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A Message from the Editor

“The purpose of Learning and Media (Vol. 1, No. 1, Winter 1973), as written by Joseph Blake, editor, is to signify ‘priorities in the goals of our Association and the responsibilities of its members. It emphasizes learning first and media second, regarding media as essential elements of a large context of learning.” Its initial purpose continues. Joseph Blake, with the help of Kenneth I. Taylor, produced the first issues which were four pages in length, suitable for placement in a binder, four times a year. The President's message appeared in the first issue and continues to be a feature of each issue. The format was employed for several years.”

Highlights of h i s t o r i c a l PSLA activity as reported in Learning and Media are a part of this issue for all to reflect upon and guide us as we celebrate our 40th year. The final three pages are PDF copies of pages 11, 12, and 13 from the Winter 1988 Learning and Media issue. The Memories of Celebrations Past theme perhaps gave our membership the first place to see where we came from and the directions our leadership was taking us. Pre-PSLA and PSLA – The First Fifteen Years articles were written by some of the who were there at the time and felt the growing pains of an emerging professional organization.

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, let’s recommit ourselves to the profession of school librarianship and look be a participant in the process. Come to the annual conference in May, write an article for Learning & Media, join a committee, advocate for our students and most of all celebrate the organization – PSLA.

Sally L. Myers, Editor

Table of Contents PAGE President’s Message 2 Meet the Candidates 4-9 A Stealth Approach to Quality In-House Professional Development 10-11 Regional Coordinator Info 11 HANDLING Cyber Safety Mandates Effectively 12-13 PSLA Memories – Minda Sanders 13 PRE-PSLA 14 PSLA – The FIRST FIFTEEN YEARS 15-16

PIN 2012-6126-4 WINTER 2013

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President's Message Eileen Kern, President, PSLA Ruby is the gemstone associated with celebrating a 40th anniversary. As PSLA celebrates this milestone, it is important to remember that the beauty and quality of this gem needs to be shared with others by putting it on display. Therefore, the quality and importance of school library programs should not only be talked about within the library community but with other stakeholder groups. As

President of the Association, I have "shown off" what strong school library programs can do. Our programs are annually on display at the Governor's Advisory Council for Library Development and the leadership meeting held at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. This year the IMLS Grant rollout briefings in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh provided a great venue to talk about the current research and the state of school libraries within the Commonwealth. PSLA is fortunate to have two new showcases for conveying our message: PA Forward PSLA is a partner in PA Forward Pennsylvania Libraries, a new statewide initiative designed to prepare citizens to meet the demands of life. Spearheaded by the Pennsylvania Library Association, PA Forward is built on the recognition that Pennsylvania's public, academic, and school libraries will power Pennsylvania's future in helping people improve their literacy skills in five essential areas – basic literacy, information literacy, civic and social literacy, health literacy, and financial literacy. These knowledge areas are the key to our success as citizens, parents, students, employees, and consumers. Public/private partnerships with business, state agencies, and statewide associations committed to building literacy are a vital component to PA Forward's success. PSLA is among the 30 partners. All partners serve on a least one planning team. On the Basic Literacy Planning Team, I share how school library programs are essential to literacy to such groups as the PA Chamber of Commerce, PA Department of Corrections, PA Department of Labor and Industry, PA Humanities Council, and United Way of PA. Through the Information Literacy Planning Team, I communicate the impact of school libraries to Comcast, KINBER (Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research), TechQuest PA, and PA Academic Library Consortium. PA Forward is focused on making sure Pennsylvania's libraries have what they need to help people meet the demands of life in the 21st century and reach their greatest potential. SAS Institute At the SAS Institute in December, PSLA was given the opportunity to offer two breakout sessions. Cathi Fuhrman and I presented the session entitled Hidden Treasure: PA Common Core and School Library Program. We displayed the new Model Curriculum for PA School Library Programs that is available on SAS (www.pdesas.org/module/sas/curriculumframework/). The content included the curriculum's long-term transfer goal, big ideas, essential questions, library concepts, student competencies, and standards alignment. Our audience consisted of superintendents, directors of curriculum, principals, IU directors, and IU curriculum specialists.

