ETL 505 Assignment 2 Part C Critical Reflection – Describing and Analysing Education Resources

Life, as it does, has thrown a couple of curve balls during the period of studying ETL 505 ‘Analysing and Describing Educational Resources’. Prior to studying ETL 505 my knowledge of the principles and processes of describing resources was very limited and whilst my new understandings don’t place me in an expert category of describing information resources, I believe that they provide a great insight to the importance of effective resource description.

I have developed the notion that information resource description is complex and diverse, one of which I will never fully comprehend, however I do understand the necessity of IFLA’s development of the conceptual models Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) (IFLA, 1998) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) (IFLA, 2009) as they focus on what the user needs to find, identify, select and obtain, contextualise and justify. The abundance of information and growth of digital resources was the driving force for the development of these conceptual models and the development of Resource Description and Access (RDA) standards (Hider, 2012, p. 114).

I understand that the development of such conceptual modules has led to the development of many standards which are designed to increase the likelihood of users accessing information resources. The standardisation of Metadata through controlled and uncontrolled vocabularies is a major development in my understanding of information resource description. The assignments and module activities of ELT505 have developed my understanding of the importance of such standards. These tasks allowed for practical engagement with governing bodies such as SCIS, using their Subject Heading database to complete activities, a highly effective tool utilised by Teacher Librarians (TL) and other organisations that allow organisations to effectively store and shelve information resources for easy and effective access by teachers and students.

The future of information resource description provides many challenges and opportunities for TLs. The development of Semantic Webs and the ability to ‘tag’ resources presents challenges involving the quality of Metadata, an essential key to successful cataloguing but provides opportunities for end users to be interactive with resources of interest. The rollout of Oliver V5 later this year will provide opportunities for TLs to experience interactive catalogues with capabilities of federated searches, an example of how catalogues will need to continually develop and evolve as the needs of end users and technology change. This continual change will also see the need for continual updating of policies and procedures of standards to maintain the quality and integrity of Metadata.

The greatest understanding that I developed during the study of ETL505 is that information resource description and the vast aspects it entails, is an essential key to the success of the school library. I previously viewed the library as a repository of information, it is now viewed as an evolving organism where knowledge of how resources are described, the use of vocabularies and an understanding of information retrieval systems is essential. As research suggests school libraries are fundamental in the success of students’ academic achievement (Lonsdale & Australian Council for Educational Research, p. 35.). Knowledge of information resource description allows for an understanding of principles and processes resulting in the systematic organisation of resources in a school library. This contributes to student achievement through effectively and efficiently progressing through the FRBR user tasks of find, identify, select and obtain for all formats of information resources.

 

References:

Hider, P. (2012) Information Resource Description: Creating and managing metadata. Facet Publishing.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (2009) Functional Requirements for Authority Data: a conceptual model, K. G. Saur. Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-series-on-bibliographic-control-34

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (1998) Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records: final report, K. G. Saur. Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/publications/functional-requirements-for-bibliographic-records

Lonsdale, M., & Australian Council for Educational Research, V. a. (2003). Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement: A Review of the Research.

ETL504 Assignment 2 Part B – Reflective critical analysis

Word count - 879

Throughout studying ETL504 ‘Teacher Librarian as Leader’, my learnings have been vast, motivating and challenging regarding leadership and the role of the TL as leader. Reflecting on my learnings and knowledge development of leadership has been a complex and arduous task due to the complexity of leadership within different contexts and settings. Prior to this course, my understanding of leadership was limited with my blog comment ‘my understanding of leadership includes: self-sacrifice, communication skills, flexibility, time management skills, ability to inspire, empathise and work collaboratively with others’. (Edwards, 2014a) and has expanded quite considerably. I was aware of the multifaceted role of the TL, giving little thought to the extensive and important role of the TL as a leader.

My desire to possess the qualities of a transformational leader has only heightened delving further into research (Avolio., Walumbwa & Weber, 2009; Browning, 2013; Coatney, 2010) after my original post on my understanding of leadership (Edwards, 2014b) and my reflection of assignment 1 (Edwards, 2014c) that were based around  Marzano, Waters & McNulty (2005) theories and theorists. Transformational leadership as best practice for me as an aspiring TL as Collay (2011, p. 79) suggests, emphasises vision, trust, modelling, consideration of others, empowering others and uses exemplary communication.

