Selection Criteria for e-resources

http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html

http://www.csbsju.edu/Libraries/Library-Staff/Library-Departments/Collection-Development/Electronic-Resources.htm

http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/acquisition-collection-development/publications/IFLA_ELECTRONIC_RESOURCE_GUIDE_DRAFT%20FOR%20COMMENT.pdf

http://www.lib.colum.edu/about/ecollectiondevelopment.php

Selection criteria for e-resources from the above website have the following similar elements:
- Fit with the goals of organisation.
- Availability of resource and access (24/7 passwords or IP address access)
- Sustainable cost
- Vendor is accessible providing support
- Technical compatibility and user friendly
- Licensing considerations
- Cancellations
These common elements are important as serious considerations need to be made. Shrinking budgets, other formats may be a cheaper alternative and this format may meet specific needs of students, copyright issues and other legal matters, insuring those responsible for the work are rightly compensated/paid, ensuring it meets the needs of students with little hassle (more time is actually spent engaged in learning then figuring out how to open or start a program. Ultimately these similar elements of the criteria are important to increase student success while ensuring confidence with teachers and the use of e-resources without fear of litigation.

2.1b Dahl, C. (2012). Primed for Patron-Driven Acquisition: A Look at the Big Picture.

Dahl discusses the implementation of PDA in North America. The development of technology economic issues and user expectations are creating a stage whereby PDA could be a viable option. Dahl’s review provides information for those who are beginners in the realm of PDA. Highlights issues such as shelf space and budgets, a just-in-time approach and favourable over a just-in-case approach. Dahl indicates a PDA approach takes out the aspect of speculation by the librarian and indicates that books selected through PDA circulate more frequently. Dahl has categorised inquiry’s regarding the implementation of PDA into three themes, Maintaining Control over What and How Much, Multiple Methods of Collecting Monographs, The Evolving Purpose of the Collection. Dahl suggests PDA is becoming a more viable option as it increases in popularity and more refined programs being developed.

Dahl, C. (2012). Primed for Patron-Driven Acquisition: A Look at the Big Picture.

Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 24 (2), 119–126.

What is a balanced collection?

Discuss the pros and cons of buying bundled sets of resources, for instance a journal database or a Standing Orders service.
Pros
Free up time.
inexperienced or new TL able to resources a library due to the simplicity of obtaining resources
resources are screened
Reputable publishers and popular authors
Age suitability
Discounts
Continual supply
Wider variety of fiction types, horror, fantasy

Cons
Some double ups on titles.
Not meet the interest of students.
Issues may arise with regards to platforms if bundling ebooks and limitations to specific devices.

Consider also the pros and cons of selecting content that is provided via online access but which the library does not own.
Pros
Physical storage space not required
24/7 access
Initially cheap as you may not have to buy outright and allows for review and analyses of resource.

Cons
Access to online resources might be problematic for some.
Over time may be expensive for renewals of subscriptions

I am interested to read the ideas of others as I have only produced a limited list of pros and cons which reflects my inexperience.

Developing collections to support teaching and learning.

How is the teacher librarian's expertise and role in 'selecting and using resources' is different from that required by all teachers? Not having experience working in a library and after viewing Standard 3, focus area 3.4 of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, I would greatly appreciate the ideas of others with regard to the differences between teachers and TL’s role in 'selecting and using resources'. How could teacher librarians effectively collaborate with the school community in the selection of resources in a school with which you are familiar? Within the school I’m currently working, TL might effectively collaborate with the school community in matters relating to selection of resources by developing a committee comprising of staff members from each KLA. These members may meet as a group in an allocated time slot and discuss resources they may need, budgets, acquisition, accessioning through the library and how resources may meet outcomes across KLA’s. Consider also how to engage your learners in selection of resources for their school library. I personally believe learners (students) need not be involved in the selection process. If Standard 1 of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers ‘Know their students and how they learn” is effectively meet by teachers then the selection of resources can successfully be done by teachers and TL’s. For the purpose of this forum though I would identify stages where this process would be efficient (stage 6 possibly stage 5) develop a committee where possible resources are brought forward after teachers have made a short list. Students can, under the guidance of teachers, offer their opinions. This shortlist provided to the committee could reflect significant and relevant aspects of the learner’s community and interests. Who should have the final say on what is included in the school library collection? Why? The final say of the selection of resources ultimately should be the Principal as they are the face and leader of the school. However, this process could be put to a panel of teachers and executive staff that are leaders in their fields providing a unbiased system that could reasonably resources the curriculum needs of the teachers and learning needs of the students.

