Part A: Statement of Personal Philosophy

The role of teacher librarian (TL) is a key part of a school’s community. They provide supportive and relevant reading resources by curating a collection that is responsive and appropriate to curriculum requirements, student learning needs and broader interests. An effective TL has a deep understanding of the curriculum, collaborates with leaders and teachers across all levels of the school to implement teaching and learning initiatives. They foster a culture of reading within the school, promoting and modelling reading for pleasure and the benefits of lifelong learning. TLs are experts in information literacy and have a broad knowledge of the digital learning environment underpinned by 21^st century skills that complement the classroom teacher role and enhances the school’s ability to provide their students with valuable skills for future learning.

Part B: Themes

Literature

During my studies and research over the period of this course I have been exposed to the varied roles and responsibilities that teacher librarians (TL) undertake to support student learning. My motivation to study to become a TL was rooted in my love of reading (Crombie, 2022d), my desire to pass on that love of reading to my students, and my belief in the importance of literacy in promoting lifelong learning.

I see one of the main roles of a TL as creating and promoting a culture of reading within their school environment. This was evident through my study in ETL402 Literature Across the Curriculum where I learned that a culture of reading can help improve literacy performance amongst students (Merga & Mason, 2019). Reading for pleasure could be an indicator of academic performance (Whitten et al., 2016; Manuel & Carter, 2015), although this tends to decrease as a child grow older, however children are more likely to read for pleasure if they are members of a library (National Library of New Zealand, n.d.). Having a strong culture of reading in a school, especially centred around a well-managed and resourced library led by a qualified TL can only be an advantage to students in reading to learn and reading for enjoyment.

I have realised that there are a variety of ways to create a culture of reading. Existing programs such as the Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC) provide a perfect opportunity to build on and promote a school reading culture. As a classroom teacher, I have coordinated this program at my current school and was able to make valuable and relevant connections across library settings, and I took part in promoting the PRC during my work placement at Brunswick Library through the creation of displays. This demonstrated to me the benefits of looking at existing programs and initiatives across a range of settings and building on them to promote and encourage reading across a variety of topics and study themes.

Another way I discovered to promote a culture of reading was to incorporate literature across the curriculum, in areas other than English. Through completing assessments in ETL402 I was able to further develop my knowledge and awareness of a broader range of current children’s literature, rather than relying on old favourites, especially those that connect with science concepts and the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability (Crombie, 2023). Literature can especially benefit cross curricular learning, such as inquiry learning, as it crosses subject divides and allows students to make connections between concepts and themselves, deepening their thinking (Murdoch, 2015; Waugh et al., 2016).

As a classroom teacher I have used this knowledge to be more purposeful and selective in my choices for literature used in my classroom. I recently read aloud to my students The Secret Science Society’s Spectacular Experiment by Kathy Hoopmann and Josie Montano during Science week and noted that the student level of engagement in both the text and Science week activities increased. I brought copies of the texts I used for the assessments in ETL402 into the classroom for students to read and they have been very popular, showing me the value of keeping up to date with new children’s literature.

The course has not only increased my understanding of children’s literature and the benefits to students, it has also increased my confidence in choosing texts for different purposes and age groups. The interests of the child and their developmental level have an impact on their ability to understand and enjoy a text (Travers & Travers, 2008). This was especially evident during my work placement at Brunswick public library where I was tasked with creating a story time kit consisting of 6-8 picture book titles along with some rhymes and a craft centred around a chosen theme with the aim of other librarians being able to re-use the resource. I needed to consider the age range of children that generally attended story time and choose texts that were appropriate to their developmental levels as well as other factors such as the quality of illustrations and size of the text. I found that many books with appropriate themes were board books and therefore not adequate for a story time session. This required me to think more creatively about the selection of the best type of texts to best suit the theme and gain the engagement of the participants who were of varying ages and backgrounds.

I discovered that preparing a story time program not only requires the ability to select texts appropriate for a particular audience but also to read them aloud in a manner that is engaging and entertaining. I was able to use this knowledge and practice of read alouds when conducting a story time during my work placement. This allowed me to make connections between my study of read alouds in ETL402 and apply my understanding in both a public library on my work placement and within my own classroom. In a classroom environment read alouds are purposeful ways to help students’ language development, the most beneficial part of the strategy discussing the text (Beck & McKeown, 2001).

I believe that literature is an essential part of a student’s education and school life, both in learning to read and reading to learn. As a future TL I look forward to helping students select texts for pleasure reading as well as assisting teachers to embed literature in subjects that span the breadth of the curriculum. I plan to continue to refine my read aloud practice and, most importantly, be a leader in cultivating a culture of reading across the school.

Digital Literature

Literature is a key element of a teacher librarian’s (TL) role, as discussed in the previous theme. A key component of the role is to carefully select literature for their school library based on policy, criteria, and the status of the current collection. This extends beyond print resources to electronic resources, including digital literature. Prior to undertaking my studies in ETL533 Literature in Digital Environments I had thought that as a classroom teacher I was making good use of the resources available to me to incorporate digital literature into my classroom practice. However, over the period of my research during ETL533 and my other studies I realised that the quality of digital resources is not consistent and there are other aspects such as the relevance of animations and embedded games that should be considered when selecting and using digital texts with students (Crombie, 2022f).

