Media Matters!       MAME logo      March 2015
  
In this Issue
President's Column
MAME Spring Seminar
Author Visits Elementary Students
Read in the Park
MAME 4Ever's Annual Trip
Intellectual Freedom
MAME 42: School Library Strong!
Region & SIGs Corner
MAME Membes @ MACUL
Elections are Open
AASL Seeks Commendations
APP of the Month
MAME Leadership Openinings
PD through REMC
MAME Board Members
What's on Your Mind?
Media Matters Archives
President's Column

Lifelong Learning

 

We've made it through another Michigan winter! Now that most of the snow has melted, we can see the end of the school year creeping up on us. And M-Step testing will be an additional challenge to our schedules.

 

March has been a great celebration of Reading Month, and we've had the opportunity to promote a love and excitement for reading with our students.


 

It has also been a good month for our own learning. I was so pleased and proud to see how many sessions at the MACUL Conference in Detroit were led by school librarians. Congratulations to the following MAME members who were presenters: Deb Biggs Thomas, Margaret Lincoln, Lisa Brakel, Amy Cote, Carma Roesch, Christopher Sabourin, Lori Wetzel, Lisa Miller, Cindi Place, Katherine Lester, and Maggi Idzikowski. The time and effort they put into their presentations were evident, and the sessions received great feedback. MAME members are some of the best teachers I know!

 

Make sure you're taking advantage of learning opportunities to improve your own practice.

  • MAME's spring and summer events are approaching, so get these dates on your calendar. Past-President Tom Stream has spearheaded our Spring Workshop on May 2nd in Grand Rapids focusing on primary source documents. Registration is now open at the MAME website. Kay Wejrowski is planning our Summer Institute for August 3rd. Details will be coming out soon. You can increase the value of your learning by bringing other librarians and classroom teachers that you can collaborate with.

  • If you find you can't leave your building or don't have the funds to attend something in person, the choices of webinars and tutorials continue to grow. Check out the offerings from the Library of Michigan, AASL, School Library Journal, LMC, Michigan Learnport, and your local ISD. Many online resource providers also have webinars to help you learn their products including Discovery Ed, EasyBib, Follett Destiny, Britannica Online, and most databases.

We're creating lifelong learners--are you one too?

 

Happy Spring!

Gwenn Marchesano  

gmarchesano@mimame.org 

Announcing MAME Spring Seminar! 

Teaching with Primary Sources 

and Your Library

Kent Intermediate School District - Education Services Building

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Registration 8:30

Class 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (on site lunch included)

CLICK HERE to REGISTER


 

When used effectively, primary sources can open a world of possibilities in the classroom. When students have opportunities to approach sources as historians do, history becomes an art and a mystery - rather than a series of lifeless facts. Join us in learning tips and strategies for using Primary Sources in all curricula at the Kent ISD on May 2 (not Mothers Day).


 

Our Presenter, Judy Bee, is the Associate Director for the Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region at Illinois State University funded by the Library of Congress. She educates certified and pre-service teachers, media specialists, librarians and college faculty on how to integrate primary sources into standards-based activities and lessons.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make more powerful connections to material, but also, more importantly, to teachers in your district. Talk to your colleagues in the content areas and find that person you can work with who would benefit greatly and is open to spending a beautiful spring day learning about primary sources with you.

Author Nancy Shaw 
Meets Eager Students! 

Author Nancy Shaw visited Kalamazoo Christian Elementary School on March 19. Students and teachers were delighted by Nancy's engaging presentations about the process of writing books, and how her famous Sheep in a Jeep stories were written. 

Shaw gave four presentations to grades K-5, all uniquely geared to the age of her audience. Local bookseller Kazoo Books handled book sales. This was an exciting way to celebrate March as Reading Month, and to kick off the school's Language Arts focus week. Media Specialist Roxanne Nieboer had first heard Nancy speak at MAME 2014, and knew her students would benefit from hearing Nancy's story. 


 


 Apple, Margot. Sheep in A Jeep book cover. Digital image. Nancy Shaw - Children's Author - My Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

Read in the Park! 

