Media matters, Vol. 2, Issue 7 (Feb. 2004)

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 7

FEBRUARY 2004

MEDIA MATTERS

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA

Are You Applying for the Exemplary Media Program?

The Georgia Department of Education has designated the May 13, 2004 Board of Education meeting to recognize three exemplary media programs. In order to identify and showcase these programs, the Educational Technology & Media Unit is soliciting applications from schools. Media programs in three schools will be selected for this honor.
Peer media specialists and DOE staff will make the selection on the basis of the schools written application, a possible visit and/or telephone interview.
The narrative portion of the application is due February 27, 2004. This narrative is based on the Media Program Self Evaluation Rubric and the 6 category outline. Points will be awarded in each category with sixty-five (65) points as the highest possible score.

There are nineteen (19) criteria that should be addressed in the narrative. The rubric is based on citation in law, policy, and standards from the Georgia legislature, the State Board of Education, and the American Association of School Librarians.
The document must be no more than six (6) pages, single spaced and with 12 point font. The document must be sent electronically by Friday, February 27, 2004.
All materials needed for applying may be downloaded from the GaDOE Web site at:
http:// techservices.doe.k12.ga.us/ edtech/exemplary_2004.htm
See Pages 4-5 for information on the upcoming Open Houses.

Exemplary Hall of Fame
High Schools: Brunswick High School
(2002) Pope High School (2003)
Middle: Feagin Mill Middle (2002) Creekland Middle(2003)
Elementary: Manning Oaks (2002) Calhoun Elementary (2003)

Inside this issue:

Reading Capital of the

4

World

Why I love being a media 5
specialist

Calhoun Open House

6

Creekland/Pope Open

7

House

Just for fun

8

February Calendar

10

MEDIA MATTERS FEBRUARY 2004
A World Class Curriculum for World Class Students
A message from Kathy Cox.
There are those who believe that maintaining the status quo in Georgia's schools is acceptable for our children. There are those who are content with low SAT scores and with a dropout rate that is higher than all but four states. I am not one of them. Simply put, the status quo has not served our schools or our students well in Georgia, and a fundamental change is long overdue.
We are making that change. The foundation to achieving our vision of having Georgia lead the nation in improving student achievement is the new Georgia Performance Standards, a world-class curriculum that will drive both instruction and assessment for Georgia's teachers and students. It is a curriculum that establishes high standards, maintains clear expectations, and provides our teachers and students with the guidelines they need to achieve at levels that will place Georgia not just at the top of the southeast, but of the nation and the world.
For too long, our teachers have had to rely on a curriculum so bloated with topics that a recent Phi Delta Kappa audit concluded that it would take twenty-three years--not twelve--to cover them at anywhere near the level of depth necessary for real learning to take place. Instead, teachers desperate to prepare their students for statewide curriculum tests have had to resort to worksheets, memorization, and overuse of textbooks to cover every topic in a curriculum that was a "mile wide, but an inch deep." Inevitably, teachers used the curriculum not as a guide for quality instruction, but as a reference to mention in lesson plans and then place back on the shelf.
The Georgia Performance Standards, now available for public review and comment at www.gadoe.org, represent a break from the status quo and a challenge to the mediocrity and shallow standards that have been accepted for too long. Teams of teachers and content-area experts from across the state and nation developed the curriculum by drawing on best practices that have proven to be effective in states such as Texas, Michigan, and North Carolina, and in nations such as Japan. (In fact, Georgia is the first state in the nation to adopt the highly successful Japanese-based math standards for its statewide curriculum.)
We will now teach to a curriculum, not to a test or a textbook. Our statewide assessments will be aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards, taking the guesswork out of teaching and providing guidelines for our schools, students, and test makers. Because the state had not provided a usable and effective curriculum to guide instruction in the past, many systems had to pay high-priced consultants to pick and choose what should be taught, hoping that the same material would appear on the test. Additionally, teachers will have a resource that outlines clear and measurable expectations for what students should know and be able to do. Parents, meanwhile, will have a valuable new tool that enables them to keep track of what their children are learning in school so that they can help with schoolwork and reinforce essential concepts at home.
(continued on next page)

