ETL505 Describing and Analysing Educational Resources. Critical Reflection.

In the school library environment, Teacher Librarians must consider the specific needs and interests of the school community, including students and teachers. An emphasis on providing quality and relevant resources to meet curriculum requirements is essential to create a collection of resources that is highly valued by the school community.

Although quality and relevancy are essential components of a good library collection, it is the ease of access to resources which is most salient. A good collection must be navigable, and in the 21st century digital environment of the Library, navigation must be done via computers. School libraries offer the ‘user’ a digital interface in order to locate, access and retrieve information quickly. These are known as OPACs, which provide access points to resources according to different ‘attributes’, such as author, title, subject, and publication name. OPACs work by using bibliographic control measures such as controlled vocabularies, the cornerstone of information organisation. The school library, however, cannot operate in a closed environment. Essentially, Teacher Librarians must marry external online digital resources, to the physical collection of the school library. This may entail Teacher Librarians developing e-portals containing access points to online resources and linking them to the existing OPAC or library website. Teacher Librarians may then assign metadata to the digital resources so that the ‘users’ are able to identify relevant resources quickly and efficiently without having to do a content based search using Google or other search engine.

Metadata is often imported into the school library catalogue or OPAC through third party providers such as Schools Catalogue and Information Service (SCIS), which service school libraries in Australia and New Zealand. This metadata is carefully controlled by SCIS through policy development that ensures consistency of metadata. SCIS Standards for Cataloguing and Data Entry (SCISSCDE) is an important document for Teacher Librarians to be familiar with to ensure consistency of ‘in-house’ assigned metadata to external digital resources, in addition to adjustments of metadata uploaded to the school OPAC in order to best serve the needs of the library’s ‘end-user’.

In the broader information environment the rise of content based searching has been meteoric. The advent of Google and Yahoo, among many others, have had the information organisation community discussing the relevancy of bibliographic control when users are simply content searching. According to Hider (2012), search engines are the most popular way of finding information on the web due to the instant and usually reliable results returned. However, Hider (2012) does warn, that content based online searching is not always reliable in returning results that are accurate, authoritative, relevant nor appropriate. As a consequence of the popularity of content-based searching Resource Description and Access (RDA), based of the Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records (FRBR) has been developed. RDA is an attempt to provide bibliographic control when describing digital resources. Description of digital resources in the Web 2.0 environment on the other hand, has become democratic, open and uncontrolled in the form of social tagging, also known as Folksonomies.

The future of information organisation may involve OPACs, content-based searching, bibliographic control and Folksonomies. Essentially, Teacher Librarians will need to provide access to information in an interoperable environment. There does not appear to be any clear direction currently, only a conglomeration of different methods to access information. Hider (2012, p.198) suggests that the future of information organisation will largely depend on how society views information itself. In my opinion, information is power and the greater access we have to relevant, accurate, authoritative and timely information, the more powerful we are as a society.

 

References:

 

Hider, P. (2012). Information Resource Description: Creating and Managing Metadata.
Facet Publishing, London UK.

Schools Cataloguing and Information Services (SCIS). (2013). SCIS Standards for Cataloguing and Data Entry (SCISSCDE). Retrieved from http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/SCISCatStandards.pdf     1/10/2014.

ETL523 Reflection – Digital Citizenship.

Digital Citizenship was a definite departure from Information Literacy (IL). Whilst IL focuses on critical evaluation skills and learning how to successfully navigate the information environment, Digital Citizenship (DC) focuses on how to conduct oneself whilst ‘in’ the Digital Learning Environment (DLE). DC incorporates several elements, or themes as described by Ribble (2014). According to Ribble’s research, DC includes; technology access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellbeing, and digital security. Although the themes that Ribble describes are comprehensive, I particularly liked Lindsay & Davis’s (2013) ‘Enlightened Digital Citizenship Model’. What stuck a chord with me was the fact that students required knowledge of Awareness, particularly ‘self-awareness’. Self-Awareness is not unlike Ohler’s view on DC being an extension of character education. Obviously when we make an ethical or moral choice we do not refer to a handbook, rather we have internalised ‘right from wrong’ from an early age thanks to continuing guidance from parents and other influential adults.

