Media Mavens

As a student, have you ever been sitting in a classroom and feel "totally lost" while the student sitting beside you seems to understand everything??? Or maybe you have a friend who can recite every word from a poem or song that he/she just heard. There is a reason for this--diversity! Diversity means that we are all different—none of us are exactly the same. Some of us are blonde, others brunette. Some of us speak with a strong southern drawl, and others with a more northern accent. Some of us are visual learners, while others are more auditory learners. We are all special and unique--that's what makes us who we are. If we were all the same the world would be a very boring place! This is true of technology and the media center. The media needs to be a place full of an assortment of materials and technology to fit all needs, interests, and learning styles. For example, I absolutely LOVE reading books on history and politics. I find the topics fascinating and exciting. However, I would venture to guess that there are many of you who are thinking right at this moment “how boring!!” and would rather have the flu than sit down with a history book in hand. Let’s ponder for a moment--what if you went into a media center and all it seemed that was on the shelves were books on history and political science—would you be interested? Would you consider there to be a lot of variety? The answer is obviously a resounding NO! As media specialists we need to include materials on all subjects and interests. We also need to make certain that materials are available in different reading levels and formats. Due to different learning styles and varying languages spoken, materials should be accessible in audio format and video format, when at all possible. Media specialist need to encourage diversity through purchasing and providing materials that will meet the needs of ALL students, not just a select few. Bilingual students and students with special needs should be able to come into the media center knowing that they will find materials that will help and interest them. It is our responsibility as media specialists to make certain our collections are as diverse as the patrons who use them. Encouraging an open-mind and knowledge on different cultures, religions, faiths, and traditions are all part of supporting diversity in the media center. Materials should reflect the uniqueness of us all.

Technology is also a great tool in helping support diversity in media centers. There are many software programs and websites that can be used to help ESL and multilingual students with reading and spelling, as well as math and science. During my field experience, I observed ESL students using a website called Starfall.com. This site provided reading instruction by using reading games to help the students learn. Also, I watched as students with learning disabilities used a website called Raz-kids.com to help them learn to read. Other sites being used included BrainPop and WordBuilder, among many others. There is so many different websites and technologies to choose from to meet the DIVERSE needs of our students. As media specialists, we need to embrace our differences and make certain that we use a variety of software programs, websites, and materials to meet the needs and interests of all.