Effective+Planning+and+Preparation

On e of the biggest challenges I face as a Library Media Specialist in 2011 is lack of time. I have found that with the increase of state requirements, teachers have less and less time to dedicate to research. With time being so precious and limited, it is essential that I plan and prepare for classes knowing that any time I use to present is time which the students could/would be using for research. It is imperative that I use this time wisely, efficiently and effectively.

In February 2010, I was invited to attend a planning meeting for a brand new project which was being developed by two members of the Social Studies Department. Mrs. Lundgard and Mr. Hopkins wanted their students to work in groups of four. They were each given a topic related to the 1920's or 1930's. They needed to write a short paper individually and prepare a presentation as a group. The presentations could be in any format they chose including PowerPoint, Prezi, Movie Maker and Video. My challenge, they only had three days in class to research and prepare their presentation. I decided that a Wiki was the best approach considering the limited amount of time the students actually had in the Media Center.

The 20sand30s Wiki contains all the information the students need to research and prepare their topic for presentation. The first page includes the assignment, due dates, and group topics. The Wiki itself includes not only links to databases and websites the students can use for research but also tutorials on the different presentation options for those who need more information. This allows for those students to continue working on their project no matter where they fall in the learning spectrum. If they do not know where to research, suggestions are given. If they do not know how to prepare their presentations, tutorials and tip sheets are provided. If they are beyond this information and want to jump right in, the Wiki allows for this as well. The students have access to the Wiki wherever they have internet access which gives the student the ability to work on the project outside of class as well. Finally, after the gallery presentation of all the projects, we chose to add a large number of the presentations directly on the Wiki so we would have examples for next year's students.