Part C : Reflective Practice

In my blog post, Information Literacy (2019) is viewed as the ability to evaluate the quality and usefulness of the information found as well as the ability to locate and use the information in a variety of formats. (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2009, p.5)

Before I read the book of ‘Information Literacy Instruction : Theory and Practice’, I thought Information Literacy (IL) was for students to be literate in subjects with the help of available information. But, Grassian & Kaplowitz gave me another viewpoint to understand IL because they explain IL is “a process, a skill set, a competence, an attitudinal or a personality trait, a set of abilities, a way to help people contribute positively to the learning community and to society, and a construct that is created by the ways in which a person interacts with information.” (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2009, p.5)

According to the definition of IL by Grassian & Kaplowitz, students get competence and abilities to interact with information and contribute to society positively through IL skills and practices.

To do discussion ‘forum 5.3a : information literacy model’, I chose the reading of ‘Inquiry Skills in the Australian Curriculum v6 by Lupton, M. (2014)’. Lupton (2014) states that inquiry processes across Science, History and Geography in the Australian Curriculum reveal consistencies and inconsistencies because Science and Geography have similar evaluation and reflection on the inquiry process and History does not have them. (p.15) Therefore, she points out that the TL has to evaluate sources critically in developing information literacy. (p.15) Also, Lupton (2014) explains that the Australian Curriculum omits information literacy and it makes the TL find present elements of information literacy from the Curriculum and make links between them. (p.15) The TL can develop inquiry skills strands in the Australian Curriculum and introduce a IL model in their school.

After I read the ‘Inquiry Skills in the Australian Curriculum v6 by Lupton, M. (2014)’, I realised that inquiry skills strands are required to be developed and TLs could unite the strands with the use of IL as a framework. (p.15)

ETL 410 Module 5: information literacy (IL) introduces the different types of IL which are Herring’s PLUS Model, NSW Information Search Process (ISP), Newman’s (2014) iLEARN Model, Big 6 and GIDP. (p.7) In my personal opinion, I would prefer to use the GIDP as a librarian because it provides detailed stages of Guided Inquiry learning.

In terms of the role of the TL, my understanding of them was very limited until I had studied module 5 : Information Literacy. But, now I have another perspective on the TL’s roles in inquiry learning. The rapidly changing information landscape, including digital information has impacted on the roles of the TL.

In my blog post, the three main roles of the TL in Guided Inquiry are ‘resource specialist, information literacy teacher and collaboration gatekeeper’. (Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57)

In terms of resource specialist, the TL “develops school library resources and provides Internet resources. (Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57) When the TL is specialized in resources and provides resource users with them, he/she can ensure students’ learning and teachers’ teaching.

The TL as information literacy teacher “teaches concepts for information access, evaluation, and use and fosters constructive learning environment.”. (Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57) TLs are information literacy teachers and help students and teachers to access, evaluate and use information well to meet the state and Australian Curriculum standards.

The role of the TL as collaboration gatekeeper is to coordinate a Guided Inquiry team and communicate with the learning community by keeping communication open and using flexible managerial skills. (Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57) TLs are able to implement a Guided Inquiry model when they work together with teachers in designing inquiry units of work and lesson plans.

In conclusion, TLs are ‘resource specialists, information literacy teachers and collaboration gatekeepers’ in Guided Inquiry and they can introduce a IL model in their schools for students to become competent and able IL learners.

References

Grassian, S.E., & Kaplowitz, R.J. (2009). Information literacy Instruction : Theory and Practice (2^nd ed.). New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Kuhlthau, C.C., Moniotes, K.L., & Caspari, K.A. (2007). Guided Iearning : Learning in the 21^st Century.London : Libraries Unlimited.

Lupton, M.(2014)  Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6, Access, November. Retrieved 8 may 2019 from: https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/fullText;dn=584040093322031;res=IELAPA

O’Connell, J. (2019). Information Literacy                       [S-ETL401_201930[module5]] Retrieved 28 April 2019. From Charles Sturt University Website : https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633966_1&mode=view

The three main roles of the TL in Guided Inquiry are ‘resource specialist, information literacy teacher and collaboration gatekeeper’. ( Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57 )

In terms of resource specialist, the TL “develops school library resources and provides Internet resources. ( Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57 ) When the TL is specialized in resources and provides resource users with them, he/she can ensure students’ learning and teachers’ teaching.

