Channel Nine have a wonderful programme on Sunday Afternoons at 4.30pm called "The Pursuit".
Three teams are given a navigational task around a city in Australia.
Last week's episode was based in Sydney. The teams were given clues and DSis which assisted them to navigate around the city. Along the way they had to perform certain tasks on a Wii (for example, catching a fish using a Wii on the wall at the Fish Markets and completing an art jigsaw puzzle using a Wii on the wall at the Sydney Art Gallery and then finding that particular Art work in the Gallery). They were not able to proceed until they had completed each task. The clues were quite criptic. It involved Problem solving, critical thinking skills, navigational skills, hand-eye coordination and much more (catering for all types of learners).
I would love to implement a challenge like this in my Library one day to really excite the kids about learning perhaps using clues from different books and the children have to navigate themselves around the library!
This week's episode is based in Melbourne.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
A wonderful Reading Blog
I have just been advised of a wonderful Reading Blog from Whitefriars College:
http://readingnow.wordpress.com/
Students have written fantastic book reviews on Fiction/Novels that they have enjoyed reading lately.
Well worth a look.
http://readingnow.wordpress.com/
Students have written fantastic book reviews on Fiction/Novels that they have enjoyed reading lately.
Well worth a look.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Technology is coming with age - Skype
My husband, Shayne, recently went on a business trip and stopped at McDonalds in Cooma to have lunch and read the newspaper. He glanced over to a couple and smiled. He noticed that they were laughing and chatting away to their computer.
When they had finished he introduced himself. The couple smiled and said they were from Alberta in Canada and they had been talking to their kids... using Skype.
Shayne was in shock. Why, you might ask? It is true, more and more people are using Skype these days as an effective means of communication..... the couple were in their 70's!!!!!! Talk about keeping up with the times!
Shayne and I haven't mastered Skype yet. Lol.
When they had finished he introduced himself. The couple smiled and said they were from Alberta in Canada and they had been talking to their kids... using Skype.
Shayne was in shock. Why, you might ask? It is true, more and more people are using Skype these days as an effective means of communication..... the couple were in their 70's!!!!!! Talk about keeping up with the times!
Shayne and I haven't mastered Skype yet. Lol.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wiki for TLs looking for work
A Wiki for Teacher Librarians looking for work, what a wonderful idea.
Details on the http://school-library-casual-and-relief.wikispaces.com
Details on the http://school-library-casual-and-relief.wikispaces.com
New Website with lesson plans for Australian Primary Schools.
A Website with heaps of lesson plans for Junior Primary classes.May be used with IwB or not.
Whiteboards, Interactive resources and Learning Inquiries for Teachers K-3.
Playboxes, Web links, Photo gallery, Inquiry Learning,Themes and Resources and more....
Great for new and experienced teachers!
You can become a member and receive a year's free subscription.
Free Theme Resources include:
* Pandas & Bears
* Antartica
* From Farm to Table
* The Solar System.
Whiteboards, Interactive resources and Learning Inquiries for Teachers K-3.
Playboxes, Web links, Photo gallery, Inquiry Learning,Themes and Resources and more....
Great for new and experienced teachers!
You can become a member and receive a year's free subscription.
Free Theme Resources include:
* Pandas & Bears
* Antartica
* From Farm to Table
* The Solar System.
2 New Search Engines: Tineye and Bingle
Here's two newish search engines as suggested on OZTLnet Vol 68 Issue 55 which may be of interest, Bingle & TinEye.
--
Bingle:
http://bingle.nu
Delivers search results from Bing and Google, side-by-side.
--
TinEye:
http://tineye.com
TinEye is a reverse image search engine. You can submit an image to TinEye to find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or to find higher resolution versions. To date, TinEye has indexed 1,138,247,507 images from the web.
Registration is not required to use TinEye, but registration is free and offers benefits. For example, registered users of TinEye can visit their History page to see all of their past TinEye search images, including the date, time and number of results for each search ..
--
Bingle:
http://bingle.nu
Delivers search results from Bing and Google, side-by-side.
--
TinEye:
http://tineye.com
TinEye is a reverse image search engine. You can submit an image to TinEye to find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or to find higher resolution versions. To date, TinEye has indexed 1,138,247,507 images from the web.
Registration is not required to use TinEye, but registration is free and offers benefits. For example, registered users of TinEye can visit their History page to see all of their past TinEye search images, including the date, time and number of results for each search ..
Wilson Reading ETL 525
Wilson (2005) doesn't believe that Knowledge management exists in organisations today only Information Management.
Wilson agrees that KM has a focus in ensuring the effective application of what is known in the organisation to secure its' development and survival... "no management of knowledge takes place because the knowledge is embodied in people. All that can be done is to try to manage the organisation in ways that ensure that learning and skills development are encouraged and that the culture supports information sharing." He states that these are major tasks that are certainly outside Information Management.
Wilson agrees that KM has a focus in ensuring the effective application of what is known in the organisation to secure its' development and survival... "no management of knowledge takes place because the knowledge is embodied in people. All that can be done is to try to manage the organisation in ways that ensure that learning and skills development are encouraged and that the culture supports information sharing." He states that these are major tasks that are certainly outside Information Management.
Dalkir Reading KM-525
The ability to manage Knowledge is becomming even more crucial in today's knowledge economy. More and more Knowledge is being regarded as a valuable commodity that is embedded in products (especially high -tech products) and in the tacit knowledge of highly mobile employees.
An organisation in the Knowledge age is one that learns, remembers and acts based on the best available, information, knowledge and know-how.
Organisational knowledge is not meant to replace individual knowledge but rather complement it by making it stronger, more coherent, and more broadly applicative.
KM solutions have proven to be most successful in the capture, storage and subsequent dissemination of knowledge that has been rendered explicit - particularly lessons learned and best practices. (Would this include the Dewey system in a Library?)
ICM (Intellectual Capital Management)- those pieces of knowledge that are of business value to the organisation - referred to as Intellectual Capital or Assets: the majority consist of know-how, know-why, experience and expertise that tend to reside with the head or a few employees. ICM is characterised by less content and only the best are inventoried.
A good definition of KM - involves the capturing & storing of the Knowledge perspective, together with the valuing of intellectual assets: "The deliberate and systematic coordination of an organisation's people, technology, processes and organisational structure in order to add value through reuse and innovation. This coordination is achieved through creating, sharing and applying knowledge as well as through feeding the valuable lessons learned and the best practices into corporate memory in order foster continued organisational learning".
Some typical KM objectives:
* Facilitate smooth transitions between retiring employees and their predecessors.
* Minimise corporate memory loss due to retirement and attrition.
* Identify critical resources and areas of knowledge so that coproration "knows what it knows - and does it well - and why."
* Build up a toolkit of methods that can be used with individuals, with groups, and with the organisation to stem the potential loss of intellectual capital.
Knowledge from the cognitive science or knowledge science perspective:
Insights, understandings and practical know-hows. The principal factor that makes personal, organisational and societal intelligent behaviour possible.
The Process/Technology perspective:
KM- information is turned into actionable knowledge and made available effortlessly in a useable form to the people who can apply it. A continuous flow of knowledge to the right people at the right time enabling efficient and effective decision making in their everyday business.
Wiig(1983) emphasises KM assets and processes.
Multidisciplinary Nature of KM:
* Draws upon a vast number of fields (eg. storytelling, education & training, cognitive science, etc.) this presents some challenges with repect to boundaries:
1. KM deals with information and knowledge.
2. KM deals with knowledge in all its forms (explicit and tacit).
3. KM begins with a needs analysis not an audit of resources.
Why KM is important today?
* Globalisation of business.
* We are doing more and doing it faster.
* We are more mobile in the workforce.
* We are more connected due to advances in technology. today's expectation is that one is "on" all the time. KM is 1 response in trying to manage this overloaded work environment.
* Snowden (2002): we are now entering the 3rd generation of KM one devoted to context, Narrative and content management. This 3rd generation brought about the shared context (eg. social networking sites).
KM for Individuals, Communities & Organisations:
Individuals - helps people do their jobs and save time through effective and effecient decision making and problem solving, builds a sense of community within an organisation, helps people to keep up-to-date, provides challenges an opportunities to contribute.
Communities - develops professional skills, promotes peer mentoring, facilitate more effective networking and collaboration,develops a professional code of ethics that members can follow, develops a common language.
Organisations - helps drive strategy, solves problems quickly, diffuses best practices, improves knowledge embedded in products and services,cross fertilisers ideas and increases opportunity for innovation, enables organisation to stay ahead of the competition better, builds organisational memory.
Some critical KM challenges:
* Manage content effectively
* Facilitate collaboration
* Help knowledge workers connect and find experts
* Help the organisation to learn and make decisions based on complete, valid and well interpreted data, information and knowledge.
KM generations: Containers, communities, content.
An organisation in the Knowledge age is one that learns, remembers and acts based on the best available, information, knowledge and know-how.
Organisational knowledge is not meant to replace individual knowledge but rather complement it by making it stronger, more coherent, and more broadly applicative.
KM solutions have proven to be most successful in the capture, storage and subsequent dissemination of knowledge that has been rendered explicit - particularly lessons learned and best practices. (Would this include the Dewey system in a Library?)
ICM (Intellectual Capital Management)- those pieces of knowledge that are of business value to the organisation - referred to as Intellectual Capital or Assets: the majority consist of know-how, know-why, experience and expertise that tend to reside with the head or a few employees. ICM is characterised by less content and only the best are inventoried.
A good definition of KM - involves the capturing & storing of the Knowledge perspective, together with the valuing of intellectual assets: "The deliberate and systematic coordination of an organisation's people, technology, processes and organisational structure in order to add value through reuse and innovation. This coordination is achieved through creating, sharing and applying knowledge as well as through feeding the valuable lessons learned and the best practices into corporate memory in order foster continued organisational learning".
Some typical KM objectives:
* Facilitate smooth transitions between retiring employees and their predecessors.
* Minimise corporate memory loss due to retirement and attrition.
* Identify critical resources and areas of knowledge so that coproration "knows what it knows - and does it well - and why."
* Build up a toolkit of methods that can be used with individuals, with groups, and with the organisation to stem the potential loss of intellectual capital.
Knowledge from the cognitive science or knowledge science perspective:
Insights, understandings and practical know-hows. The principal factor that makes personal, organisational and societal intelligent behaviour possible.
