Learn Coding at Home:

Coding is a big deal right now, and rightly so. When our kids go into the workforce 10, 15, 20 years from now, they will be immersed in a world of technology. From robotic milkers to creating computer apps, even the simplest jobs will require basic technology skills. Why not give your kids up by teaching them coding while they are young, not only do they learn basic technology skills, they also learn problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. Oftentimes, coding also breeds collaboration as kids work on projects in groups. Below is a list of some of my favorite coding websites and apps. I also listed a few kid friendly robots that I recommend. 

Websites

• Kodable.com: Kodable is a website and iPad app with many levels to teach coding. It is very basic and can be used with even early elementary students.
• Studio.Code.org: Code.org is a leader in coding education for grade school students. There are lessons easy enough for kindergarten students and lessons complex enough for high school students.
• Codecombat.com: CodeCombat teaches text coding in a game like atmosphere. Choose your hero and defeat the goblins through code. Some levels require a subscription.
• Codecademy.com: Codecademy is made for older students (upper-elementary on) and teaches many types of coding through open courses.
• Empireofcode.com: Empire of Code is a space game with a mix of strategy, tactics and coding. You can play the game with or without coding skills, but knowing how to code will definitely give you an advantage.
• Scratch.mit.edu: Scratch is a program through a partnership with MIT, the National Science Foundation and other groups that allows users to create videos and games through block based coding.
• Tynker.com: Tynker is a website and an iPad app with many different coding games. Some are simple enough for early elementary students.
• Codemonkey.com: An engaging platform where programming knowledge is acquired alongside 21st century skills through collaboratively playing and solving puzzles, inventing, creating and sharing.
• Codeavengers.com: Code Avengers allows users to learn coding through a game. There are two available levels: Jr. for 5-14 year olds and Pro for 15+ year olds
• Hacknslashthegame.com: Hack ‘n’ Slash is a puzzle action game about hacking — reprogram object properties, hijack global variables, hack creature behavior, and even rewrite the game’s code. The only way to win is not to play... by the rules! It uses an interface that looks much like Zelda

iPad/iPhone Apps

• Kodable: Kodable is a website and iPad app with many levels to teach coding. It is very basic and can be used with even early elementary students.
• Scratch Jr.: Uses simple drag and drop block based coding to build animations. Because the blocks use images rather than words it is simple enough for early elementary students. This is a simplified version of the PC Scratch app.
• Tynker: Tynker is a website and an iPad app with many different coding games. Some are simple enough for early elementary students.
• Lightbot: Code an on screen robot to complete different tasks while learning coding. There is also a simpler version called Lightbot Jr. for younger students.
• Osmo: Osmo is an iPad attachment that partners the iPad screen with tangible manipulatives. The basic Osmo kit contains the iPad stand, Numbers, Words, and Tangrams. There are additional packs like Coding Awbie and Code Jam that allow you to learn coding. This is great for younger students!

Robots

• Code-a-pillar: The Code-a-Pillar is a caterpillar robot with pieces that you arrange and rearrange to tell it how to move.
• Beebot: Beebot is a simple robot. Code it using the arrow buttons on top. Create different challenges and try to code it to make it through
• Cubetto: Cubetto is the friendly wooden robot that will teach your child the basics of computer programming through adventure and hands on play. It works much like Beebot, but utilizes a board and blocks to make the code.
• Sphero & Ollie: Sphero and Ollie are robots that are coded through the use of iPad apps. They connect via Bluetooth to the iPad. Sphero is a ball robot. Ollie is a cylinder.
• Dot & Dash: These robots work much the same as Sphero connecting to an iPad through Bluetooth, but have more apps available for programming and attachments to add to its abilities.
• LEGO Robotics: Do you love LEGOs? Me too! LEGO offers two different robotics kits. WeDo 2.0 is the simplest robotics kit. Mindstorms is the more complex kit.

If you are in the Upsala area, consider signing your child up for COR Robotics Camp as well!

*Some of the above descriptions were copied directly from the app's website.

Teaching 5th Graders to Create Video Announcements

Last school year, I began my journey as the Media Specialist at Pinewood Elementary. One of the most challenging, but most enjoyable parts of this journey has been the creation of our daily student video announcements. I began last year winging things a bit. I had edited videos before. I had used an iPad to record. I had used YouTube and Google Drive. However, I had never done a daily broadcast or taught students how to be news anchors. This process was a learning opportunity for both myself and the students. You can read about the process a bit in two of my previous posts: "What Student News Has Taught Me and My Students" and "Green Shirt and Green Screen... Oops." With all that I learned from last year, I began this year with a new strategy to prepare our students to really take control of most of the production of the student news.