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The showcase along with exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development demonstrated how a strong school library program can impact student achievement. A great display case for our association will be the new PSLA website that will be launched this winter. It will have information and resources for all stakeholder groups but will also have special resources for our members. These resources will help our members create stronger and more dynamic school library programs. Rubies are considered a "precious" gemstone and an essential part of a royal insignia. School libraries are "precious" to our students and essential to the learning community. So let the "Ruby Celebration" continue by putting on school libraries on display.

40th Annual PSLA Conference “Academic Achievement: School Librarians Are Key”. Your participation in the conference is a valuable professional

development opportunity.

The conference will be May 2-4, 2013 in Hershey.

Early Bird Registration Rates: January 10, 2013 through April 23, 2013

On-Site Conference Rates: May 2, 2013 through May 4, 2013

Special Deal: Have a teacher(s), coach (literary or CFF), reading specialist(s), public librarian(s) join you at the conference for the entire conference

or just Saturday and they get member rates if a member adds them to his/her registration. http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1099091

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MEET THE CANDIDATES

by Robert McConnell, PSLA Nominating Chair

The PSLA Nominating Committee would like to introduce you to the candidates who have agreed to serve on the PSLA Board. These directors will be elected for a two-year term. Serving on the Board means these individuals will be responsible for assisting the president in developing policies and procedures for the organization in all matters of state and national issues dealing with the school library profession.

Your vote is crucial for maintaining a strong, viable organization. Elections will be held in the spring for all positions. Again this year the elections will take place using electronic ballots. Directions for voting will be sent to the email address associated with your PSLA membership several weeks before the election and will also be posted on the PSLA Webpage. Reminders to vote will be sent over the PSLA Listserv. Complete biographical information will be included in the online ballot. No information will be sent through the mail. As an active member of PSLA, you will be asked to vote for two directors. This article will give you the opportunity to learn more about the candidates including their backgrounds, interests and goals for PSLA.

The PSLA Candidates for Board of Director

NAME: Jennifer Bates CANDIDATE FOR: Board of Directors SCHOOL DISTRICT: Central Columbia School District SCHOOL: Central Columbia High School TITLE/POSITION: K-12 Information Literacy/Technology Department Chair and Librarian, Central Columbia High School EDUCATION: M.Ed. in School Library and Information Technologies,

Mansfield University; M.Ed. in Reading, Bloomsburg University; BS in Education-English, Bloomsburg University EXPERIENCE IN PSLA:

• Co-Chair , Act 48 Committee, 2010-2012 • Co-Chair, Professional Standards • Member, Nominating Committee, 2008-2010 • Presenter, PSLA Conference, 2011, 2012 • Moderator, PSLA Conference • Former PSLA Board Member, 2011-2012

SERVICE IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: • Director, Bloomsburg Public Library Board • Member, AASL/ALA • Member, Central Susquehanna School Librarians Association • Member, CCEA/PSEA/NEA; • Governor’s Institute for Career Education & Work, 2009 • Governor’s Institute for Information Literacy, 2006 • President, Benton Area Education Association

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PRIORITY GOALS FOR PSLA: • Advocacy: Educating colleagues, administrators and legislators about the role of libraries and

librarians is pivotal. Ensuring that all schools have a certified librarian and are no longer facing budgetary shortfalls can only be accomplished with strong advocacy.

• Collaboration: Delivering Standards for the 21st Century Learner is best accomplished through strong collaboration with all subject area teachers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PRESENT JOB: • High school librarian for grades 9-12 in a building serving approximately 620 students. Works

collaboratively with all subject area teachers to deliver Standards for the 21st Century Learner to all students in our building

• Also serves as the Central Columbia School District drama director working with students in grades K-12.

