One of the assignments that I will be working on throughout the semester is a collaborative unit project with another classmate in which one student takes on the role of teacher and another student takes on the role of a teacher librarian. The students then work together to create a unit that utilizes the skills and knowledge of both the classroom teacher and the school librarian. For my project, my partner, Nichole, will be taking on the teacher role since she is currently a high school social studies teacher and I will be taking on the teacher librarian role.
In this pre-planning stage of our collaboration, Nichole and I have discussed creating a unit that she could actually use with her high school students. This discussion led us to select Nichole's law class as the focus of our unit plan since this is her first time teaching the class and she could use new unit plans. In particular, Nichole suggested focusing the unit on court cases relating to the Bill of Rights. For example, the students could research a particular court case, analyze different points of view related to the case, and then present their position to the class.
I thought this sounded like a great idea and responded with questions about how I, the teacher librarian, might assist with the lesson. For example, I imagine I might be able to help students locate resources on their particular court case, cite their resources, and create presentations using Prezi or presentation zen techniques. I also mentioned that we should try to look at what standards, in particular, we wanted to cover in the lesson.
At the moment, I think Nichole and I are off to a good start. We have identified email and Facebook (we both use this site frequently) as our main means of communication and I have begun scouting out possible resources that I would use with the students. I'm a little worried because I'm not too familiar with law resources, but I think if I spend some time reviewing the legal resources available on the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL) website it will help me get a better understanding of what information is readily available.
In terms of past collaboration experiences, one mistake that I want to avoid is not clarifying exactly what the lesson objectives are at the beginning of the collaborative process. I think it is very easy to get distracted by other factors such as technology and forget the true focus of the lesson. To make sure I don't repeat this mistake, I will try to work with Nichole to nail down our lesson objectives early on and to refer back to those objectives frequently as we decide on other elements of the unit.
Finally, the next step in our project, I think, will be to gather our resources (standards, textbook, list of possible databases/websites) and chat online to flesh out our ideas of what exactly we want the students to do. From there, I think we will be ready to start dividing up responsibilities and preparing materials to put on the class wiki.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Week 3: Website Recommendation
Google for Educators
The Google for Educators website is a good place to visit if you are looking for tools, posters, and activities that relate to web searching or Google applications. (It would be especially useful for teachers at schools that have Google Apps for Education.) The site also has information on the Google Teacher Academy and hosts a teacher community page for teacher discussions.
Given the information and media literacy focus of our readings this week, there was one page within this site that I found particularly relevant and that was the Digital Literacy Tour page. Basically, this page provides a short curriculum for teachers to use when teaching digital literacy. This mini curriculum contains three workshops: Detecting Lies & Staying True, Playing and Staying Safe Online, Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks. Within each workshop, Google supplies a short animated video on the topic, an instructor's guidebook, a variety of student handouts, and a presentation to accompany the lesson. One nice aspect of these lessons is that they list which standards they address using the ALA Information Power Standards, the C3 Digital Literacy Skills, and the NETS. I also liked that the videos were short, simple, and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this site to anyone (especially those teaching elementary or middle school students) looking for ideas on how to teach a lesson on cybersafety or website evaluation.
The Google for Educators website is a good place to visit if you are looking for tools, posters, and activities that relate to web searching or Google applications. (It would be especially useful for teachers at schools that have Google Apps for Education.) The site also has information on the Google Teacher Academy and hosts a teacher community page for teacher discussions.
Given the information and media literacy focus of our readings this week, there was one page within this site that I found particularly relevant and that was the Digital Literacy Tour page. Basically, this page provides a short curriculum for teachers to use when teaching digital literacy. This mini curriculum contains three workshops: Detecting Lies & Staying True, Playing and Staying Safe Online, Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks. Within each workshop, Google supplies a short animated video on the topic, an instructor's guidebook, a variety of student handouts, and a presentation to accompany the lesson. One nice aspect of these lessons is that they list which standards they address using the ALA Information Power Standards, the C3 Digital Literacy Skills, and the NETS. I also liked that the videos were short, simple, and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this site to anyone (especially those teaching elementary or middle school students) looking for ideas on how to teach a lesson on cybersafety or website evaluation.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Week 3: Media and Information Literacy
Callison, D. and Preddy, L. (2006). The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.
This week our class readings dealt with 21st century learners and literacies. The reading I selected to read was a chapter from Callison and Preddy's book titled "Information Literacy, Media Literacy, and Information Fluency." Within the chapter, the authors define each concept and provide practical ways to teach it, which I found very useful because I have to admit there are so many buzzwords related to literacy today that they all seem to be merging together in my brain.
