Chromebooks to change classrooms

Summary:
Many school districts are changing their schools by introducing Chromebooks to each and every student. In The Oskaloosa Community School District ,as the article noted, is introducing the one-of-a-kind program that aims to enhance teaching by distributing Chromebooks to every child to take home. This will change things for many schools because it will allow them to have more access to technology that can be helpful. Teachers will be allowed to be creative in the ways they teach technology so that they can reach every child. As noted in the article, "How teachers will use this to benefit instruction will vary from classroom to classroom and I'm sure that teachers have planned some very interesting ways to utilize them throughout the year," said Hotek.

Review:

Chromebooks are quite changing in the classroom because they help reduce the gaps that happen during instructional teaching time. I believe strongly in introducing Chromebooks to help students in and out of the classrooms. Many students are reluctant to carry heavy textbooks home. I think that Chromebooks may help reduce the tension. I also believe that Chromebooks will allow my students to be more engaged in the material. I think that many students can also save and record all the lessons from class. 

Reference:Oskaloosa Herald, The (IA), Aug 14, 2015

Why are Librarians Important in our Schools?

Summary:

The research book Engaging with the Learning and Teaching Environment  explores the importance of having librarians in our schools. It addresses how librarians play an important role in our schools and how their knowledge in specific fields can be linked to bringing the success to our schools and the success of our students.  As noted in the book(2004,p.10), traditionally, librarians may have a knowledge in one field only but over time, it has changed. Now librarians  cover a wider subject in a specific subject. The librarian's familiarity with Internet searching and metadata offers opportunities for skills practitioners to apply accurate and helpful descriptions resources. Rikosksi quoted in Sturgers (Sturges,2001 p.66) sees a new role for the subject librarians as providing a "bridge" between the subject matter and the emerging technologies.

Review:

After budget cuts, our school has faced a crisis. One of many issues we faced was not having a librarian. I have a total of 150 students and many of them depend on the library for important research projects, homework assignments, and computers. Before the budget cuts, we had a wonderful librarian who brightened our school with early announcements in the morning, was  a support system for our school that was always there to schedule library meetings for our students, as well as someone we went to when we, the teachers, didn't have the resources for help.

As noted in the article, experienced librarians are needed in their field of study. They are the "bridge" to miscommunication amongst teachers and students. As well as guidance counselors that assist students with projects that they feel like they do not have enough confidence to do. Currently, we have senior assistants that have volunteered much of their time for the library;however, no time can replace an experienced, highly qualified librarian.

Reference:

Atton,C., 1996.Towards a critical practice for the academic library. New Library World, 97 (5), 4-11.

Article 1: Strengthening the African American Educational Pipeline : Informing Research, Policy, and Practice

Summary:
The research book written by Jerlando F.L. Jackson examines the lives of African American students in an Urban setting.  Jackson seems to explore the number of issues that African American Students lack because there aren't enough advantages given to them like the whites, and as a result of that, they perform poorly on standardized tests. Jackson claims that inequality, disparate representation, and denied access opportunities are many of the reasons why African Americans struggle with education. Jackson notes in her research that " the dismal educational conditions for African Americans coupled with federal legislation targeted at improving conditions, however, the results have been slow and insignificant. The research also examines how teacher selection plays an important role in student performance. (Jackson, 37)

Review:
 After doing my research, I understood that many African-Americans struggled in the educational system because of how they are perceived in their communities, and as a result, has impacted the amount of resources they receive from people of power. I think that it may take a long way before societies and communities can actually change. I feel like there is indeed a correlation between how they are perceived by society and the grants needed for them to actually succeed academically.

I feel like my students actually feel that they do not have enough resources because of how they are perceived by their communities and the people around them. One indicator that I noticed thus far is how they feel about the community they are in. They reference neighboring blooming neighborhoods as "wealthy" and "place of living" yet never refer to their neighborhood as a place that is comfortable and worthy because they do not feel like they have enough of resources as compared to the neighboring towns.

Link:

 Jackson, Jerlando F. L., and Gloria Billings. Strengthening the African American Educational Pipeline Informing Research, Policy, and Practice. Ithaca: State U of New York, 2007. Print.