The school I teach at does not currently have any digital literature available through the library, so I was unaware of the scope of digital literature available which includes eBooks, audio books, enhanced eBooks, interactive storybooks, hypertexts, and interactive fiction (Lamb, 2011). With screens dominating all aspect of modern day lives, I believe the school library should also reflect this through their student learning offerings. Though there is some research that suggests students read less effectively on screens (Jabr, 2013; Combes, 2016) however it is important that digital texts are an option for students as they encounter them outside of the classroom and provide beneficial accommodations such as text to speech that assist a range of learners. Students can only gain the benefits from interactions with digital texts once they understand how to use their features effectively (Cahill & McGill-Franzen, 2013).

Explicitly teaching students how to use different digital texts and their unique features can help students deepen their comprehension and enjoyment of a story (Dobler, 2013).  However not all digital texts are quality literature and not all quality literature automatically makes effective digital texts. Yakota and Teale (2014) developed criteria to help decern the quality of electronic texts that I adapted and used in my reviews of digital literature (Crombie, 2022a; Crombie, 2022b; Crombie, 2022c). My reviews demonstrated an increasing understanding of my ability to critically analyse digital literature. I found the most relevant parts to analyse were the digital enhancements, determining if they added to the story or detracted from the text. Digital features should blend seamlessly into a literary text to adequately represent the human experience (Walsh, 2013).

Throughout the course I have built a deeper understanding of how digital literature can be incorporated into units of work for primary students (Crombie, 2022g) whilst also being aware of their limitations such as it being temporary and often quickly becoming technologically outdated (Bootz, 2014). I currently include digital literature in the form of read alouds on the classroom television as well as providing free and subscription-based resources like the Epic! reading app and ReadingEggs to provide students with digital literature options during independent reading time. As a future TL I aim to investigate suitable platforms that could be used within the library to host digital literature that facilitates and extends classroom learning as well as reading for pleasure. I have formed the strong view that both print and digital texts should be included in a student’s education (Yakota & Teale, 2014).

I have come to understand that it is important not only for students to read digital literature but to create it as well. Creating digital literature provides students with opportunities to utilise digital tools and 21^st century learning skills that will allow them to succeed outside of the classroom (Tackvic, 2012). I incorporated the creation of digital books using the app BookCreator into a recent classroom unit of inquiry on animal habitats, allowing students to add photographs and their voice to digital texts.

The intricacies and range of elements used in developing digital literature became clearer to me during the third assessment in ETL533 where I created my own digital text (Crombie, 2022h). Monsen (2016) suggests that the available technology shapes what digital literature is produced and I would also add that the digital literacy and skills of the authors also impact on the quality of the digital texts. This was certainly the case for me with the creation of my digital story Little Red. It was more difficult than I had anticipated to create a hypertext story with multiple endings. I tried to leverage known technology that was already familiar to students and included features such as highlighting each word as the story was read by the computer. I gained a greater appreciation of traditionally published digital literature and the amount of skilled work and effort required to make the digital interaction and navigation appealing and appropriate for younger primary school students.

Over this course, I have found that the TL needs to be knowledgeable in not only print but also digital literature, digital authoring tools and developing digital technologies. The TL has a critical role in supporting both teacher and student learning by providing quality digital literature resources and enhancing digital literacy through student created electronic texts.  Digital literature is more commonplace now than ever and the TL can be the one to champion its inclusion into teaching and learning programs.

Genrefication

Generefictation is a concept I encountered several times over this course of study, in assessment 2 for ETL401 Introduction to Teacher Librarianship, assessment 2 in ETL505 Describing and Analysing Education Resources and during my work placement program. In hindsight I am sorry that I didn’t explore this idea further on my blog as it remains a key interest of mine as a way for students to find texts to support their students and independent reading. Genrefication provides a way to organise resources into genres or topics instead of using the Dewey Decimal System (Moeller & Becnel, 2019). It is a way of organising both physical and digital resources that best meet the needs of its users. A library exists to meet the needs of its users (Johnson, 2018). This is especially true of a school library whose users are staff and students and not only requires a collection that students access for pleasure but also one that reflects curriculum outcomes and priorities. I reflected on collection development policies needing to reflect the purpose of a library and its users (Crombie, 2022e) and I believe this stance should extend towards the gnerefication and organisation of resources.

I currently work as a year 2 classroom teacher and have recently had conversations with colleagues about the inconsistencies between the way our school’s classroom libraries are set up (by genre or topic) and the way the school library is organised (using the Dewey Decimal System). Classroom teachers are directed to set up our classroom libraries with books in thematic or genrefied baskets with the covers facing out for easy browsing. The school library has most books on shelves with spines facing out and uses the Dewey Decimal System with fiction books being organised by the author’s last name. This disconnect has seen students aimlessly wandering the picture books section and choosing random books off the shelf to borrow rather than specifically searching for a book they will enjoy as they do in the classroom library.

My research into genrefication for my assessments in ETL401 and ETL505 uncovered arguments for and against this process. Genrefication can be beneficial to students by allowing them to be able to independently browse books, providing young readers with built-in scaffolded support to choose appropriate books (Wall, 2019). It also allows a school library to be fluid and adaptable to curriculum needs and borrowing data (Davenport, 2021) as categories aren’t permanently defined and can be changed according to community needs and learning initiatives. Dunne (2015) suggests that many young learners are not cognitively ready to search for books and information using the Dewey Decimal Systems and that a genreified collection helps give students a sense of control over a system they understand and may increase reading motivation.