Change is inevitable, and if you are not adapting or evolving you are devolving. My knowledge of leadership has developed to include the importance of collaborating to form effective teams and effective communication, to initiate professional development, curriculum design (Collay, 2011, p. 92) and implementing a situational analysis. Using tools such as STEEP and SWOT will help to identify internal and external factors known as future planning to effectively develop a vision (Wong, 2012, p. 22) and implement change. Effective teams, professional development and change would not occur if it wasn’t for communication. Clear and effective verbal communication is the most important factor in negotiations (Shearouse, 2011, p.199) and this will be a fundamental tool when change is not openly accepted by everyone. If properly communicated, it will have a better outcome. An excellent leader is an exemplary communicator.

Identifying and providing professional learning that is regular and relates to a school mission is a key role of the TL. Collaborative practices and models such as FUSION (Semadeni, 2009) and ADDIE (Keengwe, 2013) have given me the tools in developing proficient professional learning and development for staff teaching twenty-first century learners.

Just as important is the TL leadership role in developing policies and programs for digital literacy and authentic tasks, particularly with the technology focus of the Australian Curriculum and the unique skills required in twenty-first century employment such as ICT skills, information literacy skills and critical thinking skills (Wall & Ryan, 2010, p.31).

My knowledge of traditional learning theories has developed to include Constructivism (Pritchard, 2008) and Connectivism (Starkey, 2012) learning theories. These theories are based on learners constructing their own learning by building on experience relevant to them and emphasise the importance of authentic tasks and reflective practices in knowledge development (Pritchard, 2008, pp. 17-27).

I have learnt that leading for learning is a shared education practice involving explicit dialogue, focusing on learning and conditions that favour learning within a framework of moral purpose (MacBeath & Dempster, 2009, p.42 ). A TL must work as an instructional leader to achieve leadership for learning to ensure all decisions and actions are focused on the vision of the library and school. This is no small task with opportunities and challenges that will develop a flexible collaborative school culture that focuses on student achievement.

Leadership from the middle and advocacy are the two dominate knowledge developments about leadership that I have obtained studying ETL504. My previous thoughts about leadership indicated it would be more effective from the middle. I previously expressed  ‘leadership that is central allows for shared vision, opportunity to collaborate with staff from all levels of leadership, the opportunity to know staff personally and professionally, effectively facilitate change, demonstrate exemplary behaviour and build personal attributes that will help develop leadership skills and empower followers’(Edwards, 2014c). It was reassuring to read about leading from the middle in module 6, that leading from the middle is a unique but important opportunity that TL’s have as their role.

Advocating is a key leadership role of the TL in this multifaceted ever changing   environment. Promoting and marketing (advocating) the school library’s vision, goals and achievements is an important role of the TL now more than ever. An indication of how effective the library is can be evident when community members become promoters of the library advocacy (Martin, 2012, p. 55).

Finally, leadership comprises of a commitment to moral purpose, continuous learning and knowledge of teaching and learning, educational contexts, collegiality and the change process (O’Donoghue & Clarke, 2010, p. 92). I believe there is no one formula for leadership, however I do believe it can be learned. Effective leadership aids in the development of curriculum and instructional approaches to develop the skills required by twenty-first century learners. The leadership role of a TL, varied and complex as it may be, is essential within the educational context due to the effective relationships that can be built from the middle, that motivate and inspire colleagues with the ultimate goal of increasing student development and educational achievement.

Reference:

Avolio, B., Walumbwa, F., & Weber, T. J. (2009, September 14). Leadership: Current theories, research, and future directions. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/managementfacpub/37/

Browning, P. (2013). Creating the conditions for transformational change. Australian Educational Leader. 35(3), 14-17.

Coatney, S. (2010). Leadership from the middle: building influence for change. The many faces of school library leadership (pp. 1-12). Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited.

Collay, M. (20112011). Teaching is leading. Everyday teacher leadership: taking action where you are (pp. 75-108). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Edwards, S. (2014a). ETL504 TL as Leader Forum 1 Post. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-min=2014-01-01T00:00:00%2B11:00&updated-max=2015-01-01T00:00:00%2B11:00&max-results=28

Edwards, S. (2014b). Understanding leadership. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/2014_03_01_archive.html

Edwards, S. (2014c).  Assignment 1 Part B: ETL504 – Teacher Librarian as Leader/Critical Reflection. Teacher Librarian in Training. Retrieved from http://scotttl.blogspot.com.au/2014_04_01_archive.html

Keengwe, J. (2013). Multi-modal professional development for faculty. Virtual mentoring for teachers: online professional development practices (pp. 43-65). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

MacBeath, J. E., & Dempster, N. (2009). Connecting leadership and learning: principles for practice.  Retrieved from Charles Sturt University Library.

Martin, A. M. (2012). Building advocacy plans. Seven steps to an award-winning school library program (2nd ed., pp. 55-62). Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited.

Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). Some theories and theorists on leadership. School leadership that works: from research to results (pp. 13-27). Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/docDetail.action?docID=10089219

O’Donoghue, T. A. & Clarke, S. (2010). Teachers learning and teachers leading. Leading learning: process, themes and issues in international contexts (pp. 87-99). Retrieved from Charles Sturt University Library.

Pritchard, A. (2008). Cognitive constructivist learning. Ways of learning (2nd ed., pp. 17-33). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Semadeni, J. H. (2009). Professional development. Taking charge of professional development a practical model for your school (pp. 28-48). Alexandria, Va.: ASCD.

Shearouse, S. H. (2011). Reaching agreement: a solution seeking model. Conflict 101 a manager's guide to resolving problems so everyone can get back to work (pp. 195-214). New York: American Management Association.

Starkey, L. (2012). Knowledge and connectivism. Teaching and learning in the digital age (pp. 20-28). New York, NY: Routledge.

Wall, J., & Ryan, S. (2010). Digital literacy : a resource for learning. Resourcing for curriculum innovation (pp. 31-35). Camberwell, Vic.: ACER Press.

Wong, T. (2012). "Strategic long-range planning.(for school library media centers) ." Library Media Connection. 31(2), 22-23.

TL as Leader Module 6 forum

As an inspiring TL studying ‘Teacher Librarianship’ I believe leadership to be a major role of the TL. Prior to this course I had not thought of leadership as being important role of a TL. Effective leadership particularly regarding change has a great impact if that change is to be successful. The readings in module six identified what effective leadership consists of, such as communication, listening, sharing, helping other break from the past, creating support and modelling change to name a few. These are concepts that have been identified in earlier modules, however the concept of ‘leading from the middle’ and ‘advocacy’ are concepts that are inspiring and new. Leading from the middle is greatly affected by social influence and power is the core to this influence. Advocacy, a by-product of development and effective implementation consisting of the combination of promotion and marketing, is an aspect that I now believe to be of great importance. Advocacy that is promoted the community is the best type of advocacy as it highlights the effectiveness of the library to its members.

Strategic Plan

Mackay West State School P&C Association strategic plan uses many of the concept provided in the module readings. Perhaps my understanding of a vision statement isn’t quite clear as I could not give a definitive answer if there was a vision statement or not. I also believe that my understanding of the context this strategic plan is associated with is vague. However, by examining the strategic plan and comparing it to the module reading with what a strategic plan consist of, this plan would be effective in its implementation within its context.

SMART criteria Topic 5 forum

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Result focused / realistic

Time bound / timely

Comparing school goals to the SMART criteria has identified effective and somewhat ineffective goals. I believe the goals set by my current school are set within its contexts regarding the students and community. The four major goals that the school is trying to accomplish will be beneficial to both the school and students and using the SMART criteria has identified this. These goals are specific, measurable, achievable and results focused and/or realistic, where some of the goals fall short is the achieved or completion date (Time bound /timely). Perhaps the implementation of the SMART criteria is an effective method to be used during the planning process and as an evaluation tool in the development of a strategic plan within a school and school library context.

Module 5 post 2 Mission vs Vision

The school that I’m currently working in mission statement is as follows ‘mission is to provide high quality educational services, developing the honesty, compassion and integrity of our students, and adding to the economic, cultural, social and sporting capital of our community’.

The school’s vision statement is as follows ‘Our vision is to create an inclusive learning community in which everyone values their education and benefits from opportunities provided by the school to achieve their potential’.

There is a clear difference between the schools mission and vision statement. The mission statement highlights why it exists and its core purpose. I find it memorable, inspiring and focused on the students and community.  

The vision is quantitative, future casting and audacious, as it is concerned with the future potential of both students and community. To find the mission and vision statement could be tricky for community members and time poor teachers, therefore I believe it needs to be more visible for staff, students and community members.

Module 5 Environmental Scan STEEP

By viewing the internal and external factors within the school I currently work in using the STEEP process, many emerging issues were highlighted .Most concerning is the gap that appears with the technology available to students through the school and the technology that student are exposed to at home. Through thoughtful planning, collaboration and evaluation this concern can be identified and goals and processes can be put in place to help close this gap.

Digital Literacy

There are elements of digital literacy in the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum. Map your current understanding of digital literacy to the General Capabilities.

My understanding of Digital Literacy has now expanded to not only include effective and safe use of ICT (word processing, web tools and social networking) but to include the components of information and critical literacy as stated by Wall and Ryan (2010, p. 31). These components include, defining, locating, selecting, organising, presenting and evaluating information and questioning, problem solving and reflective thinking.

