Not So Distant Future

  When renovating a library or constructing a new one, there are so many things to consider that it can be rather overwhelming.

But an important thing not to lose in the shuffle is how to be a model for your school and your students of environmental stewardship.   Maybe your school can’t afford to have an LEED rated building or library, but maybe there are things that can be done to make the new space more environmentally sound.

I was reminded of the role of each of us recently, while reviewing the video Story of Stuff.    In it, Annie Leonard reminds us that the consumer chain is a lengthy one, that starts with production and ends with waste.  How can we, when redesigning a space in a school, do our small part to reduce the waste, or save energy, or reuse materials?

In our library design, for example, we tried to incorporate some environmentally friendly features.  We used carpet squares which are made of recycled products, ordered “green” furniture, used a lot of natural light, included switches that turn off lights automatically when someone leaves the room, added shades over large window areas to reduce air conditioning needs, and landscaped the courtyard with xeriscape plants that wouldn’t require as much water.  We also created built in recycling stations for students as a reminder to them to reuse materials.   Even picking things that are more durable, like wood shelving or seating reduces waste because these last longer and don’t have to be replaced as often.

Other things that you can do include reusing some items, using low VOC paints, or using wood or metal furniture(more recyclable)  instead of plastics where possible.

We are planning to have a display sharing what we did to be more environmentally friendly so that the library environment itself will be a learning tool for students.

We often do our part on the home front, at least regarding recycling, but too often on the work front, we neglect thinking about how to be good stewards and good role models to our students.   Annie Leonard’s video drove home for me how important that is to consider in every aspect of our lives.

Of course, libraries are a natural “resource” saver in that books are reused again and again for years, rather than purchased and tossed aside

Consider what you can do to make your environment a more responsible part of the consumer chain.

The K12 online conference begins soon(the first event is October 13).

I’m sure most readers of my blog are aware of the conference, but if you are not, it’s an all-online conference.  You attend by watching the presentations that are posted each day during the conference.  And then there are live events, like a chat during the keynote, or a 24 hour global event at the end of the conference.  

The first year I participated, I just stumbled into it, and tinkered around, and found myself in a global chat using Skype for the first time, with someone from Wales and someone from England, and it was a huge thrill.  I think about that day and how it really rocked my world.   And gained tremendous respect for the educators participating.  Who knew I would end up meeting many of them and working in collaboration with them over time?    

So if you are a presenter or organizer reading this, thanks to all of you for providing this wonderful opportunity to build enthusiasm for global online learning.  (and if you are a librarian, one of the previews already posted is on Emerging Technologies and libraries.)

    Challenged by Darren Draper’s video last year which we shared with our faculty, our math teacher, Bob Witowski took the challenge to try using cell phones constructively in the classroom(his second year at doing this assignment).

As I was driving into work this morning, I overheard on the radio a student calling in to ask the DJ’s to work an algebra problem, and suddenly realized that that it was a student from our high school in Bob’s class.

As soon as I got in, I went to the room and watched as students got text messages and calls from classrooms down the hall, as well as from other states.  His other classes got answers from Iraq, Sydney, London, etc.

As you might guess, the DJ’s were raving about what a great assignment that was, and how great that a teacher was helping students be enthusiastic about math in such a real way.

Bob charted the calls by farthest away, and closest(some down the hallway), as well as charting them on a map for students.

And the students were clearly engaged, challenged to think outside the box in terms of mining their network, and seeing that math is a shared experience globally.

Thanks to Robin Ellis for answering my text query, also!