Author Archives

I am a School Library Coordinator for the New York City Department of Education's Department of Library Services. I plan and deliver workshops, provide on-site instructional and program support to school librarians, coordinate programs, administer grants, and am program coordinator for MyLibraryNYC, a program administered with our three public library systems.

• Making Online Discussion Fun and Interactive with Google’s Jamboard

  By Leanne Ellis on 11/19/2020 • ( 0 )

  

  Inviting Participation Many students are reluctant to ask questions or comment with a large group during discussions. The virtual environment makes this worst. Maybe they don’t want their whole face taking up the screen or posting to the chat under… Read More ›

• All the Literacies

  By Leanne Ellis on 10/21/2020 • ( 0 )

  Literacy is one of those terms with academic cache like critical thinking or problem-solving. It has a nice intellectual ring to it, a sense of student accomplishment. Every academic standard, unit and lesson plan, school mission, and vision is stuffed… Read More ›

• Critical Thinking through Conspiracies

  By Leanne Ellis on 09/18/2020 • ( 1 )

  The moon landing is fake. The earth is flat. 5G radio waves cause COVID-19 and suppress the immune system.  What do these claims have in common? They are conspiracy theories.   Renee Hobbs, Professor of Communication Studies, Director Media Education Lab, University… Read More ›

• Reopening School Libraries: A Plan of Action

  By Leanne Ellis on 09/09/2020 • ( 1 )

  

  The COVID-19 pandemic brings exceptional challenges to school districts nationwide. Do schools reopen to students in-person, online, or as a hybrid model of blended learning? And a decision made one day could change the next. Most importantly, working in a… Read More ›

• Whose Stories Should We Tell?

  By Leanne Ellis on 07/23/2020 • ( 0 )

  Whose Stories Should We Tell? Education in America is an ongoing struggle between our ideals and the less than optimal reality we inhabit. But where we can empower students is broadening what we teach to include more perspectives, events, and… Read More ›

• It’s Time for a Permanent Change in Reading Habits

  By Leanne Ellis on 06/15/2020 • ( 1 )

  If there is any aspect of reading librarians excel at, it’s the curated list. Over the last two weeks – as protests around the country and the world intensify – librarians in New York City shared countless lists on anti-racist… Read More ›

• The Good of Remote Learning for School Librarians

  By Leanne Ellis on 05/19/2020 • ( 0 )

  I don’t know about the rest of you, but if I never see another overly sentimental, cloying, pull-at-my-heartstrings commercial about COVID-19, it will be too soon. Who knew car companies cared so much about us? I don’t want to be… Read More ›

• Professional Development Tips in a Virtual Environment

  By Leanne Ellis on 04/30/2020 • ( 2 )

  At the New York City School Library System, our number one task is to provide professional learning opportunities for librarians and teachers. When we planned the 2019-2020 school year, the pandemic and remote learning were not on our minds. Our… Read More ›

• Pandemic Preparedness for School Libraries

  By Leanne Ellis on 03/27/2020 • ( 18 )

  

  I can’t believe it was only a few weeks ago that I was meeting friends at the Museum of Natural History to see a new exhibit. We had lunch and walked around without a thought about societal upending. Later that… Read More ›

• Adding the Fun Angle (or How to Make Information Literacy Engaging)

  By Leanne Ellis on 02/20/2020 • ( 1 )

  

  In my last post, I wrote about how to make the instructional shift from content to process to have students critically think about what they learn. At a recent workshop, a participant made the astute point that students will be… Read More ›