Page 7 – Teachers Who Know Me

Musings of an Apprentice Information Specialist

Following my ‘pass’ on my Discussion Essay (Assessment 2) for Introduction to Teacher Librarianship (ETL401) I had another look through the forum posts for Module 2 from my colleagues this week and I wrote notes of my thoughts as I went along:

INFORMATION: A school context must come to an agreed understanding to a definition of, opinions of, and methods for seeking and absorbing information. Thus, we will have a better understanding of what is an ‘information specialist’ or ‘information literacy’ or ‘information (insert word here)’.

MULTI-LITERACIES: Back in my UWS studies in 2003-2006, we didn’t learn much about how to implement Guided Reading groups using PM Readers (ugh, I despise this method of teaching anyway) but we did a fair amount of study around ‘multi-literacies’ (Lilly & Green 2004 p.99 & 118, Worthington & Carruthers 2003 p.12, Arthur 2001, & Barratt-Pugh & Rohl 2000 p. 198-201).

[Sidebar: In fact, in my NSW Department of Education (DET) job interview in 2006, I was asked how I would implement my English program and when I answered academically, with my knowledge of ‘multi-literacies,’ I failed the interview and was told to do another practicum in a primary school (although that was not officially a requirement of the DET) in order to ‘pass’ my interview and be granted a teacher number. The head of the panel, a high-school principal, was worried that I wouldn’t implement the traditional Australian primary school English content and would create a generation of illiterate students, I suppose. Thankfully, I did as she asked and got the job easily the second time around…interesting how ‘multi-literacies’ has come full circle in the form of ‘information literacy’ as well…but I digress.]

GOING GLOBAL: Information has become more global, as has our society, with the introduction of digital technologies and the ‘world wide web.’ This means that we, as Teachers and Teacher librarians must be more flexible with our students as global citizens, acknowledging and integrating: multiple languages, multiple cultural norms, multiple methods of information seeking, multiple methods of information absorption (aka ‘learning’), multiple learning styles (that change depending on an individual person’s context in any given moment in their lives) and multiple ability levels.

Is information that is globally available, much like the fancy car that a rich family buy their inexperienced teenager, less valued? If it comes too easily will it get taken for granted and generally end in a car crash?

SOCIAL MEDIA: The global network has also seen the creation of ‘social media’ and ‘wiki’ spaces. This impacts on people’s learning because, while social media is an excellent tool for engagement and delivery of information (linked to the research and marketing analytics done by corporations on how to reach target audiences–particularly children as per Veltri, et al 2016), social media is a weak platform in which to apply knowledge to every day reality. It is a sub-reality. A false replication of actual society with real, living and breathing humans and human interactions.

This is evident in any situation where someone makes an educated statement on a social media platform and is then hit with a barrage of abusive comments. People on social media platforms go on to social media platforms in order to be ‘social’–they aren’t there to be educated and aren’t open to absorb information, particularly if they have to work for it or if said information puts them out of their comfort zones and into a learning pit.

NAVEL GAZING: I wonder if the prevalence or demand for self expression on social media has been born from the American talk show and self-help movement? Much like these movements who focus ‘in rather than out,’ (Murray 2015) could social media confuse the lines of what is a therapy tool, versus valuable information or accurately tested and researched knowledge?

ACADEMIC SOCIAL MEDIA: When we blend academia with social media, do we then, in turn, blur lines of authenticity for students? Why are some blogs academic and some mere musings? Is the blurring of academic information being part of the deep web versus readily available on the internet a clever way of engaging students in academia, embracing the method of delivery preferred by 21st century learners?

EASY TO FIND OVERLOAD VS RESTRICTED ACCESS DEEP WEB: Both are problematic. Historically, libraries have suffered the weight of hoarding and politicalisation of information. Encyclopaedia Britannica have a great topic page on their website (El-Abbadi 2019) about the Library of Alexandria which details how the Royal library and its ‘daughter’ library the Serapeum were destroyed by fire and war.

Great swaths of information have been destroyed in the past, and in today’s global information network, we are drowning in misinformation, irrelevant information, and less connection to information.

We are slightly more organised on the deep web, which is less susceptible to misinformation, but more likely to segregate and discriminate against users, particularly to society’s lower classes.

THE TL ROLE: In order to be valued as TL who are information specialists, we are the navigators and we need tools like telescopes, compasses and maps to help the ship navigate the ‘infosphere’ (Floridi 2007). We must safely navigate towards islands of internet information and cruise ships of social media. We must safely navigate below the water, helping the ship find and understand the underwater volcanoes and creatures of information.

TL’s need to:

remember how to use digital technologies
but to still keep in mind that using social media for work purposes is like working while on holiday, particularly for some teachers and teacher librarians who are suffering from stress or burnout, or who are trying to stabilise their work/life balance and
we must strive to enable students to go through the stages of the Learning Cycle,
use evidence-based practice,
be aware of theories and pedagogies that we have been using as teachers, such as Multiple Intelligences and/or the Berry Street Educational Model (BSEM) for trauma informed practice or Quality Teaching Rounds, and
work collaboratively with all stakeholders, much like the crew of a submarine!

This is a drawing by my son Toby Roe that illustrates how we view the TL role in the current ‘information society’ or ‘infosphere’ (Image use with permission from the artist)

Teacher Librarians need to be the navigators of the (school) submarine. The principal and executives are the captain and first mates. The teachers are the crew and the kids, the families are the passengers. The submarine needs everyone to work together in order to be able to navigate the information sea above the water, including the political breezes and cultural water currents, the social media cruise ships and the various modes of information islands. It also needs to be able to safely navigate below the sea in the deep web with all of the volcanic deep web databases, applications and sea creatures that lurk about in the darkness.

References:

Arthur, L. Young children as critical consumers. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Oct 2001. v24. i3. p.182(14).

Barratt-Pugh, C. & Rohl, M. (2000). Literacy learning in the early years. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

El-Abbadi, M. (2019). Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Retrieved from www.brittanica.com/topic/library-of-alexandria

Floridi, L. (2007). A look into the future impact of ICT on our lives. The Information Society, 23, 59-64. CSU Library.

Lilly, E. & Green, C. (2004). Linking Home and School Literacies. Developing partnerships with families through children’s literature. NJ: Pealson.

Murray, D. C. (2015) Notes to self: the visual culture of selfies in the age of social media. Consumption Markets & Culture, 18:6, 490-516, DOI: 10.1080/10253866.2015.1052967

Worthington, M. & Carruthers, E. (2003). Children’s Mathematics: Making Marks, Making Meaning. London: Paul Chapman Publishing.

Veltri, G. & Lupiáñez-Villanueva, F. & Gaskell, G. & Theben, A. & Folkvord, F. & Bonatti, L. & Bogliacino, F. & Fernández, L. & Codagnone, C. (2016). (Radboud University) Study on the impact of marketing through social media, online games and mobile applications on children’s behaviour. Published by Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2576.7280.

What is my why?

I’ve always been someone who has to know. My mother used to mock me by saying ‘the nose knows’, implying that I was nosey and in everyone’s business. She wasn’t half wrong. I do love to know what is going on. I want to ‘know.’

Perhaps this is some part of being on the autism spectrum (both my kids are and through them I can see how I may be too), I was very introverted and observant as a child, sucking my thumb until age 11 (possibly to self sooth and to hide and not have to talk if I didn’t want to). I studied people and the world and did my best to learn all the rules so that I could stick to them.

I masked myself. I did what I thought my father or teachers wanted. I studied psychology. I never felt like I fit. Moving to Australia to marry my husband was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. Here I fit better. With him I fit.

I tried several jobs and was successful at them. While studying to become a psychologist and working in retail, I heard: ‘You’re a natural salesperson. Could you train others?’ While working in a call centre but aiming to work in marketing, I heard: ‘You’re great on the phone, can we use your voice on the company auto answering service?.’ While working my way up in the marketing department, I heard: ‘You’re so organised, you should be an executive secretary.’ When I set up in a new school as a teacher, having taught for 6 or so years, I heard: ‘You have an eye for design in your classroom, you should be an interior designer.’

I can’t be cross at these comments. It must have been subconsciously evident that these jobs were not my why…although that last one still rankles…(I don’t want to be an effing interior designer, I’m a teacher and a damn good one thanks!) Obviously that school was not the right fit.

It is hard for me to find myself. It is hard for me to identify my why. But over all of these years I have been getting closer and closer to it.

I can measure my level of ‘finding my why’ success by my joy and sense of accomplishment inside myself. I can measure this also by how challenging I find it…truth be told, I am a good salesperson, I can (with practice) have a nice voice, I am very organised and I appreciate that spaces ‘speak.’ I am good at things but that doesn’t mean they are my ‘why’ or that they are the right fit.

