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ETL501: A Reflection On Learning

ETL501: A Reflection On Learning

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In the first week of ETL501, we were asked to create a definition reflective of our emerging understanding of dynamic learning environments (Wilson, 2024, July 2). After all I have learned this semester, I would not change my answer. However, I now have a greater depth of understanding that underpins this definition. In this blog post, I unpack the key strategies I used to create a research guide and outline my understanding of the technological skill set necessary to be a teacher librarian in the 21st century.

 

A fundamental learning experience from this unit was the creation of a research guide for year five students on the Eureka Stockade. At the forefront of my mind when creating the guide was accessibility. WordPress (WordPress, n.d.) was chosen as the platform for the research guide as it contained an accessibility toolbar, which allows the user to adjust the font size and the contrast of the research guide. This decision was influenced by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (World Wide Web Consortium), in particular SC 1.4.4 and SC 1.4.3. Readability was also an important factor. For novice researchers, simplicity of language is key to ensuring students actually use and appreciate research guides (Puckett, 2015, p. 80). Given that the target audience for the research guide is year five students, the language used had to match their reading abilities. Using the Hemmingway Editor (.38 Long LLC, n.d.), I obtained feedback on the readability of the content I created and simplified the information to ensure that year five students could read and understand the task.

 

To evaluate the books and digital resources that I included in the guide I used Caulfield’s (n.d.) SIFT method, which is the same method the students are encouraged to use during the research task. Using this method myself made it easier to create prompts that encourage students to critically evaluate the resources themselves. As a classroom teacher, I used to undertake the task of evaluating resources on behalf of my students, which I reflected upon in Module 4.5 (Wilson, 2024, October 5). I now have the knowledge and the skills to scaffold my students in undertaking this important information literacy skill for themselves.

 

21st century teacher librarians need to possess the technical knowledge necessary to tailor online spaces, such as research guides, to meet the teaching and learning needs of their students. It is an expectation in the Australian Capital Territory that teacher librarians be able to maintain “a virtual learning commons accessible to everyone, at any place and on any device” (Australian Capital Territory, 2019, p. 2). As a future teacher librarian, I aim to create a curated collection of digital artefacts that provide targeted support in information literacy skill development. I have already begun this process in ETL501, with the creation of infographics (Wilson, 2024, September 5) and other digital artefacts embedded within my research guide.

 

This unit has also encouraged me to think critically about physical school library spaces I have worked in previously and apply theory to suggest improvements to these spaces (Wilson, 2024, July 16). As a future teacher librarian, I feel confident that the knowledge I have gained from this unit will allow me to create and maintain a dynamic school library space that is responsive to the ever-changing information landscape.

 

 

References

Australian Capital Territory. (2019). School Libraries: The Heart of 21st Century Learning. https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1435435/School-Libraries-The-Heart-of-21st-Century-Learning.pdf

Caulfield, M. A. (n.d.). Check, Please! Starter Course. https://checkpleasecc.notion.site/Check-Please-Starter-Course-ae34d043575e42828dc2964437ea4eed

World Wide Web Consortium. (n.d.). Web Content Accessability Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

Puckett, J. (2015). Modern Pathfinders: Creating Better Research Guides. Association of College and Research Libraries.

Wilson, A. (2024, July 2). The Dynamic School Library: My Emerging Understanding. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2024/07/02/the-dynamic-school-library-emerging-understandings/

Wilson, A. (2024, September 5). Smart Searching Infographic. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2024/09/05/smart-searching-infographic/

Wilson, A. (2024, October 5). Teaching Information Literacy. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2024/10/05/teaching-information-literacy/

WordPress. (n.d.). WordPress. https://wordpress.org/

.38 Long LLC. (n.d.). Hemmingway Editor. https://hemingwayapp.com/

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ETL533: A Reflection on Learning

ETL533: A Reflection on Learning

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Literature in Digital Environments (ETL355) has introduced me to new forms of literature that I had not experienced before and has helped me in reclassifying literature that I had engaged with in the past. Reflecting back on my initial understandings at the commencement of this unit, I had already been using digital literature sporadically within my classroom teaching, I just did not realise at the time. In my initial blog post, I mused as to whether the app Scratch Jr (DevTech Research Group & Scratch Foundation), which I had used with my students in the past, was a form of digital literature (Wilson, 2023-a, para. 3). With the information that I have now learned from this unit, I now recognise that the app itself is not digital literature, but it can be used as a platform to create digital literature. Although the primary focus of my lessons was technology and coding, I was inadvertently encouraging my students to create their own pieces of digital literature.

