Producing learning materials enables teachers and teacher librarians (TLs) to customise lessons for diverse student needs, enhancing engagement and effectiveness (IFLA, 2015). Technology significantly aids this process, offering innovative resource creation and distribution methods. Teachers can create unique visuals, such as posters and infographics using Canva, to present key concepts effectively. Tools like Screencastify facilitate instructional videos for homework, ensuring students understand their tasks. In our school, students receive online assignments via SeeSaw, which could be enriched with instructional videos. Interactive games and quizzes from WordWall or Kahoot serve as engaging introductions to new topics or fun assessment tools.

The TL plays a vital role in supporting teachers and students by curating resources, integrating technology, and promoting information literacy (Oddone et al., 2024). They provide professional development, enhance research skills, and help create engaging materials tailored to student needs. The American Library Association (2018) highlights essential skills for students and the TL’s role in fostering them. As a 21st-century TL, I aspire to stay updated on educational trends and improve my ICT skills to collaborate effectively with teachers. My goal this academic year is to integrate library lessons with at least one unit at each grade level.

When studying ETL501, I made connections with other subjects that I had already completed. For example, when learning about physical libraries in Module 2 of ETL501, I used my knowledge of collection development from ETL503 where I wrote a blog post expressing my concern about having a shared library space for primary and secondary students (Kaigotodova, 2022, Dec 17). Assessment 1 of ETL501 gave me a chance to investigate this problem more deeply and find a solution by proposing a new library design. Module 3 of ETL501 built up my understanding of the role of TLs in the digital era, which was discussed earlier in INF 506, where I identified ICT skills and teaching inquiry skills as essential for information professionals (Kaigorodova, 2023, Dec 20). Now I see teaching information literacy skills as a vital part of the TL’s job, which could support the students’ inquiry and provide them with strategies and tools for research and lifelong learning. 

The process of creating a library research guide made me look at all steps of the research with children’s eyes. Puckett (2015) argued that editing texts in research guides changes the way the users understand the material. Since I work in the elementary school setting, I wrote my research guide for Grade 5 students, and  I found it challenging to paraphrase the text the way young learners would understand. The Assessment 2 task also made me think of appropriate visual aids and learning objects that would scaffold the research process for my target audience. I will collaborate with Grade 5 teachers to create research guides for other historical conflicts to support their Unit of Inquiry. I would like to add a detailed assessment rubric to break down learning outcomes by ability level.  I will also apply my learning in this subject to improve our information services by surveying the users’ information needs and providing wider referencing support. 

References:

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). AASL standards framework for learners. American Library Association https://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AASL-Standards-Framework-for-Learners-pamphlet.pdf 

International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). (2015). IFLA school library guidelines.https://www.ifla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf 

Kaigorodova, I. (2022, December 17). School library collection in my current context. Inna’s reflective journal. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/inna/2022/12/17/school-libarary-collection-in-my-current-context/

Kaigorodova, I. (2023, December 20). Defining information professional in the digital era. Inna’s reflective journal. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/inna/2023/12/20/oljtask-8-defining-information-professional-in-the-digital-era/ 

Oddone, K., Harrison, N., & Waring, P. (2024). Curation of information resources [Study notes]. ETL501, Brightspace. https://learn.csu.edu.au/d2l/home/17888 

Puckett, J. (2015). Modern pathfinders: Creating better research guides. Association of College & Research Libraries https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=5888816&ppg=1