I am all of these things and more: an artist, a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a niece, an aunt, a gardener, a cousin, a friend, a beagle carer, a laugher, a reader, a writer, a learner and, possibly most of all, a teacher.

A lot of things are my ‘why,’ depending on who I’m with and the situation. But what stands true and challenges me–let’s not forget that being in our comfort zones is not being true to our ‘why– and what gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment is enabling the accomplishments of others. (AKA: teaching).

Teaching is my why.

Teaching is my why I didn’t quit when I had two children with additional needs. Teaching is my why I didn’t quit when I was told I didn’t have a contract two years in a row. Teaching is my why I am no longer working in sales, or marketing or at schools where I’m not valued.

I just have to change how my teaching job looks for me in this current climate of data collection and standardised testing…in this climate of casualisation and over abundance of principal power…in this climate of funding cuts and library closures.

I might not get a job as a teacher librarian. But I’ll be damned if anyone will stop me from becoming trained to be one. I love to know. I have to know what’s going on. I want to be a teacher librarian.

Trust me on this, the nose knows.

Are School Librarians an Endangered Species?

(Reflection of ETL401 Module 3.1-3.2)

100 words (actually, I’ve highlighted 65) that summarise the amazing and encouraging ‘Profession at the tipping point (2015) and the keynote speech from the ASLA 2011 Conference, by Karen Bonanno Keynote Speaker ‘A Profession at the Tipping point: Time to Change the Game Plan’:

Due to a Federated Educational Structure, new push for ICT qualifications and other ‘tipping points‘, we are fighting for our jobs and have to prove why we are relevant. (Otherwise we run the risk of becoming endangered).

To do so we must:

Look at our situations as ‘glass half full’.

‘Let our rhetoric resonate with our audience.’

‘Begin with the end in mind’

Use the ‘5 Finger Plan to Success (Pre-imminence, Focus, Brand, Circle of influence; and surmise the little things we do that count)

We need to use slow seduction rather than expect a seismic shift, aiming for 1% improvement over time, building relationships as we go along every day in our schools, communities and professional networks. And we should be striving for the AITSL Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher Qualifications.

References:

Bonanno , K. (2015). A profession at the tipping point (revisited). Access, March, 14-21

Beautiful Doesn’t Mean New

Beautiful doesn’t always mean new. (Photo by Christy Roe)

(Reflection on ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum Module 2)

When ‘resourcing the curriculum,’ as a teacher librarian I will need to remember lots of information as mentioned in the module. I will also need to remember two things:

Beautiful doesn’t always mean new, (see image) and
Sometimes patron/student needs outweigh their wants. (*See below)

1. New things aren’t always the best things. My grandmother’s recipe for chicken and dumplings far outweighs any new dishes that my mother or my aunts dreamt up for our yearly Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts. Old buildings using engineers, fine brickwork, stone masonry or intricate carpentry far outweigh cardboard or plastic construction-particularly in times of natural disasters like earthquakes.

Should digital resources replace physical resources? If new is perceived as better, then will Artificial Intelligence replace teachers? Guilherme (2019) goes into this with a powerful depth. We are facilitators, but we are also teachers. We are providers of information but we also teach the skills to interpret the information and utilise it in life.

2. A key factor in ‘resourcing the curriculum’ is that it reinforces the concept of ‘information as a commodity.’ As much as we’d like libraries and information to be free, the fact is that neither are without cost. (Whether that cost is paid by taxes or individuals is a political debate for another day.)

In terms of ‘information as a commodity,’ this has some powerful landmines. The idea that information can have ownership has led to a strong community of hackers whose primary function is to provide information that someone or a corporation has deemed ‘a commodity’ and opportunity for profit.

For librarians, ‘information as a commodity’ is also full of landmines. We are adults, we are educated, we have a job to facilitate the education of students. We are also, gendered, cultural, geographical, and loaded with our own personal string of internal bias.

*Does the student voice of their needs or wants, outweigh what society (and the teacher librarian) view as student needs or wants or vice versa?

I would like to review my personal bias and society’s bias towards the voices and contexts of students as discussed in Shirley Steinberg’s most recently edited book: Kinderculture (2018)

I am having a lot of colliding thoughts about ‘engaging learners’ and fulfilling ‘needs’ of the learners &/or the school community and ‘who has the final say’ in resourcing the curriculum.