DL is linked to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability of the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2013, p. 61). The elements that relate to digital literacy include (ACARA, 2013, pp. 61):

•             Recognising intellectual property

•             Using ICT to safely create, communicate and share information

•             Information literacy: locate, access, generate, organise, and analyse data

•             Selecting and evaluating the integrity and value of information sources

•             Generating ideas, plans and processes

•             Generating solutions to challenges and learning activities

•             Collaboratively constructing knowledge, sharing and exchanging

•             Applying technical knowledge and skills to efficiently and securely manage digital data

•             Understanding of context

Furthermore DL is linked to the Critical and Creative Thinking Capability and the elements which relate to digital literacy (ACARA, 2013, p. 78):

•             Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas

•             Seeking solutions and putting ideas into action

•             Reflecting on thinking and processes

•             Transfer knowledge into new contexts

•             Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures

 

•             Draw conclusions and design a course of action

How would you develop a digital literacy framework for your school in the context of the Australian Curriculum?

•             Through collaboration with staff and personnel with expert knowledge identify key aspect of DL that is nationally recognised to incorporate into the framework.

•             Use the ICT and Critical and Creative Thinking capability framework from Australian Curriculum General Capabilities as foundations to develop the DL framework.

•             Use Personal and Social Capability as well as the Ethical Understanding Capability to guide in the creation of the DL framework.

•             Create authentic learning opportunities with the use of technology.

Reference:

ACARA. (2013). General capabilities in the Australian curriculum.  Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Overview/General-capabilities-in-the-Australian-Curriculum

Wall, J., & Ryan, S. (2010). Digital literacy : a resource for learning. Resourcing for curriculum innovation (pp. 31-35). Camberwell, Vic.: ACER Press

Conflict Resolution Questionnaire

After completing the Conflict Resolution Questionnaire my approach to managing conflict was identified as COLLABORATING (above average assertiveness, believe in two people working together can produce better results than individuals.

I thought and still think of myself as being assertive, perhaps not above average, and I do believe that two heads are better than one. Furthermore, I believe avoidance is part of my conflict management repertoire that I need to work on as an aspiring Teacher Librarian.

Collaborative Curriculum Programs Module 3 post

The element of leadership practice in collaborative environments that I would like to explore further that also already exists in the school I currently work in is the practice of collaborative curriculum design mentioned by Collay (2011, p. 92). I would like to explore this practice further as I believe this would  develop my content knowledge and allow for professional dialogue to occur with more senior and experienced staff members further enhancing my Instructional practice. Furthermore, I perceive I don’t hold leadership qualities such as my colleagues and this type of collaborative, professional development practice with allow me to develop these qualities and permit me to effectively communicate my own ideas and practices to the entire school, where appropriate.

Looking into the future, I would like to explore the approach of collaborative inquiry as Goodnough (2005) mentions. This approach serves a dual learning purpose as it will develop my own inquiry and instructional practices and help student to obtain a better understanding of the content while solving ‘real’ or significant problems.

Reference:

Collay, M. (2011). Teaching is leading. Everyday Teacher Leadership: Taking Action Where You Are (pp. 75-108). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Goodnough, K. (2005). Fostering Teacher Learning through Collaborative Inquiry. Clearing House, 79(2), 88-92.

Leadership for Learning Topic 3

‘Leadership for Learning’ is a complex and dynamic theme that supports the numerous forms of leadership styles that exist. It focuses on practice, connects all levels of leadership allowing followers to shape the leadership practice (MacBeath & Dempster, 2009, p. 44). L for L creates connections to numerous people from varying positions within a school and its community (social capital), prompts monitoring, regulation and evaluation of how we learn (Agency) and driven through the behaviours, actions and the conditions we create for students, teachers and parents, stimulating continuous improvement (Moral purpose) (MacBeath & Dempster, 2009, pp. 46-47).

Instructional Leadership is the most popular form of leadership in educational settings. Smith & Andrews identify four dimension of IL; Resource provider, instructional resource, communicator and visible presence (Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005, p. 18). This type of leadership to me encompasses a teachers role in an education setting.

From my own experiences I believe that as a teacher I use a range of Piaget, Vygotsky, Skinner and Bruner theories. Rewarding students (Skinner), nurturing environment allow for social interaction (Vygotsky), student centred activities targeting student prior knowledge (Piagets) and considering cultural aspects and learning outside of school (Bruners) (Moore, 2012, pp. 5-23).

