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Reading is more than just an escape (Assessment 2 – Part 2)

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Why read?

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At the beginning of this subject we were asked to consider this question and Shelley (2021, November) summed up my thinking in a comprehensive list. I currently work as an English teacher in the secondary system and we have spent the past four years building an independent program called ‘Read, Think, Succeed’. We have taken students to Readings Bookshop to choose books for purchase, created student reading ambassador roles, and successfully argued for a weekly 70 minute session for every English class from years 7-10 to participate in a literacy lesson that has discussion at its centre. I am confident that we have researched and are imparting the message that reading is everything BUT… it is everything in the context of English.

 

What’s next?

In my blog post The bright future of children’s literature (Kempinger, 2020, November 22), I identified several areas of interest, but there are two that I feel inform my next steps after completing this subject. These are critical thinking through and visual literacy.

With English teachers on the right track, my focus as a teacher librarian is across other curriculum areas. Throughout this subject my work has revolved around the humanities and this has shown me the enormous potential of using fiction to bring another layer of meaning and understanding to students’ comprehension of the (often quite difficult to image) world beyond their personal experiences.

Critical thinking

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We want students to be able to take information and apply their knowledge and experience to think critically about the information that is presented. Are they ready and able to do this without support? In my experience, rarely. Fisher & Frey (2018) identify the value of discussion between students as a way to deepen understanding. My intention this year is to collaborate with humanities teachers to understand the topics that bring with them the challenge of empathy (such as the ANZAC experience) and provide selected fiction texts in varying formats that can be used in the classroom to develop this. Without the empathy, the critical thinking will be unlikely.

Visual literacy

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Complex images surround us in the form of advertising, commentary, comedy and story-telling. If we are to understand the nuance and/or multiple meanings presented in visuals, we need to be able to interpret them. Jaffe & Hurwich (2019) explain that students needs to be able to “read’ an image before they can think critically about the message being imparted.

Although graphic novels and picture books do form part of our current library collection, more care needs to be taken when selecting these titles so that there are opportunities within them for unpacking meaning, discussion and critical thinking.

Multi-literacies

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This idea is multi-faceted. On one hand I want to bring more variety into the library and on the other hand I want students to have more opportunity to show their learning in a variety of ways (including those in the resource kit that I created).

In the discussions for module 5, I talked about the use of podcasts to engage students (Kempinger, 2022, January). This is an area that I will continue to explore to see what is available, of good quality, and listened to by students already, and how they can be best promoted.

References

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2018). Raising reading volume through access, choice, discussion and book talks. The Reading Teacher, 72(1).

Jaffe, M. & Hurwich, T. (2019). Worth a thousand words: using graphic novels to teach visual and verbal literacy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kempinger, N. (2022, January 9). Podcasts [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/

Shelley, S. (2021, November 20). RE: 1.1b: Why read? [Online discussion comment]. Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/

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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.

Photo by Leon on Unsplash

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

Image by cris renma from Pixabay

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/

Flip or flop?

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Image by Pizieno from Pixabay

The idea of flipped classrooms is not unfamiliar to me. My school investigated it as a potential learning tool about five years ago. Staff participated in professional develop, some then went on to trial flipping their classrooms and then it slowly disappeared. There was no formal feedback to staff from those who had trialled it and it was never mentioned again.

Thankfully, I have been able to talk with those teachers who have used a flipped classroom both successfully and unsuccessfully.

Those who have experienced success tend to work with VCE students and report that these students are aware of content demands, regularly complete set homework and have college-based consequences if they are falling behind (academic interviews, scaffolded learning plans and supervised study hall).

Those who have stopped trying to implement a flipped classroom have been working with junior classes where, if we consider Earp’s (2016) tips for flipped learning implementation, the pain does not seem to be worth the gain. This is due to some or all of the following reasons:

  • Image by FotoRieth from Pixabay

  • a lack of device and/or internet at home,
  • a large number of students who are well below benchmark and are frustrated by the content that is delivered in this way,
  • families that do not support the completion of homework,
  • student organisational challenges, including difficulty in managing the distractions of working in an online environment.

For these reasons, I am not inclined to push a flipped classroom design with teachers. Those who find this works for them are already using it and those who are not, have an opinion that will not easily be shifted.

So, does this mean that I see no room for flipping in my own practice? Of course not. I see huge potential for flipping in the library research area of my school. Rather than delivering subject specific content, carefully developed video tutorials and documents can be provided to students through the library website to support research, note-taking, and effective searching. This would allow students to pick up skills as required and and at their own pace. Library staff are also available to answer questions or troubleshoot with students who need additional support.

