college and the local public school system." (NC Community Colleges: Creating Success: Adult High School http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/basic_skills/adultHighSchool.htm)

CED--Compensatory Education

"Compensatory Education is a community college program designed to compensate adults with intellectual disabilities (formerly called mental retardation) who have not had an education or have received an inadequate one. The focus of the Compensatory Education Program is on helping the individual become as independent as possible through acquiring basic and life skills needed to function successfully in daily living. (NC Community Colleges: Creating Success: Compensatory Education http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/basic_skills/compensatoryEducationCed.htm)

GED--General Education Development

"The GED (General Educational Development) Program is a program that provides instruction to prepare for the official GED tests. The GED is offered by all 58 community colleges in the North Carolina system. Each college is an official GED testing site. To obtain a GED diploma, students must take a battery of five tests: Language Arts- Writing, Social Studies, Science, Language Arts – Reading, and Mathematics. Each student is required to pay a test fee of $7.50. A General Educational Development Diploma is awarded to students by the State Board of the North Carolina Community College System. Those students scoring 2,250 or higher are eligible for the diploma. (NC Community Colleges: Creating Success: General Educational Development http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/Basic_Skills/ged.htm)

Huskins

"The Huskins Bill authorizes programs for “qualified high school students.” For the purpose of developing cooperative program agreements between high schools and community colleges, the wording “qualified high school students” is defined as students in grades nine through twelve who have achieved a level of academic and social maturity necessary to perform successfully in college credit courses and who have also been recommended by their principal for enrollment. There must also be mutual agreement between the two systems to define the criteria for student selection." (High School Student Programs: Huskins Bill Classes: Beaufort Community College Web site http://www.beaufortccc.edu/admisson/high.htm)

AHS, ABS, Huskins and GED students are located on our campus and use the library, especially the AHS and Huskins students whose classrooms are just up the hall. The CED students work at another location but the Basic Skills person on our campus has invited the library to partner with her in a training exercise for them. Oh! and I forgot the PreK. We have a Child Development curriculum at the college and a year-round preschool. We have a large collection of children's books and every now and then I invite them up for story time!

In addition to these K12 level students and the Pre K, many of our regular college students come from rural areas with no broadband access and may not have even dial-up at home. Many are students retraining after layoffs, and like me, predate computers and information literacy training in their previous school settings. I am also enrolled in LIBS 6142, Instructional Foundations of the School Library Media Program, in which we discuss instructional standards and information literacy education. Everything that I have learned in 6142 and in the readings in this class have found applications in every population we serve.