The theories that support instructional learning include Behavioural Learning Theory, Constructivist Learning Theory and a new digital theory, Connectivist Theory. Behavioural Theory is predominately teacher directed, Constructivist theory is based on learners creating their own knowledge from interactions and experiences and Connectivist Theory is comprised of collaboration and connections in the knowledge building process and the way information is displayed (Starkey, 2012, pp.23-27). These theories mentioned can incorporate technology, are outcome based and allow for teacher centred and student centred activities to occur. Furthermore these theories allow for collaboration and reflection, supporting instructional leadership in the 21^st Century.

Reference:

MacBeath, J. E., & Dempster, N. (2009). Leadership for learning. Connecting leadership and learning: principles for practice (pp. 32-52). London: Routledge.

Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). Some theories and theorists on leadership. School leadership that works: from research to results (pp. 13-27). Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved January 27, 2014 from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/docDetail.action?docID=10089219

Moore, A. (2012). Theories of teaching and learning. Teaching and learning: pedagogy, curriculum and culture (2nd ed., pp. 1-30). London: Routledge.

Starkey, L. (2012). Knowledge and connectivism. Teaching and learning in the digital age (pp. 20-28). New York, NY: Routledge.

Assignment 1 Part B: ETL504 – Teacher Librarian As Leader/Critical Reflection

Word Count: 542

Prior to studying ‘leadership’ as an aspiring teacher librarian I was unaware of the vast styles of leadership mentioned throughout the modules. These include Transformational, Transactional, Servant, Situational, Instructional, Authentic, New genre, Strategic, Distributed and Sustainable leadership and the numerous forms and factors that characterise the behaviour of these leaders (Marznao, Waters & McNulty, 2005 p. 13-18, Avolio, Walumbwa & Weber, 2009, p. 423, Hargreves, 2007, p. 224). I was also unaware of the prominent theorists that exist and became particularly interested in Warren Bennis, Michael Fullan and Stephen Covey (Marznao et al., 2005, p. 19-22) and the notion of self-concept presented in Avolio et al.,(2009, p. 425). I believe teacher librarians as leaders can administer these ideals effectively into an educational setting as they reflect my understanding of transformational leadership as being best practice, as it assumes to produce results beyond expectation and convert followers to leaders (Cheng, 2002, p. 66).

My understanding of leadership has grown considerably from my original forum post (Edwards, 2014) of “self-sacrifice, communication skills, flexibility, effective communicator taking in differing opinions, morals and ethics to take the best course of action”, to include other aspects that potentially impact my aspiring role as a teacher librarian. The aspects that have impacted my understanding of leadership most significantly include vision, change facilitator, knowledge of staff, modelled behaviour and personal attributes. Adopting these aspects into my understanding of leadership has broadened my knowledge and highlighted the key roles and challenges teacher librarians have within a school. Implementing a shared vision, ability to facilitate and adapt to change, knowing staff’s strengths and weaknesses, modelling expectations and having a level of emotional intelligence, as a teacher librarian, I believe are skills required to motivate others and essentially achieve educational goals.

Another significant impact on my newfound knowledge of leadership includes the hierarchical nature of leadership in an educational context. My previous thoughts indicated a hierarchical structure with the top tier being of most importance and the bottom tier of least importance, reinforced by Avolio et al., (2009, p.430) and the concept map I produced for this assignment. Placed at the top of the mind map is what I believed to be of most importance ‘Mission Statement and Vision’ and placed at the bottom what I believed to be of least importance ‘Personal Attributes and Modelled Behaviour’. However, I now feel that both aspects are of equal importance as they are vital in linking and making connections between each of the other aspects presented on the leadership mind map.

My upstanding from further readings and module discussions placed leadership in an educational context as central to educational outcomes. This is displayed on the ‘Leadership Capability Framework’ (ACEL. n.d) where ‘Leading Learners’ is centrally placed surrounded by three key sections and eleven sub sections, and a forum comment ‘Once you have their trust, you can begin to lead them from the middle’ (Combes, 2014). As an aspiring teacher librarian, leadership that is central allows for shared vision, opportunity to collaborate with staff from all levels of leadership, the opportunity to know staff personally and professionally, effectively facilitate change, demonstrate exemplary behaviour and build personal attributes that will help develop leadership skills and empower followers.

Leadership, like the role of a teacher librarian is multifaceted, complex, ever changing, and numerous in aspects. This means teacher librarians as leaders need to continually learn, be passionate, transparent and share knowledge to ultimately meet teacher learning and student outcomes and help students to become effective 21st century leaners and contribute positively to society.

