Transcript Roles of the Media Specialist

Roles of the Media Specialist
Letitia Green
MEDT 7487
The Roles of the Media Specialist
• Information Power has described the role(s) of
the media specialist in the exact way in which
I have learned to become one. There are four
main aspects to the job based upon my
understanding of what it is that I am to
do/become in order to be effective in my role.
It is definitely a job that requires a great deal
of dedication, expertise and hard work.
Roles of the Media Specialist
Continued
• The library media
specialist has many
roles and
responsibilities
including teacher,
instructional partner,
information specialist,
and program
administrator
(Information Power, p.
4-5).
Media Specialist as Teacher
• Sixteen years of
experience
• Worked as a teacher,
coach, mentor teacher,
grades 6-8 as a certified
teacher, grades k-12 as a
substitute teacher
• Becoming a Media
Specialist has been the
greatest shift from the
classroom I have
experienced to date
Media Specialist as Teacher continued
•
•
In the role of teacher, the school
library media specialist (SLMS)
collaborates with teachers and
Instructional Technology Specialist
to ensure that students acquire the
necessary information technology
competencies and information
literacy skills and the opportunities
to integrate those skills into a
standards based curriculum.
“Teacher. The teacher librarian must be
an effective educator and curricular
leader. The media specialist must
possess up-to-date knowledge and skills
on a wide range of educational topics
including teaching, learning, and
information literacy.”
Media Specialist as
Teacher continued
• Media Specialist as Teacher
Video
• Click on the link above for
additional information on this
topic.
• According to Information Power,
the media specialist as teacher is
a very powerful role that is
unavoidable and absolutely
necessary.
• “Information Power (1998) has
identified collaboration between
media specialists and classroom
teachers as critical to "support
authentic, information-based
learning."
Media Specialist as Information
Specialist
• Information Specialist. The
teacher librarian must be an
expert in locating,
evaluating, and synthesizing
information. Whether
collaborating with the
principal on a budget issue
or teaching fifth graders to
use electronic databases,
the media specialist must
model strategies for using a
spectrum of traditional and
new information tools and
resources.
Media Specialist as Information
Specialist continued
• This is probably the most
challenging aspect of the
program for me. As a
teacher, I am used to
utilizing technology as
both a learning and
teaching tool for
students, but I had not
envisioned my role as
being the person
primarily responsible for
our school’s technology
until now.
Media Specialist as Information
Specialist
• In Information Power
(1998), the SLMS is
viewed as having
“expertise in acquiring
and evaluating
information sources in
all formats."
Media Specialist as Instructional
Partner
• Information Power
identifies the role as
Instructional Partner,
but I have coined it as
Collaborator. Either
way, this role is vital to
the overall success of
the media center and
the library community
as a whole.
Media Specialist as Instructional
Partner continued
• In Information Power
(1998), collaboration
between media
specialists and
classroom teachers
was identified as
critical to "support
authentic,
information-based
learning.”
Media Specialist as Program
Administrator
• As stated in Information
Power (1998), the SLMS is
"proficient in the
management of staff,
budgets, equipment, and
facilities" and works with
other administrators and
teachers to form policies,
design activities, and
provide leadership that
would ensure outstanding
use of information and
information technology.
Media Specialist as Program
Administrator continued
• As someone who will be
ultimately responsible for
the media center as a
whole, it is important that
the media specialist has a
positive relationship with
stakeholders and can
stand strong as the
primary advocate for the
media center and media
specialists alike.
Roles of Media Specialist- Conclusion
The role of the School Library Media
Specialist is provide a comfortable
atmosphere for students to relevant
skills that will continue to equip them
for learning in a technological world
that is constantly evolving. Resources
of all types are critical for the 21st
century learner to remain
competitive in this global
environment.
In addition to the role of collaborating
with teachers to provide lessons to
meet the specific needs of the
students, managing the facility as an
administrator, today’s 21st Century
SLMS must be able to teach
technology skills, maintain and
update the collection to relate to the
school's curriculum and promote 21st
Century literacy skill to all students,
especially those with diverse needs
and multi-cultural backgrounds.
References
• American Association of School Librarians (1998).
Information power: Building partnerships for learning.
Chicago: American Library Association.
• Lamb, Annette (n.d.). The Role of the Media Specialist.
Retrieved from
http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/specialist.htm