• Advisor for Sound & Light Club SPECIAL PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS: Incorporating technology into all subject areas, young adult literature AWARDS AND/OR RECOGNITIONS RECEIVED:

• LSTA Collection Development Grant Recipient, 2009, 2011, 2012 • LSTA Information Literacy Grant Recipient, 2010

SPECIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS: Reading, theatre, spending time with family

NAME: Allison Burrell CANDIDATE FOR: Board of Directors SCHOOL DISTRICT: Southern Columbia Area SCHOOL: G. C. Hartman Elementary Center; Southern Columbia Middle School; Southern Columbia High School TITLE/POSITION: Librarian, Grades K-12 EDUCATION: M. Ed. in School Library and Information Technologies,

Mansfield University; M. Ed. in Educational Development and Strategies, Wilkes University; B.S. Ed., Honors in Curriculum and Instruction, in Elementary and Kindergarten Education, Penn State University EXPERIENCE IN PSLA:

• Co-Chair, Professional Development Committee, 2012- present • Member, PSLA Social Media Task Force, 2012-present • Creator and maintainer, PSLA Facebook page, 2011- present • Founder, PSLA Solo/ Shared Librarians Special Interest Group, 2012 • Presenter, PSLA Conference, 2011 & 2012 • Moderator, PSLA Conference, 2011 & 2012 • Presenter, PSLA Conference poster session, 2010 • Member, PSLA Student Committee, 2011- present • Regional Coordinator for Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU- IU 16) • Member, PA Model Library Curriculum Committee, 2012-present • Expert witness, PA House Hearing on School Libraries, Aug. 2012 • Participant, Professional Judgment Panel on 21st Century Librarian Infrastructure Needs, 2011

SERVICE IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: • Member, American Library Association (ALA)

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• Member, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) • Member, American Association of School Librarians (AASL) • Member, PAGE (PA Association for Gifted Education) • Member, ISTE (International Society for Technology Education) • Presenter, SIGMS Technology Playground, Denver, CO, 2010 Conference • Board of Directors, PAECT (Penn. Assoc. for Educational Communications and

Technology) • Member, NEA/ PSEA • Presenter, Heartland Conference • Joint project with Bloomsburg University Research Librarian 1. Research on high school

students’ information literacy skills and their preparation for college-level research 2. Presentation at PaLA annual conference 3. Published in PSLA Learning & Media: “Helping Students to Transition to College-Level Work: Can Collaboration Between Librarians Make a Difference?”

• Intermediate Unit Curriculum Collaboration Presentations (Web 2.0 and research skills for social studies and language arts/ library groups)

• IU Learning Focused Schools curriculum collaboration • Presented session at 2011 PAGE annual conference “Opening Up Options for Upper Middle

and High School Gifted Students” • Member of first grant team for Partners in History grant, PA State Museum, 2003 • Differentiated Instruction presentation for middle school staff

PRIORITY GOALS FOR PSLA: My goals for 2013-2015 revolve around a theme of access: access to support for solo and shared librarians; equitable access to resources for all schools across the state, regardless of their size or budgets; and innovative methods of access to professional development and resources for all librarians in times of tight finances. As school district budgets tighten, solo and shared librarians comprise an increasingly large portion of our membership. These librarians need an extra measure of support from our organization, as they frequently do not have as much local support or contacts as other librarians do. At this point, their needs must be clarified in order to provide that support; I hope that the newly formed SIG will allow this to happen. Librarians in smaller districts and those with lesser budgets often struggle to provide resources to their students and faculty. We need to continue to ensure that we advocate for state-shared resources to help these situations. Lastly, as districts’ budgets are squeezed and less money is available for conference attendance, if any is available at all, we need to find innovative ways to deliver professional development and resources to all of our librarians. As beneficial as our annual conference is to so many librarians, there are many more who could benefit from alternative delivery methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PRESENT JOB: I am currently the sole librarian for grades K-12 in the Southern Columbia Area School District, after being the librarian for grades 7 through 12 for 2-1/2 years and a fifth grade teacher for the previous 10 years. My district encompasses three schools, housed in two buildings. These schools serve approximately 1465 students. I am also the technology lead teacher for seventh grade, assisting in professional development, introducing technology initiatives and supporting teachers’ technology needs. In addition, I am one of two gifted support teachers in the district. I have also served as middle school student council advisor and am currently assisting with the newly formed forensics team.

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SPECIAL PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS: • Technology • Professional Development • Education of the Gifted and Talented

AWARDS AND/OR RECOGNITIONS RECEIVED: • Invited member and attendee, School Library Journal Leadership Summit, October 2012

SPECIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS: Spending time with my husband, daughter and son; participating in obstacle races/ mud runs, leading Weight Watchers meetings, participating in church activities, reading, camping, hiking and coaching youth soccer OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION: From the time I first became involved with PSLA, I have realized the amazing resources we as librarians have at our fingertips through our organization. Many of us do not have adequate support in our own districts and local areas and truly need to make connections across the state to help best fulfill the needs of our students. I feel that if I were a member of the PSLA Board, I would be able to have a positive influence on the number of librarians we could reach and support.

