Assignment 1 reflection - ETL 503

It was with much hesitation that I sent my first assignment for ETL503 through EASTS on Monday evening. This is the first time that I was not happy with what I was submitting. From the beginning of this subject I have felt like I'm lagging behind, unable to catch up. I have felt at a disadvantage not being in a library already and not knowing what some of the people in the forum have been discussing in the way of resources. Needless to say, I am hoping for a pass. Fingers crossed.

Kennedy text

For ETL 503, I am currently reading through the Kennedy text, "Collection Management: A concise Introduction". It is an informative and interesting book, however, I am finding many references to books and articles published in the '90's. Although I am sure that these have lots of pertinent information to collection management, I am sure that there are more recent resources that could be referenced.

As an example, I have just come across a reference to a magazine called Australia Bookseller and Publisher which gives up-to-date information on what is happening in the book world. By doing an internet search I came across the online version of this at http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/
Not only does it list the Bestselling books for the week but also has interesting articles from around the world including one on why Japanese people are unlikely to ever read an e-book.

Indecision ....

After much indecision, I am going to go ahead with ETL503 over the Christmas holiday break. I must say that I was totally overwhelmed by the brief and the assignments and have been second guessing myself for awhile. Now I have committed myself though, there is no turning back! That being said, I am still very unsure of it all. I was at a school on Wednesday and took a copy of my assignments to discuss some ideas with the Teacher Librarian. As soon as I mentioned the school's Collection Policy, there was a shift in the conversation. They don't have one and she doubts whether any Catholic school on the Coast would have one either because they are "old hat". Hmmm... not a good start. So am off next week to visit a Public school and a Public Library to see if I can find someone who has a collection policy and is willing to talk to me about it. Fingers crossed...

Critical synthesis on how my view of the Teacher Librarian has changed.

When I first started this course, I was very naïve about the role of the Teacher Librarian (TL) (Field 2011a) and saw my role mainly as chief educator of all things wonderful about books and information. At that stage, the roles of Media Specialist and collaborative negotiator were two that I had not yet considered as being a part of the TL’s job mainly due to my past relationships with TL’s. Many more readings later I came to see that I actually had no idea of the magnitude of the roles that a TL has in a school: those of teacher, leader, information specialist, instructional partner and program administrator (Church (2011), Purcell (2010) and AASL (2009)) and what these roles entailed. After reading the articles by Herring (2007) and Purcell (2010), I began to see how overwhelming the job of the TL could be. So, I could relate to Clark (2011) when she wrote about the need for effective management of the roles of the TL.

With all of these expectations, it could be easy to lose track of our number one priority – our clients. Parkin (2011) addressed this in his forum post and helped me put things into perspective as he spoke of our duty to staff and students as our main objective with all other roles seen as being supportive of that objective. Lamb (2011) reiterated this idea writing about how being a successful TL involves building relationships, sharing the vision of the library program and the mission of the school and collaborating with others, all with the benefit of our students in mind. Lamb (n.d) also reminds us that as the TL, we are not alone because by successfully using our role as leader, we can recruit others and though collaborations with staff and students we can achieve more than we ever could alone.

So, why didn’t I know anything about the roles of the TL? As Farley (2011) stated, it is up to the TL to promote themself so that the staff know exactly what it is the TL does. I touched on this briefly (Field, 2011b) when discussing the importance of letting everyone know how important the role of the TL is for the school community. ASLA (n.d) also discusses the need for advocating the TL profession and making others aware of the misconceptions of the TL role in schools. After reading Joyce Valenza’s (2010) manifesto, Field (2011c) I was truly inspired. It brought me to the realisation that if, as TL’s we are going to be able to successfully collaborate with teachers and work towards the school mission, first we need to make others aware of exactly how much of a difference we can make.
With regards to Information Literacy (IL), I must admit that sadly, I was unaware that there was such a term and knew nothing about it. With so much to read about the subject, I felt that I needed a definition if I was going to wade though it all Field (2011d). As I began to delve deeper, I found that many authors were able to discuss the characteristics of an information literate student but unable to agree on a definition. I came to realise that no matter the definition or the model you use, whether it be Kuhlthau’s ISP model or Herring’s PLUS model, the message is the same: the IL process should lead students toward becoming self-sufficient in finding, using and evaluating information. It is my job then, as TL, to make sure that I rise to the challenge and meet the needs of the 21st Century learner by teaching them the skills they need for lifelong learning. To do this I believe that I myself must become a lifelong learner. I feel that the role of TL will be an ever-changing one and I will need to keep abreast of the changes and be flexible.