This week our class readings dealt with 21st century learners and literacies. The reading I selected to read was a chapter from Callison and Preddy's book titled "Information Literacy, Media Literacy, and Information Fluency." Within the chapter, the authors define each concept and provide practical ways to teach it, which I found very useful because I have to admit there are so many buzzwords related to literacy today that they all seem to be merging together in my brain.
Of all of the concepts discussed in this chapter, what struck me the most was probably the section on media literacy. In particular, I liked the author's inclusion of the Ontario Ministry of Education's 1989 description of what a media literate person should know. In this description, the first bullet point stated the following:
"All media are constructs. Although media appear to be a natural reflection of reality, rather they are a carefully constructed presentation of reality that reflects an intended message or point of view." (Callison & Preddy 2006)
When I read this description, I immediately thought of what happened just this past summer with the whole Shirley Sherrod fiasco in which government officials essentially fired or encouraged Shirley to step down from her position within the Department of Agriculture due to a video that was edited to make her appear unwilling to assist white farmers. I wonder if the people responsible for her resignation ever had someone, such as a school librarian, teach them about media literacy during their education?
Clearly, a lack of understanding about media and information literacy is a problem today for people of all ages, but unfortunately it is a concept that it isn't receiving much attention in schools. According to Callison and Preddy, "A few more aggressive schools, often in an 'alternative' setting, have pushed media and information literacy to the forefront of the curriculum rather than see these literacies as add-ons. " I know that when I was teaching, I certainly did not make time for these literacies mostly because I was unaware of them and because I was too busy focusing on my own curriculum. As a school librarian, I will definitely have to make a point of educating my staff and working these literacies into the school curriculum.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Week 2: Thoughts on Critical Inquiry
Johnson, K. K. (2007). Critical inquiry: Library media specialists as change agents. School Library Monthly, 23(9), 42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237137765?accountid=14925
In this article, the author discusses how school librarians, with their unique role as supporters of the school curriculum, have the ability to practice critical inquiry. According to the author, critical inquiry involves the school librarian encouraging students to take inquiry to another level by asking them to consider the social and cultural issues surrounding their topic. Simply put, it means teaching students to question their questions. From there, the school librarian may even be able to help students identify possible solutions and take steps towards achieving them thereby acting as an agent of change. Finally, the author asserts that by becoming change agents school librarians will make themselves more valuable in the eyes of the school community.
One of the aspects of this approach to inquiry that I particularly like is the idea that we need to shift our thinking towards students. Rather than viewing them as passive receivers of information, this approach calls on students to be active participants and for the school librarian to more of a facilitator of learning. As Johnson puts it, “Instead of thinking of students strictly as receivers of information, students become teachers who are capable of raising important questions and investigating real life concerns and, in turn, educate their community.” (Johnson 2007) This view is in alignment with what I consider to be 21st century learning and, as 21st century librarians, it is a view I feel we should support whenever possible if we are to remain necessary within schools.
On the downside, I fear this type of inquiry would be difficult to implement in schools at present. Most of the teachers I work with feel overwhelmed with the number of standards they are required to teach and pressured to make sure their students do well on standardized tests. While lessons involving critical inquiry would be great, they also appear to be time consuming and few teachers are willing to lose out on time that could be spent covering their own curriculum. That being said, I could see some schools, particularly high schools where students sometimes have more room in their schedules for electives, instituting a graduating requirement or senior seminar class that required students to select and work on an individual project aimed at improving some aspect of their community. A school librarian could be very instrumental in helping students in such a class practice the type of critical inquiry proposed in this article.
In this article, the author discusses how school librarians, with their unique role as supporters of the school curriculum, have the ability to practice critical inquiry. According to the author, critical inquiry involves the school librarian encouraging students to take inquiry to another level by asking them to consider the social and cultural issues surrounding their topic. Simply put, it means teaching students to question their questions. From there, the school librarian may even be able to help students identify possible solutions and take steps towards achieving them thereby acting as an agent of change. Finally, the author asserts that by becoming change agents school librarians will make themselves more valuable in the eyes of the school community.
One of the aspects of this approach to inquiry that I particularly like is the idea that we need to shift our thinking towards students. Rather than viewing them as passive receivers of information, this approach calls on students to be active participants and for the school librarian to more of a facilitator of learning. As Johnson puts it, “Instead of thinking of students strictly as receivers of information, students become teachers who are capable of raising important questions and investigating real life concerns and, in turn, educate their community.” (Johnson 2007) This view is in alignment with what I consider to be 21st century learning and, as 21st century librarians, it is a view I feel we should support whenever possible if we are to remain necessary within schools.
