Week 15

This week I was finished with my hours, so I was not as involved as I had been the rest of the semester.

However, we did complete the transfer of all our books from one school management system to the other. Approximately 800 contained an error in the transfer, so this summer we will likely be trying to reconcile that.

It has been good to put all of the things I learned in the classes into practice in various forms working in the library this semester.

Week 14

This week I started trying to use some of my new knowledge from the Google Educator training to make it practical for what I teach. The first project I did was a Google Slides presentation. Working in Google Slides is very similar to Power Point. There are definitely some differences that are a little difficult to adjust to, but there are also some perks like inserting a YouTube video very easily. Here is a link to an attempt at a presentation for a unit I am planning on Folktales.

Monday I read Pippi Longstocking again We are almost finished with the book - only two chapters left. On Friday, we will watch the movie and compare/contrast it with the book.

I also spent some time working on the re-accreditation documents for BGCA. I am the leader for the committee that encompasses curriculum, information resources, technology, and assessments. The library and its content is covered in this area, so I am spending some time working on finding reports to use as documentation. We are working very hard on creating a quality technology plan. There are so many aspects to be included, but it is really important and gives good information to do a self-study such as this to find places where we can improve. I spent time in a meeting discussing the needs for information resources and library updates on Tuesday afternoon.

In the evening I listened to a webinar from AASL called "Envisioning New Library Spaces". It was very interesting for many reasons. One is because in the next few years our school plans to build, and it will help me know how to give informed opinions about how the library should be laid out. There were two ideas that stood out in the webinar. One was the presenter said that teaching is rewarding when imitation becomes innovation. She also talked about how much of education is geared toward extraverts. She said that libraries need to make sure to have a space for the introverts to study and be themselves.

This week I completed my hours! So thankful to be finished.

Week 13

This week was interesting as I worked quite a bit on compiling survey results from the students. The survey included many aspects of our school, and I was glad to be able to help with the overall school improvement plan by creating the survey and compiling the results. I was able to add a couple of pages of questions relating directly to the library needs of the middle and high school students. The results were very much what I expected, so that was good that I understood what the students are looking for. It was also interesting to see what books and authors they are the most interested in. Here are the results:

Do you visit the BGCA library?

 Yes - 3

 No - 34

 

How many times do you visit the library each month? 

 Five times or more a month

 Three or four times a month

 Two or three times a month - 2

 Once a month - 1

 Hardly ever - 32

 

Please circle all the reasons you visit the library:

 Find materials for assignments - 6

 Find materials for pleasure reading - 6

 Do homework - 2

 Study or do homework before school starts - 1

 Work on projects - 3

 Other - 8

 If other, please describe:

·         We don’t have one for 7^th-12^th

·         If I did, it would be for pleasure reading

·         7^th-12^th graders don’t use the library

·         I don’t, the library is mostly for TK-6^th

·         Great library for elementary not much resources for middle and high school

·         Well, I don’t go to the library ever at BGCA so I never visit it

·         Occasionally forced to

·         The library seems aimed for younger kids

·         I don’t go because a lot of the books are childish and it is tiny

·         The pleasure of reading

·         I need a book because I didn’t bring one

·         Reading workshop

Do you have enough time to visit the library?

 Yes - 7

 No - 26

 Comments:

·         There’s not many books for middle/high school

·         I do, but I don’t go

·         When I ask to visit the library, most of the time I’m told to ask later (mostly for reading workshop)

·         I don’t have time to go

·         I’m not in study hall so there is like no time

·         During snack times

·         Maybe more time to go at the beginning of relevant classes (English, literature)

·         Sometimes

·         It’s too elementary

·         We don’t really have a set time we are advised/told we can go

·         Class time takes up most of the day

·         The library doesn’t have materials for my age

·         At times, depends on the day and the teacher

·         Usually don’t need to

·         All the stuff there is about sixth grade level

·         I don’t even really know where the library is

 When you visit, do you usually find the materials you need? 

 Yes - 11

 No – 24

Are there titles you have looked for that are not in the BGCA library's collection?

Please list:

·         Some of the Left Behind series

·         The Giver, Lois Lowry

·         It’s not even worth trying

·         Certain books that have not been in there like The Maze Runner and Hunger Games

·         Harry Potter, The Lunar Chronicles, and basically every non-childish series

·         Hunger Games and Harry Potter

·         I don’t know! I don’t read!

·         Hunger Games

 Do you use other libraries? 

 Yes - 27

 No - 10

 If so, which other libraries do you use?

 Local public library - 26

 College library - 5

 Other - 2

 If other, please explain:

·         Home – lots of books

·         Electronic books

If there was one thing about the BGCA library you could improve, what would it be?

·         Better books and a better place for a library

·         Little bit more middle/high school books

·         Have a time to go to it

·         Open it to middle/high school

·         More selection of books for high older kids

·         More mature books

·         Books for high schoolers to read

·         Having a high school program

·         Make it not all towards little kids, maybe have a separate high school library

·         Ours is really small. It would be nice to have a bigger library I actually know exists

·         More books for high school age

·         More things for high Lexile levels

·         How it is organized (shelving, etc.)

