Learning technical skills in today’s world
Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The media center at Tillery Elementary School is a balance between old and new. While the collection of 12, 000 books includes many classic titles, there's also a computer lab where students work on Successmaker, a computer-based learning program. Media specialist Andrea Thompson is in charge of the balancing act.
Even students who grew up with computers and cell phones like to be read to, she reports. She makes the time to read a story to most of the classes that pass through the library.
A book, she tells them, is like a little treasure chest: "You have to open it up and see what's in there."
She sees every student in the school once a week for their library period. Early in the year, the time is spent covering the basics, including the procedures to find and check out a book. Students can check out a new book every week; older students can check out more than one.
Before they're set free to find their own books, each student receives a browsing stick - a paint stirrer painted bright green. Students have to look at the inside of a book before they check it out, Thompson explained, so she encourages them to use the stick to mark the spot where they remove a book. That way it can go back into the correct spot if the student decides not to check it out.
With children, from kindergarten all the way through fifth grade, using the library, Thompson seldom recommends specific books. She knows series that are popular with different age groups. Very young readers love "Clifford, the Big Red Dog. "Older readers usually rely on recommendations from their friends, but last year when author Obert Skye visited the school, his "Leven Thumps"series became popular.
Once the students are comfortable with library procedures, Thompson starts working on the state standards that apply to technology in elementary school. The media specialist and classroom teachers work together to make sure students learn the technical skills needed in today's world.
There isn't a formal keyboarding or technology class at the elementary-school level in Rogers, although Thompson said that some neighboring districts have them.
Tiller has two computer labs with learning software, so students are at the computer every day for at least a few minutes, where they work on basic math and literacy skills.
"The kids start learning about OPAC (online public access catalog ) in kindergarten but actually start using it in second grade," she said. The online catalog replaced the card catalog.
By the time students are in fifth grade, the state standards require that they're able to identify Internet sites based on their domain and evaluate the information on those sites. They should be able to use not only
The school's media specialist is the first place teachers go for help with technology problems, Thompson said. If she can't fix
Teachers have embraced technology, Thompson said.
"They like using their projectors and Elmos (document cameras ). They are reliable and enhance instruction, and the
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