The Process/Technology perspective:
KM- information is turned into actionable knowledge and made available effortlessly in a useable form to the people who can apply it. A continuous flow of knowledge to the right people at the right time enabling efficient and effective decision making in their everyday business.
Wiig(1983) emphasises KM assets and processes.
Multidisciplinary Nature of KM:
* Draws upon a vast number of fields (eg. storytelling, education & training, cognitive science, etc.) this presents some challenges with repect to boundaries:
1. KM deals with information and knowledge.
2. KM deals with knowledge in all its forms (explicit and tacit).
3. KM begins with a needs analysis not an audit of resources.
Why KM is important today?
* Globalisation of business.
* We are doing more and doing it faster.
* We are more mobile in the workforce.
* We are more connected due to advances in technology. today's expectation is that one is "on" all the time. KM is 1 response in trying to manage this overloaded work environment.
* Snowden (2002): we are now entering the 3rd generation of KM one devoted to context, Narrative and content management. This 3rd generation brought about the shared context (eg. social networking sites).
KM for Individuals, Communities & Organisations:
Individuals - helps people do their jobs and save time through effective and effecient decision making and problem solving, builds a sense of community within an organisation, helps people to keep up-to-date, provides challenges an opportunities to contribute.
Communities - develops professional skills, promotes peer mentoring, facilitate more effective networking and collaboration,develops a professional code of ethics that members can follow, develops a common language.
Organisations - helps drive strategy, solves problems quickly, diffuses best practices, improves knowledge embedded in products and services,cross fertilisers ideas and increases opportunity for innovation, enables organisation to stay ahead of the competition better, builds organisational memory.
Some critical KM challenges:
* Manage content effectively
* Facilitate collaboration
* Help knowledge workers connect and find experts
* Help the organisation to learn and make decisions based on complete, valid and well interpreted data, information and knowledge.
KM generations: Containers, communities, content.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Knowledge - D.Hislop 2005
The objectivist perspective on Knowledge:
Data: raw numbers, images, sounds, words derived from observation or measurement.
Information: represents data in a meaningful pattern, data where some intellectual input has been added.
Knowledge: emerges from the apllication, analysis and productive use of data and/or information. Data or information where another layer of intellectual analysis has been added, where it is interpreted, meaning is attached, structured/linked with existing systems of beliefs and bodies of knowledge.
Knowledge provides the means to analyse, understand data & Information, provides beliefs about the casualty of events/actions and the basis to guide meaningful action/thought.
The knowledge we possess shapes the data/information we collect and the way it is analysed.
The objectivist character of Knowledge:
* Knowledge is an entity/ object: people may posess knowledge but it can exsist independently.eg. a text-based manual whether in print, Cd, or on the web.
* Based on positivist philosophy - knowledge regarded as objective (facts): It is possible to develop a type of knowledge that is free from individual subjectivity.Knowledge is seen as equivalent to scientific laws and facts that are consistent across cultures and time.
* Explicit knowledge (objective) privileged over tacit knowledge (subjective): Explicit knowledge can be expressed in a systematic and formal language where as tacit knowledge is highly personal (insights, intuitions, hunches).
* Knowledge is derived from an intellectual process: Primarily a cognitive process.
Polarised dichotomy of the work of Michael Polanyi (1958, 1983):
Explicit Knowledge:
* codifiable
* objective
* impersonal
* context independent
* easy to share
Tacit Knowledge:
* inexpressible in a codifiable form
* Subjective
* Personal
* Context specific
* Difficult to share
Splender (1996) applied this to groups:
Explicit: Individual- Conscious, Group - Objectified
Tacit: Individual - Automatic, Group - Collective
Knowledge Management Process - (eg. creating a pathfinder)
1. Starting point, codifying relevant knowledge : converting tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. Identifying what knowledge is relevant and making it explicit (eg. brainstorming for a concept map at the beginning of a topic).
2. Collecting all of the codified knowledge together then structuring it in an easily accessible way making it easily accessible to others (CATEGORISED, INDEXED & CROSS REFERENCED).
3. Making this knowledge available for all potential users.
Technology plays a vital role in every step of the Knowledge Management process.
Data: raw numbers, images, sounds, words derived from observation or measurement.
Information: represents data in a meaningful pattern, data where some intellectual input has been added.
Knowledge: emerges from the apllication, analysis and productive use of data and/or information. Data or information where another layer of intellectual analysis has been added, where it is interpreted, meaning is attached, structured/linked with existing systems of beliefs and bodies of knowledge.
Knowledge provides the means to analyse, understand data & Information, provides beliefs about the casualty of events/actions and the basis to guide meaningful action/thought.
The knowledge we possess shapes the data/information we collect and the way it is analysed.
The objectivist character of Knowledge:
* Knowledge is an entity/ object: people may posess knowledge but it can exsist independently.eg. a text-based manual whether in print, Cd, or on the web.
* Based on positivist philosophy - knowledge regarded as objective (facts): It is possible to develop a type of knowledge that is free from individual subjectivity.Knowledge is seen as equivalent to scientific laws and facts that are consistent across cultures and time.
* Explicit knowledge (objective) privileged over tacit knowledge (subjective): Explicit knowledge can be expressed in a systematic and formal language where as tacit knowledge is highly personal (insights, intuitions, hunches).
* Knowledge is derived from an intellectual process: Primarily a cognitive process.
Polarised dichotomy of the work of Michael Polanyi (1958, 1983):
Explicit Knowledge:
* codifiable
* objective
* impersonal
* context independent
* easy to share
Tacit Knowledge:
* inexpressible in a codifiable form
* Subjective
* Personal
* Context specific
* Difficult to share
Splender (1996) applied this to groups:
Explicit: Individual- Conscious, Group - Objectified
Tacit: Individual - Automatic, Group - Collective
Knowledge Management Process - (eg. creating a pathfinder)
1. Starting point, codifying relevant knowledge : converting tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. Identifying what knowledge is relevant and making it explicit (eg. brainstorming for a concept map at the beginning of a topic).
2. Collecting all of the codified knowledge together then structuring it in an easily accessible way making it easily accessible to others (CATEGORISED, INDEXED & CROSS REFERENCED).
3. Making this knowledge available for all potential users.
Technology plays a vital role in every step of the Knowledge Management process.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Web 2.O Tools and kids
Anything with bright colours my kids and I enjoy! Last night before bed I let them play around with Glitter Graphics Text Generator, they had a ball.
There has been alot of discussion on OZTLnet about the use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, Twitter and Facebook because of the amount of Cyber-bullying. I am well cautioned with my own kids and will only let them online with me viewing every step. Security with passwords and not revealing too much personal information seems to be the key.
I have noticed particularly on Facebook how much information teenagers these days give out to everyone about themselves and the photos that they are willing to share with others. It is quite alarming. I really don't believe that they are aware of the dangers out there and this needs to be addressed when teaching online skills.
There has been alot of discussion on OZTLnet about the use of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, Twitter and Facebook because of the amount of Cyber-bullying. I am well cautioned with my own kids and will only let them online with me viewing every step. Security with passwords and not revealing too much personal information seems to be the key.
I have noticed particularly on Facebook how much information teenagers these days give out to everyone about themselves and the photos that they are willing to share with others. It is quite alarming. I really don't believe that they are aware of the dangers out there and this needs to be addressed when teaching online skills.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wikis
I must say I am enjoying using Wikispaces to create my wiki.
Today I have learned how to add Widgets and alter the entire presentaion of the wiki.
I have found Wikispaces very user friendly. I would like to have a greater variety in templates as I enjoy colour and pictures.
Today I have learned how to add Widgets and alter the entire presentaion of the wiki.
I have found Wikispaces very user friendly. I would like to have a greater variety in templates as I enjoy colour and pictures.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A list of helpful Reading sites recommended on OZTLnet today.
Here is the list of reading sites recommended by Pat Moore [pat.moore@ntschools.net] on OZTLnet Volume 69 today.
http://www.storylineonline.net.
http://www.rif.org/kids/leadingtoreading/en/preschoolers/read.htm
http://www.ziggityzoom.com/stories.php
www.starfall.com
Try using the Copacabana Public School get smart site that is leveled into stage 1 , 2 and 3 with subject headings. They are suitable for use on a IWB. The link is http://www.copacabana-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/Get_Smart_Pages/Get_Smart.htm
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm
http://blog.teqsmart.org/2009/05/story-time-with-really-big-books/
http://wetellstories.co.uk/stories/week3/
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/index.shtml
http://www.biguniverse.com/
http://storylineonline.net/
http://www.outpost221.com/pugwash/pugwash.htm
www.tumblebooks.com
http://www.grimmfairytales.com/en/main
http://classicfairytales.com/en/main
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/
http://www.sac.sa.edu.au/Library/Library/Primary/literacy/fairytales.htm
http://www.kidsites.com/sites-fun/stories.htm
http://www.storylineonline.net.
http://www.rif.org/kids/leadingtoreading/en/preschoolers/read.htm
http://www.ziggityzoom.com/stories.php
www.starfall.com
Try using the Copacabana Public School get smart site that is leveled into stage 1 , 2 and 3 with subject headings. They are suitable for use on a IWB. The link is http://www.copacabana-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/Get_Smart_Pages/Get_Smart.htm
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm
http://blog.teqsmart.org/2009/05/story-time-with-really-big-books/
http://wetellstories.co.uk/stories/week3/
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/index.shtml
http://www.biguniverse.com/
http://storylineonline.net/
http://www.outpost221.com/pugwash/pugwash.htm
www.tumblebooks.com
http://www.grimmfairytales.com/en/main
http://classicfairytales.com/en/main
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/
http://www.sac.sa.edu.au/Library/Library/Primary/literacy/fairytales.htm
http://www.kidsites.com/sites-fun/stories.htm
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Children's Search Engines
Major Children's Guides & Directories
The kid-safe directories below use human beings to filter out sites that might be considered objectionable for viewing by children.
Ask Jeeves For Kids
http://www.ajkids.com/
Ask Jeeves is a unique service where you enter a question, and Ask Jeeves tries to point you to the right web page that provides an answer. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, answers have been vetted for appropriateness. Also, if Ask Jeeves cannot answer a question, it pulls results from various search engines in its metacrawler mode. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, no site that is on the CyberPatrol block list is supposed to be listed.
KidsClick!
http://www.kidsclick.org/
Backed by librarians, KidsClick lists about 5,000 web sites in various categories.