From your experience and knowledge of schools with which you are, or have been familiar, consider how effectively these schools are addressing the resourcing for learning in the 21st century.

Video conferencing, laptop rollout (DER), ipads, Xsel students using adobe connect for specific classes are all thing that I can see schools that I am familiar with resourcing for learning in the 21st Century. Although these are broad and specific activities, hardware and software I believe it is a step in the right direction. I can see the challenge in resource for the New National Curriculum from a TL’s point of few but there are also the opportunities for TL to show their expertise.

Do you agree with Johnson that students, and indeed younger teachers, are increasingly 'post-literate' in the manner that he defines and uses this term?

I agree that students and young teacher are increasingly ‘post literate’ as Johnson defines. I also agree with his statement that it is a return to more natural forms of communication, speaking, storytelling, dialogue debate and dramatisation. From the readings in this course and ETL401 I believe that school libraries are already adopting some of the critical attributes of Johnson highlight in his article. This may be a natural progression for school libraries as they adapt to the changing needs of teachers and students with regards to fiction and nonfiction resources.

Consider how a school library program collection provides access information at each stage of the academic information cycle. What are the implications if people have access to information from only one stage of the cycle?

Each stage of the information cycle News, Scholarly and Books may be accessed electronically or hard book copies within a school library (KLA referencing). As each stage of the information cycle is as important as the previous stage, if access to information from only one of these stages of the cycle occurred implications may occur. Access to news only, will provide students with facts and fables. Without access to Scholarly articles students will not have the resources to distinguish between fact and fiction. With access to books only, students may not identify the relevance or significance of all the specific information compiled into the one source of information. Access to only one stage of the information cycle may create significant gaps in students learning and understanding of information provided to them.

ETL503 "What to watch for in 2013"

Reading Shatzin’s blog “What to watch for 2013”, I was slightly pleased to read that there are many unresolved issues that will hopefully prolong the life of hardcopies in an actually library staffed by TL’s and SASS Library Assistants . The longevity of hardcopies may be a result of Shatzins ideas that picture books and illustrated books due to screen sizes will not have the same impact digitally and on the other hand a reference book displaying disinteresting charts my also lead to the readers disappointment. I believe that Shatzin’s points of the merger of large publishers and increase competition amongst platforms will provide consumers (schools or individuals) with greater purchasing, viewing (ebook or hardcopies) and security options. These ideas put forward by Shatzin, I believe will impact school libraries and their collections in such a way that there will be numerous modes for reading books and there will be more options for TL to resources their library. Knowing how students learn and what they want to read have been traditional roles of the TL and teachers, TL’s now have an additional role of knowing how they want to read (ebook or hardcopy). It’s also important for the TL to identify the needs of the teacher and other community members while being flexible and continually up-skilling in this ever changing environment.

Assessment item 5. Part B Critical reflection.

My view of the role of the Teacher Librarian (TL) has changed quite considerably throughout the study of the resources provided in ELT401 Teacher Librarianship.

Initially, I was somewhat naïve about the role of the TL and concerned about the future of TLs and their place in education institutions such as the one I’m currently employed in (Edwards, 2013a)

Preservation of knowledge, was my primary thought about the role of a TL. Although this is not incorrect it is very limited and very distant from the multifaceted role that I have now come to know. Herring (2007), Purcell (2010) and Lamb (2011), provide many examples of the role of a TL such as: Librarian, Information specialist, Information Literacy leader, Curriculum leader, website developer, budget and staff manager and professional development coordinator. It should have come as no surprise but these readings also gave a heavy importance of teaching, much more than I anticipated. In my blog (Edwards, 2013b) I highlighted that the TL’s primary role is teaching and meeting the educational needs of students as well as the social role TLs have such as: welfare, mentoring and being an ambassador for their students and their school. This primary role was also identified by The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian School Library Association (ASLA) through its ‘Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians’ which focuses on the Teaching Role of the Teacher Librarian through the second strand ‘Professional Practice’ (ALIA & ASLA, 2004).

Through defining this explicit role of the TL other common themes appeared that were foreign to me but effectively assisted the TL to be successful and ultimately meet the educational needs of the students.