The biggest problem during this course for me was that once I started reading about something, I then wanted to find out more. I scoured reference sections of articles to see what else was related to that topic, searched for it and read that too. Initially I saw this as a downfall, now I think that it may be one of my strengths. I have had many moments of doubt during this course and have felt overwhelmed at times so it is fitting that I end with a quote that is becoming my mantra:

Learning begins with uncertainty and is driven by the desire to seek meaning.

(Kuhlthau, 2004, p89)


References:

ASLA, (NSW) Inc. (n.d) What is advocacy? Retrieved September 28, 2011, from http://aslansw.org.au/advocacy/how-to-advocate.htm

Church, A.P. (2011). School librarians as teacher leaders. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin. 77(3), 10-12.

Clark, L.(2011, July 27). Managing Roles [Forum Comment]. Retrieved from http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201160_W_D_Sub2_forum

Farley, A. (2011, July 24). Role. [Forum Comment]. Retrieved from
http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201160_W_D_Sub2_forum

Field, A. (2011a, July 27). Webinar 1 and my thoughts on the role of a Teacher Librarian. [Blog]. Retrieved from http://anexcitingjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/webinar-1-and-my-thoughts-on-role-of.html

Field, A. (2011b, July 30). Collaboration and a dying breed. [Blog]. Retrieved from
http://anexcitingjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/topic-2-role-of-teacher-librarian.html

Field, A. (2011c, September 2). Joyce Valenza – a great role model for Librarians everywhere! [Blog]. Retrieved from http://anexcitingjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/joyce-valenza-great-role-model-for.html

Field, A. (2011d, August 23). Re: Definition. [Forum Comment]. Retrieved from
http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201160_W_D_Sub4_forum

Herring, J. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.) Libraries in the twenty-first century: charting new directions in information. (pp 27-42). Wagga Wagga: Charles Sturt University.

Kuhlthau, C.C. (2004). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. (2nd ed.) Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

Lamb, A. (n.d) Overview: the school library media specialist. The School Library Media Specialist. Retrieved September 28, 2011 from http://eduscapes.com/sms/overview/specialist.html

Lamb, A. (2011). Bursting with potential: Mixing a media specialist’s palette. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning. 55(4), 27-36.

Parkin, D. (2011, July 25) Role of the TL. [Forum Comment]. Retrieved from
http://forums.csu.edu.au/perl/forums.pl?forum_id=ETL401_201160_W_D_Sub2_forum

Purcell, M. (2010). All Librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of a school library media specialist. Library Media Connection. 29(3), 30-33.

Valenza, J. (2010) Manifesto for 21st Century school librarians. October, VOYA Magazine: Kurdyla Publishing. http://www.voya.com/2010/09/15/tag-team-tech-october-2010.

Mind maps and a brief break.

It has been awhile since my last blog...sigh! Last week I spent my first full week back at school teaching a Year 1 class. Sheesh - I had forgotten how totally draining teaching can be. On the upside the class was great and the teacher well organised. She left me a wonderful letter asking me to treat her class the way I would my own.... I thought that was lovely. The interesting thing with this class is that they are using mind maps. I saw them develop two mind maps over the week and it was fabulous to see that quite a few have grabbed a hold of this idea and run with it. Others are having trouble getting their ideas down on paper and a few of them are looking at it as a separate activity, not related to anything else that they are doing in the classroom. Oh, to have more time with that class.......

