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VLC Home
Mrs. Holton's Library
Home and Information Center
Purpose of this page: Use the information center to invite the school community into a giant collaborative space where many contribute and all profit from the information, help, projects, exhibitions that creates a wonderful teaching and learning community. Check out the Help Center tab above for suggestions on how to get started in your school with this template.
Learning Commons Information
Depending on what you have on the sidebar to the left, this space might contain:
a photo of the LC staff with contact information
a site orientation (maybe a screencast?)
a calendar with LC events that students and teachers can use to "reserve" areas of the physical learning commons
...anything VLC users need to be able to find what they need here or in the physical learning commons.
This entire page might be under the total control of the Learning Commons Staff, much like the older library web site.
VLC Examples:
Draw Them In
You might use this space to draw students into the VLC. You might feature:
a slide show or student-made videos,
showcase clubs,
sports teams, or
outstanding learning experiences,
current campus hot topics (maybe link to a blog or discussion board), etc.
This section should be dynamic...something that makes students want to "check in" and see what's new. And it might be brought forward from the School Culture page so they click here to connect.
VLC Examples:
Learning Commons 2.0
You might use this space for:
Learning Commons Events,
your library's twitter or facebook feed,
rss feeds of "review" blogs,
new library materials,
upcoming PLC/VLC events, surveys, etc.
This space should focus on how users can interact with the VLC/PLC/Teacher Librarian or other LC staff such as the teacher technologist, reading specialist, etc.
VLC Examples:Library Orientationhttp://animoto.com/play/xGNmqdejm96W1cJJqP0RDQ
What's New
Upcoming Events

Curation Tools
For students:
JogtheWeb:
http://www.jogtheweb.com/run/ouNrAFUB7KLt/The-Cultural-Revolution
For teachers:
LiveBinders:
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=136065

====Your School VLC====
This sidebar as designed remains constant across all pages. Thus, you might want to include essential links you want available almost anywhere such as your
OPAC
databases
online subscriptions
public library
calendar
open hours
LC staff
To edit this, click on "edit sidebar" below this text.
Then go into the text box (or delete this text box and create a new one) to insert your content.
Edit sidebarr
VLC Home and Information Center
Purpose of this page: Use the information center to invite the school community into a giant collaborative space where many contribute and all profit from the information, help, projects, exhibitions that creates a wonderful teaching and learning community. Check out the Help Center tab above for suggestions on how to get started in your school with this template.
a calendar with LC events that students and teachers can use to "reserve" areas of the physical learning commons
...anything VLC users need to be able to find what they need here or in the physical learning commons.
web site.
VLC Examples:
Draw Them In
This space should focus on how users can interact with the VLC/PLC/Teacher Librarian or other LC staff such as the teacher technologist, reading specialist, etc.
VLC Examples:
Subpages (4): Experimental Learning Center Knowledge Building Center Literacy Culture School Culture
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Laura Dahlheim Holton
EDUCATION
ALA Accredited Master of Science in Information Sciences
Major: School Librarian
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, May 2007.
Master of Education
Major: Reading Education
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, August 2000.
Bachelor of Science Secondary Education
Majors: English and Biology
Minor: Psychology
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, June 1995.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
School Librarian
Thomas Edison Charter School, North Logan, Utah. August 2008-June 2012.
Part-time School Librarian
Created information literacy units for elementary classes using the Understanding by Design process.
Collaborated with the science and history middle school teachers to prepare students for the science and history fairs.
Led information literacy training sessions for parents during the library open houses.
Encouraged students to read with book displays and book talks, creation of a middle school collection, and activities to peak students' interest for author visit.
Designed an elective class on library research skills for middle schools students.
Selected books to begin a young adult section in the library.
Encouraged students to read through monthly book clubs, reading challenges, reference challenges, and thematic book displays.
Lecturer
Utah State University. Logan, Utah. January 2008-May 2008.
Information Access.
Classroom Highlights
Created a class that focused on reference services for future school librarians.
Designed assignments and class activities where students practiced areas in reference services such as reference interviews, print sources, and electronic search tips.
Encouraged students to discuss implications of practice by moderating discussions on an electronic discussion board.
Teacher
Fairview Middle School. Fairview, Tennessee. August 1999-May 2007.
Eighth grade reading teacher.
Classroom Highlights
Emphasized in reading classroom the teaching of reading strategies, metacognitive awareness, student choice for reading and activities, multiple intelligence activities, reflection activities, and thematic units.
Implemented differentiated instruction for inclusion classes.
Created reading entrance activities to reinforce reading standards.
Collaborated with other teachers to create cross-curricular projects.
Designed lessons that resulted in students consistently exceeding the state goals on the state reading assessment. Leadership Activities
Led professional development on reading and differentiated instruction for school.
Coordinated school wide reading initiatives.
Served as representative for Building Leadership Team.
Served on county textbook adoption committee.
Served on county curriculum committee to integrate technology into the literacy curriculum.
Teacher
Wallace School. Nashville, TN. July 1998-April 1999.
Special education teacher for self-contained secondary classroom.
Classroom Highlights
Developed curriculum units for students’ IEPs.
Focused on teaching social skills for students transition to regular high school.
Explored with students their plans after high school and created a career fair for students to research different careers.
Teacher
Quail Hollow Middle School. Charlotte, North Carolina. August 1995-June 1997.
Eighth grade science teacher.
Classroom Highlights
Used inquiry labs in the classroom.
Created learning centers based on Bloom’s taxonomy.
Motivated students through invitational learning, positive recognition, and academic incentives.
Involved parents in the classroom with weekly newsletter, monthly parent and child homework, parent meetings once a semester.
Leadership Activities
Led the family literacy club.
Served as a member of the reading improvement steering committee.
Planted an outdoor classroom for science lessons.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
“Teachers in the Driver’s Seat for Professional Development.” National Middle School Association Conference, November 7, 2006.
“Reading Strategies in the Classroom.” Milan Middle School. Milan, Tennessee, July 21, 2003.

