Media Specialist Resources

Welcome to Beanstack, Media Specialists! Learn more about Beanstack with the materials and resources found here.

Getting Started

Print Resources

• Rollout Guide: An introductory checklist that gets media specialists started with Beanstack!
• Reading Engagement Guide: Use this step-by-step guide to introduce Beanstack to your school community. This resource provides data-driven best practices to support educators and students and grow your school's reading culture.
• Quickstart Guide: Here, you will discover a guide designed for media specialists with detailed instructions on logging your reading, creating reading challenges, accessing student data, and more!

Video Tutorials

• Media Specialist Experience: In this video, we review the media specialist experience on how to view the reading profile of and log for an individual student, how to log on behalf of a class, and how to access your data in Beanstack via reports and insights.
• How to Train and Engage Your Teachers: Get expert help on using our teacher training slides effectively. We review best practices and content for training your teachers on Beanstack.

How to Engage Your Teachers

Best Practices

• Run a classroom competition and keep the school updated on progress using leaderboards.
• Provide recognition and incentives, such as awarding a top-reading class with this poster.
• Take a few minutes to have teachers log their own reading, add them as friends, and encourage them to add their students as friends so that their reading is visible.

Training Materials

• Teacher Training Resources & Outline: Consider this document your launch pad for Beanstack teacher training. Here you’ll find links to slides and other resources, as well as tips and best practices for training. 
• Beanstack Teacher Training Slides: Make a copy of our customizable slide deck to introduce Beanstack to your teachers and train them on functionality and best practices. This slide deck is designed to be modular—if you only have 5 minutes at a time with teachers, you can easily break up this content.

How to Introduce Your Principal to Beanstack

Getting your principal’s support can make a big difference! Use our template below to help get your principal on board. All you have to do is copy and paste.

Dear <principal name>,

We are using a tool called Beanstack that uses proven gamification principles to motivate students to read and build our school’s culture of reading.

Can you help in one or more of these ways?

• Give the go ahead on a “Principal’s Picks Reading Challenge”
• Compete against the students to see who reads the most during a month
• Announce top readers and classes on the morning announcements
• Become one of the top prizes by having a special meal with the students or, for example, letting them duct tape you to a wall like the principal below.

I can make all of this easy (and not too much time) for you and also work with our school success manager at Beanstack to use the materials they have provided.

Please let me know. I know your support will make a big impact!

Thank you,
<your name>