 

Read in the Park Celebration 

in Berkley Schools


 

Curious George, Darth Vader, and others joined the Berkley Schools 9th Annual Read in the Park celebration March 1, 2015.  The event is sponsored by the school PTAs, Book Beat Book Store, and the Berkley, Huntington Woods and Oak Park Public Libraries. Berkley School District (BSD) media specialists Dan Duffey, Julie McKeeman, Theresa Savich,  Martha Spear, Jacqueline Terbrack and Maureen Watson provide literacy activities.  Berkley Schools Superintendent Dennis McDavid and Assistant Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick make the event possible. The goal of the day is to foster a love of  reading by connecting kids with authors and books.



 
MAME 4Ever's 5th 
Annual Trip 

SAVE THE DATES!! 
(and some margarita/beer money) 

September 8-11, 2015


 

As you may know, us retirees take a wonderful and relaxing trip, in lieu of going back to school. We are headed to Mackinac City for four glorious days with side trips on a member's yacht, to the International Dark Sky park, day trip to the Island for lunch and biking, and exploring the north coast of our state.  September 8 to 11, Tuesday through Friday. Special package includes breakfast and more, and a side trip to a nummy fish and homemade pie diner is a must.

After all of the work we retirees still put into our profession, we get away, connect as friends, observe sunsets (we sleep too late for the sunrise observation), and plan our next adventure.  If you are planning to retire this year, do join by paying lifetime MAME dues and get yourself our famous embroidered red polo shirt.

Teri and I hope to see you all soon!
Deadlines, room costs and signing up and carpooling info in next month's newsletter.
Annette Haley and Teri Belcher
Celebrating 5 years of 4Evers this spring!
 
MAME 4Ever co-chairs
Intellectual Freedom

Take the Banned Book Quiz!

 

What kind of reader are you? Take the Banned Book Quiz to find out.


 

Below is a list of 20 of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000. Check the box next to every book you've read to find out if you're a rebellious reader.

  • Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  • The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
  • Native Son by Richard Wright
  • Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
  • The Pigman by Paul Zindel
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • The Dead Zone by Stephen King
  • A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
  • Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
  • Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
  • Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
  • Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding

What Kind of Reader Are You?

How many books did you check off above?
  • 18 - 20: Totally Banned Bookworm
  • 14 - 17: I'll Take Mine in a Plain Brown Wrapper
  • 9 - 13: Brave New Reader
  • 5 - 8: A Little Forbidden Reading Never Hurt Anybody
  • 1 - 4: My Teacher Made Me Read It
  • 0: Literary Lightweight

"Take the Banned Book Quiz!" American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

https://www.aclu.org/free-speech/take-banned-book-quiz 


While this is a humorous look at the books most commonly banned in public and school libraries, it does underscore the high literary content (of most) and their wide popularity.

To report a challenge - real or potential - please complete this  
Challenge Report.  Anonymity is guaranteed.

 

If you need support or guidance regarding a Challenge, contact the  ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 4220, oif@ala.org or Martha Spear directly @ mspear@berkleyschools.org.

 

Martha Spear, Berkley High School Library Media Specialist, is MAME's Intellectual Freedom Chair. 

mspear@berkleyschools.org 

248.837.8112 

MAME 42 is on the Books!

School Library Strong!

 

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for our annual conference MAME 42 in

Bay City, Michigan at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bay City - Riverfront this coming November 11 - 13, 2015.  You won't want to miss this!  Soon we will be sending out the request for presenters.  This is wonderful opportunity for our members to share their expertise with each other.


Our Keynote speaker this year will be Kathy Schrock.  Kathy is an Adobe Education Leader, a Google Certified Teacher, and a Discovery Education STAR and Guru. In 1995, Kathy created the award-winning site, Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

, to help teachers easily wade through the many resources on the Web. In 1999, she partnered with Discovery Education and maintained the site until late 2012 when the site was retired.

 


Kathy's current online resources may be found on Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything! Kathy has written hundreds of article dealing with technology and education and has also authored several books about educational technology topics. In addition, she has received numerous awards for her work, including a People's Choice Webby, both the ISTE and MassCUE Making IT Happen Awards, the NCTIES Service Learning Award, has served on the ISTE Board of Directors for two terms, and has worked with the US Department of Education on several educational technology initiatives.

 

Our closing Keynote speaker will be Leslie Preddy the current AASL President Elect. Preddy is a previous AASL Collaborative School Library Award recipient and under her tenure, Perry Meridian Middle School was named a National School Library Program of the Year in 2010. She has served as chair of the AASL Innovative Reading Grant committee and as a member of the AASL Distinguished School Administrators Award committee and the ALA Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming.


