Deborah's reflections

Reflection: censorship and inclusion.

by debnicklin1

How have your various roles based on your age,family background, societal position, religious beliefs and profession influenced your stance on censorship of children’s literature collections?

Module 3.4

I fit a white anglo saxon, middle-class background.

I was in the majority group for my suburb when we moved here, however, that is rapidly changing, and the diversity of cultural backgrounds is increasing. Despite this, I still feel like I am in the majority, so I don’t feel any sense of difference because of my culture.

The library where I work is very diverse and this has highlighted the nature of the collection as being dominantly from a white perspective. Through collection development, I have begun to build resources reflecting our diverse population however texts that offer diverse characters or authors from other countries are in the minority. Toby Rajput’s statement that we should teach critical thinking so we don’t need to remove any books from our shelves (National Louise University, 2012), is a great value. We can appreciate the work of an author, however look at the work as a particular attitude at a particular time.

This idea can help me to encourage students to critically think about the attitudes portrayed in texts and whether they are acceptable today. Awareness of a need to balance our collection is at the forefront of my mind, but it’s also crucial that we analyse the texts we have in the collection considering the values we hold today.

Censorship can be a grey area in collection development in a primary school. A robust policy regarding challenged materials is important, allowing a broad range of texts to be available. However, individuals can have very strong personal opinions that they believe should be common to all in a community. Sensitivity by library staff and the school principal comes into play whilst taking into account free choice in reading.

National Louis University. (2012). Stereotypes in children’s literature [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbxoNDkuHdo

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ETL402. Module 1.2 Reading outcomes map

by debnicklin1

From The Reading Agency. Literature review: Impact of reading for pleasure and empowerment.

The Reading Agency. (2015, June). Literature review: The impact of reading for pleasure and empowerment. BOP Consulting. https://readingagency.org.uk/news/The%20Impact%20of%20Reading%20for%20Pleasure%20and%20Empowerment.pdf

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ETL402. M1.1. What are the key features for a definition of children’s literature?

by debnicklin1

geralt / Pixabay

Defining children’s literature is tricky.

Could be included:

a reference to the language that is particular to literature for 0-18yrs.
the multiple formats that characterise communication today and for future students.
the elements that amuse, entertain, inform and attract children to literature.
the ability for literature to empower readers with technical skills and cognitive knowledge.
the enduring nature of children’s literature to hold a place in our memories as adults.
the increasing complexity of language that occurs from 0-18yrs.
to learn about their own and others cultures.

A definition that includes all of these elements would be unwieldy and complicated. In some of the readings in this module, academics describe writing a definition as difficult. I’m not sure I would ever be satisfied with my own definition either. My simple attempt is: It is literature written for and enjoyed by children.

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ETL402. Module 1. Why Read????

by debnicklin1

Mysticsartdesign / Pixabay

Haven (2007), reviewed many studies that focus on the skills improved via reading for pleasure and they all concluded that ‘storytelling enhanced literacy’ (p. 113). TL’s and teachers don’t need such studies to know this, however, we limit or reduce the time reading for pleasure time is allocated during school.

Gainman (2013), states that simply providing books students enjoy, allowing time to read and reading to students gives students the encouragement to read. Students can then discover the value of literature. We are a literate society and the ability to read and comprehend is an expectation and requirement. Reading for pleasure supports these reasons and offers social, emotional and cultural knowledge as well as pure enjoyment.

I have a student (6 yrs old) who is only allowed to borrow non-fiction. He says it’s because his mum says he needs to ‘learn stuff.’ This ignores the emotional, cultural and pleasurable side of reading as well the ability to comprehend and enjoy a story. As a consequence, he devours fiction at school and keeps the borrowed non-fiction for home.

readingagency. (2013, October 22). Neil Gaiman Reading Agency lecture 2013 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/yNIUWv9_ZH0

Haven, K. F. (2007). Story proof: The science behind the startling power of story. ABC-CLIO, LLC. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=329134

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ETL402. Module 1.1 Reflect on children’s literature

by debnicklin1

Book Fair Bonanza

Two weeks ago I finished a book fair from a local company (Carnival Book Fairs). Initially, it was to be a virtual fair however it was changed to a traditional fair with the books on display for purchase in the library space. Mainly because covid cases in Sydney are very low and our students have missed out on so many other things this year. My contact at the company informed me sales would be down due to parents not able to visit and the general trend to more careful spending by families.

The 6 large silver cases arrived with all the goodies and I arranged the 3 fiction cases on one side and the non-fiction on the other. First impressions of the fiction selection saw more graphic novels, more series and new authors I didn’t recognise. First impressions of the non-fiction cases showed more products which were spin offs of television shows, computer games and movies. There were a few traditional texts on topics such as netball and trucks etc. Educational titles such as Maths in Nature and Stem topics were there too.

