Each year, many teachers, library media specialists, and paraprofessionals take the MILI course to improve their knowledge in teaching research. For each participant we have the following expectations.

Attendance

  1. Participants are required to watch monthly videos before the in-person meeting
  2. Participants are required to attend monthly meetings. One excused absence is allowed. No absences are allowed during the May (final) meeting.
  3. Each week during the school year, participants are required to work one hour, outside the time frame of MILI meetings, on tools, concepts, and ideas introduced.
  4. The total amount of time spent on videos , MILI meetings, and working one hour per week, will total 70 hours throughout the school year, with 7 of those hours spent in the first training day.

Blogging

  1. Participants are required to post two blog posts per month on their MILI blog, for a total of 20 blog posts, related to MILI concepts, tools, and ideas.Through blog posts participants express how they are thinking about, using, and analyzing the concepts, tools, and ideas introduced.
  2. Participants will use one blog to reflect on that month’s video, tools, concepts, and class (as well as other participant ideas discussed in class). Blogs should be roughly 150 words at a minimum. This reflection allows your instructors to monitor your understanding and knowledge growth as the course progresses.
  3. Participants will use the second blog to reflect on a key concept or idea of the course as demonstrated through an outside source. Each month students will find an article, blog post (outside of our Ning), video, or other resource that is related to our theme/topic that month and link the resource, and discuss it in your blog post. This post should also be a minimum of 150 words.
  4. Participants are expected to read each other’s blog posts and thoughtfully comment where appropriate. You are encouraged to comment not only on your cohort but the other district as well.
  5. Additional blog posts on general technology and other topics and opinions are welcome and encouraged, but do not count towards the 20 MILI posts.

Assignments

  1. Blog posts are a monthly assignment, but participants may be asked to complete additional assignments, which vary month to month. Participants will use their one hour per week outside of MILI meetings and videos to complete assignments.
  2. Participants will create a multimedia video for their final assignment. There will be multiple video tools highlighted throughout the program that participants can choose from to create the final video.

School Visits

Each MILI participant must schedule at least one school visit with Olivia. You may choose the time that works best (as you prepare your research project, as you are teaching a specific portion, etc.) for you and email Olivia with your requested date/time. The purpose of these visits is to allow Olivia to see the schools and libraries in the district, but also to allow MILI participants one-on-one time to discuss their individual research projects, as well as to highlight an example of your learning through MILI.

*All school visits must be completed by April, please do not wait until the last minute as Olivia can only be in one place at a time*

Participation

MILI is a collaborative process and it is intended that you fully participate in each session, taking advantage of the knowledge of the others in the group, as well as the instructors and sharing both your own knowledge and questions with everyone else. You are encouraged to speak up, ask questions, share stories that illustrate the concepts, give examples of usage, and help each other as we build this information literacy knowledge base.

Progress

  1. Progress toward meeting MILI requirements will be monitored every month and blog posts are due by the end of each month. Individuals who do not attend MILI meetings, watch MILI videos, and/or write blog posts on their MILI blog may be removed from the program and asked to return any incentives provided. This can impact CEUs, graduate credit, and/or Pro Pay credits.
  2. Blogging is to be done monthly. One blog, on an article of your choice, may be completed at any point during the month. The other blog, a reflection of the topics discussed that month, should not be completed until after we meet that month, but before we meet the next month.
  3. Assignments are not turned in to Olivia. Assignments are chosen to enhance your learning and understanding of the MILI concepts. You are strongly encouraged to use your one hour of work time outside of class to complete these assignments and bring your results and/or frustrations to the next class to share with your fellow participants.
  4. If you are taking the course for graduate credit or Pro Pay credit there are additional requirements that must be met to pass the course for credit. These specifics will be shared with those taking advantage of those opportunities.
  5. Final assignments are mandatory and must be presented, as well as turned in to Olivia for posting on the MILI website.

Questions

Are strongly encouraged. Please do not hesitate to speak up in class and ask your questions, but if you do not feel comfortable, you are welcome to email Olivia or Ann at any time.