Category Archives: Special

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

We’ve Learned: Staffing News and Updates from Around the Region

We’ve Learned… is designed to keep our readers informed about news concerning personnel in CMLE libraries/media centers. Please keep us informed of any “happenings” regarding staff members in your area so that we can include them in the next write-up! Happenings can include: changes in staffing, awards, honors… you get the idea!

  • Jolene Zachman left her paraprofessional position at the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School.
  • Lucy Lloyd is the new paraprofessional at the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School. Welcome aboard, Lucy!
Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Librarians/Media Specialists and the Common Core

An article from Education Week titled Common Core Thrusts Librarians into Leadership Role is getting a lot of press and discussion lately in libraryland … and beyond. The article highlights the important role media specialists can (and should) play as their schools usher in this new phase in education. Namely, media specialists must be prepared to provide the necessary resources and learning opportunities for implementing the Common Core State Standards in their schools. The argument is that librarians/media specialists are natural “inquiry-based” teachers and practitioners, and are perfectly suited to model this way of thinking to other professionals as well as students. Additionally, the article highlights some of the ways libraries of all types are  impacted by the Common Core State Standards.

What impact do you see the Common Core State Standards having on your school and in your media center programming? Currently, Minnesota has only adopted the Common Core English Language Arts standards as a base, and has not adopted the Mathematics standards in any way. Since Minnesota has not adopted the Common Core Mathematics standards (citing our state’s superior standards and high testing performance for math), how might this separation or distinction from other states impact math education in the state? On the other hand, Minnesota has adopted the English Language Arts standards as a base, so how are you preparing for those standards in your schools? How are you taking part in this conversation, and what role are you playing in your school?

Additional information for those in the know! At this time, the NGA [National Governors Association] Center and CCSSO [Council of Chief State School Officers] will not be developing standards in other subjects and are focusing on implementing the standards in ELA and mathematics. However, other groups are working on standards in the arts, world languages, and science. To find out more, visit the section titled Why are the Common Core State Standards for just English-language arts and math? at www.corestandards.org/frequently-asked-questions.

Visit www.corestandards.org/ to learn more general information about the Common Core. Also, for a refresher on Minnesota’s K-12 Academic Standards checkout http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/EdExc/StanCurri/K-12AcademicStandards/.

Academic, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

E-Books Programming

Last Friday, I attended a virtual conference  called eBooks: Benefits, Challenges, and the Future.  The event was produced by Seflin, one of the multitype organizations  in Florida. The programming was just excellent and included big names like: Stephen Abram (Gale-Cengage Learning), Chad Mairn (Novare Library Services), Nik Osborne, J.D. (Indiana University), Jamie LaRue (Douglas County Libraries, CO), and Sue Polanka (Wright State University). If you don’t follow these people online, you should consider doing so. These people are doing the deep thinking and hard questioning about the current and  future state of e-books. What I appreciated most about the content was that it was a good mix of big picture thinking along with the down and dirty details of file formats, devices, and contract details too. We need it all!

I am hearing of interest in the Central MN region for programming around e-books, which we would like to provide in early winter. The challenge of such programming is finding the proper balance to meet the greatest need. Watch for more details and be prepared to respond to questions about your ebook needs.

As society conditions us to respond to the eight second sound bites, how do we slow ourselves down enough to still do the necessary deep thinking? Are we truly being reflective in our practice? I don’t know about you, but I am working on it, one day at a time!

Academic, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Supplement Your Stretched Budget

GetEdFunding is CDW-G’s new website to help educators and institutions find the funds they need to supplement already stretched budgets. GetEdFunding is a free and fresh resource, which hosts a collection of more than 600 grants and opportunities culled from federal, state, regional and community sources and available to public and private, prekindergarten through grade 12 educators, schools and districts, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations that work with them. The site offers customized searches by six criteria, including 45 areas of focus, nine content areas and any of the 21st century themes and skills that support your curriculum. Once you are registered on the site, you can save the grants of greatest interest; then return to read about them at any time.
Click Here to Visit Website

This resource was extracted from the Big Deal Newsletter

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Upcoming ELM Workshops from Minitex

Minitex is offering the following EBSCO, Britannica, and Gale/Cengage hosted webinars on resources included in ELM.

EBSCO Webinars

Overview of Medical Resources: 

Monday, October 1, 12:30 – 1:30 PM; Register for “Overview of Medical Resources”

This session will explore the following medical resources on EBSCOhost: Health Source – Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and Alt HealthWatch. Learn to use personal folders, and subject and journal alerts to explore the features of EBSCOhost that complement the content of these health-related databases.

Research Tools for Middle and High School:

Friday, October 26, 3:30 – 4:30 PM;  Register for “Research Tools for Middle and High School”

In this session, attendees will learn how to navigate and successfully search databases designed for grades 6-12. We will conduct searches in both Student Research Center and EBSCOhost interfaces and discuss Lexile reading levels and a variety of search methods. Your students are sure to become super researchers in no time at all! Attendees will also tour the EBSCO Support site, which provides additional training tools as well as materials to help promote these valuable online resources.

