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Technology Program Administrator

Lee McFatridge

North Harlem Elementary School

Media Center
Executive Summary

The North Harlem Elementary School Media Center continues to develop the love of reading and

information literacy as well as cultivating a collaborative learning culture. With a limited staff of

one Media Specialist, one Media Clerk, and one shared Technology Support Specialist, there is

always added pressure to achieve the goals they have set for their department. Even though the

staff is limited, the desire to share what they have and increase student achievement is never

restricted. Over the last year, NHE was allocated funds to increase its Wi-Fi infrastructure and

the computer hardware will be completely replaced with new machines over the Summer of

2017. This will help the Media Center move in the right direction to provide technology services

and information literacy better than it has been able to in the past as NHE moves in the direction

of STEM culture. North Harlem Elementary may be a small school, on the back edge of the

county, but the Media Center will be more of a Learning Commons in the future and continue to

do great things.
Organizational Chart

Methods

Several methods were used while conducting this evaluation. Most of the information comes

from repeated observations either in length for practicum hours or on a day to day basis as I

could walk around the school. An interview was conducted with the Media Specialist and

several teachers at different times to determine information and effectiveness of media

center/technology resources and any duties assigned. A student from each level, grades 3-5,

were also interviewed on how the media center affected them and what they knew about it.

Center Context and Goals

History: North Harlem Elementary school was first built in 1968 as a white elementary school.

It was to house students K-5 and another school, South Harlem Elementary school housed the

African-American K-5 students. After desegregation, students were put together and a new wing

of North Harlem had to be built, 1972, to house the extra students. South Harlem Elementary

School was soon closed as there was no need for a second elementary school. Since its first

establishment the media center has been a needed constant at NHE. The media center was
named in 1991 The Sanders Library, after Mary Sanders. She was an African-American

principal who was given the job of Principal of the new desegregated elementary school in 1972

and retired in 1988. It continues to have her picture present as well as a plaque of the dedication.

NHE now has a population of over 650 students and bursting at the seams with very little room

for more students or classrooms. The Media Center maintains that love of learning as it always

has.

Mission: North Harlem Elementary Media Center is a fundamental part of the educational

program and surrounding community. Our mission is to provide an environment that

encourages, promotes, and assists students, teachers, and the community to be effective users of

ideas and information. To meet the different needs of learners, a variety of print and digital

resources will be provided. We foster connections between the school community and local and

global institutions with resources for teaching and learning. Our Media Specialist collaborates

with teachers and staff, consults with administrators, and instructs students and community

members in order to promote effective 21st-century literacy and information skills to enable all

stakeholders to acquire, judge, and use information, as well as create new knowledge.

Goal: The primary goal of NHE Media Center is to integrate information literacy standards for

the 21st century learner into the curriculum through collaborative planning and cooperative

teaching. NHE's media specialist and staff are devoted to teaching students how to access and

evaluate information and literacy in the 21st century environment.

Expectations set by the Media Specialist are listed below:

The Media Center/Computer Lab is for study, reading, checkout, information literacy

instruction, and research.


The Media Center/Computer Lab is a classroom -- treat it as such by respecting the rules

and its staff.

Gum, candy, food, and drinks are not permitted at any time in the Media

Center/Computer Lab.

Since collaboration is important, silence is not expected in the media center/computer lab,

but an inside voice is!

Permission must be obtained by Media Staff or scheduled by a classroom teacher for

computer use.

Students may visit the Media Center/Computer Lab to read, study, test, computer use, or

makerspace time when given permission by a teacher and scheduled with Media Center

staff.

Media Center Activities

There are many activities that are provided by the media center beyond just book check-out and

other classic things you would use a library for. Kelli Cox, the Media Specialist, helps secure

resources such as books and reference books for classroom teachers to help with grade level

standards being taught. She also collaborates and delivers instruction to students during Specials

rotation to drive home the ideas the students are working with in the classroom. Mrs. Cox will

also co-teach with teachers either in their classroom or classes maybe brought to the Media

Center or Computer Lab for project-based learning or research projects. The Media Specialist

and the staff concur that all aspects of the Media Center are for the sole purpose of student

engagement and increased achievement. The computer lab will be completely replaced with new

faster machines over the Summer of 2017. The entire school is determined to increase student

achievement by taking on a new culture that will use STEM initiatives as its core. With this
switch the Media Center and its staff will be taking on more duties to help teachers and students

acclimate to a new learning theme. CAD software is being added to the new computers as well

as the desire to seek out 3D printing options for students. The Media Specialist will begin to

develop lessons that will instruct students into more in-depth project based learning examples.