One of the main arguments against genrefication of a collection is seen as the inconsistencies that can occur across libraries (Wall, 2019) and not preparing students for public and university libraries which mostly use the Dewey Decimal System. However, it is incorrect to say that libraries in general are consistent in their organisation of resources. During my workplace learning program I visited Glenroy Library which genrefies its nonfiction collection. This is different from the other libraries that are managed under the same council who use the Dewey Decimal System for their nonfiction collection organisation. Brunswick library where I spent most of the time during my workplace learning program uses genre stickers to identify genre within the larger fiction sections, although their digital platform applications organise their collection by genre. On my study visit to Canberra the libraries visited used different organisation methods including Dewey, a running number system and genrefication. Each of these ways of organising a collection was chosen for specific reasons that cater to the needs of those who use the libraries.

Another common argument against genrefying a collection is the complications that arise when a book fits into multiple genres or an author who writes over multiple genres having their collections split across categories which can make it difficult to find specific books (Trott & Novak, 2006). Although this may be a challenge for some school library users, it can be overcome by working with students to genrefy the library (Cameron, 2015), just as teachers work with students to ogranise the classroom library. Series books can be shelved together, and popular authors can have their collections shelved together. Generfying allows for student voice and ownership over the collection in a way that having a general fiction collection doesn’t.

I am currently using what I have learnt about genrefying a collection by implementing it in my classroom library. I see the benefits of genrefying a collection at a primary school level, particularly genrefying the picture story book area to make it more user friendly. My next steps are to advocate for the school library organisation to match how classroom libraries are organised with school leadership by outlining the benefits to students. Although time and staffing constraints may be an issue, I believe that a genrefied collection will best suit the needs of our young learners.

Part C: Professional Reflection using the Standards

As a classroom teacher with over 15 years of experience, the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) was my first formal introduction into the profession of teacher librarian (TL). I have gained valuable knowledge of a range of roles and responsibilities of the TL from information literacy in inquiry learning to developing a deeper understanding of the Dewey Decimal System and the importance of a TL in fostering digital literature and technology. While not currently in a TL role, the Standards for Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians (Australian Library and Information Association, 2004) provide excellent guidance towards the skills and understandings I will need to continue to develop to become an experienced and valuable future TL. I have outlined my learning relevant to each standard below:

Professional Knowledge

Each subject that I have undertaken in this course has added to my understanding of the role of the TL. Assessment 1 and 2 in ETL402 helped increase my understanding of pedagogy, how to promote reading and how literature can support areas of learning across the curriculum.  Assessment 2 in ETL401 introduced me to the information needs of students, how information literacy can be taught within inquiry units and cemented how important it is for the TL to collaborate with teachers across the school. I feel that I have gained knowledge about each area of this standard, though I would like to extend my knowledge on the national standards for library and information management as in standard 1.4 (Australian Library and Information Association, 2004).

Professional Practice

This standard is about the practicalities of teacher librarianship and putting theoretical knowledge into action. As I am not currently a TL this is hard to reflect on and evaluate my skill level in as I have not had an opportunity to apply what I have learned. As a classroom teacher I believe I create an information rich learning environment where I strive to make the most of our 1:1 iPad program. I would like to develop practical experience with creating policy documents and dealing with budgets.

Professional Commitment

I demonstrate professional commitment by modelling lifelong learning to students and colleagues by discussing the skills and understandings I have gained from this course. I actively foster a reading culture in my classroom and the school by taking on responsibilities such as coordinating the Premier’s Reading Challenge and assisting with Book Week activities. I demonstrate leadership by taking an active role in the Literacy Curriculum Team and my professional learning community. I share my knowledge with my colleagues and have joined the School Library Association of Victoria.

I have learned a lot of the theory behind being a TL during this course. On my workplace learning program in a public library, I was able to apply some skills such as weeding the children’s fiction collection, developing a story time kit, and promoting reading programs through the creation of displays. I look forward to a time where I am in a TL role and can apply more of the theoretical knowledge I have gained in a school setting.

References

Australian Library and Information Association. (2004). ASLA/ALIA TL professional standards. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-asla-standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians

Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2001). Text talk: capturing the benefits of read-aloud experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55(1), 10–20.

Bootzs, P. (2014). Digital literature: Ephemeral in truth? Hybrid, 1. https://doi.org/10.4000/hybrid.1162

Cahill, M., & McGill-Franzen, A. (2013). Selecting ‘app’ealing and ‘app’ropriate book apps for beginning readers. Reading Teacher, 67(1), 30-39. https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.1190

Cameron, S. (2015). Ditching Dewey and developing a love of reading. Selected Papers from the …Annual Conference, International Association of School Librarianship. 99-105.

Combes, B. (2016). Digital literacy: A new flavour of literacy or something different? Synergy, 14(1).

Crombie, B. (2022a, August 22). Digital literature review 1. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/08/22/digital-literature-review-1/

Crombie, B. (2022b, August 22). Digital literature review 2. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/08/22/digital-literature-review-2/

Crombie, B. (2022c, August 22). Digital literature review 3. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/08/22/digital-literature-review-3/

Crombie, B. (2022d, March 6). ETL401 Assessment 1: Reflection on the role of a teacher librarian. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/03/06/hello-world/

Crombie, B. (2022e, May 23). ETL503 Assessment 2 reflective practice. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/05/23/etl503-assessment-2-reflective-practice/

Crombie, B. (2022f, July 23). ETL533 Assessment 1: Reflections on digital literature in the classroom. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/07/24/etl533-assessment-1-reflections-on-digital-literature-in-the-classroom/

Crombie, B. (2022g, August 22). ETL533 Assessment 2 part B: Critical reflection. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/08/22/etl533-assessment-2-part-b-critical-reflection/