To begin the school year, I set aside my first three lessons to teach students how to be quality producers of the student news. The first thing that this new group of students needed to understand was the process for creating the announcements. It was really difficult to find a way to explain so that they understood the three day process. I needed to explain that on day one of production two students would write the script that the students who had Media the following day would be recording for the announcements that would be shown on the third day. This is a really hard concept for students to understand, and something that I am still working on explaining. One of the things that seemed to help with this explanation was creating a schedule of student jobs and posting the schedule outside our studio. This allowed the students to see when they would be performing the jobs of script writer, producer/director, and news anchor. Teaching students this process was part of our first lesson on the announcements.

The main objective of our first lesson on video announcements was how to write the script. This involved teaching the students how to open Google Drive, locate and access their Shared with Me Folder, and locate the two documents that would be necessary to write the script. The students work as partners on the student announcements, so one child opened the announcement bulletin and the other opened the announcement script. They then worked together to write a practice script.

The objective of our second lesson was to learn how to record the announcements. This meant teaching the students the basics of using the iPad to record a video and the exact process we used when recording. When recording the announcements, four students would be back in the studio. One pair would be the producers/directors and the other pair would be the news anchors. The director would hold out a whiteboard with the date of the announcements for the camera to see and pull it out of the way thus directing the news anchors to begin speaking. The producer would get the iPad zoomed in on the news anchors and press the record button to begin recording the announcements. The news anchors would then use their wireless mouse to control the teleprompter and begin reading the script that had been prepared for them by the previous day's class. I explained this whole process to the class and then had every student come back to the studio to practice a mini script so they had a better idea of the process.

The objective of the third lesson was to increase the students' confidence in being a news anchor and make them aware of the importance of projecting their voice and reading fluently. We talked about what reading too fast and too slow looked like and what that did to the feel of the announcements. We talked about what reading too loud or too quiet did for the announcement recording. We then practiced reading a script together as a class trying to keep to a good pace and good volume. After practicing the script a few times, we talked about ways to loosen up your body and mind so that there was less nervous energy when recording the announcements. We also talked about ways to warm up your voice for better sound. Finally, we talked about what it looked like to be a news anchor. News anchors smile and have fun, but still remain professional and do not act like clowns. This third lesson was in my opinion one of the most important and one of the most fun.

This year the announcements are being overseen and edited by a committee of teachers. I really appreciate this as I am currently out on maternity leave and will not return until mid-December. I feel that this committee and the lessons that have been taught to the students will allow announcement production to go smoothly in my absence. Next school year, or perhaps even towards the end of this school year, I would like to further place the production of the student news in the hands of students by creating a group of students interested in editing the announcement video. I have had a number of students ask about this possibility and I would love for this to be a truly student centered program. Whenever I decide to go ahead with this, I would create the group of students that would meet once for training on how to edit the videos and meet monthly afterwards for further training and feedback. These students would have a schedule for days on which they would come in during recess to edit the announcement video for the following day.

Our video announcements continue to be a daily learning opportunity. They are an area of growth for our staff committee, our students, and for myself. I look forward to seeing the ways in which this program will evolve.

Monday Morning Makers

This year at Pinewood, we have jumped on the Makerspace bandwagon. We have decided that allowing our students a time and space to explore, build, imagine, and create is very important. Rather than explain what a Makerspace is, I have included this video which I think does a fine job of explaining.

So now that you know what a Makerspace is in general, let me tell you the story of Pinewood's Makerspace. For a couple of years, the concept of Makerspaces has been catching on in schools. Last year, I went to a couple different conferences for Media Specialists and Technology teachers. At these conferences I learned more about the Makerspace movement, and met a wonderful Media Specialist from Rush Creek Elementary in the Osseo district. This wonderful Media Specialist invited me out to see her school's Monday Morning Maker events. These events are what Pinewood modeled their Makerspace events after. One Monday morning a month, students were able to sign up to come to the Media Center before school to explore various stations that involved making. She had a station for using the 3D printer, knitting, coding robots, LittleBits circuits, markerbots, Osobots, origami, and more. The students came in got to work and using their own imagination and determination along with some help from their friends made things. It was wonderful seeing the students shine.

