Cool tools for libraries...pdf to Word converter

I may be the last person to know about this, but I just discovered a free tool that is going to make my work life easier.  Have you seen PDF to Word? 

Simply upload a PDF document, choose a file extension, add your email address, and voila!  You will quickly receive an email with the converted document in Word format.  Nice.

It's not technology, it's the way things are...

This morning I again had the pleasure of listening to library guru Michael Stephens.  It's always nice if new learning and real life match up, but seldom does it happen quite as neatly as it did for me today.

The session was over at lunch time, and I stopped at Boston Market before heading back to the office, which is about 45 minutes away.  I say that to tell you that I was out of my stomping grounds.

I ordered a chicken pot pie and water.  They gave me a clear cup for the water, and I expected the usual fountain where you push the little lever next to the lemonade for water.  Instead I found this Jetson-like contraption. 

I'll have to admit I was totally at a loss.  The big circle button said push, so I did.  Ice came out.  So far, so good.  I had no idea what to do next, so I pushed the silver lever and got a cup full of some sort of soda.  I sheepishly sat down, drank my stolen Diet Dr. Pepper, and proceeded to watch everyone else get drinks.

Either I'm slow or everyone else is a regular because no one else seemed quite so baffled as I was.  They knew that the top panel is a touch screen (ooh, cool!) and that there are literally 106 choices of drinks. 

My favorite moment came when a group of middle school-aged boys came in.  They clearly had never seen the machine either, but they did something very different than I had done.  They didn't mind looking like they didn't know what was going on.  They experimented.  They played.  They touched the screen repeatedly and went back and forward many times.  They didn't fill their extra-large cups with just one type of soda.  Oh, no.  They got suicides!

It dawned on me that the middle school boys and I were illustrating Michael Stephens' points on how the library should embrace 21st century learning. With apologies to Dr. Stephens because I won't do his presentation justice, the following are a few connections:

Michael Stephens on today's learners:

• For them, it's not technology, it's the way things are
• They are team-oriented and social
• They are curious
• Play = learning
• It's ok to make mistakes

Today's learners (and me) at Boston Market:

• It's technology to me, but not to these digtal natives
• I was embarrassed to ask anyone; they approached the machine together
• I didn't want to look stupid; they were curious
• I was getting a drink; they made a game of getting a beverage
• I was hesitant to make a mistake; they had no such qualms

How does this translate to the library?  Stephens recommends that we should:

• Break down barriers
• Explore play
• Know it's ok to fail
• Involve kids
• Encourage the heart
• Be human
• Embrace change

So please take a few minutes and check out Michael Stephens.  Play and be curious today.  Be willing to look silly.  And go to Boston Market and get a soda!

What's so special about specials?

Specials rotation.  The very words strike fear in the heart of elementary librarians.  If you're a secondary librarian, a new elementary librarian, or a really fortunate experienced elementary librarian, let me explain.

Specials rotation is the infamous fixed scheduling you heard about in library school.  Specials are the classes where the kids go while their teachers are having conference periods.  Generally the specials schedule rotates between art, music, P.E., and sometimes computers.  In a large elementary or if numbers at certain grade levels are high, the library may be placed in the specials rotation.

What does this mean?  It means that every single day one or more classrooms of students will be dropped off at the library for a 45 minute block while their teacher has planning time with the team. It means that the librarian will not be able to plan collaboratively with these teams.  It means that the library schedule will be driven by these fixed blocks of time.  And it also means that the quality of the entire library program suffers because the librarian is not able to serve students and staff at the point of need. 

If you are attempting to fend off being in the specials rotation, I would suggest that you read the following:

AASL Position on Flexible Scheduling

School Libraries Work

AASL Resource Guides for School Library Program Development

If you have already lost the battle and are in specials rotation, I would encourage you to document instances when the fixed schedule bumps research projects and spontaneous opportunities to meet needs.  Talk with administrators, teachers, and parents about why a flexible schedule is best.  Be sure to frame your reasons in terms of student needs or it may sound self serving.

In the meantime, what should you do during specials rotation?

Be positive and professional.  Don't make the kids pay for a scheduling issue.
Resist the temptation to kill time with arts and crafts or worksheeets. 
Ditto (double ditto) for library lessons such as learning about Dewey, how to use the almanac, etc.  ICK!!

Ok, so that was what NOT to do.  How about some things TO do...

If it were me, I would implement Reader's Workshop.  The goal of reader's workshop is to foster a love of reading, and tons of research supports the fact that the more kids read, the better readers they are.  Reader's Workshop is something meaningful that students can do during specials rotation, and it has the added benefit of requiring little planning from you.  DEFINITELY prefererable to busy work.

Set the tone for reading each day by reading aloud.  Read a chapter a day from a novel that will hold the attention of your students.  If you need suggestions, try Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook.  Alternate the types of books you read but make sure they are ones that your students will enjoy.  Have fun with the reading and avoid the temptation of "making a lesson" out of everything.  Just have fun with the book and your kids.

After reading aloud, each student should settle down with a good book(s) to read.  Kindergarteners and other students with limited reading skills can enjoy all types of books with illustrations and photographs.  You should always model reading.  The importance of this can't be overstated.  If you're up doing something else, it tells the kids that reading isn't important. 

You can find all kinds of information about Reader's Workshop online.  You won't need to take grades, of course, but tips on managing RW may be helpful. 

If you'd like an occasional change of pace, you could intersperse I-Search research projects.  Again, even the youngest of students can choose and research a simple topic with assistance.

Although specials rotation isn't what's best for kids, you can make the best of the situation with meaningful learning in a positive environment.