I say colliding because I have taught at so many different schools (South West Sydney, Far West, casually and through temporary engagement, RFF, classroom teaching, job share, etc) and can see a common lack of consideration for sociocultural context of students for programming and planning. If programming and planning were a building, the foundation is the sociocultural context. Without a sound knowledge of the school’s foundation, the building / educational program will crumble and resourcing the curriculum becomes moot. The library starts to fail or becomes irrelevant. The funding decreases. The principal sees no point in allocating a qualified TL. People start throwing around the idea of getting rid of a library altogether. In the distance: sirens.

Yesterday I worked at a geographically isolated and drought affected primary school with a large number of students from very low SES, high evidence of trauma (large ATSI population, witnesses of or suffers of domestic violence, neglect, alcohol / drug / physical / mental / emotional abuse / deaths in the family), higher than state average numbers of students with diagnosed and undiagnosed disabilities (including lead affected disabilities due to historical mining practises) and the students in this area are, overall, not meeting state expectations based on NAPLAN results. In my area, there are a statistically higher numbers of these things in all of the schools but in this particular school, the statistics are more visible.

As a result, most of the students are coming to school to feel or express love. (See Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as explained by McCloud, 2018 in the reference list below). They have some basic human needs that are not being met at home and they come to school to have these needs met.

However, the main push from the teacher of the class I was on yesterday, was to teach content that was not adjusted to meet the needs of the students as individuals. It was straight from the stage based syllabus and so difficult that the students were not just disengaged but were actively protesting and having meltdowns before my eyes. When I suggested deviating from the plan, everyone agreed and calm was restored.

Too often in today’s educational realm, the needs of students are filled with a top-down mentality. Schools start at what the administration identify as a need-based on Australian or state benchmarks and societal goals (eg. NAPLAN, national curriculum or state syllabus documents). They then look to the local administrators to identify needs, such as recent literacy or numeracy training or strategies (eg. L3 or TEN). Then the teachers weigh in (eg. Sport or Creative art or Social-Emotional-Learning – which may or may not be sourced from evidence based practises). Parents and families sometimes get to have a say – and it is interesting to note the capability of the families to engage with the form of communication method chosen by the school as often low SES families cannot get to meetings and cannot access digital forms of communication or are too illiterate themselves to fill in a form – (eg. ‘I want my child to learn how to do public speaking so they can become a prefect or school captain’). Then, almost as an addendum, a little box is put out in the library to gather the student’s identified needs or wants (a system designed to preference students with high enough literacy skills and levels of engagement already to participate).

I prefer to value the student’s needs first – identified by them, identified through a authentic TL relationship with the students, and identified by a thorough a collaborative study of the socio-cultural context (Farmer, et al 2018) of the school. The library and classrooms in the example of the school where I worked yesterday, need to focus on being places for students to have voice and to feel loved and express love. The school needs to be a safe shelter and offer warmth and basic physical comfort. It needs to have a teacher librarian who is acutely aware of the ‘kinder culture’ (Steinberg, 2018) of students in the school and resources the library to embrace the ‘kinder culture’-which is the main key to engagement, particularly with students from low SES, high disability or who’ve been traumatised.

Once these areas have become the main priority for resourcing the curriculum and are working well, and the students are engaged, then the questions can be asked of parents and carers and the community of what they identify as ‘needs.’ Teachers can also weigh in, followed by the local teaching community and administrations. Finally, a little box can be put out for the state and federal needs so that they can have their say.

References:

Farmer, S., Dockett, S., & Arthur, L. (2014). Programming and planning in early childhood settings. Chapter 6. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Guilherme, A. AI and education: the importance of teacher and student relations. AI & Soc. (2019) 34: 47. Retrieved from: https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1007/s00146-017-0693-8

McCloud, S. (2018). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Steinberg, R.S. (2018). Kinderculture : The corporate construction of childhood. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Demand Driven Acquisition – Selection in the School Context

(Reflection of ETL503 Module 2.1)

In my previous blog post for this module, I pointed out the importance of a clear philosophy (or philosophies) and clear outline of the school’s context or Situational Analysis (Arthur, et. al, 2015) as they relate to the acquisition of resources.

In this blog post, I will discuss the concept of ‘Demand Driven Acquisition’ (England & Anderson, 2019).

