Tag Archives: Information Literacy

Reflecting on the use of technology in learning environments

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I had previously considered the various ways information presented itself (Piper, 2022b) but this subject has encouraged me to consider the benefits of accessing, experiencing and utilising digital information for many purposes. Critical information literacy is at the forefront of learning for the 21st century learner, and TLs are best placed to support change and growth in digital literacy (Neely-Sardon & Tignor, 2018).

I find myself uniquely positioned in the school community for: curriculum needs; information literacy skills; knowledge; and expertise in the use of digital tools. As information experts in a growing digital world, TLs increasingly create resources such as learning objects (LOs) to guide users in the digital environment. Digital LOs add value to learning outcomes when critical thinking strategies are explained in interactive learning experiences (Goodset, 2020).

The opportunity to create a digital research guide, prompted me to consider factors such as web page layout, content accessibility, and content relevance (Cousins, 2014). The creation of a research guide for a group of Stage 2 students highlighted some challenges such as the variety of resources available and readability evaluations. Resources available online were often repetitive and presented in similar formats such as videos. Critical selection criteria were applied to ensure the resources were inclusive of the needs of my students. Students use and learn from research guides in different ways, so these resources needed to provide equitable access through imagery, text, audio, and opportunity for extension (Alverson et al., 2015).

In discussion forum 2.2, it was observed that some resources recommended for certain age groups were identified as being of a much higher readability level when  analysed by readability tools (Piper, 2022, August 1). Whilst the readability tool is helpful in recommending reading levels, our professional judgement as TLs is equally important when selecting resources for learning experiences.

Search engines are often utilised in information literacy programs. A comparison of search engines identified advantages and disadvantages in layout for the 21st century learner. I highlighted the benefits of having less ads presented when researching for specific content and discussed the reliability of some search engines over others (Piper, 2022d). Similar thoughts were shared with fellow students having identified a lack of consistency amongst many search engines and the need to promote one over the other when it came to teaching our younger students Piper, 2022, October 2).

Identifying these differences in search engines made me reflect on the digital tools I use in teaching. The use of specific digital learning tools during the pandemic made me realise that I hadn’t been critically applying selection criteria for using diverse tools (Piper, 2022c). Carrington’s Padagogy Wheel presents a selection of tools available for critical information learning and how they can support different domains of pedagogical thinking (Carrington, 2016). This model spurs me to consider how I can change and diversify the digital tools I use in my teaching practice to best support my 21st century learners.

My current library space demonstrates many limitations, not least because of the lack of digital resources and tools physically available (Piper, 2022a). As the TL within my school, I know that I must maintain current knowledge of digital tools and resources. Embedding future-focused pedagogy and tools in my dynamic library environment will ensure that my students remain critical users and creators of information.

 

References

Alverson, J., Schwartz, J., Brunskill, A., & Lefager, J. (2015). Creating audience and environment-friendly research guides: Findings from a user study (pp. 125–133). https://alair.ala.org/bitstream/handle/11213/17841/CreatingAudienceEnvironmentFriendlyResearchGuide.pdf?sequence=1

Carrington, A. (2016, June 20). The Padagogy Wheel. Education Technology Solutions; Interactive Media Group PTY LTD. https://educationtechnologysolutions.com/2016/06/padagogy-wheel/

Cousins, C. (2014, November 24). Website design for kids: Tips and advice. Design Shack. https://designshack.net/articles/graphics/website-design-for-kids-tips-and-advice/#

Goodsett, M. (2020). Best practices for teaching and assessing critical thinking in information literacy online learning objects. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(5), 102163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102163

Neely-Sardon, A., & Tignor, M. (2018). Focus on the facts: A news and information literacy instructional program. The Reference Librarian, 59(3), 108–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2018.1468849

Piper, J. (2022a, August 1). Making the most of my school library space. Lines of Thought: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2022/08/01/making-the-most-of-my-school-library-space/

Piper, J. (2022b, August 1). The dynamic information environment. Lines of Thoughts: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2022/08/01/the-dynamic-information-environment/

Piper, J. (2022c, October 2). Exploring the use of digital tools in the learning environment. Lines of Thoughts: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2022/10/02/exploring-the-use-of-digital-tools-in-the-learning-environment/

Piper, J. (2022d, October 2). Using search engines well. Lines of Thoughts: Reflections of a Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jennyp/2022/10/02/using-search-engines-well/

Exploring the use of digital tools in the learning environment

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When I reflect on the changing digital environments I am seeing in my school and beyond, I am challenged by the three questions mentioned in my reading modules:

  • Why am I using the tool?
  • What are the students learning when using the tool?
  • How will I know what they have learnt (assessment)?

To date, this course has really challenged my preconceptions of the role of TLs and how we certainly are the information experts and should be at the forefront of digital knowledge and change that we then share with and teach to our school communities.

The recent years of COVID-19 and its subsequent lockdowns, meant that teachers and students alike had to embrace learning through digital means. It was my first foray into really using Google products such as forms, docs and Google Classroom as teaching tools. At the time, I didn’t have much of a choice in using these tools. It was what the school was currently using, other teachers were somewhat familiar with these products, and so we teamed together to create resources and learning means for our students.

The Pedagogy wheel prompts me to critically reflect and consider the usefullness and potential limitations of the few digital tools I do use in teaching. It is clear that digital tools are becoming the norm in the learning environment. It is part of our everyday environment, and increasingly being a requirement of career skills. On this note, I feel it is my role to ensure I am equipped with knowledge and expertise to expose and guide my students to useful and diverse technological tools for diverse learning. The challenge here is: how do I keep up to date with changes in the use of future-focused learning tools? By participating in forums, and reading material distributed by educational authorities, such as Technology 4 Learning, I can ensure that I am exposed to new material, new tools, and new thoughts in teaching. By actively participating in these future-focused discussions, and practising the use of these teaching tools, I can only hope that my skills and knowledge as a technology user and teacher will improve. Advocating for diversity in the use of technological learning tools, and sharing my expertise to support school staff and students, will no doubt strengthen digital citizenship and information literacy.

Using search engines well

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My role as TL supports the teaching of information literacy. Certainly for my mid and upper primary students, the use of search engines for researching is going to be a common practice. Google has been the go to for most of these researches, but Module 3 on ‘Search Engines’, has reminded me of other search engines which I have used in the past. It made me question why I don’t use these any more.

Previous search engines I have been familiar with are Dogpile and Yahooligans. Sadly, Yahooligans no longer exists however I do have fond memories of it being an accessible site to young students. Instead we are left with Yahoo, a search engine not too disimilar to Google in appearance. An activity in Module 3 encouraged me to compare two search engines and reflect on key differences. A quick comparison of Dogpile and Yahoo demonstrated some the differences that I consider to be important in my potential recommendation and use of search engines in classroom scenarios.

Using the same key search terms for both practices, I found that Dogpile provided a list of ad related coverage, followed by alternate search terms to try, then finally, the required list of potentially useful resources for research purposes. Contrastingly, Yahoo provided the list of search results straight away. It was interesting to note that the results were ultimately the same, but the key difference was in the layout and presentation of results. As a TL, I am drawn to using Yahoo as a suitable and student friendly search engine to avoid unnecessary distractions in learning. When teaching time is limited and precious, it is important that TLs make the most of the best and most relevant resources for our student engagement, understanding and learning.

Evaluating the usefullness of digital resources

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When I consider the resources I use in my school library for teaching purposes, at the forefront of my mind is the usefullness and accessibility of the resource to my students. In my current TL role, I am teaching students from K-6. The main aim of my program has been information literacy that supports other KLA’s such as history and geography. My focus then has been teaching the beginnings of researching and resource analysis from years 3 and up. As such, when I plan to share a resource, in particular a digital resource, I critically analyse the resource to determine its usefullness and applicability to the task at hand. But what about students? How do they analyse resources with a level of understanding that is needed to assess resources? Using CRAAP as an analytical tool, has been helpful but it seems to have its drawbacks.

Teaching CRAAP has had mixed results. Students get stuck using the analysis well and often forget to use this tool the following year in subsequent research activities. It has made me question, is my teaching lacking clarity? is it a lack of retention on the students behalf? or is it simply that the tool is too complex for their level of understanding to apply successfully? More than likely it is a combination of all. And I am willing to embrace different modes of analysis to improve my teaching and student learning.

Too often fantastic books are left on the shelves in the library, in favour of easily accessible online resources. After all, give a child a laptop or an ipad and away they go, right? Wrong. Students need to be given the tactile opportunity to explore texts, especially non-fiction texts. My observation of my students shows me that unless they are strongly encouraged to use and understand the layout of non-fictional texts, navigating a website or digital resource well,  will be challenging, regardless of their age. Using CRAAP has made my students more aware of the currency, reliability, accuracy and authority of resources, rather than a resource for the sake of giving/ providing information. However, there are still challenges with teaching the concept of bias when we look at the P element being Purpose.

Kay Oddone’s video on CRAAP versus SIFT shows a great example of how a website can pass the CRAAP test fairly well, but have the reliability of information challenged in another resource, such as a video. As a TL, it has made me question whether teaching critical analysis of resources can be better performed by encouraging the use of SIFT. I really like the idea of students stopping before clicking on any hyperlinks on any web source, to really think critically about the resource. Perhaps this is the tool missing from my teaching program. By implementing a tool such as SIFT, I hope that the idea of bias will be better understood and critically applied and evaluated in student learning.

Part C Reflections

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Nostalgic memories of reading literature was at the forefront of my mind when I began this course (Piper, 2020, March 14), with the Teacher Librarian (TL) exposing students to a world of books, encouraging and facilitating a love of reading and research. Reflecting on my learning has shown me that while this is correct, it was a limited understanding as the role of the TL is multifaceted and complex. Learning about Lamb’s PALETTE acronym (Lamb, 2011) reinforced my understanding that the TL role embraced many aspects of teaching, guiding and facilitating an environment that enables students to investigate and explore concepts in literacies.

