Why aren’t we blogging already?

September 18, 2021Nina Leave a comment

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

This module is helping me to understand the versatility of blogs. Up until this time, despite my experiences, I have viewed blogs as journals and thoughtful meanderings that are primarily there for people to share their thinking on specific topics with those who have similar interests. What a missed opportunity!

Due to this closed way of thinking, I have never really considered the ways that I can utilise a blog within the context of my school. After reading two online articles by Kathleen Morris, I am excited to experiment. As a TL, I see potential for a library blog that could incorporate or link to profession learning and specialist subject area blogs. As a practicing teacher, I am interested in a class blog that incorporates a specialist subject area blog as well as student blogs and collaboration. Time and current work demands mean that I need to be realistic and strategic in where I start this exploration. My teaching load is predominantly in English and, for this reason, it makes sense to begin here. Spending so much of the past two years teaching remotely has also meant that having an innovative and engaging space for students is something that I am constantly on the look out for.

Ideally I would want to build a blog that expands over time. Knowing that it is not possible to “do it all” forces me to consider the steps to take to make this project more likely to succeed and become a way to support student learning. Morris (2018) refers to blogs as a “sweet spot” that allows the teacher to work with and mentor students as they are building skills and understanding across a wide range of literacies and competencies. This really resonates with me as my own experience would suggest that student growth is highest when they have opportunities to work in collaboration with peers and the teacher on authentic activities.

The steps that I intend to take:

Set up a class blog for year 9 English (I have two year 9 English classes and I hope that this will lead to cross-class communication and collaboration). Focus on administrative information and advertise to my students and their families.
Begin to showcase work that is occurring in the classroom and encourage class community comment.
Incorporate subject area content and use this to support student skill development around finding information
Incorporate student/student and student/teacher collaboration
Reflect throughout the process and gather feedback from students and parents. Make adjustments as required.
Present to staff in the school and offer PD and to work collaboratively to support others in this pursuit.

References

Morris, K. ( 2020, February 11). The top 10 ways blogs and WordPress are used in schools. The Edublogger. https://www.theedublogger.com/blogs-wordpress-schools/

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/

Are reference sections going extinct?

August 1, 2021Nina Leave a comment

School library reference sections seem to be getting smaller and smaller (at least in my experience). What I remember as a small room filled with books not to leave the library when I was in high school turned into a large shelf of books when I became a teacher and is now less than one shelf housing what look like texts that are being kept for nostalgia rather than usefulness.

Most resources can be found in a digital format and most students will go straight to Google when looking for information. We have noticed in our school library that the only time students show an interest in the print reference collection is when they need to bring a dictionary into an exam. Farmer (2014) brings up some interesting points around whether or not digital reference materials are better than print.

Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash

COST

Budgets are always tight in school libraries. This means that the choice to move to digital reference materials needs to be carefully considered. Online reference materials tend to come with a yearly subscription cost and may also require a setup fee. Although the resource itself may be amazing with hyperlinks, internal search engines, multimedia features, and constant updates to the information if it leaves little to no room for other spending, it will not be worth it.

Photo by Juli Moreira on Unsplash</a

VALUE-ADDING

It is also really important to consider which digital resources will work for your school. A resource that simply replicates the print text is not a useful tool to invest in.

It may be better to invest teaching time into supporting digital literacy in teachers and students so that they are better able to use what is freely available to them through public library systems or for all.

MAKE BEST USE OF WHAT YOU HAVE

Every library has different needs and different capacities to bring in digital content. Work out what your students want. Look at what you have. Fill knowledge gaps through education and continue to reflect, not be too precious about the ideas that have not worked out and keep updating to support the needs of your specific community of users.

Reference

Farmer, L.S.J. (2012). Introduction to reference and information services in today’s school library. Rowman & Littlefield.

Reflecting (Assessment 3 – Part C)

January 31, 2020Nina Leave a comment

Every day I encounter staff who don’t understand the potential that lies in the library. They see libraries as a physical resource that is separate from the classroom environment, rather than an integral part of the teaching community where learning is at the centre (Herring, 2007). They need to be shown that libraries are spaces for integrated learning, where inquiry is at the heart of our practice (Todd, 2007). This is where an awareness of the role of teacher librarians is needed.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

These same staff complain about students who are unable to conduct effective research and simply ‘copy and paste’ their work from the Internet. They know what they want students to be able to do, but they do not know how to help them to develop the skills to get there. It does not occur to them that a quality teacher librarian, doing their job, will be able to bridge this gap and help teachers to teach and students to learn (Purcell, 2010). This is where an understanding of Information Literacy is needed.

