Tota

Michele Tota
SLM 501
Assignment 1
Professor Margaret Guadino
10/21/14
Tribute
Tonight we pay tribute to a well-known, well-liked teacher and fellow leader,
Michele Tota. She has been someone we all can lean on and trust with all of our
classroom issues, and have celebrated many a technological victory. Michele has worked
tirelessly to ensure we have the tools we need for our students to be 21st Century Learners
and for her fellow colleagues to be successful in their classrooms. Her passion and
confidence in all of us is what has set her a part from all others before her. She stands tall
and shines bright for all of her students and shows them compassion and gives them the
confidence to dream big. She believes in each and every one of her students and cannot
rest until each one of them has successfully walked across the stage at graduation. All of
this is important to her because she sees her students as the future leaders, teachers,
nurses, soldiers, mechanics, and countless other dreams she has heard over the years from
her students.

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Leadership Analysis
Collaborative Leadership Qualities Inventory Results
Needs Help

Ok

Good

4/26

7/26

13/26

Leadership Practices Inventory Results

Model the Way

Inspire a
Shared
Vision

45

38

Challenge the
Process
32

Enable
Others to
Act

Encourage the
Heart

56

56

At first I was somewhat surprised at how much of a leader I am since I usually see
myself as someone who likes to fly under the radar and just follow what I am told to do.
However, there were areas in the leadership survey where I saw myself as having some
effective leadership qualities. For instance, I have facilitated meetings effectively, I have
helped others deconstruct an issue and solve it with confidence, and I have nurtured
leadership in others. I think what matters the most of what I have learned from these
surveys is that I can lead, but often times (and this was evident through the LPI survey)
that I lead with my heart. According to Kouzes and Posner, my leadership falls under the
enable others to act and encourage the heart categories, which state, that I will foster
collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. Strengthen others by
sharing power and discretion. Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for
individual excellence. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of

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community (Kouzes and Posner 22). I could not agree more with these results and I
believe others would say the same about me. Within my current teaching position I am
my departments cheerleader, always showing my enthusiasm for my colleagues and their
ideas. I enjoy working with my department and trying out new collaborative ideas with
teachers outside of my content area as well.
The biggest area that I feel that I need to improve, which was evident in both
surveys, is confrontation or challenge the process. I cringe at the idea of having to
confront someone on an issue that may make them look badly or make them feel like they
are not doing a good job. I am naturally a non-confrontational person, so I know this will
always be something that I have to work on. Knowing where my leadership skills are
lacking will help me to push myself to enhance these areas, for instance Kouzes and
Posners survey suggests that I need to find my voice and take risks (Kouzes and
Posner 22). While this is not new to me, I know that once I start working more with
teachers and students outside the classroom and in the media center many of these areas
may improve by experience.

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Professional Development Plan

OBJECTIVESList the objectives of your plan.
1. Improve circulation by 20% among all students, specifically reluctant
readers.
2. Work in collaboration with content area teachers to improve reading
and researching skills.
3. Improve the use of technology within classroom instruction.
1. Professional MembershipsList the professional associations you have
joined. Example: MASL, ALA, AASL, ACLS, YALSA, IBBY, IASL. Identify their
representative listservs and online resources you will use.
ALA: American Library Association
Membership to this association will provide me with association information,
news, events, and advocacy resources for librarians, as well as leadership for
the development, promotion, and improvement of library services. I will also
use the associated listservs with the ALA to discuss issues and current topics
with other librarians.
AASL: American Association of School Librarians
This association focuses on school librarians and the school library
community. A division of ALA and is a national organization that is proactive
to issues, trends, and defining the future agenda for the librarian profession.
MASL: Maryland Association of School Librarians
This membership will provide me with the latest information and trends in
the school library community in Maryland and will connect me with many
librarians across the state where I can further collaborate with to improve my
own school library service.
2. Professional Articles and BooksIdentify the journals you will read.
Identify and annotate specific articles that will meet your professional plan.
Identify and annotate new books.
School Library Journal
School Library Monthly
Library Media Connection
Articles
Frazier, Dawn. "School Library Media Collaborations: Benefits And Barriers."
Library Media Connection 29.3 (2010): 34-36. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
This article discusses the benefits and challenges with collaboration and its
contribution to student achievement. The article also provides solutions to