Due to my week of work, my TL studies took a backseat as I was expanding on lessons that the teacher left me and doing extra preparation at home. So, now having to jump back into it and juggle assignment work too. I need a holiday! :)

Joyce Valenza - a great role model for Librarians everywhere!

I read Joyce Valenza's Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians (2010)- wow! So many ideas and I'll admit, so much I needed to look up! This is something that every (Teacher) Librarian needs to read and use as a great source of inspiration. She has fabulous ideas on how to get students motivated through Reading, Information landscape, Communication, Publishing and Storytelling. She has tips on creating a better physical space in your library, on how to develop your library collection and on how to introduce new technology tools into the library as well as work on your own professional development for the betterment of yourself and your students.

Then I heard her speak about 'What Librarians make. Or why should I be more than a Librarian.' She is certainly someone that I am going to aspire to be like when I become a Teacher Librarian. You get the real sense that she cares for each and every student that walks through her door and that she is there to make a difference. That's why I became a teacher, I wanted to make a difference in the lives of the children that I had the pleasure to teach. Sure, some of them were hard work, challenging and at times downright annoying but, for each of those children there was always a moment when I thought, "You know, I might actually be getting through to them." There was a brief glimpse of their potential and that was enough for me to keep slogging through.

I also read Taylor Mali's (1999) poem, 'What Teachers Make' which was the inspiration for Valenza's talk. I was reminded of the many times people have asked me how much I make and how cushy a teacher's job is, what with all those holidays! How many times have I wanted to lay it all out there about lesson preparation, rubric writing, assessment marking and report writing that is done outside of school hours. But, I haven't. Now, I'd love to quote from Mali and say,

"You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.........
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?"

Great quote and poster (well, fingers crossed!)

It is no longer enough simply to read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must learn how to spot a stereotype, isolate a social cliche and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter, and important news from coverage.

Ernest Boyer (Past President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)

Information Literacy ......if others can't define it, then why am I trying???

So, have been faced with the readings for Topic 4 - Information Literacy. Time and time again I am reading about what an information literate learner will be like but not an actual definition for Information Literacy. So I Googled and Dogpiled and Metacrawled my way to .....
"Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner."
(Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals)- CILIP.
I have felt compelled to find a definition and now that I found one that makes sense to me, I can look at the information and refer back to the definition. That's what works for me.

I also found an acronym I like that will help me teach Information Literacy effectively and efficiently;
D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R
Define
Inquire
Search
Collect
Organise
Verify
Express
Reflect (University of Mary Washington - 2007)

Phew.... I'm done!

So, after a couple of weeks of wondering what possessed me to take on two subjects ....I'm done! Well, my first assignment for each subject are done anyway. Now to catch up on the modules.

I read a few interesting things in Topic 3 and for my own learning and retention, I'll write them here:

Project Based Learning (PBL) - Students solve carefully planned and assessed real world problems that have multiple solutions. It is organised around open-ended questions and requires inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration allowing students to learn to work independently, resulting in a final product or performance.

Quality Teaching - 3 dimensions
* Intellectual quality - producing deep understanding of important concepts, skills and ideas. Students engage in high order thinking skills and communicate about their learning.
* Quality learning environment - a classroom where teachers and students work productively and are clearly focused on learning.
* Significance of students work - help make learning important and meaningful.

Dimensions of Learning - offers a way for students to think about the process of learning.
* Attitudes and Perceptions - establish positive attitudes to learning.
* Acquire and Integrate knowledge - relate knowledge to what they already know.
* Extend and Refine knowledge - compare, classify, analyze.
* Use knowledge meaningfully - problem solving, investigation, decision making, reasoning and analysis.
* Productive habits of mind - critical, creative and self-regulated thinking.

16 habits of mind
Supposed to be related to learning but I see these as relating to life in general.
*Persisting *Managing Impulsivity *Listening to others with Empathy *Think flexibly *Think about your thinking *Striving for accuracy & precision *Question & pose problems *Apply past knowledge to new situations *Think & communicate with clarity *Gather data through all your senses *Create, imagine, innovate *Respond with awe and wonder *Find humour *Take responsible risks *Think interdependently *Learn continuously

Heard something interesting....