 

In Module 4.1, I shared my concerns around the use of social media as a platform to create digital literature (Wilson, 2023-d, para. 2). Research has shown that users engage with social media on a shallow level, with many sharing articles they have never read or voting in polls attached to articles they have not clicked on (Glenski et al., 2020, p. 40). Personally, I have witnessed this myself on Facebook with news articles containing deceptive headlines and when reading the attached comments, it is clear that many people did not actually read the article. Whilst an author creating a piece of Twitter fiction does not have the intention of spreading false information, users that come across these tweets may not have the engagement level needed to comprehend that what they are reading is fiction and therefore I still hold these concerns at the conclusion of the unit.

 

Creating my own digital story has been an educational and personally meaningful experience. I challenged myself by selecting a platform I had never used before to create my digital story. Through this process I have enhanced my digital technical skills by learning how to embed video, create hotspots within pictures and use programs, such as JuxtaposeJS (Knight Lab, n.d.) to enhance and engage readers with the story. The digital literature piece that I created is not only a valuable piece for use within the classroom, but it has also become a personally meaningful piece of digital literature for my family, serving to preserve our family history and will be treasured for many years to come.

 

The feedback that I received on my digital storytelling proposal encouraged me to think beyond the digital story itself to how I could use my digital story within the classroom. Two pieces of feedback suggested using my digital story as a proforma for students to create their own texts on their grandparents (Forfar, 2023; rachelerinives, 2023). The inclusion of prompts encouraging text-to-self connections throughout the story would give guidance on the kinds of interview questions students could ask an older person who is significant to them. Another piece of feedback encouraged me to consider the reading levels of the students accessing the text (lizfrench77, 2023). This feedback was acted upon through the inclusion of narration to support early-readers in accessing the text. The many different perspectives provided through the feedback on how the digital text could be used in the classroom was encouraging and demonstrates the versatility of the digital story that I have created.

 

As a current classroom teacher, my takeaway from this unit is that digital literature, when embedded authentically, has the power to enhance and support the student learning experience (Sukovic, 2014, p. 206). In Module 2.3 I identified that I could begin to adapt my current pedagogy by embedding quality digital literature in to my guided reading lessons (Wilson, 2023-c, para 1). This small but meaningful step will just be a starting point from which I can further embed digital literature in authentic ways to develop my students’ digital literacy skills and enhance curriculum content.

 

As a future teacher librarian, I hope to cultivate a digital literature collection that goes beyond eBooks. In Module 1.2, I identified three main points when it comes to selecting quality digital literature for a school library (Wilson-b, 2023, para. 1-4). This knowledge, coupled with the experience of critically evaluating three pieces of digital literature in the first assessment, has equipped me to be able to critically evaluate digital literature for the inclusion in my future school library.

 

References

DevTech Research Group & Scratch Foundation. (n.d.) Scratch Jr. https://www.scratchjr.org/

 

Forfar, L. (2023, September 17). Hello Amanda [Comment on blog post “Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal”]. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2023/08/27/digital-storytelling-topic-proposal/#comment-15

 

Glenski, M., Volkova, S., & Kumar, S. (2020). User Engagement with Digital Deception. In Shu, K., Wang, S., Lee, D., & Liu, H. (Eds.). Disinformation, Misinformation, and Fake News in Social Media Emerging Research Challenges and Opportunities (1st ed., pp. 39-62). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42699-6

 

Knight Lab. (n.d.). JuxtaposeJS. https://juxtapose.knightlab.com/?_gl=1*1c6rflz*_ga*MTAxNTYwNDE2MC4xNjk0NjA3MTQ5*_ga_8F4WPDMPL5*MTY5NDYwNzE0OC4xLjAuMTY5NDYwNzE0OC4wLjAuMA..

 

Lizfrench77. (2023, September 16). Amanda, your proposal sounds fascinating and has the potential to be a memorable and meaningful learning experience. [Comment on blog post “Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal”]. Connect the Dots.