This time it was interesting to see what students went for first without parent influence.

Overwhelmingly, items connected with computer games, movies and television programs were the hot items. Everything Minecraft, Disney Frozen/Princesses, glittery unicorns and secret diaries sold out quickly and orders needed to be placed. The fiction side was slower to move and needed closer scrutiny before decisions were made. Blurbs were promoted and read by students and the first few pages were perused. Students took wishlists home and parents had more say and more books were included in purchases made.

I noticed:

cultural diversity titles and characters were minimal.
indigenous titles were minimal.
gender equality titles were included in a reasonable number.
a good selection of visual narratives (graphic novels) were on the shelves.
spin-off products from computer games, movies, streamimg services and television programs were common and popular.

Kathy Short (2018) in her article described all of these trends listed in the dot points above in children’s literature. Collection development policies are highlighted in school libraries as being essential to challenge the market (Short, 2018), particularly in the cultural diversity and indigenous content that is lacking in the commercial production of mainstream products. The focus in our library in the past year has been to seek out and include culturally diverse and indigenous narratives. Gradually more and more titles for primary school age children are available but not generally in mainstream bookshops. I need to seek them out in specialist bookshops.

My fair was the most successful ever! I sold the highest amount our school has ever sold and earned myself 35% in commissions.

Do you have a vision for the future of children’s literature?

I hope that children’s literature is valued and essential to growing up.

Who will be the drivers of change?

Readers of all ages

Technology innovations

Government and schools to broaden access

Publishing companies

Teacher librarians of course!

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/2036727382?accountid=10344&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

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ETL501: Conclusion. Another one bites the dust.

by debnicklin1

EliasSch / Pixabay

ETL501 The dynamic information environment began as a big challenge for me. Truthfully, each and every subject as I make my way through this course is challenging. In the beginning, I feel the overwhelming weight of the work, hours required and challenges the tasks require. A pattern is emerging and it repeats itself with each new topic. I go through similar stages of let’s get stuck in, to plodding through readings and activities, then the pressure and confusion of assignments, then more clarity as I work out the task with the support of online meetings, discussion forums etc. Lastly to the satisfaction of completing and handing in large assignments. Quite a feat while working full time.

I have finished five subjects of eight: more than half way. A great achievement that I wasn’t sure I could accomplish at the starting point. With each new subject, there are varied challenges and technological ones are perhaps the greatest. Creating a research guide to support students and teachers online appeared an insurmountable challenge. I got there in the end with a satisfactory result – we’ll see what mark I end up with!

The information environment is truly dynamic, what I am learning now may be quite different from how we will operate in a library in the future. The only reliable constant is that the Department of Education in NSW is slow-moving and little happens with urgency. Thornburg’s four spaces of campfire, watering hole, cave and life (Oddone, n.d.) focuses on developing collaboration, innovation and creativity in library spaces. These ideas will take us into the pedagogies for now and in the near future.

Our role is growing larger within the school environment and with that comes greater responsibility not only for the physical and virtual space and library management but for the learning of the community in which we work.

For now, enjoy the holidays!

Oddone, K. (n.d.). Re-imagining learning spaces to inspire contemporary learning – part one: Models for change. Living Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/re-imagining-learning-spaces-to-inspire-contemporary-learning-part-two-creating-your-space-on-a-budget/

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ETL501 A2: Part B critical reflection

by debnicklin1

Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay

School libraries are adapting quickly in a 21st-century environment to focus on guidance and ‘lighting sparks’ rather than filling empty vessels (Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals, 2014). A learning object is a useful tool for teacher librarians (TL) to guide students, teachers and the community to gain information literacy skills. A carefully constructed guide can utilise the advantages of virtual spaces and improve the reach of a TL into classrooms and the wider community. TL readily embrace technology to meet the needs of students and teachers and teach information skills by providing useful online resources (Grantham, 2007, p. 7).

Creating a research guide has highlighted to me the value of:

the knowledge and understanding of technology.
the usefulness of pre-prepared scaffolds.
students having more control of their learning.
TL being released from scaffolding each lesson to student support during lessons.
embedding information literacy skills within research guides.

Julian Hawthorn Wark’s forum post (2020, September 20) promotes TL as demonstrating our leadership role in information literacy learning via a research guide. Opportunities arise to collaborate with class teachers to demonstrate the value of library services to enhance teaching.

