In my opinion if the media center is the hub of the school then it must be the place to meet the information needs of all its patrons. My media center is a place where all students are given the attention and respect they deserve. We select bilingual books, voiced AR quizes, card readers with vocabulary cards, AV ESOL kits, and invite special needs student classes to the media center for story time and check-out. Our special needs students love the media center and are given the same advantages that others enjoy. Using the Elmo to share stories or viewing 3 dimentional objects on the big screen TV gives these students instruction that meets their needs. Our district's Special Education Department purchases the technolgy for students needing voice assisted technolgy and the like. We have been given funds from Title III to purchase bilingual resources and books for our ELL patrons. Making sure that teachers who serve diverse populations are given the access to websites and databases to help meet student needs is crucial. Finding resources to help them help parents such as Colorin' Colorado! might give parents ideas to assist learning at home. We have access to Open Book to English as one of our network programs. It is a program that all students can use, but really helps our ELL population. By giving all students access to technolgy and programs in the media center we are building community which helps not only the diverse populations of our school, but more importantly model for others the respect and value of all people in our community. I have been asked to meet with special education teachers as they go over IEP's with parents. I value this opportunity as the media specialist because it gives me the information I need to find resources and assist teachers in ways to help their students. Diversity is good and it is imperative that as media specialists we give them what they rightly deserve.
I also agree that the media center and the media specialist should be on the forefront of making sure the school has the tools needed to meet the needs of all learners. I think being a part of IEP meetings is a fabulous way to be involved. I recently inquired about the ability of our self contained class to use computers in the computer lab. I was shocked to find out that those students go with their regular homeroom class, but watch DVD's during that time because the computer lab teacher can not give those students the attention they need with 20 other students in the lab. I understand that they want to mainstream those students into the elective type classes with their peers, but what good is having them go into the lab and sit in a corner and watch a DVD while the rest of the class learns about technology? My mind works differently and to me it would seem that those students' needs would be better met by going into the lab during a time st aside for them with more adults to assist in their actual learning of technology. I was proactive and talked to the principal about ordering some touch screens for the lab so that those students with motor issues could enjoy manipulating a computer. This is just one example of how we need to be aware and involved in brainstorming and coming up with ways to enhance the technology learning of our diverse population. I think our state and my system has been better with accommodating the ESL learners. We have had software and programs to support them for as long as I have been teaching.
Wow, the technology your school has for the students is very extensive. Being able to be involved with the students at an IEP level is great. As media specialists, we have the ability to touch the lives of all the students in the building and we should keep that responsibility as number one on our list of things to do for each day. I believe that it is our responsibility to collaborate with the teachers and all of the different types special education departments to come up with ways to better enhance the curriculum to meet the needs of each learner.
As a member of the school's leadership team, the SLMS is in a unique position to touch all students. It sounds like you have a firm handle on this with all the techonology and special programs in your media center. I know your school has a high ESL population and it seems that you are working hard to meet the needs of these kids. Kudos to you! The other SLMS I have talked with tell me that their SpEd department also buys the adaptive technology used by their students but that they depend on the SLMS for technical support. I was surprised to hear that you are in on IEP meetings. I have never known of SLMS being at a meeting. But it is a good idea for SLMS to be included if possible. As you said, the information gained will help us in meeting the needs of a particular student and others with similar challenges.
In my opinion if the media center is the hub of the school then it must be the place to meet the information needs of all its patrons. My media center is a place where all students are given the attention and respect they deserve. We select bilingual books, voiced AR quizes, card readers with vocabulary cards, AV ESOL kits, and invite special needs student classes to the media center for story time and check-out. Our special needs students love the media center and are given the same advantages that others enjoy. Using the Elmo to share stories or viewing 3 dimentional objects on the big screen TV gives these students instruction that meets their needs. Our district's Special Education Department purchases the technolgy for students needing voice assisted technolgy and the like. We have been given funds from Title III to purchase bilingual resources and books for our ELL patrons. Making sure that teachers who serve diverse populations are given the access to websites and databases to help meet student needs is crucial. Finding resources to help them help parents such as Colorin' Colorado! might give parents ideas to assist learning at home. We have access to Open Book to English as one of our network programs. It is a program that all students can use, but really helps our ELL population. By giving all students access to technolgy and programs in the media center we are building community which helps not only the diverse populations of our school, but more importantly model for others the respect and value of all people in our community. I have been asked to meet with special education teachers as they go over IEP's with parents. I value this opportunity as the media specialist because it gives me the information I need to find resources and assist teachers in ways to help their students. Diversity is good and it is imperative that as media specialists we give them what they rightly deserve.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the media center and the media specialist should be on the forefront of making sure the school has the tools needed to meet the needs of all learners. I think being a part of IEP meetings is a fabulous way to be involved. I recently inquired about the ability of our self contained class to use computers in the computer lab. I was shocked to find out that those students go with their regular homeroom class, but watch DVD's during that time because the computer lab teacher can not give those students the attention they need with 20 other students in the lab. I understand that they want to mainstream those students into the elective type classes with their peers, but what good is having them go into the lab and sit in a corner and watch a DVD while the rest of the class learns about technology? My mind works differently and to me it would seem that those students' needs would be better met by going into the lab during a time st aside for them with more adults to assist in their actual learning of technology. I was proactive and talked to the principal about ordering some touch screens for the lab so that those students with motor issues could enjoy manipulating a computer. This is just one example of how we need to be aware and involved in brainstorming and coming up with ways to enhance the technology learning of our diverse population. I think our state and my system has been better with accommodating the ESL learners. We have had software and programs to support them for as long as I have been teaching.
ReplyDeleteWow, the technology your school has for the students is very extensive. Being able to be involved with the students at an IEP level is great. As media specialists, we have the ability to touch the lives of all the students in the building and we should keep that responsibility as number one on our list of things to do for each day. I believe that it is our responsibility to collaborate with the teachers and all of the different types special education departments to come up with ways to better enhance the curriculum to meet the needs of each learner.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the school's leadership team, the SLMS is in a unique position to touch all students. It sounds like you have a firm handle on this with all the techonology and special programs in your media center. I know your school has a high ESL population and it seems that you are working hard to meet the needs of these kids. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteThe other SLMS I have talked with tell me that their SpEd department also buys the adaptive technology used by their students but that they depend on the SLMS for technical support.
I was surprised to hear that you are in on IEP meetings. I have never known of SLMS being at a meeting. But it is a good idea for SLMS to be included if possible. As you said, the information gained will help us in meeting the needs of a particular student and others with similar challenges.