 

Rachelerinives. (2023, September 3). This is such a great idea on a way in which to present a history topic and engage students. [Comment on blog post “Digital Storytelling Topic Proposal”]. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2023/08/27/digital-storytelling-topic-proposal/#comment-12

 

Sukovic, S. (2014). iTell: Transliteracy and Digital Storytelling. Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 45(3), 205–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048623.2014.951114

 

Wilson, A. (2023-a, July 9). Prior Knowledge and Pigeons: My Preliminary Understanding of Digital Literature. Connect the Dots. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amandawilson/2023/07/09/prior-knowledge-and-pigeons-my-preliminary-understanding-of-digital-literature/

 

Wilson, A. (2023-b, July 18). Evaluating digital narratives [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_68469_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_140370_1&forum_id=_321155_1&message_id=_4517189_1

 

Wilson, A. (2023-c, August 6). One small change in my classroom practice [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_68469_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_140370_1&forum_id=_322389_1&message_id=_4547401_1

 

Wilson, A. (2023-d, September 8). Concerns around using social media platforms for digital storytelling [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_68469_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_140370_1&forum_id=_323703_1&message_id=_4579869_1

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ETL503: A Reflection On Learning

ETL503: A Reflection On Learning

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‘Mirrors and windows’ is an analogy that I first encountered during my studies in ETL503. It means students must be able to see themselves reflected in the school’s library collection (the mirrors) and be provided with opportunities to learn about the lives and experiences of others (the windows) (Adam, 2023, p. 1). This analogy has underpinned much of my thinking as I worked through this unit, further developing my understanding of the nature of school library collections and the practical applications of a collection development policy. In this blog post, I take the time to reflect upon how my learning has progressed around the topics of student-led collection development policies, censorship, advocacy and future-proofing the collection.

 

In module 2.1, I was inspired by the success of Melba Copeland Secondary School’s library incorporating a student-led collection development policy to empower students when it comes to the selection of books within the library’s collection (Jorm, 2022). I used this as a launching pad to research ways in which I could emulate their success in my own future library. Implementing strategies, such as suggestion boxes, request books, and automatic patron-driven acquisition systems, will give me the ability to tailor my collection to meet the teaching and learning needs of my school community (Wilson, 2023, March 15). In taking this approach to collection development, I hope to increase engagement and circulation statistics within my future library.

 

I have come to learn that a collection development policy can protect a collection through clearly articulated policies around censorship. My initial understanding of censorship was the active and conscious suppression of materials, but through module 4.1 I learned that censorship could come in many subtle and overt forms. One subtle form is the teacher librarian pre-emptively excluding a resource from the collection to avoid dealing with a challenge from the learning community, known as self-censorship (Johnson, 2018, p. 133). A collection development policy gives me the courage to select a diverse range of resources, knowing that my decisions are guided by the policies upholding the need for students to have free access to information without interference (Wilson, 2023, April 19).

 

Compiling an annual report articulating how the library worked towards the policies and goals set out in the Collection Development Policy can be used as evidence when advocating for the library (McKenzie, 2009, para. 13). The Australian School Library Survey Report 2021 (Softlink, 2022) found that 26% of school libraries were receiving a low to very low level of support from their school’s Senior Leadership Team (p. 4). Considering this statistic, I am aware that I may end up in a school library that does not receive an adequate amount of support. Investing time into the creation of an annual report is an effective way to engage the senior leadership team with the library. Presenting qualitative and quantitative data on the impact the school’s Collection Development Policy has on teaching and learning has the power to make the invisible achievements of the library visible (Wilson, 2023, April 29). This can raise the profile of the school library within the school, making advocating for appropriate resourcing an easier task and ensuring that the library remains a valuable component of the school into the future.

 

Not all libraries have a collection development policy (Gregory, 2019, p. 29), therefore it is a real possibility in the future that I may need to take the initiative to create one from scratch. With the understanding I have gained from ETL503, I feel confident in approaching this task, knowing how crucial it is in tailoring the collection, confronting censorship, boosting the library’s standing through advocacy and future-proofing the collection. Through this I will be able to develop a collection that is the ‘mirrors and windows’ my learning community requires.

 

References

Adam, H. (2023). Is your library the window and mirror all children need?. Connections, 125, 1-3. https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-125/is-your-library-the-window-and-mirror-all-children-need

Gregory, V. L. (2019). Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Libraries and Collections : An Introduction (2nd ed.). American Library Association.

Johnson, P. (2018). Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management (4th ed.). ALA Editions.

