Wilcox 1

Lynn Wilcox

Professor Cynthia Keller

SLM 501

25 March 2018

Assignment One: Leadership Analysis

Part One: Tribute

According to the Merriam-Webster thesaurus, a leader is “the person who tells people

and especially workers what to do.” When thinking about Lynn Wilcox, her character and

leadership exceed this definition. As an educator, Lynn is passionate about her work, her

students, and her colleagues. She is a team player who works tirelessly to brainstorm solutions

and provide support for staff and students. Some people might describe Lynn as tenacious

because of her relentless spirit and determination. Whether she is participating in a professional

development session or helping a student with an assignment, this teacher librarian is never

satisfied with the status quo. The high standards that Mrs. Wilcox sets for herself and her

students are recognized in the library and throughout the school community. Teaching and

leading is not simply part of the job description, but it is the heart and soul of Mrs. Lynn Wilcox.

Part Two: Leadership Analysis

As a young adult, I was always quiet, sitting in the shadows and watching my peers.

During my college years, I realized that if I wanted to follow my dream as an educator, I needed

to take some risks and position myself in the center rather than along the sidelines. The results of

the 16Personalities assessment indicated that I scored 79% in the extraverted category, 59%

intuitive, 58% feeling, 79% prospecting, and 72% turbulent. In addition, the assessment also

indicated that I am a “Campaigner.” Campaigners are diplomats and value social engagement.
 Wilcox 2

The Keirsey Temperment quiz results show that I am a guardian. Guardians tend to “have a lot of

fun with friends” and I am “quite serious about duties and responsibilities.” Age, time, and life

experiences have helped me recognize my leadership potential and the importance of

maintaining social relationships and having strong interpersonal skills. Lesley Farmer

emphasizes the importance of relationships by stating “as you take the lead in collaborating with

other school community members, you extend your influence” (230). Therefore, as a school

librarian, I know I need to continue to build my presence as a leader and trusted collaborative

partner.

While social relationships are imperative to my leadership style, I have to be cautious that

my strength does not become a weakness. During Module 1, the readings from Hilda K.

Weisburg explain “sometimes you will be in the lead, and other times you are part of a team” (8).

Weisburg also shares school librarians must be a part of the administrative team and the teaching

team. There are times when the teams do not share the same ideas. As a librarian, I have to be

careful to maintain confidentiality and be sympathetic. I know I have to keep Weisburg’s

guidance “while it’s important to be sympathetic, you never want to agree with what they are

saying” (8). Since I thrive upon approval from others, I have to be careful at times to listen and

not react.

As a new library media specialist, I need to showcase my leadership skills and build

collaborative relationships. Since I have established my place on the staff, my goal is to serve

and contribute to the school leadership team. In addition, I plan to continue to participate in the

Future Ready Librarian discussion boards and other professional learning communities to

develop my leadership skills and knowledge.

 Wilcox 3

Part Three: Professional Development Plan

OBJECTIVES—List the objectives of your plan.

 Collaborate with grade-level teams to support and extend the Washington County
Essential Curriculum Modules through the fixed Media schedule.
 Provide and lead professional development for teachers which highlight the services
offered by the Williamsport Elementary School Library.
 Contribute and participate in a professional learning community of media specialists to
learn about best practices within the school library.
 Model and support digital integration strategies using the Washington County Public
Schools List of Vetted Applications.

1. Professional Memberships—List the professional associations you have joined or plan to

join. Example: MASL, ALA, AASL, ACLS, YALSA, IBBY, IASL. Identify their
representative listservs and online resources you will use.
 Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) – current member
 Enrolled in a MASL Seminar entitled “Empowering Students as Creators”
 Black-Eyed Susan Nominees and Award Lists
 American Library Association (ALA) – current student member
 Access to advocacy toolkits
 ALA Connect
 Discounts for ALA Publications
 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) – current student member
 AASLForum e-mail discussion board and KQ Express e-mail newsletter
 eCOLLAB | Your eLearning Laboratory (webcasts and podcasts for professional
development)
 Maryland State Teachers Association (MSTA) – current member
 Digital Access to Action Line Magazine
 Online Professional Development opportunities
 National Education Association
 Online access to professional resources and articles
 NEA edCommunities to collaborate with other educators online
 International Society for Technology in Education (plan to join)
 Connect with ISTE Professional Learning Networks, Access to ISTE webinars

2. Professional Articles and Books—Identify the journals you will read. Identify and annotate
specific articles that will meet your professional plan. Identify and annotate new books.
Professional Articles:
Johnston, Melissa P. “Blurred Lines: The School Librarian and the Instructional
Technology Specialist.” TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning,
vol. 59, no. 3, 1 May 2015, pp. 17–26. ERIC, EBSCOhost. Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.
While school librarians were once the sole person responsible for technology in the schools,
the proliferation of technology in education has resulted in the emergence and adaptation of
roles and responsibilities, one such role being the instructional technology specialist. This
article reports findings on how the presence of an instructional technology specialist can either
enable or deter a school librarian enacting a leadership role in technology integration.
 Wilcox 4

Moreillon, Judi. “Making the Classroom-Library Connection.” EL Kurdyla Publishing

LLC, Teacher Librarian, vol. 43, Feb. 2016, p. 8. MasterFILE Premier. Accessed 25 Mar.
2018.
The article offers information on a workshop for 165 pre-service student teachers. The
workshop focused on areas of a teacher librarian's expertise reflecting best practices in teacher
librarianship. These areas included classroom teacher-school librarian co-planning,
collaboratively integration of Web 2.0 tools, teaching within copyright and fair use guidelines,
and co-teaching reading comprehension plans.

Welz, Krista. “School Librarians and Open Educational Resources Aid and Implement
Common Core Instructional Content in the Classroom.” Knowledge Quest, no. 4, 2017, p.
62. Edsgao, EBSCOhost. Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
By 2013 a majority of states adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English
Language Arts and Mathematics in a response that addressed the declining educational
achievements of students in the US. A major challenge to Common Core implementation is
the shortage of new and authentic standard-aligned material. As districts face the necessity of
purchasing new instructional materials aligned with the CCSS, open educational resources
(OER) have become crucial. The OER has become a central model for the development and
dissemination of free online content. Digital libraries of OERs have increased significantly,
providing schools and teachers with standards-based materials for developing CCSS-aligned
curriculum (Waters 2013). School librarians are experienced evaluators and curators of
content, and, therefore, valuable assets in school districts adopting OERs. School librarians
also have the skills to conduct professional development for colleagues facing the sometimes-
daunting task of integrating OERs into their lesson plans.

Books:
Kolb, Liz. Learning First, Technology Second: The Educator's Guide to Designing
Authentic Lessons. International Society for Technology in Education, 2017.
Learning with technology does not happen because a specific tool revolutionizes education. It
happens when proven teaching strategies intersect with technology tools, and yet it is not
uncommon for teachers to use a tool because it is fun or because the developer promises it will
help students learn. Learning First, Technology Second offers teachers the professional
learning they need to move from arbitrary uses of technology in their classrooms to thoughtful
ways of adding value to student learning.

National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.
ALA Editions, an Imprint of the American Library Association, 2018.
AASL's new integrated standards are designed to empower leaders to transform teaching and
learning. The new National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and
School Libraries reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical
foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the new
streamlined AASL Standards Integrated Framework for learners, school librarians, and school
libraries.

Watkins, Heidi. No Fear Coding: Computational Thinking across the K-5 Curriculum.
International Society for Technology in Education, 2017.
 Wilcox 5

Coding and computational thinking are among the skills that will serve students well in the
future. Coding goes beyond websites and software – it’s an essential component in finding
solutions to everyday problems. Computational thinking has many applications beyond the
computer lab or math class – it teaches reasoning, creativity and expression, and is an
innovative way to demonstrate content knowledge and see mathematical processes in action.

3. Webinars, Websites, Social Networking—Identify and annotate the webinars you will take;
the books you’ll read. Identify and annotate the blogs and twitter accounts you’ll follow.
Webinars:
 Empowering Students as Creators, Monday, March 26, 2018 from 7:00-8:00 pm
MASL Members from around the state will discuss ways in which we can encourage our
students to become creators. This could be through technology tools, makerspaces, and
more!
 Bringing Creativity to STEAM with Drawing and Coding, Thursday, March 29,
2018 from 5:00-6:00 pm
Presenters from Wonder Workshop will share how K–8 classrooms can bring coding to the
canvas and provide students with tangible ways to explore, learn and delight in
computational drawing. This edWebinar will benefit K-8 teachers, art teachers, SPED
educators, librarians, tech specialists, administrators, and makerspace facilitators. There
will be time to get your questions answered after the presentation.