Other Children's Search Engines
ALA Great Web Site for Kids
http://www.ala.org/greatsites
An organized directory of sites selected by members of the American Library Association using rigorous evaluation guidelines to assure high quality content, authority and "strength of character."
Awesome Library
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
Over 14,000 sites have been classified into a directory, specifically organized for teachers, students and parents. Information can be found by browsing or searching.
Diddabdoo
http://www.dibdabdoo.com/
Billed as an ad free, non-commercial directory of web sites designed for child-safe searching.
Education World
http://www.education-world.com/
Over 500,000 sites of interest to educators. Browsable or searchable, with the ability to narrow in by appropriate grade level. Launched in spring 1996.
Fact Monster
http://www.factmonster.com/
Reference provider Information Please produces this site which provides facts and information oriented around the needs of children.
Family Source
http://www.family-source.com/
This focused crawler-based service has indexed nearly 1 million kid-friendly URLs.
FirstGov for Kids
http://www.kids.gov/
From the U.S. Federal Citizen Information Center, this directory provides links to government-related kids' sites along with some of the best kids' sites from other organizations, grouped by subject.
Kids Search Tools
http://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm
Search a variety of kid-safe search engines from a single page.
SearchEdu.com
http://www.searchedu.com/
Index of pages built by crawling education web sites.
Teach-nology.com
http://www.teach-nology.com/
Directory of web sites for teachers and educators.
TekMom's Search Tools for Students
http://www.tekmom.com/search/
All-in-one search page for kid search sites and research resources.
ThinkQuest Library
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/
A free educational resource featuring 5,500+ websites created by students around the world as part of a competition.
Related Articles
Knock, Knock -- Yahooligans! There
eMarketer, May 16, 2003
http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1002239
Yahooligans, Yahoo's web property for children, says its third most popular feature is its human-edited list of kid-safe web sites.
Sites help kids learn how to use Internet for research
San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 20, 2002
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4567315.htm
The kid-safe directories below use human beings to filter out sites that might be considered objectionable for viewing by children.
Ask Jeeves For Kids
http://www.ajkids.com/
Ask Jeeves is a unique service where you enter a question, and Ask Jeeves tries to point you to the right web page that provides an answer. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, answers have been vetted for appropriateness. Also, if Ask Jeeves cannot answer a question, it pulls results from various search engines in its metacrawler mode. At Ask Jeeves For Kids, no site that is on the CyberPatrol block list is supposed to be listed.
KidsClick!
http://www.kidsclick.org/
Backed by librarians, KidsClick lists about 5,000 web sites in various categories.
Other Children's Search Engines
ALA Great Web Site for Kids
http://www.ala.org/greatsites
An organized directory of sites selected by members of the American Library Association using rigorous evaluation guidelines to assure high quality content, authority and "strength of character."
Awesome Library
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
Over 14,000 sites have been classified into a directory, specifically organized for teachers, students and parents. Information can be found by browsing or searching.
Diddabdoo
http://www.dibdabdoo.com/
Billed as an ad free, non-commercial directory of web sites designed for child-safe searching.
Education World
http://www.education-world.com/
Over 500,000 sites of interest to educators. Browsable or searchable, with the ability to narrow in by appropriate grade level. Launched in spring 1996.
Fact Monster
http://www.factmonster.com/
Reference provider Information Please produces this site which provides facts and information oriented around the needs of children.
Family Source
http://www.family-source.com/
This focused crawler-based service has indexed nearly 1 million kid-friendly URLs.
FirstGov for Kids
http://www.kids.gov/
From the U.S. Federal Citizen Information Center, this directory provides links to government-related kids' sites along with some of the best kids' sites from other organizations, grouped by subject.
Kids Search Tools
http://www.rcls.org/ksearch.htm
Search a variety of kid-safe search engines from a single page.
SearchEdu.com
http://www.searchedu.com/
Index of pages built by crawling education web sites.
Teach-nology.com
http://www.teach-nology.com/
Directory of web sites for teachers and educators.
TekMom's Search Tools for Students
http://www.tekmom.com/search/
All-in-one search page for kid search sites and research resources.
ThinkQuest Library
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/
A free educational resource featuring 5,500+ websites created by students around the world as part of a competition.
Related Articles
Knock, Knock -- Yahooligans! There
eMarketer, May 16, 2003
http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1002239
Yahooligans, Yahoo's web property for children, says its third most popular feature is its human-edited list of kid-safe web sites.
Sites help kids learn how to use Internet for research
San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 20, 2002
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4567315.htm
How to find Copyright free photos
How to find copyright- free photos for my Wiki search:
www.internetutorials.net/choose.asp
I believe that all websites whether intended for Adults or children need to be visually attractive. In my search for images of rainforests I used the following tools (as suggested by Digital Image Magazine blog http://www.digitalimagemagazine.com/blog/featured/25-free-stock-photo-sites/ June 22nd 2008) :
Photos 8: (public domain photos)
Flickr Free Use photos: Photo sharing, no attribution necessary
Open photo: Free stock images. Use categories on the right to browse or click on search in the top bar.
Everystockphoto: This is a huge resource, currently indexing over 3 million photos! Every Stock is a search engine for free photos, and it searches many of the sites listed here. Search options allow you to specify license type. Highly recommended. http://www.everystockphoto.com/
www.internetutorials.net/choose.asp
I believe that all websites whether intended for Adults or children need to be visually attractive. In my search for images of rainforests I used the following tools (as suggested by Digital Image Magazine blog http://www.digitalimagemagazine.com/blog/featured/25-free-stock-photo-sites/ June 22nd 2008) :
Photos 8: (public domain photos)
Flickr Free Use photos: Photo sharing, no attribution necessary
Open photo: Free stock images. Use categories on the right to browse or click on search in the top bar.
Everystockphoto: This is a huge resource, currently indexing over 3 million photos! Every Stock is a search engine for free photos, and it searches many of the sites listed here. Search options allow you to specify license type. Highly recommended. http://www.everystockphoto.com/
Search Engines
This site teaches how to effectively use Search Engines and I found it very helpful.
I now understand how to complete a Boolean Search.
It talks about identifying keywords, how to conduct a Boolean Search and an implied Boolean Search, Phrase searching, Alternate Spellings, Title Searches, Domain Searches, Host Searches, URL Searches, Link Searches and more.
Another section has a tutorial on how to research companies.
I like the idea of a Meta Search Engine:
"Meta-search engines (also know as multi-threaded engines) search several major engines at once.... Meta-search engines work best with simple searches."
Dogpile searches 8 search engines and subject directories as well as newsgroups, business news, and newswires. Dogpile supports full Boolean logic and phrase searching.
Vivisimo clusters results from 8 search engines and subject directories into convenient topic categories. Use implied Boolean logic (+/-) and phrase searching.
At MetaCrawler, submit queries to 7 search engines and subject directories. Use implied Boolean logic (+/-) and phrase searching.
I now understand how to complete a Boolean Search.
It talks about identifying keywords, how to conduct a Boolean Search and an implied Boolean Search, Phrase searching, Alternate Spellings, Title Searches, Domain Searches, Host Searches, URL Searches, Link Searches and more.
Another section has a tutorial on how to research companies.
I like the idea of a Meta Search Engine:
"Meta-search engines (also know as multi-threaded engines) search several major engines at once.... Meta-search engines work best with simple searches."
Dogpile searches 8 search engines and subject directories as well as newsgroups, business news, and newswires. Dogpile supports full Boolean logic and phrase searching.
Vivisimo clusters results from 8 search engines and subject directories into convenient topic categories. Use implied Boolean logic (+/-) and phrase searching.
At MetaCrawler, submit queries to 7 search engines and subject directories. Use implied Boolean logic (+/-) and phrase searching.
Monday, September 21, 2009
A WebQuest About School Library Websites
A great introduction to school library websites.
* "Your library web page is your 2nd front door"...."It meets your students where they live, and play, and work, with 24/7, just-in-time, just-for-me support and intervention.... The effective library Web page pulls together, in one unified interface, all of a library's resources--print and electronic."
* "A good web page offers implicit instruction."
This Webquest lists great features of a school website: http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/
* "Your library web page is your 2nd front door"...."It meets your students where they live, and play, and work, with 24/7, just-in-time, just-for-me support and intervention.... The effective library Web page pulls together, in one unified interface, all of a library's resources--print and electronic."
* "A good web page offers implicit instruction."
This Webquest lists great features of a school website: http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/
Mao's Last Dancer
On the Morning Show today on Channel 7 I was moved to see the previews of an up-and-coming film entitled: Mao's Last Dancer. What an amazing and interesting autobiography, I can't wait to read the book!
"Li Cunxin is a remarkable man born of a remarkable story. He recounts his determination, perseverance, vision, courage and hard work, and in particular, the sacred family values and integrity that he learned in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world. He tells of how the sixth of seven sons born to peasants grew up worshipping Mao Zedong before defecting to the United States."
"Li Cunxin is a remarkable man born of a remarkable story. He recounts his determination, perseverance, vision, courage and hard work, and in particular, the sacred family values and integrity that he learned in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world. He tells of how the sixth of seven sons born to peasants grew up worshipping Mao Zedong before defecting to the United States."
A flyer: How to best utilise the skills of the School's Teacher Librarian
How to effectively utilise the skills of the School Librarian: An example of a flyer sent out to teachers every year from: http://aliceinfo.squarespace.com/blog/lets-work-together.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mission of our School Library program is to:
• develop information-literate students
• create lifelong learners
• help teachers teach
I CAN HELP YOU BY:
• working with you to develop authentic research activities for your classes.
• coordinating information and research skills strategies with classroom curriculum.
• recommending additional resources to extend your classroom materials.
• presenting book talks about new/relevant books for your classes.
• preparing Project Pathfinders to guide your students to the best resources for your assignments.
• brainstorming project ideas, lesson strategies, and topics with you.
• providing guidance relating to the ethical use of information.
• notifying the public library of any class assignments.
YOU CAN HELP ME BY:
• notifying me as soon as possible of any planned resource-based class projects or assignments.
• meeting with me to develop/plan effective resource-based activities.
• reserving class time in the library as far in advance as possible, and notifying me as soon as possible of any schedule changes.
• understanding both the extent and limitations of the School Library’s resources and schedule.
• remaining with your students and supervising their behavior while they are in the library.
• sending no more than two students at a time to the library on a pass, unless prior arrangements have been made.