On a local level, Preddy represented Indiana in the AASL Affiliate Assembly in region 3. She is a past chair of the Association of Indiana School Library Educators (AISLE) and has served in various capacities for the organization including leadership retreat chair and state conference chair. Additionally, Preddy has served as state conference co-chair for the Indiana Library Federation, as a member of the Indiana Library Media Standards for Educators committee for the Indiana Department of Education, and as chair of Indiana's Young Hoosier Book Award program.
Region & SIGS Corner

Thank you to the MAME Region and SIG Reps. Click the link below for a complete list of the regions and their representatives 2015 Region and SIG Reps. 

We have many openings for region reps. If you are interested please contact Carma Roesch, 
VP Regions & SIGs, at


 

Thank you!
Carma Roesch
______________________________________

Please continue to help us to recruit members. Membership in MACUL and all SIGs is free! MACUL members can join SIGMS at any time by visiting macul.org/membership.


Erica Trowbridge, MACUL SIGLIB Director

Judy Hauser, MACUL SIGLIB Interim Asst. Director

Rachel Markel, MACUL SIGLIB Communications Officer 
Send Your News!

Tell us about your successes, your struggles, your amazing discoveries.
Email your newsletter editor, Shannon Clark with stories that should be shared.

We'd love to hear from you!
Media Matters! Editors
Shannon Clark    mediamatters.mame@gmail.com 

 

Database Manager
Karen Becknell      mamedatab@gmail.com 
LOVE READING!!
Congratulations!!! 
Katie Krolczyk-Paton is the proud new mom of a beautiful baby boy, Alexander Jon Paton on October 10, 2014. Alexander weighed just 3lbs. and measured 17in. Both mom and baby are healthy and doing well! 
MAME Members 
Present at MACUL
Congratulations the MAME members who presented at the MACUL conference on March 19th or March 20th!  Thank you for representing our profession in the larger educational community.
 
--Using eBooks From the Michigan eLibrary in Your Classroom Deb Biggs Thomas, Michgan eLibrary and Outreach Coordinator, Library of Michigan, and Margaret Lincoln, Librarian, Lakeview Schools 
 
--Who Needs a School Librarian? Lisa Brakel, Librarian, Airport Community Schools; Amy Cote, Librarian, Portage Public Schools; and Carma Roesch, Librarian, Clinton Community Schools
 
--1:1 iPads - What We Learned To Do and Not to Do 2.0 Christopher Sabourin, Technology and Media Curriculum Specialist, and Mark Naffie, Julie Hyatt, Lori Murphy, Mary Hayes, Jennifer Miller, and Alan Chapple, Teachers, Midland Public Schools
 
--Adding iPad to the Math Equation Lori Wetzel, Media Specialist, Fraser Public Schools, and Tony DiLaura, Teacher, Zeeland Public Schools
 
--Reliable Resources for Research Lisa Miller, Media Specialist, Gull Lake Community Schools
 
--EEK! eBooks - Librarians Leading the Way! Cindi Place, Media Specialist, Boyne City Public Schools
 
--Digital Reading: Deep or Shallow? Katherine Lester, Librarian, Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
 
--Teaching Technology Through Literacy: Computer Competency for Kindergartners Maggi Idzikowski, Media Specialist, Ann Arbor Public Schools
Open Elections

ALA and AASL Elections Begin this Week
 

All web voters will receive ballots between March 24 and March 26, 2015, in a 48-hour e-mail blast. Voting is open through May 1st.


 

Check out the AASL President-Elect candidate websites:

Audrey Church

Dorcas Hand


 

Information on other candidates will be in your online ballot and is available on the ALA website.


 

MACUL Board of Directors Elections Now Open

If you're a member of MACUL, voting opened March 13 and will close on April 16. Check your email for a link to your ballot and access information.


AASL Seeks Nominations for Commendations
Each year MAME provides Commendations and Concerns to AASL leadership. The Commendations process is an excellent opportunity for us to
highlight Michigan organizations that support the mission and vision of AASL. Nominees and winners receive exposure at the national level. This is also an advocacy tool for MAME.
Do you know of an organization deserving of nomination? We need your ideas by the beginning of April.  Please look at organizations within your own community. Lisa Brakels and Gwenn Marchesano need your help to find these deserving groups.  See here for additional details of the process and nominee qualifications.
CALL FOR ACTION!!
Support SKILLS Act
Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act
We need to contact our Senators about supporting dedicated funding for school library programs. Please try to call our senators.