Change is never easy, and there will be a time of adjustment for our schools and our teachers. We will be working throughout the implementation process to ensure that we provide the training and the guidance our teachers need to succeed with the curriculum. Clearly, though, the status quo has not been good enough for our children, for our teachers, or for our schools. We have long needed a curriculum that was world-class, published, and usable. Now we have it. And as we work to lead the nation in improving student achievement, the Georgia Performance Standards will be the foundation upon which we build.
This article is from the DOE web page located at: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/instruction/qcc/curriculum_editorial.asp
To read more about the curriculum and Georgia Performance Standards go to: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/instruction/qcc/ index.asp
Georgia Learning Connections has a spotlight on the Georgia Performance Standards: http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/spotlight/gps1.htm

MEDIA MATTERS FEBRUARY 2004

Page 4

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA

In 1994, Terri Nalls became the media specialist of Charles Spencer Elementary, a pre-K 4th grade school in Tifton, Georgia. It soon became apparent to Nalls that, although circulation was high, students were not reading and comprehending the books they checked out. To try to alleviate the problem, Nalls wrote a grant to the Tift County Foundation for Educational Excellence (TCFEE) to purchase the Accelerated Reader program to help motivate students to read for comprehension. The program was already utilized by the 5th-7th grade schools, but had not been attempted in the primary grades. Spencer students achieved so much success with the program that the TCFEE funded it for all of the additional schools in Tift County.
Mr. Mike Brumby, executive director of the TCFEE, birthed the idea of Tifton becoming the Reading Capital of the World. The Accelerated Reader program was opened to students during the summer of 1997. Even with the grade realignment of Tifton schools in 1998, enthusiasm for reading continued. The enthusiasm spread from the media specialists, teachers, and students to the entire community. In November of 2000, the Tift County community exceeded one million Accelerated Reader points, and soon after that, had passed over one million tests. Circulation increased in all the media centers, as well as more than doubling at the public library. Tifton is striving to maintain its Reading Capital of the World title by reaching 2 million points.
To read more of this story, check out the Web site www.readingcapital.com.
Are you doing something innovative like Terri? Have you created a wonderful bulletin board? Did your collaboration with the teacher result in a wonderful lesson for the students? Share.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA
Student achievement is the bottom line!

1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent
Phone: 404-657-9800 Fax: 404-657-6822
Email: jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us

Georgia Children's Literature Conference
April 22-24, 2004
Athens

Why I love being a media specialist

I love being a library media specialist on a personal level because I know that I can never get too comfortable in my position. I am always experiencing personal growth and never have the same day twice. I am challenged and learn new things daily. It is a great joy to feel that light bulb go off and to be able to pass that flicker on to our patrons and in turn I learn from them. The transfer of ideas and enthusiasm for learning is a never-ending cycle. Each day, in the media center, we are exploring new frontiers. One day, we may be discovering a short cut to access information. Another day, we may be in a creative process producing multimedia projects as a way to publish what was learned or creating a presentation to share information. I feel everything learned in the media center contributes to good habits of life long learning and provides a springboard to the real world of ever evolving ideas. This is the one classroom in the school that has a window to the most current technologies, electronic, and print information. I simply love the broad view, varied activities, wide-range of patrons that we serve, and the learning process that takes place!
Kathy Copeland Culbertson Media Specialist Powers Ferry Elementary

Why do I love being a media specialist? Because it is never boring and always changing.
Judy Smith Bethlehem Elementary Barrow County 20 years experience
Why do you love what you do? Let Judy know:
jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us

Why I love being a media specialist...the fulfillment that you receive when you spark the interest of a nonreader with that one book that brings them back weekly for more.......WOW!!!!
Dawn Thomas Media Specialist Pike County Elementary

I love being a media specialist because I try to create a place of wonder where books and technology ignite the joys of reading, learning, and discovery for all of it's users!
Janice J. Habersham Skyview Elementary Lizella, GA