Creating a research guide has been a rocky experience initially. However clear guidance with a site map framework, online meetings and discussion forums have provided me with a pathfinder to achieve an outcome I’m happy with and will use. Using thinkspace also gave me a head start in navigation without having to spend time learning how to use a new platform. I could focus on the task.

My topic of explorers has been created with a particular school in mind and relevance to resources including access to technology in the school library where I work.

Year 4 research guide 2020. Created by D. Nicklin

Earp, J. (2016, February 3), describes a theory of flipped learning where homework is set to prepare for class. Students were better prepared, engagement increased and it allowed for more time for support. I expressed reservations for flipped learning in a primary school setting Nicklin, D. (2020, August 24). The homework culture where I work is quite strong and with the use of a research guide, I think it may have merit for success in stage 3.

Well-designed physical and virtual learning spaces, with consideration given to WCAG 2.0, readability levels and flexible learning spaces are well on the way to 21st-century practice. Digital research guides complement current curriculums and I endeavor to incorporate more research guides for stage 2 and 3 students and teachers. Our library physical redesign took place last year and a virtual redesign is beginning to take shape. Research guides and a virtual presence are coming together to form a new cognitive framework of ‘disruptive innovation’ (Gilbert, 2019, p. 1).

I will continue to make the best use of technology and all it has to offer to keep the school library relevant and useful for our community. ETL501 and its practical aspects have given me tools to confidently evaluate and create physical and virtual spaces. Research guides will feature prominently to support teachers and students in the shifting nature of what it means to be literate (Scheibe, C. & Rogow, F. 2012, p. 1) now and in the future.

HNPS library. 2020 Nicklin

References

Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). (2007). Designed for learning: School libraries [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nKzEYPKG1U&feature=youtu.be

Clker-Free-Vector-Images. (2020). [Lightbulb drawing]. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/users/clker-free-vector-images-3736/

Gilbert, K. (2019). Libguides: In workflow, discovery behaviours and space. Synergy 14(2). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/v14220165

Grantham, C. (2007). Virtual library: E-ssential. Access, 21(3), 5-8. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=3ba34f24-c23f-498d-b6c8-f7900797f0f5%40sessionmgr4007

Nicklin, D. (2020, August 24). ETL501: Module 4 reflections. Deborah’s reflections: My journey to becoming a K-6 TL. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/debnicklin/2020/08/24/etl501-module-4-reflections/

Nicklin, D. (2020). Year four research guide: Explorers. CSU Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/researchguidesexplorers/

Oddone, K. (n.d.). Re-imagining learning spaces to inspire contemporary learning – part one: Models for change. Living Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/re-imagining-learning-spaces-to-inspire-contemporary-learning-part-one-models-for-change/

Scheibe, C. Rogow, F., (2012). The teacher’s guide to media literacy. Corwin: A SAGE Company.

Wark, J,H. (2020, September 20). Role of TL in development of digital resources and online curriculum. [Discussion forum comment]. ETL501, Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_47579_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_94201_1&forum_id=_212261_1&message_id=_3248795_1

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ETL501: Learning Objects.

by debnicklin1

AbsolutVision / Pixabay

A Learning Object is any entity, digital or non-digital, that can be used, re-used or referenced during technology-supported learning. Examples of learning objects include multimedia content, instructional content, instructional software and software tools that are referenced during technology-supported learning. (IGIGlobal, para 1).

Each module in the Masters of teacher librarianship is effectively an intense learning object. The title and introduction sets the learning intention and a variety of online activites support the objectives in the course outline. Shorter learning objects are more appropriate for classroom use and I can really see the value of these particularly for the future of homework.

1. The first learning object I have chosen is using data to solve problems. This unit is intended for a year 4 class. It is presented graphically, with a topic map, Australian Curriculum outcomes, activities, web 2.0 tools, and assessment tasks. The unit can be opened as a pdf or a doc and is comprehensive. This unit can be applied to different themes e.g. pollution, transport, mathematics topics.

2. The second learning object I have chosen is the First Fleet. This learning path is found in Scootle. It has been written by Trish Clegg and provides 3 online resources and student questions to be answered in an online blog or workbook.

3. This learning object is designed for parents to do with their young students in learning from home environment. It is called Seasonal walk and guides parents Students take a walk around their local area to collect some data
about the animals and plants they can find during one of the four seasons. The last page explains the reasons why this activity is useful for parents.

Advantages of learning objects:

Many have been written by educators and are provided free through the Department of ed NSW sites.
They are reusable! You just need an efficient filing system for easy and logical retrieval.
Students can work on learning object tasks wherever they have wifi access.

Disadvantages of learning objects:

Links change and checking links can be time-consuming.
Power and internet access may not be reliable.
Students require their own devices 1:1 to complete tasks.

