Part B Assesment 2 : 600 Word Reflection
I remember when I first said to my then-principal that I wanted to retrain as a Teacher Librarian. Her exact words to me were that “librarians – they are on the same page as head teachers, you won’t get the glory but you will get the guts – You will make an excellent TL”
I did not, however, expect that the stereotype of what a TL does was still very much in play and it hit me hard! Colleagues whom I once worked in leadership positions with now treated me like a second-class citizen – with one telling me that they thought “they only put the bad teachers in the library”. It was from that point that I decided that I had to rebuild myself and rebrand the library as the centre of the school.
One of the key ideas I took away from this unit was the idea of a TL working “horizontally” across an organisation – this is such an apt description of what we do (Hartley, 2020) TL’s have always and always will be leaders in a school community (ASLA, n.d.) and are often the key drivers of change in a school environment (Facey, 2024). TLs are in a unique position and fortunate enough to have the flexibility and resources that we do to justify to staff why leadership matters (Fillipi, 2016). It was interesting to me to experience the different theories of leadership – I had never actually thought of the way my leadership style could influence change to implement change in my organisation ( and change was sorely needed (Facey, 2024) as I had very recently changed roles – my appointment provided the perfect chance to implement these leadership skills. This Unit could not have come at a better time in my career ( although very stressful!) as I could reflect on my ability to create change in my very neglected library – however, change is not instantaneous and what I have learnt throughout my time in this unit is that transformational change cannot happen unless multiple leadership styles are employed. The TL is a multifaceted position and transformational change cannot happen on its own …unless the TL acts as…
TL as an Instructional leader- provides professional learning for staff, manages resources and running of library space and leads staff and students in information and digital literacy (Lewis, 2021) (Hirsch, 2020)
TL as a servant leader – co-develops programs with staff, prioritises the news of others for the good of the school vision and creates a sense of belonging within the school community (Oddone, 2021) (Cox & Korodaj, 2019) (Hirsch, 2020)
TL as the distributed leader – works collaborates with groups in the school, facilitates learning by enabling staff and students to take leadership roles and encourages innovation within the staff body through technology integration (Oddone, 2021) (Hirsch, 2020)
Only after inserting themselves into all facets of the school community can the TL position themselves as truly working from the middle of the school (Hirsch, 2020) (Haycock, 2010)
Leading from the middle is no easy task – it is often the unseen work that enables TLs to create agency within the school (Haycock, 2010). This agency allows us to create lasting change in an organisation (Hutchinson Belise, 2004) which is our goal- isn’t it? It makes libraries so relevant – because “a school need school librarian leadership”. (ASLA, n.d.)
I would not be amiss to mention that I suffer somewhat from study fatigue. This unit, in particular, was a bit of a hard task – trying to complete university while moving two hours away, starting a new job and trying to buy a house ( in this economy?! I know!) all in the past four months was incredibly difficult and I would not recommend it to anyone, I will be the first to admit that some of the work that I completed during this unit was not my best – however, I do truly appreciate the opportunity to reflect on my leadership skills and the ability to employ them in my current role at Goulburn High school.
References
ASLA. (n.d.). What is a Teacher Librarian? Australian School Library Association. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian
Baker, S. (2016). From Teacher to School Librarian Leader and Instructional Partner: A Proposed Transformation Framework for Educators of Preservice School Librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1).
Cox, E., & Korodaj, L. (2019). Leading from the sweet spot: embedding the library and the teacher librarian in your school community. Access, (19).
Facey, A. (2024, March 5). Week 2 Blog – Teacher Librarian as Leader. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/allissiafacey/2024/03/05/week-2-blog-teacher-librarian-as-leader/
Facey, A. (2024, April 12). Change is as good as a holiday…. Thinkspace. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/allissiafacey/2024/04/12/change-is-as-good-as-a-holiday/
Fillipi, M. (2016). Future-focused learning – step forward and lead by example. Scan, 35(4), 20-25.
Hartley, C. (2020). Libraries; the Herat of the School. SCIS.
Haycock, K. (2010). Leadership from the Middle: Building Influence for Change. the many Faces of school library leadership.
Hirsch, K. (2020). School Librarians as Leaders [Paper].
Hutchinson Belise, C. A. (2004). The Teacher as Leader: Transformational leadership and the professional Teacher or Teacher Librarian. Canadian Association for School Libraries.