Lindsay & Davis (2013) identify 5 areas that students need to internalise in order to be effective digital citizens. Not only do students need to know how to use technology from a ‘operational’ perspective. They need to know what digital tools to use to suit their purpose. I found this very interesting, as traditionally teachers have decided what tools a student should use when creating content. As we all know well, teachers have a particular affinity with ‘power-point’ and students have not been allowed the creative possibilities of using other, more engaging tools. Another area of awareness is that of ‘individual-awareness’. The ultimate responsibility of a students online profile or digital-footprint rests firmly with the student. As we all know, kids like to blame shift when they can, but when they are required to take full responsibility for what they do and don’t post, we as educators are essentially teaching a core adult responsibility – the responsibility for our own actions. The area of Social-Awareness in DC draws on social dos and don’ts from our ‘physical’ interactions with others and extends our knowledge to incorporate how we construct written communication such as in an email, and how we try our utmost to not cause offence or embarrassment to others. Knowing how to behave in a digital environment is crucial in today’s society especially when the nuances of face-to-face contact are removed from the situation. Cultural and Global awareness, essential when communicating in the digital realm are more difficult for students to comprehend and internalise. Kids from rural schools and isolated communities in Australia will particularly struggle with these areas of Awareness. We as educators are charged with the responsibility to facilitate opportunities for our charges to develop such capacity.

So, why has learning about DC been important? Well, the world of work and evolving pedagogy calls for all educators to be aware of DC. We have the future contributors to our economies sitting in our classroom. They must know how to use technology to support their purposes. They must know how to interact in a socially responsible manner. They must show respect. Respect for others, respect for themselves, respect for other people’s property and essentially how they can protect their security and reputation online. The digital environment is complex. It is changing rapidly and schools must be face these challenges head on. Teachers, especially TLs must be committed to continuing their own education, whether it be through formal postgraduate studies, or through PLNs on social media. Everyday, new opportunities are available to schools in order to support the 21st Century learning environment. We must support our students by providing them with guidance and practical opportunities to utilise digital citizenship skills.

Participation in ETL523 has provided me with a toolkit of resources that will assist me in developing pedagogically relevant programmes for my students, that teach them the essential skills associated with digital participation. Churches, Ribble, and Crockett, are all leaders in harnessing the DLE to support 21st Century teaching and learning. Drawing on students experiences, using collaborative networks to enhance learning, and using new digital technologies to create and present new knowledge. They are indeed champions of Digital Citizenship!
Further, I have been given an opportunity to build a collaborative wiki with fellow students on the DLE and I have learnt to make greater use of my evernote account. I also tried my hand at using a digital animation tool (goanimate) to present an assignment about the 5 Areas of Self-Awareness in Digital Citizenship.
This course has also provided me with great examples of what other schools are doing. Ivanhoe Grammar is a ‘stand-out’ in the Australian context, and it is modelling a whole school approach to the DLE by developing a robust DC programme. And perhaps more importantly, this course has given me a vehicle in which to challenge the current culture of content blocking at my school, and provide leaders with a more pedagogically sound alternative – the development of a school wide Digital Citizenship policy.

Digital Citizenship Module 1. A Reflection

What are important messages and understandings we should be remembering and sharing with colleagues to inform our approach to teaching and learning in the digital world?

Importantly, technology is everywhere and is an integral part of kids lives. The video ‘Technology Rocks Virginia’s World’ Retrieved from <http://youtu.be/O0XaHBD3OOw.&gt; is a stark reminder that technology is absolutely and totally infused in kids lives. Just like breathing air, kids cannot do without it. Schools are still grappling with this concept. Some schools, indeed, are still trying to ignore it in the hope that it will go away. Mobile phones are banned, and other mobile devices are detected on the wifi network and blocked.
Teachers need to work together in order to use technology effortlessly in the curriculum, not just as an add-on. We all need to embrace the fact that we cannot be on top of every new development. Educators need to observe what the kids are using and then try to adapt it to the educational setting.

How have mobile and ubiquitous digital learning environments, including tablet technology impacted what we do as educators now in terms of digital citizenship understandings and new approaches to pedagogy?

Mobile technology & DLEs, including LMSs have freed up our time in the classroom to work on higher order thinking skills. Traditionally, content was taught in classrooms, focusing on the lower order skills of remembering & understanding. Now with all of these wonderful technological applications (and the ability to ‘flip’), teachers can spend more time helping kids with application, analysis, evaluation and creation.

What is your digital footprint looking like now? How will you develop this?

I have a professional digital footprint only via twitter, scoop-it, delicious, pearltrees, diigo and wordpress. I intend to continue using these platforms to increase my PLN.

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Digital Footprints

In the early days of my MEd.(TL) studies, I began to become a digital participant for the first time in my life. Interestingly, I was really naive about my digital footprint. I posted on my blog the following entry, titled ‘Too much information?’
“Is using your ‘real name’ on the internet too much information? Should we be anonymous on the web when posting opinion? Recently, after viewing a provocative youtube post regarding a freedom of speech issue, I left a comment – but in my haste to post it, I signed up unwittingly using my ‘real name’. ‘Oh, dear!’ said my husband. ‘No one uses their real name to post comments, especially when the post is so controversial.’