Let’s work together
to help our students
become successful lifelong learners!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mission of our School Library program is to:
• develop information-literate students
• create lifelong learners
• help teachers teach
I CAN HELP YOU BY:
• working with you to develop authentic research activities for your classes.
• coordinating information and research skills strategies with classroom curriculum.
• recommending additional resources to extend your classroom materials.
• presenting book talks about new/relevant books for your classes.
• preparing Project Pathfinders to guide your students to the best resources for your assignments.
• brainstorming project ideas, lesson strategies, and topics with you.
• providing guidance relating to the ethical use of information.
• notifying the public library of any class assignments.
YOU CAN HELP ME BY:
• notifying me as soon as possible of any planned resource-based class projects or assignments.
• meeting with me to develop/plan effective resource-based activities.
• reserving class time in the library as far in advance as possible, and notifying me as soon as possible of any schedule changes.
• understanding both the extent and limitations of the School Library’s resources and schedule.
• remaining with your students and supervising their behavior while they are in the library.
• sending no more than two students at a time to the library on a pass, unless prior arrangements have been made.
Let’s work together
to help our students
become successful lifelong learners!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
50 Best Websites for 2009
50 of the best Websites in 2009 as suggested by Time magazine: 26th August, 2009.
SITES TO VISIT
1. Flickr
2. California Coastline
3. Delicious
4. Metafilter
5. popurls
6. Twitter
7. Skype
8. Boing Boing
9. Academic Earth
10. OpenTable
11. Google
12. YouTube
13. Wolfram|Alpha
14. Hulu
15. Vimeo
16. Fora TV
17. Craiglook
18. Shop Goodwill
19. Amazon
20. Kayak
21. Netflix
22. Etsy
23. PropertyShark.com
24. Redfin
25. Wikipedia
26. Internet Archive
27. Kiva
28. ConsumerSearch
29. Metacritic
30. Pollster
31. Facebook
32. Pandora and Last.fm
33. Musicovery
34. Spotify
35. Supercook
36. Yelp
37. Visuwords
38. CouchSurfing
39. BabyNameWizard.com's NameVoyager
40. Mint
41. TripIt
42. Aardvark
43. drop.io
44. Issuu
45. Photosynth
46. OMGPOP
47. WorldWideTelescope
48. Fonolo
49. Get High Now
50. Know Your Meme
SITES TO VISIT
1. Flickr
2. California Coastline
3. Delicious
4. Metafilter
5. popurls
6. Twitter
7. Skype
8. Boing Boing
9. Academic Earth
10. OpenTable
11. Google
12. YouTube
13. Wolfram|Alpha
14. Hulu
15. Vimeo
16. Fora TV
17. Craiglook
18. Shop Goodwill
19. Amazon
20. Kayak
21. Netflix
22. Etsy
23. PropertyShark.com
24. Redfin
25. Wikipedia
26. Internet Archive
27. Kiva
28. ConsumerSearch
29. Metacritic
30. Pollster
31. Facebook
32. Pandora and Last.fm
33. Musicovery
34. Spotify
35. Supercook
36. Yelp
37. Visuwords
38. CouchSurfing
39. BabyNameWizard.com's NameVoyager
40. Mint
41. TripIt
42. Aardvark
43. drop.io
44. Issuu
45. Photosynth
46. OMGPOP
47. WorldWideTelescope
48. Fonolo
49. Get High Now
50. Know Your Meme
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Mobile Phones and the Teacher Librarian
A friend of mine is studying for his Masters in IT and has just written an outstanding paper on the use of Mobile Phones by Teachers. It was great to see that there was a conference held recently to discuss how Teacher Librarians can use them.
"More people than ever are using mobile devices for a wide variety of purposes including communication, internet access, text messaging, and entertainment. It is important that libraries provide services on these devices as use increases.
The first ever Handheld Librarian Online on July 30, 2009 is the place to learn about these and other topics related to using wireless and handheld devices in your library."
"More people than ever are using mobile devices for a wide variety of purposes including communication, internet access, text messaging, and entertainment. It is important that libraries provide services on these devices as use increases.
The first ever Handheld Librarian Online on July 30, 2009 is the place to learn about these and other topics related to using wireless and handheld devices in your library."
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wow, Castle Towers
I took my children yesterday to Castle Towers to see Ice Age 3.
Wow, is all I can say!
The children were fascinated when we exited the lift from the carpark to find an Interactive Map and began quickly typing in names of stores that they wished to go to before I had even worked out what this thing was. They were fascinated at watching the map move between levels then when we sat down for lunch there was a Multimedia Television playing. I noticed that my kids took every new technology presented in the Shopping Complex as just another part of life that was well worth exploring.
And yes, Of course they had to watch the movie in 3D to gain the "full effect" as my 7 year old son said.
So I have decided that this is the goal I wish to achieve when I become a TL. When the students come into my library I want them to be excited and willing to try and use all of the resources available to them with this same passion. I want my Library to be warm, welcoming, exciting and interactive with all the resources possible to meet the user needs.
Wow, is all I can say!
The children were fascinated when we exited the lift from the carpark to find an Interactive Map and began quickly typing in names of stores that they wished to go to before I had even worked out what this thing was. They were fascinated at watching the map move between levels then when we sat down for lunch there was a Multimedia Television playing. I noticed that my kids took every new technology presented in the Shopping Complex as just another part of life that was well worth exploring.
And yes, Of course they had to watch the movie in 3D to gain the "full effect" as my 7 year old son said.
So I have decided that this is the goal I wish to achieve when I become a TL. When the students come into my library I want them to be excited and willing to try and use all of the resources available to them with this same passion. I want my Library to be warm, welcoming, exciting and interactive with all the resources possible to meet the user needs.
Friday, July 3, 2009
ETL 401 - series of reflections
Extending my knowledge.
Taking the feedback for ETL 401 from my marker Barbara Braxton I am going to break down each part of my 2nd Assignment over a series of Blogs and put in my own words my learning.
Understand the principles of lifelong learning.
Firstly a Teacher Librarian is aware that learning does not just take place in school but is a lifelong process and a skill that our students will need as they enter and try to remain in the workforce for their entire working life. Research shows that more and more people will need to study well after leaving school and more people in their forties and fifties will need to update and learn new skills to become the driving source in any economy.
Why is lifelong learning a key long-term national issue?
Most Australians have grown up in a world where young workers provided a constant stream of new labour and new skill into the workplace. This process has been going on ever since the “Baby Boom” generation began to join the workforce in the late 1960s. The result is that education in Australia has concentrated on the first 25 years of life. But this process is now coming to an end. Both the labour supply and labour demand are changing.
Labour supply changes
In the late 1980s, people aged 45 or over made up just 24 per cent of the labour market. By 2016, projections say, that figure will rise to 44 per cent. In other words, young people alone will not provide the new skills that drive organisations to innovate and grow.
14th June, 2005 Ceda Committee for economic development of Australia
http://ceda.com.au/public/research/lifelong_learning/learning_policystatement.html
But lifelong learning also encompasses those skills that factor into our enjoyment of life such as being able to enjoy a good book over the holidays or even book a holiday that will meet our needs or the ability to record and reflect our thoughts eg. a blog, a diary, a shopping list, a list of requirements for an Assignment and/or keep in touch with the world through Twitter or online news, etc. The skills that students will use to work cooperatively with other students on projects but also their skills in networking with each other, teachers and future employers, which in this day an age is predominately using all forms of technology.
Taking the feedback for ETL 401 from my marker Barbara Braxton I am going to break down each part of my 2nd Assignment over a series of Blogs and put in my own words my learning.
Understand the principles of lifelong learning.
Firstly a Teacher Librarian is aware that learning does not just take place in school but is a lifelong process and a skill that our students will need as they enter and try to remain in the workforce for their entire working life. Research shows that more and more people will need to study well after leaving school and more people in their forties and fifties will need to update and learn new skills to become the driving source in any economy.
Why is lifelong learning a key long-term national issue?
Most Australians have grown up in a world where young workers provided a constant stream of new labour and new skill into the workplace. This process has been going on ever since the “Baby Boom” generation began to join the workforce in the late 1960s. The result is that education in Australia has concentrated on the first 25 years of life. But this process is now coming to an end. Both the labour supply and labour demand are changing.
Labour supply changes
In the late 1980s, people aged 45 or over made up just 24 per cent of the labour market. By 2016, projections say, that figure will rise to 44 per cent. In other words, young people alone will not provide the new skills that drive organisations to innovate and grow.
14th June, 2005 Ceda Committee for economic development of Australia
http://ceda.com.au/public/research/lifelong_learning/learning_policystatement.html
But lifelong learning also encompasses those skills that factor into our enjoyment of life such as being able to enjoy a good book over the holidays or even book a holiday that will meet our needs or the ability to record and reflect our thoughts eg. a blog, a diary, a shopping list, a list of requirements for an Assignment and/or keep in touch with the world through Twitter or online news, etc. The skills that students will use to work cooperatively with other students on projects but also their skills in networking with each other, teachers and future employers, which in this day an age is predominately using all forms of technology.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A reflection on ETL503
I was over - joyed to receive back my 2nd Assignment from ETL 503. I have learned many things.
Firstly, I have got a buzz out of finding and experimenting with new digital resources. I can see how these form such a valuable part of any collection. I experimented with the live chat today from the CSU Library, it was great. A guy called Ian was very helpful and what usually would have taken a long phone call just took minutes. I also set up another wiki for my pathfinder for one of my subjects for the up and coming Semester.
Tonight I have just finished looking up different uses for Twitter from an Academic point of view. One article I found listed 17 different ways to use Twitter.
Secondly,I now understand why selection and deselection are so crucial to the Librarian's role. I still have to learn how to word what the collection excludes.
I can't wait to present my Collection Management Policy to the school where my children attend and know that it will be a useful Professional tool. It's exciting and I hope that they can use it.
I believe reading and interacting in the Forums is now crucial in this course. It was from reading other people's posts that I gained a clearer understanding of what was required in this Assignment. I also loved the podcasts, being an aural learner.
Firstly, I have got a buzz out of finding and experimenting with new digital resources. I can see how these form such a valuable part of any collection. I experimented with the live chat today from the CSU Library, it was great. A guy called Ian was very helpful and what usually would have taken a long phone call just took minutes. I also set up another wiki for my pathfinder for one of my subjects for the up and coming Semester.
Tonight I have just finished looking up different uses for Twitter from an Academic point of view. One article I found listed 17 different ways to use Twitter.