Lewis, M. A. (2021). Enabling School Librarians to Serve as Instructional Leaders of Multiple Literacies. ERIC. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1311199.pdf
Oddone, K. (2021). The Professional Portfolio of Kay Oddone. Linking Learning. Retrieved May 28, 2024, from https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/teacher-librarian-as-leader-theories-of-leadership-in-action/
Blog post three – study visit personal reflection
I came into these study visits with trepidation – how much can I gain from listening to someone online? Turns out, quite a lot was to be gained from these experts in their respective fields. So many Libraries are doing so many inspirational things that it has given me something to consider in the development of my own library space. I have very recently taken over a particularly old, musty, and mismanaged library – one of the oldest in NSW and have gained so many tips and tricks from these study visits that I cannot wait to implement them into my professional repertoire. Building from the ground up has been a struggle but knowing how others have gone about this gives me hope that I can make my space something “that kids want to be in.” It was incredibly valuable to hear about the experiences, triumphs and tribulations shared by so many information professionals out there in the trenches Some of the key points I took away were
- Advocacy! Advocate for your role, and your space and commit to evidence-based practice.
- You are more than just your books
- The library space is so important for wellbeing
- You are a curator, collaborator, and trendsetter
The main thing I will take away from these visits is advocacy – every single one of these professionals felt that advocacy for their space and role was one of the most crucial factors of success. Libraries no longer must be a dying breed, but I must use evidence to back my value up! Immersing myself into leadership roles and groups will keep me visible, and relevant, and building staff capacity through training and collaborative practice means that that I will be able to achieve my goals.
Blog Post two – study visits
“Don’t they just put crap teachers in the library?”
That was the question I was asked when I told my colleagues that I was going to be my school’s new librarian – A position that had not been filled for three whole terms. Did I take offence? Not really. Schools have tended to underutilize and underfund high school libraries ( Korodai, 2019) there was a real risk that school libraries would cease to exist – and changed to common learning areas or IHubs ( Baker 2020) luckily, working in the NSW context, the policy states that all NSW public schools must have a school library and a Teacher librarian staffing allocation (Joep 2021) meaning that my role is safe for now.
The road to a career in the information industry came naturally to me. In my previous life, I was a Design and Technology teacher – inquiry-based learning and 21st-century pedagogy were not new concepts to me and it was a fairly painless transition – what I was not expecting was the attitudes that my work colleagues would change. My pathway was simple – in order to gain codes as a TL, I had to complete a Master’s in Teacher Librarianship – opting to complete this entirely online. However, when working within the information sector – this is not the only path.
All of the professionals I encountered during my study visits came to their profession one way or another. Tehani Croft from West Moreton Anglican College fell into the career the same way as i did – through teaching and a love of information, however, people like Daniel Wee from the Rare Books Collection and Anna Griffith from the Albury Wodonga Health Library had different paths. Tehani advises that “quite often, you don’t have to be a TL to work as a teacher librarian ( her context is a private school – different rules for them) In NSW public schools, a teaching degree is a must – she does mention that without the qualification a bit of exploitation can become an issue (Croft 2024). David Wee fell into his position at the Rare Books Collection through a “ love of History” (Wee 2024) and considers himself lucky to be where he is. He believes that everyone has the skills to be a curator but states that he has a deep understanding of history and provenance to properly understand his collection and how it can be accessed. David had some previous experience working in special collections which gave him some experience working in the field but also mentions that unfortunately “there is no clear path to becoming a rare book librarian – you’re a rare book librarian so you look for rare books – and the rare book world can be pretty rough” (Wee 2024)
Anna De Chesne of the Charles Sturt University Library focuses heavily on the research components of her role. I was impressed with her focus on artificial intelligence and open education resources (OER) and how she is implementing these to bypass the big publishers were very impressive ( De Chesne 2024). She states that a challenge in her career is looking at the digital components of her collection as the library is not just a storehouse for books (Chesne 2024). and it needs to resource both the physical and digital worlds accordingly. Anna Also came from an education background (like so many of us do) and originally gained an entry-level position while studying teaching at the University of Technology Sydney – in which she eventually completed her information studies degree – She also states that she “ Just fell into these things” but continues to ensure her study is up to date but completed other degrees.
The NSW Department of Education still governs TLs through the Teaching Standards – there isn’t much separating us from our other teaching peers regarding Professional learning. However, I do think it is more important for TLs to become leaders in 21st-century learning. This is where they can create transformation in curriculum and become leaders in the school environment which has been particularly pertinent in the past few years with the development of AI and the acceleration of misinforming in the digital sphere. This is a real opportunity to use teaching standards 3 and 7 for planning for effective teaching and learning and engaging professionally with colleagues. I want to make my colleague’s lives easier, but I want to ensure they are at the forefront of technology and pedagogy. So far, as advised by all of the studies visit presenters, I have joined both ALIA and ASLA to ensure that I have access to PD (Professional Development) that is relevant to my area and by listening to how others in the information sphere have curated their online collections I may also be able to replicate this successfully in my own library space – something my library sorely needs to bring it into the 21st century. Another professional development plan, besides joining professional organizations, will be looking for PL in AI. According to Softlink’s “Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Schools” Survey (2023) librarians are overall positive as this tool could be used to free up time and enhance resource accessibility. I would love to focus on this too through PD to try and future-proof my library space.
