My MSOTY Story

Newton County Schools: Media Superstar

About this publication

This publication is designed to provide an exciting overview of my passion for the media center. You will read interesting facts about me and about the support student's receive through my library. I hope to inspire YOU!

Welcome to the RAM Center

I serve my school & I want to serve my school well. I want to preserve the close, creative, & caring relationships with students & colleagues that I had as a classroom teacher. I do not want this center to be set apart, I want it CENTRAL to school life.
With this mission in mind, I strive to maintain a space that when the doors are pushed open, whether who enters is a student, staff, or parent... they feel this space is made for them. To serve their current need, be it relaxation, reading, work, or support.

Misty Morgan

When I became a media specialist a little over three years ago, my mind was still very much in my classroom. I always felt that what happened in my space, work or play was dependent on how that space made my students FEEL.
I have worked hard in my time so far to nurture the same focused, relaxing, and empowering atmosphere in my RAM Center as I did in my classroom. Reading, working, resting... I want this media center to be the place students KNOW they can 'get it done.'
Making the physical and emotional space something fluid and focused on student success and mental wellness is paramount in my goals. I believe that everything else, relationships, hard work, and an increase in reading and literacy will stem from this if the students want to be in the space.

A Media Center For Students

Making Reading FUN Again!

After years of Lexile-based programs, AR points, and classroom sets we find that many students have lost the enjoyment of reading. As an AP teacher, I had Top 10 students who told me that they came to HATE reading in middle school because they were told so often what they COULD and COULD NOT read.
As a result, I worked to make reading intriguing, rewarding and ALWAYS student-guided. I developed a series of various challenges which students could participate in to fit whatever they wanted to read.
Our BINGO challenge is the most inclusive of our catalog, challenging students to read some of everything we have to offer. Our Read Across America and Around the World Challenges allow students to hold more to fiction or non-fiction if they wish. Our Genre-Master Challenge for those wishing to stay in their preferred fiction comfort zone. All challenges regardless of level or focus come with reward and recognition!

Empowering Knowledge Seekers!

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Possibly the biggest and most lasting COVID change to the RAM Center is how we work with students new to research techniques. When we left school on March 13th, 2020 it became clear that we needed a more accessible interface for learning how to find and apply information, especially when students had to teach themselves to a certain extent.
While my students were no strangers to tutorial videos, I wanted something more lasting that they could return to time and again for all their library and research needs in one central online hub. So, I took to Canvas and created their very own research center not only offering simple tips and tricks but connecting them to indispensable resources like GALILEO and OWL Purdue.
I still work with classes and students on a regular basis to introduce and fine-tune best research practices. However, they now have full 24/7 access to the RAM Center from anywhere. This has been pivotal in empowering our students to make the best of virtual learning, 1-to-1 technology, and prepare themselves for their futures in college and career.

A Media Center For Students

A Whole New World

1-to-1 Changes Everything

As a teacher and as a media specialist I had spent years watching the battle of Old School vs. New School in terms of technology. While I and some of my colleagues had embraced Canvas, Sway, Nearpod, and various tech learning interfaces, others had been reluctant or in some cases adamantly refused. They placed bans on headphones and cellphones, preferring mounds and mounds of copies to computer labs. Despite our best efforts in training, tutorials, and PLCs the only highly accepted methods of tech-based teaching remained PowerPoint and Kahoot. One thing became clear on March 13, 2020. That battle was over.
With 1-to-1 entire corridors of new doors opened to work with teachers and students. Sadly the change came with a bit more speed and stress than some were comfortable with but the opportunities were there nonetheless. It was up to me to make them as painless as possible. Now that the majority of our school is well versed and comfortable with the essential programs of Canvas, Zoom, and Classwise, it has been challenging and exciting to introduce new horizons to teachers and students.
Book Creator has been a huge hit across the board from students creating their own novels to interest projects in STEM core and elective classes. The frequent new updates and features of this program provide endless opportunities to re-engage with classes who have used it before and win new followers every day. I have worked with teachers and students in Canva and Adobe Spark to create their own infographics, presentations, and posters.
I have also begun making efforts to provide more eBook and Audiobook resources for our core content areas. One of the only downsides I have seen in the RAM Center as a result of 1-to-1 is that fewer classes are physically brought to the space when conducting research. Even when I am working with the students myself, I am usually called to the classroom. Fewer students in the space and fewer book cart requests mean that the non-fiction section I have been working hard to update is seeing less circulation. It seems the preferred road is the one of least resistance... aka. 'Put it in Google!'
To help remind teachers and students both that it is still beneficial to use a direct source both to build skills and gain trusted information, I have begun curating a non-fiction 'eBrary' that classes can access for topics ranging from current events to college and career. I have also made sure to include eBook and Audio copies of the works read in our ELA classes to ensure that all of our students have equal preferred access as much as possible.