Secondly,I now understand why selection and deselection are so crucial to the Librarian's role. I still have to learn how to word what the collection excludes.
I can't wait to present my Collection Management Policy to the school where my children attend and know that it will be a useful Professional tool. It's exciting and I hope that they can use it.
I believe reading and interacting in the Forums is now crucial in this course. It was from reading other people's posts that I gained a clearer understanding of what was required in this Assignment. I also loved the podcasts, being an aural learner.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A Wiki Creation
Yesterday I created my own Wiki.
Why?
To create databases of helpful sites and resources that I may use when I do take on the role of Teacher Librarian.
It wasn't too difficult. I think Wikispaces seems to be fairly raliable as recommended by one of the Teacher Librarians on OZTL_Net.
I hope to collect as many resources and links as possible.
I will use my blog for professional readings and reflections on learning and my wiki as a practical hands-on site.
Why?
To create databases of helpful sites and resources that I may use when I do take on the role of Teacher Librarian.
It wasn't too difficult. I think Wikispaces seems to be fairly raliable as recommended by one of the Teacher Librarians on OZTL_Net.
I hope to collect as many resources and links as possible.
I will use my blog for professional readings and reflections on learning and my wiki as a practical hands-on site.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Part C - A Critical Synthesis Monica Brown 11413480 ETL 401 ASS 2
Part C
Task: A Critical Synthesis of your reflection on how your view of the role of the teacher librarian may have changed during the subject. This should include examples captured from your personal blog and from your contribution to and reading of the ETL 401 forum. (about 750 words)
My view of the Teacher Librarian when I first began this course was a very simplistic one. It was drawn from my dealings with Teacher Librarians as a student and as a classroom teacher. A Teacher Librarian was someone who:
* introduced new books to children and fostered a love of reading.
* covered, catalogued and shelved books.
* processed borrowings and returns.
* was used for RFF.
On completion of my first semester, I now view the role of the Teacher Librarian as a unique and Multi-faceted one.
It encompasses :
* The Advocate role (both of their unique role and in the promotion of lifelong learning)
* The Colloborative (not only with Principals, staff and students but also the wider school community and other Teacher Librarians) and the Curriculum Leadership role
* The Instructional Technologist role
* The Library Management role
* The Instructional role
* The Information specialist role
* The Information literacy role
(Adapted from the Summary of the Association for Teacher -librarianship, list of professional competencies for Teacher Librarians from Blog post entitled: The changing role of the Teacher Librarian in the Twenty-first Century).(Brown, 2009, June 3)
The areas that I feel my views have most changed include the Advocate role, The Instructional Technologist role, The Information Specialist role and the Information Literacy role.
The Advocate Role of the Teacher Librarian:
As I have never held the position of Teacher Librarian I have gained a greater insight into the importance of Advocacy in the role of the Teacher Librarian. I see that it is the Teacher Librarian's role to inform others, especially Principals and Classroom Teachers of their unique role and usefulness to the entire school community. Elizabeth Mackinnon (2009, Mar 29), in the sub - Forum:Topic 2, comments on how a positive view of the Teacher Librarian may be achieved by referring to the Odberg reading, stating that there are three ways TLs can ensure this respect; clear communication, developing professional credibility and working ‘to advance school goals.’ ( p 16).
The Instructional Technologist Role of the Teacher Librarian:
At the beginning of this Semester I was overwhelmed by the technology involved in the role of Teacher Librarian and I had very little knowledge of technology other than creative word processsing, publishing and the use of powerpoints. I expressed thoughts of the role of the Teacher Librarian and the use of technology when reflecting on Residential School, "I now realise that the Teacher Librarian has to be the most Technologically 'savvy' and able to resource the latest information for all users within the school community." (Brown, 2009, Feb. 24)
Further participation in Forums and drawing conclusions from readings to add to my blog revealed that technology had brought many changes to the role of the Teacher Librarian. Through the Subject ETL 503 I have gained even more enlightenment into not only the use of technological resources within the school library but also in the Teacher Librarian's role in selecting, deselecting and evaluating these resources.
I have a greater understanding of how technology may be used by the Teacher Librarian to enhance Information Literacy both now and in the future such as remixing Library Collections for Digital Youth. In my blog entry entitled "YPulse and the Digital age" ( May 22nd, 2009), I reflected on a reading regarding a summit that was exploring the future of content. It introduced some of the Web 2.0 tools that may be used to improve the delivery of content to learners and advocacy of the use of social networking sites as a way for Teacher Librarians to connect with students.
The Information Specialist and Information Literacy roles:
As a classroom teacher I now realise that I have seen only a small fraction of what the role of the Teacher Librarian encompasses. After joining OZTL_NET I reflected in my blog “What we teach and do” ( Brown, 2009, May 26) on a post which had reiterated the importance of teaching Information Literacy and emphasising the importance of the unique role of the Teacher librarian:
“ Instruction in Information literacy during training is important for the TL......Whilst classroom teachers who are placed in the TL role without qualifications may be literate..........they do not have the expertise in the use of Boolean Strategies for effective searching databases.....or actually teaching students a research framework or note-taking skills....and much more”.
In conclusion, I believe that Michael Stephens' 3 essential duties of librarians and the broad themes of the Melbourne Unconference in 2007 in my post entitled "Reading - The Australian Journal VOL57 No.1, 2008" may also be applied to sum up the essential roles of Teacher Librarians : Learning to learn,
Adapting to change and embracing change, Scanning the horizon, Empowering users
and Unblocking information. (Brown, 2009, June 7th)
Task: A Critical Synthesis of your reflection on how your view of the role of the teacher librarian may have changed during the subject. This should include examples captured from your personal blog and from your contribution to and reading of the ETL 401 forum. (about 750 words)
My view of the Teacher Librarian when I first began this course was a very simplistic one. It was drawn from my dealings with Teacher Librarians as a student and as a classroom teacher. A Teacher Librarian was someone who:
* introduced new books to children and fostered a love of reading.
* covered, catalogued and shelved books.
* processed borrowings and returns.
* was used for RFF.
On completion of my first semester, I now view the role of the Teacher Librarian as a unique and Multi-faceted one.
It encompasses :
* The Advocate role (both of their unique role and in the promotion of lifelong learning)
* The Colloborative (not only with Principals, staff and students but also the wider school community and other Teacher Librarians) and the Curriculum Leadership role
* The Instructional Technologist role
* The Library Management role
* The Instructional role
* The Information specialist role
* The Information literacy role
(Adapted from the Summary of the Association for Teacher -librarianship, list of professional competencies for Teacher Librarians from Blog post entitled: The changing role of the Teacher Librarian in the Twenty-first Century).(Brown, 2009, June 3)
The areas that I feel my views have most changed include the Advocate role, The Instructional Technologist role, The Information Specialist role and the Information Literacy role.
The Advocate Role of the Teacher Librarian:
As I have never held the position of Teacher Librarian I have gained a greater insight into the importance of Advocacy in the role of the Teacher Librarian. I see that it is the Teacher Librarian's role to inform others, especially Principals and Classroom Teachers of their unique role and usefulness to the entire school community. Elizabeth Mackinnon (2009, Mar 29), in the sub - Forum:Topic 2, comments on how a positive view of the Teacher Librarian may be achieved by referring to the Odberg reading, stating that there are three ways TLs can ensure this respect; clear communication, developing professional credibility and working ‘to advance school goals.’ ( p 16).
The Instructional Technologist Role of the Teacher Librarian:
At the beginning of this Semester I was overwhelmed by the technology involved in the role of Teacher Librarian and I had very little knowledge of technology other than creative word processsing, publishing and the use of powerpoints. I expressed thoughts of the role of the Teacher Librarian and the use of technology when reflecting on Residential School, "I now realise that the Teacher Librarian has to be the most Technologically 'savvy' and able to resource the latest information for all users within the school community." (Brown, 2009, Feb. 24)
Further participation in Forums and drawing conclusions from readings to add to my blog revealed that technology had brought many changes to the role of the Teacher Librarian. Through the Subject ETL 503 I have gained even more enlightenment into not only the use of technological resources within the school library but also in the Teacher Librarian's role in selecting, deselecting and evaluating these resources.
I have a greater understanding of how technology may be used by the Teacher Librarian to enhance Information Literacy both now and in the future such as remixing Library Collections for Digital Youth. In my blog entry entitled "YPulse and the Digital age" ( May 22nd, 2009), I reflected on a reading regarding a summit that was exploring the future of content. It introduced some of the Web 2.0 tools that may be used to improve the delivery of content to learners and advocacy of the use of social networking sites as a way for Teacher Librarians to connect with students.
The Information Specialist and Information Literacy roles:
As a classroom teacher I now realise that I have seen only a small fraction of what the role of the Teacher Librarian encompasses. After joining OZTL_NET I reflected in my blog “What we teach and do” ( Brown, 2009, May 26) on a post which had reiterated the importance of teaching Information Literacy and emphasising the importance of the unique role of the Teacher librarian:
“ Instruction in Information literacy during training is important for the TL......Whilst classroom teachers who are placed in the TL role without qualifications may be literate..........they do not have the expertise in the use of Boolean Strategies for effective searching databases.....or actually teaching students a research framework or note-taking skills....and much more”.
In conclusion, I believe that Michael Stephens' 3 essential duties of librarians and the broad themes of the Melbourne Unconference in 2007 in my post entitled "Reading - The Australian Journal VOL57 No.1, 2008" may also be applied to sum up the essential roles of Teacher Librarians : Learning to learn,
Adapting to change and embracing change, Scanning the horizon, Empowering users
and Unblocking information. (Brown, 2009, June 7th)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Statement on teacher librarian qualifications - ASLA - Adopted: November 1994 - Amended: February 2009
Retrieved : May 24th, 2009
The role of the TL is a unique and Multi dimensional one.
In topic 2 for ETL401 we were asked to look at the following document as a starting point to examining the role of the TL.
The statement by ASLA on Teacher Librarian qualifications indicates the TL role and emphasises the importance of qualifications for a TL.
Summary of Statement:
• Teacher librarians support and implement the vision of their school communities through advocating and building effective library and information services and programs that contribute to the development of lifelong learners.
• A teacher librarian is defined as one who holds recognised teaching qualifications and qualifications in librarianship, defined as eligibility for Associate (i.e. professional) membership for the Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA]. Within the broad fields of education and librarianship, teacher librarians are uniquely qualified. This is valuable because curriculum knowledge and pedagogy are combined with library and information management knowledge and skills.