Working Collaboratively and obtaining the Principals Support

Working Collaboratively and obtaining the Principals Support were identified by Morris (2007) and Haycock (2007) as being key factors to the success of a TL. Morris (2007, p.1) stated “Principal support is the key to successful collaboration between classroom teachers and media specialists.” Haycock (2007, p.32) identified collaboration between staff members as the single professional behaviour that most affects student achievement and leads to growth of relationships improving experiences of all members of the school community.

Information Literacy (IL) and Inquiry Learning

The research and literature on IL is fascinating. Now knowing that this is a significant role of the TL I’m a little overwhelmed by this concept as there are numerous definitions. After reading definitions by Langford (1998), Doyle (1996), Candy (1993), Eisenberg & Berkowitz (1990), Herring & Tarter (2007) and Owen (1996), I personally prefer Abilock’s (2004), definition that ‘Information Literacy is a transformational process in which the learner needs to find, understand, evaluate, and use information in various forms to create for personal, social or global purposes.’

This above definition helped me to identify IL as being more than a set of skills as IL can go beyond the school setting to the workplace and attribute to lifelong learning highlighting the notion of creating, sharing, self-reflection and awareness (Edwards, 2013c).

Assessing IL and Inquiry Learning

While fully engrossed in the module Assessing IL and Inquiry Learning I had commented on my blog (Edwards, 2013d) questioning why TLs had to defend and justify their position. I had previously thought that the TL role of assessing was primarily to justify their position in schools. I now know that this is a vital role of the TL and its primary function is achievement of student outcomes not just accountability purposes. This primary role was again highlighted to me in the ‘Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians’ (2004) focusing on the Teaching Role of the Teacher Librarian through the second strand ‘Professional Practice’ standard 2.4 Evaluation.

The readings highlighted the many forms of assessment such as: diagnostic assessment (prior knowledge), formative assessment (throughout a unit of work) and summative assessment (end of unit of work) (Stripling 2007, p. 25) which were forms that I had implemented previously in my teaching. The most effective type of assessment that I had vague knowledge of and is a role of the TL was authentic assessment. I found this role of the TL interesting as it allows for collaboration with teachers and students to create an assessment that is significant to students as it provides real world problem for students to solve.

As I near the end of my first subject in ETL 401, after all the reading, research and reflection of the role of the TL, my view of the role of the TL has changed quite considerably. The TL is not merely a preserver of knowledge but an effective component of any school environment due to their varied skillset and primary role of achieving student outcomes.

Referencing:
Abilock, D. (2004). Information literacy: an overview of design, process and outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

Australian School Library Association (ASLA) & The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2004). Library standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. Retrieved  from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm

Bursting with Potential: Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. TechTrends, 55(4), 27-36.Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Candy, P. (1993). The problem of currency: Information literacy in the context of Australia as a learning society. Australian Library Journal, 42, 278-299.

Doyle, C. (1996). Information literacy: Status report from the United States. In D. Booker (Ed.), Learning for life: information literacy and the autonomous learner (pp. 39-48). Adelaide: University of South Australia.

Edwards, S. (2013a). How Libraries are Reinventing Themselves for the Future. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/

Edwards, S. (2013b). The Role of a TL. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/

Edwards, S. (2013c). Blog Task # 3 Information Literacy is More than a Set of Skills. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/

Edwards, S. (2013). How do you think a teacher librarian might make his or her priorities both clear and palatable to the school community. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/

Eisenberg, M., & Berkowitz, R. (1990). Information problem-solving: The big six skills approach to library and information skills instruction. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries
in the twenty-first century : charting new directions in information (pp. 27-42). Wagga
Wagga, NSW : Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.
 
Herring, J. and Tarter, A. (2007).Progress in developing information literacy in a secondary school using the PLUS model. School Libraries in View, 23, 23-27.

Langford, L. (1998). Information literacy: a clarification. It first appeared in School Libraries Worldwide, Volume 4, Number 1, 1998, 59-72. Retrieved from http://www.fno.org/sept98/clarify.html

Morris, B.J. (2007). Principal support for collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 23-24

Owen, R. (1996). Chilling the community: Information literacy and the Hindmarsh Island bridge. Australian Library Journal, 45(2), 120-135.

