Thing #15

I have just finished my 3rd year teaching , and during those three years, I have watched the library in our school change. We have added desktop computers, mini-laptops, digital book readers, iPods, and areas where students come come before, during and after school to "hang out." When I was in school whenever we wanted to do research we did have to use primarily print to gain the research, where students today are finding their information on the web. Our librarians have done a wonderful job during this transition of training teachers how to use our "new" resources as well as training students how to use them for educational purposes, and not just for entertainment.

The article "Away from the Icebergs" had a good point that we can't just get rid of books now that students are using the internet for most of their research. Students and teachers still need to be able to use print material for their research or also for reading for enjoyment. I have had several students over the past years that are reading 3-10 novels a week, most being checked out of the library on our campus. I also try to keep a book at school, so when the kids ask if I am reading, I can share it with them - leading by example that we need to take advantage of all the internet and library are offering online, but keep up that desire to read a book as well.