Reference:

ACEL. n.d. Leadership capability framework. Sydney: Australian Council for Educational. Retrieved from https://secure.acel.org.au/teacher_survey/docs/ACEL%20Leadership%20Capability%20Framework.pdf

Avolio, B., Walumbwa, F., & Weber, T. J. (2009). Leadership: Current Theories, Research, and Future Directions. DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/managementfacpub/37/

 

Cheng, Y.C. (2002). Leadership and strategy in education. In Bush, T. & Bell, L. (eds.). Educational management: Principles and practice (pp.51-69). London: Paul Chapman.

Combes, B. (2014, March 5). Good Leadership [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL504_201430_W_D/page/0e386e66-d989-444a-80b2-2e5e4e1f1390

Edwards, S. (2014, March 10) Post 1[Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL504_201430_W_D/page/0e386e66-d989-444a-80b2-2e5e4e1f1390

Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2003). Sustaining Leadership. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(9), 693-700.

Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). Some theories and theorists on leadership. School leadership that works: from research to results (pp. 13-27). Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved  from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/docDetail.action?docID=10089219

Leadership in Schools: Mind Map.

Don Tapscott Topic two Leading change

Collaboration

Collaborate with staff, identify strength of teachers that may think differently, do things differently. Provide the school with a library of open fluid information supported by staff that are passionate about making a positive change and keeping up with change and technology

Transparency

As Don mention, be naked, not only with information but processes, morals and ethics. Allow staff, students and community to see what the school library is about, its goals, policies, methodologies to build trust. This trust can also affect the following.

Sharing

With this built and proven trust teachers may be more forthcoming with effective strategies, program and resources. Be more willing to put themselves on the stage without fear of reticule but be open to constructive criticism for the betterment of education, personal development and student learning.

Empowerment

Empower staff and students with knowledge. Educate that knowledge is power and distributed knowledge is empowering that can lead to combined efforts with no single leader but many to work together to reach aims and goals in education and life. Students can see that teachers are there to help and staff can develop the mindset that not only are they helping students reach education goals but they are assisting in developing a person ready to contribute to their community through their newfound knowledge.

7 step problem solving

Secondary - You are in a large secondary school of more than 800 students and it is extremely difficult to plan and implement any collaborative teaching opportunities as the Head of Teaching and Learning insists on equity so that a class in a subject must do or have the same resources as every other class in that subject in a year level. How could you implement collaborative teaching?

1.            definition (what is the problem?)

Difficulty planning collaborative teaching opportunities in all classes of a subject and year level

2.            Data collection (What is going on?)

Through surveys, staff meeting, executive meeting, staffing allocations, staff absenteeism, use of casual teachers identify, library availability, availability of TL, timetable structuring, teachers use of library, teachers knowledge of school opportunities and library procedures, teachers confidence team teaching.

For this instance it’s a timetabling issue

3.            Cause analysis WHY (Id what is going on)

Why is it not possible for collaborative teaching to occur in all classes of that subject and year level based on the data received .

All classes are unable to go to the library as there are a few classes that miss out due to the library being permanently booked by another class of another year.

4.            Solution planning and implementation (Solve right problem)

Based on data and identified barriers develop and implement solution that will allow collaborative teaching opportunities.

The solution put forward requires collaboration by teachers in different faculties. Teacher agrees to trial a temporary swap.

5.            Evaluation of effects

 Did this solution work. Look at what solution was used, gather information as in step 3 and reassess effectiveness of solution. If it worked continue to next step.

 

6.            Standardisation

How widely can this be used in the school

Can a timetable swap work in any other aspect of the school.

7.            Evaluation of the process

Group together, what were the positive negatives.

Identify any positives or negative of this swap and id what can be done differently to allow collaborative teaching to occur.

Understanding Leadership

From my understanding of the Marzano, Water & McNulty (2005) chapter, I believe I display some of the leadership qualities of a Servant, Situational and Instructional leader depending on the educational forum that I’m in. As a teacher I display many of the instructional and situational qualities and as a member of staff I display many of the servant leader qualities.

I thought I possessed many of the above qualities until I completed the questionnaire. My answers were based on previous experience within the many faculties that I have taught and I received a score of 53, plenty of room for improvement.

ETL504 TL as Leader Forum 1 post

My definition of a leader has changed recently with an addition to the family several months ago. I have found that not only has my seemingly carefree lifestyle been turned upside down I’m now questioning many things that I had never before. I believe that these changes are similar to what it must be like to develop leadership. The similarities I find in this context with regard to my understanding of leadership include: Self-sacrifice, communication skills, flexibility, time management skills, ability to inspire, empathise and work collaboratively with others. A leader can’t sit back and watch TV nor spend a majority of their time with their feet up, they need to be active, flexible and effective communicators taking in differing opinions, morals and ethics while also considering the best course of action to benefit the masses.