Pinewood recently had their first Monday Morning Makers event. It was a great success and the students and teachers truly enjoyed it. On September 19th, 25 students and a couple teachers and parents gathered in the Media Center to explore. We had many of the same stations as listed above, but we also had Legos and puzzles. The hit for the favorite item was tied between our Sphero robots and our Lego Story Starter kit with origami and knitting following closely behind. Boys and girls worked kindly together to explore, build, imagine, and create.

We would like to thank our Pinewood PTO for supplying us with our Spheros, Lego Story Starter Kits, and Lego WeDo Kits. We would like to thank our Donors Choose donors for our origami, knitting, SnapCircuits, and Makey Makey supplies. 

You can learn more about our Monday Morning Maker events and sign your child up here: https://sites.google.com/a/monticello.k12.mn.us/pinewood-media-center/monday-morning-makers

If you would like to support our Monday Morning Maker events, you can donate at https://www.donorschoose.org/project/learning-is-electric/2212029/

Or, we would love to take any gently used puzzles or craft items off your hands. To donate these particular items, please contact me at lisa.newhouse@monticello.k12.mn.us

Green Shirt and Green Screen... Oops.

In October, I began my first attempts at putting together a student new broadcast. The students and I learned lots of things in the first few months as I wrote about in a previous post. We learned how to use the iPad to record, how to utilize Google Docs for script writing, and how to use iMovie for editing among other things. We are still working on fixing some of the problems we noticed way back then, but we have also made other improvements along the way.

One of the problems that we noticed initially is the sound quality while recording with the iPad. This is still an issue that we are battling. We have tried a few different microphones and have not had a lot of success. There is one microphone we borrowed to try out that seemed to work well, so we are in the process of ordering that microphone. In the meantime, it has meant telling the students to speak up and adjusting sound in iMovie.

iMovie: When you click on volume on the bottom,
 you can raise up the sound levels.

Writing the script has been somewhat of a challenge for the students. Some kids are just better writers than others. This has meant that I set the students up to type and allow them to try their best, but then I end up looking it over to make sure everything is correct. When the students have done a good job, there's not much I need to redo, but sometimes the kids do very little and I end up rewriting the whole script. It's ok though because it is all about the experience.

We have made a few improvements over the months since I last wrote about the student news. Our first improvement was to get rid of the printed scripts as seen in this episode:

We replaced the printed scripts with a teleprompter. Our teleprompter consists of a LCD projector on a cart connected to my laptop which has the script set up in cueprompter.com. The script is projected onto a portable screen.

This improvement has meant that there is no more shuffling of papers while a student is speaking and the students are now looking up rather than down at their papers. The end result looked like this:

This was a great improvement, but after attending the TIES conference in Minneapolis this year, I just had to have a green screen. Luckily our previous Media Specialist, the great and powerful Tom Gilgenbach, gifted us the app Do Ink Green Screen. Our custodians were kind enough to paint one of the walls in our studio (back storage room) green over winter break. This has been such fun! We still record using the iPad, then we import the video into the Do Ink app to add backgrounds, save the video to the camera roll, and finish editing in the iMovie app.

Do Ink Green Screen App: Super easy to use!
Even my 4th graders can do it!

The green screen can end up looking really cool, like in this video:

But we have run into the issue of students wearing green shirts, like in this video (oops!):

Looking forward, there are still a number of ways we would like to improve the student news. Ordering the microphone to improve sound quality will be a great help. We are hoping to paint the two walls on the sides of the news desk to improve the adding of backgrounds. Each week we announce winners for good behavior and we announce birthdays daily. We will try to start adding photos of the students as their names are announced.

Looking to next year, I am considering different ways we could have students involved. Currently, all the students have an assigned date to type the script and to be an anchor. Some students dislike typing and others do not like being an anchor. I have had students help with recording and editing in minimal amounts. Next year, I am thinking that I may have students broken up into groups based on which role they would like. Perhaps some students will be our reporters and gather information for our script writers to write into the script. The script writers would perfect their writing skills in scripts that the anchors would read. While the anchors read there would be a director/ producer directing them when to speak, slow down, and speed up as they record on the iPad. After the recording is done, the editors would then put in the green screen background and edit the video in the iMovie app. This would mean that all of our 5th grade students would be involved in some way in the announcements, but in the way that they would most enjoy. This is still a thought I will be pondering for a while.

What Student News Has Taught Me and My Students.