When talking with one legislator, she said there is often apathy & issues with voices are more likely to be heard.  I've included some more detailed information below; but to make it simpler --- you can do the following

:
 

Call Senator Stabenow (202-224-4822) and Senator Peters (202-224-6221) directly.

Most times you will have to leave a voicemail -----

All you really need to say is the following (please slightly modify the words for your own 'voice'):

 

"I would like to ask Senator ______  to co-sponsor S. 312 the SKILLS Act which is the Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act. It has been introduced by Senators Reed, Cochran, and Whitehouse. Multiple studies show that school libraries improve student learning and are critical for students to compete in today's global economy. Senator ______, please support dedicated funding for effective school library programs under ESEA by co-sponsoring S.312. Thank you."

PLEASE remember to include your name and address with zip code.


 

ALA is suggesting that calls are more effective.  You can also contact Senators Stabenow and Peters electronically at the following links:

 



On January 29, 2015, Senators Reed (D-RI), Cochran (R-MS), and Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced S. 312, the Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act (SKILLS Act), that would improve students' literacy skills and readiness for higher education and careers through effective school library programs. ALA is currently working with Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) on an amendment for the HELP Committee markup that would add provisions from the SKILLS Act to ESEA to provide dedicated funding for effective school library programs.

 

Please call both our Senators NOW by simply completing the contact form at this ALA link below. You will then be prompted with the correct DC phone numbers in order for Senator Stabenow and Senator 
 Peters. There will be information there about SKILLS and talking points.

 

APP (or site) Of the Month
Web based ~ Free

GoFormative is a free website that allows teachers to create assessments quickly and easily from scratch or pre-existing assessments. A unique feature of this web based assessment tool is the questions are not limited to multiple choice. Students can submit answers including text, drawings, or images. Teachers can upload PDF, Word documents, or Google Drive files to use for the assessments. Students and teachers get instant feedback!

Do you have an App to share? Contact Judy to see your App published in the newsletter!
Information Media Consultant
Oakland Schools
Information Center
2111 Pontiac Lake Road
Waterford, MI 48328
Get Involved!
MAME leadership is open to you! We're always looking for new ideas and input to make MAME be the best advocate and support for our members. If you'd like to become more involved, please contact Gwenn Marchesano at gmarchesano@mimame.org. The board still has openings, please see the updated list of board positions and members. If you'd like to help make our next conference the best ever, contact Lisa Brakel at lbrakels@mimame.org
 
Whether it's a Board or Conference Committee position, you'll be investing in an organization completely dedicated to our profession. 
REMC PD Opportunities
REMC offers excellent professional development 
opportunities. 
Please share with your fellow educators! Click HERE for the full description of each event. 

Awarded the ISTE Seal of Alignment on March 11, 2015. The Seal is awarded to resources that meet the  ISTE Technology Standard for Students.  

MI Learns Online Webinars

Learn to use the REMC MLO Portal to find resources that support exceptional online learning, and how to access online learning courses, units and lessons. Register here:  http://tinyurl.com/learnmloportal.


 

SAVE THE DATE: MI Moodle Moot 2016 , January 7 & 8, Mid Michigan Community College, Mt. Pleasant.

A Day in the Life of A Digital Teacher 
March 25, 2015
A free webinar discussing a typical day, week, or unit in a blended classroom and the tools used such as Google Apps, Kahoot, and more. CLICK HERE to register.

Third Annual Connected Educator Unconference
A mashup of educational technology & conversation, this is an opportunity to get you moving with an innovative classroom! NOW ONLY $20! April 18, 2015, 8:00a-3:00p, Jackson Area Career Center, 6700 Browns Lake Road, Jackson. CLICK HERE for more information and to register.

Moodle Support Series for Teachers and Moodle Administrators
A series provides classroom teachers and Moodle administrators with extended learning about Moodle. Chris Kenniburg, Dearborn Public Schools, and Andy Mann, REMC 4/Muskegon ISD are the lead instructors for the 2015-16.  The first two sessions are schedule for April 23, 2015 and May 14, 2015.

Moodle Socialwall Plug-in Launch
Learn how to install, configure and tweak this plug-in to create a more 'user-friendly' on ramp for Moodle using teachers. Date/Time: April 23, 2015, 10:00-11:00a. Location: Google Hangout, CLICK HERE to join.