Jorm, M. (2022). Photo story: Student-led library collection development. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/photo-story-student-led-library-collection-development

McKenzie, D. (2009). Importance of creating an annual report. [blog]. Library Grits. http://librarygrits.blogspot.com.au/2009/06/importance-of-creating-annual-report.html

Softlink. (2022). Australian School Library Survey Report 2021. https://www.softlinkint.com/downloads/2021_Softlink_School_Library_Survey_-_Australian_Report.pdf

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ETL401: A Reflection On Learning

ETL401: A Reflection On Learning

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When I reflect upon how far my learning has come since the beginning of this subject, I have come to realise that the preconceived ideas that I had were from a different era of teacher librarianship (Wilson, 2021, March 8). In recent times the profession has undergone a renaissance, reinventing itself to meet the need for students to be information literate in the 21st century. Through regular blogging and online discussions, I can see just how far my understanding of information literacy, inquiry learning models and the teacher librarian’s role in inquiry learning has come.

 

My initial understanding of information literacy was simply the action of selecting, locating and evaluating resources. My new understanding acknowledges that information literacy is complex, broad and context dependent. With the information landscape continuing to evolve at a rapid rate, the definition of information literacy will evolve with it and in turn, change the skills and knowledge required of me as a teacher librarian (Wilson, 2021, May 5). To begin constructing my own understanding, I applied Annemaree Lloyd’s (2007, p. 5) sociocultural definition of information literacy to the context of student learning and identified that the development of transliteracy skills, student collaboration, engaging students using all their senses, and incorporating ICT were crucial in the teaching of information literacy (Wilson, 2021, April 26).

 

With my increased understanding of information literacy comes a greater understanding of the Australian Curriculum’s (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d.) general capabilities and their place within teaching and learning. In module 4.1a and 4.1b, I reflected upon my personal experience as a classroom teacher trying to reconcile best practice with other competing demands (Wilson, 2021, April 16; Wilson, 2021, April 17). I resonated with what Lee FitzGerald (2018, p. 53) cited as an inhibitor for collaboration: “embarrassment”. I was embarrassed for not understanding how to incorporate the general capabilities within my teaching. Having now had practice in embedding the general capabilities within an inquiry unit and identifying how to assess these skills, I now feel more capable in incorporating these skills and processes into future guided inquiry units.

 

Through my learning of information literacy models I came to the conclusion that any challenges or disadvantages bought about by the implementation of a guided inquiry approach were outweighed by the advantages; the most notable being that “a guided inquiry approach to learning allows our students to construct their own meaning and subsequently create lifelong learning skills” (Wilson, 2021, May 1). Of the many information literacy models I analysed, the one that piqued my interests was Guided Inquiry Design (Kuhlthau et al, 2015, p. 53). As a lower primary teacher, I always believed that research tasks were reserved for older students. However, Guided Inquiry Design has shown me that by scaffolding their emerging research skills and harnessing their natural curiosity (Maniotes, 2018, p. 19), even the youngest of students can develop inquiry skills. Utilising digital tools allows teachers to collect qualitative data on the inquiry process (Wilson, 2021, April 14) and support younger students to record reflections on their learning orally, mitigating the need for well-developed writing skills.

 

I have come to learn that the role of a teacher librarian is teacher first, librarian second. This concept was reinforced when I examined the standards within the Evidence Guide for Teacher Librarians in The Proficient Career Stage (Australian School Library Association, 2014) (Wilson, 2021, April 19). I previously held the misconception that teacher librarians simply connected classroom teachers to relevant resources when planning units of inquiry. I now recognise that collaboration is the key to embedding information literacy and sits at the core of a teacher librarian’s role. However, creating a culture where collaboration is valued amongst classroom teachers is no easy feat, requiring a teacher librarian to think long-term and begin with “one interested teacher at a time” (Garrison & FitzGerald, 2019) (Wilson, 2021, April 23).

 

In module 4.3, I examined research that provided evidence of the impact a teacher librarian has on student reading results (Hughes, 2013, para. 1) and expressed the opinion:

If the mere presence of a teacher librarian (sometimes not even qualified with dual qualifications) in a school has the impact to improve reading results, then I imagine the active involvement from a dually-qualified teacher librarian in curriculum development would have an even greater impact on student learning and achievement across many other learning areas (Wilson, 2021, April 24).

Therefore, by expanding my own understanding of information literacy and inquiry learning through ETL401 and putting this new learning into action, I should be able to make a significant pedagogical impact on the teaching and learning within my school.