A Learning Environment For Teachers

Getting In The Door

Would you let a stranger in your home?
Of course, you wouldn't! Even when necessary, the situation is tense and uncomfortable. Your guard is up, you're on edge, you are moderately accommodating at best and hostile at worst. So, why are so many media specialists surprised at the pushback they receive from teachers when they reach out in hopes of collaborating on lessons or crossing that classroom threshold. Just like with the students, it's all about relationships and respect, a trust to be earned and built.
As such, I work hard to make myself integral into my teachers' lives and prove not only my willingness to help, but what I can offer! Start small, especially with those new to the building or profession and it can grow into big, productive partnerships. I always offer certain support services to my teachers, from completing their laminating and printing posters to supplying them with engaging and unique supplies for lessons, games, and events. I am blessed with amazing support in my clerk and student aids, allowing me to offer my services to assist in finding them the perfect reading passages, images, and resources to include in their lessons. Once I have built that strong and supportive relationship I am able to fully engage with them in collaboration, helping create plans and graphics, lead and monitor lessons, and provide whatever assistance is necessary in real-time to students and staff.
In cases when time or other obligations do not permit me to take a more hands-on approach to plan and assist my teachers, I provide them with simple and effective resources such as video tutorials, professional development opportunities, scholarly books and articles, and new programs to make planning and execution as painless as possible. 'Teaching them to fish' ensures that I can help as many as possible, especially when my duties take me elsewhere. Of course, I prefer to help myself because that is where the fun is, right?

Getting THEM In The Door

RAMS RISE!

The RAM Center hosts a variety of events throughout the school year which encourages students to come in and explore. In addition to our challenges we lean on the seasons and holidays to add a little extra fun! Scavenger hunts for Candy Canes in December and Shamrocks in March give students a prize if they find the items and check out books. Trying out a romance novel in February gets you a candy valentine while Trick-Or-Treat RAM Center in October challenges students to face their fears with the horror novels! This has brought in seniors who boast they haven't been in a library since middle school and everyone leaves with something to READ!

Two things have driven me to be more involved in my community of media specialists this year on a local, state, and national level. I hope that my efforts have benefitted others as much as they have my own space.
The first focus and wish of my becoming a media specialist have been to provide NHS and my RAM FAM with much-needed stability in both the center's operating systems and to grow a reputation as a central hub of the school. I was the third media specialist in as many years and as such there was little consistency in how materials and the space were managed as well as how I and the space were viewed. I have spent a large amount of time discussing what the media specialists in my cohort have seen work as well as the best-recommended practices of AASL and GLMA. Through this, I have scaffolded the collection to ensure it stays relevant and current, rebranded the space to be student-driven and stress-free, and built strong relationships with all in my school and county cohort. I never hesitate to share ideas or accept advice.
The current climate surrounding schools and media centers is that second driving force. This is not the year to sit idly by as others seek to impede our students' freedom to read or our teachers time tested autonomy for political gain. As such, I have spent much more time than usual on threads and topics on how to continue supporting students, teachers, authors, and the like for the benefit of our schools and communities at large.