• The nature of teacher librarianship and library and information services is constantly developing. Educational research and new understandings impact on curricula, teaching, learning and digital technologies. Therefore, continuing professional learning for teacher librarians is essential to maintain a current library and information service for the school.
• As a member of a school’s teaching team, the teacher librarian has a role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of educational policies, curricula, outcomes and programs, with particular reference to the development of students’ information literacy.
• Courses in teacher librarianship emphasise the unique, integrated nature of the role. These qualifications ensure that the teacher librarian is both an educator and an information manager with integrated understandings from both of the areas.
A qualified teacher librarian will:
• develop a deep understanding of suitable pedagogies with relevance to learning styles;
• model excellent teaching practice and guide teachers with curriculum implementation through collaborative practice;
• model and develop information strategies to improve student learning outcomes;
• evaluate student learning in relation to library programs and information services to inform and improve professional practice;
• establish policies and procedures for efficient school library management;
• use best practices in library and database management to manage the diverse range of information resources including the online environment to maximise accessibility and relevance;
• adhere to standards in cataloguing, metadata application and database retrieval systems.
The role of the TL is a unique and Multi dimensional one.
In topic 2 for ETL401 we were asked to look at the following document as a starting point to examining the role of the TL.
The statement by ASLA on Teacher Librarian qualifications indicates the TL role and emphasises the importance of qualifications for a TL.
Summary of Statement:
• Teacher librarians support and implement the vision of their school communities through advocating and building effective library and information services and programs that contribute to the development of lifelong learners.
• A teacher librarian is defined as one who holds recognised teaching qualifications and qualifications in librarianship, defined as eligibility for Associate (i.e. professional) membership for the Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA]. Within the broad fields of education and librarianship, teacher librarians are uniquely qualified. This is valuable because curriculum knowledge and pedagogy are combined with library and information management knowledge and skills.
• The nature of teacher librarianship and library and information services is constantly developing. Educational research and new understandings impact on curricula, teaching, learning and digital technologies. Therefore, continuing professional learning for teacher librarians is essential to maintain a current library and information service for the school.
• As a member of a school’s teaching team, the teacher librarian has a role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of educational policies, curricula, outcomes and programs, with particular reference to the development of students’ information literacy.
• Courses in teacher librarianship emphasise the unique, integrated nature of the role. These qualifications ensure that the teacher librarian is both an educator and an information manager with integrated understandings from both of the areas.
A qualified teacher librarian will:
• develop a deep understanding of suitable pedagogies with relevance to learning styles;
• model excellent teaching practice and guide teachers with curriculum implementation through collaborative practice;
• model and develop information strategies to improve student learning outcomes;
• evaluate student learning in relation to library programs and information services to inform and improve professional practice;
• establish policies and procedures for efficient school library management;
• use best practices in library and database management to manage the diverse range of information resources including the online environment to maximise accessibility and relevance;
• adhere to standards in cataloguing, metadata application and database retrieval systems.
Reading - The Australian Library Journal Vol 57 No.1, 2008
Over the long weeekend I thought I would do some reading. I opened up my free copy of the Australian Library Journal that I had received by joining ALIA.
I particularly enjoyed the fist article entitled Reaching Higher and Looking out.
Michael Stephens' 3 essential duties of librarians caught my eye:
* Learn to learn
* Adapt to change
* Scan the horizon
The broad themes of the the Melbourne Unconferencein 2007 were also mentioned(these were based on Library 2.0):
* Embracing change
* Empowering users
* Unblocking information.
The concepts of the unconference came from Open Source Technology and were based on the principles that:
* Whoever comes are the right people
* Whenever it starts is the right time
* Whatever happens is the only thing that could happen
* When it's over, it's over.
I think I could use these for defining the role of the TL and what I have learned so far. Very interesting!!!
I particularly enjoyed the fist article entitled Reaching Higher and Looking out.
Michael Stephens' 3 essential duties of librarians caught my eye:
* Learn to learn
* Adapt to change
* Scan the horizon
The broad themes of the the Melbourne Unconferencein 2007 were also mentioned(these were based on Library 2.0):
* Embracing change
* Empowering users
* Unblocking information.
The concepts of the unconference came from Open Source Technology and were based on the principles that:
* Whoever comes are the right people
* Whenever it starts is the right time
* Whatever happens is the only thing that could happen
* When it's over, it's over.
I think I could use these for defining the role of the TL and what I have learned so far. Very interesting!!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
What Can Teacher Librarians do to Manage Change?
1) Managing Change at a Personal and Professional Level:
* develop a professional growth plan through: web sites created by teacher-librarians that contain resources and information on authors, discussion groups,can be involved in continuing education in order to learn effective ways to use technology in their teaching, to access new resources, and to collaborate and communicate with peers outside the classroom.
* seek and develop administrative support by demonstrating the educational needs of students and staff.
* becomes a trusted part of the school staff to be effective by:becoming involved in the school ie. participating in school committee activities and extracurricular social gatherings. Teacher-librarians must know three things about their school: the current teaching practices, the culture of the school and the teachers’ skills, knowledge and attitudes.
* to work with teachers, technology coordinators and administrators to create a team in the school. An action plan outlining the specific needs of the school, how technology will extend resources, and how it will facilitate resource sharing can be developed through this partnership (Bens, 1999). They can assist the computer teacher to think creatively about technology and its educational use in the school. Teacher-librarians can provide lists of web sites geared to a season, a special holiday or a theme. They can also acquire valuable information regarding school library and technology issues. They can help provide training that is school-based on professional development days or during after school workshops. The teacher-librarian who is trained on the use of the Internet, e-mail, and web site evaluation can be a mentor to the staff.
2) Managing Change at the School System Level:
* become a policy maker.Teacher-librarians should try to locate all relevant policies and procedures and decide whether they meet the needs of a twenty-first century school. The teacher-librarian should reflect on how change has affected the library and existing policies should be reviewed for their timeliness:
Student technology use, including the acceptable use of computers
§ Faculty technology use, including acceptable use of computers
§ Circulation issues
§ Copyright and new technology issues
§ Personnel hiring
§ Personnel evaluation
§ Facility use
§ Acquisition of materials
§ Access of materials (Repman & Downs, 1999, pp.9-10).
Library Resource centers and teacher-librarians are really at a crossroads. They are called on to play an increasingly important role in information literacy and electronic information retrieval, analysis, and synthesis. The teacher-librarian must become a technology role model and leader. Failure of the library Resource Center to meet this new mandate and failure of teacher-librarians to embrace the challenge of this new role will inevitably lead to obsolescence. (Bens, 1999).
* develop a professional growth plan through: web sites created by teacher-librarians that contain resources and information on authors, discussion groups,can be involved in continuing education in order to learn effective ways to use technology in their teaching, to access new resources, and to collaborate and communicate with peers outside the classroom.
* seek and develop administrative support by demonstrating the educational needs of students and staff.
* becomes a trusted part of the school staff to be effective by:becoming involved in the school ie. participating in school committee activities and extracurricular social gatherings. Teacher-librarians must know three things about their school: the current teaching practices, the culture of the school and the teachers’ skills, knowledge and attitudes.
* to work with teachers, technology coordinators and administrators to create a team in the school. An action plan outlining the specific needs of the school, how technology will extend resources, and how it will facilitate resource sharing can be developed through this partnership (Bens, 1999). They can assist the computer teacher to think creatively about technology and its educational use in the school. Teacher-librarians can provide lists of web sites geared to a season, a special holiday or a theme. They can also acquire valuable information regarding school library and technology issues. They can help provide training that is school-based on professional development days or during after school workshops. The teacher-librarian who is trained on the use of the Internet, e-mail, and web site evaluation can be a mentor to the staff.
2) Managing Change at the School System Level:
* become a policy maker.Teacher-librarians should try to locate all relevant policies and procedures and decide whether they meet the needs of a twenty-first century school. The teacher-librarian should reflect on how change has affected the library and existing policies should be reviewed for their timeliness:
Student technology use, including the acceptable use of computers
§ Faculty technology use, including acceptable use of computers
§ Circulation issues
§ Copyright and new technology issues
§ Personnel hiring
§ Personnel evaluation
§ Facility use
§ Acquisition of materials
§ Access of materials (Repman & Downs, 1999, pp.9-10).
Library Resource centers and teacher-librarians are really at a crossroads. They are called on to play an increasingly important role in information literacy and electronic information retrieval, analysis, and synthesis. The teacher-librarian must become a technology role model and leader. Failure of the library Resource Center to meet this new mandate and failure of teacher-librarians to embrace the challenge of this new role will inevitably lead to obsolescence. (Bens, 1999).
The Changing Role of the Teacher-Librarian in the Twenty-first Century
Summary of Article:
“There is one role in education that has been forced to keep up with changes brought about by the information age, computers and the changes in society” (Baumbach, 1995, p. 248). That role is the one of the teacher-librarian, whose job is becoming more important.
New technologies bring many opportunities and challenges to school libraries and teacher-librarians.
“Teacher-librarians have come along way from the time when they were considered caretakers of the book collection. Now they are information providers, consultants, curriculum activists, instructional designers, instructional leaders, production specialists and most important, teachers” (Kreiser and Horton, 1992, p. 313).
It is predicted that by the year 2010, ninety percent of all jobs will be computer related and that by the year 2020, twenty percent of the working force will be collecting sixty percent of all the wages (Bens, 1999). Educators must ask themselves what kinds of skills are needed for students to be prepared for these employment trends. These jobs will require critical thinking, higher order thinking and inquiry skills. Teaching information literacy skills becomes a high priority.
The use of resource-based learning materials such as the Internet and CD-ROMS are necessary elements to increase the learning achievement of the student (Mendrinos, 1994). Resource-based learning is adaptable to individuals, groups or cooperative learning situations. Resource-base learning integrates both cognitive and physical tools of information literacy within the curriculum. Teacher-librarians are at the forefront of helping teachers use resource-based learning in their classrooms.
Technology has brought many changes to education in the past 10 years and technological literacy is listed as one of the goals of the Common Essential Learnings, which is a component of the Core Curriculum. The goals of technological literacy are the following:
*
To develop a contemporary view of technology
*
To develop understanding that technology both shapes and is shaped by society
*
To develop students’ appreciation of the value and limitations of technology within society
*
To provide opportunities for students’ active involvement in decision-making related to technological developments (Sask. Ed., 1992).
The teacher-librarian is important in helping students develop these skills.