Digital tasks have been a feature of library lessons, however, I can see the value in combining several tasks together in a learning object. This would allow more time for the TL to circulate and support students in working through these tasks. Students can self-pace and differentiation can be built into the sequence.

Education Services Australia. (n.d.). Digital technologies hub: Families Digital Technologies. https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/docs/default-source/family-tasks/parent-guide—collecting-seasonal-data_white-bkgd.pdf

Education Services Australia. (2020, July 14). Scootle. https://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/p/home

IGIGlobal. (n.d.). What is a learning object? https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/designing-blended-learning-strategies-for-rich-content/16905

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ETL501: Module 4 reflections

by debnicklin1

Michaelmode / Pixabay

I think many would be quite affronted to hear they are poor users of the web. Educators in particular would argue otherwise. However, ETL501 has shown me that I was a poor user of the web without even knowing it. Explicit teaching of search techniques and consideration of copyright, cybersafety and digital literacy need to be included as a consistent element in programs (Trucano, 2016). The padagogy wheel (Carrington, 2016), is a very useful tool to quickly narrow down the type of useful apps to fit a purpose. Carrington describes the underlying principle of the wheel must be driven by the pedagogical purpose of the task (para 3), not using the tech for its own sake.

According to Morris (2018), the value of a blog can cover 18 literacies. But I particularly liked Morris’s comment that a blog is a blank canvas to be set up as you like. A blog space can evolve with the class and students can have the opportunity to decide what is valuable for them on a blog. Sheko (2019) gives real purpose to children’s blog writing with a whole class having the ability to read and respond to each other’s work. I can really see value in this for so many students. My access to laptops is good for some classes but very limited with others. Providing consistency of opportunity across grades is tricky so our use of ICT can be limited at times.

Flipped learning as described by Earp (2016) would be more useful for a high school environment. In a primary school, I think it would work very well as extension activities for our top students in stage 3. Their motivation to prepare for classes via new homework content would be more interesting than learning a list of spelling words by rote every day. Perhaps I may change my mind on this as I work my way through the modules.

Carrington, A. (2016, June 20). The padagogy wheel. Educational Technology Solutions. https://www.educationtechnologysolutions.com.au/2016/06/padagogy-wheel/

Morris, K. (2018). Why teachers and students should blog: 18 benefits of educational blogging. Primary Tech. http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au/2013/03/08/the-benefits-of-educational-blogging/

Sheko, T. (2019). Using the Medium blogging platform to teach critical and digital literacies. SCIS Connections, (110). https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-110/using-the-medium-blogging-platform-to-teach-critical-and-digital-literacies-in-art

Trucano, M. (2016, November 16). Revisiting the digital native hypothesis. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/revisiting-digital-native-hypothesis

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Explore the Edublogs site and identify a way you could use a blog in the school library or classroom. Discuss and reflect on your Thinkspace.

by debnicklin1

pixelcreatures / Pixabay

The Edublogs site has an overwhelming number of ideas for an educational blog. Subject areas, web 2.0 tools, and suggestions for use are well set out and easy to navigate. For a school library in particular, commentary around books including opinions, reviews, redesigning covers, adding extra characters and comparisons, would be a natural place to begin.

There are two ideas listed on page 5 of the pdf version that I particularly like. Activity 7 is to write about a hero or mentor. Activity 8 is to write about your country or another culture you are interested in. Both of these posts would encourage parent involvement and give students quite a lot of freedom in how to answer the question. The online prompts on page 7 have a multitude of ideas to simply write.

The edublogs site is a valuable guide and bibliography of ideas for activities for a virtual space in a classroom or library.

Morris, K. Burt, R. Waters, S. (n.d.) 150 student writing prompts for blogs, digital portfolios, or websites. The Edublogger. https://www.theedublogger.com/prompts-student-writing/#Web-Tools

ETL501 Web 2.0 tools

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Deborah's reflections

My journey to becoming a K-6 TL.

Reflection: censorship and inclusion.

ETL402. Module 1.2 Reading outcomes map

ETL402. M1.1. What are the key features for a definition of children’s literature?

ETL402. Module 1. Why Read????

ETL402. Module 1.1 Reflect on children’s literature

Book Fair Bonanza

ETL501: Conclusion. Another one bites the dust.

ETL501 A2: Part B critical reflection

ETL501: Learning Objects.

ETL501: Module 4 reflections

Explore the Edublogs site and identify a way you could use a blog in the school library or classroom. Discuss and reflect on your Thinkspace.

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Journal: Information society

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Web 2.0 Tools

My journey to becoming a K-6 TL.

Book Fair Bonanza

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Web 2.0 Tools