SCOPE OF WORK PLAN

Working Title: Ms Fecteau Keeps Connecting!

Executive Summary: These are a series of videos - some are “maker” type videos, with an eye towards life skills, some are book talks and some are community interviews. They are resources for students to show not only the content, but that learning is a process that doesn’t end even though you are old. And quarantined. It also highlights the importance of connection and collaboration inherent in the digital creation process.

Creative Brief: This series started out as straight-up book talks designed to be an activity for junior English classes while we were temporarily out of school. As it began to look like we were not going to be back anytime soon, and perhaps not until fall, the scope changed and became more broad. As I began working on the Beverly Keeps Reading initiative, my focus changed from the idea of choosing specific summer reading books to highlighting books that are available online to students. As my filmmaking skills (such as they are) got better, I began to shoot footage of my own new activities as I tried new things during the stay-at-home time. As the lines between audience and collaborators began to blur, I found that building community was the inherent purpose of what I was doing, before I was even aware of it.

**Project Objectives:**Since developing the bones of a maker space, I have been trying to get students to think of the library as a place of physical creation as opposed to just books. (I have been very successful with puzzles, games and Legos, but I’d like them to explore more on their own. By showing them ways in which I try to stretch myself creatively during this time, I hope they will do the same. The library is also one of the few places in the physical school building where students can interact with their friends and classmates freely. These connections are an important part of the learning process.

Deliverables: The product is a series of videos. The number that I will eventually create is still up in the air, but I would like to have a set of 10-12 to highlight for this project.

Treatment: How does an online school librarian build community through technology? Apparently, by throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks!

On my reading blog - BOOKSPLAT - I am hosting a stream of videos - mostly that I have created, but some in which I have just taken part. They started out as a way of keeping kids reading during this time, but as they continued on, they became more about communication - stories in many different forms.

The first set was created at the beginning of online education as the new normal. They were designed to be “curriculum” for eleventh grade English teachers. But as our ideas of how to reach students began to evolve, so did the content.

The next stage was a bunch of “how to” videos under the banner Ms Fecteau Learns Something New. The idea was how to keep learning when our regular venues of information are narrowed to what we can get on the internet.

But it isn’t just our information that is narrowed, it is also our connections. Hence the Every Single One’s Got a Story to Tell series. These videos are interviews with teachers and writers as they tell their stories. I hope to expand this to include students and community members. Everyone has a story to tell.

The idea of connection through technology has expanded beyond video and I have begun hosting online book clubs (a no brainer!), viewing parties, community gatherings and bar trivia. These events are designed to build a sense of badly needed community. They are designed to bring people together and they soothe my soul.

Timetable/Schedule: This began on March 14 and will continue, hopefully, for the rest of my life. Even when the Covid-19 crisis abates, the idea of my community having no physical limits is beautiful and I hope to continue making connections through digital media and meetings.

Resources Needed: Computer, wifi, a camera/phone, iMovie, QuickTime, Zoom and a good attitude.

Constraints: Time. I was worried that I would be bored and lonely at home during this time. Because of this project, I don’t have enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do. I try to plan out my day, but then something interesting catches my eye and I follow that path. As Willy Wonka said, “The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last!”