InFACTory

So You Went to Charlotte

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:54:00 +0000

You saw a lot of great new products at the conference. You heard some fabulous ideas. They sounded so compelling, and you can’t wait to try them back home, but your mind is trying to get a grasp on what to do first. What can a conference goer do to synthesize all the wonderful ideas into useful projects for teachers and students?
One reason a lot of good ideas fall by the wayside is because reality hits when we get back to work. There are schedules and meetings, urgent needs and district filters. When faced with a time crunch, many people simply throw up their hands and say there is no time.
So, is there a middle ground? A safe haven where you really can improve your program in a practical way without a huge time commitment, a lot of money, or undue stress? Yes, and it is relatively easy:
Don’t try to do it all at once. Pick one new product or strategy and become very familiar with it and how you can use it with your students. Try it out with one class. When you get positive feedback, work it into your program. Make it successful. Then, try the next big thing.
A gradual implementation of tools and strategies is much more likely to meet with success than trying to do too much too quickly.
A knowledge of Gartner’s (1995) Hype Cycle might help, too. Gartner theorized that adaptation of innovations does not follow a steady path. Rather, it rises and falls and then levels out before meeting with success. When you try something and it doesn’t go so well, don’t give up. You have simply become familiar with what Gartner calls the “trough of disillusionment;” but, if you persist, you can achieve the “plateau of productitivity.”

References

Fenn, J., & Raskino, M. (2008). Mastering the hype cycle: How to choose the right innovation at the right time. Boston, MA: Gartner, Inc.

So You Went to AASL

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar:
• You found more good sessions to attend at AASL than you had time for
• You made a point of attending one that sounded great and it was full before you got there
• You really wanted the hand-out and there weren’t enough
• You missed the URL for the eco-friendly handout
• You barely squeezed in and then couldn’t see a thing on the screen or hear well, either!
• You made good notes but lost them because they were stuffed down deep in your bag of vendor goodies
Perhaps some of these ring a bell? What can you do?
Go to the AASLvirtualconference page. Check out the comments of others on the concurrent sessions. Follow the podcasts of the sessions you missed. Visit the blogs listed there and read about the things learned. Search the conference tweets using hashtag #AASL2009. Ask lots of questions. Who went? What was new and exciting? How can you learn more? Get involved and online. Post a comment, tweet, blog, and read those of others.
Stop lurking and join the discussion! We want you to be a part of our professional community!

New Waves of Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Howard Rheingold (2008) proposed that the new wave of cooperative and collective social action will revolutionize business operations. In a videotaped presentation of his ideas on the new collaborative way of doing business, Rheingold gave examples of NGOs posting problems that students have solved, of ebay's feedback mechanism that solved the "prisoner's dilemma," of Wikipedia being created free with the contributions of volunteers, and other mass collaborative efforts. This sort of collaboration has replaced the old survival of the fittest mentality where the idea of success was to "defeat, destroy, and dominate the competition" (Rheingold, 2008).

Collaboration, as Rheingold (2008) described, is based on social constructivist principles that value collaborative input in constructing knowledge. Social constructivism proposes that reality is devised by the course of daily human life, that knowledge is co-constructed by humans working together, and that learning occurs in groups. I do tend to agree that humans have a natural inclination to gather together. The old adages, "There is strength in numbers," and "No man is an island," show support for this observation.

New technologies that support constructivism continue to emerge. The move to open source software applications is an example of ways technology can facilitate collaboration based on constructivist principles. Cloud computing, one of the new technologies to watch, as mentioned in the 2009 Horizon Report (Johnson, Levine, & Smith, 2009), allows massive databases to be accessed online anytime, anywhere, further facilitating collaborative knowledge construction. An example of cloud computing from my own field is our new library catalog, which is available online for all staff and students to access 24/7. Those who login are able to search for resources, renew items on loan, place items on hold, and make requests for materials. They can also communicate with me and others from within their accounts. Another new technology mentioned in the Horizon Report is mobile technology. Smartphones and Internet-accessible devices such as PDAs, allow users online access and communication any time, any place.

There can be no doubt that technology will continue to expand the ways in which we can work together to collaborate and communicate via the world wide web. The Horizon Report mentions a number of technologies to watch over the next few years. Possibly there are some technologies which are in the development stages that have yet to be explored as collaborative tools. The emergence of Web 3.0 and higher speeds of access will certainly create new opportunities for collaboration, as well. We live in an exciting age when the opportunity to work together is limited only by our collective imaginations.

References

Johnson, L., Levine, A., & Smith, R. (2009). The 2009 Horizon Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Rheingold, H. (2008). Way-new collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Hard Writing, Easy Reading: Dissertation Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Writing a dissertation is perhaps the most humbling mission I have ever experienced. Not that I thought it would be easy, but I did think that perhaps my writing experience would help out just a bit. Authoring numerous books and journal articles seemed to be an advantage at first, but I had no idea how little it would mean in the overall scheme of things. I certainly had little understanding of the scholarly language, parsimony, concision, clarity, organization, and synthesis I would need to employ, let alone the rigors of APA formatting. And, just when I thought I had done it all, APA released its 6^th edition! So, I am back at the chopping block, editing again.

I did intend to remain green, but I have found that numerous readings and editings have made it quite difficult to find the errors while staring at a computer screen. I have been forced to print out the entire dissertation numerous times as I have edited, and my mound of paper for recycling is growing.

Thankfully, I have found some willing readers who have patiently helped me along the way. I have also found a number of scholarly sources of information that have been invaluable. I highly recommend the Owl at Perdue as well as the APA style site for formatting questions.

