Post-Reflection

Wow, this has been quite the experience and process. It is nice to have it completed and be able to look back at all the time and effort that was put into this project and see what was created. The unit that was created by my partner and I was a labor of love and I feel that we created some very nice lessons that would be very beneficial to use one day in a classroom. This semester has been a challenging one for me and it is nice to see such an accomplishment. I started a full-time job with a new company which in and of itself is stressful. Going from working 25 hours a week to 40 hours and still having time for my family and school has been a challenging experience. I also decided to not pursue my school library media endorsement and complete a practicum next semester. Instead, I will be graduating after this class is completed with a masters in library science. After seeing all the school librarians in the area that I live lose their positions it made me rethink the route I was going. Also, with working full-time now completing a practicum would be impossible. As much as I would enjoy working in a school one day as a librarian, I just don't see it happening with the way the schools in my area are going.

With all of that being said, there are quite a few things I have learned from this collaboration. The first and foremost is that it is not the easiest to work solely online to collaborate. I think we missed out not having the face to face interaction and bouncing of ideas of one another. A dynamic seemed to be missing by not having that. That is one area that a real collaboration will definitely be different. Also, with being in the same school the teacher or librarian could quickly poke their head in to ask a question or meet during lunch. They would have more opportunities to converse on the fly, so to speak. I have also learned that collaboration is a process that you will become better at the more it is done. Like anything, practice makes perfect and the more collaborations that are completed the more seamless they will become. Through this collaboration I learned that my partner and I had different ways of working. I like to get things done ahead of time and don't like to feel pressure towards the end of a project to complete tasks. My partner on the other hand seems to work better under pressure and work until the last minute. I don't think one way is better over another it is just a difference on personalities. I think this is a good aspect to learn when working with teachers in the school you will be in. If you know how the other works it will be beneficial for the flow of the collaboration so accommodations can be made on each person's part.

The one aspect that I would like to know more about is the flow of the collaboration and how it goes from the beginning stages to being taught. I'm guessing each collaboration is different in how it starts and finishes and what the in-between process looks like. For instance how many times should the team meet? Does the school librarian need to know every aspect of all the lessons or just what they are assisting with? Does the teacher normally have a base unit and the librarian helps to make it better or do they start from scratch with a new idea?

Assessment

The main form of assessment that will be used is by having each student complete a KWL chart for the various lessons. The lessons I am creating are more geared towards gaining the necessary background knowledge of the time period in which the book being used for the unit takes place. The KWL charts will focus on the Civil Rights Movement and various aspects of the time in which this took place in the book. Seeing what the each student learned after completing each lesson will help me to evaluate if they learned what was hoped from each. The other forms of evaluation will be from grading their presentations with a rubric and evaluating their answers they put for the guided learning sheets and comparison sheet. Looking specifically how they researched the various topics to see that used sources appropriately.

Communication of student learning to the community will take place a few different ways. As the school librarian an article about the unit will be written for the school newsletter that is sent out to parents. At the staff meeting for the school a short presentation will be made showing what learning occurred and how effective it was. Also, mention of the collaboration process will be made. This will hopefully prompt other teachers to consider a collaboration with myself (the school librarian.)

Mid-Planning

We are midway through the unit collaboration project and I am feeling better about the progress we are making now then I was at the pre-planning stage. Stacey and I have established we will be creating a unit focusing on historical fiction. We have chosen the book Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor to focus the unit around. Stacey will be creating a lesson around what historical fiction is and what the characteristics of historical fiction are. She also had the idea of a lesson dealing with the timeline of the civil rights movement that starts from the Civil War and goes up to 1968.

One of the lessons I will be focusing on in the media center is with comparing/contrasting Martin Luther King, Jr. and Frederick Douglass. The students will work in groups and specific books will be introduced that discuss each of these prominent figures. Another lesson I was thinking of for the media center is centered around students interviewing their families. It would be a way to show the relationship between history and personal experiences and how each family's experience is different and how it has shaped them. They would all focus on one particular event in history and ask questions such as why was the event important, how did people feel about it, how did it affect you and your life, and what was happening in our family at the time? This would engage students from historically underrepresented groups. They could discover how a major historical event shaped their family and others from their background. Students could choose from a variety of ways to present their finding whether it is by video, PowerPoint presentation, etc. They would then see how their family's experience was different from their classmates.

With having the role of the media specialist, I have been looking for sources that would have enrichment activities for the unit being created. For instance the idea of interviewing a family member came from National Endowment for the Humanities EDSITEment website. There is also a WebQuest that was created for this book by a teacher in Michigan which would be a great tool to incorporate in this unit. Basically, I have been looking for ways to add to the main lessons that would be taught in a unit such as this and what would enhance them and the information being taught.

Early Planning

Wow! Do I ever feel overwhelmed! There is so much to think about with this unit that it feels like I don't even know where to begin. It seems like it has been a slow start, especially compared to my other classmates and what they have already posted on their wiki's. So far we have established that we will use the school district that Stacey works in for our demographics portion. This will be helpful since she is familiar with the school and students there. She also will have the other teachers there to gain insight on what the grade expectations are.

We are planning on focusing our unit on 8th grade language arts. The focus of our unit will be historical fiction. I have looked into the 8th grade level expectations and have found writing and reading expectations that we may want to focus on. The unit will be centered around one book with activities that will enhance their understanding of the time in history and their reading and writing abilities. The tasks surrounding the unit will be shared. We will both collaborate to create the lessons. With having the media specialist role, I will incorporate activities for students to be involved in at the library.

Some essential questions that I think should be asked are "How has history shaped our society today?" "What differences are there from the way people lived back then in comparison to present day?" "Are things better today or were they better back then?"

It feels as though this collaboration has been slow moving, but there are many factors that come into play. Busy schedules and finding time to fit everything in that needs to be done for starters. I find it is difficult to collaborate with someone when it is all done virtually. Especially for a collaboration such as this where in "real life" it would be done face to face. I feel that I am missing that aspect. I originally had a teacher that was willing help me who lived a few miles away, so that collaboration would have been much different than the one now. Hopefully we can get this project on its way!

Pre Planning

I am a bit nervous for the assignment now that it is to be a collaboration with another classmate. I had a teacher selected that I personally knew and was excited to begin collaborating. Now the project has a new twist! I find that at times it can be difficult to complete assignments when it is done solely online and there are no face to face meetings. My hope is that my partner and I will both put forth the needed effort to complete this unit to the best of our ability.

One weakness I feel that I have going into this assignment is the fact that I have never worked in a school setting. I think it would be easier if I knew exactly what it was like to be in a teacher's shoes and how working with a media specialist should look like. That way I could see the situation from both angles and know what to expect.

I have never personally witnessed any collaborations between a teacher and library media specialist. I have only ever heard of negative experiences between the two. From my experience it seems as though both parties have to be willing to work together to have a successful experience.

I'm not sure what grade level or subject area my teammate and I will focus on for our unit. That will depend on which role each of us assume and if she has classroom experience or a subject area that she would like to focus on. I'm thinking that may be the most difficult part of the process - to decide what the grade/focus will be for the unit.

The one strength that I bring to the team is library experience. I have worked in a public library for 6 years, specifically with teens. Over the years I have assisted numerous students with school projects. I'm really looking forward to this collaboration and what it will bring. It will be exciting to see what the end project will look like. My hope is that my team will be fully committed to making this project successful and to gain experience in a teacher/SLMS collaboration.