Mrs. Cox will also be a leader on the STEM Initiative Team and help discover ways to take on

the charge to change NHE learning culture. Next year, the Media Center budget is allocated at

$3500 by the county. However, with a bi-annual book fair Mrs. Cox is hopeful to increase the

budget by around $5000 for a total of $8500. These funds are used for print circulation

replacement and new purchases but also for other things. Last year, the Media Center was able

to purchase document cameras for every teacher in the building. They also purchased several

video recorders and digital cameras to assist teachers and students when working on projects and

delivering those projects.

Evaluation

Based on the evidence that I collected, I believe that the NHE Media Center is on its way to

fulfilling its mission and goals set forth by the Media Center staff. As mentioned, The primary

goal of the Media Center is to integrate information literacy standards for the 21st century

learner into the curriculum through collaborative planning and cooperative teaching., the

media center continues to exceed at this. Being a classroom teacher at NHE, I have seen the

evidence of collaborative planning taking place with myself and other grade-level teachers. I

have also witnessed Mrs. Cox and her staff encourage students to pick out reading material that

will push them to increase their reading ability and challenge them. Students look forward to

time they can spend in the Media Center with Makerspace activities and technology usage that

challenge them to use higher-order thinking, not just some unrelated educational game. I believe
that there is evidence that the NHE Media Center is operating efficiently but will see dramatic

changes over the next couple of years with the new STEM initiative. I believe the Media Center

staff will continue to grow and strengthen their commitment to deliver all aspects of the mission

and goals of the NHE Media Center.

My recommendations to improve the operations of this center are outlined below.

Website: Being in a digital age means having a website that is up to date and

relevant to what is being offered. Right now, with the use of Edline, which is an

outdated platform, the Media Center website is not very user friendly. There are

very few links that provide evidence to what I have observed taking place or the

resources I know are presented by the Media Center. Without these resource links

and not up to date website there is very little evidence to the community that are

not present in the building on a daily basis for what is taking place. I believe the

Media Specialist should find another platform, whether Wix, Weebly, or other to

build a new website and promote all the great things that are happening in the

Media Center. Also by providing relevant informative links to help teachers,

students, as well as parents, find and become more familiar with information

literacy that is provided.


Development of a newsletter: Mrs. Cox is very approachable and is very willing

to collaborate with teachers in their classroom. However, teachers may not be

familiar with everything new on the horizon or things that the Media Specialist can

help or collaborate with. If the Media Specialist were to develop a monthly

newsletter highlighting perhaps new circulation materials, new educational

software, or possibilities for collaborating with her, teachers would have a better

vision for how they can use the staff and center itself. This newsletter could be in
digital format and linked to the new website created. Also, reminders to the

updated newsletter could be sent out to parents, staff, and administration.

Appendix A
Interview Questions used to gather information from Media Specialist and patrons.

Media Center Specialist:

What are the Media Centers mission and goals?

What are your responsibilities and what are the responsibilities of your staff?

What is your budget? Are there things you do to increase the budget?

What does the future look like for NHE Media Center?

Does the Media Center have an up to date website?

What are some things you would like to improve on in the Media Center?

Teacher:

Do you ever take your whole class to the Media Center?

Have you ever collaborated with the Media Specialist?

Are you familiar with most of the resources the Media Specialist/Center can provide?

What would help improve the Media Center?

What would be the best way to promote the resources the Media Center can provide?

Student:

Were you aware the Media Center has a website?

Have you ever visited the website?

Why do you come to the Media Center?

What do you like best about the Media Center?

How often do you ask for help while in the Media Center? Why or why not?

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