I have also observed that few faculty and scholars are able to teach the skill of scholarly writing. While it is an iterative process, some students may simply spin their wheels and never cross the bridge to scholarly style side of the river without an understanding of the rigor and specific examples. I did find a very helpful article, and website though, that explains the practice as well as things to avoid. I also found a few software tips that might be helpful: a free download for Firefox called Zotero will keep sources and annotations and format your reference list. I also found that Microsoft OneNote 2007 is an excellent way to annotate research docs, store notes and media files, and keep research organized in one place.

I also learned what not to do! I chuckle when I think of the numbers of students in some of my classes who write as if they think that huge words and sentences will impress their committees. I also laugh when I read writing that never seems to make an intelligible point, except that perhaps the author writes to confuse rather than inform. Rambling on and on does little to influence your scholarly case, let alone get a proposal approved. The old adage, "Hard writing, easy reading; easy writing, hard reading" says it all!.

Free the Standards!

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:08:00 +0000

A firestorm of discussion has arisen recently about permission to quote the new AASL Standards for 21^st Century Learners. The permission language that accompanies the standards states that permission must be obtained prior to use in other published works and such permission may involve a fee.

This language, however, is no different from what copyright law states. Permission to use the standards is still available for educational use that falls under fair use policies. So, school librarians have a right to use the standards in lesson planning and even training teachers and other staff about how the new standards impact education.

However, copying them, particularly in whole, or a substantial portion of them, and using them in another commercial work would, and should, require permission to use, especially if that use is for profit.

Where the wording gets a bit tricky is in the paragraph on publishing or posting excerpts. It states that permission must be granted to post any or all of the language of the standards in a print or online publication, or creating a link from that site to the pdf document. This seems to be a bit too stringent. I am certainly no expert, but it seems to me that quoting the standards or linking to the pdf file on a blog, for example, would not do any harm to AASL. In fact, it might not only bring about additional sales from users who now want to purchase their own copy of Empowering Learners or Standards for 21^st Century Learners in Action.

Some have argued that the standards should be licensed with the Creative Commons licensing, which is more contemporary as well as more open about use. The Creative Commons licensing is designed to allow original work to be reused, as long as credit is attributed to the creator of the work. The originator retains the copyright and can choose the permissions to grant for reuse of the original work.

My belief is that we cannot teach our children ethical use if we do not practice it ourselves. I realize that the printed material such as Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs, costs money. I have a legally obtained copy that I paid for. The standards for the 21^st century learner are on page 12 of this book. I realize that if I use a substantial portion of this, I must obtain permission, especially if I quote the material and publish it in, say, my next book, which is destined to become a bestseller, and therefore undercuts the ALA. I would never do this! Doing so would be a clear violation of copyright law. However, I also have a copy of the .pdf file that is available on the AASL website. I see no problem in using that for lesson planning and other educational purposes.

Cloud Computing in the School Library

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:02:00 +0000

In an increasingly web-based world, where does a school library fit in? Christopher Harris, at the recent SIGMS Forum during NECC in Washington, DC, says a school library should be in the clouds. Cloud computing, simply put, is the use of web-based apps that house data on a distant server and offer 24/7 accessibility from that server. School libraries can post their collections and online resources on the web rather than local servers and make their services accessible anytime, anywhere.

In my district, we already have our collection available on the web, through Follett's Destiny. Our library collections are available 24/7 for both teachers and students who wish to login and explore. Interlibrary loan has become a viable means of sharing resources, which are now easy to track, since our collections are online and readily available to all patrons.

What are the implications of this practice of putting school library collections in the clouds? First of all, sharing resources is simply the beginning. Online access to our collection means that teachers can collaboratively plan with us 24/7, as well. Students can locate a just-right book from their classrooms or from home and reserve it for checkout. School librarians can email resources and bibliographies to teachers when collaboratively planning for instruction. Administrators can monitor new resources added to the collection and receive regular usage reports. Evidence-based practice is easier to document.

The larger question is, will staff and students use these resources 24/7? And, how do we make it easier for them to access and utilize? How often do we need to show them how to access these? Will 24/7 access encourage collaboration or discourage it, now that they don't need to ask the librarian to check on availability.

If we build it, will they come?

24/7 Collaboration—Joy or Nightmare?

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Wiki, tweet, chat, blog, share. In a nutshell, that is my goal. I want to see if web-based tools such as these can be used to facilitate greater collaboration with my staff. Will they be more willing to collaborate if I make it easier for them to join in 24/7?

Will it be true collaboration, or simply dividing up roles, as many are wont to do when working together on a wiki. Can a wiki, document sharing, instant messaging, a blog, a microblog, or some other read-write web-based tool truly bridge the time and opportunity barriers that have so long prevented true collaboration? Or is this really the issue?

What interpersonal factors come into play when collaboration is not a common event? Is it me? Is it them? Is it because the administration doesn't enforce it? Is it something else?

All of these thoughts are running through my mind as I prepare to gather data for my dissertation. I am exploring whether social media can impact the frequency and caliber of teacher-librarian collaboration. Will classroom teachers be more willing to collaborate when the discussion is in the clouds? Will they participate at all?

I am both encouraged and anxious at the same time. Some social media are blocked in my district. Google is available, so we can network there. Blogs and wikis are generally available. Google now offers SMS, VoIP, chat, so we can experiment there. Perhaps these will provide an answer. Perhaps there is some larger issue involved. Some researchers have identified territorial issues. Will I be stepping into someone's turf by offering my services 24/7? Or will I be opening up a can of worms?

What are the implications of 24/7 collaboration and library services? Do I need to be online all the time? Run these apps on my smartphone? I am eager to find out!

Goodbye NECC, hello ISTE!

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:22:00 +0000

I am always amazed at the caliber of people who donate their time to ISTE in putting together the awesome events associated with the National Educational Computing Conference, or NECC. This year’s NECC conference was no exception. As a school librarian, I find that the events just for media specialists are high-quality learning experiences. I cherish belonging to SIGMS, and believe that my membership, along with that of other tekkie school librarians is valued and productive within ISTE.

