Author Archives

With 16 year of experience as a school librarian, Michelle has served students and teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is a past President of Alabama School Library Association, has served as Region V Director for AASL, and currently chairs the Alabama Virtual Library Executive Council. A National Board Certified Teacher, adjunct professor for the University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies, and graduate student pursuing a PhD in Instructional Leadership/Technology, she is always eager to discover and share the latest trends in school librarianship. Michelle is very passionate about her work as a school librarian at Helena High School in the Birmingham, Alabama area.

• Presentations: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

  By Michelle Wilson on 09/26/2017 • ( 0 )

  

  One of the most critical life skills we can help students develop is their ability to communicate their work products and thoughts effectively in verbal presentations. Thanks to today’s text-driven society, their ability to communicate effectively for presentations–or even to… Read More ›

• American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Life of Teenagers (Nancy Jo Sales)

  By Michelle Wilson on 08/23/2017 • ( 1 )

  

  A few years ago, Nancy Jo Sales took on a bold and, some would consider, terrifying task. She spent hundreds of hours interviewing over 300 girls between the ages of 13 and 19 for one purpose: to uncover the digital… Read More ›

• Are You a Font Barista?

  By Michelle Wilson on 03/21/2017 • ( 3 )

  

  Ask me what I love about being a school librarian, and we’d have quite a lengthy conversation. However, in the top three of my favorite aspects of school librarianship is the unpredictable nature of our work day and task list…. Read More ›

• Book Review – We Are All Made of Molecules (Susin Nielsen)

  By Michelle Wilson on 02/06/2017 • ( 0 )

  

  Stewart and Ashley are as different as two people can be and remain on the spectrum of human personality. Stewart is gifted in the area of intelligence and observation. Ashley is not. Ashley is gifted in the area of fashion… Read More ›

• Coding: What’s in it for the Library

  By Michelle Wilson on 12/29/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  December 5-9 was the Week of Code, and we made every effort to participate in a big way at Helena High School. Reaching out to our Career Prep and Math departments enabled us to bring in almost every student in… Read More ›

• New Kid on the (3D Printing) Block: Tips for Getting Started With a 3D Printer

  By Michelle Wilson on 10/26/2016 • ( 1 )

  

  When the Makerspace movement began spreading a few years ago, I was one of those people who was under the misconception that you couldn’t call it a Makerspace if you didn’t have a 3D printer. At that point in time… Read More ›

• Instructional Technology: Approach with (Healthy) Caution

  By Michelle Wilson on 09/26/2016 • ( 1 )

  In his insightful speech to a 1998 world on the cusp of the explosion of the Tech Age, American philosopher Neil Postman presented his five basic ideas on the concept of technological change. Even though his talk is now nearly… Read More ›

• ESSA in Alabama

  By Michelle Wilson on 08/29/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  As a school librarian in Alabama, I have been so grateful for the extremely thorough way ALA and AASL have promoted the significance of ESSA (the Every Student Succeeds Act, which has replaced No Child Left Behind) for school libraries… Read More ›

• Making a Great Exit

  By Michelle Wilson on 07/27/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  Though I have nearly 15 years in the education world (most of those as a school librarian), I am currently in transition from one school to another. I have served three very different learning communities throughout my tenure, and have… Read More ›