"I had this dream to become a writer since I was ….."

1. Pennsylvania School Librarians AssociationMay 3, 2014Saturday Session E 10:30 am - 12:30 pm "I had this dream to become a writer since I was….." Making Dreams Come Alive in Print and Supporting Domain 4 by Writing for Learning & Media Sally Myers, Editor Learning & Media pslapubs@gmail.com

2. Steps in publishing an article • Identify the purpose of your article • Choose a relevant journal-audience • Write following journal’s criteria • Edit, share drafts, revise • Submit article to journal, following instructions • Revise based on reviewers’ comments, resubmit • Make copies widely available

3. Why write to meet requirements of Domain 4?Examples of how the Framework For Teaching could apply to School Librarians 4d Participating in Professional Community General Examples - Distinguished 4e Growing and Developing Professionally General Examples -Distinguished Librarian seeks out opportunities for professional development and makes a systematic effort to conduct action research. Librarian seeks out feedback on teaching from both supervisors and colleagues. Librarian initiates important activities to contribute to the profession. Librarian takes a leadership role in a professional organization, such as a PSLA. Librarian publishes in a professional journal or presents workshops for PDE or at state conferences. Specific Example: The Librarian engages in professional activities and is a member of an active state-wide committee and/or presents workshops at meetings and/or conferences. • Librarian’s relationships with colleagues are characterized by mutual support and cooperation, with the Librarian taking initiative in assuming leadership among the faculty. • Librarian takes a leadership role in promoting a culture of professional inquiry. • Librarian volunteers to participate in school events and district projects making a substantial contribution, and assuming a leadership role in at least one aspect of school Specific Examples: • The Librarian presents in-service workshops on emerging resources and technologies. • The Librarian is a leader of a committee and/or takes responsibility for an extracurricular activity.

4. Possible Guiding Questions:Conversations Between Principals and TeachersROLE: Librarian 4d: Participating in a professional community 4e: Growing and developing professionally Possible Guiding Questions: • Are you a member of any professional organizations? ALA, AASL, PSLA, local library affiliates, ISTE, PSEA, NEA, Phi Delta Kappan, (other educational organizations) • Do you subscribe to any print or online professional publications? Learning & Media, Library Media Connection, School Library Journal, Booklist, Horn Book, etc. • How do you contribute to the professional growth of your school community? Disseminating educationally appropriate resources and information via a variety of formats such as email, announcements, faculty meetings, in-services, presentations, etc. Possible Guiding Questions: • How do you view your role as a professional member of our school’s learning community? Librarians have unique roles as instructor, teaching partner, technology leader, facility administrator and information expert. In these roles we connect with all members of the school community; students, staff, administration and community. Plays a role in extracurricular activities, member of school-wide committees. • What other ways do you participate in a professional learning community as a librarian? Social media, professional blogs, wikis and listservs, professional literature and organizations.

5. What makes a great start for writing? A quickwrite is a draft response to a short piece of writing (usually no more than one page of poetry or prose, or a short picture book. Process helps writer generate ideas and get words on paper. Quickwrite Techniques • For 2-3 minutes, write as quickly as you can, capturing all that comes to mind in response to the work as a whole on one of these prompts: • I need to find a place • The Unwritten Pages • Borrow a line or a part of a line from the work and write off from that line. • Use a specific line or particular style as a model from which to write. • Main purpose is to simply get words on paper.

6. School Library Demonstration becomes the “Best Teaching” article • 1. How did you get interested in this topic? • 2. What is the main idea you want teachers to take away from your demonstration? • 3. What are the theoretical or conceptual underpinnings for your demonstration? • 4. What is special or unique about your demonstration? • 5. Is your demonstration divided into segments? If so, what are the main points for each segment? • 6. What stories, examples, and evidence do you have to help you make each of your points? What can be extrapolated or inferred from these examples? • 7. Do you display student work during your demonstration? How does this work connect to the concepts you are presenting? • 8. What questions have been asked by participants at your demonstrations? What did you learn from the questions or how did they challenge your thinking? How have you answered them? • 9. How have other teachers used your ideas? What variations have they made on them? • 10. What changes have you made in your demonstration over time? Why?

7. Writing for an academic journal: 10 tipsRowena Murray Guardian Professional, Friday 6 September 2013 10.30 EDT • Have a strategy, make a plan • Analyze writing in journals in your field • Do an outline and just write • Get feedback from start to finish • Set specific writing goals and sub-goals • Write with others • Do a warm up before you write • Analyze reviewers' feedback on your submission • Be persistent, thick-skinned and resilient • Take care of yourself These points are taken from the 3rd edition of Writing for Academic Journals.

8. Topics • Ten Minute Tip • My best lesson ever • Random Acts of Writing • There is an APP for that Ideas?

9. Learning & Media • Deadlines • Summer – May 15 • Fall – August 15 • Winter – November 15 • Spring – February 15 • Submission info • MS Word Format preferred • JPEG format for images • Please send articles electronically by deadline to: pslapubs@gmail.com • Keep a file copy for yourself • Include contact information (email and phone number)

10. The PLAN Choose one of the following suggestions and write about: • The best PSLA workshop I ever attended was.... • Current really successful lessons or what you are accomplishing right now using …. • Short article using “Foolproof plans for …” • A poem about a very small object found in a school library …. • Your choice topic of …… about our field Begin to write a outline, first paragraph or stanza for your choice. Be prepared to complete this piece and submit for publication consideration by PSLA Leadership in July.

11. Web Resources • http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/teaching_writing • http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/being_a_writer • http://www.writersdigest.com/

12. What to do after today? Learn Practice Write/Re-write Submit to Learning & Media READ Build your writer’s portfolio • Contact information: Learning & Media pslapubs@gmail.com Sally Myers, Editor Learning & Media solum@pitt.edu lousue1@verizon.net Allison Mackley, Assoc. Ed. allisons21@msn.com Amackley@hershey.k12.pa.us