First, what is demand or as it is often referred: supply and demand? This is a key factor in economic theory and is defined by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica (2018) as:

“Supply and demand, in economics, (it is the) relationship between the quantity of a commodity that producers wish to sell at various prices and the quantity that consumers wish to buy. It is the main model of price determination used in economic theory. The price of a commodity is determined by the interaction of supply and demand in a market. The resulting price is referred to as the equilibrium price and represents an agreement between producers and consumers of the good. In equilibrium the quantity of a good supplied by producers equals the quantity demanded by consumers.” (“Supply and Demand,” 2018, para. 1).

As pointed out in ETL401 module 2.1, information is slightly different to consumables, having properties which distinguish it from other traded goods. [Information, unlike traded goods, is not consumable, not transferable, nor indivisible]. Our goal however, as teacher librarians with information resources, is similar to the market goal which is: equilibrium between the supply of resources and the quantity (or one might argue, quality or even type) needed or demanded by the school community.

So how do we as teacher librarians reach a supply and demand market equilibrium in terms of school library collections?

As exists in economics, we must collect data to determine if there is an over/under supply or an over/under demand.

One way to collect data is to run diagnostic reports of the collection – including such things as regularity of use by patrons, age of resources, duplication of resources, quantities of types of resources, etc.

Another way to collect data is to start asking questions of ourselves and the school community regarding our ‘needs’ for resources or types of resources and our individual goals or desires and collating the responses.

Now I need to find the time to research how to ask the school community the right questions and look into a variety of survey methods for obtaining the most authentic responses and how to analyse the data to make informed decisions about resource acquisition!

References:

Arthur, L, Beecher, B, Death, E., Dockett, S, & Farmer, S. (2015) Programming and Planning in Early Childhood Settings 6^th Edition. Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd. South Melbourne, VIC.

Supply and Demand. (2018). In Encyclopaedia Britannica online. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/supply-and-demand

England, M. M., & Anderson, R. (2019). Demand-driven acquisition of print books: Applying 21st-century procurement strategies to a 5th-century format. Collection Management, 1-10. doi: 10.1080/01462679.2018.1564715

Resource Selection Decision Making Model

(This reflection follows my readings within ETL503 Module 2)

While resource selection for teacher librarians is complex, I think it is important to vet resources based on agreed quality teaching practises across the whole teaching community and not just library collections.

Appropriate resource selection is something that will assist with ‘external validation’ from NESA, school plan formation and the NSW Department of Education ‘School Excellence Framework’ (2014) (found in NSW Department of Education (2019) Teaching and Learning).

Primm, K & Patruno R (2016) — Prumm, K. & Patruno, R. (2016)

For this reason and with suggestions from Hughes-Hassell & Mancall (2005) and the NSW Department of Education (2019), I have created a (Draft) GoogleForms questionnaire, that offers an array of resource selection decision making criteria. The questionnaire has been designed for any stakeholder to be able to answer the questions, however they may need librarian guidance for some questions such as context and philosophy. To have a look at my draft selection questionnaire, click here.

However, as noted by Hughes-Hassell & Mancall (2005) we must know the context of the school and teaching and learning philosophies of stakeholders prior to validating a resource.

While at UWS in 2006, I created a survey for families to help me identify each student’s context. For schools, this should be something created collaboratively and using information from my UWS studies, I have also created a (Draft) GoogleForms questionnaire to help schools identify their context. To have a look at my draft context questionnaire, click here.

I want to improve the context survey by reviewing a key text from my Bachelor of Education studies at UWS. I must read the updated version (which has a massive quote from me-WOW, I’m famous!) Chapter 6 on the creation of a Situational Analysis: Farmer, Sue, et al. Programming and Planning in Early Childhood Settings, Cengage Learning Australia, (2014). ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=1990997

Another example of guidance might be in identifying teaching and learning philosophies. While at UWS in 2006, I realised this was an area of weakness in the degree and in teachers in general and I created a template for thinking about the various aspects of teaching and learning in order to arrive at a coherent and well-thought out philosophy, based on Posner’s (1996 & 2005) Field Experience: Methods of reflective teaching. To have a look at my draft philosophy questionnaire, click here.