MMEEDDIIAA MMAATTTTEERRSS FFEBERBURAURAYR2Y0024004 Page 6
The Calhoun Elementary Media Center Open House will be Monday, March 8th, from 11:00-1:00. The theme for the open house will be a "Library Luau." Lunch will be provided, so please RSVP by February 25th. You may respond via e-mail at jsteph@ccalhounschools.org or by phone at 706-602-6637. This will be a repeat of the October open house.
Directions to Calhoun Elementary: Take I-75 to exit 312 (Highway 53). If you are traveling north, turn left as you exit the ramp. If you are traveling south on I-75, turn right as you exit the ramp. Go 2.5 miles on Highway 53. (Including the traffic light at the exit ramp, you will go through nine traffic lights.) At the 10th light, turn right on toRiver St. (You will pass Wal-Mart on the left and then cross over a small overpass just before the 10th light.) Continue on River St. through two traffic lights. Just beyond the 2nd light is the school on the left. The school is under construction, so parking is rather limited. If no parking spaces are available at the school, park in the church parking lot across from the school. If you are coming from the Cedartown, Rome, or Lafayatte area, you can take Highway 53 to Calhoun and veer right taking the 53 Spur. The first red light will be River St. Turn left onto River St. and go through two traffic lights. The school is on the left. If you need further directions, call Julie Stephens at 706-602-6637.
Dr. Seuss's 100th birthday celebration is coming soon! Check out http://www.seussville.com/ as well as the NEA site for ideas, promotions, and biographical data.

Creekland Middle School Open House
Creekland Middle will hold its Open House Friday, March 26th. from 10 AM until 12 noon. Details will be sent through the DOE list service. Creekland's Web site: http://www.creekland.org/
170 Russell Road Lawrenceville 770-338-4700
Join Us for a Special Open House!
Where: Media Center, Pope High School 3001 Hembree Road, Marietta, GA 30062
When: 9:30-11:30 AM, Tuesday, March 16 Hosts: The Pope High School Media Staff: Connie Kone, Beverly Wenham,Anne Hudson, (Media Specialists) and Susan Whitehead, Media Parapro Join us for our Spring Open House for high school Media Specialists, Supervisors, Superintendents, Principals, School Board Officials, Local Officials and interested educators throughout the state. Pope's Media program was awarded the Georgia Department of Education's 2003 Exemplary High School Media Center Award for the state. It will be a special day for us, our students and staff, and we will have classes scheduled during the day, utilizing Our online databases, wireless network and print resources.
Please let us know if you will be able to attend. Please either call-770-578-7900 ex.230 (Connie Kone)
or e-mail-connie.kone@cobb12.org. by March 5, 2004 Directions: http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/~pope/directions.htm

MEDIMA MEADTITAERMS AFTEBTREUARRSY 2004

Page 8
A "test" to see if you are a "real librarian"
(just for fun)
1)Mr. Dewey a) 5 points if you know the difference between John and Melville. b) 10 points if you caught the misspelling of Melvil in a). c) 15 points if you know basic biographical information about Melvil. d) 20 points if you have a pet named Melvil or Dewey. e) 50 points if you have a child named Melvil or Dewey. f) 100 points if you have his name or likeness tattooed anywhere on your body.
2)Collection Management a) 1 point for each book you have on (and under and in) your nightstand. b) 5 points for every 1000 books you have in your home. c) 10 points if your personal books are arranged by genre. d) 15 points if they are arranged by Dewey category. e) 50 points if you have spine labels on your books at home. f) 100 points if you maintain a database or card catalog for your personal holdings.
3)Professional Attire a) 5 points for each book tie, scarf, shirt, or vest you own. b) 10 points for each time you dressed as a literary character in the last year. c) 15 points if you have literature- furniture in your library. d) 100 points if you have literature-themed furniture. in your home (bookshelves do not count)

4) Copyright
a) 5 points if you understand and can explain the difference between copyright date and publication date.
b) 10 points if you have ever refused to copy a CD or video for your spouse.
c) 15 points if you know what DMCA stands for.
d) 25 points if you have ever answered a copyright question on LM_NET b(an additional 50 points if you were right).
e) 100 points for each copyright infringement court case you can name.
5)Professional Communication
a) 5 points for each library, technology, and literature email list to which you are subscribed.
b) 10 points for every 1/2 hour you spend per day on email.
c) 15 points for each target/hit posting you have done on LM_NET in the last year.
D) 25 points (and the gratitude of thousands of list members) if you know the difference between Reply and Reply to All.
e) 50 points if you check the archives before posting a query
f) 100 points if you get the DTs when the district mail server is down.
g) 500 points if you are subscribed from two different addresses just in case one of the mail servers goes down.
6)Cataloging and Classification
a) one point if you know what DDC stands for.
b) 5 points if when you hear someone say "Sears" you don't think of the retailer.
c) 10 points if you have ever gotten into a debate over the virtues of Sears versus LC headings.
c) 25 points if you have a copy of DDC or Sears at home (50 points if they are on your night stand).
d) 50 points if you know what subject is covered by Dewey number 027.822 (25 points if you didn't know but just went to look it up).

