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INF533 – Module 4

Digital Storytelling is primarily a blending of different media forms, in order to tell a story. These can a mix of visual and audio, digital pictures and hand drawn images. One example of this is Gabriel Conte’s Draw My Life.

Many are telling their stories through Facebook and Instagram and even going to YouTube as a medium (See above video for an example). Storytelling doesn’t change, however, the medium does. We, as humans, still tell stories but how we tell them, changes depending on preferences. Some prefer to tell their stories orally face-to-face, others prefer to tell them written (blog post, in a letter etc) and others prefer to use multimedia and other digital forms.

What we as classroom teachers and Teacher Librarians need to understand and ensure, is that the digital storytelling is embedded within the curriculum and not used in place of something else, just because they can.

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INF533 – Module 3

When it comes to interactive texts, there are many different forms. But to use these texts, schools and sites need to be able to handle the bandwidth or IT requirements. Many teachers (both classroom and Teacher Librarians) are still resistant to change, however, due to having to try and adapt years of teaching experience and pedagogy to suit the current environment. Students, as they read are now publishing their opinions and thoughts on sites such as Goodreads or publishing them publicly on Twitter.

Authors are now discussing their books with their fans on Twitter and this leads to great engagement on a communal topic.  For really great interaction with their fans, look to J.K. Rowling’s Twitter account. Every year on May 2nd, she apologizes for a character she’s killed off over the course of the Harry Potter series. A current fan theory is that she is planning on releasing a new Harry Potter book/object as there were no apologies this year. And also due to another post that hints to something possibly Harry Potter and the Cursed Child related.

Increasingly, there is a rise of people using images as a form of digital storytelling and this is, in part, due to the higher number of people choosing to scan images and get them digitized. Short term, however, many are still going to prefer print over digital as they have been the norm for a long period of time.

 

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ETL504 – Module 4

This module operates under the premise of what the formal leadership within schools can potentially look like, as well as how Teacher Librarians fit in, within the community.

As Teacher Librarians (as well as classroom teachers) we can struggle to stay positive and happy when faced with disrespectful students and students who refuse to complete the assigned tasks. Students who come from dysfunctional homes or who have severe learning needs can face an additional struggle, and we, in turn, struggle with them.

We need to be able to adapt to the changes in curriculum and approaches that come with being in a 21st-century classroom or site. In reality, most Teacher-Librarians are ‘lone practitioners’ who may or may not have a Library Technician or volunteers as assistants. This means much of the processing, day-to-day work and special event work is left in the hands of one person.

Collaboration is well needed within the school environment and with external bodies in order to give the students the education that they deserve and need.  Successful collaboration includes successful timelines, clear evaluation and allowing time for reflection and evaluation of the process.

Professional learning can come from many different forms including reading journal articles, short courses and even, this degree.

There is much more that can be covered from the module but these were the main points that I felt were the most interesting and the most relevant to me and my situation.

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ETL504 Module 3

Module 3 was concerned with leadership and change within organisations as well as what it means to work in a team – as we inherently do within a school environment.

Change tends to stay within the realms of technology and management on a year-to-year basis; outside of that, there can be some structural change to adapt to as well. With technology, there is very little engagement with the use of it. This could be due to the aging teaching population who dislike the rise of technology use within students lives and in the classroom. It can be argued that younger teachers don’t wish to ostracise themselves from their older colleagues so they don’t ‘rock the boat’ when it comes to the use of technology within the classroom. Downsizing can play a part in terms of change within a workplace and this could be a major part of change within a smaller school or site. This could especially be true if student numbers are dwindling.

Stress can be a factor when coping with change as if we are under a lot of personal or professional stress; we could respond differently to what we normally would. While attitude change can be a normal part of change, a difference in attitude that is beyond what you would normally expect from a disgruntled co-worker; could be a reason for investigating further and establishing what could be wrong.

We all work in teams, and we all need to be able to work in them efficiently. This means dealing with a lot of opinions, personalities and much, much more in order to get the task or job done. Setting boundaries early on can help ensure that the process is fairly smooth. However, conflict and communication (and/or lack thereof) can really hinder the progress of a team so being able to effectively and with compassion deal with them when they arise.

Ultimately, as Teacher Librarians and classroom teachers, we need to be able to adapt to change, stress and being able to deal with the complexities that come with working in teams. We need to be able to be flexible when it comes to our environment and those that we work with; both on a day-to-day basis and on an ad-hoc basis.

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ETL504 – Module 2

I did notes (on my computer, would you believe it or not!) and am uploading a summary now.

A major aspect of being a good leader is knowing yourself and knowing your strengths. Knowing what you can do well and knowing what may be best to distribute to other team members.  Also, knowing where you fit in within the leadership structure; both within the school or site but also the wider educational department and the curriculum bodies.

Knowing that the situation will change, depending on the setting, is vital to make sure that no toes are stepped upon. Understanding that a public school is different from a private school and a primary, secondary and combined (R-12) are all different in their requirements and leadership structure is vital.  Also, understanding that there are different leadership styles employed by staff within a school is important to understand what their focus and objectives are.

There are different forms of leadership; including Situational, Transactional, Transformational, Servant, Distributed and Instructional. All of these can benefit the wider school in different ways. Situational Leadership is more focused on what the situation at hand is and how to respond to it appropriately. This form of leadership changes and the exact leader can vary. Transactional Leadership utilises rules and incentives to maintain normal flow of operations and is not generally focused on the future or strategic operations. Transformational Leadership is, as the name implies, a leader who goes beyond the day-to-day level of operation and focuses on how to take the organisation or site to the next level of success. A Servant Leader displays attributes of someone who has their staffs’ interests at heart – they are servants of their team. Distributed Leadership is based upon the distribution of tasks by team member’s strengths and expertise. Finally, Instructional Leadership generally focuses on the executive leadership team within a school or site. They direct and manage from the top but allow staff to develop their own leadership as well.

All of these play a part in how leaders and staff operate within any organisation, both within schools and outside organisations. Leaders come from many different backgrounds and we have to take that into account when working within teams; both as a classroom teacher and as a Teacher Librarian.  As a Teacher Librarian, we must be open to developing our own skills and the skills of those who we work with and to do that successfully, we have to be good leaders.

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A change is a good thing!

Well, I’m in for a big September!

Firstly, the assignments due and all the work associated.  But most importantly, I have been offered (and I accepted!) an opportunity to work a four-week contract in a local high school! To protect the privacy of staff and students at the high school, I am not going to name it but I will be teaching Year 11 English and overseeing a Student Teacher with a Year 9, 10 and 12 English class. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!

I can’t wait and I’ll keep you updated!

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INF533 – Assignment 2: Digital Texts Reflection

Digital texts are becoming more and more prevalent within our society. As students, we reach for websites and online journals before looking at books when doing research. At home, we look for audiobooks to listen to while cooking, at the gym, or in the car. We look to buy e-books for textbooks or for pleasure reading rather than purchasing paperback or hardback books. As a generalisation, people don’t have large book collections anymore; they talk about how many books they have on their Kindles or iPads instead.

Digital texts are defined as “audio, visual or multimodal texts produced through digital or electronic technology” (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], n.d. para 1). This particular definition was chosen due to my primary area of teaching and because I would be using digital texts within the classroom or in a secondary school library more so than in any other area. Digital texts can be a wide range of different formats, from audio and e-books to interactive books with videos and hyperlinks to even mobile apps and movies.

When reading or using a digital text, I do miss the feel of paper and being able to annotate (within reason!) it with my own thoughts and putting sticky notes on the pages where I have done some analysis. I am fairly ‘old school’ in this regard and dislike using digital versions of texts; however, I can see a use for them within a classroom and I am highly likely to use them when I teach.

The use of varying digital texts is set against the rapid growth within the technological field as a whole. Many of our students have grown up with iPads and mobile phones within easy reach and knowing instinctively how to use them. Students, at the same time, are so far removed from the ‘conventional’ literacy demands of study such as looking to printed texts for information and instead relying on online sources.  However, at the same time, “web-based learning environments, notions of connectivity, the potential of social networking, digital and mobile technologies are permeating … not only through student practice but in terms of dominant institutional drivers” (Lea & Jones, 2010, p. 378). This article goes further to highlight that an ever-growing reliance on digital texts places a growing burden on the level of government-led funding in order to harness the required technologies of the age. The overall use  – and therefore the purpose – of a digital text is to enhance the learning experience, some schools can do this through high fees, while others rely on government grants and donations. Some schools can provide a large number of digital texts and access to them, whereas others struggle to provide the basics. A  digital text should, in conjunction with enhancing the learning experience, complement the curriculum of the jurisdiction or the assessment tasks in the unit of work.

So, all of this beggars the question, what makes a good digital text? Is it the format it is in? Is it the interactivity, and accessibility of digital texts? I believe that it is a good mix of all of that and more. A good digital text should have good content, have good long-lasting value, be accessible, interactive and above all, be enjoyed by students and teachers alike.

Of the three texts I reviewed, I preferred the Bible app, which did come as a surprise to me. If I were teaching Religious Education, I would use the app as a way of supplementing the curriculum by participating in one of the plans it offers as a means of homework or formative assessment. I would also use it as a supplementary mechanism of understanding the Bible and its contents, both for my student’s understanding and my own. Being able to use the text alongside my students is one thing that I look for when evaluating any form of resource – digital or not.

I believe that whether we, on a personal level, like digital texts, they are here to stay and we should try and use them in our classes and libraries as best as we can. We should be mindful of the ever-changing technology and be willing to adapt our practices where necessary.