References:

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners [ALA Editions version]. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=289075

Posner, G. J. (1996). Field Experience: Methods of reflective teaching (4^th ed.). New York: Longman. (p. 131-134);

Posner, G. J. (2005). Field Experience: a guide to reflective teaching. 6^th ed. Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Prumm, K. & Patruno, R. (2016) Elements of Learning and Achievement Manual – NSW Department of Education. Retrieved from: https://theelements.schools.nsw.gov.au/introduction-to-the-elements.html

NSW Department of Education (2019) Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning]

Being Part of an Information Society

(Reflections of Introduction to Teacher Librarianship Module 2.3)

Knowledge is power. While I most definitely believe that I will become a librarian at some point I will always be a teacher and this amalgamation of ‘teacher librarian’ means that I am a facilitator of education. This is a key component of my teaching philosophy.

I am most disturbed by the concept of inequality and injustice and as such, I am uncomfortable with the idea that information is, as discussed by WebFinance, 2016, in Module 2.3:

“the (1) pervasive influence of IT on home, work, and recreational aspects of the individuals daily routine, (2) stratification into new classes those who are information-rich and those who are information-poor, (3) loosening of the nation state’s hold on the lives of individuals and the rise of highly sophisticated criminals who can steal identities and vast sums of money through information related (cyber) crime (WebFinance, 2016).”

The growth of technology in our lives has created, in some ways, more questions than answers:

Why is technology so pervasive? (How do I get my husband to put the phone down and look at me when I am speaking to him???)
What can we do to stop it from creating a new class system or intensifying the status quo? (Particularly given the first question which makes me want to go live in the Amazon and leave technology behind. And if I didn’t have technology who is to say that I would be disadvantaged? Would my life have greater quality rather than quantity?)
Does it really ‘loosen the nation’s hold’ on our lives? (Is it a bad thing that ‘the nation’ hasn’t got a ‘hold’ on ‘us?’ Who is it exactly that has a hold on ‘us’? Governments? Special Interest Groups? Corporations? Computers?)
Why does it increase the occurrence of identity and other theft? (Why are people so horrible to each other on the digital sphere?)

Proposed questions (and my answers) from Module 2.3:

“Who or what is driving technological change–Is it the inhabitants of the landscape or the technology?”

I believe the drive for change and continued growth of technological advances has to do with the people and the pursuit of democracy (Coccia 2010) as well as the economy (mainly capitalism as noted by Schiller in Webster 2014, p. 149) and competition between countries-most notably in the ‘space race’ and the Cold War (Godwin, 2006).

I also think the need of all humans is to improve the world in which we live, even if it is a small way, is an important factor towards careers that drive change, be they careers that drive technological change or societal injustice change or both.

This need to be of value to the world is a key factor of a Japanese concept called Ikigai (Garcia & Miralles, 2017) which is a principle of life that can exist without being consciously aware that it exists.

Does technology itself drives the agenda (and rate of change) or is society in control?

I hope we are still in control but I honestly could not say for certain and perhaps that, in itself, should be cause for alarm.

Should teacher librarians be considered part of the ‘Information Society’?

As I said at the start of this post, I am (or will be soon) a teacher librarian. My skills as a teacher–as a Quality Teaching Framework trained, NESA Proficient (and maintained) Teacher is not negated by the need to ensure that information is made available to the students and school in which I teach.

My teaching philosophy may grow and change and I may be part of an information society–but one thing will always remain: Teachers are facilitators of education (more than an transmitters) of information.

References:

Coccia, Mario. (2010). Democratization is the driving force for technological and economic change. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248497849_Democratization_is_the_driving_force_for_technological_and_economic_change

Garcia, H. & Miralles, F. (2017) Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. London: UK. Hutchinson.

Godwin, M. (2006) The Cold War and the Early Space Race. Retrieved from: https://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/cold/articles/godwin.html

Web Finance Inc. (2016). Information Society. Retrieved from Introduction to Teacher Librarianship Module 2.3: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view

Information and the digital age – Positives and Negatives

(Reflection of Module 2.2 Introduction to Teacher Librarianship)

Western society has easy access to information. It might not always be up to date or relevant to our individual contexts but it is available.

5 positives of the digital age:

It is faster than doing research using a library or non-fiction text that has been purchased.
Levels the playing field to some degree for economically disadvantaged communities.
Levels the playing field to some degree for geographically disadvantaged communities.
More people have a venue for having a ‘voice.’
Creates an avenue for collaboration that was not there previously.

