roxyawMEdPortfolio - Vision & Philosophy

Values

Reading is a window to the world. Print or electronic, reading is an economical way to see the world and learn. Anyone willing and able to read has the world at his fingertips. The ability to read, though, does not equal literacy. Literacy is also the ability to find the right information (to know where to look and how to discriminate trustworthy from untrustworthy information) and to use good information once you've found it.

The sheer abundance and variability of information (including increased use of images and audio) makes it necessary to learn and apply information skills early on. There's no reason to think information won't continue becoming even more abundant and varied as technologies continue advancing.

Kids have inquiring minds. They want to know, and they want to know what's really so. Getting into their worlds, tapping into the natural desire to seek and question: that's the challenge.

Information skills are survival skills, in my opinion. Though it sounds like an extreme statement, I think education is a matter of life and death. Education helps people do their best and increases their quality of life. Further, I think the well-being of one person has a "butterfly effect" on lives of others; no person is an island. I think if we help individuals we help civilizations; when people do their best they help the world.

The ability to recognize when information is needed, and knowing how to find, evaluate and responsibly use information, contributes not only to the quality of life of individuals but to the common good.

The mission of the school media center is

to help students learn to read and love to read,

to help students learn to find good information and use it well,

to help teachers teach all areas of the curriculum,

and to promote lifelong learning for all.

Big Ideas

Information literacy skills are learned best when taught in context. Collaborations with classroom teachers create meaningful contexts to support mastery of information skills.

School media centers exist for the benefit of the entire school population. Media centers provide students, faculty, and others physical and intellectual access to reliable, purposeful information in a variety of formats and types to suit diverse learning needs.