Add Smarter Balance Type Questions with Questions Plugins 

Learn the steps to get this installed onto your Moodle server along with which Moodle Question Type Plug-ins to install. Date/Time: May 14, 2015, 10:00-11:00a.  Location: Google Hangout, CLICK HERE to join.


 

SAVE THE DATE: Statewide Technology/Curriculum Directors Meeting.  Tentative date/location:  August 12, 2015, Holt High School, Holt MI.

 
For more details on each event click here.
REMC PD offerings
ISTE 2015
What will you learn at ISTE 2015?
What will you learn at ISTE 2015?
Data Gathering tool from ISTE
The following comes from ISTE and may be an option for you, your school, or your district as you gather data on educational technology issues.

You are probably well aware of the popular Speak Up survey that is produced annually by Project Tomorrow. Speak Up provides an easy way for students, parents, educators and members of the community to participate in your local decisions about technology, as well as contribute to the state and national dialogue about educational technology.

The online surveys are open now for K-12 students, parents, teachers, librarians, school site administrators, district administrators, technology leaders and community members. Question themes include mobile learning, 1:1 programs, online and blended learning, STEM education, digital content, bandwidth capacity, online assessments, teacher PD and more.

What does this mean for ISTE affiliates?

As you know, every participating school and district receives free access to their own local Speak Up aggregated data reports (which includes all of the survey questions and their own respondents' data totals) along with the national data totals to use for benchmarking. But in addition, affiliates can receive reports specific to their state/region. On the survey for teachers, librarians, and tech leaders, questions are asked about membership in ISTE and an ISTE affiliate. So you would even get to see how many of these educators are likely one of your members or not.

The results from these surveys can be a powerful resource for your organization to use when influencing policy makers, gaining a better understanding of what's going on in your schools and districts, an  d considering what your members need most from your organization.

How can you participate?
  • Complete a Speak Up survey yourself.  With the new community member survey, everyone who cares about K-12 education can now share his or her ideas about digital learning. Identify a neighborhood school or not - either way your voice will be counted! Share this link within your organization and through your social media networks as well.
  • Promote school or district participation in Speak Up to your members. The biggest challenge is getting the word out about Speak Up to school and district leaders.  Speak Up is a service to them - but they cannot take advantage of it if they don't know about it.  Here are some ways that you can help with that:
    • Put Speak Up information and the survey link on your website

  • Send out information in newsletters, listservs, emails about Speak Up

  • Reach out to key influential people in your organization to help spread the word about Speak Up

  • Include Speak Up information in your webinars or at your meetings and conferences over the new few weeks

  • Watch this helpful 45-minute webinar to learn about key findings from last year's survey and how you can participate in and promote the survey for this year
  • Get results. If you'd like to gain access to reports once they are compiled, contact Jenny Hostert, Speak Up Operations Manager at  jhostert@tomorrow.org. She can also answer additional questions about the survey and how you can leverage it for your organization and members. 

Marsha Lambert
MAME ISTE Affiliate rep
MAMEBoardMAME Board 
PresidentGwenn Marchesano
President-ElectLisa Brakel
Past-PresidentKathy Lester
VP Regions SIGSCarma Roesch
VP Continuing EducationJulie Harris
TreasurerBruce Popejoy
SecretaryJeanna Walker
Database ManagerKaren Becknell
ISTE LiaisonMarsha Lambert
MACUL SIGLIB LiaisonErica Trowbridge
MAME4EverTeri Belcher
MAME4EverAnnette Haley
Spring WorkshopTom Stream
Summer InstituteKay Wejrowski
Author LiaisonKay Wejrowski
Awards and CitationsLisa Brakel
Awards and CitationsAmy Cote
Conference SitesAnnette Haley
ExhibitsBruce Popejoy
Government RelationsCynthia Kleinheksel
Historian
Intellectual FreedomMartha Spear
MarketingRachel Markel
MembershipLynn Gordon
NewsletterShannon Clark
Online CommunicationJulie Harris
Parliamentarian/Policy
Michigan Authors DatabaseKaren Becknell
Conference Online 
Denise Lovse

 

What's on
Your Mind?
What great things are going on in your media center?

 

Has a journal article or book recently inspired you?

 

Found a shortcut, great website, new and improved techie tool?

 

...Or just have a funny story to share?

 

We love to hear from our readers!
 Send your newsletter contributions to
Shannon Clark @ 
Media Matters
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