Purcell, M. (2010). All Librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of a School Library Media Specialist.Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30-33. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Stripling, B. (2007). Assessing informative fluency: Gathering evidence of student learning. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 23(8), 25-29. Available CSU Library Reserve

 

Blog Task # 3 Information Literacy is more than a set of skills

‘Information Literacy is more than a set of skills’

 There is an abundance of growing literature on Information Literacy (IL) (Abilock, 2004, Herring, 2006, Langford, 1998). The increasing interest in IL has broadened from the school context to higher education and the workplace (Herring & Bush, 2011). Education is constantly changing and the role of IL embedded across the curriculum is to encourage students to be lifelong learners. (Bundy, 2004, p. 6). IL is more than a set of skills and the concept of IL being seen as a set of skills is now being questioned (Lloyd & Williamson 2008, p: 12).

The term Information Literacy (IL) does not have one distinct or acceptable definition however, there seems to be a general agreement that it is a complex issue. Langford (1998) argues that the notion of literacy is fluid as it is defined by the information needs of society at that point in time. Herring and Tarter (2006) suggest the term is used as an extension of information skills. Eisenberg defines  Information Literacy as “the basic skills set of the 21st century” (Eisenberg, 2008, p.39) and yet goes on to emphasise that such skills form a process of connected activities that in turn form a view of thinking about and using information. Abilock’s (2004) definition of Information Literacy emphasises the transformational nature of the process by which the learner uses information to “create for personal, social or global purposes” (Abilock, 2004, p.10).

As presented in the definitions above there is a recognition that IL goes beyond a set of skills and is transferable to other tasks across subjects, personal and social situations, and even beyond the school setting to the workplace in recognition of lifelong learning, a so called “habit of mind” (Abilock, 2004, p.9). These definitions of IL highlight the notion of creating, sharing, self-reflection and awareness allowing students to be critical thinkers and efficient 21^st Century Learners.

The use of Information Process Models shows also that IL is more than a set of skills as some models such as the Big 6 examine thoughts, feelings and actions associated with various activities (Wolf, Brush, & Saye, 2003). Kuhlthua (2004) also describes these thoughts, feelings and actions in her ‘Information Search Process’ model.

Information Literacy means more than to know how and where to find information, just as literacy requires a student to do more than simply read a text. The ‘Information skills in the school: engaging learners in constructing knowledge’ (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2007, p.7) policy refers to Information Literacy as “not just skills” but knowledge of how and when to use strategies.

It is therefore the role of the TL to provide effective frameworks to help students work through the abundance of information accessible to them through various forms, transfer this knowledge across subject areas, tertiary education or work and develop the IL needs of their students to prepare them to be lifelong learners.

References:

Abilock, D. (2004). Information literacy: an overview of design, process and outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

Bundy, A. (ed.) (2004). Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework: principles, standards and practice. 2nd ed. Adelaide: Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy (ANZIIL) and Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL).

Eisenberg, M. B. (2008). Information literacy: Essential skills for the Information Age. Journal of Library & Information Technology, 28(2), 39-47.

Herring, J. (2006). A critical investigation of students' and teachers' views of the use of information literacy skills in school assignments. School Library Media Research, 9.

Herring. J. E. and Bush. S. J (2011). Information Literacy and transfer in schools: implications for teacher librarians. The Australian Library Journal; 60, 123-132.

Herring. J. E. and Tarter A. (2006). Progress in developing information literacy in a secondary school using the PLUS model. Charles Sturt University.

Kuhlthau, C.C. (2004). Learning as a process, in Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services, Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, pp.13-27, available CSU Library Reserve.

Langford, L. (1998). Information literacy: a clarification. School Libraries Worldwide, 4(1), 59-72.

Lloyd. A. & Williamson. K. (2008) Towards an Understanding of Information Literacy in Context: Implications for Research. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, v: 40, p.3 -12

NSW Department of Education and Training. (2007). Information skills in the school: engaging learners in constructing knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/schoollibraries/teachingideas/isp/docs/infoskills.pdf

Wolf, S., Brush, T., & Saye, J. (2003). The Big Six information skills as a metacognitive scaffold: A case study. School Library Media Research, 6.

Guided Inquiry (GI). What advantages, challenges and/or disadvantages do you see for a TL wishing to implement a GI approach.

From the readings, Guided Inquiry appears to be an effective process. Students researching real world issues making the task more significant and being able to achieve the 5 kinds of learning identified by Kuhlthau, (2010, p. 2) sounds great. GI has many advantages as it meets several outcomes; it identifies specifically the TL role and the classroom teacher role, highlights areas requiring intervention through the use of Information Search Process(ISP) by TL or classroom teacher through formative assessment, incorporates the use of ICT, prepares students for the 21st Century and is a method of Action Research. Two main challenges that I believe the TL may experience implementing this approach are staff members and time. TL may have difficulty finding staff members to work collaboratively with within different Key Learning Areas who share the same passion as the TL and the biggest hurdle I believe is time and the lack of it. It was great to see examples from Fitzgerald, Sheerman and Scheffers. Reading about their processes successes, and being able to view the research and results was motivational. I hope to be able to effectively implement Guided Inquiry into my teaching as I see it as a very worthy process.