This past month, I have started working on daily video announcements. These video announcements begin as a script typed in Google Docs. The script is printed and two 5th grade students practice for a couple minutes before they are recorded using an iPad Air 2. The video is then edited and additional videos are added in iMovie on the iPad Air. This project has been a learning experience for my students and for me.

I began this project by working with each 5th grade class on how to collect the information for the script. Students learned where to find the weather forecast, school lunch menu, and Monticello sports schedule. The students then got into pairs and practiced by using these tools to create a mock script. The students created these scripts on paper, but the actual scripts are recorded in Google Docs.

After each class created their practice scripts, students were chosen based on their effort to write out the script or record the video. A schedule was also created of when each pair of students would do each job. This was another learning opportunity for students. As pairs they began to learn how to log in to Google Docs and edit the script for the next recording. Some students quickly logged in and got to work. Others had some technical difficulties. Over this process, I have realized that it is important to get the typers set up sooner and with more guidance.

As we began recording the videos, we noticed that some students were a little more enthusiastic and artistic (you know the ones born to be goofy actors/actresses) while others were a little more hesitant.
This is one of the more interesting recordings:

We started out with sound issues. The iPad Air took great video, but some students were really quiet and the sound effects that were later added were almost deafening in comparison. We tried a couple microphones, but have ended up using an iPhone 6 to record the sound and adding it in later. I also learned how to adjust the sound in iMovie so that sound effects aren't as loud. The students also began to realize that they needed to speak more loudly and not read off their scripts by simply watching the way the students before them handled the announcements.

As we continue learning how to create quality student announcements, I am hoping to move into having students do some editing. I would like to see these kiddos take as much ownership of this project as possible. I believe that one of the best parts of a Media Program is empowering children,

Library Catalog 2.0

Many people know that the library catalog is what is used to keep track of books. In the old days, we had card catalogs. I'm not going to tell you how those work because I have no idea. Those are before my time, but Pinterest certainly has some interesting ideas on how to reuse those cabinets. We have been using online catalogs for as long as I can remember. I'm sure you all know that the catalog can be used to look up books, place books on hold, and add books to a list, but were you aware that with Destiny Library Catalog you can review books, recommend books to friends, and add books to "Want to Read", "Now Reading", and "Have Read Shelves." The library catalog has become an interactive reading tool.

This past month I have begun using ChromeBooks in the Media Center. I began with the third graders. My goal was to get them oriented in using the Chromebooks. I thought about different ways I could get them started. I also wanted to show them all the things that they could do on Destiny. It was a perfect time to do both. I created a guide for the students to follow in logging in to the Chromebooks and finding their way around Destiny.

When students first enter Destiny, they see 3 lists. The first list is the most popular books right now. The second is a list of resource guides to different topics. The third list is 15 of our newest books. This gives students some suggestions on what to read.

Once students log in, they see their inbox if they have any personal requests and see their updates if they do not. Their inbox will have the recommendations from friends and invites to be friends. In updates, the students see book reviews their friends have made and which books they have put onto their shelves.




Students are able to search for books and drag them to their shelves. There is a shelf for books you have read and books you want to read.







This was an amazing experience. In other schools, I have seen kids try to send messages to each other about what they were going to do after school, but this group of kids was talking about their books! Students were sharing the books they loved and other students were asking questions about these books. One student moved a Goosebumps book to their "Have Read" shelf. Other students were immediately asking if it was a good book, if it was scary, and questions about the characters. Students were able to get an idea of what books to read next.

My next goal is to create a screencast for the teachers explaining how to use Destiny to interact with their students. I know many of them will not have the time to go into Destiny, but it means a lot to the students when they see what their teachers have read and when the teachers comment on their reviews. If taking 5 minutes of the day to log in and comment will encourage a student to read more, it is worth it.

Legos in the Library

Over the weekend, I attended the 2015 Information and Technology Educators of Minnesota Conference. I came back with many ideas for how to make our Library Media Center into a fun innovative learning space. One of the ideas I loved the most was the idea of Legos in the library. Legos are one of my favorite toys. I love to build with them. I really believe they can inspire students and help to build their creativity and imagination. I learned that Lego even has an education branch with lesson plans and curriculum using Legos to support the Science and Technology standards and the English Language Arts standards. I suppose I should have realized this since we hear about Lego robotics competitions all the time, but it just never clicked for me.