By working with curriculum leaders, we can also ensure consistency of tools and scaffolds across the school by creating resources for our cohort of students, that support the teaching needs of staff and that are differentiated as required.

References

Earp, J. (2016, February 3). Homework culture key to flipped learning success. Teacher. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/homework-culture-key-to-flipped-learning-success

Teachings in Education. (2017, June 20). Flipped classroom model: Why, how and overview [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/BCIxikOq73Q

 

Why aren’t we blogging already?

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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:

  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/

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

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As I work in the secondary setting, I was thinking about junior high school students when completing this activity. The increasing complexity is certainly a necessary consideration if we want our students to question, think, make choices, and have informed opinions.

The challenges that this activity highlighted for me are:

  1. The need for teachers to understand that just because today’s students have grown up with technology, it does not mean that they know how to use all of the technology that is available to them and, as such, time needs to be given to the development of these skills.
  2. Cost is a factor. Teacher librarians are a great place to start when teachers and students are looking for useful and free apps and sites that support teaching and learning.
  3. It is important to both use discretion and to have an open mind. Having a working knowledge of all that is available is simply not possible. Taking the time to investigate new technologies but also sticking with those that suit the needs of your specific cohort is an important step towards ensuring that you have expertise in the tools that are going to be used effectively. On the flip side, some students have confidence in a range of programs and apps that may be completely foreign to staff- let them use it, see how it works, learn from these students and work with them to discuss the pros and cons of the technology; empower them as experts.
ObjectiveQuestionResources/Web 2.0 tool
KnowledgeWhat is an ecosystem?Dictionary - print or online or basic textbook, eg. Wordnik, Visuwords, specialist glossary
ComprehensionList the different parts of the ecosystem and explain what they do.Google docs or slides, befunky
ApplicationUsing a diagram, show how the water cycle operates in an ecosystem.draw.io, pixlr
AnalysisContrast the natural water cycle with that used by our community.Creately, Canva
AnalysisExamine an ecosystem that has been damaged by human interference. Avoided how?Google maps
SynthesisIdentify an unspoilt ecosystem and design a way of preserving it.Google mapsGoogle Slides, Google Sites, youtube
EvaluationIs it reasonable that people pollute our waterways? Defend your answer.Survey monkey, prezi

Developing my understanding (Assessment 2- Part B)

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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 <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2944064">Gerd Altmann</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2944064">Pixabay</a>
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

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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 <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/StartupStockPhotos-690514/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=849822">StartupStockPhotos</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=849822">Pixabay</a>
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

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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

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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

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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

Who is in control?

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As I sit in the study listening to my son watch ‘The Matrix’ for the first time in the other room, I find myself pondering the world I find myself in- is it the world I expected to be living in when I watched this film in 1999?

The short answer is, no. The real answer is complicated.

The importance of technology in today’s society cannot be denied. It is embedded in everything that we do and it is becoming ‘smarter’ all the time. (Hey Google? What does Alexa think?) Schools try to keep up to date with the tech and spend money om 3D printers and laser cutters while running a BYOD program to ensure that all kids are growing up conversant in the language of now, but are we really in the now? Technology seems to change and ‘improve’ faster than most of us can keep up with.

Does this mean that the tech is in control and determining how we behave and respond to the world around us? Could it be that we, as a society, are really adept at adapting to the tools they have at hand to make life social and manageable?

All I know for sure is that I do not fear the Matrix… yet.

Four Corners- Digi Kids

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After watching the Four Corners segment titled ‘Digi Kids’, I found myself thinking about my kids and my teaching practice.

As a secondary English teacher, I experience the difficulties of students coming to my classroom with such a range of abilities and experiences. I see a lack of phonics, grammar and punctuation knowledge, and the stress or disengagement experienced by those students who are lacking confidence in these areas. I, like the teachers in the segment, was never taught these things explicitly yet find the need to learn so that my students can achieve.

My school has shifted focus to lots of close reading and deconstruction of texts with a lens on word and sentence level teaching. We value reading and are bringing student choice to the fore.

Part of my motivation for choosing to go back to study and become qualified as a Teacher Librarian stems from my desire to provide the opportunities that students need to become passionate about reading and seeing learning as exciting and not a means to an end.

As a parent, I worry. I think most of us do. I worry about the impact my behaviors will have on my children. Food for thought and a good chance to reflect on whether or not we are in control of the technology in our lives, or if the technology is in control of us.