Information Labs
from legos to laptops ... mobile screens to bestselling books
The John Jay Middle School Library is rarely quiet. Enter on any given day and you could find students collaborating at spacious tables, chatting in comfy chairs, or doing homework at the new high-tops.
The exciting thing is, no matter where students are in the middle school library, they have access to books, laptops and wireless presentation tools.
“All of the upgrades that we have made over the past year and a half have opened up many new possibilities and have allowed us to create engaging learning opportunities for our students,” said Library Media Specialist Jenn Useted. “We are also providing our students with an inviting place to visit, even if they simply need a place to sit and read a book.”
Lunch / Recess at the Library
1 library - many spaces
Tables and digital displays create collaborative workstations for small groups. They can also be easily rolled where needed. The tables, for instance, recently augmented the low bookshelves in the center of the library to display The Curiosity-Driving Learning Museum.
The library classroom is a smart space that features enough iPads for two classrooms of students, a large digital display, five mobile displays and a green screen space. A good example of the collaborative learning that happens there is A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Ozobot in Ancient Mesopotamia.
The adjoining step lab, until recently housing rows of stationary desktop computers, has been transformed into a flexible space suitable for performances or meetings. It was just the right place for creating Rube Goldberg machines—a noisy, fragile process.
Room 267
Room 267, upstairs in the middle school, is another space that can be rearranged to fit the activity — individual work, class discussion, and group projects. The eye-catching blue and green tabletop chairs are fitted with wheels. As with the library, the space offers students access to iPads and MacBooks and easy integration with large digital displays.
Director of Technology Chris Nelson arranged the chairs in a circle for face-to-face discussion with new teachers. The students rolled their chairs into small groups for a game of charadas with Spanish teacher Matt Knittel. Gregg Kastanis’ science class spread out within the space, using it as a computer lab to research and write papers on elements.
