Media Matters
What's Happening in the Ortega Media Center
What Are They Doing Down There Anyway?
You might think that the Media Center is a quiet, pensive place, where students just come to check out library books, but you would be mistaken. Our Media Center is bustling with many different valued activities throughout the week. My days begin with students who come for morning tutoring and to use the computers. Throughout the week all 420 students have 45 minutes of library time, with me, a certified Media Specialist, with a Master's degree and 16 years of experience in education. We sometimes do basic activities like studying different authors and genres of literature. But, we can wow you with student made Prezis, Microsoft Publisher brochures, Photostorys, Public Service Announcements, and our knowledge of technology, such as a laptop. Prepare to be amazed when we show you how we can manipulate and judge the print rich environment around us. We are getting ready for the rest of our life when we are bombarded with advertisements and social media. Our students are learning to be literacy and tech savy by being in our Media Center!
Investigating
Students have to have quality time with resources to fully understand how to use them.
Researching
We utilize technology to find out the latest information that is hot off of the internet!
Background Knowledge
Our amazing exhibits that are created quarterly, start off by working in the Media Center to find out facts!
What's Coming Up Next?
The Scoop...
I am aggressively aligning my teaching time with the grade levels to support classroom instruction, and thus, the Exhibits.Kindergarten - We are doing an in depth study of our National symbols and landmarks. We are using literature and my personal iPad to play with some fun photography. Look for it at the " Museum In The Park" on June 1.First Grade- Eric Carle is the author and illustrator study that will be guiding our inquiry of plant life this 9 weeks. We will be emailing Mr. Carle, listening to him read by way of internet, taking a virtual field trip to his Museum and creating our own digital Eric Carle inspired works of art using an internet tool called "KerPoof".Second Grade- Technology and classroom curriculum are playing nicely together as we are learning about healthy bodies and making our own baseball style card for the exhibit. Students are learning about storing their work on a personal and shared drive, manipulating digital photos, and creating a final shared piece.Third Grade- Egyptian gods and goddesses ruled Egypt in the past, but they are alive and well in our study of Egyptian Mythology. Students will be creating their own power points that showcase some of the Egyptian gods. Make sure to stop by the exhibit to see the revolving work of many of our 3rd graders!Fourth Grade- Students have been learning how much you can learn about Mrs. Polkey by digging into my recycle bin. Primary sources are the key ingredient when learning about any peoples of the past. We are spanning a large amount of Florida's History as we prepare Power Points that highlight the significant periods of time in our state. We will also be utilizing the Library of Congress' online catalogue to locate appropriate Primary documents!Fifth Grade- Great Americans are the final study of the year. We are learning how to cite our sources and the importance of not plaigiarizing. Students will prepare an on-line storybook about their Great American, utilizing KerPoof. This is a great way for them to continue to master their technology skills and share their research with all!
Mrs. Cyndi Polkey- Media Specialist
Email: polkeyc@duvalschools.org
Website: http://ortega.duvalschools.org
Location: 4010 Baltic Street, Jacksonville, FL
Phone: 904-381-7460