The information below is what I believe to an effect comment on Guided inquiry xxx

Blog Task # 2. The role of the teacher librarian with regard to assessing information literacy and inquiry learning.

Information Literacy and Guided Inquiry are vital roles of the Teacher Librarian (TL). Therefore, assessing the effectiveness of these roles is of vital importance not only for accountability purposes but ultimately achievement of student learning outcomes.  The Australian School Library Association highlights the importance of the development of information literacy skills and the need for evaluation. Standard 2.4 states that the Teacher Librarian (TL) should “evaluate student learning and library programs and services to inform professional practice” (ASLA, 2004).

Information Literacy and Guided Inquiry have been defined by the following:

Abilock (2004, p.1) argues that information literacy ‘is a transformational process in which the learner needs to find, understand, evaluate, and use information in various forms to create for personal, social or global purposes.’

Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari (2007, p. 111) state that guided inquiry is an active process for both teacher and student, based on continual assessment and evaluation throughout an inquiry unit. This is to inform the instructor when what interventions are required as well as what students have learned.

Guided Inquiry as an instructional method of teaching has been identified as an effective strategy as it improves critical thinking skills and information literacy skills. (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p. 112). These skills prepare students for 21^st Century Learning. The effectiveness of the TL and units of work addressing these outcomes can be assessed in many ways.

Diagnostic assessment, formative assessment and summative assessment across curriculum areas have been identified as the most effective way in assessing the usefulness of the TL’s active process in the inquiry process and efficiency of units of work (Stripling 2007, p. 25) along with authentic assessment.

Diagnostic assessment identifies students’ prior knowledge and an example of this assessment includes concept maps. The most important aspect of assessing prior knowledge is that it allows students to self reflect on their own misconceptions which enable them to identify these and replace them with more accurate knowledge (Stripling 2007, p.26),

Formative assessment is a measurement of knowledge through the inquiry process and is assessed throughout a unit of work. Examples of formative assessment include observations of engagement, student collaboration and how students are going about the inquiry process. Other forms of formative assessment include journals, logs, timelines, flowcharts, information search process timeline, conferences and portfolios (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p. 119). These forms of formative assessment indicate what has been learned and what hasn’t.

Summative assessment assesses knowledge and skills at end of the learning process. An example of summative assessment is a written report at the end of a unit of work in collaboration with conferences and portfolios. Exams and multiple choice questions are examples of traditional forms of summative assessment, they are however limited as these forms of assessment do not assess the different types of learning (Cirriculum, Inforamtion Literacy, Learning How to Learn, Literacy Competence and Social Skills, (Kuhlthau et al., 2007, p.112) which require different types of assessment.

The most effective form of assessment identified by Mueller (2005) is authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is based on real world problems that make it more meaningful and significant to students. Authentic assessment and for that matter effective assessment, cannot ask students just to recall information they must be able to demonstrate that they have accurately constructed meaning (Mueller 2005, p.14). The steps in creating Authentic Assessment allow for TLs to collaborate with classroom teachers to implement Information Literacy specific for the school and develop standards and skills that are significant to students, observable criteria of standards and skills and the development of rubrics for rating these skills and standards. This form of assessment is helpful in identifying the effectiveness of the TL with regard to Information Literacy and Guided Inquiry.

Assessment is essential for guiding students through the inquiry process allowing for strengths and weaknesses of students to be identified. This is true also for the effectiveness of the unit of work and allows for TLs to organise what form of intervention is required to help students achieve learning outcomes and ultimately be effective 21^st Century learners.

References:

Abilock, D. (2004). Information literacy: an overview of design, process and outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2004). Library standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians  Retrieved October, 2013, from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Assessment in guided inquiry. In Guided inquiry: Learning in the 21st century (pp. 111-131). Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited. Available CSU Library Reserve.