On the downside, I fear this type of inquiry would be difficult to implement in schools at present. Most of the teachers I work with feel overwhelmed with the number of standards they are required to teach and pressured to make sure their students do well on standardized tests. While lessons involving critical inquiry would be great, they also appear to be time consuming and few teachers are willing to lose out on time that could be spent covering their own curriculum. That being said, I could see some schools, particularly high schools where students sometimes have more room in their schedules for electives, instituting a graduating requirement or senior seminar class that required students to select and work on an individual project aimed at improving some aspect of their community. A school librarian could be very instrumental in helping students in such a class practice the type of critical inquiry proposed in this article.
Week 2: Website Recommendation
New Tools Workshop Wiki
This wiki on new tools for school librarians was put together by Joyce Valenza, a school library media specialist in Pennsylvania and author of the NeverEndingSearch blog. The number of great resources in this one wiki is amazing, almost to the point that it is overwhelming. Examples of some of the resources that can be found here include explanations and/or links related to QR codes, Twitter, iphone apps, digital storytelling, screen capture, Skype and many more. If you are ever want to experiment with some new technology, this is definitely a great place to start.
In terms of our readings for this week, this wiki is a good fit because it reflects how the role of the school librarian has changed in terms of technology. In the past, the school librarian might have been called on to fix technology problems. Today, while some fixing still does occur, the school librarian's main technology focus is how to use technology to improve library services and classroom instruction.
Lastly, one of my favorite pages within this wiki is the page titled, "You Know You're a 21st Century Librarian If...". Basically, Valenza has created a manifesto for current and future librarians that elaborates just what a 21st century school librarian should look like and it seems to reinforce most of what we read this past week. I know this is the kind of librarian I want to be and when potential employers ask about my philosophy of teaching I will definitely be pointing them to this website.
Week 2: The Instructional Role of the Library Media Specialist
Hello again! This week the focus of my posts will be on the role of the library media specialist. To examine this role, I have selected two readings from our course folder that I will reflect upon. Today I will be discussing a chapter titled “Foundations of the Library Media Specialist’s Instructional Role” from Callison and Preddy’s book The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy.
In this chapter, the authors describe how the role of the library media specialist has developed and changed over the years. One section of the chapter, in particular, caught my attention and that was the one that discussed Kathleen Craver’s 1986 literature review on change in the instructional role of media specialists. According to Callison and Preddy (2006), Craver believed that it would take two to three decades before the instructional role of media specialists envisioned in what was then the latest standards would be visible in actual practice - meaning they should be visible today. Callison and Preddy, affirm this belief by writing, “While one can find excellent examples of school media specialists who have given tremendous amounts of time and energy to retooling for the challenges of the Information Age, the full evolution to instructional media specialist over the next decade rests more with attitudes and skills held by those who are entering the schools as teachers of library media and information technologies now.” (2006 Callison, p. 137)
As a student, who that recently entered a school to become a school library media specialist, I must say that this is both an exciting and frightening time to be entering the library profession. It is exciting in the sense that the way we read and access information is changing dramatically. Overall, I think these changes can be good for libraries, but here’s the scary part: it means changing our conceptions of reading, education, school libraries, and media specialists. And that’s a lot to change. What also worries me is the lack of new media specialists in schools today due to the recent economic downturn or the failure of school administrators to see the value of library media specialists. Bringing about Craver’s “full evolution” appears difficult when many schools are not hiring certified media specialists and therefore fewer students are pursuing the degree.
I am not without hope, however, and agree with Callison and Preddy’s recipe for change. They believe, “Fresh ideas, combined with new technology skills and successful teaching experiences seem to be the right mix, but the next decade is critical to the long-range future of those who want to expand the role of the school library media specialist as a teacher of information literacy.” (2006 Callison & Preddy, p. 137) There are definitely some great media specialists in the field right now that are, I believe, nudging the profession in the right direction. Hopefully, my generation of school librarians does have the right “mix” and will continue to promoting this updated role, but I also think that a lot will depend on how well we can convince other educational stakeholders of this change. It does us little good if we are the only ones aware of this change.
Callison, D. and Preddy, L. (2006). The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.