References

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INF533 – Assignment 2: E-book as a PDF review

The final digital text I am reviewing is a PDF version of the Year 8 Geography Alive textbook. This textbook is written for the Australian Curriculum so can be used within Australia, regardless of location. This textbook covers the following areas:

  • Unit 1: Landforms and Landscapes
    • Chapter 1: Introducing landforms and landscapes
    • Chapter 2: Landscapes formed by water
    • Chapter 3: Desert Landscapes
    • Chapter 4: Mountain Landscapes
    • Chapter 5: Rainforest Landscapes
  • Unit 2: Changing Nations
    • Chapter 6: Urbanisation
    • Chapter 7: The rise and rise of urban settlements
    • Chapter 8: Planning Australia’s urban future

Each unit has an inquiry project at the end of it and that brings all the individual chapters together in one cohesive assignment; and has a glossary and index at the end. The PDF textbook is in full colour and is able to be printed in either colour or black and white, depending on individual needs. The PDF document could be shared within school software (DayMap, ClassDojo etc) and well as being stored on a communal drive for easy access for temporary relief teachers. As this is a PDF document, there is no ability to enter student responses on it however text can be highlighted and comments made in a side bar of the document. This is limiting factor of the Adobe PDF document program rather than a limit of the PDF textbook.

The ‘how to use the textbook’ section does mention that there is the ability to link to the myWorld Atlas as well as ProjectsPLUS, however, when I attempted to use these functions, they would not work. I am presuming that this is due to the PDF nature of the textbook rather than working within an online version of the textbook with full capabilities. The PDF textbook does give the teacher and class a good starting point, regardless of whether it has the online aspects or not. Teachers are able to base formative or homework assessment off the tasks outlined within the PDF textbook and this can be of benefit for early career teachers or those teaching the subject for the first time.

I would recommend that Teacher Librarians organise for this particular textbook as well as others within the series to be purchased and available for all teachers to access. Having looked at the website that purchases would be made, it is not unreasonable to presume that bulk orders could be made for the school use as well as a mix of e-book and physical books within the order.

As a teacher with no Geography experience, bar what I have seen on practicums, this is a really great resource for gaining an understanding of what can be – and should be – taught within the classroom as well as a more in-depth at the sections individually. As it is tailored to the Australian Curriculum, any teacher can use it which I think is a really great design by the editors as it allows the textbook to be moved freely without restraint.

The book that the author is reading, and yes, it's a paperback!
The book that the author is reading, and yes, it’s a paperback!

This text can be purchased from https://www.jacaranda.com.au/ in both the e-book and the physical book form; as well as other books in the Geography for the Australian Curriculum series. Overall, I would use PDF’s or e-books within my professional life but on a personal level, I think I will stick to paperback!

***

Mraz, J., Bedson, C., Westhorpe, C., McMeekin, T., Gibson, K., & Dempster, A. et al. (2013). Geography alive 8 for the Australian curriculum (1st ed.). Brisbane, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

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INF533 – Assignment 2: YouVersion Bible App + Audio, Everyday Verse, Free review

I have chosen a Bible App to review, YouVersion Bible App + Audio, Everyday Verse, Free (referred to as YouVersion Bible App) published by Life.Church. This app has a rating of 4.7/5 and has over 2 million reviews. Of the Bible Apps on the Google Play Store (I have an Android device), this one was the most recommended after the advertisements and having looked at other apps, this was the most comprehensive.

The YouVersion Bible App gives the user a Bible verse of the day as well as a corresponding picture that can be saved to their device or shared to social media platforms. Users are able to connect with friends and can gain badges to show different achievements within the app. The badges can be for something as simple as creating a note about a particular Bible verse. Users also are able to highlight relevant sections of the verses that they are most drawn to and can revisit those particular sections later. There are also offline versions of the Bible that can be downloaded for times when an Internet connection is unavailable.

Different languages are available, including French, German, Afrikaans, Arabic and even Pitjantjatjara; as well as different versions of the Bible. Versions of the Bible include English Standard Version (ESV), King James Version (KJV) and Modern English Version (MEV); however, there are several more to choose from. This allows for use of the app within classes where English may not be the language of instruction or for the app to be used within language classes, even if the school’s main language of instruction is English. The app can be customised to suit the Bible that is used within the specific Christianity based religion and it is quite easy to move between different versions of the Bible.

There is no cost associated with the app unless a user chooses to purchase a reading plan associated with the app. These plans are designed to help the user read more of the Bible and understand and analyse the contents; many are free but some have a cost associated. The plans are designed and produced by various churches or religious organisations associated with the publisher.

Within a class or even a library, the YouVersion Bible App can be a way to easily access the contents of the Bible and what messages are contained. Rather than flicking through a paper Bible when looking for a certain verse or book, a student can use the mobile app and mark the section and revisit during study time or Religious Education classes. This can also be used ‘on the go’ which can be helpful when completing homework (particularly Religious Education) on the bus or even at home if space is sparse.