In the future, NECC will be called simply, ISTE. I plan to continue to be a part of all that ISTE features for school librarians. In doing so, I am not simply “preaching to the choir,” but I am among a growing group of school librarians who demonstrate to technology coordinators and school administrators that media specialists are tekkies, too! In this age where school librarians continue to be marginalized and cut from budgets nationwide, it is more critical than ever that school librarians get the message out that we are visible, viable, and vocal technology consumers. I want to be a part of a group that supports technology for learning, particularly in the school library, and advocates for school librarians. In attending ISTE next year in Denver, I will be joining a network of technobrarians or libratekkies who feel as I do that we are a force to be reckoned with.

Are You Passionate About School Librarianship?

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Passion is a funny term to use. We usually think of romantic encounters when we discuss the work passion, but passion is also appropriate for strong emotions related to the profession. So, I ask you, how strong are your feelings about school librarianship? What does being passionate about school librarianship look like?

It is easy to describe passion when it comes to romance. People seem to get starry-eyed and dreamy-acting. They talk constantly of their loved one, and are always thinking of them. When was the last time you spoke of your work with stars in your eyes? What are your dreams for your job? Do you speak constantly of what you do? Are you always thinking of ways to do your job better?

If you didn't answer "yes" to any of those questions, I will ask another: what will it take to rekindle passion in your work? Sometimes couples go off on romantic weekends where they spend time together. Over a candlelight supper they speak almost reverently to each other and make plans for the rest of the evening. Do you take any time to reflect on your work and make plans for the upcoming school year?

Many school librarians I know do just that. They go to conferences and spend time talking passionately with other school librarians about their jobs. They plan and stretch and read and grow. They anticipate the upcoming school year with great excitement.

If you are one of those people, I look forward to exchanging ideas with you at NECC and AASL. AT NECC, there are a number of activities scheduled for school librarians, including the SIGMS playground, the SIGMS/Linworth/ProQuest breakfast, the SIGMS Technology Innovation Award, the SIGMS Forum, and the SIGMS annual meeting. Please join the SIGMS ning or follow SIGMS on Twitter and stay in touch!

At AASL, there will be many exciting events focused on the new standards, the Exploratorium, author events, general sessions, and more. I hope we can share ideas, reflect on what lies ahead, ask questions about the new standards, and plan together. If you are not one of those people, would you consider joining some of us and rekindling your passion?

Peggy's Picks for NECC 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:44:00 +0000

Big news! The SIGMS Forum at NECC 2009 will feature David Loertscher, Christopher Harris, Cathy Nelson, MaryFriend Shepard and Marlene Woo-Lun leading an interactive discussion about the School Library Web 2.0 and Beyond. Don’t miss this one!
• Also must-sees are Confessions of a Liberated Library Lady: Promoting Literacy with Technology (Webster), Recipes for Success:Hot Technologies to Spice Up Your Program (Lamb), Web Site Investigator: Information Forensics goes to School (Heine), Guerilla Web Searching: Tactics To Get The Information You Want (Luscre), and, of course, Library Tools Smackdown: A Sharing Session for Teacher-Librarians (Valenza).
• Also don’t miss: physical tours of the Library of Congress, Navigating the Library Of Congress: An Advanced Tour, Library of Congress: Power of Primary Sources Teaching Primary Sources from the LOC, Library of Congress Online.
• Finally, be sure to attend: Develop Deeper Understanding by Teaching with Digital Primary Sources, Collaborating on a Wiki Among Classes of Different Academic Levels, SUPE my content! Creating 21st Century Digital Learning Objects, Placeholder: ITRT and Library Media Specialist--what a combination.
This will be the year to attend NECC, June 28-July 1 without a conflict with ALA, which is scheduled July 9-15.

Relevance and Resistance to Change

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:14:00 +0000

It isn't the first time I have mused about innovations. I am currently reading Rogers' (1995) Diffusion of Innovations for the third time and considering what really makes a sweeping change occur. He is right about the factors that cause a sweeping change in society, but I wonder about how relevant Rogers' theory is to local changes.

For example, at my school, we are adjusting to our fourth new principal in eight years. The assistant principals have changed equally as frequently, if not more so. Of course, as Rogers (1995) says, there is uncertainty with each change. Each new principal has had a different leadership style and very different personalities.

However, some have met more resistance than others. I believe it has more to do with relevance than it has to do with ability, personality, or power struggles. Everyone knows the principal is the one in power. Everyone accepts that each one has different abilities and personalities. The secret to success seems to be the knack of identifying the specific and relevant needs at the time and dealing well with them, and then change is more easily accepted.

Relevance is a key issue in technology adoptions, too. All too often, our district has been eager to adopt the next new technology trend or teaching strategy, only to find that it isn't well accepted among the teaching staff. Last night I was reflecting on the money that was spent on videodisc players and videodisc collections. I recently weeded four old players and an assortment of videodiscs from our collection. They were an expensive investment that failed. At the time, videodisc players were a cutting-edge innovation.

How can a technology innovation fail? Just being cutting-edge doesn't make a technology a "must-have." Innovations must be relevant to succeed. Some are more relevant than others. Wikis and blogs make sense in my world and are relevant to what I do. Virtual worlds are not. They are blocked by my district, for one thing. For another, it is too time consuming to create an avatar, clothe him/her, find a suitable place to exist, and learn to walk/fly properly. Time is precious. Any technology I use must be quick and easy, so virtual worlds are a no-go.

What, then, makes an innovation relevant? Meeting personal and professional needs, ease of use, ease of access, cost, learning curve, to name a few. And don't forget relevance. My students aren't interested in avatars and don't see the point. Like me, they prefer quick and easy. My co-workers resist anything that requires too many steps to initiate. Time is precious. We all want to get the most out of the time invested in any innovation. Technology developers, are you listening?

