So much to do.....

I was struck most by the philosophy of Patricia Bryan Knapp, that library skills are best learned in context.  This was proven by the shift in library culture championed at Earlham College in the 1960s.  With the involvement of administration, staff, and students, the library became a critical part of the learning process.  I find the idea of teaching library skills in conjunction with actual classroom projects nearly a no-brainer.  Of course students will "get it" if they use it to improve academic scores.

From the working teachers of our cohort, I am learning that the importance of the library in curriculum development is undervalued.  Besides teaching, I will need to quantify and present the impact an integrated library program can have on performance and lifelong learning.   I'm also learning that the library media educator is positioning itself to become the tech guru for schools.   We also must convince teachers of the value of working with the LME as part of their curriculum.  I also learned that I need to look into what, exactly, ELM provides.  I have heard the term, but never looked at it in depth.

http://www.elm4you.org/about

OK, I see now, it's awesome for reasearch.

http://www.minitex.umn.edu/Training/SelfPaced/KIB/KIB.html

Here's the upshot:  library media educators must be collaborative, champions, self-promoting and tech savvy.