Mueller, J. (2005). Authentic assessment in the classroom… and the library media center. Library Media Connection, 23(7), 14-18. Available EBSCOHost

Stripling, B. (2007). Assessing informative fluency: Gathering evidence of student learning. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 23(8), 25-29. Available CSU Library Reserve

Information Literacy

I find it amazing that there is so much information on ‘Information Literacy’, I also find it amazing that there are so many definitions. It is undoubtedly important for Long Life Learning as stated in ‘The Australian and NZ Information Literacy Framework’ people who are information literate ‘know how knowledge is organised, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them’.

The major difference that I have found with the definitions provided in this module as opposed to the definitions proposed in earlier modules is that they are more in-depth and focused more on individual needs within individual communities. These definitions identify many standards of information literate people but more specifically they identify that information literate people take part in independent learning and lifelong learning.

These recently proposed definitions differ from previous definitions as they highlight Information Literacy as the ability or understanding of knowing how to learn.

Information Literacy and Transfer

Herring (2011a) identifies many assumptions made about Information Literacy (IL), in particular, its transfer across subject areas. Herring (2011b) findings in the study of the use of concept maps as a tool to assess students transfer skills across time and subject areas highlighted an important issue. Students see the school as compartmentalised and did not see the importance of IL transfer skills even though the teachers in this particular study thought the student were capable of doing so (Herring 2001b). To overcome this hurdle and to encourage students to transfer IL skills and practices TL’s and teachers can:

-          Work collaboratively with other staff members to address this issue.

-          Make it a whole school approach.

-          Increasing teacher awareness across subject areas highlighting IL’s role in helping students gain new knowledge and be reflective practitioners (Herring 2011a).

-          Increase student awareness of the importance and skills obtained to be effective lifelong learners.

-          Take into consideration sociocultural perspectives, how your students learn in their particular environment (Herring 2011b).

-          Identifying effective information Literacy skills such as concept maps that are easily transferred across subject areas (Herring 2011b).

-          Developing strategies for students who lack the willingness or ability to transfer information literacy skills (Herring 2011b).

Referencing:

Herring, J. (2011a). Assumptions, Information Literacy and Transfer in High Schools. Teacher Librarian, 38(3), 32-36.

Herring, J. (2011b). Year Seven Student, Concept Mapping and the Issues of Transfer. School Libraries Worldwide, 17(1), 11-23.

The role of the teacher librarian in curriculum development.

The latest research suggest that there are three pedagogical initiatives that have been linked to improved student outcomes:

Intellectual Quality: pedagogy focused on deep understanding.

Quality Learning Environment: pedagogy focused on student and teacher working in an environment focused on learning.

Significance: pedagogy focused on making learning important and meaningful to the student.

(NSW DET’s Quality Teaching, https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/proflearn/areas/qt/)

The links provided on this module all had a common theme of IBL or PBL. These forms of constructivist learning I believe have a direct link to the above pedagogical initiative as they focus on deep understanding, provide an environment that is focused on learning and allows for student centre teaching to occur making outcome important and relevant to the student.

 

TL’s are able to enhance the curriculum through their knowledge and resourcing ability. A TL’s technical knowledge (media specialist) is in invaluable to the creation of quality programs and units of work to aid students meet outcomes and become competent digital citizens.

Principals’ should encourage teacher to work collaboratively with the librarian to create effective programs and units of work as research from previous topics indicate collaboration within a school can enhance student outcomes.

I don’t think the exclusion of the TL from curriculum development will lead to poor programs or units of work as there are many super competent teachers. The inclusion of the TL in curriculum development, I believe, will result in outstanding programs and units of work that will encourage students to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers preparing them for the real world in the 21^st century.

 

ACARA New Curriculum

Not sure if viewing the videos on ACARA was part of the module but I found them very interesting as they outlined the new Australian Curriculum. What a great opportunity for TL to cement their unique attributes within their school and community with the implementation of this new curriculum and the development of new programs and units of work. Collaboration!

21st century teacher topic 3

Inquiry and problem based learning I believe is one of this most significant challenges that I will face as a 21st century educator. I understand the importance of critical thinkers and helping students seek knowledge to solve 21st century problems, however as time pressures continue to grow personally, I'm not sure that time will permit for the development of these awesome program's. The geography activity by Collins 'supporting location based inquiry learning across schools, field any home contexts' I thought was great and I started to get ahead of myself thinking that I could do this type of activity tomorrow. As I continued I was then brought back to reality as an activity like this takes time and collaboration. I also wondered about the ability of the student at my school and realised that I would have to spend a considerable amount of time preparing them for such an activity. Also, will i be able to meet all of the outcomes for the current unit of work with such an activity. i think this anxious feeling will subside as i look further into this and become more familiar with how to develop and implement pal activities.

