Communicating, Collaborating and Creating

Andy Ulrich, Social Studies Teacher

Erica Thorsen, Librarian

Albemarle High School

Charlottesville, VA

Albemarle High School

Albemarle High School - Learning Community

• Nearly 2,000 students
• Diverse learners and needs
• 150 teachers
• Math, Engineering and Science Academy (MESA)
• Strong athletic programs
• Strong performing and fine arts programs
• Growing ESOL population
• Active and enthused student body

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Library - Past

• Traditional Spaces
• Traditional Uses

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Evolution

• Due to retirement, two new librarians began last school year
• Updates needed in many aspects of library spaces, materials and practices
• Challenge: Accomplish updates without losing best loved parts

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Evaluating Priorities

• Taking spaces used for adult offices and storage and returning them to students.
• Updating collection
• Capitalizing on web presence and social media
• Providing a varied experience for school community

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Spaces

Collection

• June 2013 - average age was 1989
• November 2014 - average age is 2000
• Weeded a TON of books
• Examined usage and check out trends

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Collection

Collection/ Instruction

• Web Site
• How-tos
• Screencast-O-Matic
• Screencastify Chrome Extension

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• Database highest usage times -

Friday nights, 11pm - 1am

Instruction

• What are we teaching?
• Digital Literacy and Citizenship
• Connecting and Communicating
• New technologies
• 3D printing
• UDL browser extensions
• Clearly
• Speak It

World History 3D Rome Project

Interest

It’s cool

Incorporation

into History

Collaboration

I needed help

Execution

Needed materials

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World History 3D Rome Project

Research

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Engineer

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Audience

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Preparation

Project Rubric

Rethinking Notes

Google Maps,

Incorporating Geography

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11th Grade Project

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Cold War

Contact Info

Andy Ulrich

aulrich@k12albemarle.org

@in2football

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Erica Thorsen

ethorsen@k12albemarle.org

@ethorsenahs