I'd like to thank Google, Wikipedia and copy & paste “I’d like to thank Google, Wikipedia and copy & paste” by patrickdevries2003 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

And then they sit in the staffroom at lunch whinging to anyone who will listen about students who do not complete homework and sit staring at their computer screen achieving little despite having more than enough work to do. There is a lack of understanding that, just because young people today have grown up surrounded by technology and look as though they know how to use it, they don’t necessarily know how to use it effectively (Combes, 2009). I reflected on this in a discussion thread about information societies that can be accessed here (Kempinger, 2019a). This is where the impact of collaborative teaching using an inquiry learning design is needed.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

So, what is my course of action moving forward? To start with, there will be an emphasis on promotion and the way that, as a teacher-librarian, I am in the unique role of being able to look at the school both vertically and horizontally (Purcell, 2010), meaning that it is easier to see the continuum of skills and how these can be supported. While I understand that I will become overwhelmed if I take on too much at once, on my to-do list for 2020 is to look at the humanities curriculum maps from years 7-12 to begin mapping the topics covered and skills required so that I can begin looking for opportunities to work collaboratively with classroom teachers to better prepare students for a life beyond high school that expects them to problem-solve and behave ethically (Lamb, 2011).

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

When it comes to deciding who to approach for collaboration, I will need to be careful to select a teacher with whom I already have a trusting relationship built on open communication (Haycock, 2007) because, even though effective collaborative cultures need diversity in order to look at situations from a range of perspectives (Fullan, 1999), it will be trust and communication that drive the collaboration.

Thanks to documents like the Alexandria Proclamation on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning (2005), highlighting global dedication to the empowerment of all people by teaching the skills to find, evaluate and create information is easy. While there are many models for teaching information literacy, it is important that each setting finds a model that suits them. This is where I see a conundrum for my immediate future- I personally prefer a sociocultural approach to learning where students work in communities on topics that interest them (Farrell & Badke, 2015), but many teachers at my school favour a behaviourist approach as they can fit it into their current practice. For this reason, I will need to remember that different people within the school community will see information literacy from different perspectives and this means that I cannot do what I prefer, but need to factor in these differences if I want to have a positive impact (Bruce, Edwards & Lupton, 2006).

Think positive - illustrations “Think positive – illustrations” by simona bonafini is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

So, if I revisit my first blog post (Kempinger, 2019b) I can see that I still have the same desire to be a driver for positive change, but I am now in a much better position to actually do something about it as I am armed with information that I have been able to experiment with in context, turning it into knowledge, which has power.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

References:

Bruce, C., Edwards, S., & Lupton, M. (2006). Six frames for information literacy education: A conceptual framework for interpreting the relationships between theory and practice. Italics, 5(1). Retrieved from https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/full/10.11120/ital.2006.05010002

Combes, B. (2009). Generation Y: Are they really digital natives or more like digital refugees? Synergy, 7(1), 31-40. Retrieved from https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/fullText;dn=178236;res=AEIPT

Farrell ,R. & Badke, W. (2015). Situating information literacy in the disciplines: A practical and systematic approach for academic librarians. Reference Services Review, 43(2). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1725782993?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=10344

Fullan, M. (1999). Chapter 3: The deep meaning of inside collaboration. In Change forces – the sequel: The sequel, (pp.31-41). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=237391&ppg=43

Haycock, K. (2007). Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 25-35. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/57538522/195463D1D10D40CBPQ/1?accountid=10344

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century : charting new directions in information (pp. 27-42). Wagga Wagga , NSW : Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University. Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/science/article/pii/B9781876938437500028

International Federation of Library Associations. (2005). Beacons of the information society: The Alexandria Proclamation on information literacy and lifelong learning. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/publications/beacons-of-the-information-society-the-alexandria-proclamation-on-information-literacy

Kempinger, N. (2019a). Online access. Forum 2.2 . ETL401 Response in Discussion Forums. CSU. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38048_1&conf_id=_74551_1&forum_id=_177141_1&message_id=_2632529_1&nav=discussion_board_entry