·         Wider range of books

·         Some newer books

·         The time to visit it

·         Make it bigger and give it more selections

·         Having one for high school

·         The selection

·         Have resources for high school students

·         Increase high school material

·         Size and content

·         I personally believe that the library we have is directed towards the younger classes

·         Having it for high school and using the materials there as well

·         Book variety, less kids books

·         Have books for h.s.

·         Offer books for middle and high school

·         The visibility

·         Computers to research

·         More challenging books

·         The size

·         Get a library for 7^th-12^th

·         Maybe let 7^th-12^th visit/use the library more

·         A section for middle/high Not just Jesus books, but some kind of other books

 

When you read for pleasure, which authors or types of books do you choose?

·         John Green - Fault in Our Stars, Paper towns

·         Gale Forman – If I stay, Where She Went

·         John Green, Kasie West, Jenny Elliott, Romance, teen fiction, etc.

·         J.R.R.Tolkien

·         Adventure and Fiction

·         Mystery and fiction

·         Non-fiction, factual

·         Science fiction and action books or history

·         Historical fiction and sci-fi

·         History, fiction, and mystery

·         I like action filled books, for example J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Louis Stevenson, etc.

·         Fantasy, fiction

·         Mystery and historical fiction

·         J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hunger Games, Star Wars

·         I like mystery, science fiction, and historical fiction

·         Sports or planes

·         J.R.R. Tolkien, Frank Peretti

·         Lord of the Rings series and related titles

·         Fun and exciting books

·         Veronica Roth, C.S. Lewis

·         Fiction, action, fantasy, mystery

·         Francis Chan, John Piper, Louie Giglio, Jefferson Bethke, Christian Life Books

·         Realistic fiction, biography

·         Anything by John Green is good. I also read some books about Christianity

·         Fiction, sometimes political thrillers

·         Action

·         I prefer Jane Austin, the Bronte sisters, and modern fiction and romance

·         Fiction, adventure, biographical

·         Sports books and fiction

·         Fantasy, sci-fi, fiction, contemporary, dystopian, and high fantasy

·         Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and J.K. Rowling

·         Action books, like Maze Runner but I don’t know author

·         Athletic, mystery

·         Books with more action

Who are your favorite authors? 

·         Suzanne Collins

·         Gary Paulson

·         Mike Lupica

·         I don’t know, but Divergent and Maze Runner – those authors

·         Suzanne Collins

·         Veronica Roth

·         James Patterson

·         Merissa Meyer

·         Joelle Charboneau

·         Gena Showalter

·         Rick Yancey

·         Danielle Page

·         Kierra Cass

·         King, Poe, Clancy, Perretti

·         Jane Austen

·         The Bronte sisters

·         John Green

·         Jennifer E. Smith

·         Zoe Sugg

·         Francis Chan

·         Lois Lowery

·         J.K. Rowling

·         J.R.R. Tolkien

·         Veronica Roth

·         J.R.R. Tolkien

·         James Dashnar, J.R.R. Tolkien

·         J.R.R. Tolkien

·         C.S. Lewis

·         Tolkien, Rowling, Lewis, Author of the Avalon and Web of Magic series

·         J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Frank Perretti

·         Lois Lowery, James Patterson

·         Steven Galloway

·         Frank Perretti, Evan Angler

·         Erin Hunter

·         Jerry B. Jenkins

·         John Grisham

·         J.R.R. Tolkien

·         J.R.R. Tolkien

·         J.R.R. Tolkien

·         John Green, Kasie West, Jenny Elliott

·         John Green

·         Gayle Forman

What magazines do you read? 

·         Popular (star magazines)

·         Sports Illustrated

·         Game Informer

·         Sports Illustrated and Game Informer

·         Kentucky Afield, Bassmaster

·         RC Planes (model aviation)

·         Game Informer, Sports Illustrated

·         Reader’s Digest

·         Clothing catalogs

·         HGTV magazine, Food Network, and several travel or crafty mags.

·         Sports Illustrated

·         PB Teen, Seventeen, and Home Improvement magazines

·         People featuring Hunger Games or anything of a band

·         Seventeen Magazine

·         Sports Illustrated

 Do you use the BGCA library’s online card catalog? 

 Yes

 No - 36

Do you think the library should have a website? 

 Yes - 22

 No - 16

Do you think the library needs to provide more access to databases for research? 

 Yes - 27

 No - 10

Other comments: (Library resources you would like to have or see at BGCA)

·         More teen books, not all kids books

·         A bigger library with desks and seating

·         It would be good to have a library with computer work stations

·         Something to look books up on

·         Computers we can use that work

·         A wider selection and more than just books

·         More computers

·         Laptop, iPads

·         Computers for projects (being able to rent for projects)

·         Computers that actually work, not netbooks

We have a lot of work to do to make the library appropriate for the older students at BGCA!

I also spent quite a bit of time reading aloud to students. Our favorite this week was Pippi Longstocking. We have made it through about half of the book, and it has been so fun to see them respond to what is being read.

This coming week I should finish my hours. Looking forward to completing the course!