Toni Blattman is the Library Media Educational Technology Specialist at Kearns Jr. High School in Kearns, UT.  Each month Toni and media assistant LaVada Brinton host a major promotion in the school library. For September 2014 the theme for their activity came from the Divergent book and movie.  Following the premise of the story, students were invited to take the Divergent Factions Aptitude Test to determine which “faction” they were to join.  Then, students engaged in Library Faction Challenges, such as checking out and reading a book or visiting the library to study with a friend, etc., for which they earned faction medallions upon completion.  Over 40% of Kearns Jr. students participated in the activity, with 780 medallions being awarded to students.

Technology Tip: Toni utilized an easy Google Form to share the library faction aptitude quiz with students.  She posted links to the quiz, the challenges, and other materials for the promotion on the school’s library catalog home page (Destiny Library Catalog), where students could easily access it from computer search stations and iPad kiosks in the library, or with a personal device from any other location at home or school.

The Divergent activity is just one example of the many ways Ms. Blattman promotes reading and information literacy at her school.  As one result of her efforts, Kearns Jr. High currently has the highest circulation of OverDrive electronic books in Granite School District, although one of the smallest secondary schools.  Ms. Blattman is one of our leaders in #graniteedtech and #granitelibraries, doing awesome things for and with students at her school.

Spotlight Author: Cindy Moyle, Granite District Secondary Media Supervisor