As educators, do we encourage students to stand by their opinion by leaving their real name, or should we advise that they blend into obscurity by leaving a tag instead? When what we write is available to be viewed by anyone on the internet, how firmly should we stand by our opinion?” (27/8/2011)

* To my mind, the challenges of teaching Digital Citizenship to students lies in our own knowledge and experiences of participating in the digital realm. Having made a mistake early on, I have been extremely careful to participate in a professional manner only, and leave contentious opinion based comments in my head!
Another challenge is that kids (especially teenagers) think they know it ‘all’ and can switch off to lessons surrounding DC. We really must engage them by using the digital platforms that they themselves use to educate them on what is okay and what is not.

* I found Mark Ribble’s (2014) website on DC really interesting. He and others like Howard Rheingold are leading the way in the DC conversation.
“We need to think in terms of literacies. And we need to expand our thinking of digital skills or information literacies to include social media literacies (Rheingold, 2010)”.

Rheingold’s inclusion of ‘social media literacies’ brings us back to my previous point that teaching DC must be relevant to kids and social media is where many of them dwell in the digital world.

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What makes a digital citizenship curriculum valuable and worthwhile?

Ribble (2014) believes the answer is to start early in Kindergarten and use authentic learning experiences that are contextually relevant to the students. Further, educators must work towards embedding DC into age appropriate, technologically rich learning experiences (Hollandsworth, Dowdy & Donovan, 2011). A DC curriculum must be part of the larger Digital Literacy programme, that includes aspects of ICT Literacy, Information Literacy and Critical Literacy, as described by Wall & Ryan (2010). As educators (and especially TLs), I believe we must start with the ‘big picture’ and then work backwards as to how we can support a school-wide Digital Literacy Programme that incorporates all 21st Century Literacies.

Discuss one approach to embedding digital citizenship into the curriculum.

Firstly, schools must put digital learning into the hands of educators, not the IT manager (as is the case in my school). This point is highlighted in Digital Citizenship in K-12: It takes a Village (Hollandsworth, Dowdy & Donovan, 2011).

One example of this is a conversation I had with a student in the school library yesterday. I asked the student where he was downloading digital images from and whether or not he was including Licensing Attributions for his school project.
Student:“ They are from google images.”
Me: “Great, are they creative commons images?”
Student: “All images on google are creative commons”.
Me: “Actually they are not. You need to check each image to see its licensing information and if they are copyrighted you must gain permission from the copyrighted owner to use the image, and if permission is granted, you must them attribute them correctly.”
Student: “Okay, I’ll try to check”.

Unfortunately, our Content Blocker blocks all websites that contain Creative Commons images. This is most frustrating for me and my suggestions as to why we need access to sites like Flickr (Yes! Flickr is blocked!) continue to be ignored.
The only way to embed DC into curriculum successfully is to adopt a school-wide approach that is supported by all stakeholders and take back the power that has been given over to IT managers. Only then, can we begin the DC learning journey with our students.:)

Web 2.0 > Web 3.0

Reflection, is the key the the 2014 academic year. Introductory notes on Digital Citizenship have revisited Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. I am still trying to fully understand Web 3.0, the Semantic Web. It is an extension of Web 2.0, but it is catered to individuals via data relationships and/or connections. Whenever information is tagged, the Web makes a connection to other data. This process is exponential as there are billions of data connections made each day, by billions of people. Human interaction with the Web essentially teaches the Web ‘machine’ how to formulate relationships between content. Web 3.0 is everywhere; in your pocket, in your home appliances, in your children’s schools, on your iPod, on your phone. There are however critics that say that the Semantic Web will never work, however it is already working. Every time you teach the Web a  data relationship, the Web caters more specifically to your needs.

My understanding on Web 3.0 is in its infancy. Watch this space…

E-pathfinder for Stage 2.

Wow, I love this subject (ETL501 The Information Environment)!

My second assignment requires me to make an e-pathfinder on a website or wiki. I’ve chosen Stage 2, as it corresponds with my classroom teaching experience and have decided to do the Solar System (as I am mad about all things science!).

I’m using Weebly as my website provider, and I must say it is excellent. This is the first time I’ve built a website, although I have used wikis for a couple of years now.

So, in my haste to get started I’ve designed the most colourful website I could find. It is cherry red and looks absolutely fantastic. I’ve downloaded and attributed images of the Solar System to each page banner and have begun to fill in the content. I’m really getting ahead on this assignment!