Teacher-librarians can also help students to acquire other goals listed as Common Essential Learnings. The Critical and Creative Thinking CEL is developed when students select and evaluate information. A teacher-librarian can teach the following goals of Critical and Creative Thinking:
*
To contribute to development of “strong sense” critical and creative thinkers
*
To develop an understanding of how knowledge is created, evaluated, refined and changed within subject areas
*
To promote both intuitive, imaginative thought and the ability to evaluate ideas, processes, experiences and objects in meaningful contexts
*
To enable students to think for themselves, to recognize the limits of individual reflection and the need to contribute to and build upon mutual understandings (Sask. Ed., 1992)
Through the use of technology and resource-based learning, a teacher-librarian can teach the goals for the CEL of Communication. One of the goals of Communication is to enable students to use language for differing purposes and audiences. Personal and Social Values can also be enhanced by developing students’ abilities to work together in cooperative learning groups and other grouping practices using technology. The CEL that can most strongly be supported by a teacher-librarian is Independent Learning, which lists the following goals:
*
To support the development of a positive disposition to life long-learning
*
To develop students’ abilities to meet their own learning needs
*
To develop students’ abilities to access knowledge (Sask. Ed., 1992).
Why are Teacher-Librarians Catalysts for Change?
The movement away from the use of basal textbooks, the increased concern for learning styles, the explosion of information, advances in instructional and informational technologies, advocacy for cooperative learning and collaborative teaching are factors that increase the complexity in planning for instruction. These factors bring a need for teamwork with a teacher-librarian (Donham van Deusen, 1996). There is no one better able to bring about change than a teacher-librarian working in partnership with school administration, classroom teachers and students. “Few educators are as prepared to navigate the massive amounts of information streaming into schools or to teach others how to do so than the school media specialists. Some are definitely seizing the day” (Harrington-Lueker, 1992, p. 45).
Summary of The Association for Teacher-librarianship in Canada list of professional competencies for teacher-librarians:
The Collaborative and The Curriculum Leadership Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Instructional Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Instructional Technologist Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Library Management Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Information Specialist Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Advocate Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Information Literacy Role of the Teacher-librarian
Challenges Facing Teacher-Librarians
There are many challenges facing teacher-librarians as they strive to develop their multifaceted role. They must ask themselves the following questions:
§ Are you familiar with the many emerging technologies?
§ Are you fully aware of the potential the emerging technologies have for schools?
§ Are you ready to provide the leadership necessary to take full advantage of these and other information programs? (Assiniboine South School Division, 1996).
It is also important for teacher-librarians to keep up with developments in following fields:
§ Telecommunications
§ Information storage and retrieval
§ Computer applications
§ Instructional design (Assiniboine South School Division, 1996).
1) A challenge exists for classroom teachers to alter their perceptions of teacher-librarians and what they do.
2) Traditionally, school libraries have been vulnerable to budget cuts. This is another challenge facing teacher-librarians.
3) A further issue facing teacher-librarians in Saskatchewan is access to library courses.
4) Many are handling technology in addition to their traditional responsibilities. “Some teacher-librarians have jumped enthusiastically into becoming “Cyberians”, others find that it takes away from what they enjoy most about being a librarian (Harrington-Lueker, 1997, p.49). They all don’t have “the ability to deal with the software and hardware.
5) Teacher-librarians are expected to have technological expertise, and to share that expertise with teachers as well as students.
“There is one role in education that has been forced to keep up with changes brought about by the information age, computers and the changes in society” (Baumbach, 1995, p. 248). That role is the one of the teacher-librarian, whose job is becoming more important.
New technologies bring many opportunities and challenges to school libraries and teacher-librarians.
“Teacher-librarians have come along way from the time when they were considered caretakers of the book collection. Now they are information providers, consultants, curriculum activists, instructional designers, instructional leaders, production specialists and most important, teachers” (Kreiser and Horton, 1992, p. 313).
It is predicted that by the year 2010, ninety percent of all jobs will be computer related and that by the year 2020, twenty percent of the working force will be collecting sixty percent of all the wages (Bens, 1999). Educators must ask themselves what kinds of skills are needed for students to be prepared for these employment trends. These jobs will require critical thinking, higher order thinking and inquiry skills. Teaching information literacy skills becomes a high priority.
The use of resource-based learning materials such as the Internet and CD-ROMS are necessary elements to increase the learning achievement of the student (Mendrinos, 1994). Resource-based learning is adaptable to individuals, groups or cooperative learning situations. Resource-base learning integrates both cognitive and physical tools of information literacy within the curriculum. Teacher-librarians are at the forefront of helping teachers use resource-based learning in their classrooms.
Technology has brought many changes to education in the past 10 years and technological literacy is listed as one of the goals of the Common Essential Learnings, which is a component of the Core Curriculum. The goals of technological literacy are the following:
*
To develop a contemporary view of technology
*
To develop understanding that technology both shapes and is shaped by society
*
To develop students’ appreciation of the value and limitations of technology within society
*
To provide opportunities for students’ active involvement in decision-making related to technological developments (Sask. Ed., 1992).
The teacher-librarian is important in helping students develop these skills.
Teacher-librarians can also help students to acquire other goals listed as Common Essential Learnings. The Critical and Creative Thinking CEL is developed when students select and evaluate information. A teacher-librarian can teach the following goals of Critical and Creative Thinking:
*
To contribute to development of “strong sense” critical and creative thinkers
*
To develop an understanding of how knowledge is created, evaluated, refined and changed within subject areas
*
To promote both intuitive, imaginative thought and the ability to evaluate ideas, processes, experiences and objects in meaningful contexts
*
To enable students to think for themselves, to recognize the limits of individual reflection and the need to contribute to and build upon mutual understandings (Sask. Ed., 1992)
Through the use of technology and resource-based learning, a teacher-librarian can teach the goals for the CEL of Communication. One of the goals of Communication is to enable students to use language for differing purposes and audiences. Personal and Social Values can also be enhanced by developing students’ abilities to work together in cooperative learning groups and other grouping practices using technology. The CEL that can most strongly be supported by a teacher-librarian is Independent Learning, which lists the following goals:
*
To support the development of a positive disposition to life long-learning
*
To develop students’ abilities to meet their own learning needs
*
To develop students’ abilities to access knowledge (Sask. Ed., 1992).
Why are Teacher-Librarians Catalysts for Change?
The movement away from the use of basal textbooks, the increased concern for learning styles, the explosion of information, advances in instructional and informational technologies, advocacy for cooperative learning and collaborative teaching are factors that increase the complexity in planning for instruction. These factors bring a need for teamwork with a teacher-librarian (Donham van Deusen, 1996). There is no one better able to bring about change than a teacher-librarian working in partnership with school administration, classroom teachers and students. “Few educators are as prepared to navigate the massive amounts of information streaming into schools or to teach others how to do so than the school media specialists. Some are definitely seizing the day” (Harrington-Lueker, 1992, p. 45).
Summary of The Association for Teacher-librarianship in Canada list of professional competencies for teacher-librarians:
The Collaborative and The Curriculum Leadership Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Instructional Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Instructional Technologist Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Library Management Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Information Specialist Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Advocate Role of the Teacher-librarian
The Information Literacy Role of the Teacher-librarian
Challenges Facing Teacher-Librarians
There are many challenges facing teacher-librarians as they strive to develop their multifaceted role. They must ask themselves the following questions:
§ Are you familiar with the many emerging technologies?
§ Are you fully aware of the potential the emerging technologies have for schools?
§ Are you ready to provide the leadership necessary to take full advantage of these and other information programs? (Assiniboine South School Division, 1996).
It is also important for teacher-librarians to keep up with developments in following fields:
§ Telecommunications
§ Information storage and retrieval
§ Computer applications
§ Instructional design (Assiniboine South School Division, 1996).
1) A challenge exists for classroom teachers to alter their perceptions of teacher-librarians and what they do.
2) Traditionally, school libraries have been vulnerable to budget cuts. This is another challenge facing teacher-librarians.
3) A further issue facing teacher-librarians in Saskatchewan is access to library courses.
4) Many are handling technology in addition to their traditional responsibilities. “Some teacher-librarians have jumped enthusiastically into becoming “Cyberians”, others find that it takes away from what they enjoy most about being a librarian (Harrington-Lueker, 1997, p.49). They all don’t have “the ability to deal with the software and hardware.
5) Teacher-librarians are expected to have technological expertise, and to share that expertise with teachers as well as students.
The NSW Teachers Federation's view on the role of the TL
The role of the Teacher-Librarian in the school community as seen by the Teacher's Federation
Teacher Librarians
I. POSITION
The Teacher-Librarian is the school's information and resource specialist, with professional qualifications in (a) education, and (b) information science/librarianship.
The Teacher-Librarian is responsible to the Principal for (a) initiating and participating in the teaching of information literacy in the context of the total curriculum, and (b) managing the school's information resources and services to facilitate learning/teaching.
II. PROFESSIONAL ROLE
1. The Teacher-Librarian has a professional involvement in the learning and teaching program of the school by collaborating with teachers in curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.
2. The Teacher-Librarian initiates and cooperates in programs to ensure that students become discerning users of information to enable them to achieve the learning outcomes specified in the schools education programs.
3. The Teacher-Librarian has key role in the school's information technology program.
4. The Teacher-Librarian provides experiences to encourage reading.
5. The Teacher-Librarian develops, organises and manages information resources which meet the educational, cultural and recreational needs of students and the professional needs of teachers.
6. The Teacher-Librarian facilitates access to external sources of information.
7. The Teacher-Librarian is responsible for all library management, including:
1. devising and implementing systems for efficient library operation to ensure optimum user access to information resources;
2. preparing and administering the library budget;
3. training and supervising the library staff;
4. evaluating and reporting on library programmes.
Teacher Librarians
I. POSITION
The Teacher-Librarian is the school's information and resource specialist, with professional qualifications in (a) education, and (b) information science/librarianship.
The Teacher-Librarian is responsible to the Principal for (a) initiating and participating in the teaching of information literacy in the context of the total curriculum, and (b) managing the school's information resources and services to facilitate learning/teaching.
II. PROFESSIONAL ROLE
1. The Teacher-Librarian has a professional involvement in the learning and teaching program of the school by collaborating with teachers in curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.
2. The Teacher-Librarian initiates and cooperates in programs to ensure that students become discerning users of information to enable them to achieve the learning outcomes specified in the schools education programs.