Baker, J. (2020, January 31). Sydney’s new $225 million school has 17 floors, but no library. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/sydney-s-new-225-million-school-has-17-floors-but-no-library-20200131-p53wiy.html\
Croft, T. (2024) West Moreton Anglican College Library Video link
De Chesne, A. (2024) Charles Sturt University Library Video link
Joep. (2021, November 24). The new chapter for SIG recognises a vital role. NSW Teachers Federation. https://www.nswtf.org.au/news/2020/03/06/new-chapter-for-sig-recognises-vital-role/#:~:text=Crucially%2C%20in%20correspondence%20to%20Federation,library%20allocation%20cannot%20be%20deleted.%E2%80%9D
Korodaj, L. (2019). The library as ‘third space’ in your school: Supporting academic and emotional wellbeing in the school community. Scan, 38(10)
NESA (2023, September 27). The Standards | NSW Government. Www.nsw.gov.au. https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/teacher-accreditation/resources/standards
Wee, D. (2024) Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria Video link
Blog post one – Study Visits
Librarians in different contexts provide many services and resources to the local, school, and professional community (Library Council of New South Wales 2008). In my virtual study visits, I was lucky enough to encounter libraries operating in vastly different contexts, illustrating how they effectively provide services to their end users. For this this blog post, I will be focusing on three vastly, yet successful institutions
Bundaberg Community Library – Steven Harris
Albury Wodonga Health Library – Anne Griffith
West Moreton Anglican College Library – Tehani Croft
Each of these libraries serves different purposes and these study visits were an interesting way to gain an insight into how they effectively serve their clientele. Public libraries contribute to the social, cultural, and environmental aspects of community life (Library Council of New South Wales 2008) and continue to be positive influences in the local economy.
One area I first noticed was some key themes from each presentation. These themes included promoting a culture of learning, creating safe spaces for wellbeing and support for introducing new and emerging technologies. Bundaberg Library, located in regional Queensland, is a community library with a strong focus on creating spaces for well-being, Steve Harris, a proactive and passionate librarian, believes that providing spaces – both digital and physical- that focus on accessibility is one of his key factors of success (Harris 2024). They have developed many community and cultural programs that build well-being in the community (something I would love to implement in my own space) as well as identified future trends and their impact on the community they serve – especially concerning the coming digital divide ( Harris 2024) It is more important than ever for librarians to show their trend finding prowess, less we find ourselves in an information wasteland (Gordon 2021). To illustrate the well-being nature of his space, Steven even shared an unfortunate story about a client whose end of life happened in the library space – libraries are such important resources for people who have nowhere else to go (Harris 2024).
Anna Griffith at Albury Wodonga Health Library had quite a different story to tell. With a focus on research work – her collection and mission differed vastly from that of a public community library. Anna stated (2024) that special librarians managed a vast range of resource types – and it was important for her to initially create a space that was going to be used (the previous library being very underutilized and not current). It was interesting to hear Anna’s process of creating a “one-stop shop” for all her clients – almost forcing them to have no other choice but to use the library space. Being a trusted source of information allowed Anna to advocate for better resources – “When you create a somewhere where people want to go, then they will go (Griffith 2024). Librarians are expert information specialists but also need to communicate the services and resources they provide effectively (ACT Government). For Anna, this ability to design and create the one-stop shop for all of the online databases and health resources in her collection on the discovery frontpage allowed her to advocate for the importance of her positions ( I’ve learnt that I need to implement evidence-based practice more often) Using her information expertise, she could activate information for her users as she “wants people to use the services she has (Griffith 2024). Professional libraries differ from community and school libraries as the resources they provide are far more streamlined to their specific context (Special Library: Characteristics and Functions, n.d.) because of this, complex searching as a service must be trained to be able to be used effectively. This training for clients further provides evidence for Anna of her importance in accessing information services.
