Is a Vision Ever Complete?

Well mine definitely isn't but for the purposes of this course, it's complete enough for submission!

There were many different aspects of this project that were challenging. My vision attempted to summarize some key areas of learning through this course (PLN's, inquiry and digital literacy), in a way that was relevant (not just articles and reading) to an audience that was meaningful (my colleagues) through a visually appealing, usable means (not just emails). I think any one of those things is a bit arduous, combined was even trickier.

I used my existent Library blog as the medium (it's meant to attract children so why not adults?) and then set about making a list of all the sources, websites and tools that I have learned about and wanted to share with my colleagues. Obviously just providing them with a list or bibliography would be a do-as-a-I-say sort of philosophy, so I then tasked myself with trying to find a meaningful purpose for each idea and creating usable, workable samples to include. As much as possible I tried to include video demonstrations to make ease of use even greater. Eventually, time permitting, I would like to make some of my own video demonstrations to even better correlate users with use. My final vision project can be found here Moberly Library Teacher Resource Page.

Going forward I think the implications of this project are that I no longer have an excuse for "getting started." I've always wanted more content on my blog, better communications with my teachers, more technology to test with students. This vision project has given me a very solid base to work with as well as the motivation and passion to continue with it beyond just an assignment. It's given me the confidence to share my knowledge with others, hopefully in an even broader way in the future.

Having conscientiously worked at improving my PLN over the length of this course, I now feel confident I have the resources and professional contacts I need to not only continue my learning, but reciprocate it, and hopefully even further grow my network! A special thanks to all my LIBE learners and teachers who let me in their network to watch them with their  F.A.I.L (First Attempt In Learning!) Look forward to seeing us all do great things :)

Vision Project In Progress

While deciding the project for this final assignment was relatively obvious for me and my goals, deciding how to go about that has not been! I just watched Aziz Ansari's recent comedy act and he does a bit on how the internet has made us obsess about getting "best" everything. Can't just buy a toothbrush, have to google "the best" toothbrush"! I was having a touch of must-be-the-best syndrome with this project and then realized as long as we TRY our best, the end result will be of value.

I've decided to create a teacher resource link on my school Library blog (click here). After some feedback I realized password protection was not necessary and that actually some students may benefit from the content as well. I would have preferred to have a separate menu tab for this information, but on the free wordpress accounts the menu tabs are static and I'm unable to do individual posts there. So I've created a category, with a menu page that automatically collects that category, but my main feed will still be cluttered with teacher posts which is what I had wanted to avoid. I briefly thought about just having a link to a different teacher specific blog, but the idea of clicking 3 separate links to get there seemed cumbersome. So. It is what it is and I can always tweak as I go!

    photo courtesy http://www.brendaobannion.com/teacher.htm

Next I've created a list of tools, articles and links that I think will be helpful for my colleagues and myself. The laborious part is creating samples and demos for how those tools work, within a context that seems useful. So for example, not just creating a sample padlet, but creating something that I can use in the future, or that will my colleagues will see as valuable, such as a padlet on Residential Schools.

I'm still unsure of how wide a scope I will exercise with regards to topics. I had originally wanted to focus specifically on tech tools and inquiry, but does a definitive focus attract more users because it's targeted or does it exclude those who may be looking for other resources? I think the latter, but I will start with my two goal topics and go from there.

Overall, I'm very happy with how my blog has progressed. I've created a symbaloo which I think is a great depiction of my learning thus far and will be helpful for both myself and my colleagues and am looking forward to posting more!

Vision Rationale

Throughout this course and the LIBE diploma program in general, I've learned how the roles of Teacher Librarians are changing. Rather than just curators of of books and curricular resources, we must now be leaders in digital literacies, proficient models of ICT incorporation and professional resources and assets to our colleagues.

As mentioned in previous blogs, one thing that has struck me through this course is the importance of establishing and nurturing a personal learning network. This is what lead me to the subject of my vision project, a digital professional resource for my colleagues at school, with the hopes of it becoming more widespread to other TL's in my district.