NAME: JessicaModrzejewski CANDIDATE FOR: Board of Directors SCHOOL DISTRICT/ UNIVERSITY: Slippery Rock University SCHOOL/BUILDING: Bailey Library TITLE/POSITION: Education/Assessment Librarian EDUCATION: MSLS from Clarion University; Ph.D. Candidate at Indiana University EXPERIENCE IN PSLA:

• Active PSLA Member • Presenter, PSLA Conference, 2010, 2011, & 2012 • Founding Advisor, PSLA Student Chapter at Clarion University, Fall 2010 – Spring 2012

SERVICE IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: • Member, American Library Association, Fall 2009 – Present • Member , Pennsylvania Library Association, Fall 2006 – Present • Member, Pennsylvania School Library Association, Fall 2007 – Present • Member, Association of Curriculum & Development, Spring 2010 – Present • Member, Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE), Fall 2009 –

Present PRIORITY GOALS FOR PSLA: In terms of school media centers and the library field, we are faced with the challenge of remaining relevant and becoming team players in the state testing arena. While here in Pennsylvania the PSSA testing is of high importance, the need for literacy is of special interest to many administrators and this is an area where we can “sell” our services. Over the next several years, PSLA needs to remain on top of current trends and find ways to share information and work with our media specialists to ensure that they all share the vision of our organization. Another top priority needs to focus on gaining new members and instilling a love of the profession, despite the hurdles we are facing in education today. BRIEF DISCRIPTION OF PRESENT JOB:

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Currently, I serve as the Education/Assessment Librarian at Slippery Rock University. I work with a variety of faculty members in the Early Childhood, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Physical Education Departments. My main role is manage or maintain the IMC (Information Media Center) which houses all of the materials necessary for our education majors. While SRU does not offer library science, I am able to work with educators and instill a need and love of the media center. In teaching information literacy classes, I often plug how fantastic unit plans can be implemented with the help of a school media specialist. SPECIAL PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS: or Research Areas of Interest:

• Technology use by pre-service teachers and its relation to the classroom • Collaboration between Public Libraries and School Media Centers in Rural Communities • Leadership in School Media Centers and its impact on PSSA Testing • Administrative Perception of School Media Centers

SPECIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS: Being active within my community (American Legion Auxiliary, Women of the Moose, and public library supporter. OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION:

• Board Member: Clarion County Library System, May 2012 – Present

NAME: Shannon Kelley Resh CANDIDATE FOR: Board of Directors SCHOOL DISTRICT: South Western School District SCHOOL: Park Hills Elementary School TITLE/POSITION: Elementary School Librarian EDUCATION: BS in Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education , Shippensburg University; Master’s Degree in School Library Media, Western Maryland College (since renamed McDaniel College); Instructional Technology Certificate, Penn State World Campus

EXPERIENCE IN PSLA: • Student PSLA Member as Graduate Student • Active PSLA Member since 2005 • Presenter, State Conference 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 • Co-Chair, Curriculum Committee, 2009-2012 • Co-Chair, Library Promotions Committee, 2012-present

SERVICE IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: • Current President, Board of Governors at Guthrie Memorial Library – Hanover’s Public

Library, member 2009 – spring 2012 • Member, Pennsylvania Library Association, 2009 – present • Presenter, Pennsylvania Library Association Conference, 2010 • Secretary, Hanover Street Elementary School PTO (Hanover Public School District), 2012-

present • Co-Vice President, Hanover Street Elementary School PTO (Hanover Public School District),

2010-2012 • Member, South Western Education Association, PSEA, NEA 1998 – present • Secretary, South Western Education Association, 2002-2006 • Member, South Western Education Association Negotiations Committee, 2004-2006 • Building Representative, South Western Education Association, 2000-2005