4 negatives of the digital age:

Relies on the assumption that the entire world are having equal input when that is not true.
Opens the gate to misinformation (eg. propaganda) to reach a larger audience for the sake of another’s personal gain.
It takes a lot of time to weed out the stuff we don’t want or need to see (this having previously been done by editors and publishers or researchers in their fields). [Search engines try to help with this by programs where ‘the tool directs the user’. These algorithms try to guess what you-the user-want to see. However, this places inhuman limitations on the information that we seek and can often miss the mark. The intelligence is artificial and cannot offer clarification the way that a human can].
People (eg. teachers) will most often see only the good things that others (in their profession) put on the internet and not the reality.

References:

Case, D. (2006). The concept of information. In Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs and behaviour, pp. 40-65 (Chapter 3). 2nd ed. Burlingham: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. ebook, CSU Library.

Floridi, L. (2007). A look into the future impact of ICT on our lives. The Information Society, 23, 59-64. CSU Library.

What is Information?

Following the readings for Introduction to Teacher Librarianship Module 2.1 (2019) regarding the ‘Information hierarchy’ it occurs to me that the information sequence suggested could be described or represented as a 2D spiral as occurs in mathematics and a 3D helix, as occurs naturally in nature.

[Sidebar: For more information on the Fibonacci Sequence, and how to teach the idea to students here: https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html]

When discussing powerful words such as, ‘data, knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, instructions, and messages’, I agree with Module 2.1, that information is a complex idea that is often subjective and correlational.

I think of information in ‘classical’ terms, and related to physical entities such as energy and matter, and agree with the idea that there is a ‘data-information-knowledge-wisdom continuum’ (AEW, 2008). While we live in modern times, there is still value in ‘classical’ information, knowledge and wisdom.

My idea of an information ‘continuum’ is that, instead of a linear model, if you picture the shell image above as a person’s mind, each line represents a continuing time sequence of learning: data (D), information (I), knowledge (K) and wisdom (W) regarding a topic or train of thought. Some lines (building, much like DNA in their repeating DIKW sequence) are weak and so light (‘misinformation’) that they cannot replicate the sequence and fade away. Every shell is unique, although there are commonalities, as is found in humans.

[Sidebar: The four inherent junctions or properties of DNA can be further researched here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4537162/]

I like the idea from Module 2.1 that states: “information creates more information” as this supports my helix view of information.

However I believe that the “self-multiplication” of information as mentioned in Module 2.1 generally only causes an overload when one cannot release an old idea or old information in favour of the new or when a person’s capability to research information highways is limited.

Further thoughts about information:

Can the DIKW sequence be varied in itself, just as DNA is varied, eg, WDKI?
Is the Information hierarchy or continuum more of a triple helix representing the individual, group and societal knowledge, rather than a helix as represented in the shell image above?

References:

AEW. (2008). Community of practice: Part B. The Information Hierarchy.[slideshare] Retrieved from: Introduction to Teacher Librarianship Module 2.1 (2019) https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view

Introduction to Teacher Librarianship Module 2.1 (2019) https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view

Math is Fun (2016). Fibonacci Sequence. Retrieved from: https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html

National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine (2015). The Inherent Properties of DNA Four-way Junctions. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4537162/

The Impact of a Digital Landscape on School Library Collections

[ETL503 Module 1 Reflection]

QUESTION: In today’s world of digital content and Internet accessible information, are books (and the libraries that hold them) still necessary?

Libraries versus the Internet

We simply have to stop and take a look at the people around us to notice we live in a digital age. Have you ever been in an office when the Internet goes down? People wonder around like zombies, having cups of tea or coffee that they don’t want, sparking inane conversations and shuffling papers that have sat in a pile for months untouched, in favour of working online.

However, when it comes to reading for pleasure, obtain metacognition or study for a degree, which resource is more preferred – a library and written text or the Internet?

According to research by Naomi S. Baron (Schaub, 2016) 92% of College Students prefer paper resources, saying that paper resources offer fewer distractions, less headaches and eyestrain, a pleasant smell and a sense of resolution at the end of every page.

Furthermore, a Teen Reading study funded by Deakin and Murdoch Universities in Australia (Copyright, 2017) found that most teens prefer (fiction) print books because of the sensory benefits such as the feel of the pages, the smell of books and the way books look when presented on a shelf or display. They also said they thought books were better priced, had an ease of access, required very little digital skill and were not limited by technology access or Wi-Fi connectivity.