Crombie, B. (2022h, October 2). ETL533 Assessment 4 part A: Context of the digital storytelling project. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/10/02/etl533-assessment-4-part-a-context-of-the-digital-story-telling-project/

Crombie, B. (2023, May 22). ETL402 Assessment 2: Reflective blog post. Thoughts of a Teacher Librarian Student. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2023/05/22/etl402-assessment-2-reflective-blog-post/

Davenport, S. (2021). Genrefication 3.5 years later: reflections. Connections, (117), 12-13. https://www.scisdata.com/media/2283/scis_connections_117_web.pdf

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Dunne, K. (2015). Genrefication of a Fiction Collection in an Elementary School Library. Retrieved from https://docplayer.net/40278704-Genrefication-of-the-fiction-collection-in-an-elementary-school-library-katie-dunne.html

Jabr, F. (2013, April 11). The reading brain in the digital age: The science of paper versus screens. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/

Johnson, P. (2018). Fundamentals of collection development and management (4^th edition). ALA Editions.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.

Manuel, J., & Carter, D. (2015). Current and historical perspectives on Australian teenagers’ reading practices and preferences. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 38(2), 115–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03651962

Merga, M. K., & Mason, S. (2019). Building a school reading culture: Teacher librarians’ perceptions of enabling and constraining factors. The Australian Journal of Education, 63(2), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944119844544

Moeller, R. A., & Becnel, K. E. (2019). “Why on earth would we not genrefy the books?”: A study of reader-interest classification in school libraries. KO KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION, 46(3), 199-208.

Monsen, Y. (2016, December 16). Brave new literature: Digital textuality, technology, and cyborgian humanity. Medium. https://medium.com/publishizer/brave-new-literature-digital-textuality-technology-and-cyborgian-humanity-5d8f40bf3094

Murdoch, K. (2015, October 26). Inspiring inquiry through picture books. Kath Murdoch Educational Consultant. https://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/blog/2015/10/26/bo3tpx8qkbkn6vwtemuj674amslke8

National Library of New Zealand. (n.d.). Reading for pleasure: A door to success. Services to Schools. https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/understanding-reading-engagement/reading-for-pleasure-a-door-to-success

Tackvic, C. (2012). Digital storytelling: Using technology to spark creativity. The Educational Forum, 76(4), 426.

Travers, B. E., & Travers, J. F. (2008). Children’s literature: a developmental perspective. John Wiley & Sons.

Trott, B., & Novak, V. (2006). A house divided? Two views on genre separation. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 46(2), 33-38.

Wall, J. (2019). Genrefication in NSW public school libraries: A discussion paper. Scan, 38(10).

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Marrickville, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

Waugh, D., Neaum, S., & Waugh, R. (2016). Children’s literature in primary schools (2^nd edition.). Learning Matters.

Whitten, S., Labby, S., & Sullivan, S.L. (2016). The impact of pleasure reading on academic success. The Journal of Multidisciplinary Graduate Research, 2(4), 48-64.

Yakota, J., & Teale, W.H. (2014). Picture books in the digital world. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 577-585.

I have seen the Ken Robinson Changing Education Paradigms video many times since it was published. It presents the education system as having an outdated structure that is not compatible with modern ways of living. Structure, cultural and societal influences on education are spaces that a teacher librarian can help to create change.

In the cultural space Robinson (2010) explains that countries are trying to educate children so that they have a sense of cultural identity. One way to do this is to provide books that reflect the cultures of the students in the school. Creating displays of texts that highlight the diverse celebrations that can be found within the school community is another.

An alternative way to look at culture is the culture of the school – does it champion innovation or follow more traditional methods? A teacher librarian can influence the culture of a school by demonstrating best practise in their own lessons, and even better, in co-taught lessons, allowing other teachers to see what is possible and therefore leading a cultural change within the school – just like the dancing man leads people to join him in the Leadership from a dancing guy (Hughes, 2010) video.

This idea of co-teaching with classroom teachers can also impact the structure of a school. Traditionally TLs in a primary school setting are used a ‘specialist’ subject that allows the classroom teacher to have their allocated non-contact time to plan and undertake administrative duties. The TL could advocate for a structural change where they have a more flexible timetable allowing them to co-teach inquiry units with classroom teachers, modelling innovative instructional practises and embedding digital technologies into teacher’s practice.

Societal influences on a school are various. Education, in particular curriculum, reflects the values of the elected government which in turn should reflect the values of society. The TL could drive change by championing and highlighting ways the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum can be embedded in units of work. TLs can also drive change of the perception of a TL’s role within the school by promoting the work they do to the wider school community by advertising school library services and events in the school newsletter, connecting to a network of TLs and joining associations that promote the profession in a positive light.

TLs have varied ways that they can help drive change in schools and create a positive impact. Building positive relationships with those in formal leadership positions is vital for the more ambitious changes to occur. Being loud about their achievements within the school and what they can offer the community can increase the possibility of real change occurring.

References:

Hughes, M. (2010, June 12). Leadership from a dancing guy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8MwBZl-Vc

Robinson, K. [RSA Animate]. (2010, October 14). Changing education paradigms [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

The basis of literary learning in schools is quality children’s literature. To fully understand literary learning, knowledge of what constitutes children’s literature is required. I settled on a broad definition that covered fiction for children aged 0-18 years and included print, digital, transmedia and multimodal text (Crombie, 2023, March 2). With this understanding and the opportunity to update my knowledge of new children’s literature titles that I lacked at the beginning of the subject (Crombie, 2023, March 2) I could begin to unpack the concept of literary learning.