The TL as information literacy teacher “teaches concepts for information access, evaluation, and use and fosters constructive learning environment.”. ( Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57 ) TLs are information literacy teachers and help students and teachers to access, evaluate and use information well to meet the state and Australian Curriculum standards.

The role of the TL as collaboration gatekeeper is to coordinate a Guided Inquiry team and communicate with the learning community by keeping communication open and using flexible managerial skills. ( Kuhlthau et.al., 2007, p.57 ) TLs are able to implement a Guided Inquiry model when they work together with teachers in designing inquiry units of work and lesson plans.

In conclusion, TLs are ‘resource specialist, information literacy teacher and collaboration gatekeeper’ in Guided Inquiry.

Reference

Kuhlthau, C.C., Maniotes, K. L., & Caspari, K. A. (2007). Guided learning : Learning in the 21st century. Libraries Unlimited.

Information Literacy ( IL ) is viewed as the ability to evaluate the quality and usefulness of the information found as well as the ability to locate and use the information in a variety of formats. ( Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2009, p.5 ) Grassian & Kaplowitz explain IL is ” a process, a skill set, a competence, an attitudinal or a personality trait, a set of abilities, a way to help people contribute positively to the learning community and to society, and a construct that is created by the ways in which a person interacts with information.” ( Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2009, p.5 ) The definition of IL by Grassian & Kaplowitz gives me another perspective on Information Literacy.

Reference

Grassian, S. E., & Kaplowitz, R. J. (2009). Information Literacy Instruction : Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers.

AITSL Standard 1. Know students and how they learn.

AITSL Standard 2. Know the content and how to teach it.

AITSL Standard 3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning.

AITSL Standard 4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environment.

AITSL Standard 5. Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning.

AITSL Standard 6. Engage in professional learning.

AITSL Standard 7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community.

I like AITSL Standard 3 – Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning. Bonanno, K. (2011) points out that “school libraries provide students with access to a variety of rich information sources and teacher librarians engage students in the inquiry process to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world within which they live.” (p.5) I could use the inquiry process to help students with their learning as Bonanno suggested.

Based on Australian School Library Association (ASLA), teacher librarians are curriculum leaders, information specialists and information managers. TLs as curriculum leaders “plan, teach and evaluate collaboratively with teachers to ensure the effective integration of information resources and technologies into student learning.” (p.2)

When TLs know national and state curriculums well and work collaboratively with other teachers, they enable students to learn and develop more information by providing well-organised resources and technologies. TLs as information specialists also provide extra assistance to students in need and teach them how to have good skills of information technology.

Reference

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited (AITSL). (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2019. from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2019). What is a teacher librarian? Retrieved March 18, 2019. from https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian

Bonanno, K. (2011). Do school libraries really make a difference? Retrieved March 21, 2019. from http://www.austlil.edu.au/au/journals/inCiteALIA/2011/97.pdf Incite 32/5

I watched Karen Bonanno’s speech at ASLA, 2011 conference : A profession at the tipping point : Time to change the game plan. Karen encouraged TLs to upgrade ourselves and to make ourselves distinct from others. We will get what we focus on, so we need to look at glass half full. Her comments challenged me to have positive viewpoints in any situation.

I liked “Five finger plan to success” which Karen borrowed from the book of Midas Touch.

Five finger plan to success

• Thumb – Strength of character ( Establish pre-eminence : the you who shows up before you show up)
• Point finger – F.O.C.U.S (Follow one course until successful, Know your outcomes, Take action, Find out what works and what doesn’t, Re-align until you achieve 1)
• Middle finger – Brand ( What do you stand for? Who are you? Are you who you say you are?)
• Ring finger – Relationships (Build up relationships with students and teachers.)
• Little finger – Little things that count ( What you do that others don’t do, It’s all about them. What is your core story?)

In conclusion, TLs need to determine who our audiences are, what our focuses are and how we’re going to take action. Although people say the TL is a profession at the tipping point, still we have time to change it by practising “Five finger plan to success”. TLs will not be an endangered species if we do not allow it to be.

Reference

Trump & Kiyosaki, 2011, ‘Guide to developing your Midas Touch’ in The Midas Touch. Plata Publishing. Scottsdale. AZ.

Thinking about social media and the rise of celebrity and the local or home-grown expert, how important is being a qualified professional in society today?