Looking at my website today I note that any text entered is white (and links in pink) on a cherry red background. Perhaps I have not considered the ease of readability for students. Yes the website is bright, colourful and engaging, but the text could be a little difficult to read for some students with a sight problem. Also there are quite a few children in this stage at my school that are dyslexic and / or on the spectrum. Perhaps I need to explore other colour themes…

Also, in my haste to insert content, I have completely overlooked the PURPOSE of the website as a pathfinder. The pathfinder must be constructed with the purpose of addressing the Australian Curriculum in a subject of my choice. Yes, I’ve chosen my subject, and have also inserted loads of resources, but I have not looked at the purpose. This is a temptation I think many educators grapple with. Find gorgeous, shiny, engaging resources first and then try to link back to curriculum. WRONG! I need to take some steps backward now and look at my purpose first.

RSS Feeds. Another example of the digital divide.

I have finally begun to organise my web-browsing, especially of blogs that I am interested in, by signing up for RSS Feeds. I’m currently using netvibes.com . Signing up today for feeds wasn’t as easy as I had originally thought. Navigating the dashboard to work out what to do and how to do it was even less easy. I like to think of myself as a fairly tech-savy, but every time I use a different Web 2.0 tool, the learning curve is steep. It is no wonder people born before the digital age are somewhat slow with the uptake of new and emerging tools. It’s complicated to get your head around.

In my readings, the concept of the ‘digital divide’ continues to be raised. Many teachers (and governments for that matter) still believe that access to technology is the main issue. I don’t buy into this belief. The digital divide is much more complex than putting technology in the hands of students and teachers. In my opinion, the digital divide encompasses all aspects of what Wall & Ryan (2010) label digital literacy. This includes having knowledge in / about :

* ICT application skills

* web 2.0 tools

* multimedia

* social networking

* information literacy skills

* critical literacy skills

Further I suggest that that the availability of time to explore and ‘play’ is essential in closing the gap.

Obviously, this morning I had time to play and explore RSS feeds, not to mention a fairly good knowledge of digital literacy.

Reference

Wall, J. and Ryan, S. (2010). Resourcing for Curriculum Innovation. In Learning in a Changing World: Series No.5. ACER Press, Camberwell, Vic.

Website Evaluation as part of Information Literacy Instruction

Why evaluate websites? Well, obviously the internet is full of misinformation, bias, commerce, non-experts and fallacy. But, surely our digital native students have the inbuilt skills to do this automatically? Not so according the Barabara Combes (2009). She cites a great deal of evidence that digital natives are not as information literate as we previously thought.  Students skim the surface of information without thinking deeply and/or critically about it. Not surprisingly,  most digital natives are self taught, thus;  locating, authenticating, deconstructing and applying information is not part of their normal internet repertoire. Combes states that “using the internet for information seeking and developing information literacy skills needs to be embedded in curriculum programs in the early school years…” (2009 p.8). But how do we go about embedding these critical information literacy skills? Combes suggests that TLs work collaboratively with teachers to design a resource based curriculum that requires students to locate, authenticate and evaluate the information that they find. TLs need to explicitly teach Information Literacy skills, then provide scaffolds for students and eventually enable students to be independent of the teacher in the information seeking process (Coiro, 2012).

Coiro, J. 2012. The new literacies of online reading comprehension: Future Directions. The Educational Forum (online) , Oct 2012

Combes, B. (2009). Digital natives or digital refugees? Why we have failed Gen Y? Proceedings of 38th Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship incorporating the 13th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship: Preparing pupils and students for the future, school libraries in the picture. Albano Terme, Padova, Italy. IASL and the University of Padua. Retrieved 5 July, 2012 from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1661&context=ecuworks

School Librarians as Facilitators of Learning

R.David Lankes

 

Teacher Librarians are Leaders

Leadership is an enormous task and not for the faint hearted! Leadership requires vision.
After some reading, I believe leadership should be collaborative involving all team members in decision making processes. Collaboration empowers organisational members, and allows members to feel a sense of ownership. Leaders must provide clearly communicated goals and facilitate teams to work towards fulfilling such goals. Leaders must foster good working relationships, promote a culture of trust and belonging, provide training, be accountable, be decisive, be positive, and have technical expertise.

 

TL as technology leader

A practical professional opportunity I would like to adopt in my school is that of technology leadership, especially in regard to pedagogy and curriculum planning. Currently the TL at my school is involved in curriculum planning, but only as a source of resourcing the curriculum. Technology is used throughout the school, but is not embedded in curriculum planning. I would like to form a team, gather information as to how teachers are currently using technology in their classrooms and then as a team, consider ways to effectively implement pedagogically sound technology usage.
I also was very interested in Goodnough’s (2005) article on Collaborative Inquiry (CI) as a means of fostering teacher learning. A CI team could therefore produce teachers with a greater understanding of pedagogy associated with the effective use of information technology throughout the curriculum.

Goodnough, K. (2005). Fostering Teacher Learning through Collaborative Enquiry. Clearing House, 79(2), 88-92.