Virtual Environments and Collaboration

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:24:00 +0000

During our pre-planning week, I was discussing collaboration and scheduling with my co-workers when a teacher asked if she could schedule her class through email. I was a little afraid to answer this because we had tried using a scheduling function of our email software program in the past with little success. Also, when teachers scheduled classes from their computers, we had little or no interaction—the element of collaboration was substantially cut out. I answered "no," and explained that email was ineffectual as we needed to collaborate so that I could prepare for her students and provide the richest possible experience for them on their visit to the media center.

Later, I worried that I had made a critical faux pas. Would people assume from my response that I was difficult to work with? I approached that teacher and tried to smooth things over, assuring her I wanted the best for her kids. She agreed and did come in with her students the very first day of school!

I also worried that others would think that I meant we couldn't email ideas back and forth. But several did email me about available times and potential projects, so I think my worries were unfounded. I began to wonder, however, how the virtual environment can impact collaboration. Is it truly necessary for collaboration to be face-to-face? Is virtual collaboration as effective? Do levels of collaboration improve when conducted through email? As we become increasingly virtual, what impact will the virtual library have on staffing and scheduling? The more I pondered this issue, the more I wanted to research it.

Penny for your Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Call me old-fashioned, but I think that some technology tools are enabling a communication breakdown. For example, there is the case of the email that is misinterpreted due to the fact that inflections, tones, facial expressions, and body language cannot be conveyed effectively. Then there is the urgnt txt msg that is difficult to decode. There are the faxes that are too faint to read clearly. And who hasn’t received a message to visit a website that is blocked, requires a login, or has a popup that won’t work without a file download that is disabled on your computer? Finally, there are the “dear john” type messages sent in email to avoid a face to face confrontation. Of course, I use communications technology all day, every day, but, I can’t help but wonder about the person who is within sight, yet emails me rather than speaks to my face. Is there a hidden message here?

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about collaboration: specifically, what works well, what fails to work at all, and what works, but needs improving. I have read the literature and all the library impact studies that say that student achievement is maximized when teachers and librarians collaborate on instructional activities. I have also thought that maybe the reason collaboration is so difficult to achieve with everyone is because communication is so difficult during the school day.

Do I txt the teacher in the next building that I have found the perfect book for her class, or email, knowing that she probably won’t see her email until the day ends? Do I walk down and interrupt her class, knowing that she might appreciation the interruption once she finds out why I have come by? Do I try to flag her down during her planning when I also have two classes coming to use online resources and a computer problem I need to address?

And how do I keep my friends posted on news when firewalls and filters keep things blocked? Do I twitter if they don’t? Blog, even though I know they aren’t allowed at work? Do I try to post to a wiki that requires a login and thus a wait period, so it isn’t really “quick” after all? What about the ning that I can upload to, but the filter or firewall blocks my files? A penny for your thoughts!

Please visit the sigms wiki on collaboration and let the world know what you think about collaboration.
http://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net/

Public Libraries are Alive and Well in AK!

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:35:00 +0000

My husband and I just returned from a long-awaited trip to Alaska. We cruised the famous inside passage and visited the ports of Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Victoria, BC as well as Tracy Arm fjord. Visiting in the city ports, I made an interesting observation: public libraries are alive and well in AK! As I am in graduate school working on my Ph.D., I had to be sure to post my coursework, so in each port we visited, we hunted for an Internet café or public library. We found beautiful public libraries in Juneau and Skagway, and they were busy places. The computers were constantly in use, of course, and while folks were waiting to use them, they were reading—local papers, current magazines, books, and more. I was content to wait my turn while I observed the reading habits of local Alaskans.

Another interesting observation I made was that the local Internet cafés were not up to par. First of all, it seems that they networked one computer so that it had multiple keyboards and monitors, which of course, slowed down the processor. But the processors also shared one Internet connection, which was really slow. In the first one we visited, we purchased a card, logged on, and waited twelve minutes without establishing a connection to the Internet. What's more, there were many other customers who had the same problem. In the next port, we tried again, with no luck. Only in Ketchikan did we actually get online through an Internet café.

We found the public libraries we visited to have friendly, helpful, staff, and best of all, fast and reliable Internet connections. They were not only beautiful, busy places, but they were also the best choices for Internet access in Alaska!

Why Should Media Specialists Attend NECC?

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:41:00 +0000

On the way home from the NECC conference in San Antonio, I sat beside a woman from VA who was from the office of professional development in her school district. As we introduced ourselves, she was shocked to find out that I work as a media specialist. She wondered why I would be attending a technology conference. I pointed out that my job requires the use of technology all day long and that around 25% of conference attendees are media specialists, like I am. She was incredulous. No media specialists she knew even used technology, she said. It was my turn to be shocked. What about the library automation system, the databases and online resources, I asked her. She reported that the online resources were made available through technology services, not the library department, which had no budget. Furthermore, the librarians were "good with books" she said, but did not teach, nor did they use technology with any students. I suggested that her media specialists should attend NECC next year in DC.

This brings up an important issue. What do other school librarians do when they find that the dates for ALA and NECC conflict? First of all, next year, for the first time in a while, the dates do not conflict! Also, ALA 2009 will be in Chicago and NECC 2009 will be in DC, so they are not too far apart. But if budgets only allow one conference or the other, how do you choose? Some of us prefer to attend NECC and AASL conferences, which do not conflict. Others go part of the time to one conference and part of the time to the other, or attend one conference one year and the other conference the next. But Joyce Valenza, speaking on the benefits of membership in SIGMS, the ISTE special interest group for media specialists, brought up a significant point: attending NECC gives media specialists a chance to be a visible part of the larger community of technology integrators; it shows that media specialists are not just technology users but technology leaders, too. As Joyce, says, it shows that school librarians are the CIOs—Chief Information Officers—of the schools. Attending the NECC conference is making a deliberate statement, particularly to all those out there who tend to ignore the school librarian's role as part of the technology team, as one of the key players. It shouts out that our calling as school librarians is to utilize any and every technology tool that makes information more accessible and relevant to our students. We share this message (and all the great tools we have found) with each other at ALA, but we get this message out to administrators and tech coordinators by being visible and vocal at conferences such as NECC.

