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I am Naiku: Katharine Mulfinger

Katharine_Pic
Katharine Mulfinger

My Name: Katharine Mulfinger

Where I Teach: Bettendorf High School, Bettendorf, IA

What I Teach: Teacher Librarian

How Long I’ve Taught: This is my first year as teacher librarian. For the last six years, I taught 8th grade language arts.

What I do as Teacher Librarian: Along with selecting materials for the library and promoting library services, the library is the go-to place for technology questions. I work with teachers and students, helping troubleshoot technology issues.

Katharine_Library

Challenges I Face as a Teacher Librarian: We are a 1:1 iPad high school, and many of our teachers have utilized curriculum-specific apps, which is awesome! One challenge, then, is simply staying up-to-date with all of the apps out there, how teachers and students are using them, and how they might be able to utilize them in the future.

Types of Computers and Devices We Use at My School: We are 1:1 with iPads; all teachers and students have their own iPads. Many teachers also have Apple TV’s. We also have PC labs.

How I Help My Teachers Use Naiku: My role is to support/encourage teachers to utilize Naiku. I communicate with teachers regarding how they are using Naiku – what they like and what they’d like to see in the future.

What My Teachers Like Most About Using Naiku: The teachers at BHS like that we can move away from using Scantron bubble sheets. They can now print paper bubble sheets and have students use those. They scan those with their webcams and get immediate results in Naiku. They also like that they can share assessments with other teachers and have those assessments for the future. Now they have a tool to create and organize their common assessments.

BHS

Biggest Benefit My Teachers Get from Using Naiku: They’re able to save time when they don’t have to grade assessments, or even parts of assessments, themselves. It may seem trivial. But it really isn’t. Our teachers are pressed for time, trying to squeeze in as much instruction as possible. So now, instead of spending time manually grading exams or leaving the classroom to go scan the answer sheets, teachers remain in the classroom and gain additional instruction time.

Biggest Benefit For Me Now that My Teachers are Using Naiku: When I’m talking to teachers about Naiku, I’m able to find out what they’re doing in class; this gives me another avenue for working more with teachers and students.

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