The next day the conference officially kicked off. As someone who is NOT a fan of large crowds, I found myself distracted by the fact that I was surrounded by people that "get it"...and, even better, were friendly to boot! Sunday rolled into Monday and then Tuesday. By then I was still waiting for my "ah-ha" moment. Don't get me wrong. I was attending some great sessions, visiting numerous poster sessions with great ideas, and even sessions held by vendors that were well worth my time. Wednesday also was a great day, but by this point I was on information overload...in a good way. I had no direction yet a million ideas I wanted to share. (Again, more to come!!)
Leading up to the conference, many veteran attendees warned about the sheer-vastness of it all. The SIGMS (ISTE special interest group - media specialists)held a preconference webinar where the ladies all advised taking time to decompress and sort out what all you have learned. I did just that these last couple of days since coming home.
AND.....I HAD IT....MY AH-HA MOMENT AT LAST!!!
As I was mowing, racing the incoming huge gray rain clouds rolling in, I started mulling over all the ideas that I picked up from different sessions. Slowly, those pieces started coming together into an idea that I can run with starting NOW!
I shall become a Google-Form Goddess (or something like that)
Here are the problems I keep coming back to...all of which could be simplified with a google form!
Problem #1: Ironically, going 1:1 with iPads meant I used more paper than ever in the library. We need paperwork to track the ipad coming in. We need paperwork for when it needs to be repaired. We need paperwork when it needs to be charged overnight. Without paperwork, we quickly lost track of what needed to be done for each iPad. All of this while I was cheering teachers to "Go, Paperless, Go!! Problem #2: I was having interns backlog ALL of that paperwork into a spreadsheet where I could tell if Joe Shmoe is having a reoccuring problem or if this is indeed the first time his profiles magically disappeared. We fell behind, embarrassingly so. Plus, the spreadsheet was unfocused and chaotic at best. It did not easily pull together into usable data. Much of this had to do with us learning what we needed to do for iPad support on the fly.
Problem #3: Many students would wait weeks before getting help or turning in a broken iPad. The number one reason: not enough time to stop by the library and fill out the paperwork. Some were too shy (been there, done that). Others were worried about being late to class. (Yes, some students actually do worry about this.) :-)
Problem #4: I encourage students to read and vote on the Eliot Rosewater novels. Their vote really does matter in choosing the award winning book! I make a special display every year, put voting slips in each book, and even track down kids who read the book but didn't submit the slip. This takes a lot of time, and I still do not get very many votes in despite how many kids read the book.
Problem #5: Keeping up with all the discipline referrals is not an easy task for my administrators. The forms we use currently are huge files that often lock up their emails. Each individual form then has to be documented on a separate spreadsheet or filed so that the various administrators can look at past history.
Problem #6: This is a "good" problem. I have LOTS of student interns that help through out the day. I also have many students that volunteer to help out with various projects in the library. However, when each day is a whirlwind, I find myself not taking advantage of this help. I have found out in the last week of the semester that one of my interns has a particular knack for organizing or creating awesome signage. By this point, it is too late to make use of these awesome skills.
What do all of these problems have in common?? Data collection! And a google form can do just that for me. Even better, it will collect the information and put it in a pretty organized form and even graph it!
So...I have had my first ah-ha moment, and I'm positive it will not be my last! Now to make it happen....who can help?? Have suggestions?
Reply below, contact me on Twitter @cybrarianjenn