I am not a trained Religious Education teacher (I am a secondary school, Legal Studies and English trained) nor have I ever participated within a Religious Education class; however I was christened Anglican as a child and have an interest in religion now that I am in my 20’s. I have found the app really great and the plans

informative; these, in particular, can be of use for students who are new to a school that has a Christian focus or for Year Eight students who may find the app more accessible than a printed Bible. The plans also could be implemented as part of the unit or as a homework task for the subject. For those who are particularly devout Christians, the daily quote images can be great ways to share their faith amongst their classmates and teachers. The daily quotes and the accompanying images could be used by the teachers in their morning homegroup sessions or as a point of reflection during the day.

A teacher librarian could enable access by ensuring that on all school mobile devices the app is downloaded and that there is a comprehensive guide for the teachers to use, particularly if they are temporary relief teachers. Overall, the YouVersion Bible App would be a brilliant resource for a school to have.

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INF533 – Assignment 2 – Review 1: Audible

I have chosen to review Audible, an audiobook service which has a wide range of texts that you can choose from. This service gives the user one free audiobook in a 30-day free trial, after that paying $16.45 per month and gaining one Audible credit each month which can then be used to purchase audiobooks. These audiobooks can be re-listened to, as much as the user desires once the purchase is made. The user can download an Audible original book for free each month without impacting on the credits accrued and the user can also purchase an audiobook using a credit card as well as purchasing more Audible credits. The user keeps the audiobook within their library, regardless of whether they continue to use the service or not. Users can return the audiobooks that they are not happy with, however, I did not look in-depth into this function of the service. Users can also review the audiobooks and in the case of the one I chose to listen to, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban written by J.K. Rowling has 4.9/5 stars with 2, 907 ratings as of 20th of August 2019. The user can also listen to the audiobooks across their mobile apps as well as through their website and the speed at which the audiobook is listened to can be changed up to 3x the normal pace.

The authors (well worn) copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in paperback form.

While listening to the audiobook, I was able to bookmark where I was on my laptop and then resume listening from that point on my Android mobile phone. While Apple does have its own book store and the ability to purchase audiobooks off that platform, it is difficult to use those Apple-purchased audiobooks on an Android mobile phone. However, Audible is a standalone app, available on iOS, Android and Windows devices and therefore makes moving between devices easy and simple.

Within the curriculum, Audible could be used as a resource for English texts or for accessing non-fiction texts for research purposes in other subject areas. During practicums, I had students studying Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in a Year Eight or Year Nine class so this text, in particular, could be chosen as a classroom text but it is also commonly found in school libraries as a popular choice for pleasure reading. I chose to look at this book in particular as I could then focus on Audible as a whole rather than doing an in-depth text analysis of an audiobook.

I found that listening to the book fairly soothing, however, it was easy for me to zone out and stop paying attention to the text. Whether that be because of my own tendency to listen to music while studying, or whether it is because I treated it as ‘background noise’ or my own knowledge of the text having read it numerous times prior; I am unsure. If students like having music or some form of ‘background noise’ while studying, audiobooks could pose a problem within a class as they may not pay proper attention to what is occurring and thus not being able to analyse the texts adequately. Going along with this, playing an audiobook aloud in class could be beneficial as the narrator could provide additional points to focus on due to tone or inflections on certain sentences or words. However, like listening to an audiobook on your own, it can be easy for students to zone out and stop paying attention to the text and this impact can be doubled when in a class with peers. Listening to an audiobook (especially one that is an original) for research can be difficult because of referencing the content in assignments. When using audiobooks for pleasure reading, it can be jarring hearing another persons interpretation of series or book specific words considering what we interpret them to be when reading from a physical book or e-book.

When looking at using audiobooks for students with learning disabilities or specific needs, they can be beneficial but as with any student, there is still a risk of how much they are absorbing from the text. Audiobooks can be beneficial for students with speaking or general literacy skills as it gives them a different resource that they can use; especially as they could potentially repeat what the narrator says. Audiobooks can also provide access to the written word that they would otherwise be excluded from.

Overall, would Audible and audiobooks be beneficial within a classroom or as a resource in a school library? Ultimately it would come back to demand within the school, if there is enough demand for it, it could become feasible within the long term. Short term though, there would be a costly monetary outlay as many schools could not justify purchasing one book a month with the Audible credits that are provided as part of the purchase. Could it be beneficial for classroom teachers to have as a resource that they could play within the class when needed and use on a ‘case-by-case’ basis? Definitely. As for me, I would use Audible within a classroom setting as needed but on a whole, I would encourage e-books or physical books in the first instance. On a personal level, I am sticking with my physical books for pleasure reading.

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