In this chapter, the authors describe how the role of the library media specialist has developed and changed over the years. One section of the chapter, in particular, caught my attention and that was the one that discussed Kathleen Craver’s 1986 literature review on change in the instructional role of media specialists. According to Callison and Preddy (2006), Craver believed that it would take two to three decades before the instructional role of media specialists envisioned in what was then the latest standards would be visible in actual practice - meaning they should be visible today. Callison and Preddy, affirm this belief by writing, “While one can find excellent examples of school media specialists who have given tremendous amounts of time and energy to retooling for the challenges of the Information Age, the full evolution to instructional media specialist over the next decade rests more with attitudes and skills held by those who are entering the schools as teachers of library media and information technologies now.” (2006 Callison, p. 137)
As a student, who that recently entered a school to become a school library media specialist, I must say that this is both an exciting and frightening time to be entering the library profession. It is exciting in the sense that the way we read and access information is changing dramatically. Overall, I think these changes can be good for libraries, but here’s the scary part: it means changing our conceptions of reading, education, school libraries, and media specialists. And that’s a lot to change. What also worries me is the lack of new media specialists in schools today due to the recent economic downturn or the failure of school administrators to see the value of library media specialists. Bringing about Craver’s “full evolution” appears difficult when many schools are not hiring certified media specialists and therefore fewer students are pursuing the degree.
I am not without hope, however, and agree with Callison and Preddy’s recipe for change. They believe, “Fresh ideas, combined with new technology skills and successful teaching experiences seem to be the right mix, but the next decade is critical to the long-range future of those who want to expand the role of the school library media specialist as a teacher of information literacy.” (2006 Callison & Preddy, p. 137) There are definitely some great media specialists in the field right now that are, I believe, nudging the profession in the right direction. Hopefully, my generation of school librarians does have the right “mix” and will continue to promoting this updated role, but I also think that a lot will depend on how well we can convince other educational stakeholders of this change. It does us little good if we are the only ones aware of this change.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Hello World!
My name is Mari and welcome to my blog "BiblioTECHaria." Now you might be wondering..."What kind of title is that? Well, it was actually my husband's idea. You see, I taught high school Spanish for several years before deciding that what I really wanted to do with my life was work as a school librarian. So I enrolled in the Library Science program at Wayne State University and here I am nearly two years later. The word "bibliotecario/a" is the Spanish word for "librarian." My husband, who happens to be an English teacher and good at coming up with witty sayings, suggested I add the "h" to form the word "tech" inside the original word and the idea grew on me. What I like about "BiblioTECHaria" is that it represents my transition from a Spanish teacher to a school librarian and my view of what a school librarian's role in a school should be, which is someone with expertise in teaching, information literacy, youth/young adult literature, and technology. (More on the role of the school librarians to follow later.)
So, why I am blogging? Well, the main reason is that it is required as part of a class I'm taking - LIS 7320: The Media Specialist as Teacher and Instructional Consultant. Aside from the fact that it's a requirement, I do believe reflection is an important part of being a good teacher and I am interested in becoming a more active participant in professional conversations regarding school libraries.
So, what will you find in this blog? Primarily, I will be writing weekly blog posts in response to class readings, but I will also be including some posts on how my collaborative unit project is progressing. (This is a unit I will be doing with another class member and will simulate the process of a school librarian and classroom teacher working together.) Additionally, I will be posting evaluations of websites that relate to topics we are discussing in class.
Lastly, I want to make it clear to everyone that I am a novice blogger. Although I read many blogs, this is my first attempt at blogging and I will definitely be learning as I go. As such, I will gladly welcome any suggestions/comments on how to improve my blog.
So, thanks for visiting and stay tuned for more posts!
So, why I am blogging? Well, the main reason is that it is required as part of a class I'm taking - LIS 7320: The Media Specialist as Teacher and Instructional Consultant. Aside from the fact that it's a requirement, I do believe reflection is an important part of being a good teacher and I am interested in becoming a more active participant in professional conversations regarding school libraries.
So, what will you find in this blog? Primarily, I will be writing weekly blog posts in response to class readings, but I will also be including some posts on how my collaborative unit project is progressing. (This is a unit I will be doing with another class member and will simulate the process of a school librarian and classroom teacher working together.) Additionally, I will be posting evaluations of websites that relate to topics we are discussing in class.
Lastly, I want to make it clear to everyone that I am a novice blogger. Although I read many blogs, this is my first attempt at blogging and I will definitely be learning as I go. As such, I will gladly welcome any suggestions/comments on how to improve my blog.
So, thanks for visiting and stay tuned for more posts!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)