PRIORITY GOALS FOR PSLA

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Relationships and Partnerships: In this uncertain time in the field of education and fiscal strain, relationships and partnerships are more important than ever. Who can the school librarian partner with to share the advocacy? Who needs to learn the language of the library world in order to promote its’ significance to learning? Shannon would answer: Who shouldn’t? Creating a shared language with administrators, school board members, community members, parents and extended families who care about children, public libraries, and more may allow for a bigger understanding that today’s library is not the library of the 20th century in which we were all schooled. Libraries now play a vital role in the education of young people and through positive relationships and partnerships; we can educate all stakeholders in the significance of a quality school library, including its school librarian and staff. BRIEF DISCRIPTION OF PRESENT JOB: Shannon is an elementary school librarian serving over 550 students in grades K-5 at Park Hills Elementary School in Hanover, Pennsylvania (South Western School District.) Her fixed schedule allows her to work with each child once every four days of the building’s cycle. In addition to her role as the teacher-librarian and managing the function of the library, she leads several key programs promoting literacy in her building, including:

• Park Hills Page Turners after school book club for fifth graders • Rockin’ Reader program uniting community volunteers with eager primary readers • Triple D: Dudes Doing the Dewey volunteer mentoring program combining strong male role

models with young male students • Library Page student volunteer service program • BiblioFillies book club for faculty and staff • Acting Up! drama intramural each spring

SPECIAL PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS: Shannon is an avid library advocate and she is especially interested in the collaboration between the school and the public library for the benefit of shared patrons. Additionally, in this age of financial instability, she is especially interested in creating library advocates of parents and key members of the community who have a vested interest in high quality libraries for their children. For two summers, Shannon served in an adjunct role for a graduate level course at McDaniel College in the school library media program and loved the experience, with hopes to be invited again. AWARDS AND/OR RECOGNITIONS RECEIVED:

• Teacher of the Year Nominee, South Western School District Elementary, 2007-2012. • Grant Recipient, LSPA Grant for Collection Development, 2009. • Grant Recipient, Cracker Barrel Rockin’ Reader Literacy Grant, 2009. • Grant Recipient, South Western Creative Teaching and Learning, 2006, 2007, 2008. • Grant Recipient, Teaching Tolerance National, 2005. • Teacher of the Year, Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year (Hanover, Pennsylvania), 2003-2004. • South Western School District Middle Level Teacher of the Year, 2002-2003. • South Western School District Middle Level Teacher of the Year Finalist, 2001-2002.

SPECIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS: Above all, Shannon enjoys the moments she has to spend with her family. Her husband and young daughter are her motivation to make a positive impact in her community and her profession. Service is a very important family value and volunteering is one way to pay forward the gifts already received. Personally, she wishes to be a more avid reader and travel to new places and old favorites as well. Thank for your time and effort in getting to know your PSLA Board of Directors candidates.

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A Stealth Approach to Quality In-House Professional Development by Stephanie Sweeney

Garnet Valley High School Library, Glen Mills, PA sweeney1342@yahoo.com

It has been my experience that few teachers look forward to in-service days as many would rather have the uninterrupted time in their classrooms. Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible and professional development of some kind must take place. The problem is that this type of program is usually of the “one-size doesn’t fit all” variety. Then the question becomes not how do I survive another program on (fill in the standard program here), but rather how can we change this so in-service days become more productive and relevant to each curricular area? The simple answer is that YOU have to do it. That’s right. Speak up and get involved. Do you think our principals enjoy coming up with all those exciting programs on their own? Take the initiative and make some suggestions. Don’t be afraid of becoming the new Director of Professional Development since there probably won’t be much time to work with. Some in-service days are district initiatives while others are building level, however there are usually a few days that might be flexible if you speak up early enough. If you are looking for specific skill development for your department, plan a program ahead of time. Don’t go to your administrator asking for time for “library stuff.” They aren’t always clear on exactly what we do anyway, so this generic request likely won’t get you too far. Besides, why should your department receive special time when the others don’t? You will need to be convincing. Figure out what your departmental needs are and devise a program that addresses those issues - even better if you can tie them directly to the departmental goals for the year. Last year my department targeted the in-service on Election Day. I am a trainer for the Digital Collection Curation (LibGuides) program and we used that as the basis for our department professional development. I also opened up the workshop to other librarians and it worked out nicely since many in the area also had in-service days scheduled. This year we targeted that day again. My department chair contacted our assistant superintendent with a plan for us to do webinars and conference call trainings on Common Core (curriculum writing is in progress) and the newly acquired MARC Wizard program (cleaning up our records and weeding has been an area of focus). Our plan was approved and we had a productive day. Had we waited until the schedule for the in-service day had already been set, we might not have been able to incorporate our own professional development. It is easier to get approval for an alternative plan early in the year than try to beg out of a program several weeks before. In-service plans can also be building-wide and still be beneficial to all. If you are trying to integrate technology into your building then you understand the frustration (and intimidation) of having people with a variety of needs and skill levels try to attend the same workshop and the resistance of those who don’t feel it is relevant to their curriculum/classroom/teaching experience. Rather than try to have large, one-size-fits-all sessions, break down the day into smaller groupings. This will require a great deal of planning, but can be highly effective. One of the most positive and productive in-service days I experienced at my former district was a technology day set up similar to a conference. Teachers signed up to teach workshops on the wide variety of educational technology tools and programs they were using in their classrooms. We spent the morning learning from peers about tools we were interested in and then used time in the afternoon to gather with departments or receive one-on-one tutoring from the local experts. It succeeded because each teacher had a laptop assigned to them so lab space was never an issue for meetings or professional development and we could spread out into more rooms than we had labs. If you do conduct a similar program, it is also ideal to have a