I have previously been blessed to have had a few opportunities to take on roles requiring leadership within a school. These roles include Sport coordinator, year advisor and being employed as a mentor for identified teachers on top of the leadership role of a classroom teacher.

Scott, Postcode 2830,

Currently employed in a 7-10 school working in numerous faculties which I thoroughly enjoy. Seeking TL employment opportunities.

ETL 503 critical reflection

Completing ETL 503 Assessments 1 and 2 where challenging practical tasks with many profound learnings. The feedback that I received from assignment 1 I believe lead to an improved result in assignment 2 for which I am grateful for. Here are a few key points of what I have learnt.
Evaluating the collection is most important. It allows for strengths and weaknesses to be identified in the collection and highlights areas in need of improvement to meet the needs of its users (Bishop, 2007, p.142). Evaluation is extremely important as user’s needs are constantly changing so the collection must be evaluated in order to stay relevant (Kennedy, 2006, p.88). Evaluation of the collection not only highlights what is being done well and where improvement is needed, it also acts as a tool to increase funding (Bishop, 2007, p.142). Qualitative and quantitative data presented in a way that is easy to understand and read can identify the TL as effective in allocating funds by highlighting exactly where funding is going to be spent and why. This form of data analysis and presentation could lead to more flexible budgeting options, for example from a lump sum payment to an abbreviated from of the Zero Based Budget as stated by Hughes-Hassell & Mancall (2005, p. 57).

An integral part of evaluating a collection is weeding. Weeding was a term that I was unfamiliar with before completing this assignment. I now know that weeding is just as important as acquiring new resources for the library. It isn’t simply looking at a resource and removing it due to bias or condition, there are guidelines and criteria that can be used to effectively weed the current collection.
Copyright issues is an area that I was somewhat vague about, and my learnings have revealed that these issues are more in depth and involved than I first realised. This is an aspect of the TL role that I will need to continuously revisit, not only for my own professional development and adhering to the standards such as ALIA’s Statement of professional Conduct (2007), but also to inform colleagues and students to respect and adhere to ethical codes.

The growth of digital information, exceptional levels in the production of global information where quality and authority of information is often not contested, and the emergence of participatory and collaborative web environments all provide a rich case for the necessity of school libraries to develop the intellectual, social and personal agency of students to learn, live, and be productive citizens in a 21st century world (Hay & Todd, 2010, p. 10).

The challenges of integrating electronic resources and technologies into the process of collection development are many, and many-faceted. Beyond task oriented considerations, such as the selection process itself, there are large scale management issues to consider. Issues associated with e-resources may include access and/or ownership (subscription, pay per view), licensing, Software and applications (will the current technology support the resource/s?). Access to technology and resources needs to be available equitably to all students (ASLA, 2009). The e-resources need to be catalogued in a way that will best suit the individual learner and teacher access, through Learning Management Systems such as Moodle or through the use of SCIS (Johnson, 2009, p. 104). This means that the current technology they are using will allow for the effective running of any new e-resource and students have access to appropriate devices (Latham & Poe, 2008, p. 261).

Actively resourcing the curriculum and developing a collection policy has been highly beneficial to me. The practical nature of this course has allowed me to go through step by step the processes associated with resourcing and developing a collection policy. From actively resourcing the library to meet the curriculum needs of staff and student to evaluating a collection and developing a policy has provided me with greater knowledge and understanding of how to effectively do this.

Referencing:

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2009) Statement on school library resource provision. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/school-library-resource-provision.aspx

Bishop, K. (2007). Evaluation of the collection. In The collection program in schools : concepts, practices and information sources (4th ed.) (pp. 141-159). Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.

Hay, L., & Todd, R. (2010). School libraries 21C: School library futures project. Report for New South Wales Department of Education & Training, Curriculum K–12 Directorate, School Libraries & Information Literacy Unit. Sydney: Curriculum K–12 Directorate, NSWDET. Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/schoollibraries/assets/pdf/21c_report.pdf

Hughes-Hassell, S & Mancall, J. C. (2005). Collection Management for Youth: Responding to the Needs of Learners. Chicago: American Library Association.

Johnson, P. (2009). Developing Collections in Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management. American Library Association.

Kennedy, J. (2006). Collection Management: A concise introduction. Centre for Information Studies, Wagga Wagga, Australia.

Latham, B., & Poe, J. (2008). Evaluation and selection of new format materials : electronic resources. In J. R. Kennedy, L. Vardaman & G. B. McCabe (Eds.), Our new public, a changing clientele : bewildering issues or new challenges for managing libraries (pp. 257-265). Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.

