Internship+Journal

8:30 a.m.--4:00 p.m /7.5 hours
 * Tuesday, February 17, 2009**

I reported to Seminole County District Offices for a fingerprinting test, even though I worked for this district for six years. New procedures because of the Jessica Lundsford Law mandated my being fingerprinted again.

The rest of today's activities were termed Professional Development Hours.

8:15 a.m.--4:15 p.m. 8 hours
 * Wednesday, February 18, 2009**

I arrived at Tuskawilla Middle School where I began my internship under the direction of Mrs. Vicki Evelyn, media specialist. We spent some time discussing the TimeFrame document as well as the objectives I needed to meet for the time I'll spend at this school.

The day included discussion on the following:
 * Explained vendors and jobbers
 * District guidelines on overdue books. Three overdue notices are sent home before Mrs. Evelyn needs to call home. She wrote a brief script to leave on a student's home message machine, and she occasionally delegates this to one of her student helpers.
 * Selection process and duties for student helpers.
 * Fiction in this library is organized by genres. Mrs. Evelyn's rationale is that students looking for more books in one genre (e.g. fantasy) will be more likely to read another book if they could locate a similiar book. Genres in this library include fantasy, historical fiction, sports, animals, mystery, graphic novels, adventure, and horror. Cute stickers are even attached to the spine of the book to help with identification.
 * One of my objectives during this portion of the internship included processing new books. We began with this with some new books for the science curriculum.
 * She showed me a portfolio she had put together that helped me to get her current position. She encouraged me to do likewise.
 * She had organized a Family Book Exchange Festival that accompanied the semi-annual Scholastic Book Fair at her former school.
 * I spent the day in the "Reading Room" of the library which is one of four libraries at Tuskawilla Middle School. She discussed the challenges in getting ready for these new libraries as well as the staffing challenges in maintaining them.

8:15 a.m.-4:00 p.m. 7.75 hours On this day I began one of my objectives which is to prepare a book for shelving. Vicki handed me some nonfiction books right out of the box. I completed this labeling process for the 6th grade books today.
 * Thursday, February 19, 2009**
 * A call number label and an ISBN label go on the front of the book. District guidelines dictate where.
 * Books are stamped with the school name stamp three places in the book.
 * The "Date Due" paper is placed on the inside back cover.
 * A clear label are applied to the ISBN label.
 * A colored label is placed over the call number label--red for 6th grade library, yellow for 7th grade, and blue for 8th grade.

Vicki received a flyer for DestinyQuest and explained the two main software programs she's worked with--Follett (who makes DestinyQuest) and Horizon, which is what Seminole County has. Her preference is Follett.

I took some fun photos of students in the library. Ever mindful of district guidelines, I tried not to capture faces.

8:30 a.m. --4:30 p.m. 8.0 hours
 * Friday, February 20, 2009**

We set up portable computers in the library this morning for Mr. Carlson's 8th grade American History classes. The computers are located on a cart. Set up was pretty easy: Take the computers out of the cart and place them on the tables, plug the chargers into the computers, then plug the charger into a power strip. Last of all, plus the power strip into carts (with outlets) which are scatterd around. This set up will work for the entire day, thus preventing students at the end of each hour from shoving computers back into the big cart. These computers have battery power for only about 2 hours.

Vicki and I talked about showing DVD's in the classroom, and she e-mailed me a copy of the school's licensing agreement. Good discussion about how film can help teach.

I began two documents:
 * Library Catalogs--This one included Demco and a few other good catalogs. This will help me to complete one of my six objectives.
 * Library Resources--This is an on-going listing of great web resources, like one included in LM_Net about planning for and funding for a new school library.

Vicki and I walked to two of the three grade-level libraries to show me around and to discuss the significant challenges staffing four different places on campus. She spoke of using short bookshelves in the interior of the library so that she could always be able to see students from where ever she was standing or sitting. Secondly, she made sure that the row of computer monitors faced the check-out desk, again with the idea of being able to see the screens if she were at the checkout desk.

I generated a listing of possible display ideas for March for the reading room. One would be "Women's History." The other one is a snake theme because of "National Rattlesnake Roundup Week" in March!

I finished labeling all the new books that I'd started earlier in the week. At this point we wait for the county to get the MARC records on the database. Vicki talked about some frustration that she cannot edit any of the MARC records--that's all done at the county level.

The last item of the day was to put away the computers on the cart; we'll bring them back out Monday for Mr. Carlson's history classes.

8:15-4:45/ 8.5 hours
 * Monday, February 23, 2009**

We set up the computers for Mr. Carlson's use. Today I worked on the second part of book processing--that of using the software program Horizon to put the MARC records into the school's database. Also, I went through half of the biography section-- straightening and reshelving. This is something the students are asked to do. Along those same lines, I once again worked with the student helpers to check in/out books.

Lastly, I opened up a box of new books and began the process to ready them for student use.

