Teacher-Librarian

NEA: March 2007 NEA Today – Podcasting the 1600s

Every once in a while NEA picks up some great features. This one is just what I have been looking for… without taking the time to look. I’ve wanted to do podcasts with teachers/students, have it all setup ready to go, and no takers. So, I need to put together some demos right. Well, that is where everything comes to a stop, because I just don’t get to it.

This NEA article will serve as a great intro to teachers and, the connecting article from Will Richardson with tips on podcasts is a lead to step 2.

I already have Richardson’s book Blogs, Podcasts and Wikis- so everything is in place.

I think my pitch should be – “Engergize your end of year projects and keep kids motivated through those glorius May days!”

Another article I’ve found recently gives some other tips…

Interestingly, this article led to another by Stuart Glogoff, who introduced me to blogging 4-5 years ago. I love all the connections!  This article focuses mostly on college level instruction using blogs, but has some great examples and results from surveys that support the dynamic results that blogging can bring.  (You do have to join the free website to read the article)

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ALA | Filter-Savvy Students Barred from Most of Web

Yes, this is the place I work.   I have spent the last two months working many extra hours, like most librarians do, helping teachers, planning, collaborating, running book fairs, and all the other stuff we do. This one hit is in the face.

Not as the article implies-librarians had no voice or input into the decision to restrict Internet access for students.  I personally had a 1/2 day notice before the restrictions were announced to principals.  Most had no advance notice.  Librarians were not ever even close to consulted.

The full restrictions only lasted two days.  The plan was to block all sites for students and only open sites on the firewall requested by teachers.  This quickly overloaded the server, and the district is now working on a new solution with our local phone company.  Things seem pretty spotty right now some websites work and others are blocked. 

Frustrations are high and communication is low.  We have no district librarian, so we have no official voice.  We work from grass roots and will work through this too.

It seems clear that student abuses (accessing music, videos and -yes-porn) sighted in the news were mostlythe result of students not being supervised, and inadequate implementation of filters or other security options.   The whole thing has sparked quite a conversation between community, students, teachers and the news.  Conversation is always good.  It allows us to see what people are really thinking out there.  Pretty scary! 

 In all the conversation no one mentions librarians and their role in teaching information literacy and collaborating with teachers on projects.  More collborating, more engagement in learning and more integration of various technologies for students so they become motivated learners. 

This problem is not going away, and neither is the need for students to be tech-savvy and information literate. So we will just keep working on it!

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Tomorrow is the first work day for teachers.  We have a new principal who was hired in July, and I have not met yet.  There are several new teachers on board, and therefore, several gone.  Personal feelings aside, I am faced with two great collaborators, role models and friends gone.  Fortunately, both have moved to administrative positions where they will be instrumental in advocating for libraries, collaboration, and a research model focusing on the ever thoughtful essential question–and, yes, blogging.

 I suppose I can feel good that I have worked and grown along with these wonderful teachers, and will continue to nurture the collaborative process with our new teachers.

As I prepare to hand out my teacher packet with all the hows and whys of our library service I will have a new section on blogging and the read/write web. 

For the most part this first day will  be busy with getting new teachers settled with overhead projectors, TVs, computers and making those first connections to open the door for collaborating throughout the year. 

While these words are not terribly insightful or remarkable- the fact that I am writing at all is.  As I attempt to use this space for my own professional reflections, on a regular basis, I can’t be worried what other people may think about what I write.  I write for myself.  I blog to learn from my teaching, and to incorporate what I read, hear, and see from the wide world. 

Blogging is a process-the medium.  Through this process I work, learn and reflect, analyze and archive it all.  If I could accomplish the same process through another medium that would be fine too- but blogs sure are the most motivating process for me-ever.

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A20Difference3A20Wont20Be20Fooled20Again20…

Daren Kuropatwa Shares an example of questioning the content/source on a wiki regarding South African Curriculum.   The final point, that when viewing and using content from wikis we need to verify with other sources…

Seems like a connection to the recent conversations about value vs source from David Warlick. 

Yesterday, I had similiar conversations with a group of  school librarians exploring blogs and wikis.  It seems that we- educators/librarians are reluctant to trust some of these new publishing venues like blogs and wikis.  Yet, students more and more like to turn first  to wikipedia as a source.  What makes it so attractive?