I found it difficult to find a definition of literary learning, however Lehman (2007), explained that literacy and literary learning are closely connected. Literacy is the ability to use language to participate in society, but literary learning is learning through literature and can be used across curriculum areas. This implies a need to develop an appreciation and understanding of literature to highlight the diversity of human experience (Short, 2018). This concept resonated most with me as it helped inform my thinking on the intersection between literary learning, children’s literature and the identification of appropriate strategies.

My focus for this assignment was to identify children’s literature that can be used in science lessons that link to the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability. I realised that while my initial focus was on sustainability, all the texts I discovered were equally applicable in developing literary learning understandings, such as developing a sense of story (Lehman, 2007), as they are to teaching children about science concepts.

Through investigating literature response strategies, I learned that student discussion about literature is imperative. Dialogic reading is a specific strategy that helps extend student conversations. Using the PEER and CROWD methods (Whitehurst 2002), provides a structure for both teacher librarians (TL) and classroom teachers (CT) to use when engaging students in conversations about literature. This method focuses on words and story plot as well as illustrations in the chosen text, making it accessible for even very young learners. Using the same text multiple times allows students to become familiar with it and encourages more complex conversations each time.

It is the TL’s job to be knowledgeable not only about children’s literature but about implementing literary learning in collaboration with CTs. The collaboration of TLs and CTs is fundamental to the success of outcomes from literary learning. The combination of the TL’s knowledge of literature response strategies, digital strategies and literary learning complements the CTs knowledge of curriculum planning and outcomes.

As a current CT, and a future TL, I plan to continue to expand my knowledge of literature response strategies in primary school settings. I intend to implement dialogic reading with my current students to observe for myself how it increases student ability to converse about a text. I also plan to integrate literature response strategies into other areas of the curriculum such as using my enhanced knowledge of creating digital comic books in an upcoming unit about animal habitats in my own classroom. The research that suggests students working in groups with digital technology engages them and keeps them on task (Rutta et al., 2021) is highly motivating to me as CT and I look forward to seeing how it works in action and the impact on student learning outcomes.

References

Lehman, B. A. (2007). Children’s literature and learning: literary study across the curriculum. Teachers College Press.

Rutta, C. B., Schiavo, G., Zancanaro, M., & Rubegni, E. (2021). Comic-based digital storytelling for content and language integrated learning. Educational Media International, 58(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1908499

Short, K. G. (2018). What’s Trending in Children’s Literature and Why It Matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287–298.

Whitehurst, G, J. (2002). Dialogic reading: An effective way to read aloud with young children. Reading Rockets https://www.readingrockets.org/article/dialogic-reading-effective-way-read-aloud-young-children

I have an interest in children’s literature and am aware of popular titles from my own childhood and those I have used in early years classrooms but confess that my knowledge of current releases leaves a lot to be desired. If you had asked me 10-15 years ago the I would have been all over new releases appropriate for the early years of primary school as the school I worked at was just implementing new comprehension focuses for the reading curriculum and I was keen to find picture books that fitted each of the topics of study. However, over the years I have tried to curtail my spending on picture books and so have lost track of new and notable releases. I’m hopeful that this subject will reignite my interest in children’s literature and inspire me to update my knowledge of texts to use in the classroom.

Strategies I could use to increase my professional knowledge of children’s literature would be following blogs and publisher websites that list and talk about new children’s literature, as well as using social media to follow authors, publishers and reviewers. Spending more time taking note of what is on the shelves at my local library and bookstore may help as well.

Children’s literature will continue to be an important aspect in education and a key sector of the publishing industry. What it looks like specifically depends on several factors. One factor is how children are viewed by adults. Theories of childhood and views on children have historically influenced the content children’s literature (Barone, 2011).

Another factor that may influence the future of children’s literature is the increasing visual world in which we live. Children are currently entrenched in a world where visual images are integral to their experiences and understanding of the world which has transferred to the creation of books where the visual aspects are just as, if not more important than the text (Short, 2018). Short (2018) discusses the visual culture that children and young people are part of and links this to a rise in visual forms such as wordless books, graphic novels and illustrated novels. This is endorsed by the Australian Writers’ Centre (2020) who list the increasing popularity of graphic novels as a current trend.

The continual evolution of digital literature may also be a key component and driver of change in the field of children’s literature. Picture book apps are appealing and entertaining but may not have the same value within the classroom as the more engaging elements may distract the reader from the story (Dobler, 2013). The future may not be about digital or print being better that the other but about allowing multiple ways for children to experience and access literature (Short, 2018) with a focus on the visual and, hopefully, an increase in the amount of diverse literature available.

References:

Australian Writers’ Centre Team. (2020, July 17). 7 trends in children’s and YA publishing. AWC: Australian Writers’ Centre. https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/7-trends-in-childrens-and-ya-publishing/

Barone, D.M. (2011), Children’s literature in the classroom: Engaging lifelong readers. Guilford Press.

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.

Prior to the commencement of ‘Literature in Digital Environments’ I believed that I had a decent understanding of what constitutes digital literature. In my blog post ETL533 Assessment 1: Reflections on Digital Literature in the Classroom, I considered my previous experience with digital literature, including storybook apps and connected that to my learning from Module 1 (Crombie, 2022a) where I discovered that not all digital features enhance the experience of digital literature. As the unit progressed I realised just how much more there was to the subject than I had initially believed.