In the article "Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips," Dr. Mark Wagner points out that,

"If you’ve made connections, offered contributions, and cultivated relationships over time… then when you make requests, they are more likely to fall on fertile soil. In circles of educators who connect online, making a request is acceptable and welcome. You’ll find that you’ll receive much higher quality answers and support by asking your network, than you will by simply searching online."

PLN's by nature are reciprocal, so this project is one way I can begin to share my own learning that I've received from others. It can also help highlight to my colleagues the importance of being mindful of their own PLN's and how they can improve and share their resources as well.

It will also meet my goal of incorporating more ICT into my own practice and the practice of our school as a whole. With Digital Literacy Standards very near on the horizon, it's time we stop treating "computers" as a stand alone subject and begin to incorporate meaningful technology into our regular practice. For my vision project, having posts on new tools and digital resources will motivate me to continually try new things and pass on successful experiences to my peers.

Lastly, I think this resource will also help facilitate my desire to become more connected to my colleagues and their personal goals as well as our school goals. We've had a very strong focus on inquiry learning this year and by creating a professional community space, I'll be able to find resources and activities that are inquiry based that will meet the needs of my colleagues as well as show the value of the Teacher-Librarian in 21st century learning.

My hopes for this vision project is to initially target my school and perhaps some former colleagues, but eventually if shared on our list serve it could serve as a resource for other TL's in the district, or even inspire them to create their own!

              photo courtesy of http://teachingclara.blogspot.ca/2012/11/plns-and-ples.html

References:

BC Ministry of Education Digital Literacy Standards

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/simple-comprehensive-guide-on-use-of.html

http://gettingsmart.com/2012/01/personal-learning-networks-for-educators-10-tips/

 

Vision Envision

Thinking about the future of libraries, it seems clear to me that the vision I have for my own space is to be more focused on effectively incorporating technology into our teaching, classrooms and my own library programs. What does that look though? And how do I best meet those needs in my school?


I think what I would like to attempt is a better connection with my teachers. Unfortunately with budget cuts the way they are and library time perpetually on the chopping block, becoming an invaluable resource to teachers and administrators I believe has to be a priority now more than ever. For my vision project I think I would like to create an electronic resource or professional section for my teachers that would help further their goals for inquiry learning and ICT incorporation. It would be a place where teachers could easily access demos of new technology tools, articles relevant to their goals, ideas for inquiry lessons and units.....basically a place where I could share my professional learning and resources and they could share their feedback or request certain resources or ideas.

photo courtesy of http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/35hmxn/

As I already have a wordpress library blog for our school, it seems natural that the format for this resource be a section or link on that page. I've not yet decided on several key things though. Should it be a place that is password protected so students do not have access? Should the posts be directly on our library website or should it be a link to a separate professional blog? And lastly is the interactivity of a blog enough to have an open community of learning?

  
photos courtesy of pixabay.com

Any suggestions or ideas welcome, I'd love to hear if anyone else has a teacher section or blog they use!

Impressions from Inquiry

     Over the past few weeks of this inquiry phase, the learning I've experienced has been tremendous. Some topics, such as fostering a reading culture, were areas I have focused on in the last year and a bit, so while I had a great base of understanding, reading and seeing other people's ideas from their libraries and networks was a great inspiration. It's motivated me to continue to try new things and do as much as possible to reach all the students in my school.
     Other topics, such as our last one regarding worldwide literacy and the impacts of mobile technology on developing countries, were absolutely nowhere on my radar. To be honest I had not given much thought to the bigger global context of literacy and how we as TL's be a part of outreach beyond our community. I'm still torn between the value of providing physical resources versus technological ones, given the state of internet provisions,  educated teachers and trained librarians, but if anything, the research is clear that improving literacy rates worldwide is a priority and there are a lot of people and organizations that are doing a lot of good. I definitely would like to keep those ideas in my periphery and see how it can someday manifest itself in my practice.
     The biggest imprint that has been left on me through this process is with regards to a professional/personal learning network and how we as Teacher-Librarians are supporting teachers.  Before this assignment I had never much heard of a personal learning network nor contemplated what mine looked like. I've steadfastly gone to workshops and tried to stay connected with TL colleagues in my district, but as an endeavor or a goal had never consciously "pursued" an association with like-minded professionals. In hindsight, my PLN is in fact quite substantial by happenstance, after having mentors, workshops, author visits, you automatically start following the work of certain people and continue to grow your circles as a result. But I like the idea of growing it intentionally, purposefully and with thoughtfulness, which I had never done before. Especially in the age of Twitter and social networking, simply "following" someone can have the effect of professional development literally dropping into your lap during casual reading.

