Online - no travel to campus required

• 3 semester hours graduate credit
• Next sessions:
  EDUC 744 927 January 25 - March 26, 2010
  EDUC 744 927 June 14 - August 6, 2010
  
  

Get recharged and energized to deliver a media program that has an integral role in today’s changing education environment. This a great refresher course and focuses on examination of current critical issues facing the media profession. Topics include understanding, surviving, and impacting change, program advocacy, data collection and becoming a leader in technology integration.

Activities include harnessing the power of Google, applying innovative web 2.0 technology tools to support engaged student learning, and examining online professional development options for your staff. Participants will complete practical course projects that meet the unique needs of their own professional growth and their media program.

What Our Students Are Saying

School media specialists face multiple demands and ongoing changes in what is expected of school media programs. Opportunities for collegial discussion and interaction are often limited if you work alone in your school. Additional challenges are increased demands of accountability and learning new technology skills. 

Simultaneously, many media specialists are facing job cuts and need to enhance skills for professional success and program survival. This course is designed for K-12 media specialists and media supervisors with a professional development goal to enhance their career, candidates seeking media licensure, and educators interested in and improving school media programs.

Media specialists just beginning their careers and those currently in the field will gain new ideas to apply in daily work and program development.

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will:

1. Analyze trends that impact media programs (NBPT V) (NETS II)

2. Integrate practical strategies for coping with change (NETS II)

3. Summarize how media specialists can become influential agents of change (NBPT V) (WI DPI 6) (NETS II)

4. Analyze case studies and explain changes in job expectations (NBPT VI) (WI DPI 9)

5. Implement strategies for becoming a technology leader, a technology integrationist, a technology staff development leader and demonstrate an understanding of new and emerging technologies. (WI DPI 9) (NETS I, V, VI)

6. Demonstrate the role of a media specialist as a curriculum partner (NBPT IV) (WI DPI 10) (NETS II, VI)

7. Analyze the role of the media specialist in school accountability measures, become knowledgeable of changing information and technology literacy standards and recommend methods media specialists can implement to help students achieve content standards (NBPT IV) (WI DPI 10) (NETS II)

8. Analyze evidence-based scientific research on the impact of library media programs on student achievement (NBPT VII) (WI DPI 9) (NETS V)

9. Document evidence supporting the role of school library media programs in supporting improved student achievement (NBPT VII, IV) (WI DPI 9) (NETS V)

10. Design advocacy activities and demonstrate the importance of advocacy and community partnerships as a professional responsibility. (NBPT V, VI,  X) (WI DPI 6) (NETS V)

11. Apply strategies for coping with misperceptions and misunderstanding of the job of media specialists, balancing multiple job roles, and improving job security. (NBPT VI , VII,) (WI DPI 6)

12. Reflect on professional experiences and create a professional growth plan

Participants in the class will gain experience that will help them meet the following state and national standards:

 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for Library Media Specialists (NBPT) (IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, X)

Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure (WI DPI): http://dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/stand10.html (6, 9, 10)

National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (I, II, III, V, VI) http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html

This class is intended to help you reflect on current practices and help you become more valuable and indispensable in your school.

You will connect to learning modules via the World Wide Web and interact with other participants and the instructor through email and online class discussions. Each module provides opportunities for participants to share ideas and participate in discussion with the instructor and peers. Participants may work with one other participant as a team. Ongoing participation in engaged discussion is an important part of the class.

Content Outline
Introduction and reflection
Examine your reasons for becoming a school library media specialist. Why did you become a media specialist or why do you want to become a media specialist? Have you had a mentor or is there a person who also shaped your decision? Examine your professional goals and what you would like to accomplish in this class.

Responding to change
School media specialists' roles and school media programs are changing. What practices hinder the survival of media specialists and media programs? Examine current and developing state and national information and technology literacy standards. What societal and educational changes are impacting the role of the media specialist? What impact does No Child Left Behind have on media programs? How can media specialists see opportunities in changing educational environments and make lemonade from lemons.

The media specialist as a change agent: becoming influential
Media specialists have the opportunity to influence others and impact change. Who are influential people and groups you can and should work with? How can you work with your principal and other leaders including the school board and the community? How do the perceptions and images that others have of media specialists as individuals and of the school media profession affect your success? What innovative things can you do to influence change? How can you develop an advocacy program for yourself and your program?

The media specialist and technology
Examine the relationship between the media program and technology and media specialists' role as a technologist in the media center and throughout the school or district. Is the way teachers in your school use technology changing? What new and innovative technologies are you learning how to use and implementing in your school? Explore Web 2.0 tools. What is your role in developing and implementing technology policies? What is the relationship between media specialists and information systems or technical support staff? How do you keep current? How can technology help you be innovative?

The media specialist as staff developer
Staff development may be one of your most important roles. Increase your understanding of why media specialists must be involved in staff development and plan ways to be involved in your school or district's technology staff development program. Plan a technology staff development activity for your school; help staff be innovative.

Data gathering and documenting the media specialists' role as curriculum partner and technology integrationist
Data gathering is a hot topic in this era of NCLB. How can media specialists collect and present quantitative and qualitative data about what we do? How can we use that data to build support? How can media specialists document their role as curriculum partners and teachers?

The media specialist and balancing multiple job role.
Discuss issues not covered in modules 2-6. This module is open-ended and will reflect the needs of the participants.

Readings
All required readings will be available online.

Instructor
Mary Alice Anderson - background information

Hardware and Software Requirements

Registration
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Tuition is payable by university billing, MasterCard, or Visa.
Participants may select the payment plan option in fall and spring, but it is not available during summer session. Refund policy

Enrollment is limited to twenty participants; register online .

Check out the list of additional online classes.

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School of Education
Online Professional Development
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
phone: 715-232-2253