 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). General capabilities. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

 

Australian School Library Association. (2014). Evidence Guide for Teacher Librarians in The Proficient Career Stage. ASLA. https://asla.org.au/evidence-guides-tls

 

FitzGerald, L. (2018). Guided inquiry goes global : Evidence-based practice in action. ABC-CLIO, LLC

 

Garrison, K. L. & FitzGerald, L. (2019, October 21-25). “One interested teacher at a time”: Australian Teacher Librarian Perspectives on Collaboration and Inquiry [conference paper]. 48th Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship and the 23rd International Forum on Research in School Librarianship, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

 

Hughes, H. (2013).  School libraries and teacher-librarians: evidence of their contribution to student literacy and learning. Curriculum and Leadership Journal, 11(12). http://www.curriculum.edu.au/leader/school_libraries_and_tls,36453.html?issueID=12777

 

Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2015). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

 

Lloyd, A. (2007). Learning to put out the red stuff: Becoming information literate through discursive practice. Library Quarterly, 77(2), 181-198.

 

Maniotes, L. K. (2018). Guided Inquiry Design in Action: Elementary School. Libraries Unlimited.

A Self-Reflection on my Essay: eBooks vs. print books

A Self-Reflection on my Essay: eBooks vs. print books

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I write this post with a mix of emotions running though me. I have just hit the ‘submit’ button for my first assignment in ETL401. It is the first essay that I have written in 9 years.

I’m thrilled that I have completed the essay.

I’m nervous about what the reader/marker will think.

I’m doubting myself, questioning if I actually covered the topic succinctly.

I’m proud that I achieved what a few weeks ago seemed like an absolutely daunting task.

My writing skills are still very rusty, but just from the process of composing this essay I feel like a little bit of grease has been added to my writing gears. After all, the only way to become a better writer is to just write!

 

Out of curiosity, I created a word cloud of my essay to see what key words stood out. Can you guess the topic of my essay from the scramble of words below?

A word cloud of my essay
A word cloud of my essay – can you guess the topic?

If you oh-so accurately guessed: an analysis of eBooks vs. printed books and how a teacher librarian finds a balance between these two modalities, then you are correct. 😉 Below are some of the key ideas that I found most intriguing in the battle between eBooks and print books:

  • The generation that are currently attending school have a predominant preference for print texts over eBooks, which is surprising given how adaptive to new technology they are perceived to be (Rutherford et al., 2018, p.321).
  • Studies have found that reading information in print leads to better comprehension compared to eBooks. When we use our digital devices in day-to-day life, we tend to skim and look for key words. When we use these same devices for reading eBooks, our brain instinctively applies the same skill of skimming when reading (Barron, 2017b, p. 18).
  • The customisable features of eBooks (such as font size, font type, background colours, read-aloud features) make them the perfect tool to break down barriers for students who have learning difficulties or disabilities (Baker, 2017, p. 8).

For a teacher librarian, it is their objective to find a balance between both eBooks and print books in order to cater for all students and develop the critical skills they need to be learners in the 21st century.

 

While researching this topic I could not help but reflect upon my own use of print and eBooks when it came to studying. I found it ironic that I was printing out eJournal articles on the topic of comprehension being better in print so that I, too, could better comprehend the research about this topic. I find it easier to understand what I am reading if I can hold, highlight, write notes in the borders and cross-reference with other printed copies.

 

Even though my preferred modality of text is print, I do have an appreciation for eBooks. eBooks give me the flexibility to study anywhere at any time. I am fortunate enough to currently be a stay-at-home mum to my one-year-old, and the only times that I can study are when she is sleeping. Unfortunately, libraries are not open at 10pm at night and I doubt they would let me peruse the library in my pyjamas. But with eBooks I can do just that! eBooks have given me the ability to further my education without being limited by my location or time constraints. And for that I am thankful and grateful.

 

References:

Baker, E. (2017). Where have all the ‘real’ books gone?. Practical Literacy: The Early and Primary Years, 22(3), 8-9.

 

Baron, N. S. (2017b). Reading in a digital age. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(2), 15-20.

 

Rutherford, L., Singleton, A., Derr, L. A., & Merga, M. K. (2018). Do digital devices enhance teenagers’ recreational reading engagement? Issues for library policy from a recent study in two Australian states. Public Library Quarterly, 37(3), 318-340.

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