My essay on makerspaces helped me understand the current trend of libraries as ‘third spaces’ (Slatter & Howard, 2013). Reading about Jackie Child and Megan Daley’s (Daley & Child, 2015) experience providing a space filled with tools and equipment for students, showed me that students need to be well equipped to use a multitude of skills to interpret, analyse and use information that they come across. I have always valued the concept of a holistic learner but reading about multimodal literacy and empowering 21st century readers (Sly, 2014; Kalantzis & Cope, 2020) has me wondering: how might I change my teaching practices to facilitate and enhance the understanding of multimodal communication?

Information surrounds us in many different forms and we interact with it on a daily basis (Carlito, 2018). I did not appreciate the complexities of information and how a working understanding could inform teaching practices (Piper, 2020, May 3). However, reflecting on Combes’ depiction of information using an iceberg (Combes, 2014) illustrates that we can only realistically access a small part of what we deem to be known information. To interpret the many forms of information that we can access we need to understand Information Literacy (IL). Again, I found Combes’ infographic (Combes, 2016) helpful in illustrating the many facets of IL that I need to be thinking about when I teach my students. Further reading led me to appreciate how IL can be applied to all aspects of life, be it in the home, at school, in the workplace or even applying it to our own personal health (CILIP The Library and Information Association, 2018).

As a beginning TL I am familiar with the concept of programming research tasks. As a NSW teacher I was aware of the ISP (NSW Department of Education, 2020) but I have never used it explicitly in any program. Reading about Information Literacy Models (ILMs) has developed my understanding of the processes used in inquiry-based tasks and how these can be applied to suit a variety of learning styles, learners and school contexts. Analysing and comparing models such as PLUS (Herring, 2006), the Big6 (TheBig6.org, 2014) and Braxton’s expansion of the ISP (Braxton, 2014), has taught me that at the core of each model is the same end goal in creating an information literate learner. A learner that can identify their prior knowledge, find a purpose for research, be critical when locating information, use the information in a relevant way and reflect on their learning and understandings.

Now that I have a greater understanding of ILMs I can see how they support the reflective learner. The Australian Curriculum identifies specific general capabilities (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2017) that focus on key elements. By implementing an effective IL program I can support students to develop knowledge, skills and behaviour that is essential of a cooperative and reflective learning style.

As a TL I now know that it is beneficial to integrate ILMs into my program where possible. In discussion forum 5.4a: Information Literacy, I acknowledged the difficulties faced by TLs when implementing ILMs. Every school context will vary and present their own challenges. Observing the ILMs, I realised they can require many lessons, embed different capabilities, and demand the use of many different resources.

Library lessons can often be compressed due to administration, change-over, borrowing and behaviour management leaving little time for teaching and using ILMs. However, if school staff support TLs implementing ILMs then the GCs can be addressed and assessed in a more effective and cohesive way.

IL is so important for our students and now that I have implemented an ILM in a program, I know that I can take this learning and apply it within my school context to support my students to become effective users of multimodal texts.

 

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2017). General capabilities. Australian Curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/

Braxton, B. (2014, January 6). Information Literacy Process. 500 Hats the Teacher Librarian in the 21st Century. https://500hats.edublogs.org/information-literacy-process/

Carlito, D. M. (2018). Supporting multimodal literacy in library instruction. Reference Service Review, 46(2), 164–177. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-02-2018-0015

CILIP The Library and Information Association. (2018). Definition of Information Literacy. Information Literacy Group. https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf

Combes, B. (2014). Chinese whispers: The nature of information and the future of libraries. International Library Symposium.

Combes, B. (2016). Information Literacy: Competencies, skills, making meaning & thinking. http://www.literacymatters.org.au/uploads/1/0/0/1/100124268/information_literacy_aug_2016.pdf

Daley, M., & Child, J. (2015). Makerspaces in the school library environment. http://tinkeringchild.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Makerspaces-in-the-school-library-environment-1yl39z1.pdf

Herring, J. E. (2006). A Critical Investigation of Students’ and Teachers’ Views of the Use of Information Literacy Skills in School Assignments. School Library Media Research, 9. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol9/SLMR_CriticalInvestigation_V9.pdf

Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2020). Multiliteracies. New Learning Online. https://newlearningonline.com/multiliteracies

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with Potential: Mixing a Media Specialist’s Palette. TechTrends, 55(4). 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-011-0509-3

NSW Department of Education. (2020). The information process. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-across-the-curriculum/school-libraries/teaching-and-learning

Slatter, D., & Howard, Z. (2013). A place to make, hack, and learn: makerspaces in Australian public libraries. The Australian Library Journal, 62(4). 272-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2013.853335

Sly, C. (2014). Empowering 21st century readers: Integrating graphic novels into primary classrooms. In K. Mallan (Ed.), Picture books and beyond. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.

TheBig6.org. (2014). Getting Started. TheBig6.Org. https://thebig6.org/resources-1

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