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point person at each building to plan the event, schedule rooms, create the workshop schedule, troubleshoot technology, etc. This program not only introduced technology tools to those who will not stay after school for workshops, but allowed co-workers to interact and share their knowledge with one another. Grassroots professional development is effective because teachers know exactly which peer to turn to for help, it empowers those teaching the workshops, and doesn’t cost the district anything but time. The next time you see a webinar you would like to attend, but it is held during the school day see if it is archived (why are the interesting and free ones always between 10 AM and 2 PM??). Grab another techie teacher and propose a mini PETE&C in your building. You might be surprised at the response you receive. Your professional development, particularly that which is the most relevant to your field, is not the responsibility of your boss. Since in-service days with dedicated professional development time are already built into the school calendar, why not take advantage of the time to meet your needs? Even though our principals might not be clear on exactly what we do in the library, by taking this type of initiative, they will know who we are - educational leaders.

Regional Coordinator Info by Stephanie Sweeney

What is the Regional Coordinator Committee? The Regional Coordinator Committee is made up of 29 member representatives from each of the Intermediate Units in Pennsylvania. Who is my Regional Coordinator? You can locate your regional coordinator on the PSLA website. There are currently 11 positions open, so if you are looking for an entry level position into PSLA, this is a good place to start. There are some regions that have co-coordinators, so don’t hesitate to grab a friend and sign up together to share the workload. The PSLA list-serv and social media help to disseminate information quickly from the top-down, but there are times when the board needs the regional coordinators to remind local members about events or surveys, as well as bottom-up information sharing from the local areas to the board. What do Regional Coordinators do? The role of the regional coordinators is to keep the PSLA Board informed about what is happening around the state and the membership updated on PSLA actions and information. By the time job losses, budget cuts and other issues make the news, it is often too late for PSLA to take on an advocacy role. Keep your regional coordinator posted about what is happening in your area so PSLA can focus its advocacy efforts on areas that need it the most. Another role of the regional coordinators committee is to collaborate with the membership chair. The regional coordinators have been working hard to identify librarians of all types who serve school-age children or future teachers for membership. We have found that there are some regions around the state that have shockingly low membership levels and are actively trying to get the word out that membership in PSLA is not just about the annual conference and there are many other benefits to joining.

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Handling Cyber Safety Mandates Effectively

by Karen Hornberger Library Media Specialist, Palisades High School

Kintnersville, PA 18930

From: "E-Rate Information." I-Safe.N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.isafe.org/educators/erate>.