I was speaking to someone over the weekend about going back to school. The conversation was going well until they asked me what I was studying. When I replied, "I'm studying my Masters in Teacher Librarianship", there was a distinct pause and then, "Isn't that a dying profession?" After my own considerable pause, a fierce sense of loyalty made me quote different people from the Forums on 401 and 501 and information that I didn't realise I had taken in came spouting out. I spoke of information literacy; the use of technology and the importance of tying it to the curriculum. I discussed the need for dictionaries in each classroom and the need for students to know alphabetical order. I was on a roll and quite pleased with my arguments for the Teacher Librarian. Then I realised, what an an underestimated, misunderstood profession it is. It is up to us and the other Teacher Librarians out there to toot our own horns and let people know that what we do is important and valuable. So, TOOT if you're a Teacher Librarian!

Topic 2 - Collaboration and a dying breed

Wow! It has taken me a week now to wade through all the readings for Topic 2. So much information..... so little time to take it all in! The importance of collaboration was something mentioned time and time again. These quotes really stood out for me, "The Principal holds the power either to make or break collaborative efforts.." (Principal support for Collaboration: Morris, 2007)and "Teacher Librarians need to align their efforts with the school's mission and the Principal's vision." (Principals: Catalysts for Collaboration: Farmer, 2007) For me, after reading the roles of T.L - collaborator is an extremely important, yet largely under utilised part of the job.

Reading the House of Representatives findings in School libraries and teacher librarians in the 21st Century Australia (2011), a few things jumped out at me including, "...the profession appears to have been in a state of decline for some years and, in some states, is on the brink of extinction." It cited the Lonsdale review a number of times with quotes such as, "Teacher librarians are viewed by their teaching colleagues as support resources, rather than fellow-teachers [or collaborators]" To me it appears that the view of the T.L is in need of a huge revamp. We don't want to be seen as a dying breed. We need to be making fellow teachers, principals and parents aware of what an important job the T.L has and how, if allowed to work in collaboration with classroom teachers, the students will benefit greatly.

Webinar 1 and my thoughts on the role of a Teacher Librarian

Well, after a few technical glitches, I finally listened to and watched Webinar 1 - Introduction to Teacher Librarianship. The Webinar gave a brief overview of each topic, highlighting some of the key points in each topic. I am really looking forward to reading the Australian professional standards for Teacher Librarians at www.asla.org.au/policy/standards/htm. Before I do that, I thought that first I should do as Lyn Hay suggested and jot down a few of my initial thoughts about the roles of a Teacher Librarian and what thoughts or preconceived ideas I may have had coming into this. So, here goes. My memories of the T.L when I was at school are not really pleasant ones. I remember having to sit and listen to her tell us things about the Library. She told us about Fiction and Non-Fiction books, she told us about the Dewey Decimal system, she told us that the Library was a place to be quiet and not disturb others and she told us if we couldn't put the books back in the right place then leave them on the trolley and she would do it herself. Hmmm..... a very Behaviorist way of teaching. Last year I had the chance to do 2 days of casual teaching in the LARC of a local school. Book week had been a few weeks earlier so I decided to do some activities with the students (K-6) based on the Books from Book Week. In 45 minutes I managed to squeeze in the reading of the book, an associated activity and have returning and borrowing of books. It was a true test of my Time Management skills, my I.T skills and my lesson planning skills and I loved it!

Thinking about returning to a full time job when my daughter starts Kindergarten in 2013, I wanted to up the ante and offer something to schools that not many other teachers could. I decided that a Masters in T.L might be for me. I love reading myself, have tried to instill a love of reading in both of my children and have always been keen to pass that love onto my students as well. My preconceived ideas about the role of a T.L really centered around that; instilling a love of reading in students and getting them excited about finding out new information. Very simplistic to say the least!

