Just for Teachers

Information Literacy:

November Learning
Alan November’s website is a great resource for teachers.  Under the Resources tab November has assembled some excellent resources on information literacy including tips for evaluating the validity of websites.

Primary Documents:

National Archives and Records Administration 
NARA maintains primary documents of all kinds. The Document Analysis Worksheets at (http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/analysis_worksheets/document.html are useful for analyzing primary documents.

Research:

The Big Six:  Information and Technology Skills for Student Achievement
Big Six is an information literacy model created by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz that can be used to guide students in the research process.  Their website includes ideas for lesson plans and articles helpful to teachers and librarians.

From Now On the Educational Technology Journal 
Created by Jaime McKenzie, FNO is an online journal that features different articles about research each month.  A must read for teachers who are tired of “cut and paste” topical research and want their students to build their own answers with EVIDENCE!

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Resources:

Discovery Education:  Kathy Schrock’s Guide
Schrock’s site contains thousands of subject-specific links for teachers as well as links to teacher tools such as rubrics and assessments, readability graphs, digital gadgets, webquest information and much more.

Discovery Education
Discovery Education contains lots of valuable classroom resources for teachers including webinars; links to puzzlemaker, grants and contests, and science fair information.

Print and Electronic Sources:
The Learning Center has over 13,000 books. Approximately 3,000 of these are labeled reference and can be found in the Reference Area located on the 1st floor. Some reference books are also located in the LC Office (workroom). Art prints, located in the LC Office (workroom) are sets of prints arranged thematically. Please check the Art prints out at the Circulation Desk.  Records
which are located in the Videotapes/Periodical Room are arranged by Dewey Decimal Number. Please check the records out at the Circulation Desk.
Currently we have over 5,000 videotapes/DVDs in the Videotapes/Periodical Room. Titles of videos may be accessed through the BearNET, the online catalog (http://library.uaschools.org). Please check the videotapes or DVDs out at the Circulation Desk.
The Learning Center also has a rich collection of fee-based subscription databases.  For a complete list of databases see the Homework Helper sheet available in the Learning Center.


Computer Facilities
Networked computers, both Mac and PC, are located on the 1st floor of the Learning Center. The Multimedia Lab, located on the 1st floor and administered by the Social Studies Department, has 25 Mac computers. BearNET, the online catalog, may be accessed 24/7 from school or home. By entering the name of a book, video, author, or subject teachers can determine the resources that are available district-wide.
Software applications that are available on LC computers include:  Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint); Inspiration; GarageBand.

Production Facilities
The AV room on the 2nd floor has tools and supplies to help you create materials to enrich your students’ learning. Computers, recording equipment, video editing equipment, graphic arts supplies (newsprint and color paper on rolls, for example), laminating, overhead transparencies, tape duplication, slide and hard copy scanning, and non-linear video editing, are all available for your use. A full selection of audiovisual equipment is available for loan and will be delivered and retrieved from your classroom upon request. These include projectors of all types, video camcorders, CD players, Elmo document cameras, student laptop computers, and many other items. Please see the Audiovisual Specialist on the 2nd floor of the Learning Center for details.
VCRS and Remote Controls
All classrooms are equipped with a television and VCR. Remote controls for both the television and the VCR in your classroom must be signed out. Please check at the Circulation Desk on the 1st floor.
Collaboration
Accommodating different learning styles, facilitating learning for students, and integrating print and electronic resources into your project are but a few of the areas in which we can assist you in lesson preparation.
Instruction
Evaluating Internet web sites, using the online catalog, using any of our electronic databases or selecting and using sources are but a few of the areas in which we can serve as instructional partners. When you sign up for LC space, please let us know what your instructional needs are and how we can assist you.
Finding Resources
As information specialists, we can help you find the information you need for your projects. Once we know the type of project you have in mind, we will pull the resources for your class. The resources will be placed on Closed Reserve and kept at the Circulation Desk. Resources on Closed Reserve may be checked out for the period with a student ID card, or overnight with an ID card and a Closed Reserve/Overnight form signed by the teacher who made the assignment.

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Reserving Learning Center space
The 1st floor of the Learning Center has two classroom meeting spaces and these include the LC Classroom and the area immediately outside the LC classroom. To reserve either of these areas for your class, sign up in the LC Office (workroom). You will need to know the date(s), period(s), subject of project, number of students, and computers needed. Please bring a copy of the assignment with you when you sign up.
Reserving Gold Lab, CLFF Lab and Writing Lab space
The Gold Lab, which is located on the 2nd floor, the CLFF, which is located on the 1st floor, and the Writing Lab, which is located on the 2nd floor must be reserved. The sign up sheets are located on the bookcase in the LC Office (workroom).
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Student passes to the Learning Center
A supply of Classroom Teacher passes is located in the Teacher’s Lounge. Issuing Classroom Teacher passes to students is the prerogative of the classroom teacher; however, we ask you to write them for only those students who need to use the Learning Center’s resources for your assignments and not for those students doing homework or needing to study together. Classroom substitute teachers should not issue Classroom Teacher passes. Procedures for issuing Classroom Teacher passes are outlined below:
From the classroom
When you need to send students to the 1st floor to use the resources, please write a pass with the students’ names, time, date, and reason for visiting the LC. Students must report to the Circulation Desk upon arriving. Before students leave the LC to return to class, passes should be signed by one of the LC staff. If you wish to send more than one student to the LC, please check with a school library media specialist first to make sure that your students can be accommodated.
From study hall
When you write a Classroom Teacher pass for a student to use the LC during his/her study hall, please include student’s name, date, and reason for using the LC. Each student must bring his/her own Classroom Teacher pass signed by you to the LC Circulation Desk. Should the LC staff determine that the student is not on task, we will notify you. Sometimes students are asked to return to study hall and not return to the LC for a period of time.
Substitute teachers may not issue Classroom Teacher passes. If the substitute teacher has any questions about this arrangement, please talk to a school library media specialist.

Requests for Materials
Although our budget is limited, the school library media specialists will consider requests made by teachers for book, periodicals, DVDs, CDs (e.g., recorded books).

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