Lucky Girl!

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:49:00 +0000

I had my return visit to the maxillofacial surgeon today. Someone from the doctor’s office called yesterday afternoon to remind me. “You’re scheduled for surgery,” she explained, “so no food or drink eight hours before your appointment.”

I had not expected that, so I asked her to explain. Her explanation of the pins in my bones and the procedure to install them shook me up. Apparently, what I thought I heard and what the doctor actually meant were two entirely different things.

I checked with my husband, who thought he had heard the same thing I did. The doctor would recheck my bite, and see if I needed to have rubber bands installed to help hold the jaw in place.

When we got in to see the doctor, he checked my x-rays again and he examined my jaw, my bite, and asked about pain and swelling. He manipulated my jaw himself, and then declared that he thought the fracture could heal on its own, without any intervention. What is fractured is known as the condolye and it sits on the temporal bone. It is a small, round, peanut-sized bone that is difficult to insert pins into or to hold with a plate. Since the fracture is a jagged, incomplete break, he feels confident that Mother Nature can handle this one.

I am so thankful that I did not allow the first doctor to force me into a treatment that wasn’t necessary. I am so thankful that this doctor took additional x-rays. I am so thankful that he took my stitches out, gently, and didn’t charge a thing. I am so thankful that he listened to me and allowed me to wait while the swelling went down so a good decision was made. I am so thankful that no further treatment is necessary, except, of course, the soft food diet for another 4-6 weeks! I am a lucky girl!

Fractured Jaw Saga Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:42:00 +0000

Because I had such rude treatment at the maxillofacial surgeon I saw previously, I visited a third maxillofacial surgeon yesterday afternoon. I say “third” because the first one visited me in the emergency room. He was kind and compassionate, but he wasn’t on my insurance plan!

I tried calling my primary care physician’s office for another referral. Try doing that when you cannot talk, folks! I called multiple times, was put on hold, left a message, waited for a return call. Nada. I was persistent, though. My sister-in-law even called her dentist for me to get the names of some-top notch maxillofacial surgeons. It turns out one was on my health plan. I made an appointment. Then I called my PCP back and gave them the name. I was told I had just been referred to someone else, but I didn’t know that, not having gotten a call back. After some hemming and hawing, I was “allowed” to change the referral. Good thing, too!

The third surgeon was awesome! He took another round of panoramic x-rays (I think this makes five now—2 sets of panoramic and I CAT scan at the hospital and one set at the previous doctor’s office). He looked at the previous x-rays and we viewed the new x-rays together. I could see the area of the fracture clearly—upper left jaw near my ear. The doctor explained that this is a fairly common break, and, in my case, it appears that the entire area is not broken.

He patiently answered all my questions, listened to my concerns (was I whining?), and assured me I could still travel! Can you picture an Alaskan cruise on a limited diet? Well, better than not at all, right?

Instead of wiring my jaws shut, he is taking a more conservative approach….he will let the swelling go down and see if the jaw will move back into place naturally. Once he can assess the extent of the damage, he will decide if more extensive treatment is needed. Treatment options could be “braces” and rubber bands, but maybe not.

Much of the swelling has gone down now and I have a lot more movement. I haven’t tried chewing, but did have soft foods yesterday! Yeah! I can grit my teeth somewhat normally, too. I still have a little pain near my ear, but that is mild compared to everything else!

I am feeling hopeful now.

Fractured Jaw!

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:33:00 +0000

“Four to six weeks,” he told me, “and if a patient asks me when they will be removed, I add another week!”

Reeling from the shock of hearing this pronouncement, I was nearly speechless. On the one hand, I was feeling nauseated from the painkillers I was taking. On the other hand, my face was swollen, my head was throbbing, and I was hungry! I had not eaten in two days, and had thrown up what had been in my stomach prior to that—food poisoning, I thought. It had caused me to pass out on the bathroom floor, and in doing so, I had fractured my jaw.

My mind was full of questions. I had just heard from a maxillofacial surgeon that my fractured jaw would need to be wired shut to facilitate healing. While that in itself is shocking, it was his “bedside manner” that did me in. “We had a cruise planned to Alaska…” I murmured.

“You might as well write off any plans,” he continued, “as you will be visiting here each week to have the wires tightened.”

By now, my mind was screaming. We had been planning our Alaskan cruise for an entire year. I had conference coming up and a residency for my Ph.D. program. My life was full. So many people would be affected by a change in our plans. How could I do this?

“So you can schedule this for tomorrow morning,” he ended. Tomorrow morning? I thought. I need to talk to my husband. I need to make some phone calls. I need to figure this out! I can’t just say in two minutes that this life-changing process will happen tomorrow!

In the end, I decided I didn’t like this doctor’s manner or his attitude. I came home, fuming. The nerve of that guy! He had no compassion, no feeling at all in his words or his face. I chose to go with another doctor that treated me with kindness and sympathy. I felt I would have much better care. I was also able to postpone the procedure until I could get my plans changed and get a grip on what this meant to my life. No patient should be treated any other way!

Peggy's Picks for NECC 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:06:00 +0000

http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/program/default.php

21st Century Media Center Playground
Peggy Milam Creighton, Compton Elementary School and MaryJo Humphries
Monday, 6/30/2008, 9:00am–4:00pm; (locations available in mid-May)
Interactive stations showcase how the 21st-century media specialist can embrace emerging technologies and promote student-centered learning. Planned and organized by ISTE's SIGMS.