Kempinger, N. (2019b, November 28). Teacher or TL [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2019/11/28/teacher-or-tl-assessment-1/

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. Techtrends : Linking research & practice to improve learning, 55(4), 27-36. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=0a84a319-9bd9-44be-9dc5-d7f547be53c1%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=60840783&db=a9h

Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books right? A look at the roles of the school library media specialist. Library Media Connection 29(3), 30-33. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=60171d13-40cb-4fcd-9884-3a2bb1ac5710%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=EJ907292&db=eric

Todd, R. J. (2007). Evidence-based practice and school libraries. In S. Hughes-Hassell & V. H. Harada (Eds.), School reform and the school library media specialist (pp. 57-78). Retrieved from https://doms.csu.edu.au/csu/file/b84e4d87-0e09-4bd5-9dcb-023fe550270a/1/todd-r.pdf

Developing my understanding (Assessment 2- Part B)

January 26, 2020Nina 1 Comment

What an eye-opener this subject has been! I remember approaching my own school library to ‘check out’ (pun intended) our Collection Development Policy (CDP) only to find myself caught up in an argument that had been running for many years around who is responsible for such a document.

Mother and daughter having an argument

“Mother and daughter having an argument” by Tambako the Jaguar is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

This policy does not currently exist for my school and this answered a few questions for me around how our library is used and viewed by both students and teachers (Kempinger, 2019a). Without a clear CDP, how does the school community understand the reason for the collection’s existence and the principles that govern it (Australian Library and Information Association, 2017)?

I’m going to unpack this through personal examples based on the following aspects of a CDP (this is not a full list):

The nature of the users & Collection evaluation
Selection criteria
Development of the digital collection
Acquisitions
De-selection

The nature of the users/Collection evaluation

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

My school is diverse (Kempinger, 2019b) and this needs to be at the centre of a CDP. We have a large number of international and EAL (English as an additional language) students who need to be catered for. I don’t often see these students in the library and suspect it is because there is little in there to tempt them. Our students come from a broad range of circumstances and their reading levels and engagement range from little ability and no engagement, through to voracious readers who can comprehend complex texts and think critically about them. All students need to be able to access both content and entertainment and this can be assured by acknowledging their diversity within the CDP (Morrisey, 2008).

Selection criteria

Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

Having a CDP with clearly defined selection criteria means that there is a rational process in place that supports the priorities of the school (Debowski, 2001). Having spent years in large staff rooms, I have heard many complaints about various aspects of school policy. What I had failed to realise was that I was also hearing complaints and concerns about the lack of a CDP! Some examples include:

“Why does English always get what they want?”
“I took my class to the library for research only to find that the topic we are studying only has one resource on the shelves!”
“My low literacy kids have no resources they can understand.”
“One of the books a student borrowed from the library is set out in such a confusing way that it took me and two aides ten minutes to interpret one page!”

If the Teacher Librarian (TL) works together with administration and staff to create a CDP, it will be based on the curriculum, as well as the needs and interests of the school community (IFLA, 2015).

Development of the digital collection

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

Perhaps because of the lack of a CDP, my school has no centralised digital resource plan despite the fact that technology is constantly changing the way people view, use and create knowledge (Newsum, 2018). Although our school does use a range of digital resources, only those who use them seem to be aware of them and they are not always managed through the library.

Edrolo (used by senior teachers in a range of subject areas and managed by the curriculum leader with no input from the library)
Reading List (managed by Head of English)
World Digital Replica (managed through the library- trialed in 2019, staff surveyed and opted to keep it in 2020 but was not budgeted for and is therefore possibly unavailable for this year)
E-books- this is an area that I am keen to explore (Kempinger, 2019c) (none available currently through the school apart from a link to Project Gutenberg on the library website)
Useful websites for teachers and students are sometimes embedded in curriculum documentation or shared with students via Compass
Databases (there are links to the A-Z government services (broken), Reuters, Vic law handbook (broken), and the Australian Bureau of Statistics on the library website)

A consistent approach is clearly needed to ensure that all resources are managed and assessed against the same criteria that are underpinned by the priorities and goals of the school (IFLA, 2012). A centralised approach would also make searching for specific resources manageable (Newsum, 2018).