I found that the more I read, the more critical I have become when evaluating digital literature for use in the classroom, making sure to assess if the digital aspects add or detract (Dobler, 2013) from the text. I have taken on board both Yakota and Teale’s (2014), and Walsh’s (2013) prompts for evaluating digital literature and used simplified versions (Crombie, 2022b) to review a variety of digital literature in assessment 2 (Experiencing Digital Literature). I found that using the same questions to evaluate multiple pieces of digital literature was limiting and that there can be no set evaluation of digital literature just as there is no one set of questions that effectively evaluate the quality of print literature because they all vary in audience, purpose, and experience. The main consideration is if the digital features support the story and is a piece of quality literature (Crombie, 2022c).

Learning about, and reviewing, digital literature did not prepare me for the extent of the technical challenges of creating my hypertext story, Little Red. Ideally, incorporating a way for students to help co-author the narrative and add to what is being read would enhance the experience (Serafini et al., 2015) and move it along the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (SAMR) model (Puentedura, 2011) into the modification and redefinition sections. The many possible digital features involving animation, text, film and game like interactive features (Sargeant, 2015) have helped me realise that creating a piece of digital literature on your own may not produce the best outcome and that the different facets of knowledge and skills required are more suited to a team effort.

Based on my digital story telling project proposal, ala_muti (2022) suggested the possibility of including comprehension questions at the end of my digital text for students to justify why they chose a particular ending. I took the concept of seeking feedback on board and provided a link to a google form survey with a small number of simple questions about the students engagement with, and enjoyment of, the story. Further, to support my audience of year 1 and 2 students I used the Chrome extension Mote to add audio for each question in the google form which complemented the read to me option of the main text.

Amy (2022) suggested having students construct their own ending to the story and including instructions on how to use Book Creator for their own creations. As the app Book Creator is already used widely throughout my school I felt that any specific instructions would be better in a face-to-face teaching context, so that responses could be provided within the context of the classroom. I did take on board the concept of students constructing their own story ending by commenting on how the text may be used as a prompt for students to write their own endings to familiar stories (Crombie, 2022d) and would work well in a narrative teaching unit.

I see digital literature as another tool to engage and enhance the reading stamina of young readers and believe it will continue to evolve (Allan, 2017). It is our job as teachers to evolve with it in order to help students continue to develop the necessary literacy skills for their future. The role of the teacher is critical with Walker et al (2010) suggesting that it is difficult for students to transfer their digital skills and knowledge from informal to formal situations without teacher guidance.

The knowledge I have gained from this subject has demonstrated that the teacher librarian has a critical role to play in incorporating digital literature into the school library catalogue where it can be easily searched and found by students. It is currently a gap in our school library that would significantly benefit the future learning of students.

Although there is some evidence that reading on screens may negatively impact comprehension and cause slower reading (Jabr, 2013), devices and screens are now part of daily life and students need to be taught to use them in ways that not only enhance their experiences but help them develop life skills. I firmly believe that using a balance of both print and digital literature is required for students to be successful 21st century learners and thinkers. When students read and create their own digital literature they are practising skills and using tools they will encounter in the world beyond school (Tackvic, 2012).

References

ala_muti. (2022, September 10). I think this is a wonderful idea! [Comment on blog post “ETL533 Digital storytelling project proposal”]. A Journey into Teacher Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/09/04/etl533-digital-storytelling-project-proposal/

Allen, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27.

Amy. (2002, September 14). I think your idea of an interactive story using Book Creator is wonderful [Comment on blog post “ETL533 Digital storytelling project proposal”]. A Journey into Teacher Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/09/04/etl533-digital-storytelling-project-proposal/

Crombie, B. (2022a, July 24). ETL533 Assessment 1: Reflections on digital literature in the classroom. A Journey into Teacher Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/07/24/etl533-assessment-1-reflections-on-digital-literature-in-the-classroom/

Crombie, B. (2022b, August 22). Digital literature review 1. A Journey into Teacher Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/08/22/digital-literature-review-1/

Crombie, B. (2022c, August 22). ETL533 Assessment 2 part B: Critical reflection. A Journey into Teacher Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/08/22/etl533-assessment-2-part-b-critical-reflection/

Crombie, B. (2022d, October 3). ETL533 Assessment 4, part A: Context of the digital story telling project. A Journey into Teacher Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/belindac/2022/10/02/etl533-assessment-4-part-a-context-of-the-digital-story-telling-project/

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Jabr, F. (2013, April 11). The reading brain in the digital age: The science of paper versus screens. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/

Puentedura, R. (2011). A Brief Introduction to TPCK and SAMR – Hippasus. Retrieved from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2011/12/08/BriefIntroTPCKSAMR.pdf

Sargeant, B. (2015). What is an ebook? What is a book app? And why should we care? An analysis of contemporary digital picture books. Children’s Literature in Education, 46(4), 454-466. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-015-9243-5

Serafini, F., Kachorsky, D. & Afuilera, E. (2015). Picture books 2.0: Transmedial features across narrative platforms. Journal of Children’s Literature, 41(2), 16-24.

Tackvic, C. (2012). Digital storytelling: Using technology to spark creativity. The Educational Forum, 76(4), 426.

Walker, S., Jameson., & Ryan, M. (2010). Skills and strategies for e-learning in a participatory culture. In R. Sharpe, H. Beetham & S. Freitas (Eds.), Rethinking learning for a digital age: How learners are shaping their own experiences (pp. 212-224). Routledge.

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. (pp. 181-194). Primary English Teaching Association (PETAA).

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: Educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262 

Little Red is a choose your own adventure style story aimed at engaging year 1 and 2 students in independent reading. The story is a re-telling of the traditional tale Little Red Riding Hood offering choices for the reader to make, via hyperlinks, to multiple different endings. The story and presentation style were chosen in response to a need for students to increase their stamina and engage in independent reading.