Finally, school libraries – the ones I am most familiar with. I loved hearing from Tehani and how she has built such an amazing collection and library space in which two classrooms are stuck together (Croft 2024) I could relate much more to Tehani’s vision as it was so much like my own. School librarians play such a key role in a school community (Godfree & Neilson, 2018) so much more than just the “keepers of books” School libraries provide users with information expertise in their ability to work horizontally across an organization (Softlink 2017) and a strong ability to command 21st-century pedagogies (ACT Government). It was lovely to see Tehani’s ability to work with issues that arose – showing her creativity and flexibility. Creating a sense of community within her library, Tehani was able to use evidence-based practice to enhance and advocate for her services and resources – providing spaces for students to read, managing resources according to year level and now looking at a whole library redesign for a new school (Croft 2024). Research shows that having a full-time qualified Teacher librarian within a school library has a positive impact on student literacy levels, well-being creates opportunities for future skills ( Godfree and Nielson 2018) and we can see this play out in Tehani’s library space – especially during lunchtimes (Croft 2024). the evidence provided by Tehani Croft effectively shows the increased quality of the usage of the library’s resources – although they did mention the cost of digital resources being exceptionally high for use (Croft 2024) This is something that I have noticed – students still prefer hard copy books! As she said, however, they can take ClickView from “my cold dead hands!”
References
Griffith, A (2024) Albury Wodonga Health Library Video Link
Croft, T (2024) West Moreton Anglican College Library Video link
Godfree, H., & Neilson, O. (2018). School Libraries Matter!* The missing piece in the education puzzle. https://studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Holly-Godfree-and-Olivia-Neilson-ACCESS-March-2018-editors-note.pdf
Gordon. C.A (2021) The Essential School Library: A prototype for the reform of 21st century education. Synergy, 19(1). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/497
Library Council of New South Wales. (2008). Enriching Communities: The value of public libraries in New South Wales. In State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved May 13, 2024, from https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/Enriching%20Communities%20-the%20value%20of%20public%20libraries%20in%20New%20South%20Wales%20Summary%20Report.pdf
School Libraries: The Heart of 21st Century Learning. (2019). In https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1435435/School-Libraries-The-Heart-of-21st-Century-Learning.pdf (ACT Government). Australian Capital Territory 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2024, from https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1435435/School-Libraries-The-Heart-of-21st-Century-Learning.pdf
Special Library: Characteristics and Functions. (n.d.). https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/epgpdata/uploads/epgp_content/S000021LI/P000102/M004257/ET/1498804480ModuleIDSRL-1-etext-SpecialLibraryCharacteristicsandFunctions.pdf
Softlink. (2017). The ongoing importance of school libraries. Retrieved from https://www.softlinkint.com/downloads/The_Ongoing_Importance_of_School_Libraries.pdf
Wee, D. (2024) Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria Video link
Change is as good as a holiday…
Change has been a theme of my life for the past 5 months. I was fortunate enough to gain employment at school in an area I have been trying to move to for several years and have since moved from Sydney to regional Australia.
My high school is one of the oldest in NSW and this is defiantly reflected in the library space ( and its current collection in which the average age of publication is 1999) for context, do you know how all schools need school librarians – well my school is the exact reason for this – everything felt neglected, mismatched and out of date. No wonder no one wanted to be here!
What People Think I Do / What I Do – Image #250,521
I was employed on my ability to create/generate change – I have been described as a living tornado more than once, so my appointment provided me with an exciting opportunity to work with a “clean slate” per se. Some may feel a neglected library would be a bit of a challenge – because it is not just one area that requires attention – in this case, the whole space needs an overhaul – policies not written, new books not purchased for five years and anything that had been done space wise was done without consultation to TL, therefore not fit for purpose.
This is, I feel, a grand opportunity to provide transformational leadership as I could transform this place into something really special. But – transformational leadership is for long-term goals and the hard yards have to be done first. There is a real risk of burnout if i try and “gun-ho” it all at once – and I think there is this tendency for librarians to head to a transformational place, but really, especially after completing assessment 1, that many leadership styles must be used holistically to build capacity and agency in the TL to ultimately turn them into a change-making machine. Librarians are “intraprenuers” (Ponelis 2015) and in this capacity, they can create change within organisations ( Ganapathi 20140
Through Assessment 1, I realised that the TL is a horizontal worker – and therefore is at risk of being pulled in many directions due to their many hats. Instead of trying to fix it all, I have decided to narrow my work in the GHS to two things this year.
- Update the very old, outdated collection – which will increase borrowing (I am already seeing the effects of this borrowing this year has gone up 45%)
- Build agency where there hasn’t been before.
Both of these goals can be achieved through transformational leadership, however, if I wish to build agency in my organisation, I don’t want to “bulldog” staff into change so I therefore have to provide more support with my interactions. so by building the library from the ground up and providing evidence of positive and effective use – I can advocate for more change – leading to transformational processes through, instructional, distributed and situational leadership.
