If we want to connect with the latest generation of learners and teachers, we have to totally redesign the library from the vantage point of our users—our thinking has to do a 180-degree flip.
This learning commons is both a physical and a virtual space that’s staffed not just by teacher-librarians but also by other school specialists who, like us, are having trouble getting into the classroom and getting kids’ attention.
specialists such as literacy coaches, teacher technologists, teacher-librarians, art teachers, music teachers, and P.E. teachers
In the physical space, we enter a room that’s totally flexible, where furnishings can be moved about to accommodate different functions and groupings.
the learning commons is both a giant, ongoing conversation and a warehouse of digital materials
—from ebooks to databases to student-generated content—all available 24/7 yea
Imagine a learning environment in which the multimedia world of information fed individual students’ needs, and where on-demand digital textbooks/multimedia/databases are available 24/7 and under the control of the user.
examples of one-way communication.
But in the new learning commons, homework assignments and library Web sites offer two-way communication.
Directive adults have been transformed into coaches; direct teaching has been transformed into collaborative inquiry.
On another day, parents may be invited to the learning commons to observe a jointly designed medieval art fair created by a classroom teacher, the art teacher, and the teacher-librarian.
The experimental learning center aims to improve teaching and learning by offering professional development sessions and resources that are tailor-made to each school’s greatest needs.
The teacher posts assignments on a blog that’s linked through an RSS feed to individual students in the class, each of whom can access the blog through an iGoogle page or another personal home page.