SIGMS Forum: NETS or AASL Standards for 21st-Century Learners?—A Standards Debate
Peggy Milam-Creighton, with Doug Johnson, Annette Lamb, Jamie McKenzie, Joyce Valenza, Gail Dickinson. Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 10:30am–12:30pm. Featuring a debate on how to interpret and implement the newly revised NETS and AASL standards for the 21st-century learner. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

SIGMS Membership Breakfast Sponsored by Linworth Publishing and ProQuest; Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 7 AM at the Grand Hyatt, RSVP required, open to first 150 respondees.SIGMS First Annual Award; presented before Keynote; Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 8:30, convention center.

SIGMS Annual Meeting Peggy Milam-Creighton, Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Learn more about SIG activities, network with colleagues, and engage with SIG leadership. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Feed, Tag, Research: Remixing for School Library 2.5 Joyce Valenza, Springfield Township High School with Anita Beaman, Carolyn Foote, Catherine Nelson and Judy O'Connell, Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 8:30am–9:30am; School librarians are leading learning and instructional change. Discover how we are re-visioning reading, research, and "library" for 21st-century students on the Read/Write Web. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Plan Today for Tomorrow's Library Technology Infrastructure Della Curtis, Baltimore County Public Schools with Marge Cox, Linda Goodballet and Jeanne Hayes. Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; Dramatic changes in electronic media and library technology are completely transforming the role of libraries and media centers. Will you be ready? Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

E-Books, E-Kids, E-Flat! Three Trends Libraries Ignore at Their Peril
Doug Johnson, Mankato Area Public Schools. Sunday, 6/29/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; Digital information, a Net generation, and a global economy—what strategies can librarians can use to stay relevant in their students’ lives? Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

A Farmer's Market of Healthy and Productive Internet Resources Larry Johnson, Indiana University at Indianapolis with Annette Lamb Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm;Like the classics of literature, learn to identify and use the best, current Web-based resources in your content area, including Web sites and electronic databases. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Fostering Collaborative Conversations with Online Literature Circles Sue Harris, SAISD Monday, 6/30/2008, 9:00am–11:00am; Students share thoughts, connections, imagery,and reflections throughout the US. Using Moodle they share their ideas graphically, visually, orally, and interactively.

Ida B. A.W.A.R.E.: Supporting Effective Evaluation of Online Sources Jonathan Brinkerhoff, University of New Mexico with Susan Bowdoin Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; Students generally accept Internet content as credible without critical evaluation. Using the Ida B. A.W.A.R.E. materials gets students to assess before accepting resources.

My Hero: Curriculum, Standards, NETS•S, and 21st-Century Skills
Sara Armstrong, Sara Armstrong Consulting Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm;
Through the My Hero Project, students address classroom goals by sharing stories, artwork, and short films on heroes and heroism with a global audience. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

SCORE with Graphic Inquiry, Standards, and Deep Thinking Annette Lamb, Indiana University at Indianapolis with Larry Johnson Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 12:00pm–2:00pm; Use technology to support graphic inquiry to address standards and promote deep thinking. This winning combination focuses on storytelling, communication, organization, representation, and evidence. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Teaching NETS•S III: 21st-Century Information Fluency Project Carl Heine, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy with Dennis O'Connor Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; Discover new resources for teaching information fluency to your staff and students. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS, SIGCT

Think Big, Think Global, Think 21st-Century Skills Beverly Plein, Teaneck Board of Education with Joanna Ebert Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; Motivation and engagement are the keys to students taking ownership of their learning. Develop 21st-century skills to build on student thinking. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS (contains Commercial Content)

Visual Literacy and Web 2.0: Implications and Applications for Education Nancy Sharoff, Ellenville Central SD with Maria Avgerinou Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; Develop an understanding of visual literacy and learn which free Web 2.0 tools can support and enrich visual literacy in your classroom. Sponsored by ISTE's SIGTE. Recommended by ISTE's SIGTE, SIGMS

Del.icio.us Research: Redesign Assignments with Social Bookmarking Lucie deLaBruere, St. Albans City School Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Redesign research assignments for students, increase critical thinking, and maximize your own productivity by managing online information using social bookmarking tools such as del.icio.us. Please pre-install del.icio.us. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Digital StoryTelling: Becoming StoryKeepers Bernajean Porter, Bernajean Porter Consulting with Sara Armstrong, Kevin Jarrett, Diane Lewis, Peg Sheehy and Amy Vejraskaa Monday, 6/30/2008, 4:45pm–5:45pm; Launching a national storytelling corp to produce stories for a NECC 2009 exhibit of our 30 years of efforts, challenges, and celebrations to serve our students through ed tech.

Empowering Student Writers through Technology
Adora Svitak, Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 1:30pm–2:30pm; A ten-year-old author/literacy expert demonstrates the dynamic technology-based activities that keep her, and her students around the world, excited about writing. (contains Commercial Content) (Exhibitor-Sponsored)

From Comics to Trading Cards: Teaching New Literacies Using ReadWriteThink.org
Emily Manning, Denton ISD/Texas Woman's University with Lisa Fink and Bridget Hilferty. Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; Encourage students’ creativity and collaboration by having them create comics and trading cards online. Session includes exploration of online resources, including tools and lesson plans. Requires Flash 8. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS (Exhibitor-Sponsored)

Information Literacy: Concrete Strategies to Bring Students Aboard! Eric LeMoine, Beaverton School District Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–9:30am;Do your students seem tech savvy but in reality can't judge accurateness of information sources? Leave this session with engaging strategies to help students become information literate. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Literacy Isn't Enough: Digital Fluency in the Age of InfoWhelm
Ian Jukes, InfoSavvy Group, Inc. (Canada)
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm;This session examines InfoWhelm, explains why it's essential that students be informationally, technologically, and media fluent, and provides tools to teach 21st-century fluencies. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS, SIGCT