8:15-4:15/8 hours
 * Tuesday, February 24, 2009**

In the morning I continued to work to prepare the books for shelving. I did some labeling and stamping as well as updating the school's database with information about these books.

I feel pretty confident about the check in/out book precedure. I even remembered how to override the system to allow a student to check a third book out.

I supervised students over the busy lunch hour. Ms. Workman brought her 8th grade classes into the media center for the afternoon. I helped to set up the laptops. Then I "hung around" as Maria Decker--the IS support person--taught about Photo Shory 3, the software that's being used for the digital storytelling. These students are working on presentations about Motown. Then Ms. Workman and I discussed collaboration efforts about the Holocaust; she wants her students to prepare a presentation about other victims besides Anne Frank. I spent the last hour of the day finding internet resources for her to review.

8:15-3:30/7.25 hours
 * Wednesday, February 25, 2009**

Mr. Fife invited to his classroom where he teaches the multi-media classes. It's located right next to the library and consists of two large rooms, one of which is a studio. He showed the equipment and explained his classes.

I finished my Word document for Ms. Workman giving her an overview of online Holocaust sites. I'd divided them into three categories: I worked on two displays for the reading room. March is Women's History Month, so I pulled some books and arranged fabric/boxes/a bowl of flowers on some shelves. The second one has an Old West theme with books to be pulled and displayed on snakes, cowboys, the Alamo, pioneers, etc. I found some black fabric in a storeroom and used it, along with some fabric with cowboy boots on it.
 * Stories of specific individuals
 * Sites that summarize groups of victims or teach the fundamentals of this event
 * Photos (I added that caution be taken here)

I ended the day with Vicki showing me how to set up the necessary equipment to show a PowerPoint in the Blackbox theatre.

8:30-4:00/7.5 hours Vicki spent the morning setting up for the assemblies on Black History Month. I tagged along and saw how she set up the microphones, etc., and tried to assist.
 * Thursday, February 26, 2009**

I successfully located a book that a girl had wanted!

I visited both the 7th and 8th grade libraries for books for my Old West display. Then I returned to the reading room and set them up. The next step will be signage.


 * Total hours from this first segment of the internship: 61.5**

NOTE from Dr. Lee

Julie and Vicki,

I wanted to thank you for the conference call and the Mid-Point Evaluation review. Julie, you sounded happy, busy and productive. Vicki, you sounded excited about Julie's progress and having her in your media center. It was obvious to me that you work well together and have established a collegial partnership. This type of working relationship is at the heart of the many roles of a media specialist and I"m very pleased Julie's internship experience is based on this principle.

Great job!

Dr. Lee

8:45-3:30/6.75 hours
 * Monday, March 16, 2009**

It's good to be back here at Tuskawilla Middle School! It's wonderful to walk back into a place where I feel comfortable!

Mr. Carlson's American History classes have returned to the library to complete their Oregon Trail projects. There was real minimum assistance in the setup he needed; Mrs. Evelyn had a cart of computers ready for his use.

Two student assistants and I combed the three non-fiction, grade-level libraries for a missing book on skateboarding. Nothing turned up, and I suspect this book was stolen. It wasn't wasted time as far as I was concerned; it allowed me another opportunity to spend some time in the other libraries.

Mrs. Evelyn added to my display that I did for "Rattlesnake Roundup Week." I'll bring my camera in tomorrow and snap some more photos.

Vicki showed me how to add a new Elmo to the exisiting equipment inventory. This program was not included in the Horizon software, instead, someone at the district office created it. She walked me through the process and then we labeled with barcodes the pieces.

I'm adding to my library supply list. Vicki showed me a "library bone" which I'd never seen before. I ended the day going through a Junior Library Guild Catalog and reading through summaries of middle school selections. I'm targeting mysteries, sports stories, and general fiction for middle schoolers.

8:30-4:30/8 hours
 * Tuesday, March 17, 2009**

I walked into a dark library this morning as Vicki was shopping at Target for Celtic music. I'm understanding the promotion part of her job. During the two weeks between these internship segments, I was in Texas, but Vicki put up a St. Patrick's Day display right on the check-out desk. She's got a gold-painted pot filled with books. It sits on green fabric with a leprachaun perched on top. All students checking out books receive a Jolly Rancher. Plus she had made green paper shamrocks for students to tape onto their shirts if they came to school without wearing green. The music was an especially nice touch.

I manned the counter for several hours this morning while Vicki needed to be out of this building. Mr. Carlson's classes were continuing with their projects, so nothing new needed to be done for them. I supervised the student helpers. There was a phone call or two. A teacher asked about the library having a certain DVD (we didn't). The highlight was shadowing a student helper who was teaching a girl how to use the online card catalog and then find the book. I added my two cents' worth. Between these events, I kept working on my list from the Junior Library Guild Catalog. After finishing it, Vicki will have a student go through it and eliminate what's already in the collection.

