An integral aspect of the Teacher Librarian (TL) role is the creation and curation of digital resources, including research guides and learning objects to support learning across the curriculum (Oberg, 2007). This provides an avenue for TL’s to directly impact student learning, collaborate with teachers, and embed vital information literacy skills into learning materials (O’Connell, 2014), to ensure students can effectively access and interpret information and equip them with the skills needed for 21st century learning environments.
It is important for TLs to create and maintain a strong digital presence; however, I was initially hesitant about curating subject-specific content for different curriculum areas due to a perceived reluctance from classroom teachers, a view shared by many of my peers. However, as experts in the General Capabilities (ACARA, 2022) and instructional leaders with a ‘birds eye view’ across curriculum areas (Lupton, 2014, p.22), TL’s should proactively engage teachers and reinforce their expertise in creating digital environments which support learning. Working collaboratively with teachers in a servant leadership role ensures learning objects are relevant and targeted towards curriculum needs, so they can be utilised effectively.
This is an essential part of the Teacher Librarian role as it enables TL’s to embed valuable information literacy and inquiry skills. Whilst the resource guide I created took many hours, the benefit of having a template which can be adapted for different topics means I can support learning even if I am not physically present. This is the beauty of a digital research guide – it is not merely a list of websites, or even an annotated bibliography, but should be a carefully curated selection of resources (Oddone, 2018). Judicious selection criteria should be applied to digital resources to ensure they have educational value and contain current, credible information that is relevant to learning needs, as well as having visual appeal (Lowe et al, 2010). They should also be assessed as being of appropriate readability level and be accessible to students with diverse learning needs. I found the WACG standards and readability evaluation tools particularly valuable, as well as gaining greater insight into copyright and creative commons licences (Creative Commons, n.d).
Through this course, I discovered that learning objects need to be purposeful, and annotated to enhance learning. The annotations should not merely describe resource content, but should explicitly teach information and inquiry skills. This aligns with constructivist pegagodies, wherein students not only access information but actively engage with, interpret and construct meaning (Laretive, 2019). As digital literacy skills are best integrated into existing curriculum, this provides an opportunity for TL and classroom teachers to work in partnership (Moloney & Lucas, 2019). My research guide allowed me to embed skills in navigating and evaluating information, including source analysis, questioning, note-taking, referencing, copyright and digital privacy, as well as search strategies such as using keywords, consideration of bias, and filtering results to find more relevant info (Hammer, 2021).
Ultimately, the TL’s utilisation of technology can be hugely beneficial, both in terms of curating digital resources and also by providing a meaningful avenue to enhance digital literacy. I have learnt that libraries are dynamic spaces which should adopt new and emerging technologies and tools to engage students. It is an important component to my future career as it will allow me to share my expertise, support learning, work collaboratively and emphasise the true value of the Teacher Librarian role.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2022). Australian curriculum, Foundation to Year 10: General Capabilities. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/f-10-curriculum-overview/general-capabilities
Creative Commons Australia. (n.d.). Education: Creative Commons fact sheets. https://creativecommons.org.au/learn/education/
Hammer, B. (2021, May 12). 5 tips for helping students of all ages find credible online sources. Edmentum. https://blog.edmentum.com/5-tips-helping-students-all-ages-find-credible-online-sources
Lowe, K., Lee, L., Schibeci, R., Cummings, R., Phillips, R., and Lake, D. (2010). Learning objects and engagement of students in Australian and New Zealand schools. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(2), 227-241.
Lupton, M. (2014). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum v6: A bird’s-eye view. Access, 28(4). 8-29.
Moloney, S., & Lucas, A. (2019). Teacher librarians co-designing learning for effective digital literacy programs. Access (Online), 33(3), 4-21. https://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/teacher-librarians-co-designing-learning/docview/2593667481/se-2
Oberg, D. (2007). Taking the Library out of the Library into the school. School Libraries Worldwide (13)2. I-ii
O’Connell, J. (2014). Researcher’s perspective: Is teacher librarianship in crisis in digital environments? An Australian perspective. School Libraries Worldwide 20(1). 1-19.
Oddone, K. (2018). Supercharge students’ digital literacy skills with content curation. Connections, 105, 10-11. https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-105/supercharge-students-digital-literacy-skills-with-content-curation