Book Publishing Today – Using your eyes versus using your ears

The following is a quote from my Forum post (Roe, 2019),

“Shatzkin (2016) discusses the history of book publishing and I used to work in a small bookstore in the 1990’s called WaldenBooks (owned by the Walden company mentioned by Shatzkin). I remember that Borders in my town, which was this giant bookstore, bought it out but that I felt it was pretty but overwhelming in size. The staff did not have a connection to the books, rather a connection to the cash register in the centre. Specialist staff were employed to assist customers in their searches.”

It had so many levels and so many books! The human element was vastly underwhelming. I went in one day to see a friend who had transferred over to Borders after the takeover. She was an interesting lady with a very kind heart. Let’s call her M. She lived with her mother and seemed happy at Borders, with better pay, and more support. I sometimes got letters from her from her travels as a park ranger in Alaska (her ‘other job.’) I did tell you she was interesting!

At Waldenbooks M had spent most of her time unpacking boxes of books received from publishers and acquisition them into the floor stock. She’d load these books onto shelves and I’d have the joyous task of shelving them into the stacks for customers in between running the cash register or finding special orders and contacting customers to let them know their books had arrived.

Once she had gotten the books out of the storeroom and the boxes cut up and put outside, she could sit and read in the back room to her heart’s content, unless our crazy boss made her come out and run the desk, which she hated.

With the closure of Borders, where did M go I wonder? Is she working for Barnes and Noble now? Did her mother die and leave her the house? Is she alone? What is the human cost of e-books?

Note to self: Find M!

As I said in my 2019 forum post: “Referring back to Shatzkin (2016), it is interesting how the internet has changed the purchasing of books, in terms of how to stock a school collection. In the past someone go down to the bookstore and get the newest books. Now, I suppose, they all have to be ordered over the Internet through, as Shatzkin calls them, ‘the 4 horsemen.’”

(Furthermore, I continued to write in the Roe 2019 forum post)

“Shatzkin (2018) discusses audio books or ‘books to be heard.’ I don’t like audio books because I am a visual learner and words that are only spoken are often distracting for me. I get lost in my own thoughts and suddenly ‘wake up’ to the fact that several minutes have passed and I was not listening. I know there are students out there with auditory processing disabilities and students who benefit from things being read out loud. I think therefore the resources need to have a balance and be stocked based on the requirements of the people that will be using them. This is much like the recent research that says students learn better from written notes versus digital notes, which is discussed on National Public Radio with James Doubek (2016).”

Similarly, I recently purchased an online text only because that was the only way I could access it and it took me a very long time to get through it even though it was not an audio text. I didn’t feel like I needed to really read all of the content, like I only needed to skim it—much like we do every day on the Internet. In a school context, surely what the students are reading needs to be carefully perused and thought over so that they have a better grasp of the knowledge provided in the text?

ANSWER: In today’s world of digital content and Internet accessible information, books (and the libraries that hold them) are not only necessary, they are vital.

The below is a great website group for supporting quality school libraries that was pointed out to me via the CSU Masters Of Education Teacher Librarian course ETL503 Resourcing the Curriculum, Module 1: https://studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au/

References:

Copyright Agency. (2017, February 28). Most teens prefer print books[Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.copyright.com.au/2017/02/teens-prefer-print-books/

Doubek, J. (2016). Attention Students: put your laptops away. National Public Radio(US). Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away

Roe, C. (2019, March 9) Thoughts regarding Shatzkin (2016 & 2018) [Online Forum comment]. Message posted to: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_42383_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_78886_1&forum_id=_147529_1&message_id=_2158012_1

Schaub, M. (2016). 92% of college students prefer print books to e-books, study finds. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-92-percent-college-students-prefer-paper-over-pixels-20160208-story.html

Shatzkin, M. (2016). Book publishing lives in an environment shaped by larger forces and always has. The Shatzkin Files.Retrieved from http://www.idealog.com/blog/book-publishing-lives-in-an-environment-shaped-by-larger-forces-and-always-has

Shatzkin, M. (2018) Words-to-be-read are losing ground to words-to-be-heard. The Shatzkin Files. Retrieved from https://www.idealog.com/blog/words-to-be-read-are-losing-ground-to-words-to-be-heard-a-new-stage-of-digital-content-evolution/

Students need school libraries, (2018). Retrieved from https://studentsneedschoollibraries.org.au/

USC Marshall. (2019). 4 Reasons School Libraries Are Still Essential. Library and Information Science Online Degree Programs. Retrieved from https://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/4-reasons-school-libraries-are-still-essential/