MEDIA MATTERS FEBRUARY 2004
Page 9
7) Patron Services a) 5 points for each time you have loaned a patron a book from
your personal collection. b) 10 points if you regularly work beyond the contract day so
kids can use the library. c) 25 points if you work through lunch so kids can use the library. d) 50 points if you volunteer at a virtual or physical reference desk. e) 100 points if you hang out by the information desk at Barnes and Nobel and try to answer customer questions.
8) Facilities management a) 5 points if you have the uncontrollable urge to push in chairs wherever you go. b) 10 points if you shush loud kids in public places. c) 25 points if you have ever complained to a bookstore manager about their organization and layout. d) 100 points if you have ever surreptitiously reorganized the books in someone else's home.
9) Professional Organizations and Professional Development a) 5 points for each organization, committee, and round table of which you are a member. b) 10 points for each conference workshop you have presented. c) 15 points for each professional journal you read each month (yes, you have to actually read it). d) 25 points if you have been elected to office in a state organization. e) 50 points if you have been elected to office in a national organization. f) 100 points if you have ever impersonated a library organization officer.

BONUS POINTS: 5 points for each librarian character you can name from stage, screen,or literature. 50 Points if you can recite Rachel Weiss's "I may not be an adventurer..." speech from "The Mummy."
SCORING: 0-50 points: you are not a librarian, step away from the circ desk and leave quietly. 51-100 points: come back when you finish your MLS. 100-200 points: you are becoming a real librarian. 200-300 points: you are a real librarian but you may need a vacation. 301 or more points: you must be stopped.
Reprinted with permission from: Tony Doyle, Librarian Livingston High School, Livingston, CA tdoyle@muhsd.k12.ca.us

FEBRUARY 2004

Library Media Calendar

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday

1

2

3

4

5

6

Saturday
7

Birth day o f LangstB- irth day o f James Birthday of Sidn eyCh arles Lindbergh

Birth day o f Charles

on Hugh es: 1 902- Joyce: 18 82-1941 Lanier: 18342- born: 19 02-1974

Dickens: 1 812-

1967

James Dickey born: 1881 1923 -1997 James Michn er
Rebecca Caudill born: 19 07-1997

1870 Birthday o f Han k Babe Ruth's birt h- Birth day o f Laura
Aaron : 1934- day: 18 95-1948 Ingalls W ilder:

born: 18 99-1985

1867 -1 957

8

9

10 11 12 13 14

Bo y Scouts found-

Birthday of Leon - Birth day o f Daniel

ed: 191 0

tyne Price: 1927- Boone: 1734 -1820

John Grish am born:

1955 -

Weather Bureau

authorized: 1 870

T homas Edison born: 18 47-

1931

Birth day of

Abe Lincol-

n: 18 09-18651st public school:

1635

Valentin e's Day

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Birth day o f Susan B. Anthon y: 1872-1 906

Birth day o f Chaim P otok born9: t h plan et discov - Birth day o f Amy

Ulysses S. 1929 -2 002

ered: 1930

T an: 1952-

Grant: Death of GeronimoB:irth day o f To ni Carson McCullers

1822 -1885

1829 -1 909

Morrison: 1931- born: 1917-1967

Post al Service

establish ed: 1691

John Glenn Last green and orbits th e yellow Carolina earth: 1962 parakeet died:
1918

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Birth day o f

1st use of

Presiden t 1st African Ameri-World T rade

Birthday of Hen ry

George

Salk vacci-

Johnson can congressman Center bombed: W. Longfellow:

Washing-

ne: 19 54

impeach e- sworn in (Joseph 1993

1807 -1 882

ton: 17 32-1799 W.E.B. DuBois d: 186 8

Rainey): 187 0

Salem Witch Hunt

born: 18 68-1963

begins: 1692

29
1st African American woman wins an Oscar: 1940

January
S M T WT F S
123 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

March
S M T WT F S
123456 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

A library is the place where wonder lives. Julius Lester