Creating The LiNK

Where do you start with creating an information hub, a learning commons, or a digital learning lab?  I am a visual learner, and infographics have quickly become one of my favorite new ways to communicate.  On paper, this is how I saw Richmond Hill High School's current Media Center and our new LiNK.  

I used Piktochart to showcase what both facilities have to offer.  Though some of the facts have changed since the LiNK opened in January 2012, this visualization helped me convince our school board, school admin, and all stakeholders that the LiNK would help our Media program achieve its goal of creating 21st-century learners.  
























I then worked with Levi Sybert, our school's Technology Resource Teacher, on layout and functionality.  He created the 3-D layout below using Sketch Up.




From there, I dove into every school furniture catalog I could get my hands on, plus perused websites galore.  I also used Pinterest to create a storyboard and curate ideas. The final pieces were purchased from the following:

• The Library Store - chairs, couches
• Norvell - stainless steel restaurant prep tables
• Paper Lantern Store - yellow/green paper lanterns
• Home Depot - blinds, window frosting for doors, pendant lights
• Lowe’s - desk lamps
• Sears.com - large, round tables
• Mohawk Carpet - Datum Modular in Basalt installed with a quarter turn
• Artwork - senior Art students
• Made ourselves:
• Partition between small presentation area and walk-in PCs - used corrugated metal sheeting and MDF plywood
• Dry erase boards - painted the back of plexiglass

Panorama from entrance

Panorama from back

Desktop computers area; student artwork on walls

Collaborative table near dry erase boards

Teacher using interactive flat panel for demonstration to class

Teacher asisting group in another collaborative area.
Students LOVE the sofas with tablet arms.  

Books/Articles/Websites to consider:

• Sullivan, M. (2013). Library spaces for 21st-century learners. Chicago, IL: American   Assoc. of School Librarians.

• National Teen Space Guidelines - created by YALSA - http://www.ala.org/yalsa/guidelines/teenspaces
• David Jakes - learning space guru - http://jakes.editme.com/

To Do:

• Get student input
• Measure, measure, measure - look at measurements of furniture online/catalog and tape out on floor
• Read reviews of furnishings, if available.  If you don’t see them online, investigate. Look at other sites that sell the same thing.  
• Think outside of the box!  What can you do yourself or make that will still serve the purpose.  (ie.  $5500 custom built partition from design company or $200 DIY project)
• Repurpose old furniture - think PAINT!  

Some inspiration came from:  

Center for Classroom Innovation in Atlanta at GADOE - http://www.gadoe.org/Technology-Services/Instructional-Technology/Pages/Center-for-Classroom-Innovation.aspx

Beautiful space, but the sources they used can be a little out of budget for most schools.

What is The LiNK?

Not many schools can say that they have quadrupled in enrollemnt in 18 years, but Richmond Hill High School (located 25 minutes south of Savannah, GA) did and continues to grow each year.  In 1998, we graduated 78 seniors.  In 2014, we graduated 378. Becuase our community has grown so quickly, we tend to outgrow our facilities quickly as well.  A new middle school was built in 2012, so our high school, which was located right behind the old middle school, took over the remaining middle school space.  We have needed more space for our Media Center for quite some time but did not have room to expand in the current location.  With the former middle school media center space empty, we now had space to add tools that would help us "link" education and technology together; thus the LiNK was created!  

An extension of our Media Center and Technology program, the LiNK serves as a digital learning lab in many ways.  Through collaboration with our staff, teachers build lessons that incorporate app-based learning in the iPad lab, Google-based lessons in the Chromebook lab, and/or interactive lessons on our interactive flat screen computer.  Our original media center continues to house our book collection, as well as a class set of iPads, laptops, and numerous desktop computers.  The LiNK works to incorporate the technology aspect in creating 21st-century learners.  Yes, in a perfect world, the two spaces would be ideal together, but we are adjusting and getting teachers and students to see how valuable both spaces are now.  

In designing the LiNK, I had modern on the brain!  I wanted to create a space that I knew the students and teachers would be proud of and that was VERY different from anything in our school thus far. Chrome, stainless steel, shades of grey, and pops of orange and bright green make the LiNK a jaw-dropper when people first see it.  I feel proud to have had a hand in bringing this space to life.  

Former middle school library before the redesign.

The LiNK redesigned with mobile furniture and cooperative learning spaces.

Look for resources and details of the redesign in upcoming post.  

Who is Crazy Mrs.T and how did I get here?

My Mom always said that I would be a teacher though I fought it in every way possible.  I dabbled in several majors at the College of Charleston (S.C.) - marine biology, sports management, costume design - before settling on English with a minor in Secondary Education.  I taught high school English for 13 years and worked up a sweat everyday getting my students pumped about Shakespeare and Huck Finn and writing.  I have always been an extremely active person, so my classroom techniques were usually less than boring, aptly earning me the nickname "Crazy Mrs. T."  Students never knew what to expect when they ventured into my room each day.  When I first began teaching, the Internet was just arriving on the scene, and I was eager to embrace technology.  A lot had changed with technology since 1995, and I remained eager to continue trying out the latest tools that would enhance my students' learning.  I was attending so many workshops and conferences, that I finally realized that I should just go ahead and pursue my Masters in Informational Technology.  I knew that Media Specialists were no longer just about books, though I love to read on a daily basis, but more about the latest technology and collaborating with teachers.  I was already assisting teachers on my hall with trying new things, so I knew that I was heading in the right direction by enrolling at Georgia Southern University.  Little did I know that I would end up in the Media Center sooner than I realized!  One of our Media Specialists had to move with her husband's job transfer, and though I was not completely through with my course work, I was asked to fill her position on a provisional basis.  I was thrilled and haven't stopped learning about the exciting world of being a media specialist since!  

In my second year in my school's Media Center, I helped with a huge transition for our program.  Our school has quadrupled in enrollment in 18 years, so we outgrew our Media Center quickly.  In January 2012, we added to our Media Center and Technology program by opening a space called The LiNK, which is a digital learning lab.  I assisted in designing it and now run it on a full-time basis, while occasionally swapping off with the other Media Specialist who still runs our book collection in our Media Center.  I miss the everyday contact with the books, but The LiNK has afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with teachers more and introduce Web 2.0 tools and apps with our iPad lab and Chromebook lab that were not always possible in our limited Media Center space.  In a perfect world, these two spaces would be in one facility, but we are utilizing what we have to the best of our ability to meet the AASL standards and create amazing 21st-century learners!