Collection Evaluation. 5.1 forum

As the readings suggest I would be looking at using both quantitative and qualitative methods of evaluation to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the collection regarding, teacher’s needs, student individual learning needs and wants and curriculum requirements.

Evaluating a library’s collection to highlight strengths and weakness that can assist in satisfying the needs and wants of client and the goals of the library is the major consideration when conducting an evaluation. Therefore, evaluating the collection will outweigh the difficulties associated with performing an evaluation and the most appropriate method outweighs the selection of the most simple method.

With time restraint I believe the best method would be to complete an evaluation of a section at a time, focusing first on the section in need of a clear change.

I do recognise that there are barriers associated with collection evaluation such as experienced staff, collecting data, deciding what to do with the data and of course time, that will greatly affect who, when and how a collection evaluation is done.

Creative Commons. 4.3 forum

 

Locate at least 3 Creative Commons licensed resources. Write a short description of each, and create a label containing the correct attribution for the resource.

 

University of Oxford

World War 1 Centenary

http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Description

This Creative Common licenced resource is an educational collection of WW1 learning resources. Expert article, audios, lecture videos, interactive maps and ebooks.

Harvard Kennedy School

Journalist’s Resource

http://journalistsresource.org/

Attribution

3.0 Unported license

Description

This creative common licenced resources in a data base of credible scholarly articles relevant to educators, students and general readers

M. Mendell

Mr. M's 4th Grade Wiki

http://mendell.wikispaces.com/Spelling

Attribution

Share-Alike

3.0 License

This Creative Common licenced resource provides explicit spelling activities for primary school students.

Two Quiz Questions on Copyright 4.2 forum

1.      While students are working out in the fitness lab, can a teacher use their laptop to play music in the background?

2.       A teacher hires a DVD from the video store to play for students on the bus of a school excursion. Are copyright laws being infringed?

Wheeler Platform. 3.4 forum

Can I use this in a school? (Is a school a non-commercial enterprise?)

Yes this is appropriate

 Can I copy this content and distribute to multiple devices? How many copies?

No

Can I convert this content into a different format?

No it will be illegal

Can I share it with another school, eg interlibrary loan?

Yes, this is possible within the college structure I work in. Students from other two campuses can borrow  books through this platform

Will I own this content if I stop subscribing?

No

What if the publisher removes it from sale?

It remains in your virtual library

Can I preview this content, or receive a refund if it is not what I was led to believe?

Can preview content no refund

School Library Suppliers checklist. 3.3 forum

Draw up a checklist of the desirable qualities that you would look for in preferred school library suppliers.

School suppliers need the following qualities;

Australian

Provide the option of hard copy and ebook able to be downloaded on different platforms

Reasonably priced

Array of non-fiction and fiction

Array of teacher resources that are linked to curriculum needs

Easy and accessible costumer service

Contact is made if new resources come out

Prompt delivery

Key issues in funding. 3.1 fourm

What are the key issues in funding a school library that you are familiar with?

As I’m not currently working in a library I’m somewhat vague on any issue associated with budgeting in a library, in fact I have no experience with budgeting in any area of a school. Reading Lamb and Johnson (2007) 'Program administration: Budget management' eduScapes, revealed many aspects of budgeting that I have never thought of. Other than collaboration, this reading provide many insights on how to budget with aspect such as formats, needs based, fetes, fundraisers, including students in the process, categorisation of formats and services. What I believe to be most important highlighted by Lamb and Johnson is the need for the librarian to be credible and to justify every purchase and monies spent in the library budget. Another thought to be considered is the value placed on resourcing the National Curriculum and how to budget using the procedures explained in this article.

How would you calculate the cost per student of this library's collection?

Collate the cost of all resources (book, clickview, DVD’s, magazines etc) to for the year and divide that number by the total number of students. Additionally, wages and other technology (laptops, cameras) could be included into this calculation.

Covert Censorship

Moody, K. (2005). Covert censorship in libraries: A discussion paper. Australian Library Journal, 54(2), 138-147.

How does Moody's discussion relate to your experience in school libraries?

Reading Moody’s article has revealed to me many aspects of censorship that I would not have ever thought of. This was a thought provoking article that has highlighted censorship issues that I may have been guilty of if working in a library. It appears that there is no escape from commercialism and politics as they continue to challenge the freedom of uncensored information through policy, repetition and bright fancy advertisements.

2.5 module Selection Criteria

Search and share

Search a variety of sources for criteria which could be used to select e-resources.  Many lists will have common criteria.

Collate these common elements and post to the Module 2.5 forum with a short explanation of why the criteria is important 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

-          Cancelations

These common elements are important as serious considerations need to be made in resourcing the library. 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.