Change I have already successfully implemented a large senior study area and moved my desk for more visibility but there is still a very long way. I am still excited to have such a clean slate to work with – and as long as I don’t get overwhelmed, I cant wait to see what stamp I can place at GHS.
References
Ganapathi, Batthini, Librarianship Needs Intrapreneurial Behaviour (July 20, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2468739 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2468739
Ponelis, Shana, Librarians as changemakers: the role of intrapreneurship in librarianship. Available at https://learn.unizulu.ac.za/facultyOfArts/pluginfile.php/11534/mod_resource/content/0/AINF312-20150821-intrapreneurship.ppt.pdf
Module 2.3 – Leadership Flowchart
Okay, I hope this makes sense…. I can get carried away with flowcharts
( for anyone interested I made my flow chart on Canva – there are a heap of options search for mind map in the templates)
In my flowchart, I have concentrated on the organisation as a whole. I have Identified that schools have somewhat of a distributed leadership model as all parties play some leadership role within the organisation. Schools are complex organisations ( Harris 2014) and schools often cannot operate unless all staff take on some form of leadership – whether it be through extra programs or faculty leaders. Principals, through instructional leadership, allow for the mobilisation of expertise within the teacher cohort ( Harris 2014) this is why I have included distributed leadership as an overarching theme in the school context.
I believe TLs are on the same level as head teachers as they often share the same responsibilities. I know that I in my role, I have expectations that place me in the same field as a head teacher in regards to running a faculty, budget resources etc – however, we are still seen on a classroom teacher level, therefore, the relationship is transactional due to the nature of painting the normal flow of operations ( Ingram 2019). I have placed TLs and Headteachers on the same level as they do have the same role as each other. However, the relationship between TL and the principal is a little bit more complicated and looks more transformational coupled with transactional features, there are opportunities for the principal to provide support to the TL to create the direct change needed to answer general capabilities across KLA’s ( Wiesberg 2020) this is why I feel that most interaction for a TL within a school context looks more transformative in nature then any other leadership style – this is due to the TL’s unique position and ability to work effectively across KLA’s to implement processes.
In this flowchart, i have also included wellbeing in the form of year advisors as a key player in the leadership process. I know for myself ( and I know that this my only apply to my school context) but i work heavily with wellbeing in order to provide a safe space for students. School libraries are in a unique position to provide effective wellbeing policy to students (Merga 2020) and TLs often work directly with wellbeing staff to ensure the wellbeing of all students (Merga 2020).
References
Margaret Merga (2020) How Can School Libraries Support Student Wellbeing? Evidence and Implications for Further Research, Journal of Library Administration, 60:6, 660-673, DOI: 10.1080/01930826.2020.1773718
Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher Magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/distributed-leadership
University of Washington. (2015). 4 dimensions of instructional leadership. Center for Educational Leadership. https://info.k-12leadership.org/hs-fs/hub/381270/file-2563776150-pdf/documents/tools/UWCEL-4D-Smart-Card-V2.0.pdf
Ingram, D. (2019, February 4). Transformational leadership vs transactional leadership definition. Hearst Newspapers: Small Business. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/transformational-leadership-vs-transactional-leadership-definition-13834.html
Weisburg, H. K. (2020). Leadership: There is no other option. Synergy, 18(1). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/369/364
Week 2 Blog – Teacher Librarian as Leader
I love the Ken Robinson changing paradigms video. I remember using this video on one of my blog post early in my Teacher Librarian journey. Back then, I was fortunate to see Mr Robinson in the flesh at EduTech and he was just as enigmatic at the presentation as in the viral short.
I believe one of the key drivers for change in the library sense is that recognition of future-focused skills being integral to our students. This has shifted the way that we teach and TLs are so fortunate to have such flexibility to be able to support and resource these needs effectively ( Fillipi 2016). In 203, the ALIA published a paper describing the key features of a future focussed library, It states that the key areas impacting the changing educational environment included
- Globalisation that allows for collaborative engagement
- Rapid Technology innovation and its impact on teaching and learning
- The impact of teacher librarians on student literacy and learning
- supporting teachers through developing digital literacy skills
- Acknowledging and incorporating 21st century learning goal
It also mentions that TL’s are key figures in creating knowledge building environments – being the key stakeholders in consolidating emerging digital literacy with a deep appreciation of literature ( ALIA 2012 pg 10). It is interesting to note, that even though this paper was published over 10 years ago, that it still rings true for todays TL. Teacher librarians are poised to be changemakers in their school environment – often sought for advice and given many of the managerial role and responsibilities similar to a head teacher (Lupton 2016). TL’s are very well adept at recognising future trends and how they can utilized to improve ;earning outcome – this is one of the main reasons I chose to retrain – I could see the future and we were doing nothing about it! However, the key factors of success in this is how well the TL role is understood and how well it is supported – Without support from upper management, a TL falls to the risk of becoming the typical stereotype. (Lupton 2016).
The prevalence of misinformation in our everyday world is described as having in incredibly threat to our way of life ( Buckmaster 2018) TL’s are at the frontlines of this battle (Paor & Haravi 2020) Fake news provides an incredible opportunity for libraries to remind the community of one their primary functions – To create and provide reliable and quality information ( Conner 2019). A key driver for change in a school environment could simply be encouraging the use of whole school information literacy – by providing simple, easy to sue resources that can be easily implemented into curriculum.
One thing I discovered recently that I plan to implement at my school is the S.I.F.T Method of evaluating sources. SIFT is a new technique developed specifically for quickly evaluating digital information (Caulfield 2019) There is even a mini course you can do to quickly learn the four moves.
SIFT is a great starting point to help students very quickly sort through vast amount so of information. It can be used in conjunction with CRAAP (Caulfield 2021). Waitiki District Libraries has a great brochure that illustrates the process really well. The SIFT method encourages students to STOP and read laterally to ensure that surges are, in fact, legitimate. Unlike the CRAAP method, it is less in depth and helps to quickly decide if a source is worth further investigation ( Arizona state 2022).
references ( will fix later)
Fillipi https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/media/documents/Future-focused-learning-step-forward-and-lead-by-example.pdf
Sullivan, M. Connor. “Why Librarians Can’t Fight Fake News.” Journal of Librarianship and
Information Science 51, no. 4 (2019): 1146-156.
https://libguides.asu.edu/evaluate#:~:text=How%20to%20evaluate%20your%20sources,-SIFT%20Method&text=SIFT%20stands%20for%20stop%2C%20investigate,evaluation%20using%20the%20CRAAP%20test.
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook46p/FakeNews
Saoirse De Paor, Bahareh Heravi,
Information literacy and fake news: How the field of librarianship can help combat the epidemic of fake news, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 46, Issue 5, 2020
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0099133320301099)
https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/
lupton – https://www.iasl-online.org/resources/Documents/05luptonfinalformatted49-61.pdf
First Post of the Final year
Welcome to the first post of my final year in the teacher librarian master course! It has been a long six years with many disruptions but it feels good to be finally on the home stretch – albeit a stressful one as I will be competing in not one but two units – At least one of them occurs over the entire year!
this is my first post for one of my final units Teacher Librarian as the leader. From the outset, this unit is looking at the role of a TL as a middle manager – ruled from those above but influential enough to make lasting change. TLs are in a unique position to become changemakers in their school context ( ASLA 2001) and are often described as ” learning leaders” (ASLS 2013) playing an important role in future-focused learning (AASL 2017). As a leader, the TL is responsible for managing a huge amount of resources including budget, and being a leader of information literacy which often includes leading the school in embracing new technologies as well as developing the library as the well-being centre of the school ( ASLA 2014) A jack of all trades for sorts (Martin, E.A. and Sheehan, L.A. 2018). But how does a TL do this from a middle management position? Farrell (2014) suggests that the middle manager can see “horizontally” throughout an organisation – which in a sense, is what TLs already do when working across KLAs’ – this working horizontally is what makes TLs so specialised in their fields and positions them well for creating change ( soft link 2017).
So this brings me to my first activity – Who has been inspirational to my learning and working life? My initial thoughts go to my many classroom teachers – most of whom worked their butts off to effectively guide and teach the adolescent Mrs Spiteri – and probably led me down this path in the first place. However, in my teaching career, I can only think of those other middle managers – my head teachers – who have impacted me in both positive and negative ways. Two things strike me when I think of these middle managers and that is 1. Effective communication and 2. Advocacy. As my role went from classroom teacher to TL – these two factors of success did not change, the only added factors were knowledge and respect for the TL’s role in the school.
as a final note, I wish to share this amazing guide created by the AASL ( American School Libraries Association) which gives great advice for TLs in leadership positions. It’s a great read and a good one to share with your won middle managers.
References
Australian School Library Association (2014) What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/what-is-a-teacher-librarian.aspx
Australian School Library Association (ASLA), & Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). (2001). Learning for the future: Developing information services in schools (2nd ed.). Victoria, Australia: Curriculum Corporation.
Australian School Library Association 2013, Future learning and school libraries, ASLA, Canberra,
ACT.
ACT.
“School Librarians as Learning Leaders”, American Library Association (AASL), May 30, 2017. http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/tools/leaders (Accessed February 25, 2024) Document ID: 856bf119-e0c4-2004-dd99-0316550f8983
Martin, E.A. and Sheehan, L.A. (2018), “The New “Jack of All”: The Evolution of the Functionality and Focus of the Academic Librarian in New Spaces and New Roles”, Challenging the “Jacks of All Trades but Masters of None” Librarian Syndrome (Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Vol. 39), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 67-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-067120180000039006
Softlink. (2017). The ongoing importance of school libraries. Retrieved from https://www.softlinkint.com/downloads/The_Ongoing_Importance_of_School_Libraries.pdf
Farrell, M. (2014). Leading from the middle. Journal of Library Administration, 54(8), 691-699. https:doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2014.965099
PART D: Critical Reflection 750 words +/- 10%
In my initial blog post, I touched on the fact that I was fairly comfortable using and creating digital media due to my previous life as a Design and Technology Teacher (July 2022). This is still somewhat true – however, I do believe that I experienced some “Infowhelm” during my time in the ETL533 course – and I don’t think that I was accurately thinking about how and why I was using the technologies that I had chosen. In the discussion boards ( Facey August 2022) I mentioned that I had already heavily embedded technology into my teaching curriculum however, technology for the sake of technology is never conducive to the effective engagement of students – there needs to be a movement that encourages students to become creators and not consumers of new media. (Wormeli, 2022) in the realm of education, I believe that through my learning in this course I now understand that the multimodal features of digital literature allow students to effectively take ownership of how they learn due to its flexibility, accessibility and interactivity ( Yokota & Teale, 2014) and allowing students to engage more effectively with the content ( Facey July 2022).
The educational landscape is changing, it has been for a long time it has always been a shifting environment, constantly changing to fit the next paradigm shift. (Robinson, 2006) this time, however, I feel it is different – the technological paradigm shift catalyzed during the Covid 19 lockdowns (Sahlberg, 2021) has meant that students will no longer accept the “old ways” of learning. Many teachers are still verbally citing that students feel disengaged from learning and they blame the technology (Patty, 2020) but are they right or are we just not structuring these environments effectively (Facey September 2022)? This is where digital texts can come to shine – they can become a “one-stop shop” for resources and multimodal learning experiences for example a digital textbook ( Facey August 2022) or they can create greater meaning and real-world connections to create empathy ( Facey August 2022). Digital literacies can provide more authentic experiences to our students (Walsh 2010) however, we need to ensure that they are quality products, being able to see past the “flashiness” of digital applications and know how to effectively evaluate digital literature for the classroom is integral to optimal integration. (Yokota & Teale, 2014).
AS teacher librarians, we are well positioned to be not only content creators but mentors to the school community in regard to their technology use ( Facey August 2022) as many teachers are quite reluctant to incorporate new technologies into the classroom (Brooks September 2022) due to being time poor, the use of digital literacies can do so much in regards to time management -if we move towards students being content creators rather than content consumers, we as teachers can hit 21st century learning outcomes on its head! (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2015).
The development of my digital story proved to be more overwhelming than I expected, I would not be lying if I wasn’t particularly happy with my result. During assessment two, I reviewed a piece of digital literature called “The Collapse” in which I was critical about how overwhelming the use of different media was in it. (Facey August 2022). In my initial proposal, I was very excited to create something close to my heart – something that was reflected in the comments I received. I still have a strong belief my student’s current information skills are lacking (OECD, 2021) and that the multimodal platform of digital literature is an appropriate way to approach these issues – however, I become very quickly overwhelmed by the amount of media I needed to be able to create as well as the many different licenses and copyright issues I would encounter and reference. Bechoff identifies the gamification of digital literature as an effective way to engage low literacy learners (2019) and I do think that I have achieved this – however as Kurcirkova (2018) and Yokato and Teale (2014) both suggest, even though digital content is exciting and provides many opportunities for learners to experience content, students can become quickly distracted and overwhelmed, impeding on the integrity of the narrative – something I feel, unfortunately, happens in my digital story.
One of my reviewers mentioned that I may have wanted to consider accessibility features for EALD learners. This is the beauty of having a digital product, the accessibility features provided by the software mean that the reading can be adjusted by the student. Students may also use free software such as speechify, however, this software is not approved by the Dept of Education, so I am inclined to not include it due to privacy concerns. Another issue I had in my development was the inclusion of audio – there is no simple way to include Mp3 files in the google site, something I was not aware of when choosing this medium which has also affected the quality of my final work.
