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A whole new world (Assessment 2 – Part 2)

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Working out how to support my whole school community in the myriad ways that a good teacher librarian (TL) should is something that has worried me… until now.

This subject has shown me how to create re-usable learning objects so that it is possible to build and adapt a repository of school-based resources over time. This would include research guides, documents and templates that support the development of information literacy skills, and video tutorials (Kempinger, 2021a) that show how libraries can help.

Collaboration not isolation

A group of people working together.

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Until I reached out to a colleague to discuss ideas about an actual unit of study, I was directionless and confused. The ability to tailor a research guide to a specific purpose highlighted the need for content curation and not simply content collection. Choosing quality content, evaluating it before including it and providing annotations to explain why it has been included, means that the user can feel confident that it will be suitable (Oddone, 2020).

Couldn’t do it without technology

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Unfortunately, my school library does not have a robust online presence. This is something that needs to be prioritized if we want to work smarter and not harder. A library homepage that links to subject-specific research guides, researching templates, how-to instructions, and video tutorials creates consistency; something that teachers and students can trust. As South (2017) says, we want students to experiment without a fear of failure and the ideas outlined above can support this.

TLs are experts at evaluating resources for their suitability and know to consider a range of factors when selecting resources. The readability thread started by Gill (2021) is a great example of how online tools can be useful but teacher judgement needs to  be applied when choosing resources for students.

Online vs print

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Although there are a few useful references on the shelves in our library, we cannot compete with the variety that is available online(Kempinger, 2021b). But, can we simply send students online to find information?

While students are likely to be able to complete a google search, they are unlikely to be able to gauge the accuracy and reliability of the information they find. In order to support the development of information literacy skills, TLs need to ensure that they work with teachers to create useful and consistent processes that are embedded into the curriculum. These can then provide scaffolds for students within research guides; which is preferable to them finding their own unstructured methods (Gilbert, 2019).

The library website also needs to show best practice. It cannot be assumed that students understand how to effectively and respectfully use the broad range of tools that Web 2.0 has to offer. TLs can model “exemplary use of  social media, search engines, and collaborative research strategies” (O’Connell, 2011) when working with both students and staff.

Accessibility

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Finally, my eyes have been opened to WCAG (W3C, n.d.). It is one thing to be aware of accessibility and another to actively strive to understand and achieve it. By ensuring that learning objects produced by or in collaboration with the library are compliant, a conversation about the choices we make can be started. If we know how to make it easier for everyone to access learning, why wouldn’t we do it?

 

 

References

Gilbert, K. (2019, May 3). Libguides: In workflow, discovery, behaviour and space. Synergy, 14(2). https://slav.vic.edu.au/index.php/Synergy/article/view/v14220165

Gill, L. (2021). Online access. ETL 501 forum module 2: Print versus digital information sources. Response in Discussion Forums. CSU. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/forum?action=list_threads&course_id=_57506_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_114042_1&forum_id=_241167_1 

Kempinger, N. (2021a, September 19). Flip or flop? Passion for learning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2021/09/19/flip-or-flop/ 

Kempinger, N. (2021b, August 1). Are reference sections going extinct? Passion for learning. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kempinger/2021/08/01/are-reference-sections-going-extinct/

O’Connell, J. (2011). Web 1.0 to Web 3.0: A wolf in sheep’s clothing or a new culture of learning? Technology and teaching practice. https://teachwithict.wordpress.com/2011-symposium-the-communicative-affordances-of-online-tools/web-1-0-to-web-3-0-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing-or-a-new-culture-of-learning/

Oddone, K. (2020, April 3). Digital content curation: How to do it right! SCIS. https://scis.edublogs.org/2020/04/03/digital-content-curation-how-to-do-it-right/?sbe-followsubs=true

South, S. (2017). School libraries as incubators – where good ideas hatch!​ Scan, 36(1). https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36–2017/school-libraries-as-incubators-where-good-ideas-hatch-

W3C. (2019, July 11). Introduction to web accessibility. Web Accessibility Initiative. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/

Why aren’t we blogging already?

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. Begin to showcase work that is occurring in the classroom and encourage class community comment.
  3. Incorporate subject area content and use this to support student skill development around finding information
  4. Incorporate student/student and student/teacher collaboration
  5. Reflect throughout the process and gather feedback from students and parents. Make adjustments as required.
  6. 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?

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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.

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.

 

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.

 

Reflection (Assessment 2 – Part B)

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I know that I possess leadership qualities. I also know that my effectiveness as a leader is not consistent. The case studies in this unit of work have helped me to understand why this is so.

Control

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Having control is my comfort zone and I often find that I will take charge and get things done when I’m frustrated by a lack of understanding or when things are moving slowly. What I have failed to see is that I am not only creating more work for myself, but I am excluding others and preventing them from having a voice or making a contribution.

Moving forward I need to be aware of the importance of working outside of my self-imposed bubble if I want my impact to be across the whole school.  I cannot (and should not) try to perfect all of the skills that are required to make meaningful change. As was discussed in case study #1, working collaboratively and building capacity within the group will provide more opportunities for change (Harris, 2014).

Conflict

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In a previous post, I reflected on the way I respond to conflict and now that we are at the end of this unit of study, I see things differently. I am an active listener and am able to problem-solve but I tend to remove myself from conflict situations that are uncomfortable. If I want to be a leader, I need to be prepared to step up.

Case study #3 highlighted some strategies that I can use to prepare for uncomfortable conflict situations in the future. Rather than only working with those I like and see eye-to-eye with, I need to work towards developing positive relationships with all staff. I need to be prepared to model the professional behaviours that I expect to see in others (Gottlieb, 2012) and be clear in both the vision for the library and the overall vision for the school.

Advocacy & Promotion

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I was raised to achieve quietly and not toot my own horn. While it has been obvious to me for a long time that this strategy has harmed me, it is the work case study #5 that has helped me to understand why.

It is too simplistic to say that this trait has seen me looked over for positions of responsibility or meant that I have watched others take credit for my work- there are bigger stakes here. Advocacy and promotion affect my colleagues, my ability to fulfil the school and library vision, and student outcomes. If what I am doing is not visible, others cannot see how we can work together towards a joint goal.

I have been making the mistake of seeing advocacy as self-serving. I have been worried that I am showing off or will appear arrogant but it is my lack of advocacy that shows arrogance. A two-fold approach of listening to and supporting what others value (Weisberg & Walter, 2011, p. 111) and finding ways that we can work together will much better support my goals.

References

Gottlieb, H. (2012, October 30). Leading from the middle: Bringing out the best in everyone. Creating the future.

Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/distributed-leadership

Weisburg, H.K. & Walter, V.A. (2011). How does advocacy develop leadership? American Library Association.