Reading for pleasure is a priority in the Victorian Curriculum, as shown in the description for English at year 1 and 2 which states, “Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment.” (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority [VCAA], n.d., para. 2). Little Red fulfils this part of the curriculum as it is a familiar tale that encourages engagement from students with varying abilities. Enjoying reading is an important stepping stone to increasing literacy among children. Ghalebandi and Noorhidawati (2019) explain that time spent reading impacts on reading motivation and achievement. Therefore, the use of quality literature, digital or otherwise, to increase student stamina should be a focus for teachers.

Increasing student engagement and stamina when reading for pleasure was front of mind in the creation of Little Red. The text was created for students, familiar with using iPad apps, to read digital literature as part of the independent reading portion of the Reading Workshop. Observations of students reading books on iPad apps found they rapidly tapped through to the end of the story without reading or listening to the text, indicating that their engagement in the text and stamina for reading digitally was limited. Hypertext functionality was chosen for this project due to the potential for the interactivity to help engage and increase the reading stamina of young readers.
Giving students choice to determine the direction of the narrative is the key to their engagement with the story (TEDx Talks, 2013). The hypertext options within Little Red are limited to two so the reader is not too distracted and stays immersed in the story (James & De Kock, 2013). The choices are mostly presented as pictures with captions to support developing readers. Re-telling Little Red Riding Hood as a hypertext narrative with multiple endings prompts students to re-read the text multiple times to find all possible endings. This supports Loh et al. (2022) who suggests that students may increase their attitude towards reading when given the opportune to re-read familiar texts.

The ability to hyperlink was a key reason Book Creator was chosen as the platform for Little Red. Book Creator contains other digital features that are especially appropriate for year 1 and 2 students, with the ability for the text to be read aloud as each word is highlighted a deciding factor. These key features allow less confident readers to gain enjoyment for the story whilst also supporting their vocabulary and fluency skills, while more confident readers can engage with the text without the read aloud feature which can be turned off. The ‘read to me’ feature and the hypertext were determined as the most appropriate digital features of Little Red as including other superfluous features such as background music would not enhance the narrative and could distract the reader from the meaning of the story (Dobler, 2013).

Canva was the graphic design tool used to create the images in the text. This platform was chosen as it allows its Content License Agreement images to be used in multiple ways and published for both personal and commercial use (Canva, 2022). It was also flexible, easy to use and offers images suitable for all age groups.

Little Red has been designed to be used in a multitude of ways in my school environment, including;
• lessons on reading enjoyment and creating a reading identity
• alignment with digital texts already used through apps available on school iPads.
• ability to display the book on an interactive screen to the whole class that promotes discussions using the teaching strategy ‘turn and talk’ to decide on which hyperlink to choose can be used to create a more social aspect to reading
• reading in pairs to promote discussion about the possible options in the story that provides opportunities for students to practise their speaking and listening skills as well as negotiate with or persuade their partner
• Little Red can also be used as an impetus for students to engage with creative writing and write their own alternative endings to familiar stories.
• the possibility of adding it to the library to start the schools digital literature collection searchable by the catalogue.

The text Little Red, takes advantage of the digital literature offerings that best support the needs of the school to increase the engagement and stamina of student reading to not only improve their reading skills but develop an enjoyment of reading and desire for further reading adventures.

References
Canva. (2022). Canva’s Content License Agreement. Canva. https://www.canva.com/policies/content-license-agreement/

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Ghalebandi, S. G., & Noorhidawati, A. (2019). Engaging children with pleasure reading: The e-reading experience. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 56(8), 1213–1237. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/0735633117738716

James, R. & De Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg Goliath: the rise of the ‘enhanced’ e-book. English Academy Review, 30(1), 107-123.

Loh, C. E., Gan, S., & Mounsey, S. (2022). What do children want to read? A case study of how one primary school library supported reading for pleasure. Journal of Library Administration, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2022.2117955

TEDx Talks. (2013, May 22). Blurring the lines: Storytelling in a digital world: Adam Stackhouse at TEDxCollegeofWilliam&Mary [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c0bEZS1jC4

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (n.d.). English, Curriculum.
https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/english/curriculum/f-10

Topic: Reading for pleasure and exposing students to interactive digital stories.

Platform or tool: Book Creator

Rationale:

In my current school most students are familiar with reading digital stories through the apps Reading Eggs and Epic! which include some media aspects like audio narration however, they lack interactivity that allows the reader any control over the direction of the story. I often witness students repeatedly tapping their iPads to turn the page without reading the story. For this digital storytelling project I have chosen to retell the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood in the hope that by creating an interactive ‘choose your own adventure’ type story, students in years 1 and 2 will be more interested and engaged to read the text rather than just progressing through to the end. To help maintain the interests of the students, I plan to include at least two possible endings to the story.

I am using Book Creator because it has the required functionality of hyperlinking between different pages within the book and the ability to insert media. According to Campbell and Narayan (2017) Book Creator has its own platform that books can be published to, allowing readers to access the book without having to log in or be limited to viewing it in a PDF or video capacity. It also includes a ‘read to me’ option where the words are highlighted as the computer reads the book to the user, which Dobler (2013) suggests assists students to visually track text. I will also be using websites such as Flikr and Canva to help create the content of my story for a more pleasurable interactive reading experience.