Online Learning Journal creation & Blog Task1

A Teacher Librarian has many roles within a school, but the focus for this reflective piece will be to identify the TL’s role with regard to the TL practice of Principal Support.

Fundamentally, the TL’s (media specialist) role with regard to the TL practice of Principal Support is to ensure collaboration and support occurs between the classroom teacher, teacher librarian and Principal. As stated by Morris (2007, p. 1) “Principal support is the key to successful collaboration between classroom teachers and media specialists.” This collaborative and supportive work environment, as the research suggests, is also directly related to enhanced student achievement.

 “Collaboration is a trusting, working relationship between two or more equal participants involved in shared thinking, shared planning and shared creation of integrated instruction. Through a shared vision and shared objectives, student learning opportunities are created that integrate subject content and information literacy by co-planning, co-implementing, and co-evaluating students’ progress throughout the instructional process in order to improve student learning in all areas of the curriculum.” (Montiel-Overall, as cited in Haycock, 2007, p. 26). It is important for the teacher librarian to maintain this collaborative and supportive work environment with class room teachers and Principal to enhance students’ achievement.

Everhart (2006, p. 38-51) highlights the effect a Principal’s support has on effective media programs run by the teacher librarian and states that a lack of support from the Principal can be to the detriment of these programs. Everhart’s study investigates the frequency and type of evaluations used by some Principals to evaluate the effectiveness of the school library and media specialists. This study highlighted that school Principals tend to use their own methods of evaluation rather than reports from their TL (media specialist) making it important for the TL to ensure that collaboration and support occurs so that the roles of the TL are understood by the Principal. As Lesley (2007, p. 60) indicates, many Principals do not understand the role of the TL.

Haycock (2007, p.32) identifies collaboration between staff members as the single professional behaviour that most affects student achievement and leads to growth of relationships improving experiences of all members of the school community. I believe that the TL is the catalyst to this effective collaboration and students’ achievement and should promote their unique skills and competencies to the Principal and classroom teachers to obtain their support and trust.

Morris and Packard (2007, p. 32) also identify Principals as being crucial to the success of a media program run by a teacher librarian and that the Principal has a responsibility and ability to develop a school environment that enables collaboration to exist as a teaching and learning strategy. Research has also identified that student achievement improves when collaboration occurs between Teacher Librarian and classroom teachers (Morris & Packard,  2007, p. 37). This increase in students’ achievement, I believe provides evidence for the TL to actively seek out the Principal and other staff members and promote a supportive and collaborative working environment.

Therefore, from the readings and research conducted and the evidence collated that provides a direct link between collaboration and enhanced student achievement, I believe a TL’s role in regards to the TL practice of Principal support is to ensure effective collaboration occurs within the school community between all staff members and the Principal.

 References:

Everhart, N. (2006). Principals' evaluation of school librarians: A study of strategic and nonstrategic evidence-based approaches. School Libraries Worldwide, 12(2), 38-51.

Farmer, L. (2007). Principals: Catalysts for collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 56-65.

Haycock, K. (2007). Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35.

Morris, B.J. (2007). Principal support for collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 23-24

Morris, B. J., & Packard, A. (2007). The principal's support of classroom teacher-media specialist collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 36-55.

How do you think a teacher librarian might make his or her priorities both clear and palatable to the school community.

A TL’s priorities can be made clear by working collaboratively with executive staff and Principal to achieve whole school outcomes. This will help identify on a needs bases allocation of time, money, expertise, and allow flexibility for the TL to allocate these resources to other essential TL roles.

This above statement would be great in an ideal world. However, from these readings I have formed the opinion that TL’s are forever under the hammer to prove their place within a school community. After looking at some of the research (not all as I’m a slow reader) it all seemed legitimate that decisions are based on evidence, a holistic approach is taken to obtain the evidence and continual evaluation and decision making occurs. It appears to me that TL’s will forever be defending their jobs and in the process having to allocate time, time and more time to justify their position through this type of research. This research is important, I would rather it be used to effectively allocate time, money and expertise for the betterment of students, not to the justification of the TL position.

Principal Support

what sort of role do you see yourself fulfilling in the school as a TL (Herring, Lamb, Purcell and Valenza)?