Acquisitions

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

While it can be important to have more than one person involved in acquisitions, to avoid self-censorship and conflict of interest (Morrisey, 2008), the acquisition process needs to be clearly outlined within a CDP so that there is a procedure to follow. Our library is experiencing tensions at the moment due to a lack of this exact process. There are two staff members (one TL and one Library Administration Assistant) who both have budgets and acquisitions in their job descriptions but no CDP to help them differentiate roles within the process. This has resulted in duplicate and unnecessary purchases, running out of funds and a general sense of frustration. School administration has been working with these staff members to try to come up with a solution without realising that a CDP is what is needed.

De-selection

Image by Pusteblume0815 from Pixabay

Towards the end of 2019, our library re-located into a new building with much less shelf space. De-selection (or weeding) was one of the biggest challenges; again because there is no defined criteria or process. The library staff did not want to weed an entire collection so they asked teachers to come in and make decisions. What one teacher was keen to remove, another felt a personal connection with. Multiple copies of the one text were kept because teachers could not agree on which was the best cover art. Books on topics that have not been in the curriculum for decades were kept ‘just in case’. A CDP that helps staff to understand that schools are not archives would make this process manageable (Vnuk, 2015).

So, I know what my priority will be when I return to school in a couple of days. Use the ‘watch and wait’ (Kempinger, 2020) approach I was planning to use, but fill this time by developing a CDP that fits my school community and is supported by reputable literature. Bringing this to school administration and the library staff will help to start the journey to resolve some of the current issues while providing a framework for all current and future staff to work with.

References:
Australian Library and Information Association. (2017). A manual for developing policies and procedures in Australian school library resource centres: 2nd edition. Retrieved from https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/ALIA%20Schools%20policies%20and%20procedures%20manual_FINAL.pdf

Debowski, S, (2001). Collection program funding management. In K. Dillion, J. Henri & J McGregor (Eds.). Providing more with less: Collection management for school libraries (2nd ed.) (pp. 299-326). Retrieved from https://doms.csu.edu.au/csu/file/b9feaf8b-3c64-48cf-a5f2-ba87f023bc47/1/debowski-s.pdf

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions School Libraries Section Standing Committee. (2015). IFLA school library guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/school-libraries-resource-centers/publications/ifla-school-library-guidelines.pdf

Kempinger, N. (2019, December 11). Experiments [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2019/12/11/42/

Kempinger, N. (2019, December 11). If you build it, they will come… [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2019/12/11/if-you-build-it-they-will-come/

Kempimger, N. (2019). Online access. Forum 1.2. ETL503 discussion forums. CSU. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38050_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74553_1&forum_id=_169572_1&message_id=_2591881_1

Kempinger, N. (2020). Online access. Forum 5.1. ETL503 discussion forums. CSU. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38050_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74553_1&forum_id=_169584_1&message_id=_2651290_1

Morrisey, L.J. (2008). Ethical issues in collection development. Journal of Library Administration, 47(3-4), 163-171. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=ffee0665-df74-4983-a7b2-cef657e22648%40sessionmgr4007

Newsum, J. M. (2016). School collection development and resource management in digitally rich environments: An initial literature review. School Libraries Worldwide, 22(1), 97–109. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=d05f4a6d-22d2-4b37-a361-9525d45d97ad%40pdc-v-sessmgr04

Vnuk, R. (2015). The Weeding Handbook: A shelf-by-shelf guide [Chicago, ALA Editions]. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzEwMDQ5MTNfX0FO0?sid=eb279be8-2cf1-42cb-a593-504552c4da27@sessionmgr101&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1

Information Literacy takeaways

January 20, 2020Nina Leave a comment

If you had asked me last year what Information Literacy (IL) was, I would have responded with something pithy, like “The ability to find and understand information?” (Yes, the question mark is intentional.) Now I see the complexity that comes with this term and the need for me to develop a working understanding of it that I can bring to my role as a Teacher Librarian (TL).

On consideration, the behaviourist approach to IL looks like it would fit easily into the curriculum of a school by providing a set of measurable skills that students can develop. The examples provided in the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework (Bundy, 2004) could certainly be copied into a curriculum map, learning sequence or rubric with little fuss while being easily accessible to the discipline teacher. Using this approach, the TL could support the development of a specific skill in the classroom as required.

But there is concern that this will not support the deep levels of thinking that students need to strive towards in order to be ready for today’s global workforce (Kutner, L. & Armstrong, A. 2012) The sociocultural approach looks to address this by viewing the student as experiencer rather than sponge (Ackermann, E. 2001). Both Lloyd (2007) and Farrell and Badke (2015) present a case for networks or communities of people being necessary for optimal learning.