(some of my favourite twitter accounts from the past year)

     

    This then is very closely correlated with how we support classroom teachers. I've come to realize once we have well developed networks, it's somewhat of a TL's responsibility to be a conduit of learning for their staff. A conduit with a very good filtration system no doubt, but a necessary step in building the future of our schools and libraries. Going back to Richardson's assertion that education is transformed when professionals share their knowledge, our PLN's can be much more focused and specific than classroom teachers, particularly in elementary schools, and our   resources might not othewise be known.  

 

Photo courtesy of www.getingsmart.com

     These are both things I have made conscious decisions to improve on in the coming months. This website from educatorstechnology.com seems it will be helpful in the process, explaining the benefits of networking in education and suggestions on how to grow your PLN. Luckily, doing specialized course work with like minded peers is also a great place to start!




References:

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school how education must change when learning and information are everywhere / Will Richardson. New York, NY: TED Conferences. 

 http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/simple-comprehensive-guide-on-use-of.html. Accessed Mar. 1, 2015.

Literacy Worldwide

     As a profession, Teacher-Librarians can attest to the undeniable importance of literacy to educational success. We are also no strangers to advocacy, of many different things. The importance of reading and writing, digital literacy, even the significance of our own profession are messages we preach loud and wide here in a world that knows the importance of education. Imagine then how critical those messages are for those in developing countries. Reading matters. Books are paramount. Trained teachers can make a difference. Education is enabling.

 “Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, 

is essential to development and health, 

and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.”
-Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General

      The United Nations has actually produced some staggering statistics on how literacy, or it's lack thereof, can affect a country and it's people. For example, no country has ever has ever achieved rapid and continuous economic growth without at least a 40% literacy rate. Or that a child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five (http://www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca/what/education). It's clear it is the key to overcoming poverty, improving life expectancies and increasing all areas of well-being. It's also clear a lack of resources is one of the biggest obstacles in increasing literacy rates around the world.

 

 Photo courtesy of http://quoteimg.com/want-to-wage-war-against-illiteracy-poverty-unemployment-unfair/

     So how to go about it? Leftovers from our libraries? Book drives? Sending Kindles? Dropping laptops? I was quite amazed while researching to find a profusion of organizations who specialized in getting materials into the hands of children in developing countries. From Room to Read, the African Library Project, The International Book Project to Worldreader the opportunities for those who want to contribute are abundant. But how to choose who and what to support?

      Several important factors stood out to me about the different approaches these organizations encompass. First, I was pleased with the fairly stringent guidelines most provided for book donations. But I was more impressed by groups like Room to Read that went the step beyond and had established local publishing facilities for local authors in native languages. While our Western English books serve their purpose and are well-needed, imagine seeing your own language in writing for the very first time! And anything that improves the local economy and community whilst increasing literacy seems like a home run.

      Then I recalled seeing a tweet from the Digital Shift last week about a library with no books in Haiti (click here for article.) A woman had been doing volunteer work in Haiti and discovered there were virtually no books in most schools. A few schools had progressed to e-books but had very few for hundreds of children to share. So she began Library for All which is essentially a cloud based digital library. Again the opportunity to provide students with reading material in their own language was a priority and the increased access this approach provides is invaluable.

     But do devices have a place in libraries either here or in developing worlds? I think it's hard to deny their existence and contribution to education here in Canada. Anyone who's used an ipad with a student with special needs or even used Bookflix (on any device!) can attest that mobile technology is now a part of our culture whether we like or not and can be a valuable learning tool.

