Simonton Media Center: Technology Center Evaluation

Part A: Program Evaluation:

Executive Study

Simonton Elementary is an exemplary example of a 21st century media center. The school has invested
time, effort, and resources into the media center. Margaret Sullivan says make your space flexible.21st
century learners need to demonstrate their understandings in new ways. Simonton helps create this with
its open concept media center, that makes it the place that students want to be. The media center is more
than just simply a place that students go to check out books. It is also the headquarters of the; student run
news channel, the Lego Club, robotics club, and skyped lessons. Because of these changes to the library,
the amount of student check-ins and book checkouts have increased drastically. Further showing the
differences that the school has made is having an effect on on the students. However, it is not only having
an effect on the students. The teachers are also frequenting the library at a high rate as well as the school
has set up a library strictly for the teachers .
Organization Chart

Method

Multiple sources of data were used to evaluate the Simonton Elementary School media center. After
carefully analyzing the data, the findings show that the media center is in fact aligning with the school's
mission statement. The following sources were used to collected data:

Interview with the Center Manager- the main purpose of the interview was to get an idea of how he
supports that staff and the students through his use of literacy and technology.

Observations- Observe the library and to determine if I saw the manager interacting with students
teachers in the manner in which he claimed

Interview the Principal- the main purpose of the interview was to get a better understanding of what the
principal expects of the media center and what was his plan.
Questionnaire to the teachers- the main purpose of the questionnaire to the teachers was to see of they
felt that they and their students were getting the assistance that the principal and center manager claimed
they were.

Observe the schools website- the main purpose of the method is to see whether the website is accurately
promoting the activities and programs that the Library is offering.

Center Context and Goals:

Simonton Elementary School Media Center aspires to be the hub for learning and collaborating for the
school; with its multiple small group and collaboration areas, whole class lesson areas, new interactive
technologies, and extend space for books. The center opened at the same time as the school in 1993. It has
seen accelerated growth right along with the school. Over the years the enrollment of the school has
skyrocketed from the initial 900 students in 1993 to the 1900 students that it current houses. Along with
their own goals, the media center also aspires to help with the schools vision of be committed to dynamic
high quality instruction resulting in a passion for learning, leading, and excelling.

The media center has two full time staff positions as well as one student staff position. The positions are
as followed:

Media Specialist: The media specialist manages the daily operations of the center. He is in
charge of ensuring that open concept in the library is being productive, and if not is responsible
for making the proper adjustments. They are also in charge of keeping up with all materials in the
centers inventory, specifically those that have been bought with Title One funds. In addition to
those jobs he is also in charge of the; schools and media center e-class pages and the robotics,
lego club, and school news team

Media Clerk: The job of the clerk is to aid the media specialist in anyway needs. The media
clerk is also trained to be able to take over as the media specialist as needed. Their daily
responsibilities include checking out and checking in books, ensuring that letters for fines are
being sent home to parents and acting as an assistant to the media specialist on the programs that
are housed in the library.

Student Helpers: Student helpers are those students that have highest academic success in the
school and exemplary conduct. While in the library, the job of these students are to ensures that
books are off the floor, aisle are clear of cluster, and are facing with the back facing out, and that
shelves are neat.

Center Activities

The following services are provide in the media center:

Amazon Echo (Alexa): The echo, or Alexa, is available for students throughout the day. Students are
encouraged to ask Alexa questions about topics such as; books, weather, government, and telling jokes

Video Production Equipment: The media center is in charge of the school news team and thus houses
that video equipment the program.

Checkout Equipment: teachers and students alike have the ability to checkout out books and other items
such as video out from the library for academic or leisure purposes.

Multimedia Lab: the library house a group of 30 laptops in order to help the media specialist teach
specials and other instructional technology class to students and teachers upon request.

Teacher Library and Lounge: The media center houses a breakfast area typically filled with muffins
and coffee along with a teacher library full of books used to encourage new classroom management and
teaching skills.

Evaluation

The center is open Monday - Friday from 8am - 3:30 pm. It is closed on the weekends as their are no
school in session. The busiest days are on Tuesdays and Thursday when reading enrichment classes are
being done. The media center averages 280 visitors per day with 80% of those visitors coming in to check
out and check in books. The other 20% were that of teachers who were coming in for multiple reasons
ranging from tech questions to visiting the teacher lounge.
Figure 1 - Chart displaying purpose for coming to the library

Figure 2 - Chart displaying purpose for coming to the library

Findings:

Interviews and questionnaires show that teachers and administration find that their students are
enjoying and benefiting from their media center. They believe that programs such as school news
and robotics clubs are showing students glimpses into potential careers that students would
otherwise not be exposed to. They thoroughly enjoy all the time and effort put for by the media
specialist to make their library a first class library and great example of what a 21st century
classroom should look like. However, it seems that the library is not rest on their reputation to
take them forward as they are consistently looking for more ways to improve the center and
incorporate more programs.

Recommendations:

More informative: The center is doing amazing things and are a the center of the school.
However, it seems as if many of their programs are not being advertised in the school and
are rather simply being communicated through word of mouth. With them being in
charge of the school news program, I believe that they could use that platform to get even
more students involved in their programs.

Diversity in Programs: The center has some amazing programs, however, I would
suggest implementing clubs and programs that appealed to students of other interest. At
the moment most of their clubs are focus on the interest of students that enjoy technology
and robotics. Creating a reading rally or book club would appeal to the more social and
less technical students.

Communication: The purpose of having clusters is to ensure that students are getting
continuous education that each year builds upon the work done by previous teachers.
When asked, there was not cluster communication between the elementary schools and
middle schools to ensure that students in 4th and 5th grade were getting the proper
practice and knowledge to prepare them for what will be expected of them in middle
school in regards to research, technology, and digital citizenship.
Appendix

Manager Interview Questions

1. What are the hours of the media center?

2. How many full-time and part-time staff work in the centers?
3. What are the different roles that you serve in the school?
4. What was your previous experience before becoming a media specialist?
5. What level of importance does the administration put on the functionality of the library?
6. On average how many students do you see coming through the library per day?
7. What programs and clubs do you house in the library?
8. Do you feel supported by the administration?
9. Do feel as if the other teachers understand your job description and your role in the education
process?

Administrators Interview Questions

1. Why did you make it a purpose to remodel the library when you became the principal?
2. What is your overall vision of the library?
3. Has the media specialist been living up to your expectations?
4. What do you see as the next step in turning your library into a 21st century library?

Questionnaire to teachers
1. How often do you take your students to the library?
2. What is your usual reason for taking your class to the library?
3. What do you understand the job of the media specialist to be?
4. Do you believe that the media specialist is do their job in aiding you in the classroom through
exposing you students through research tools and web 2.0 programs
5. What would you like to see changed in the library?

References
Sullivan, M. (n.d.). How to Create the 21st-Century School Library of Your Dreams. School Library
Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2017, from http://www.slj.com/2011/04/industry-news/divine-design-
how-to-create-the-21st-century-school-library-of-your-dreams/#_