In a world where information is ubiquitous, where fact and opinion are blurred, and companies such as Google capitalise on their control of information to the point where search and “Google It” have become synonymous, the question begs:

 

“What can teacher-librarians (TL) do to guide students through an ever-changing digital landscape?

 Despite Prensky’s (2001) belief that students are “digital natives,” Frawley (2017), Combes (2009) and Enynon (2020) debunk this, citing that despite the level of connectivity, students lack the skills to locate, authenticate, comprehend and discern information from a range of different digital sources. As an EAL/D trained teacher, I have seen the dangers of learning through immersion, often resulting in bad learning habits. Regardless of digital experiences, children need guidance to navigate the information landscape, laying the foundations for future learning, as discussed in my blog post (Kelly, 2022, September 16). One tool to assist TLs in this endeavour is creating locally produced digital resources/learning objects (DLO). 

 

A DLO is a web-based item for learning with the potential of being reused, searchable and self-contained (Charles Sturt University, 2022). During the creation of this DLO, I have made some realisations:

 

• By creating my own DLO, I’m actively considering my students’ learning needs and contexts, personalising the curriculum to be more effective and suited to my teaching styles. It’s not a case of matching works with content but how each adds a new facet, perspective or deeper dimension culminating in an authentic holistic understanding of what is taught. According to Ismajli & Imami-Morina (2018), this is a critical component in teaching digital literacy.
• DLOs encourage awareness of the learning processes and skills they are developing in addition to the content and the product of their learning. This connects with an assignment in ETL401, where we learned to enrich student learning by embedding strategic information skills within a project, resulting in dynamic and improved learning outcomes.

 

How important is this for the TL?

Providing digital spaces and learning pathways is a critical component of the TL’s role as an information specialist, as outlined by the Australian School Library Association (2018). TLs build the capacity of their students to search, gather, make judgements and use information in a landscape fraught with pitfalls and misinformation, as stated in a forum post I created (Kelly, 2022 September 16). DLOs provide planned and on-demand opportunities for collaboration with the learning community, which, although mentioned in discussion posts by Finden (2022, August 21) as not compulsory, enrich learning with the information skills students require to navigate this landscape.

 

So what does this mean for the TL?

TLs are at the forefront and leaders of innovation and change. When you consider that 92% of teachers do not have adequate time to plan and innovate their curriculum (Sonnemann & Joiner, 2022), it’s clear that TLs are called to lead proactively, support and build the capacity of teachers to use information technology to improve and ease the burden of a demanding curriculum. DLOs provide a platform to reduce students’ cognitive load and provide a safe “go-to” space for staff to use. Effective DLOs are personalised, strategic in their use of information skills, purposeful and effective in bringing relevance and connection between the classroom and library.   

 

 

 

Reference List

 

Australian School Library Association (2018). What Is a Teacher Librarian? https://asla.org.au/what-is-a-teacher-librarian 

 

Charles Sturt University. (2022). 5.1 Learning Objects [modules]. ETL501. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContentEditable.jsp?content_id=_5100607_1&course_id=_62875_1 

 

Combes, B. (2009). Digital natives or digital refugees? Why have we failed Gen Y [Paper Presentation]. Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship incorporating the 13th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship:  Preparing pupils and students for the future, school libraries in the picture, 1-12. Albano Terme, Padova, Italy.

https://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1661&context=ecuworks

 

Eynon, R. (2020). The myth of the digital native: Why it persists and the harm it inflicts. In T. Burns & F. Gottschalk (Eds.), Education in the digital age: Healthy and happy children (pp. 132–143). OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/2dac420b-en

 

Frawley, J. (2017, February 27). The Myth of the Digital Native. The University of Sydney. https://educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au/teaching@sydney/digital-native-myth/ 

 

Ismajli, H., & Imami-Morina, I. (2018). Differentiated Instruction: Understanding and Applying Interactive Strategies to Meet the Needs of All the Students. International Journal of Instruction, 11(3), 207-218.

 

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). 1-6.https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816

 

Sonnemann, J. & Joiner, R. (2022). Teachers don’t have enough time to prepare well for class. We have a solution. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/teachers-dont-have-enough-time-to-prepare-well-for-class-we-have-a-solution-175633