Experimental Learning Center
Purpose of this page: This entire page is devoted to school improvement initiatives by administrators, classroom teachers, Learning Commons staff, parents, and outside experts. It is a place to experiment, do action research, develop and track initiatives, and succeed and fail by both individuals and groups.
Virtual Teacher's Lounge
In this column, all types of
helps
projects
opportunities
announcements
...could be constructed as a collaborative.
Helps with
standards,
professional development opportunities, advanced education or training,
major documents to be read, or
other helps
...might be listed and/or blogged about by the administrators and the adults in the school.
VLC Examples:
Current School-wide Focus Issues
This column might be reserved for the current school improvement initiatives and professional development in progress.
It might include:
calendars
workrooms
progress reports
plans
evaluations
action research projects
activities connected with improvement
Administrators, Learning Commons staff, workshop leaders, project directors, or outside consultants contribute here and monitor their projects.
VLC Examples:
Educational Technology
This column might be given over to the use of technology in ways that boost teaching and learning.
It might be the home of the student iSquad, whose responsibility it is to test out and teach a wide variety of Web 2.0 tools to adults and students around the school.
Recommendations by a variety of adults and students might be useful here and could include:
tips
tutorials
guides
pilots and trials
experiments
resources
VLC Examples:

Knowledge Building Center
Purpose of this page: This page is dedicated to the major learning projects and initiatives going on in the Learning Commons as collaborative learning experiences between the Learning Commons staff, teachers, learners, and parents. The learning experiences featured here can be done in a variety of learning environments including knowledge building centers, Book2Cloud, Moodle projects, projects done in content management systems, technological learning spaces, or face to face projects with the organization done in digital space. The idea of this portal in the VLC is that two heads are better than one; meaning that collaborative planning, construction, execution, and assessment by classroom teachers and adult specialists (including outside experts) is superior to the efforts of a single and isolated teacher in the classroom or teacher librarian isolated in the library.
Current KBCs
In this column, learning experiences in the planning and execution phase might be featured including:* history units of study
fine arts projects
science activities
math projects
Projects include the mastery of topical content as well as embedded learning and how to learn skills. They emphasize adult mentoring rather than traditional directive assignments.
Another possibility is the arena of informal learning communities underway. This might include projects in after school programs, groups of students engaged in causes, music creation, service projects, or kids connected to global projects.
VLC Examples:
Personal Learning Environments
This column might be reserved for school-wide or classroom development of personal learning environments of students. A personal learning environment contains a personally constructed portal into the world of the Internet, a personal learning network and room of tools, and a portfolio, both public and private of the sills and evidence of personal and collaborative excellence.
Personal Learning Environments can be built with a wide variety of technologies but should follow the individual student as they relocate physically and develop sophistication across technologies. It is owned by the adult or student, not the school or classroom teacher, or administrator.
It includes my mastery of:
information and technology literacies
social and content creation literacies
areas for school
informal learning
family
friends
hobbies
personal interests
organizations/causes I am passionate about.
This column might have tutorials and examples of how to construct the PLE both for formal and information learning.
Students might demonstrate here the various
tools
apps
methods
techniques
used to construct their own PLE.
VLC Examples:
KBC Archives
This column might be reserved for past examples of successful collaborative learning experiences conducted by the LC staff and classroom teachers.
It becomes the archive of impact by the LC on teaching and learning in the school.
VLC Examples:

Literacy Culture
Purpose of this page: Use this page to build a collaborative center of enjoyment of reading, writing, speaking, listening, creative creations, movies, podcasts, connections to authors and creators, organizations and all kinds of literacy initiatives. It is the place not only to build literacy skills but a life-long enjoyment of the best of the best.
Connections, Lists, Sources, Bibs, and Best of the Best Recommended by Everyone
In this column, connections to all types of lists and sources might appear. There could be lists of the regulars, but also a blog on which the users might draw attention to the best of the best of any media from:
books (both printed and ebooks),
websites,
movies,
television,
apps on digital devices,
and even the best games.
For example:http://flavorwire.com/280070/watch-10-celebrities-reading-famous-poems-aloud?all=1
While some attention could be given here to reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, this area of the VLC might be reserved more for building a lifetime of both the consumption and the creation of cultural content across the media; as a way of building a lifetime habit of consuming and creation, sorting and recommending the best of the best, and celebrating literacy and content creation in all their forms.
VLC Examples:
Literacy Initiatives Underway
This column might be reserved for various initiatives such as:
current book clubs,
school wide reading initiatives,
writing contests,
book trailers,
YouTube creations,
poetry readings,
movie reviews written by adults and/or students.
VLC Examples:
Opportunities
This column might contain opportunities and archives of past successes such as local, national, and international creative competitions.
It could contain ads for startups of:
bookclubs
video clubs
computer programming groups
past exhibitions
It could also be a center of content creation such as how to:
construct videos,
create book trailers,
how to initiate a book discussion blog or club.
Exhibitions
This column might also be reserved for exhibitions of student or faculty or class works.
It could also connect to a museum of past great work by the community in the school.
VLC Examples: