Month: August 2019

ETL401 Module 3.2 The role of the Teacher Librarian

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Are school librarians an endangered species?

Karen Bonanno (2011) maintains that for teacher librarians (TLs) to defy this labelling of being an endangered species, they must “rise to the occasion” to meet the employment demands of their school community. She discusses the importance of TLs being visibly engaged with the education structure, which encompasses curriculum (ACARA), standards (AITSL) and services (ESA).  Building explicit connections between the role of the TL with this ‘architecture’ and making them widely known is vital. For example, TLs should use the language from the General Capabilities of ICT and Critical and Creative Thinking, to make the link with the TL role in the changing education landscape.   In her later article, Bonanno (2015) emphasizes that TLs must be proactive in building their capacity. This includes keeping abreast of educational and technological developments and being producers as well as consumers of professional conversations. In doing this, TLs can become a thriving species who are indispensable to their school community.

Australian School Library Association (ASLA) (2011). A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan. Keynote presentation, Karen Bonanno. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/31003940

Bonanno, K., (2015) A profession at the tipping point (revisited), ACCESS, March, 14-21. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=064399679084070;res=IELAPA

 

ETL401 Module 2.2 The nature of information – availability and access

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Think about the ramifications of having ready access to information at all times. For example, how does this aspect affect you and your capacity to study this subject. What are 3 benefits and 3 negatives?

Positives:

  • Access to CSU/information any time – flexible study revolves around personal life and work
  • Ability to swiftly locate, relocate, store and manage information effectively
  • External online study enables myself and other working mothers to do it all (?)

Negatives:

  • Disrupted sleep and irritability due to late night study (blue screen baddies after 9pm)
  • Potential neglect of health and personal relationships due to spending time online rather than offline with family and friends
  • External online study enables myself and other working mothers to do it all (?)

As Mosbergen (2016) discusses in her analysis of a controversial French labor reform bill, there are a number of associated risks with our constantly interconnected information societies. These include work related stress and burn-out as the boundaries between private and professional lives blur, thanks to the electronic leashes of email and other digital technologies  (Hamon, as cited in Mosbergen 2016).  While the mediums of  digital communications have enabled this stress-inducing interconnectedness, perhaps the real problem, as articulated by Whittle (cited in Mosbergen 2016), is the “culture of having to constantly do more and constantly do better than competitors.” It’s interesting to consider that the bill was widely unpopular with many French citizens. Such legislation would potentially restrict the flexibility of employees, who, for example, may choose to work from home to complete tasks in the evening once families are fed and put to bed. This highlights a number of information access issues, including the importance of gathering data on the needs of all stakeholders.

References

Mosbergen, D. (2016). French legislation suggests employees deserve the right to disconnect (http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/work-emails-france-labor-law_us_57455130e4b03ede4413515a?section=australia). The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 2016.