Digital literature does lend itself well to the gamification of learning as it provides engaging interaction, instantaneous feedback, student-centred learning multimedia options ( (Bechoff, 2019)- all requirements of quality digital literature (Bozkurt & Bozkurt, 2015). This was my main aim when creating this content 0 to make something potentially “boring” into something engaging (Bechoff, 2019,) and hopefully, I have achieved this!
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2015). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability (Version 8.4) | The Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4). Australian Curriculum. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/information-and-communication-technology-ict-capability/
Bechoff, J. (2019, spring). Gamification Using a Choose-Your-OwnAdventure Type Platform to Augment Learning and Facilitate Student Engagement in Marketing Education. Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education, 27(1), 13-30. http://www.mmaglobal.org/publications/JAME/JAME-Issues/JAME-2019-Vol27-Issue1/JAME-2019-Vol27-Issue1-Bechkoff-pp13-30.pdf
Brian, A. J. (2014). Gamification in Education. ASBBS Annual Conference: Las Vegas, 21(1), 32-39.
Bozkurt, A., & Bozkurt, M. (2015). Evaluation Criteria for Interactive E-Books For Open and Distance Learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 16(5), 58-73. IRRODL. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i5.2218
Canva For Education. (n.d.). About Canva for Education. Canva. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.canva.com/en_au/help/about-canva-for-education/
Common Sense Media. (2019, August 13). New Survey Reveals Teens Get Their News from Social Media and YouTube. Common Sense Media. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/new-survey-reveals-teens-get-their-news-from-social-media-and-youtube
Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021). A Comparison of Children’s Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654321998074
Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books – UCL Press. UCL Press. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/109473
Mencszer, F., & Hills, T. (2020). Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, and Social Media Knows It. Scientific American. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/information-overload-helps-fake-news-spread-and-social-media-knows-it/
Metzgar, M. J., Flanagin, A. J., Markov, A., Grossman, R., & Bulgar, M. (2015). Believing the Unbelievable: Understanding Young People’s Information Literacy Beliefs and Practices in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 9(3), 325 -348. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2015.1056817
NEALS. (2015). Information skills in the school: engaging learners in constructing knowledge. NSW Department of Education. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/infoskills.pdf
NSW Dept of Education. (n.d.). Digital Learning Selector: Learning tools. Digital learning selector. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://app.education.nsw.gov.au/digital-learning-selector/
NSW Dept of Education. (2021). Information Fluency Framework. NSW Department of Education. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/Information_fluency_framework.pdf
NSW Dept of Education. (2022, May 30). The information process. NSW Department of Education. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/school-libraries/teaching-and-learning#Information0
OECD. (2021). 21st-Century Readers: Developing Literacy Skills in a Digital World. PISA OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/a83d84cb-en.
Patty, A. (2020, April 16). Digital distraction: New report raises concerns about online learning | Gonski Institute for Education. Gonski Institute for Education. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.gie.unsw.edu.au/digital-distraction-new-report-raises-concerns-about-online-learning
Robinson, K. (2006). Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? TED. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
Rowlands, I., Nicholas, D., Williams, P., Huntington, P., Fieldhouse, M., & Gunter, B. (2008). The Google generation: the information behaviour of the researcher of the future. Aslib Proceedings New Information, 60(4), 290-310. Emerald. 10.1108/00012530810887953
Sahlberg, P. (2021). Does the pandemic help us make education more equitable? Educ Res Policy Prac, 20(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-020-09284-4
Samuel, A. (2017, November 14). How Librarians Can Be Digital Mentors for Teens. JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/how-librarians-can-be-digital-mentors-for-teens/
Scientific American. (2019, May 11). Zombie Apocalypse Campaign Crashes CDC Website”. “Zombie Apocalypse Campaign Crashes CDC Website”. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=zombie-apocalypse-campaign-crash
Templeton, T. (2021, July 27). Digital Literacy and the Teacher Librarian – Part One – Softlink. Softlink. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.softlinkint.com/blog/digital-literacy-and-the-teacher-librarian-part-one/
Victoria State Government: Literacy Teaching Toolkit. (2018, August 29). Multimodal literacy. Department of Education and Training Victoria. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/readingviewing/Pages/litfocusmultimodal.aspx
Wall, J. (2020, February 6). Information + competency + literacy = fluency. NSW Department of Education. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/media/documents/vol-37/Scan_2018_37-6.pdf
Walsh, M. (2010). Multimodal Literacy: What does it mean for classroom practice. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 33(3), 211-239.
World Health Organisation. (n.d.). Infodemic. World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/infodemic#tab=tab_1
Wormeli, R. (2022). Moving Students from Passive Consumers to Active Creators. AMLE. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.amle.org/moving-students-from-passive-consumers-to-active-creators/
Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture Books and the Digital World. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262