Blogs/Websites:
 “The Adventures of Library Girl.” The Adventures of Library Girl,
www.librarygirl.net/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2015. The blog is written by Jennifer
LaGuarde. “Jennifer LaGarde (aka library girl!) is a lifelong educator and learner. With
over twenty years of experience in public education, Jennifer has served as a classroom
teacher, a teacher librarian, a digital teaching and learning specialist, a district level
support staff and a state-wide leader as a consultant for both the NC Dept of Public
Instruction and the Friday Institute for Instructional Innovation. Jennifer is a past
winner of the ALA, New York Times and Carnegie Corporation’s "I Love My
Librarian Award" and she was also named a Library Journal "Mover and Shaker” for
her efforts as a school library advocate.” This biography and information was provided
by Ms. LaGarde’s biography section of her website and blog.

 “The Daring Librarian.” The Daring Librarian, Blogger, 4 Mar. 2018,

www.thedaringlibrarian.com/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2015. This is a blog written by
Gwenyth Jones. “As a leader of Education Technology, Ms. Jones was honored to have
been elected twice to the ISTE Board of Directors representing all PK-12 educators
and school librarians 2010-2014. Her work & writings have been featured in the New
York Times, NEA Today Magazine, Information Today Magazine, The Washington
Post, and the Huffington Post.” This biography and information was provided by Ms.
Jones’ about section of her website and blog.

 Miller, Shannon McClintock. “The Library Voice.” The Library Voice,

vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2015.
 Wilcox 6

This blog is written by Shannon McClintock Miller. “Shannon McClintock Miller is an

international speaker, consultant and author who has a passion for education,
librarianship, advocacy, technology, social media and making a difference in the world
and lives of others, especially children. She served as the K-12 district teacher librarian
and technology integrationist at Van Meter Community School District in Iowa for 10
years. Shannon now brings a special expertise and vision to conversations around
school libraries, education, technology, creativity and student voice.” This biography
and information was provided by Ms. McClintock Miller’s biography section of her
website and blog.

Social Networking
Facebook Accounts
 Future Ready Librarians
 Learning Librarians
 Elementary Librarian Exchange
 Allysa Lloya
 Shannon McClintock Miller
 ISTE
 LM_Net Group
 The School Librarian’s Workshop
 Maryland Association of School Librarians
 School Librarians/Library Technicians
 Library Teachers (Breakout EDU)
 Staying Cool in the Library

Twitter Accounts
 @aasl – American Association of School Librarians
 @maker_maven – Maker Maven
 @DoInkTweets – DoInk app for the Green Screen and Makerspace
 @MindShiftKQED – MindShift for best practices
 @sljournal – School Library Journal

4. Conferences—Identify and annotate the conferences you have or plan to attend.

 Attended MASL Conference in October 2016, Hagerstown, Maryland
 Plan to attend MASL Conference in October 2018
 Long-term goal -- attend an ISTE Conference and the ALA Mid-Winter conference
since annual award winning books are announced

5. Participation in School and District Committees, Data collection, research.

 Conduct a Google Form survey to determine staff needs and support regarding the
various library resources and technology app integration
 Collect circulation data from specifically from teachers to determine how staff is
utilizing the library resources; arrange to visit grade-level team meetings to determine
what materials are needed to add to the overall library collection
 Wilcox 7

 Continue to participate in the Williamsport Elementary Reading Professional Learning

Community – the community works to improve reading instruction and utilizes the
book, No More Independent Reading without Support by Debbie Miller; promotes
collaboration between the library and the general education classroom
 Join the Williamsport Elementary School Improvement team – allows the library to
help support school-wide goals and assist various grade levels and school support
teams
 Engage in the June professional development sessions for Library Media Specialists –
the professional development sessions are held by the Washington County Public
Schools Library Media Supervisor and typically include topics including curriculum
writing and support, digital citizenship, technology integration, and Makerspace
planning and sharing sessions
 Participate in the Washington County Public Schools New Library Media Specialist
support group – this is a group which shares topics and provides support for new
library media specialists, the group features representation from the head librarians at
the elementary, middle, and high school levels