As well as this, there is research to suggest that we make meaning in different ways depending on context; this is looked at in detail in the six frames for information literacy (Bruce, Edwards, and Lupton, 2006). They (Bruce et al., 2006) ask librarians to consider the different perspectives that each teacher may have of teaching and learning and how this may impact the ways that IL is covered in the classroom.

The big takeaway for me is the need to articulate what IL is, audit it against what is currently done in domains and then offer to work in collaboration with teachers to ensure that our students have the opportunity to become lifelong learners.

Information literacy lies at the core of lifelong learning. It empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals. It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion of all nations.
(The Alexandria Proclamation on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning, UNESCO, 2005)

References:
Ackerman, E. (2001). Piaget’s Constructivism, Papert’s Constructionism: What’s the difference? Retrieved from https://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf
Bundy, A. (Ed.) (2004). Australian and New Zealand information literacy framework: Principles, standards and practice. 2nd ed. Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/79068/anz-info-lit-policy.pdf
Farrell, R. & Badke, W. (2015). Situating information literacy in the disciplines: A practical and systematic approach for academic librarians. Reference Services Review, 43(2), 319-340. Retrieved from https://www-emerald-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/insight/content/doi/10.1108/RSR-11-2014-0052/full/html#loginreload
Kutner, L. & Armstrong, A. (2012). Rethinking information literacy in a globalised world. Communications in Information Literacy, 6(1), 24-33. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1312440468?accountid=10344
Lloyd, A. (2007). Recasting information literacy as sociocultural practice: Implications for library and information science researchers. Information Research, 12(4). Retrieved from http://informationr.net/ir/12-4/colis/colis34.html
United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation. (2005). High level colloquium on information literacy and lifelong learning report of a meeting. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000144820

Catch Up Victoria!

December 12, 2019Nina Leave a comment

When asked to look into online content curation, I turned to a platform I am familiar with- Pinterest. I have used this online space as a source of inspiration many times and decided to look at how the State Library of Victoria might be using it.

I was excited to see what interesting tidbits and book recommendations I might find… and then disappointed to see that there was nothing. Their only presence on Pinterest is on boards hosted by fans of libraries.

So, I decided to go big or go home and searched for the New York Public Library (NYPL), and boy howdy, do they know how to use Pinterest to their advantage!

Apart from having a direct link to their website and 3.2 million followers, they have 30 boards about a variety of topics. My favourite board is titled #ireadeverywhere which contains pictures of (yep) people reading everywhere. The hashtag prompted me to check for an Instagram account and was happy to see that I can start following them there as well.

Alongside the many boards promoting reading and new books, there are several boards dedicated to showcasing the images from the NYPL digital gallery and examples of film and art that use libraries as a backdrop to help tell a story.

NYPL also use this platform to inform patrons about upcoming events, to promote libraries and reading, and to showcase teaching resources.

In this example, I could see the potential of websites like Pinterest to showcase and promote libraries.

If you build it, they will come…

December 11, 2019Nina Leave a comment

Having encountered libraries where the teaching staff have little trust in the teacher-librarian, the need for TLs to understand their role and make visible the contribution they make seems a vital part of the job.

The teacher-librarian really needs to be able to work within all curriculum areas of the school while managing budgetary constraints, embracing new technologies and considering all stake-holders (from students to teachers to admin). A good TL can be a game-changer in a school.

Where the relationship between the library, staff and students has broken down, the first step in creating a sense of collaboration lies in the hands of the TL. I can see this happening in the following ways:
– approaching domain leaders and individual staff to see how they can be supported
– looking for cross-curricular links across domains and providing strategies to staff to support integrated learning
– attending curriculum meetings to ensure an understanding of the upcoming resource needs of students and teachers
– team-teaching of skills (research, referencing, reading)
– ensuring displays are inviting and having a knowledge of books to be able to recommend to both teachers and students
– talking with and listening to students (wants, needs)
– holding events that entice and excite students and teachers about reading and learning

All of the above, coupled with a TL who cares about student opportunities and outcomes and a dash of passion about the world that opens up when you know how to access the library, should be a way to begin building a positive and rewarding relationship for all members of the school community.

Passion for learning

Teacher Librarianship

Widgets

Search

community