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many teachers complaints of collaboration like time, new technology, and

the unfavorable connotations associated with collaboration.
Donnelly, Andria. "Building A FLEXIBLE School Library Program." School
Library Monthly 30.5 (2014): 14-16. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25
Oct. 2014.
Meant for schools with the flexible schedule model, this article discusses how
to make collaboration and school library programs work. This article also
discusses the importance and the connection between collaboration and
student achievement.
Moreillon, Judi. "Reading Comprehension: At The Core Of The Library
Program." School Library Monthly 29.2 (2012): 5-8. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
Librarians are teachers too, and reading comprehension is something that
the librarian can encourage among students. Research for this article shows
that through collaboration and having a positive influence on students
reading practices can improve student learning.
Oakleaf, Meagn. Are They Learning? Are We? Learning Outcomes and the
Academic
Library. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy. Vol. 8, No. 1
The University of Chicago Press. Jan 2011. Pp. 61-82.
This article focuses on the assessment of students and the new teacher
evaluation process, as well recognizing the significance of the librarians role
and subsequent impact in each of these areas. This article also discusses
how librarians can document their own learning.
Sonnenberg, Jill. "Reading For Pleasure As Prerequisite For Testing Success:
Ten Easy Guidelines To Increase Circulation And Student Achievement." CSLA
Journal 34.1 (2010): 6-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
An article from a Nevada high school library discusses how to increase
circulation and student achievement by making the library the center of the
school. Building student relationships and displaying student artwork is a
major facet to this schools library program to improve students checking out
books and in turn improving student achievement.
Books
Devine, Jane and Francine Egger-Sider. Going Beyond Google Again:
Strategies for Using and Teaching the Invisible Web. ALA Neal-Schuman,
2014.

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This book defines the characteristics of the web, both technologically and
cognitively, provides a literature review of students information-seeking
habits, concentrating on recent research, and theory and practice of
teaching the invisible web.
Weisburg, Hilda K. and Ruth Toor. New on the Job: A School Librarians Guide
to Success, Second Edition. ALA Editions, 2015.
This is a guidebook for new librarians and discusses important features of
how to create dynamic interactions with students to deepen their learning
experiences, communicating with the principal, IT experts, and vendors. It
also provides sections on how to become familiar with school library
technology as well as learning the secrets to successfully collaborating with
teachers.
3. Webinars, Websites, Social NetworkingIdentify and annotate the
webinars you will take; the books youll read. Identify and annotate the
blogs and twitter accounts youll follow.
The Mighty Little Librarian Blog
http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com
The Mighty Librarian Blog is created and updated by National Board Certified
librarian Tiffany Whitehead from Central Middle School in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana where she discusses ideas on the latest technology, webinars, and
professional development conferences she leads. She also includes book
recommendations and useful ideas for activities within the library and
classroom.
Adventures of Library Girl
http://www.librarygirl.net
Adventures of Library Girl is a blog created by 2011 Mover and Shaker
Award Winner Jennifer LaGarde from North Carolina. In her blog she
discusses fun new ways to make our library a 21st century library.
4. ConferencesIdentify and annotate the conferences you will attend.
MASL: Maryland Association of School Librarians
Yearly Maryland conference, October 2014, focuses on library trends and 21st
century learners, to develop lifelong love of reading among students in
Maryland, promote excellence in print and non-print media production, to
encourage the dissemination and sharing of ideas, programs and materials
among members among other valuable programs to promote library media
programs in Maryland schools.
ALA Annual Conference
National Conference that examines three critical issues; association

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relevance, membership development, and association governance and

leadership.
5. Participation in School and District Committees, Data collection, research.
School Improvement Team
Faculty Council
Literacy Team
OUTCOMESWhat will occur as the result of this professional development?
How does your plan support current School Improvement efforts? How will
you, your students, and your school benefit?
The Result: By working with teachers on collaborative projects such as
lessons or summative research projects, will benefit both the teachers and
the students. Working together to design plans and projects will allow for
teachers to have more opportunity to create multi-faceted projects available
to multiple intelligences.
School Improvement: The School Improvement Plan calls for more
collaboration among departments as well as the media specialist. This
professional development plan will implement efforts made by the team to
boost collaboration and improve student achievement.
Benefit: Students and teachers will benefit from this plan because they will
see the librarian media specialist as a partner and teacher, not just a keeper
of books and the computer lab. By looking at books and materials that
appeal to reluctant readers will encourage more students to check out books,
begin reader more, and then improve students reading skills overall.