In society today, most people use social media every day. They can access information about the celebrity and the local or home-grown expert. The dilemma is whether the information we obtain on the Internet and social media is true or false. Therefore, we need to have qualified professionals in information areas to get corrrect information quickly. The key professionals, including computing and telecommunications engineers, managers and research scientists are influencing the pace of technological change. (O’Connell, [201930_ETL 401] module 2, p.14)

They need to have qualification through training or education to play their roles well in this information society.

O’Connell, J. (2019). The information environment [S-ETL401_201930 module2] Retrieved March 9, 2019. From Charles Sturt University website : https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view

In the information landscape there are three types of establishments of information sectors. They are “(1) those engaged in producing and distributing information and cultural products; (2) those that provide the means to transmit or distribute these products as well as data or communications; and (3) those that process data.” (O’Connell, 2019, ETL 401 module, p.14)

Which category do libraries fall under this definition? I think libraries are engaged in distributing information and cultural products as managers and distributors of information.

Reference

O’Connell, J. (2019). The information environment [S-ETL401_201930 module2] Retrieved March 9, 2019. From Charles Sturt University website : https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view

We live in the information society. Thanks to the development of technologies, such as the Internet, the WWW, and social media, people can access information 24/7. I think the needs of the inhabitants of the inhabitants of the information landscape are driving technological change. When people need more upgraded data and information, they drive information to be more developed. Therefore, I can say that the society is in the control of using technology and it determines the rate of change according to its need.

Due to the ramifications of information, I am capable of studying ‘Introduction to Teacher Librarianship’ easily and usefully. Whenever I need resources, learning modules, readings and so on, I can access them. I think 3 benefits of the ramification are: 1) I can access the information of the subject and related readings anytime. 2) I can study the subject anywhere. 3) I can search anything related to the subject. It is very hard for me to find 3 negatives of the ramifications. However, I can say sometimes I miss face to face lecture time.

The tool is directing the user. What does this mean to me?

The information environment (ETL 401 module2, p 9) states that “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is built-in feature for many of the technologies used to access and participate in this landscape, so users don’t have to think about how to use it.” According to this, the user does not think about how to use technologies. Instead of it, the user is directed by the tool. This sounds bad becuase some users use technologies without thinking about them. It sounds like some users are losing their innovative thinking abilities when they use technologies.

O’Connell, J. (2019). The information environment [S-ETL401_201930 module2] Retrieved March 9, 2019. From Charles Sturt University website : https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view

In my experiences as a teacher, I have taught  Food Technology and Korean, so I do not have any knowledge on being a teacher librarian. I just assumed that the roles of teacher librarians were to organise to purchase books, textbooks, and teaching materials, to arrange them on school library selves, to read books to students in library class and to let students and teachers borrow books and return them. That was my limited knowledge about the role of teacher librarians before I started studying teacher librarianship.

While I was reading module 1 (ETL-401), I learned that teacher librarians would be information specialists. Teacher librarians are to provide access to information resources, give training and assistance to students and staff, interpret information systems and technologies for students and teachers and provide specialist assistance to students using technology and information resources and school information service. (summary from ETL 401 module 1)

The role of the teacher librarian in schools seems that teacher librarians need to be experts in collecting and accessing  information resources as well teaching and learning curriculums. This is due to changes and impacts from the fact that students study with e-books and on the internet in class. This gives me the challege of being a teacher librarian as an information specialist. I think I am not an expert in technology at the moment, but I hope I can be an information specialist when I complete this Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course in two years.

According to the website of New Teachers Federation, ” The Teacher-Librarian is responsible to the Principal for initiating and participating in the teaching of information literacy in the context of the total curriculum, and managing the school’s information resources and services to facilitate learning/teaching.”  (Hennessy, n.d., para 2)

This statement reminds me of another responsibility of teacher librarians in schools.  I learnt that they would be involved in the teaching of information literacy in schools.

I really would like to finish this journey of being a teacher librarian well.

Reference

Hennessy,J.(n.d.). New Teachers Federation. The role of the Teacher-Librarian in the school community. Retrieved from https://www.nswtf.org.au/pages/role-teacher-librarian-school-community.html

O’Connell, J. (2019). The information environment [S-ETL401_201930 module1] Retrieved March 9, 2019. From Charles Sturt University website : https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_42380_1&content_id=_2633951_1&mode=view