Research about girls and video games shows that girls tend to prefer games that include problem-solving, collaboration and real-life elements. Designers of educational technology have found that math and science-based games are most popular with girls when the concepts have some connection to real-world situations and can lead to a solution that supports a “social good.” KQED.org/Mind/Shift blog (1/14)
Tag Archives: Food for Thought
ALA Releases ‘2011 Academic Library Trends and Statistics’
Today’s Press Release from ALA announced that the 2011 Academic Library Trends and Statistics annual publication is now available. The three-volume publication highlights key data from 1,514 academic institutions regarding collections, available services, staffing trends, and overall expenditures. The press release reveals that library expenditures for e-books has increased dramatically from 2010 to 2011 — with baccalaureate colleges increasing their e-book spending by some 109%! Of course with e-book expenditures increasing, money has to come from somewhere, and the majority of institutions report a small decrease in serials spending.
Other interesting data… Salaries/wages have increased by just over .90% for most institutions. Additionally, in the next five years, 15.9% of academic libraries believe they will lose space, 20.4% expect to gain space, and 58.4% expect no change.
To learn more, check out the Press Release.
Librarian – One of the Ten Least Stressful Jobs?
CNBC’s January 3rd article, The 10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2013, lists Librarian as the ninth least stressful job of 2013. CNBC’s information comes from CareerCast’s annual list of Least Stressful Jobs of 2013, compiled by publisher Tony Lee. Lee sites that Librarian positions are one of the least stressful because “You’re working in a comfortable environment. Your job is to help people use services as best as possible. Given that environment, stress levels are low.” The article goes on to point out that libraries are quiet and you’re surrounded by books — and books don’t talk back or demand anything from you.
Yikes, really? When is the last time the authors stepped into a library or considered the duties of a degreed librarian? Also, while books might not talk back or demand anything, our patrons certainly will… and if not our patrons, then certainly our supervisors, directors, deans, and board. In most cases, unless you’re running your own library… you have someone to report to!
In response to the CNBC article, the Screwy Decimal: Tales from an Urban Librarian blog, posted an blog article titled 5 Reasons Being a Librarian is Stressful. In it, the author highlights five categories of why librarian positions are stressful – but the author didn’t compile the list without a little help! The five reasons are a compilation of tweets from the author’s fellow librarians and colleagues about their daily stresses as a librarian. In summary, our work is not easy — not easy at all — and people that assume it’s an easy job, often have an antiquated view of the profession and of libraries as a whole.
ALA’s State of America’s Libraries Report 2012
The State of America’s Libraries Report 2012 sheds some light on what our leading professional organization (American Library Association [ALA]) views as successes, failures, topics of concern, and key focus areas for upcoming years. The document celebrates success stories, while thoroughly documenting the challenges libraries are facing due to budget cuts and the constantly changing digital landscape.
The special report highlights that while change is nearly constant in libraries, one thing will forever remain clear and true. Libraries transform lives. Libraries innovate, and are constantly seeking ways to do more and improve service to patrons.
New Models for Professional Development?
When I was at the October MEMO Conference, I heard media specialists talking about new ways to provide professional development to their teachers. Some were doing screencasting of the content they needed to teach, then were putting that captured video in a handy place on their website for teachers. In this model, teachers could access the lesson at the precise time they needed to learn. This model is sometimes referred to as “just in time” learning.
Others were talking about structured events where teachers worked in groups to learn about using new tools or methods to deliver their curriculum. Apparently, a strong bond developed amongst teachers who worked together in these groups. So when I saw the following post on the SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education blog, talking about teacher learning communities, I was intrigued. According to the post, “The one-size-fits-all model of professional development available to most teachers does not work, veteran teacher Katrina Stevens writes in this blog post. Stevens suggests a learning community model with daily, ongoing PD focused on student learning. “In order to successfully implement new practices and improve student learning, a learning community needs to 1) focus its efforts, 2) work collaboratively, 3) be willing to reflect and examine what’s working and 4) be willing to make adjustments when they aren’t seeing the desired outcomes for students,” she writes. Read the full blog post at SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
This is well and good for how we work with teachers and students, but what about media specialists? How do you learn best? Is there a learning community model that best fits your needs? If there isn’t one, could we build one?