OUTCOMES—What 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?
 Wilcox 8

The 2017-8 School Improvement goals for Williamsport Elementary STEM Magnet School
include the following:
GOAL 1: All students will read at or above grade level by 3rd grade and continue to read at or
above grade level thereafter.
GOAL 2: All students will meet or exceed grade-level and course-specific curriculum
standards.
GOAL 3: All students will be healthy, informed, and productive citizens.
Technology will be woven into each of the three school improvement goals.
As a result of the professional development plan, I am hoping to reach the following goals:
 Attend grade-level team planning meetings to collaborate with classroom teachers and
to plan instruction for the general education classroom and fixed Media time.
 Collaboration will help me plan lessons that will help students reach grade level
standards and increase my awareness of student strengths and weaknesses at each
respective level.
 Lead a professional development session showcasing specific library services
according to staff survey data—Using the data, the professional development will be
personalized according to staff needs. In addition, I intend to create YouTube videos to
help staff and students access the digital resources offered by the library. Since grade-
level reading is a focus, the access of materials will allow teachers to provide a wide
variety of reading materials for students.
 Share and participate in various online professional learning communities. The
information that I share will assist other media specialists. In addition, I hope to gain
some new ideas and learn best practices to apply to my library. The best practices will
help assist with getting students to meet grade level standards.
 Schedule and present professional development learning sessions designed to support
technology integration and use of iPad applications. Sessions will include topics such
as but not limited to coding, using applications for presentations, and how to use
Google classroom. Brief surveys will be conducted after each session to determine
other technology integration sessions that might be needed to support instruction and
student learning. The overall technology support will help teachers made instruction
meaningful and hopefully encourage teachers to use the device as a tool an not a
substitute for learning.
 Wilcox 9

Works Cited

The Adventures of Library Girl.” The Adventures of Library Girl,

www.librarygirl.net/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2015.

“The Daring Librarian.” The Daring Librarian, Blogger, 4 Mar. 2018,

www.thedaringlibrarian.com/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2015.

Farmer, Lesley S.J. Managing the Successful School Library: Strategic Planning and Reflective

Practice. Neal-Schuman, 2017.

“ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education - Home.” ISTE - International Society

for Technology in Education - Home, www.iste.org/.

Jhabley. “Membership in AASL.” American Association of School Librarians (AASL), 19 Feb.

2018, www.ala.org/aasl/about/join. Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.

Johnston, Melissa P. “Blurred Lines: The School Librarian and the Instructional

Technology Specialist.” TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve

Learning, vol. 59, no. 3, 1 May 2015, pp. 17–26. ERIC, EBSCOhost. Accessed 25 Mar.

2018.

Kolb, Liz. Learning First, Technology Second: The Educator's Guide to Designing Authentic

Lessons. International Society for Technology in Education, 2017.

“Leader.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leader

Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.

“Membership.” Maryland State Education Association, 12 Sept. 2014,

www.marylandeducators.org/membership. Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.

Miller, Debbie. No More Independent Reading without Support. Heinemann, 2013.

Miller, Shannon McClintock. “The Library Voice.” The Library Voice,

 Wilcox 10

vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2015.

Moreillon, Judi. “Making the Classroom-Library Connection.” EL Kurdyla Publishing

LLC, Teacher Librarian, vol. 43, Feb. 2016, p. 8. MasterFILE Premier. Accessed 25

Mar. 2018.

National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. ALA

Editions, an Imprint of the American Library Association, 2018.

“Personal Membership.” Membership, 22 Jan. 2018,

www.ala.org/membership/memberbenefits/benefitspersonal. Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.

“Posts.” EdWeb, home.edweb.net/webinars/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.

Watkins, Heidi. No Fear Coding: Computational Thinking across the K-5 Curriculum.

International Society for Technology in Education, 2017.

Weisburg, Hilda K., and Susan D. Ballard. Leading for School Librarians: There Is No Other

Option. Neal-Schuman, 2017.

Welz, Krista. “School Librarians and Open Educational Resources Aid and Implement Common

Core Instructional Content in the Classroom.” Knowledge Quest, no. 4, 2017, p.

62. Edsgao, EBSCOhost. Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.