Being an Extension of the Classroom

A colleague of mine sent me the link to this "Cult of Pedagogy" installment about a made-over library in Ohio that aimed to become an "extension of the classroom" rather than a makerspace, tech center, library commons or a just plain library. To that end they cleared floor space and put chairs and technology on casters to create flexible collaborative "pods;" in response to teacher demands for collaborative learning. I love it.

http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/school-library/

Thinking back over my 20 years as a librarian (eight of them captured in this blog), I see the same moves anticipated and fulfilled here: flexible furnishing, comfy chairs, laptops, online resources, video cameras and green screen, projectors and mobile SmartBoard, makerspace equipment and tools, art drawing boards, a collaborative table with TV screen, Boxcasting units; in short, everything (including, importantly, project-based experience) this ground-breaking "Learning Center" offers.

So what's the difference? Why is one full and the other empty?

I have some ideas on that, too.