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Sara Estela Ramirez
Background & Educational Philosophy
Educational Background:
- Masters Library and Information Science, Drexel University
- Bachelor of Science Early Child Development & Education, University of Texas at El Paso
- Bachelor of Public Administration and Policy, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
Professional Associations:
- Member of American Library Association, since 1999.
- Member of Texas Library Association since 1999.
- Membership in AASL, 1999, and regional contact person for SLMCT (School Library Media Centers of Texas) since 2008.
Volunteer Projects:
- Leader of Dia de los Niños at el Instituto de Los Barrios, Villa Progreso, TX
- Coordinator of the Youth Summer Reading Programs at the Tomas Rivera Public Library and Cultural Center, 2005-Present
- Local coordinator for TASC Inquiry Process model trainings and 21st Century Literacy workshops for educators, 2008-10
- Board Member of a non-profit organization, Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza, 2000-08
Experience:
- 10 years as a classroom teacher
- 3 years as a literacy coach
- 5 years as a rural community librarian
- 4 years as a school librarian
Skills and Technical Knowledge
- Bilingual; fluency with written and spoken Spanish and English
- Google Certified Teacher
My Educational Philosophy is aligned with the five roles as described by the American Association of School Librarians:
As a Leader, my goal is to:
- support school mission and goals
- plan, design, and execute initiatives to promote 21st century skills
- self-evaluate my knowledge and skills for continued professional growth
- survey stakeholders to identify their needs and wants
- conduct professional development
- participate and act as a leader in our community and professional organizations.
As a Program Administrator, my goal is to:
- develop and maintain a collection of print, electronic, and multi-media resources and equipment that supports and enhances the school curriculum and student learning experiences
- apply evidence based practices
- collaborate with all stakeholders and members of the community to
- support the reading program
- design literacy events
- implement school library programs
- secure access to resources that address the needs and interests of all stakeholders
- collaborate to develop a library program aligned to the school's mission and goals
- manage the school library program budget
- maintain the physical and virtual spaces.
As a Teacher, I strive to
- be familiar with school curriculum and state standards
- be knowledgeable of campus and student data
- raise student academic achievement
- empower students to evolve into
- critical thinkers
- zealous readers
- accomplished researchers
- reflective learners
- ethical users of information
- promote the use of 21st century skills and tools
- teach collaboratively to design meaningful and relevant learning experiences.
As an Information Specialist, my goal is to:
- evolve into a technical specialist for the purpose of modeling the 21st century tools
- collaborate in the development of meaningful and appealing learning activities
- promote interactive global learning through the use of a virtual library, wikis, Skype, webpages, and other current technologies
As an Instructional Partner, my goal is to:
- collaborate to develop an instructional framework that sustains the curriculum, parallels state standards, and promotes collaboration between school librarian, classroom teachers, and community resources
- center collaborative efforts on designing lessons that allow students to access information, create new knowledge, and develop into life-long learners.
I welcome the opportunity to serve the stakeholders at Villa Progreso. I look forward to collaborating with you for the academic success of the students and for our own professional growth. Please view my Portrait of a Collaborator so you may get to know me both personally and professionally.
Note on my name: Yes, I was named after my great, great Aunt Sara Estela Ramirez; Mexican teacher, author and activist. Many thanks to Mr. Ellinger's Social Studies/Biographies tools on the Celina City Schools, (of Celina, OH) website for this fact filled worksheet...
Villa Progreso Elementary School Librarian, Sara E. Ramirez - Home
Villa Progreso Elementary School Library Mission, Goals, & Objectives
Works, Tools and Sources
Animoto – Create Video Slideshows. Animoto Inc. 2005-2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. <http://animoto.com/>
AASL. Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009. Print.
AASL. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action. Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009. Print.
American Association of School Librarians. The American Library Association, 2003-2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/brochures/advocacybrochures.cfm>
Feinberg, Johnathan. Wordle™ – Beautiful Word Clouds. Wordle Inc. 2009. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.wordle.net/>
Glogster – Poster Yourself. Glogster.com. 2011. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.glogster.com/>
Hartzell, Gary N. Building Influence for the School Librarian. Worthington, OH: Linworth, 1994. (Needs Assessment, pp. 144-145).