As a School Library Media Specialist, one of my most important roles is to collaborate with teachers to support reading and writing skills. I am very excited to have learned about Lego's Story Starter Kits! These kits contain over 1000 pieces selected and sorted in a large bin to support the creation of a story with Legos. There is also optional software that allows students to create books with their creations, or even stop animate their stories. The kits come with a curriculum pack and lesson plans to support the English Language Arts standards and reinforce skills like beginning, middle, and end. I am so excited to use these kits with my students. I can just see this opening up a whole new world of learning for my third and fourth grade students, especially the boys.
If you would like to learn more about the Lego Story Starter Kits, visit https://shop.education.lego.com/legoed/en-US/catalog/product.jsp?productId=prod120008*

*I am not an associate of Lego and am not paid to endorse their products. I just think this is super cool!*

Using YouTube as a Resource

How often do you teach a lesson only to be asked a million questions about it by students and parents? I find this to be particularly true of research lessons I teach. When I teach these research lessons, students are often at different places within the research process and need a chance to look back at the skills they have been taught. Although I am available to students as a resource, teaching a lesson over and over wastes time that could be spent on other important tasks. Aside from the lack of time, how many times does a student get home just to realize they need help and have no way to contact you? This spring, I began working on a YouTube channel to provide students, staff, and parents a resource that can be used anytime. This YouTube channel currently has 4 videos teaching basic research skills. I plan to add book talks and book trailers, technology reviews, and further lessons as time allows. I am currently down to using my iPhone for recording and a very outdated laptop for editing. This means I will be slightly limited in the videos I can put out, but as I go into fall and get a new computer to use, I expect this YouTube channel to be filled with great resources for all to use.

Do you use a YouTube channel for your school library? How do you advertise it? What kinds of content do you include on it? 

Where do I see the Media Specialist/ Teacher Librarian Profession in 5 years?

As I interview for various jobs in my area, a common question is: Where do you see the Media Specialist profession going in the next 5 years? The common follow up question to this is: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Now I am the type of person that hates personal questions and tends to be sarcastic, so when I am asked things like this, my mind automatically goes to responses like: Well, I believe the Media Specialist profession will be going to Alabama. OR Well, books are going to die and so will librarians. Over the years, however, I have learned to hold back my sarcasm and answer with something a bit more genuine.
So where is it that I see the Media Specialist profession in 5 years? Well, unlike some people in our world, I do not believe that books will be going away anytime soon. I believe, that in 5 years, there will still be children and teachers coming to the Media Center to find print resources. I do, however, believe that the majority of the books housed in the Media Center will be for leisurely reading rather than information. I believe that the majority of our research materials will be coming from an electronic source. Electronic sources are easier to keep up to date and often either free or subsidized through state programs. With the majority of research sources going online, and new technologies entering the education field all the time, the Media Specialist will become more of a trainer and technology integrationist. The Media Specialist will spend more time on teaching staff and students how to use technology, especially how to do so ethically. The Media Specialist will collaborate more with classroom teachers to teach students critical thinking skills of evaluating and using information sources. It will be a fun and interactive position to be sure.
Personally in 5 years, I wouldn't mind doing a job like this. More interaction between staff, students, and the Media Specialist really excites me. However, I also have some personal goals that might mean I am not a Media Specialist in 5 years. My husband and I lost a baby a year ago through miscarriage. Since then, we have been fighting my body for the chance to have another child. If we are given that chance, my biggest desire is to be home with him or her. So answering the follow up question in interviews is hard. If I am still a Media Specialist in 5 years, then I definitely will be doing more staff development and technology integration. However, if I am a mom in 5 years, I hope to be home spending time with my babies. Of course, given that I am trying to get a job, I leave the second half of my response out.

Presenting Budgets and Staffing Proposals

I am currently working at two middle schools. When I started working at the schools, I realized there was a large discrepency in the money in the budgets. For example, my budget for books at one school was almost twice that at the other school. I have asked my building principals if I would be able to present sugested budgets to them for next year. I am working on these presentations now as both principals agreed to hear me out. I am planning on creating an excel spreadsheet of what would be purchased from each budget, and an accompanying Word document backing up the use/need for each item and state standards regarding these items as appropriate. Have you submitted a similar proposal to your administration? If so, how did you present it, and what were the results?
Being split between two schools makes it hard for me to collaborate with teachers because I have a fixed schedule. I am at one school in the afternoon and the other in the morning. Since I am in a middle school, this means that I miss some periods of English classes, and some periods of other classes as well. In order for me to teach research methods to my students I have to coordinate with my support person at each school. This can be a pain if teachers need to reschedule or wait until the last minute. I am proposing that rather than having my time be split between both buildings each day, that I would have a full time support person in each building to free up more time for collaboration and technology integration. I am going to submit this as a Word document backed up by research by Keith Curry Lance and MEMO standards. Has anyone else done something similar? Can you give me any pointers?