References

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Campbell, M. & Narayan, S. (2017, July 26). How we created an interactive choose your own adventure book. The Book Creator Blog. https://bookcreator.com/2017/07/created-interactive-choose-adventure-book/

The variety of digital literature currently available creates opportunities for students to explore different formats of narrative and access tools to support their reading endeavours. Enhanced e-books with audio narration options are, in particular, of value to beginning readers (Dobler, 2013). As a practising teacher, I have been using digital texts for their technology aspects with little awareness of their actual quality. Through my exploration of digital texts in this subject I have developed a greater awareness of how digital elements enhance or detract from a text and now know that some digital elements can distract the reader and disrupt the immersive reading experience (Dobler, 2013; James & De Kock, 2013).

Digital literature is ever evolving as are the platforms they reside on, the technologies they use and reliability of accessibility. For example, as part of my research on digital literature I found many dead links and apps that no longer exist. The evolving world of technology means that the presence of digital literature in its current published form is often temporary and unreliable. Any change to the platform that hosts the piece of digital literature can affect the functionality of the work (Bootzs, 2014).  Despite this ephemeral nature there seems to be more digital literature available across multiple platforms than ever before.

Of the types of electronic reading environments mentioned by Lamb (2011); e-books, interactive storybooks, reference databases, hypertext and interactive fiction, and transmedia storytelling I have the most practical experience using enhanced e-books and interactive storybooks. I regularly use these types of digital literature as I have found them to be especially suited to young readers because they contain tools like audio narration to demonstrate fluent reading, and text highlighting to assist students with tracking the text with their eyes rather than their finger (Dobler, 2013).

Using digital literature in the classroom can seem daunting as it is exciting, challenging and in a state of perpetual change (Allan, 2017) and though there is a much needed space for it in the curriculum, it is my view that it will never fully replace print versions. Quality digital literature is first and foremost quality literature. Before evaluating the digital elements of a text, it is important to determine if the story itself is well told and appropriate for its intended audience (Walsh, 2013; Yakota & Teale, 2014).

Some texts are more suited to print due to their intended purpose. For example, some picture books are of a larger size to demonstrate the full value of their illustrations. These types of texts would not transfer well to a digital medium (Yakota, 2015). This also works in the converse where some texts, that were born digital, have unique digital elements that would not be possible to realise in a print version.

In today’s environment, students have grown up using digital technology as part of their everyday play and learning, meaning that they are more inclined to choose a story based on interest rather than format (Kucirkova, 2018).

Of the three digital texts I reviewed, I found the most appropriate to incorporate into my current teaching of Year One students was Don’t Let Pigeon Run This App! This narrative app would be excellent to use in a unit of work investigating texts from the author Mo Willems as well as being a strong foundation for students when innovating on the text. Innovating on a familiar text is an age appropriate way for young writers to learn about crafting a story in a supported manner (Griffith & Ruan, 2008).

The unit of work would include the use of the app and the print iterations of the series with the same character, the Pigeon, as the basis of the comparison. Students could also be guided to compare the app and the print versions of the Pigeon stories, identifying similarities and differences and justifying their own preference. Students would create short narrative texts that build on their knowledge of a familiar character which are key elements in the writing section of the Victorian Curriculum (VCELY194 and VCELT193).

I believe, it is imperative that teachers are incorporating different types of digital literature into their teaching and learning programs. If students are engaging with digital literature outside the classroom then, as teachers, we have an obligation to teach it within the classroom environment (Kitson, 2017). While students may be ‘using’ digital literature, they need to be taught how to navigate and interpret it just as they need instruction on using and interpreting print literature. Fuhler (2010) found that technology use, guided by informed teachers, increased student motivation in the use of technology for learning. It is also difficult for students to turn their knowledge of informally using technology to more explicit learning contexts without teacher intervention (Walker et al., 2010). The teacher’s role is critical to supporting students in navigating and evaluating the best literary medium, digital or print, for their specific students and learning outcomes.

References

Allen, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27

Bootzs, P. (2014). Digital literature: Ephemeral in truth? Hybrid, 1. (N. Cognard, Trans.). https://doi.org/10.4000/hybrid.1162

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Fuhler, C. J. (2010). Using primary source documents and digital storytelling as a catalyst for writing historical fiction in the fourth grade. In B. Moss & D. Lapp (Eds.), Teaching new literacies in grades 4-6: Resources for 21^st-century classrooms (pp. 136-150). Guilford Press.

Griffith, P. & Ruan, J. (2008). Story innovation: An instructional strategy for developing vocabulary and fluency. The Reading Teacher, 61(4), 334-358. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20204592

James, R. & De Kock, L. (2013). The digital David and the Gutenberg Goliath: the rise of the ‘enhanced’ e-book. English Academy Review, 30(1), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2013.783394

Kitson, L. (2017). Exploring opportunities literary literacy with e-literature: To infinity and beyond. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 25(2), 58-68.

Kucirkova, N. (2018). How and why to create and read children’s digital books: A guide for primary practitioners. UCL Press.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (n.d.). Victorian curriculum: Foundation-10. https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

Walker, S., Jameson, J., & Ryan, M. (2010). Skills and strategies for e-learning in a participatory culture. In R. Sharpe, H. Beetham, & S. Freitas (Eds.), Rethinking learning for a digital age: How learners are shaping their own experiences (pp. 212-224). Routledge.

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Primary English Teaching Association PEETA.

Yakota, J. (2015). The past, present and future of digital picturebooks for children. In M. Manrisa & N. Real (Eds.), Digital literature for children: Texts, readers and educational practices. (pp. 73-86). P.I.E. Peter Lang.

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6).