Thinkfinity.org: Free Standards-Based Resources for 21st-Century Learners Jennifer Fritschi, Verizon Foundation Thinkfinity Monday, 6/30/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; Struggling to find ways to address specific state standards while also incorporating 21st-century skills such as problem solving and critical thinking? Thinkfinity.org is the answer! Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS (contains Commercial Content) (Exhibitor-Sponsored)

Using Technology to Think with Data across the Curriculum Karen Swan, Kent State University with Evren Koptur, Annette Kratcoski and Mark van't Hooft Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; (locations available in mid-May) Data literacy is often taught in isolation. Technology can be used to teach it across the curriculum, using digital tools to represent/manipulate data sensibly. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Visual Literacy: Equipping Students for a Visual World Lynell Burmark, Thornburg Center Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; From Facebook to Flickr, videos to billboards, it’s all about the image. Discover how to harness visual media for learning and earning. Resource-rich handout provided. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Web Site Investigator: An Introduction to Information Forensics Carl Heine, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy with Dennis O'Connor Monday, 6/30/2008, 11:00am–12:00pm; Motivate students to evaluate Web sites with information forensics. Track down elusive authors, dates, check the accuracy of claims, and more using investigative search techniques. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Will Fundamentally Change Learning Yvonne Marie Andres, Global SchoolNet Foundation with Lucie deLaBruere Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; The bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything sends educators a critical message. So let's take a look at the hottest collaborative tools, content, and implementation strategies. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

TA406 License to Thrill: Using Top Secret Technology Strategies to Learn Jeff Giddens, First District Educational Technology Training Center with Daniel Rivera and Joseph Strickland Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; Your mission, should you accept it: use free, engaging multimedia technology resources to overthrow boredom and educational apathy. Make students yearn to learn! Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS

SUF246 Literacy Isn't Enough: Digital Fluency in the Age of InfoWhelm Ian Jukes, InfoSavvy Group, Inc. (Canada) with Bruce Macdonald Sunday, 6/29/2008, 8:30am–3:30pm; This workshop examines InfoWhelm, explains why it's essential that students be informationally, technologically, and media fluent, and provides tools to teach 21st-century fluencies. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS, SIGCT

Teaching with Primary Sources to Promote Media and Traditional Literacies Cheryl Lederle-Ensign, Library of Congress Sunday, 6/29/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; Enhance traditional, information, visual, and auditory literacies using free digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress. Hands-on, inquiry-based learning will model interdisciplinary applications. Recommended by ISTE's SIGMS (Exhibitor-Sponsored)

AASL 21st Century Standards and a Shocking Revelation

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:45:00 +0000

Last week, I spent a few days in Nashville at the National Title 1 Conference. It was refreshing to find so many new ideas and creative strategies to improve achievement with at-risk learners. Many presenters had proposals for building class libraries, extending the literacy block to over two hours, and “carpooling” with other staff members to share the load and build on each other’s strengths. The general focus of many of the literacy sessions I attended was on building vocabulary to improve comprehension, writing, and even discipline. After all, kids who can’t articulate their feelings often end up punching each other! On the last day of the conference, I was shocked to realize that not one session mentioned collaborating with the school library media specialist or even making wide use of the school library collection to strengthen reading!
This shocking realization was a rude awakening for me, and brought to mind one of the many questions I have asked myself since the release of the new AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner: How can I make a case for my role in information literacy skills instruction when a majority of my students are struggling to learn to read? What are the implications of the new standards for my practice? What is the best way to integrate these new standards into my program? How will the digital divide impact the implementation of these standards? How will the school library media education programs be affected by these new standards? In what ways can practicing school library media specialists create a sense of urgency in their local systems toward adaptation of these visionary standards in order to bring all stakeholders on board?
Now, please don’t mistake my viewpoint as some of my peers have done. My questioning these issues should not lead one to the conclusion that I am not in support of them! Rather, my questioning is an attempt to absorb them into my practice, if you will, and to create a clear vision of where I go from here.
Doug Johnson has done a fantastic job of comparing and contrasting the AASL standards with the NETS-S to see where the commonalities are and where the two sets of standards differ. His comments should give us pause and lead to some deep reflection on where we stand and what our next steps should be as professionals.
If you are considering these issues, I hope that you will join us for the SIGMS Forum at NECC on Tuesday, July 1 in San Antonio where some of the best minds in the field will have their say on these issues.

SIGMS Forum at NECC 08

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:46:00 +0000

NECC 08 promises to be an exciting event in San Antonio this year. We are in the planning stages of our SIGMS Forum and have some exciting news! The topic of discussion will be a comparison of the revised NETS and the new AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner. No doubt most of you are thinking many of the same thoughts I have been since the NETS were revised and AASL revealed the new 21st Century standards.

In trying to set priorities and make the best use of my program, I have asked myself:

Do we need both sets of standards?
How can make use of both sets as well as our own state and district standards?
Where do we draw the line?
Which skill is most important?
Where do I spend the most time?
How can I meet all of these goals and still fulfill my other roles and responsibilities?

All of these issues and more will be open for discussion among members of our notable panel: Doug Johnson, Joyce Valenza, Jamie McKenzie, Annette Lamb.

Last year, the SIGMS forum was a sold-out, must-attend event at NECC. This year promises to be just as exciting. Be sure to reserve your spot. The event will be on Tuesday, July 1 from 10:30-12:30. Check here again soon for further exciting details.