A Learning Environment
For Teachers

"Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things."
- Theodore Levitt

Work, Play & Relax Away

I am very fortunate to have such a large and open space and I try to use it to its full potential for learning, exploring, and relaxing as I want this center to be used for all students and all purposes.
I have rearranged the furniture to provide for both a communal setting large enough for groups or whole classes, as well as guest speakers and presentations. On the opposite side, I have spread our armchairs and benches to allow students to work alone or read in comfort. We also have two long rows of computer stations down the middle. Currently, to adapt to the students and their technology as we have gone 1-to-1, I am in the process of removing half of these desktops to provide for wider workspaces and more charging opportunities. Students can situate themselves in any environment they choose to help them focus and accomplish their goals.
I recently built 'creation kits' for students and groups working on creative projects to pick up and use as they wish. These kits include a variety of supplies such as rulers, scissors, coloring tools, and more! Students can pick up to go trashcans, butcher paper, stencils, maps, and a variety of other items as needed to help them stay in the zone of their work. Students who come to the RAM Center are shown how to be self-sufficient in whatever they need from scanning and printing to using the die-cut machine and more. We want students to think of the entire center as a workspace set up for their every need.
To assist in individual work and research as much as possible, I have spent time creating signs, guidelines, and tips to post at the computer stations to show them where to go and how to use the various resources we offer. I have 'genre-fied' the fiction section using colored labels so that students can find certain types of books they may like while not segregating themselves to one genre section alone. I have done a modified 'genrification' of the non-fiction section. I wished to hold true to the Dewey system they would utilize in universities and other academic programs but assist them in finding broad topics such as 'College and Career' and 'Diseases' fast to aid their search efforts.
I have also made a great effort to provide spaces in the center for students to explore new hobbies, such as our Post-Crossing Station where students can write postcards to others around the world. I also created the Stress-Less Station, an extremely popular area where students can relax through coloring, puzzles, aromatherapy, and sensory experiences. This has helped make the RAM Center an environment that students want to visit and utilize which in turn puts them in the vicinity of very inviting and intriguing book covers! Teachers also have begun working with us to use trips to the RAM Center as incentives and PBIS rewards.
All in all, while we may not have a traditional maker space in the terms of the robotics and coding kits you frequently see these days, there are plenty of opportunities for students to use critical thinking and creative skills through a variety of items they can get their hands on in our space!
Most importantly, I am currently trying to get students involved in making this space their own. We display student work, share their efforts through our social media pages, and encourage them to write their own reviews and recommendations which we post monthly! I bring attention to what they love through shouting out books, challenges, and activities on the daily announcements that I make for the school. I also use this medium to shout out those students who complete our challenges, bringing in more participating students every day. Most recently, we held an art contest for our students to design posters with a reading theme to be displayed in the media center, a contest I plan to repeat soon!
Needless to say, rebranding and remaking the library into the RAM Center, a place where students feel comfortable to come and work, read and relax on their own terms, a place they and their teachers WANT to be, has been a long road. It has, however, had endless benefits for our space and circulation. We have some rebuilding to do still after so many students being out of our schools but I look forward to where we go from here. There's still so much I want to do for our school!

A Space For Collaboration

Making the RAM Center Central to the School

This year I finally was able to join the leadership and planning team at my school. I have been working to be added to the team ever since becoming a media specialist as I considered it was essential to stay ahead of what my teachers and students needed and how best I could assist the school. Now that I am working more closely with the counselors, administrators, department chairs, and instructional coaches, I have been able to hear concerns and issues facing them and immediately offer how I could work as a media specialist to support them. This has already led to more opportunities for me to lead luncheons and PLCs when possible and work with the academic leaders in our schools for what resources could be beneficial in the future.
I wrote defenses for the classroom novels that our core area teachers wanted to teach which were presented to the board. I reviewed materials, programs, readers, and novels that teachers were considering and offered my opinion for choice and lesson plans. I also worked with our L4GA team and Title-1 team with deciding where we should allocate funds to best serve and support our teachers and students. I feel that I have been able to be much more involved and informed this year and as a result, I have been able to use my abilities to the fullest and build my school relationships even stronger.

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