EBSCOhost Mobile 2.0:

Wednesday, October 31, 12:30 – 1:15 PM; Register for “EBSCOhost Mobile 2.0”

This 45-minute session is intended for librarians and others who would like to learn more about the *NEW* mobile searching experience using EBSCOhost or EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) – no separate profile or app required! We will explore all the features available when using a mobile device to access EBSCOhost or EDS to include searching, limiters, folders, delivery options, authentication, branding/customization, reporting, and statistics.

Research Tools for Grades K-5:

Friday, November 2, 3:30 – 4:30 PM; Register for “Research Tools for Grades K-5”

This session is specifically geared to grades K-5 teachers and librarians. Utilizing EBSCO’s Searchasaurus and Kids Search interfaces, participants will learn how to access grade-appropriate resources and help students get the research material they need! We will also discuss the advantages of using databases for searching instead of free Internet search engines. Finally, attendees will tour the EBSCO Support site, which provides additional training tools as well as materials to help promote these valuable online resources.

Consumer Health Complete: 

Tuesday, December 4, 12:30 – 1:30 PM; Register for “Consumer Health Complete”

This session addresses the vast collection of health-related content available in Consumer Health Complete. We’ll explore the custom interface to access encyclopedias, evidence-based care sheets, images, animation, and more! Attendees will also tour the EBSCO Support site, which provides additional training tools as well as materials to help promote these valuable online resources.

Britannica Webinars

Advanced Britannica Webinar: Workspace and Putting Videos into PowerPoint:

Thursday, October 25, 3:00 – 4:00 PM; Register for “Advanced Britannica Webinar: Workspace and Putting Videos into PowerPoint”

Join us to learn ways to help users use some of the advanced features available on Britannica. Learn how to create a Workspace for research and classroom purposes, put Britannica videos into PowerPoint presentations, and learn about any new features during this live, 1-hour webinar. Britannica Online School Edition is a provided to Minnesota schools funded through Minitex.

Minnesota Academic Standards Resources in Britannica:

Wednesday, October 3, 10:00 – 11:00 AM; Register for “Minnesota Academic Standards Resources in Britannica” (October 3)

Friday, November 16, 11:00 – 12:00 PM; Register for “Minnesota Academic Standards Resources in Britannica” (November 16)

Teachers and Library Media Specialists are invited to register for this online webinar about accessing free Minnesota Academic Standards resources from Britannica Online School Edition. We will explore articles, videos, interactive learning materials, and more! Britannica Online School Edition is provided to Minnesota schools funded through Minitex.

Teaching Literacy Skills in the Content Areas with Britannica:

Tuesday, October 9, 2:00 – 3:00 PM; Register for “Teaching Literacy Skills in the Content Areas with Britannica” (October 9)

Wednesday, October 31, 11:00 – 12:00 PM; Register for “Teaching Literacy Skills in the Content Areas with Britannica” (October 31)

Looking for new ways to use promote content literacy in Social Studies and Science? Britannica Online has many resources to help both Science and Social Studies teachers to focus on literacy within those content areas. During this 60-minute webinar, you will learn about some literacy strategies that you can use in the classroom right away! Britannica Online School Edition is provided to Minnesota schools funded through Minitex.

Gale/Cengage Webinars:

Gale’s FREE Access My Library App for Mobile Devices:

Wednesday, October 10, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Monday, November 12, 4:00 – 5:00 PM; Register for “Gale’s FREE Access My Library App for Mobile Devices”

Gale’s FREE Access My Library App for Mobile Devices provides 24/7, on-the-go access to renowned Gale resources whenever and wherever they’re needed. Attend this session to learn more about how it works, how to add your institution to the app, and how to order free promotional items to market the app and support your library.

Student Resources in Context:

Monday, October 15, 3:30 – 4:30 PM

Friday, October 26, 12:00 – 1:00 PM; Register for “Student Resources in Context”

Student Resources in Context reaches out to today’s learners with a Web-like user experience, which intuitively conveys needed information on all core subjects from Science to Literature to History. From the eye-catching, media-rich homepage to the fast navigation options, Student Resources in Context helps students develop both research and critical-thinking skills while covering the spectrum of student-focused subject matter. Attend this session to learn more about the authoritative content available in Student Resources in Context and get tips on how to best work with the portal pages. Additionally, we’ll review how you can find content appropriate to your student’s reading level.

InfoTrac Student and Junior Editions:

Monday, October 22, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Monday, November 4, 4:00 – 5:00 PM; Register for “InfoTrac Student and Junior Editions”

InfoTrac Junior and Student Editions provide the in-depth, up-to-date information that students need to conduct research across the full range of academic and general interest topics. These periodical solutions operate on the PowerSearch platform, which enables users to cross-search content found in a single collection and with other collections. During this session we will give you information on how to navigate through PowerSearch and the general content available in these periodical databases.