Hirche, Christian. Fodey – The Imaging Generator. Fodey.com. n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.fodey.com/generators/>
Kimmel, Eric A. The Gingerbread Man. New York: Holiday House, 1993. Print.
Kimmel, Eric A. The Runaway Tortilla. Delray Beach, FL: Winslow, 2000. Print.
Moreillon, Judi. Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2007. Print.
Mounter, Joy. "Information Literate? Just Turn the Children Loose!." Teacher Librarian 36.1 (2008): 30-3. Library Lit & Inf Full Text. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
<https://ezproxy.twu.edu:2124/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.44>.
"Personality Test Based on Jung and Briggs Myers Typology." HumanMetrics - Online Relationships, Personality and Entrepreneur Tests, Personal Solution Center. Web. 30 Jan. 2011. <http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp>.
PhotoPeach – Fresh Slideshows to Go. Nota Inc. 2007. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://photopeach.com/about>
Somali-Fischer, Adam. Prezi – The Zooming Presentation Editor. Prezi Inc. 2009-2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2011. <http://prezi.com/about/>
SoundCloud – Your Sound, At the Heart. SoundCloud Ltd. 2007-2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. <http://soundcloud.com/>
Voki – Speaking Avatar. Oddcast Inc. 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. < http://www.voki.com/>
Wiggins, Grant P., and J. McTighe. Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1998. Print.
Xtranormal – Movie Maker. XtraNormal Technology Inc. 2006-2011. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.xtranormal.com/>
Images and Student Work Utilized
5th Graders. Favorite Animal Bar Chart. 2011. Microsoft Excel. Mitzi Bond Elementary, Texas.
Alvarado, Elias Miguel. The Plant Parts and Life Cycle. 2011. Photostory. Mitzi Bond Elementary, Texas.
Alvarado, Marcos E. Bunnies. 2011. Color pencils on paper. Mitzi Bond Elementary, Texas.
Alvarado, Marcos E. Spring. 2010. Digital image. Mitzi Bond Elementary, Texas.
Alvarado, Salome. Flower. 2011. Digital image. Home, Texas.
Child crying. Digital image. Microsoft Office 2008. Web. 16 Apr. 2011.
Cohdra. 100_5618.JPG. at Morguefiles. Web. 7 Mar. 2011 <http://morguefile.com/archive/display/15872 >.
Collaborating teachers, Mitzi Bond Elementary. Personal photographs of Rosanna R. Alvarado. 2011. [Used in Villa Progreso Brochure and Animoto presentation]
Girl: straddle jump. Digital image. Microsoft Office 2008. Web. 16 Apr. 2011.
“griet105.jpg” MorgueFile Free Photos for Creatives by Creatives. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <http://morguefile.com/archive/display/693093.>
Gracey. KittenAndMilk at Morguefiles. Web. 7 Mar. 2011 <http://morguefile.com/archive/display/143389 >.
Mensatic. DSC02702.jpg at Morguefiles. Web. 7 Mar. 2011 < http://morguefile.com/archive/display/34787>
Mexican crafts, Home. Personal photographs of Rosanna R. Alvarado. 2010.
Pena, Abril. Veteran Flags. 2011. Crayons on paper. Mitzi Bond Elementary, Texas.
Sanchez, Matthew. 8 Things About Me. 2011. Word document. Mitzi Bond Elementary, Texas.
School images, Home. Personal photographs of Rosanna R. Alvarado. 2011.
Smiley face. Digital image. Microsoft Office 2008. Web. 16 Apr. 2011.
Taliesin. Boxerpup at Morguefiles. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. <http://morguefile.com/archive/display/118914>.
Taliesin. Whthorse at Morguefiles. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. <http://morguefile.com/archive/display/98356 >.
Texas Education Agency - Welcome. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. <http://www.tea.state.tx.us/>.
Xandert. IMG_7218.JPG. at Morguefiles. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. <http://morguefile.com/archive/display/525591>.