I must admit when thinking about a the role of T.L, media specialist and collaborative negotiator were never part of the job description. When I was a classroom teacher, I had very little to do with the T.L, sure she asked about our topics for the term and at the end of Week 1 there was usually a pile of books in your pigeon hole that had to do with the topics but there was no discussion, no collaboration at all. I also had no idea that the T.L worked so closely with the Principal. To hear Lyn Hay say that, "The Principal can make or break the T.L's role in the school" was indeed something I had never thought about. In thinking about Principals at different schools though, each one has something that they are passionate about and they make that their 'project'. My job as T.L (when I become an employed one!) as I see it now, is to make the Principal as passionate as I am about the Library so that the Library and the learners within it become that project.

My first Webinar

   Today I had the chance to listen and be involved in my very first Webinar. It was run by Lyn Hay and featured Dianne Lane who was presenting us with effective search methods when using the CSU Library database, EBSCO (an international database),and Informit (an Australian database). WOW! All this time I have been searching on Google and the like with no real clear direction  and just coming across information, hoping that I would find what I needed. Look out - now I know how to search effectively! :)
    I must admit that it took me 30 minutes to set it all up and then I still couldn't see the chat box at the bottom. Apparently Firefox has issues with that particular program and it is best to run it with Explorer. Thanks to my hubby for figuring that out or I would have missed the whole thing!
   For those who missed it, it will be archived and it really is worth your while to check it out. Now, if I can only figure out how to access the archives and see Webinar 1 ......

You DO learn something new every day!

   Yesterday my hubby took the kids out for the day so that I would have the chance to study in a quiet environment. At the time I thought I was doing so well, reading and taking in the information, stopping for a coffee only once! I went to sleep last night very pleased with the amount of work that I had done. Then came today................ First off, the family helped sell sausage sandwiches at the local Bunnings to help raise money for the Scouts (my son is a Joey). After chatting with the Public for a while, eating our own sausage sandwiches and swapping over with the next team, we came home and played some games together. Foolishly I thought, I'll just have a quick look at the Forum on ETL401 since I mainly worked on 501 yesterday. Sigh! I thought I had worked the Forum out. Much to my horror, the sub-forums that have been mentioned by the lecturer (and I thought just not added to the main page yet) have been there the whole time - in ANOTHER section. Sigh (again) - I need to keep reminding myself, you learn something new every day.

My thoughts.......

 I listened to the 2007 presentation that Dagmar Schmidmaier AM (President of ALIA) gave at the State Library of Victoria. Some of the things that I got out of this were: * a need for the modern Library to mesh with modern technology; * in the 21st Century there needs to be a clear message from the Library - there are friendly, easy to use services that identify the needs of the people coming into the Library; * ALIA needs to work with key employers to ensure that all Librarian positions remain with tertiary qualified professionals.

It was interesting to listen to Ms Schmidmaier reflect on her training as a Librarian where the main focus was on organisational methods in a Library. I remember going into the Library when I was younger and the first thing you noticed when you walked in were the cabinets with the catalogue cards. Those and the Dewey Decimal system charts were hard to miss. I always felt the need to be overly quiet and had the feeling of being watched.... didn't want to get any books out of order on the shelves. Now, taking my children into the Library is a totally different experience. They love to go there and are excited to see if there are any new books on the shelves. They are so proud to have their own Library cards and are thrilled when the Librarian points out something about the books they have chosen. It seems a more welcoming place!

A Little Nervous........

So, why am I a little nervous you might ask? Well, when I recently decided to go ahead and sign up for my Masters in Teacher Librarianship, the last thing I really expected to be doing was creating my own blog. But, here I am, typing away on my very own blog spot! Funny how things work out.

This blog will be a reflection on my journey through the course and who knows what other fascinating tidbits may show up on here as well. If you are reading this, you may be sharing a part of the journey with me or you may have stumbled across my page by accident. However you got here, welcome and enjoy my ramblings (oh, I mean, reflections)!