New Year's Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Resolutions for My Media Center

1) I hereby resolve to seek ways to make our collection more accessible to patrons, including considering ways to shelve items that will improve visibility, circulation, accessibility, and location. While bookstore shelving has been the subject of various library list-servs, publications, and discussion groups, it is not worth considering in an elementary school, in my humble opinion. What is worth considering, however, is how to make the collection more appealing to kids, more accessible to speakers of other languages, more user-friendly, and generally provide a more interesting display to keep books circulating. One way to accomplish this is to face books out. Empty shelf spaces are great for featuring book covers, face-out. In addition, all the shelves get more use and seem fuller when used this way. Little-used and less noticed books can get equal attention when they are featured face-out. It can do wonders for your circulation. An added bonus is that it is easier to reshelve when you can simply find the shelf and set a book up on an empty space there!
2) I hereby resolve to lose weight and eliminate “fat” in our collection. Some weeding has been long overdue in our media center. A great idea I picked up at a conference was to set up a “second chance” shelf for kids who have lost or damaged a book. A great way to fill the “second chance” shelf is with well-worn titles that are nearly ready to be weeded. Once a book is returned looking shabby, it should go to this shelf, rather than be re-shelved with other books in good shape. This method eliminates overdue weeding and provides all kids an opportunity to check out.
3) I hereby resolve to improve myself by learning one new technology skill per month. I will either seek out a Web 2.0 tool I have not yet used, or register for a training on something new that I want to know more about.
4) I hereby resolve to help others stay current by sharing new skills I have learned from conferences, trainings, classes, or webinars, etc. as the opportunity may arise. In addition, I will offer such training in a variety of ways, including closed circuit television, web-based, shared drive powerpoints, handouts, email notices, face to face tips offered in staff meetings, one on one training as needed. I will also post factoids on local list-servs and in publications or share at conferences as the opportunity may arise.
5) I hereby resolve to make the most of each day by going the extra mile, staying the extra few minutes, reading extra articles and newsletters rather than deleting, and otherwise taking advantage of more of the latest and best that is available.

Just How Flexible Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:54:00 +0000

Does your library media center operate on a fixed or flexible schedule? Do you advocate for flexible scheduling while your administrator insists that you offer a fixed schedule? It may surprise you to know that not all school library media programs have a flexible schedule for classes. In fact, recent research indicates that less than half of libraries researched actually maintain a flexible schedule. In practice, the majority of schools maintain a combination schedule. Many schools with a single media specialist and no clerk may even close during the day while the media specialist goes to lunch. Some schools may close the media center part of the day while classes are held there. Would you like to compare statistics to see how your program measures up? Read the full story in this month's Library Media Connection magazine or visit their website at http://www.linworth.com/pdf/lmc/reviews_and_articles/featured_articles/Milam%20Creighton_November_December%202007.pdf

Fix It Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:48:00 +0000

Over the summer, my husband and I spent countless hours cleaning, painting, and fixing up my mother’s home. It had been on the market for several months and didn’t get a single offer. It needed updating, brightening, cleaning, and some minor handyman’s touches. My husband loves to fix things, and as we worked, we began to take pride in the many changes we had made. It looked great!

As I was mulling over the transformation, I thought about fixing up the media center at my school. What needed updating, brightening, cleaning, I wondered? What could I do to transform my program?

Last year, I had a mural painted on the walls. I got rid of the old trapezoid computer stations and instead lined up computers facing the projector screen. I moved some shelves to open up more space and added some stuffed animals, too, that fit the jungle theme.

But there was more to do.

This year, I worked out a program for instruction that included authors of the month for storytime, databases of the month for research, and information literacy skill of the month using reference resources. I decided to weed old resources and open up a space for digital video creation and a news studio. I tried using a laptop as a teleprompter for our morning news show. I added a digital video intro to our morning news to spiff it up. I worked with our technology integration specialist to create a tech tip training session list to present at staff meetings and a more in-depth training schedule to present at monthly collaborative training sessions.

But I didn’t stop there. I made a point of trying to meet with my staff on a regular basis to find out what resources they needed and what they were willing to collaborate with me in teaching. I carried news from the media center program to my weekly admin meetings with my principal. I jazzed up the school web page and began to promote it.

Has any of this work made a difference? I am now working on some assessment tools to measure our progress. Check back soon and see what I have found.

Time Management and Organization

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy Milam Creighton) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Time management seemed much more difficult to me when my children were younger. I had to work my interests in around the demands of my children, and often found myself reading during a karate lesson or napping while my children were at scout meetings. These days I do not find myself with the same time constraints, but I did learn a great lesson from raising two children: I learned to schedule everything. I always keep my calendar handy and use it for personal as well as professional events. I have a calendar at my desk, on my refrigerator, and in my schoolbag. Even though I own a PDA and a fancy cell phone, I rarely use those for scheduling. I prefer to have the calendar in front of me as a visual reminder. I have also learned a good tip: things usually take longer than you expect. With that in mind, I have learned to leave a margin of time around events and not try to do as some airlines do, and overbook. This way, I rarely have too many things run over into another day. My greatest strength is probably self-discipline. If I commit myself to something, I do my best to follow through. My greatest challenge has been having the self-confidence to believe that I can accomplish what I desire to.
Technology has been a great tool for me to use while studying. As I research a particular topic, I make folders within folders on my desktop to keep the documents together. I also keep a digital paper trail of my papers that show progress, saving and dating my documents separately. This way, if there is ever any question, I can go back through the paper trail to find out where problems developed and resolve them. I have also found that flash drives are especially helpful for large projects. I can store and sort entire file cabinets of data on one flash drive. I even have a little case in which I carry my “frequent flyer” flash drives during use so they are always handy. I have been organizing my published work so far in this way. I have a folder on my computer that is divided into sections. It contains additional folders for each publication as well as folders of resources and references. This keeps everything straight. I would be interested in learning the strategies that others in the field employ in keeping work organized and on time.