Words to consider:
- creativity; generate new ideas; create original works; innovation; publish; creative and artistic formats
- interact, collaborate with peers, experts, or others; teamwork; personal or group expression
- variety of media and formats
- global awareness; consider diverse and global perspectives
- solve problems; critical thinking; critical stance
- inquire; display curiosity; plan and conduct research; locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information; multiple resources and formats; social networks and information tools to gather and share information
- personal responsibility for lifelong learning; personal learning
- digital citizenship; safe and ethical behaviors
- demonstrate flexibility; adaptability; openness to new ideas; persisting in information searching despite challenges
- reflect on learning
- participate and collaborate in societal and intellectual networks
- use information and technology ethically
- demonstrate leadership and confidence
- present formally and informally; multiple audiences; share new understandings
- social responsibility
- read, view, and listen for pleasure and growth; read widely and fluently
- make connections to self, world, and other texts; respond to literature
- transliteracy, transmedia
It wasn’t so much that I wanted to use every word and phrase that I wrote down as I wanted to make sure that what I wrote was grounded in the language of the standards. Finally, I started writing. This is what came out.
The vision of the David C. Barrow Elementary Media Center is to be a learning commons flowing with innovation, collaboration, curiosity, adaptability, critical inquiry, and transliteracy.
The mission of the David C. Barrow Elementary Media Center is to offer cutting-edge instruction and programming that develops innovative leaders who create content that reaches a global audience.
The David C. Barrow Elementary Media Center is grounded in the beliefs that:
- Reading is a window to the world which can be experienced in a variety of formats for pleasure or growth.
- Creating information and story is just as important as consuming information and story.
- Access to information and story across multiple platforms is essential to learning.
- Technology is a pathway to a global audience.
- A collaborative of expertise is present in every environment.
- Flexibility and adaptability are important both in physical space and learning opportunities.
- Locating, organizing, analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and ethically using information is a crucial piece of being a responsible, digital citizen.
- Persisting through challenges strengthens understanding and confidence.
- Reflection and self assessment promote excellence.
That’s where I’m at right now. I have this draft, which I’m still working on and getting feedback on from as many people as possible, and I’m thinking about how I can show our library and program’s vision, mission, and beliefs in action.
I’m going to continue to give myself permission to not worry about it being perfect, but instead to constantly morph and adapt to the kind of learning that is taking place and the kind of learning that we want to take place in our program. I think having a vision, mission, and beliefs that truly represents the learning that takes place in libraries is important. My hope is that it will also guide the design process as my school undergoes a major renovation next year.
I welcome your feedback and invite you to also think about your own vision, mission, and beliefs.