     Does this mean technology devices are the best means of improving literacy, education or even quality of life for developing countries? It most certainly increases access to reading material. It increases access to all different kinds of information. It can improve the quality and content of resources needed in various parts of the world. But it certainly cannot replace qualified, trained teachers who are also desperately needed around the world. Despite the intuitive nature of children, technology and devices, both here AND in developing countries need guidance on how, when and why we use them.

 "In 2011 report to the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression declared Internet access to be a fundamental enabler of human rights," 

(http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Global-Libraries) . 

  

 The world is headed the way of technology, but it's how we will choose to use it that will make it effective or not.


References:

http://www.roomtoread.org/Welcome
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Global-Libraries
http://www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca/what/education
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2015/0217/In-Haiti-a-library-with-no-books-transforms-the-way-kids-learn
https://www.africanlibraryproject.org
http://www.worldreader.org/
http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/bookmark/2009winterBookmark.pdf
http://www.intlbookproject.org/

Supporting Teachers. How Can We Help?

     We all know our roles as Teacher-Librarian's have shifted dramatically over the last decade. As the importance of multiple literacies for our students becomes increasingly more significant, teachers themselves struggle to understand and incorporate the digitization of learning into their practice. Professional development workshops are available for those who specifically seek them out, but having a strong leader and user of technology and web 2.0 tools at a school based level is what will really help nurture a 21st century learning approach.
      As mentioned in previous posts this is a niche that can be filled by Teacher Librarians and ensure our positions are relevant and fundamental to our schools. I've tried a few things with my staff to help support their ICT goals, but have seen many more that I look forward to implementing in the future.

1. Lunch and Learns - I find as a staff we're often in all parts of the city on Pro D days, are constantly short on time during staff meetings and get caught up with prep and marking after school hours. I've discovered that lunch is often a great time for me to communicate with my colleagues about Library programs, new resources, or sometimes specifically new online tools. I'll invite teachers to eat their lunch in the library, show them a few new things and have some brief discussion.

 

 Photo courtesy of www.smithfreed.com

2. Supporting Pro D Topics -  I sometimes find Pro D tricky because on one hand I like to personalize my own development and bring ideas back to my staff that they wouldn't get otherwise. On the other hand, I find supporting what they're learning in THEIR Pro D is often easier when in attendance. Either way, it's important to assist our colleagues in their goals and help them find the resources to implement improvements to their practice. Often separate goals can compliment each other as well. For example my desire to utilize the digital creation of graphic novels in connection with a colleagues inquiry goals have made for an incredible collaborative unit!

3. Collaborative Days - In our district we're lucky enough that each school is given an allotment of collaborative days. As a school of 500 students we were given 18. These days are for teachers with a goal or program in mind to have the time to collaborate with each other to achieve it. It's a great opportunity for the TL to work together with colleagues, identify goals and correlate resources, programs, apps and activities that will help realize those objectives.

4. Webinars - This is something I have not done, but would like to do in the future. While doing research for this inquiry post I came across edtechteacher.org which seemed to have some great free webinars and other tools for supporting teachers with incorporating ICT into their practice. I can envision planning a webinar workshop where interested staff could participate together in the library and discuss how to implement ideas at a school or classroom level. Also on their website they have featured examples of innovative projects, for example this inquiry non-fiction project using ipads and the Explain Everything app.

5. Wiki's - I've seen several other Teacher Librarians use Staff Wiki's for numerous things and have always wondered how best to utilize one (please let me know if you have a successful one!). Whether it just be for a sharing of ideas, curating of resources or general communication I'd be very interested in implementing one for my school.

Lastly I think being open to the needs of your staff is most important. Whether it's ipads, social networking or presentation tools, listening to what your colleagues are doing or wanting to do and being responsive and an accessory to those needs is how we can best address broad school based success!

Keeping up with computers

     Well, the title really should read keeping up with technology, digital literacy, networking tools, apps, software, personalized learning etc., but who doesn't love a good alliteration. As Teacher Librarian positions become fewer and fewer, the importance of digital literacy is becoming increasingly more significant, leading to an obvious niche that TL's can fill and use to promote and advocate the importance of their role in schools today. We have always been literacy specialists, we just now need to broaden our definition of literate! But in a world where the development of technology is so exponential as to be outdated or replaced shortly after creation, professional development takes on a whole new meaning.
     In most districts there are some fabulous workshops available. From use of ipads and smartboards, to open sandbox type meetings where any topic can be discussed, I always try to ensure I use my professional days to learn something new or hear someone speak I haven't heard before. Some great resources for finding these workshops are your local district's website, the BC Teacher Librarian's Association (http://www.bctf.ca/bctla/info/pro-dev.html) or the BCTF's Professional Development website (https://www.bctf.ca/ProfessionalDevelopment.aspx).
Here in Vancouver, we always have several update sessions and Winter Tonics, which are hosted by TL's within the district with workshops from colleagues, local bookstores, speakers or language specialists. It's a great time to connect with one another and learn something at the same time. It's often difficult to schedule these kinds of events in, but in order to stay current and relevant I believe it's critical.
      We all, as teachers, take time on our professional days to seek out the latest workshop, collaborate with colleagues and attend speakers to improve on our skill and qualifications. But are 5 days a year enough to maintain our professional skills? I would argue, particularly for TL's not. One of my goals this year is to better connect with professional journals, networks and prominent figures in the field via social networking and blogs. For example during research recently I just discovered "The Digital Shift," sponsored by the Library Journal and School Library Journal. Subscribing to one of their blogs such as "Cool Tools by Richard Byrne", or following them on twitter (https://twitter.com/ShiftTheDigital) would be an easy way to have great ideas or news stories land in your lap, without the hassle of scheduling, researching or setting aside large chunks of time for reading professional books.
     Lastly I don't think we can emphasize enough the importance of colleagues in our development as teachers and technology specialists. Will Richardson touches on this in his first of six points on unlearning/relearning ideas (coincidence, or actually THAT important? ;). He states,  "we can raise the teaching profession by sharing what works, by taking the best of what we do and hanging it on the virtual wall." I've been lucky enough to have 2 great Teacher-Librarian mentors who have guided me through not 1 but 5 different library jobs. With their help, I've not only learned what successful libraries look like (by visiting theirs and vice versa) but have discovered some amazing programs, apps and how best to incorporate technology into my school programs. After three years, I'm noticing the relationship becoming a bit more reciprocal, as I learn I pass ideas along to them and we've created a growing network of learning and teaching.
The KEY to being educated is to keep educating yourself!

  Photo courtesy of http://algetler.com/ways-to-be-a-lifelong-learner/

References

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school how education must change when learning and information are everywhere / Will Richardson. New York, NY: TED Conferences. 

Inspiring Schools of Readers

As attention spans seem to be ever fading, with tv and gaming becoming more and more prolific amongst younger and younger users and school library time is becoming sparse, it seems we are at a critical junction. We must hook our students on books early, quickly and use much more inventive methods than simply putting them in their hands. We must inspire kids to become life long readers.

Luckily, kids are like sponges and there are many ways to get them excited about becoming avid readers. These are some tried and true methods I've used in my libraries with great success.

1. Cover the basics. Accessibility is key. Is there enough time in a day for students to come and choose books? Are they allowed to take out enough books to satiate their appetites? Is it open before and after school for those who can't find time during the day?

2. Family literacy. Many students in our school have parents who are learning English and are unsure how to foster and support their children's reading. So this year for all our Kindergarten students, I held a family literacy program one day a week for 6 weeks. Parents learned their way around the library, were taught skills to help their children read at home (pictures, questions, sounding out, creating connections) and were encouraged to create their own library cards. Now for families their confidence has increased, their are more reading materials at home and they feel comfortable coming to read with their children before and after school. Win!

3. Focus on student interest. No matter how well we teach our children to find and choose books, a good display catering to current interests makes choosing books fun and easy for them. After the movie release of the Maze Runner this year, I made a display of survival books. If you mix in popular items such as the Hunger Games, classics like Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet" are given new life. I always keep a Book Request List going as well, to ensure my students needs are matching up with what I'm providing. Stephen Krashen, famous for his research on reading, literacy and the importance of libraries says often “A wide range of studies have confirmed that free reading is the major factor in literacy development” (Krashen, 2012). FVR only happens when books kids are interested in are present. If you've not seen this video and have a bit of time, I'd highly reccomend (there are also many other shorter talks he's given available on youtube.)

 

4. Get students involved. I recently created a bulletin board called our Favourites Bookshelf. I wanted to encourage kids to be coming in before and after school so if they did, they could get a "book" to write down their favourite title and place on our "bookshelf." Not only has it gotten kids into the library, they are sharing ideas with each other about reading materials and are excited to find their new "favourite." (our bookshelf is much fuller than this picture now!)

5. Make reading fun! Any events that make reading fun are great ways to hook disinterested readers. Book fairs, author visits, Camp Read, book giveaway contests, book trailers and talks are all great ways to bring excitement back into books.

6. Cater to your audience. When I recently created a Mature Reads shelf for Gr. 6/7's at my new school, I actually heard several students cheer when they noticed it. Having books that target a specific audience, helps them focus their searching. Not to mention, it makes them feel a bit privileged with their choices and leaves the younger kids looking forward to something new and mysterious as they get older ;)


I truly don't think we can ever do enough to advocate reading to and for our students though. Ideas I would like to look at and work on in the future would be a book club, incorporating more technology into that promotion (ie. students contributing ideas to #ilovereading or creating video book reviews), and participating more in the global community of Book and Library lovers (National Library Day, World Book Day, DEAR etc.) And of course continuing to model and encouraging my staff to model good reading habits!

I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing their libraries that's working!



References

Krashen, Stephen. (2012, April 5). The power of reading, The COE lecture series, University of Georgia.

 Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSW7gmvDLag

Reading Review Blog Post #3

        Researching these topics was a great reminder of the skills student need to acquire, as well as the difficulty and frustration they must feel along the way. When I first began searching the term "digital literacy education" or "information literacy education" through the UBC Library, the majority of articles were linked to Secondary and Post-Secondary learning. However when narrowing the search options, results were sparse. The first relevant article I found was "Our Information Literacy Heritage: From Evolution to Revolution." I was interested to learn that the term "information literacy" was first defined in 1989, well before personal computers and the internet were commonplace. Which lead me to think that in fact information literacy is not inherently connected to technology, but rather connected to the easiest method of attaining information. The video below also shows the evolution of literacy; that like the written word, technology is no longer a privilege or convenience as it was in the past, it's a requirement. While this article definitely highlighted some important history about the digital evolution, my original intent was to focus on how to implement effective strategies, as well as the positives and negatives of our students digitized world.

        The other two articles I found were much more along the lines of what I was hoping for. In "Participatory Technologies, Pedagogy 2.0 and Information Literacy," the author describes the limitations and concerns of using participatory tools such as blogs, wiki's and social networking sites to teach information literacy. such as privacy issues, lack of social responsibility and ethics, or reluctance from students to share work for the world to see. I realized these are all things we really need to take to heart, that being digitally literate does not equate to a necessity for the general public, or even your learning community,  to share in your learning experiences. Last week, with a group of Gr. 4-7, we began working on timelines. To extend our study on biographies I asked the students to make a timeline of their life using World Book. When asked if they had to post them, I debated and then decided no and the sense of relief on about a quarter of them was palpable. And after watching them work, I can see why, many have shared some incredible and deeply personal experiences, which is amazing. But does their success depend on if their classmates all get to read it and respond? While their are many, many valuable experiences that can be had using these technologies I realized it's also important to maintain a balance.

 

 Photo courtesy of American Library Association

        "Practicing What We Preach: Information Literacy for Teacher-Librarians in the 21st Century," had a lot of great implementation suggestions. One of the biggest lessons I took from the author is to experiment and have fun. Part of the reason technology tools are so great is because kids love them and use them frequently. It must be for a reason! Often I find it easiest to find out what other teachers are using in my school or network and then rather than teach a lesson on it, sit with the kids and learn it together. This is something I need to do more, although it's difficult to look "inept" in front of students, I think it also teaches them a valuable lesson about life long learning.

        The inquiry resources I found were easier in the sense that there were a plethora available, but more difficult in that there were a plethora available! The inquiry based blog I found was great (http://inquiry-based.blogspot.ca/), with lots of great ideas for primaries. The one thing I wondered throughout was how feasible inquiry in the truest sense of the word is? How does one provide children with suggestions for learning topics and then magically provide them with the tools and resources to discover that information? For example one idea on the blog started with "Do you want to learn about dinosaurs or planets?" The next post had a discovery table and hands on experiments which seemed fairly elaborate. Is this true inquiry if you provide minimal options and have already preplanned the categories they will learn about within each? This blog left me wondering about these issues. The other websites I found truly put my concerns to rest, that there is a large network and community of inquiry based teachers, that inquiry can be successful and that there are many tools out there to support it. Up until now, most of my readings have been on the importance of discovery learning, the why we should do it, the benefits. Now I finally feel as if the "how" has been illuminated as well.

 

        Overall, the resources I found were not only helpful but motivating. I now feel I can look objectively at my practices and see real areas I can work to improve on. One is to use more participatory tools, to get kids creating, collaborating and sharing more (safely and within reasonable limits!). Another is to being to think more critically about how best to unfold knowledge as a community, rather than deliver with authority. And lastly to start thinking about the tasks I choose, are they easily found and answered with nothing more than time and the internet or are they multifaceted, deep thinking, personal objectives that students can truly connect to and incorporate into their life experiences? So much learning, so little time!

References

Branch, J. (2009) Practising What We Preach: Information Literacy for Teacher-Librarians in the 21st Century. Feliciter, 55.3(May), 98-100. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/223158843/AE8042FB98A44B6PQ/10?accountid=14656 

Farkas, M. (2012). Participatory technologies, pedagogy 2.0 and information literacy. Library Hi Tech, 82-94. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/925975863?pq-origsite=summon

Laverty, C. (2009). Our Information Literacy Heritage: From Evolution to Revolution. Feliciter, 55.3(May), 88-91. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/223155710/3A615602E7407BPQ/7?accountid=14656

http://inquiry-based.blogspot.ca. Accessed Jan. 19, 2015

http://eduwebinar.com.au/web-tools-to-support-inquiry-based-learning. Accessed Jan. 19, 2015

http://www.inquiry-based.com/teacher-resources.html. Accessed Jan. 19, 2015

Reading Review Blog Post #2

           

            I realized while browsing through sources after choosing to explore the topic of information literacy, the irony of having to essentially research “how to research.” As adults I think we often still struggle with being digitally literate, as our education took place in a much different time. Despite being rather early into my career and feeling rather up to speed on technology, I still often find myself learning as I teach while learning TO teach. Yet another example of how my second topic, inquiry based learning, is so intertwined. We will always learn as we go, and learn what we must!

            I did find several interesting resources on information literacy, however with the whole concept being such a buzzword lately, it was tricky sorting through what was helpful and what was not. One article, from the publication Library Hi Tech entitled “Participatory technologies, pedagogy 2.0 and information literacy,” by Meredith Farkas definitely reaffirmed to me the importance of the topic. She states, “The internet has made it possible for people to access information at the point of need, rendering the ability to find information more important than mastery of knowledge in any one area.” She goes on to discuss the impact this could and should have on the idea of formal education, similar to the viewpoints of Richardson in our class reading, “Why School?” Most interestingly she discusses the need for a Pedagogy 2.0, which describes a new learning environment in which the “community is the curriculum.” Again, concepts that are very intertwined with inquiry-based learning.

            Another journal, Feliciter had more than one useful and relevant articles in it’s May issue of 2009. One example, “Practising What We Preach: Information Literacy for Teacher-Librarians in the 21st Century,” by Jennifer Branch has concrete suggestions for improving our Web 2.0 skills such as Diigo, Delicious and Slideshare, and encourages the idea of learning along with our students. Another article in the same journal, “Our Information Literacy Heritage: From Evolution to Revolution,” by Cory Laverty, reviews how the idea of information literacy came about, how it has unfolded and where we need to head in the future. Embracing those ideas is this Wordle he created to illustrate. 

            The other topic I began to research was inquiry-based learning, particularly for primaries. As noted above, the correlation between these two topics is becoming more and more enmeshed. A great blog I found, http://inquiry-based.blogspot.ca/, demonstrated some excellent strategies for young children. The accompanying pictures made the projects easy to understand and replicate and using ideas that have been tried and tested by other teachers is always reassuring.

            Both http://eduwebinar.com.au/web-tools-to-support-inquiry-based-learning and http://www.inquiry-based.com/teacher-resources.html were excellent websites for teacher resources that support inquiry-based learning. The web tools page even organizes it’s tools into helpful categories such as explore/locate, identify/define and create/share, making it easy to pinpoint which tools will be most effective for your specific needs.

            And lastly I stumbled upon a great video in the UBC Library called “School Library Programs,” which actually stars my former colleagues from last year, which discusses BOTH information literacy and inquiry based learning in the library! It has some great ideas for primary research projects and a graphic novels unit, which combines student interests with effective research and Web 2.0 skills. 

http://guides.library.ubc.ca/inquirybasedlearning

           Luckily, in this age of information I found no shortage of helpful resources, analyzing which ones to use and how to do so effectively is precisely what I'm trying to learn :) 

References

Branch, J. (2009) Practising What We Preach: Information Literacy for Teacher-Librarians in the 21st Century. Feliciter, 55.3(May), 98-100. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/223158843/AE8042FB98A44B6PQ/10?accountid=14656 

Farkas, M. (2012). Participatory technologies, pedagogy 2.0 and information literacy. Library Hi Tech, 82-94. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/925975863?pq-origsite=summon

Laverty, C. (2009). Our Information Literacy Heritage: From Evolution to Revolution. Feliciter, 55.3(May), 88-91. Retrieved January 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/223155710/3A615602E7407BPQ/7?accountid=14656 

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school how education must change when learning and information are everywhere / Will Richardson. New York, NY: TED Conferences. 

School Library Programs. Retrieved Jan. 19, 2015 from http://guides.library.ubc.ca/inquirybasedlearning

 

 

 

 

 

Reading Review #1

This year I am at a new school, with a much more diverse group of learners than I've encountered at my previous schools. Our student population is more than 70% ESL and the needs of our students, particularly with regards to literacy,  are quite high. As an attempt to identify a baseline for learning and meet the students where they're at, during the beginning of a research project with a Grade 7 group recently, we deliberately neglected to discuss research strategies. Mostly, their classroom teacher and I just outlined the project and let them loose on computers. To my chagrin, but not much of a shock, many simply googled their topic, clicked the first link that came up, and either started writing things down, or even worse, cutting and pasting into their "notes". After a short time, we gathered them back together and began to have a discussion about evaluating resources, research strategies and critical literacy.

After hearing and seeing many of their strategies, I realized how important digital literacy has become. Our students are now bombarded with information, resources, applications and ideas without any idea of how to sort through them, think critically about them or use them efficiently and effectively. I think this is something I would like to focus on more during LIBE 477, specifically information and critical literacy. These are skills that we often still struggle with as adults, in both our careers and personal lives, and the earlier we can teach proficiency in them, the more students can focus on acquiring more valuable knowledge.

Another personal interest I would be keen to focus on would be inquiry based learning. The staff at my school has taken this on as a school community focus and I would like to acquire more resources and experience, so I can better assist them with their teaching goals.  Specifically, I'd like to learn more about how inquiry translates for  primary grades. With our intermediate students, it's often easier to give them free range of topics and mediums as they've experienced more and have more developed interests. Primary students I find often require a lot of guidance and I'm not quite sure how to facilitate the fine balance of inquiry along with direction.

Both these topics are very intriguing to me and I'm looking forward to being able to investigate and put into practice some new skills and resources!