3. The Teacher-Librarian has key role in the school's information technology program.
4. The Teacher-Librarian provides experiences to encourage reading.
5. The Teacher-Librarian develops, organises and manages information resources which meet the educational, cultural and recreational needs of students and the professional needs of teachers.
6. The Teacher-Librarian facilitates access to external sources of information.
7. The Teacher-Librarian is responsible for all library management, including:
1. devising and implementing systems for efficient library operation to ensure optimum user access to information resources;
2. preparing and administering the library budget;
3. training and supervising the library staff;
4. evaluating and reporting on library programmes.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Social Networking Literacy Competencies for Librarians
A new direction which I have never explored in a professional capacity is the Teacher Librarian's role of social networking.
According to a paper by Joe Murphy and Heather Moulaison for the ACRL 14th National Conference, Pushing the Edge: Explore, Engage, Extend March 14, 2009:
The social networking literate librarian possesses the skills necessary providing services in and with online social networking sites.
Social networking sites are extremely popular across age groups and are central forums for accessing and sharing information. Librarians are responding to the popularity of social networking sites and their expanding role in the creation, use, and sharing of information by engaging them as a central medium for interacting with library patrons and providing services to meet their information needs.
Librarians need a new branch of skill sets specific to utilising and leveraging social networking sites to provide quality services and maintain their role as information experts in a Web2.0 world.
The following competencies are a suggested set of skills that librarians should possess as social networking literate information professionals capable of implementing library services and utilising information within social networking sites. These include:
* skills for interacting with patrons within the sites
* understanding and articulating the nature of social networking sites and
their potential roles related to library services
* creating presences and content,
* evaluating and applying information, and having the ability to assist patrons with gaining and applying these
skills.
The following competencies, based on the ACRL Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education (American Library Association, September 01, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm), are general enough to be applicable across various social networking sites and are flexible for new sites and their evolving applications to library services.
Understanding and Articulating Social Networking Sites and Their Roles:
Librarians should be familiar with a diversity of social networking
sites and social media including those most relevant to their patrons.
Creating Content:
Creating, contributing, and revising content in various formats including images, text, audio, video, links, and more within and beyond the presence of their library in a variety of social networking sites with various tools.
This extends to creating the library presence including pages, groups, profiles, and applications.
Evaluating Information
Critically evaluating information encountered in social networking sites on the basis of authority, currency, and bias etc.
Librarians also need to be able to assist patrons in gaining and applying these skills.
Applying Information Ethically and Legally
The social networking literate librarian applies information in social networking sites ethically and legally.
Searching and Navigating
The social networking literate librarian knows how to effectively search and browse
various online social networks for known and unknown contacts, and for information and resources in a variety of formats.
Interacting
Familiar with the diverse methods of communicating with social networking sites and is aware of and able to apply the unique culturalnorms and expectations of each communication method.Communication channels include messaging within the sites, posts on profile walls, comments on status updates, notes, pictures, posted items and blogs, and the sites’ various synchronous chat features.
Also important are the skills for interacting over the various mobile communication
channels popular with some social networking sites. Librarians should posses the skills forinteracting with patrons in these sites via smart phone applications, mobile webpages, email,software and third party clients, and text message.
Teaching
The social networking literate librarian is capable of teaching these skills to library patrons and peers.
Providing Services
Utilises a variety of online social networking sites to provide quality library services.
Evaluate social network sites and choose which are most appropriate to establish a library presence in.
Capable of building and managing the library’s presence in the form of profiles or applications, developing work flows for services,marketing services, weeding spam, understanding and working with privacy levels, assessing the library’s presence and services, leveraging tagging and favoriting, understanding and engaging
vendor and other third party applications, and being aware of relevant security topics.
It is important that librarians are familiar with the steps and etiquette for initiating and responding to friend requests in building networks.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the defining skill for librarians engaging people and information through social networking sites. Librarians must be able to apply the above skills to unique and novel social networking sites as they emerge and evolve. Familiarity with each of the above skills in multiple social networking sites will help librarians be flexible in applying these skills to future
sites and services.
The most important, and possibly hardest to develop, skill is the ability to look ahead,
visualize, create, and manage robust library services in full consideration of and within social networking sites.
I see I have a lot of learning still to do.
According to a paper by Joe Murphy and Heather Moulaison for the ACRL 14th National Conference, Pushing the Edge: Explore, Engage, Extend March 14, 2009:
The social networking literate librarian possesses the skills necessary providing services in and with online social networking sites.
Social networking sites are extremely popular across age groups and are central forums for accessing and sharing information. Librarians are responding to the popularity of social networking sites and their expanding role in the creation, use, and sharing of information by engaging them as a central medium for interacting with library patrons and providing services to meet their information needs.
Librarians need a new branch of skill sets specific to utilising and leveraging social networking sites to provide quality services and maintain their role as information experts in a Web2.0 world.
The following competencies are a suggested set of skills that librarians should possess as social networking literate information professionals capable of implementing library services and utilising information within social networking sites. These include:
* skills for interacting with patrons within the sites
* understanding and articulating the nature of social networking sites and
their potential roles related to library services
* creating presences and content,
* evaluating and applying information, and having the ability to assist patrons with gaining and applying these
skills.
The following competencies, based on the ACRL Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education (American Library Association, September 01, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm), are general enough to be applicable across various social networking sites and are flexible for new sites and their evolving applications to library services.
Understanding and Articulating Social Networking Sites and Their Roles:
Librarians should be familiar with a diversity of social networking
sites and social media including those most relevant to their patrons.
Creating Content:
Creating, contributing, and revising content in various formats including images, text, audio, video, links, and more within and beyond the presence of their library in a variety of social networking sites with various tools.
This extends to creating the library presence including pages, groups, profiles, and applications.
Evaluating Information
Critically evaluating information encountered in social networking sites on the basis of authority, currency, and bias etc.
Librarians also need to be able to assist patrons in gaining and applying these skills.
Applying Information Ethically and Legally
The social networking literate librarian applies information in social networking sites ethically and legally.
Searching and Navigating
The social networking literate librarian knows how to effectively search and browse
various online social networks for known and unknown contacts, and for information and resources in a variety of formats.
Interacting
Familiar with the diverse methods of communicating with social networking sites and is aware of and able to apply the unique culturalnorms and expectations of each communication method.Communication channels include messaging within the sites, posts on profile walls, comments on status updates, notes, pictures, posted items and blogs, and the sites’ various synchronous chat features.
Also important are the skills for interacting over the various mobile communication
channels popular with some social networking sites. Librarians should posses the skills forinteracting with patrons in these sites via smart phone applications, mobile webpages, email,software and third party clients, and text message.
Teaching
The social networking literate librarian is capable of teaching these skills to library patrons and peers.
Providing Services
Utilises a variety of online social networking sites to provide quality library services.
Evaluate social network sites and choose which are most appropriate to establish a library presence in.
Capable of building and managing the library’s presence in the form of profiles or applications, developing work flows for services,marketing services, weeding spam, understanding and working with privacy levels, assessing the library’s presence and services, leveraging tagging and favoriting, understanding and engaging
vendor and other third party applications, and being aware of relevant security topics.
It is important that librarians are familiar with the steps and etiquette for initiating and responding to friend requests in building networks.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the defining skill for librarians engaging people and information through social networking sites. Librarians must be able to apply the above skills to unique and novel social networking sites as they emerge and evolve. Familiarity with each of the above skills in multiple social networking sites will help librarians be flexible in applying these skills to future
sites and services.
The most important, and possibly hardest to develop, skill is the ability to look ahead,
visualize, create, and manage robust library services in full consideration of and within social networking sites.
I see I have a lot of learning still to do.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
What we teach and do
Yesterday I joined OZTL_NET and I received my first digest today. The readings that captured my eye were concerning two posts. One from a Classroom teacher that was appointed to Teacher Librarian 15 years ago in Australia and the other a Head of Information Studies in Hamilton, New Zealand.
The first was defending her ability to teach in the TL role even though she had no "paper qualifications" and the second was reiterating the importance of teaching Information Literacy and emphasing the unique role of the Teacher Librarian and the "credentials" that the TL should have.
There were some good points in both posts so I have identified them:
Post 1 -
* Classroom teachers only see a fraction of what the role of the TL entails.
* Training and Development in TL is crucial.
* IT Skills are necessary.
* Joining Hub groups is also essential for continued growth and understanding of the TL role.
* Passion and a thirst for knowledge are important characteristics for a TL.
Post 2 -
* Instruction in Information Literacy during training is very important for the TL.
* Whilst classroom teachers who are placed in the TL role without formal qualifications may be literate in the sense of being able to word process or make powerpoint presentations, etc they do not have the expertise in the use of Boolean Strategies for effective searching databases suitable for school students or actually teaching students a research framework or note taking skills or different forms of reading (skim, scan, close) required for researching and much more.
* Library Staff "fill very distinct as well as integrated niches in education but this does not seem to be understood by some. "
* Emphasised that there is a lot of evidence that qualified TLs make a difference.
Another TL post which reponded to these posts added to the importance in the use of Boolean Strategies and suggested a great way to show Boolean searching is through the use of
I will need to find out what this is today.
What we Teach and Do
OZTL_NET Digest Vol 63 Issue 74
The first was defending her ability to teach in the TL role even though she had no "paper qualifications" and the second was reiterating the importance of teaching Information Literacy and emphasing the unique role of the Teacher Librarian and the "credentials" that the TL should have.
There were some good points in both posts so I have identified them:
Post 1 -
* Classroom teachers only see a fraction of what the role of the TL entails.
* Training and Development in TL is crucial.
* IT Skills are necessary.
* Joining Hub groups is also essential for continued growth and understanding of the TL role.
* Passion and a thirst for knowledge are important characteristics for a TL.
Post 2 -
* Instruction in Information Literacy during training is very important for the TL.
* Whilst classroom teachers who are placed in the TL role without formal qualifications may be literate in the sense of being able to word process or make powerpoint presentations, etc they do not have the expertise in the use of Boolean Strategies for effective searching databases suitable for school students or actually teaching students a research framework or note taking skills or different forms of reading (skim, scan, close) required for researching and much more.
* Library Staff "fill very distinct as well as integrated niches in education but this does not seem to be understood by some. "
* Emphasised that there is a lot of evidence that qualified TLs make a difference.
Another TL post which reponded to these posts added to the importance in the use of Boolean Strategies and suggested a great way to show Boolean searching is through the use of
I will need to find out what this is today.
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