IT IS NOW OFFICIAL: On August 11, 2011, the FCC released its long-awaited rules amending CIPA to include E-Rate provisions of the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act of 2008. The FCC Order (FCC 11-125) implements the 'educating' requirements of the Protecting Children Act effective FY 2012, meaning any school or school district applying for E-Rate discounts (beyond simple telecommunication services) MUST provide Internet Safety Policies that include "monitoring the online activities of minors and must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms and cyber bullying awareness and response." Schools are newly facing the legal responsibility to ensure the instruction of cyber safety, due to a mandate for anyone who would like to apply for E-Rate discounts. If you are similar to me, you want to do this in an approachable way which does not “turn students off”. My generation can think back to the days where we received drug education, which was generally didactic. While they did, indeed, scare me we have two problems translating that concept to the cyber safety mandates. The first is that it is not one sided: cyber activity is very much a part of every student’s life and it can be a very positive experience. We even hear colleges and universities are hoping to find a digital footprint which shines positive light upon their applicants. The second is that didactic teaching is such a turn-off, yet we still return to that style when it comes to cyber safety. Luckily, the mandate does not say how we approach the education of students in these areas and we can each decide how to best teach our own students. It is my belief that it is best to incorporate the content that we teach into our existing curriculum. For instance, we have begun to do a lesson each semester in which our ninth graders read a nonfiction article about a theatrical dramatization of Romeo and Juliet which takes place in Tehran. The students each respond personally to the article and then they gather in small groups to discuss their personal reactions to the content. Next, the group develops a group response and posts it to the class blog. Homework is for the students to respond to each other’s comments (individual response) while following a Cyber Etiquette during an Online Blog Discussion rubric. The main categories of the rubric are that the students need to properly identify the person (or group) that they are directing their comment towards, they need to include a portion of the original quote, the quote must be kept in context to the meaning the original author intended it to be presented, they must be kind and respectful, and they are to attempt to expand on the thoughts through intriguing questions or unique ideas or even providing reference to outside sources. The students enjoy this project and understand the nature of online comments and the abuse many people afflict upon each other when not responding ethically in an online commenting forum. While they understand that online commenting forums are filled too often with negative, inflammatory comments, it is rare that anyone models how an ethical response can and should look. This lesson gives the students the opportunity to follow a rubric which models ethical response and it allows the class an opportunity to look at the responses which were made and decide which student most successfully achieved a quality response. We have the power to model to the next generation how to ethically interact with each other in the digital world!

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I love this lesson because it is an example of integrating cyber safety into curriculum and reduces the didactic nature of such education. Our school, as with others, must find a way to ensure that all students receive this education. We are developing the best way to do this and have shared ideas. With ninth grade, we have discussed adding an article during the Romeo and Juliet unit on anxiety related to texting while in a dating relationship. We have considered having students research trials related to cyber safety while the students read To Kill a Mockingbird. We have thought about integrating into social studies courses a project in which students study how often policies with social networking sites change and why it is important to keep abreast of those changes and to understand what they mean. I ask that you consider integrating cyber safety into your lessons and that you track how and where it is done. Ideally, you will soon have a program which has high alignment to the real lives of students and guides them into smart decisions which set them up for the greatest success. PSLA Memories As we prepare to celebrate 40 years of PSLA, members were asked to provide a memory or two that could be shared in a PSLA Learning and Media article. The organization has collected archived materials, artifacts, minutes, and photographs. But unless you have sat around the fireplace at Seven Springs or Hershey late into the evening, you may not have heard of some of the legends, personalities and some very personal memories treasured by our membership. Someday, for example, I MAY SHARE THE LEGEND about the big white duck. Over the years our members have attended meetings and workshops, volunteered their time and participated in other PSLA activities. Minda Sanders shared the following memories:

1. In 1972, at Shippensburg University, Celeste Nalwasky made the motion for PSLA division of Curriculum and Supervision Department to become a separate organization. Frances Henne was the speaker for that meeting and she donated the honorarium to establish PSLA’s first treasury.

2. In 1978, Mary Emma Llewellyn and Minda Sanders published “Citations for Non-print Media Formats in Term Papers and Theses” under the PSLA Communications Committee.

3. PSLA Conference at Seven Springs in 1975 saw many members stranded by a snow storm,

causing many to spend the night in shelters in Somerset. The next morning, a procession of cars started out for Seven Springs led by the 3M salesman. He would stop at each hill to insure all cars make it up before proceeding to the resort.

The following pages are PDF copies of some of the specific Learning & Media pages referred to by Minda in her reply to my request. Thanks for the memories!!!

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