First Amendment Rights and Access to Information

I am a lucky Media Specialist. I have an aide at both schools where I work. I am thankful for that. The challenge that I am having right now is that one of my aides does not understand the student's right to access information. She is the mother of a sixth grader at our sixth through eighth grade middle school. She has had concerns about some of the books that her sixth grader has checked out. I am glad that she watches what her daughter reads, and that she is involved in her education, but the books she has brought to my attention are, in my opinion, perfectly appropriate for most middle school students. There was only one book I found that was not really appropriate for the middle school, and I sent it to the high school.

Today she brought up that she had heard that the public library has some books that parents must sign out for their children in order for the children to access them. This infuriated me. I am very much in support of students reading what interests them no matter what the material. Sure, middle school students probably shouldn't be reading playboy, but there might be a book about homosexuality that they really want to read that is appropriate. What really frustrated me about this story is that it was a young adult book that I have in the Media Center collection.

I am glad that some parents are watching what their children read, but I wonder about the kids who can't get information they need because of a permission slip. What about the student who's parents are not around for them to sign the permission slip to check out the book. This might be a book that they would really relate to and help them understand their life. It might be about content that they are personally struggling with. Sometimes reading can be an escape for students who don't have the best life. Are we really going to deny kids this escape? What about the homosexual student who has no one to reach out to? Their parents believe that homosexuality is wrong, or the child just doesn't feel comfortable approaching someone about the topic. Are we going to deny that student the chance to learn about themselves, or find a story with a character they can relate to that makes them feel better about themselves? How can we deny students these opportunities?

Another topic that my aide was opposed to was rape. These are middle school students, by this point in their lives they may very well know someone who has been raped or have been raped themselves. We can't know each child's story. We hope this is not the case, but we just don't know. I understand that this can be an uncomfortable topic, but if the story handles the rape in a productive way and it is middle school appropriate, it will be in the Media Centers.

I want the students to have access to books about many different topics so that they can find books that they are interested in. I want my students to have access to stories they relate to. I want my students to read, enjoy reading, and grow from the reading they do. How can I handle my aides lack of support for the free access philosophy? How can I support the books in the collection should another concern arise?

My First Year

As a brand new teacher, I knew what to expect in some respects, but in others I did not. I knew that as a Media Specialist I would be called upon for technology support, but I never realized how hard fixing minor problems could be when you don't have the administrative rights to download a simple update. I also did not know what to expect when going into a position split between two buildings. I didn't realize how two administrations could have totally different management styles. This has been the most difficult thing for me, trying to fit into two different schools with completely different atmospheres. I also didn't realize how little the teachers would come to me to collaborate on research projects. This is something I really want to do. I want to share my knowledge of resources and technology to help the students create a really cool end project where they learned a number of skills, and a large amount of information along the way. I am slowly starting to settle in, and some things are going better than others, but overall, I love my job and I adore my students. Are you split between multiple schools? How do you deal with the differences, and how do you prioritize to give the best you can in all schools?

Circulation Systems: Pros and Cons

I recently had an interview in which I was asked which circulation systems I was familiar with. Sadly, I could only reply that I had extensive knowledge of how to use Follett's Destiny system. The school had another system called Alexandria.(Despite my lack of knowledge of this system, I was offered and accepted the job.) From discussions on LM_Net, I had heard of this system, and I knew of other schools that used it, but I knew very little about how it worked. After this interview, I stopped at a local coffee shop and hopped on my laptop computer. I visited Alexandria's website, and found a tutorial video that gave me some information on how it works. I see that like Destiny you can run different reports, whether they are for overdue books or circulation statistics. I also saw that it had a similar search structure to Destiny, and perhaps one that was even easier to use. It seemed to have an easy cataloging procedure like that of Destiny's.The site showed that I could type in a title and find existing catalog entries, rather than having to create my own. I began to think that Alexandria wouldn't be too big of a challenge for me to handle. When I went to tour the facility after my job offer however,the current librarian told me that the newest version of Alexandria is not very user friendly at all. I hope I will not have too much trouble with this system, but I am young and fairly tech savvy so I am confident. What circulation system do you use in your school? Do you like it? What would you change about it if you had the chance?