Vicki showed me how to process a book requested by another school library--interlibrary loan. She added a cover sheet that she created in Publisher to personalize it. The last step involved creating a short Word document and filing it in a special folder to keep track of all of the books that left Tuskawilla on interlibrary loans.

I studied the Scholastic Book Fair materials that are sent out to librarians prior to the Book Fair. It could be called Book Fair 101 or //Book Fair for Dummies//. For people like me who have never hosted a Book Fair, it's perfect! I took special note of the CD which included additional resources to use to publicize this event (like over the morning news). I especially liked the author segments.

I also did a Google search on "23 Things"--a short curriculum designed to introduce Web 2.0 technologies.

8:15-4:45/8.5 hours Today I put away the St. Patrick's Day items that had been displayed on the corner of the checkout desk. Vicki and I discussed ideas for April promotions:
 * Wednesday, March 18, 2009**
 * School Library Media Month. I'll be taking pictures of student assistants holding favorite books and then displayed on construction paper already cut in the shape of a book. "We Love Our School Library. We'll add different sized hearts and display on the corner of the check-out desk. Use this same theme to decorate one of two windows.
 * Tweak the current display that includes a cowboy theme to include "Cowboy Poetry Week."
 * Take down display for "Women's History Month" and replace it with items for "National Poetry Month."
 * For the 6th grade building, organize a display around the theme, "Keep America Beautiful Month."

Vicki and I had a good discussion about the expensive computer software (a math game) that's accessible to students in the open-library hours of 8:30-9:15. I brought up the concern about students who do not have computer access at home, so the computers in the school library become crucial for them to complete projects, etc. Vicki mentioned that she does not allow students to play those games during the 3 lunch period; she thought students would line up 7 deep to get a chance to play. I agree! I'm disinclined to allow students to just play games in the library--and I know that's a position that many people disagree with.

The other main project for today was pulling some books and videos for a science teacher who needed some materials on coral reefs. Again, Vicki showed me on Horizon how to make this request.

I'm comparing two book lists--the Florida Sunshine State List with the Texas Lone Star Reading List.

During the last hour of the day, another UCF intern, Amy D. and I discussed her three days in the media center next week. Her students will be using Photo Story to create projects that show they understand some basic literary elements. Collaboration! 8:45-4:15/7.5 hours
 * Thursday, March 19, 2009**
 * Thursday, March 19, 2009**

I spent the majority of this day working on displays for the library. I tweaked the present one and we're calling it, "Cowboy Poetry Week." Then I worked on "School Library Media Month" and "March Madness."

8:30-4:430/8 hours
 * Friday, March 20, 2009**

Vicki decided to close the library today to get caught up on the many things she needed to accomplish. The 7th graders went on a field trip, so there would have been significantly fewer patrons to begin with. We chatted about the student helpers and their personalities and responsibilities.

As for me, I finished the displays and did some miscellaneous things connected with my objectives. The day ended with Amy D. coming down to the library and reviewing her plans on bringing her students to the library next week.

Ms. Downs stopped by at the end of the day to go over her expectations in connection with bringing all of her classes to the library next week to complete a creative writing project in Photo Story.

8:15-4:45/8.5 hours
 * Monday, March 23, 2009**

Vicki received last-minute notice to show up at a meeting before school, so that left me to set up 14 laptops in preparation for Ms. Downs' classes. I also supervised the students who visit the library before school. Those skills honed over twenty plus years in the classroom paid off! (I can listen for misbehavior while focusing on another task.) I barked at two boys for horseplay, but otherwise, everyone was appropriate.

The day flew by! I ate lunch in ten minutes, standing up. Vicki didn't take a lunch whatsoever. We kept busy working with students on some simple "techno skills" such as being able to create and name a folder. I also taught some basics about search terms and how to locate a photo or clip art. These 6th graders have not had a technology class, and it showed. Many were still "hunting and pecking" with the keyboard.

Actually, the whole experience was terrific. This is what should be going on in school libraries.

8:15-4:15/8.25 hours**
 * Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Just like yesterday, I set up the laptops for Ms. Downs' classes. Today I supervised Natasha and Victoria (students) who joined in helping me.

During the course of the day, I assisted those students on the laptops by helping them find suitable photos and clip art and storing them onto their assigned lapstop's harddrive. There was some initial confusion as to where the students had stored their work from yesterday, and Mrs. Decker (IT assistance) spent quite a bit of time finding these pictures.

I took a few minutes to look over my internship objectives. During Ms. Downs' planning period (3rd hour), I weeded "Mysteries" because it's my favorite section. I also discussed book repairing with Vicki again.

8:15-3:30/7.25 hours**
 * Wednesday, March 25, 2009

My last day! I brought a cake to celebrate! The student helpers hugged me!

I continued with Ms. Downs classes in their Photo Story presentation. I will miss Tuskawilla Middle School.

Total Hours: 123.25**
 * Total hours for the second half of the internship: 62.75