Undertaking this study for the first time in over 20 years was going to be a challenge. However, i didn’t expect to also be dealing with a family tragedy at the same time. My newborn niece was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and this has sent all of us into chaos and grief. I took leave from work to help at the hospital and to deal with my own grief. Unfortunately at the same time I was due to be a part of the project team at work to be inserviced on PBL to deliver it within our school. I still hope to be part of this, and catch up as I’m very passionate about it, but at the same time our world has been turned upside down. I want to use this post to also bring more awareness to the life changing, life limiting chronic illness of CF and for others to appreciate the impact that this disease has on families. I also wanted to bring light to the fact that our journeys are never certain and just when you think you are on a certain trajectory life can change that in an instant.
Category: ETL401
Discussion essay
I had forgotten the length of time it takes to research for an essay and to write an essay. It brought back memories of the time over 20 years ago when I first studied. Despite the fact that I have over 20 years of teaching experience I felt like a novice again, and was continually questioning my abilities. I found that you really need decent slabs of time to read and do some serious preparation (which is not easy working and having a family). I did spend a lot of time thinking and processing in my head what I had read and what I wanted to say. This was in addition to the time that I had spent actually sitting and working on the task. Lots of new discoveries about learning and about myself in the process.
Are school librarians an endangered species?
From listening to Karen Bonanno’s works at the ASLA, 2011 conference: A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan, and her 2015 A profession at the tipping point (revisited) the take home message for me is that school librarians are not an endangered species. If they approach their role with enthusiasm and drive they have the ability to be one of the school’s most valuable and essential resources. Individual teacher librarians who don’t embrace the opportunities that the unique position holds will endanger their usefulness. However, as a whole the profession sits in a very good position to be drivers of change and continue to play a key role in student learning.
Discussion essay
The idea of having to compose a discussion essay for the first time in 20 years is very daunting. It has placed me in the position as a student on the other side of the classroom for the first time in 20 years. It has also given me a greater awareness of the fears that my students face when asked to complete a task. I found that the online meeting was extremely useful. Unfortunately I had already began my research, and after the meeting I realised that my track was slightly off and needed realigning. It was excellent to get that clarity about what was needed for the task. It highlighted to me the need to take the time to carefully read the task, and do careful preparation and planning even prior to beginning my research. It also reinforced to me the fact that often my students get lost at this beginning phase, and without clarifying what is needed for a task they can’t possible be on the right track. I’m really seeing a greater connection between what I’m learning and how I can relate this to my teaching.
Getting back to it
I found myself both nervous and excited as I participated in the online meeting regarding research skills. Being apprehensive is normal because of the time that has elapsed since I last studied. It gives me great insight into how students in my classes and within the school must regularly feel as they too embark on new learning experiences. It’s always interesting when the teacher becomes the student.
Is society driving tech change or visa versa?
Well my thoughts on this relate back to the old which came first the chicken or the egg? As I’m reading about this I can’t help but think that there are some questions that are just too complex to answer, and they are driven by one’s perspective anyway.
Artificial intelligence in the information world
In reflecting on artificial intelligence my thoughts are already ones of concern. I understand that certain social media platforms and other things are speaking to one another and this has impacted me too. I find that things that I have searched related to internet purchases find their way into my social media feeds. It begs the question what is private nowadays? If systems can do this will they also be able to one day interpret our emotions and feelings and then nothing is any longer private?
Reflecting on having access to information at all times
There are both positives and negatives of having access to information at all times. I think that the negatives outweigh the positives. The positives are that we are never left without knowledge when we need it. Another is that we can have communication with others at any time. Lastly there are multiple sources that can provide us with that information, and not just one thing. However, a substantial negative is that we can be bombarded with information that can be overwhelming and even out of date. My 6 week old niece was recently devastatingly diagnosed with CF and old information about this states that their life expectancy is only in the 30s. Another negative is that we can find it hard to escape from this information even if we want to. For example, work emails that come our way constantly. Lastly the 24/7 information can become addictive and even reduce our face to face social interactions with society. Overall I feel that we really have to tread carefully in this new world of information.
Thoughts about the information environment
It is interesting looking at the four inherent properties distinguishing information from other traded goods and the concept of self-multiplication and information overload. I have never stopped to contemplate the properties of information, but have always struggled with the sheer volume of information that we must deal with on a daily basis in the modern world. The
The role of the teacher librarian in schools
I have always found the Library to be a special place, one that was mysterious, intriguing and unique. As a primary school student I had a very friendly teacher librarian who would share her enthusiasm for literacy and books with us. I would look forward to our regular lessons in the library and would soak up her enthusiasm. Following this, as an older student I found the library a very useful place, one that would quench my thirst for knowledge and satisfy my love of reading. As a member of the teaching profession the Library yet again became a place that I would turn to for knowledge and information.
I see a well functioning library as the centre or heart of the school, and a place that can bring the entire school community together for many different reasons. For some the library is a haven that offers them solace and comfort as they enjoy its many aspects. For others the library is simply an avenue for them to enhance their knowledge and also gives them access to the world through its many resources.
For a library to be at the heart of the school and operate as successfully as it should it requires a team of professionals who have a passion for literacy, learning, technology and knowledge. ‘Teacher librarians support and implement the vision of their school communities through advocating and building effective library and information services and programs that contribute to the development of lifelong learners.’ (ASLA, 2019, para 3)
Promoting literacy and enhancing an individual’s knowledge and technological aptitude is a responsibility of all members of the teaching profession. However, a teacher librarian is in an especially privileged position to be able to achieve this. A teacher librarian has a unique role within the school community as they are able to oversee and facilitate how the whole school works towards improving student learning. A teacher librarian should not only support students within the school community but also support teachers in their teaching of students. There should be regular dialogue between the teacher librarian and the teaching staff regarding resources available and new developments in learning, technology and literacy. It is important that the teacher librarian is considered a significantly valuable school resource for everybody to access.
Teacher librarians need to be at the forefront of change within the school community. They also need to be the key promoters of life long learning and help to develop student skills for life long learning. Their knowledge of the curriculum and pedagogy in association with their additional teacher librarian skills make them an extremely useful asset that is not to be undervalued. (ASLA, 2019, paras 2- 3)
There is definitely a vital role played by a teacher librarian within the educational sphere. An effective teacher librarian makes knowledge, literacy, technology and student learning a priority and understands the significant role that the library and its staff play in the success of a school.
References:
Australian School Library Association (2019) What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved from https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian
