Agenda
- Announcements:
- Improving Our Professional Practice: Virtual School Libraries
OBJECTIVE
BCPS school library media specialists will provide members of their school communities with 24/7 access to teaching and learning resources, opportunities, and environments by creating and maintaining vibrant virtual school libraries.
ARTICLES for Discussion
How can school libraries—and librarians—stay relevant in a digital era? By building a compelling virtual learning commons that becomes an online destination for students.
- Recommended for further reading:
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Why is it VITAL that your school library has a VIBRANT and VISIBLE VIRTUAL PRESENCE?
- The Virtual School Library is an important tool for making visible to all stakeholders the essential roles that YOU and YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM are serving on a DAILY BASIS in support of district/school goals for teaching/learning and student achievement. It is a way to:
- Extend your effectiveness as a teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and library program administrator.
- Reach and teach all learners, beyond the four walls of the library media center and in spite of space and time constraints.
- Demonstrate leadership in digital learning in conjunction with the BCPS digital instructional conversion.
- Advocate for your school library program and position in a meaningful way, by providing evidence of their value.
REFLECT on your current practice
Does my school library have a VIBRANT and VISIBLE VIRTUAL PRESENCE?
EXPLORE exemplary sites for ideas and inspiration
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Middle School Libraries:
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High School Libraries:
GUIDELINES
- Make your Virtual School Library a PUBLIC site. In PBWorks Campus Edition, specific pages/folders can be set for invited users with customized permissions.
- Ensure that a link to your Virtual School Library is PROMINENTLY FEATURED on your school's Website; see school Webmaster/Edline Superuser.
- Contact Bill Groth to have a link to your Virtual School Library site placed on your school's DESTINY Homepage sidebar.
- Model digital citizenship by complying with copyright and citing sources. Use copyright-friendly images and media.
- Check Parental Privacy Preferences before posting student photos/videos or intellectual property. These may be published on your schools' Shared drive. If not, ask your guidance secretary or an administrator.
- DO NOT post Databases home access passwords on a public Website/Wiki. If you have already posted the handout, TAKE IT DOWN.
- DO NOT display URL's; link URL's to article/resource title or keyword.
- Post this disclaimer at the bottom of your wiki's front page:
Disclaimer: The BCPS does not guarantee the accuracy or quality of information located on the telecommunications networks. We have made every reasonable attempt to ensure that our school system’s Web sites are educationally sound and do not contain links to anything that can be deemed in violation of the BCPS telecommunications policy. The linked sites are not under the control of the Baltimore County Public Schools; therefore, BCPS is not responsible for the contents of any linked site, links within the site, or any revisions to such sites. Links from BCPS’ Web sites are provided as a convenience and do not imply an endorsement of the linked Web site.
WEB-PUBLISHING TOOLS
- PBWorks Campus Edition Wiki
- BCPS School Library Wikis were created with the following format (some exceptions; see Kelly if you can't find yours):
schoolnamemslibrary.pbworks.com OR schoolnamehslibrary.pbworks.com. These wikis are in the BCPS Campus Edition License for enhanced folder/page security options.
- Please see Fran/Kelly if you need access to your school's library wiki.
- Send Kelly the URL if you have created a different school library Wiki and did NOT upgrade this new Wiki to Campus Edition.
- PBWorks Online Training Wiki (currently under revision)
- Upcoming Training Webinars- PBWorks for Education 101: Your Guide to the Basics
- PBWorks HELP | Wiki Etiquette for Students
- Google Site
RESOURCES
- Virtual Learning Commons model (Loertscher & Koechlin)
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Widgets & Gadgets
- Copyright-friendly Images and Media
- Icons
- BCPS Digital Content Support Resources: Includes tutorials, direct linking instructions