Tuesday, September 8, 2015

From LMC to Innovation Commons

A majority of my work this summer was focused on putting everything I had learned with readings about STEAM and Maker Spaces, as well as what I had learned form my learning experiences to schools in Finland and California, and reinvent my library media centers.  The goal was to make it more than "just a library".


Above is the LMC space prior to the redesign at Jefferson Elementary.  The space did not allow for any of the key components that were needed to shift this space to an Innovation Commons like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.  This space was originally designed as a simple library space for book checkout and a place for students to sit at tables and work.  After visiting schools in Finland and California, I strategically redesigned the space to work in the favor of the above listed components for an Innovation Commons.

The layout to the left was designed after much thought, reflection, and collaboration with the understanding that this space needed to be a central hub for personalized learning and would help promote student achievement.

Our student population is also very genre orientated which helped me make the decision to genre catalog our fiction section.  The space still needed to promote literacy and remain a library at its core.  But through space redesign reading could be highlighted amongst the new components and the texts could support STEAM, makers, and personalized learning.


The Redesigned Space


To quote one of my students, "I love this space.  It's the best place in the whole school".  That was music to my ears.


The space to the left is our MakerSpace and STEAM Space.  It has items for student inquiry, items for the kids to create/make with, and items for students to work with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) activities for critical thinking and personalized learning.  Items in this space will continue to grow and a monthly STEAM activity will be available for students to always allow for new opportunities in critical thinking and STEAM components.  Many of the items I was able to get through Scholastic, STEMfinity, and  MakerShed.  I have been continually curating STEAM activities and projects to complete with kids, either as enrichment opportunities, independent learning activities, or after school clubs, on Pinterest.  Check out my board - https://www.pinterest.com/missandy22/steam-library-activities/


The space to the right is our E for everybody section (housing pictures books).  We have some comfortable furniture for students to read or work, highlighted new books, a carpeted area for a read aloud, and a table space for small group work or collaboration.  The furniture in this space is smaller making this space nice for younger kids.  All the books were shelved so that they are not high for the littler ones.



This space is the fiction space.  When I genre cataloged, I chose to focus on Sports, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mystery, and Series.  The redesign of the space will allow the genre cataloging to be highlighted and easy to access for students.  Each book is stickered with its own genre sticker and signs above the section match the sticker colors and the cataloging identifier (i.e. Realistic Fiction book by Carl Hiassen will be labeled in Destiny as R FIC Hia). There is a table for collaboration as well as comfortable seating for the students to lounge and read or work.

This space is the non-fiction space.  The space works as an inquiry section that not only allows a space for small group work, but also a strategically placed space off the computer lab that allows for students to research on the computer or in the non-fiction space without teachers losing sight of their students.

Within all the space, we have technology available in the form of Chromebook, PCs, and iPads, for the students to utilize.  We have a green screen kit, Safari Montage broadcasting cart, Mac creation station, and a SMART Interactive TV all setup for use as needed.  A majority of this equipment is mobile allowing for staff and students to work where best fits their needs.

We are just in the first week of my introduction of this space to students and staff but already am I getting some great feedback.  I can't tell you how excited I am to continue onward!













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