There are numerous roles indicated by the mind maps of Herring and Purcell, Lambs PALETTE acronym and Valenza's manifesto. All roles I believe are important, however I would like to see my role as a Collaborative Information Specialist, resourcing, incorporating higher order thinking skills into programs and helping students critically evaluate digital forms of information encouraging life long learning.

within your experience, how do principals perceive the role of the TL?

Difficult for me to answer as I am not in a TL role. I do however see a positive relationship between my principal and current TL.

"Are school librarians an endangered species?"

The take home message that I received after listening to these 5 leaders is a message that has revitalised my belief that teacher librarians are an essential and integral part of a school community. Teacher librarians are a necessity within a school community and need to be assertive in expressing their importance within a school. Several of these leaders stated that TL’s are not and will not be extinct as they are experts in their profession of information and learning. Students will need TL’s to help them critically understand digital forms of information and digital citizenship. It is also important for the TL to continually evolve as technology does.

 

http://www.ala.org/aasl/knowledgequest/30second/JanFeb12

The Role of a TL

• How should TLs prioritise the roles they play in the school?

Only from these readings have I formed the following opinion. I believe that the priority of a TL is the educational needs of the students based at that school.

• Are there other roles played by TLs, e.g. social roles?

TL’s along with other teachers do play other significant roles including but limited to: welfare, mentoring, mediator and ambassador to their students and school.

• How do Lamb's views on the TL's role compare and contrast with those of Herring and Purcell? 

In this post I hope to successfully identify similarities between Lamb, Herring and Purcell’s Teacher Librarian roles. Below is a list of similarities that I have identified in these readings:

·         Working collaboratively

·         Student centred learning

·         Professional development

·         Inquiry based research

·         Increased focus on information literacy rather than reading for leisure

·         Storage of information

·         Curriculum and program design

·         All make reference to the standard of ‘lifelong learners’

My ability to critically analyse text is well off par. I hope that throughout this course that it will develop to a satisfactory level. I also find this shortfall of mine embarrassing and frustrating as I am an educator and I fell that I should be better at this. A work in progress.

• What existing tasks/roles do you think you as a TL could give up in order to be as proactive as Lamb and Valenza want you to be?

Through these readings I was unable to identify specifically the emphasis to be proactive. I did however gather from these reading that due to the ever changing dynamics of information and technology there is an emphasis on TL's to  actively engage in professional development to meet the information needs and demands of their students. Therefore, from my limited understanding of this topic so for, TL's could outsource administrative jobs to increase time for the development of programs and course content that enable students of all abilities to participate in inquiry based activities.

The teacher librarian: role statements and standards

As I am currently on paternity leave I am unable to view the role statement and make comparisons. It will be interesting to make comparison, as the library runs like a well oiled machine
and undoubtedly contains several similarities.

Database and using folders

Database and using folders
Browsed through databases and found the tutorials very helpful, which I will refer to in the future. There is a plethora of information. I have opened an account with EBSCOHost and created new folder in both EBSCOHost and Primo thanks to the informative tutorials.

Time management and negotiation

Time Management
In my case, organising set time to complete tasks would benefit me professionally and allow me to be more productive. I'm currently working between three faculties and sitting down at the end of each day to plan for the next day sounds just too simple. I hope this simple task will be effective.

Negotiation:
There are a few staff members that display effective skills in negotiating at the school I'm employed at. One in particular has  unknowingly been a mentor of mine. We have clashed numerous times about particular issues and on several occasions my stubbornness has resulted in me leaving with a bad taste in my mouth. It isn't until I'm at home reflecting on the day that I realise that if he wasn't effective in his ability to manage conflict things may have ended on a sour note (staying with the oral theme). I believe that I'm a better teacher and person due to these conflicts being so well managed by my cohort. We now enjoy a  beverage and a yarn together on a regular occasions.

Other influential colleagues appear to set goals and time to tasks. From my observation these colleagues are also flexible with goals and time.

Interesting Information from Richard Fidler

http://www.abc.net.au/local/sites/conversations/?ref=nav

Canadian scientists Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith conducted an experiment where they poisoned themselves in the name of science.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/07/30/3814042.htm

ETL401 Teacher Librarianship Topic 1

Introduction

 The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation:
Libraries = Preservation of information and knowledge

Slide show by Pew Internet Research Centre:
Very interesting research, one can only imagine what technological advancements will occur in the future in regards to information transfer and storage. Below are two interesting clips about future trends and technology.

How libraries are  Reinventing Themselves for the Future:
Concerns about funding for libraries worrying but it is always a pleasure to read about people who are trying to find different solutions.