I feel like I’m going in circles.  We start out the year teaching documenting sources, evaluating sources, thinking critically about information, synthesizing…  Which I always to connected to a project, and I do try to emphasize the goal or essential question while planning with teachers and working with students.

I think as this year starts I need to include blogs, wikis, myspace whatever in the discussion with students.  I bet they will see how this works and  will help me learn a few things about their thought process.  Then I just need to keep them thinking about the “value” of information throughout the year.

I see what Warlick is saying, and it seems we are on the same track just maybe talking tangerines and navels,  or maybe it’s how you peel that orange.  In any case we want to get at the good fruit.

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Joyce Valenza’s NeverEnding Search » Meme: You know you are a 21st Century teacher librarian if . . .

ok, Joyce snagged me again!  One last post today.  I’ve heard of a 21st Century Vision Summit by AASL, so it is time to consider the question posed here:  What does a 21st Century librarian look like?  There is a considerable list here that Joyce started.

without looking at Joyce’s list:  Right now I feel like you have to be quick! 

 Quick to learn, quick to see what is new, quick to hear what kids are talking about-and try their new things, quick to keep up with (even just aware of) what is happening on the edge-try something new regularly, quick to understand the dillemas teachers face everyday and how to help them just one little bit, quick to respond to district issues/needs, quick to introduce new technologies so the librarian is the one, quick to get home and have a life, and quick to get those hiking boots on and be in the mountains!

That’s my quick short list. (I don’t say technology, but it is at the heart of each idea)  If I keep that in mind this year, only changing the hiking boots to ski boots, I’ll do great!

After looking at Joyce’s first ten I’ll pick two that fit for me right now… that’s reasonable right?  (I also have to learn more about Web 2.0)

5. Consider new interactive and engaging communication tools also for student projects. Are we looking at digital storytelling, wikis, podcasts, streaming video as possibilties beyond paper and PowerPoint?

6. Consider just-in-time, just-for-me learning as your responsibility and are proud that you own the real estate of one desktop window on your students’ home computers 24/7.

I also invite Alaska school librarians to chime in here and make your own list.  or visit my wiki page

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Creating20Passionate20Users3A20Ignore20the20competition

Found this from Stephen Ambram’s blog and took his suggestion to subscribe to Kathy Sierra’s blog Creating Passionate Users.  First check out the Ignore the Competition post.  I think the graph Sierra made says it clearly, but worth reading. 

Blasted! I can only get a fuzzy thumbnail image…  

Then checkout today’s post on presenting.  Many tips here that I will read to students… includes aspects of presenting that I would like students to see- so I need to work on my presentations to them!

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2 Cents Worth » Two Shifts for Librarians… this post from David Warlick’s blog about libraries going obsolete and librarians possibly saving the day… interesting then-

 The school librarian in me paused to think when I read this part of the post–

In a time of rapid change, to disregard information, because its source can not be incontrovertibly determined, would be to waste a wealth of useful content.Source, as a measure of information’s usefulness does not go away. However, I believe that one of the shifts that we will need to make in how we think about information and in the skills that we bring to bare on research is a shift away from source as the determining factor for using information and a shift toward value. The question will not always be:     Is this an authoritative source?

Instead it will always be:

Does this information effectively help me accomplish my goal? Is it valuable to my mission?

Most certainly the source will often be a contributing factor in determining information’s value, but it will rarely be the defining factor.

Granted this quote is a bit out of context so read the whole thing.  I have to agree that, especially looking at the level of publishing via blogs, considering the “source” definition is changing, but it is not going away.  I don’t think we should not question the source. 

I think we should broaden how we determine what is authoritative.  We always have to guide students in how to determine if a source is authoritative. That totally depends on the information you are seeking and your purpose.

Questioning if information will accomplish the goal is part of the research process that we/I teach. I am happy that my teaching on evaluating sources covers both issues, but I see that more attention could be brought to this issue to encourage more critical thinking…

If I want to know how students hacked my library computer I hang with the geeks in the back corner for awhile, and learn a lot! They are the authoritative source.

 there’s more!  Check out the on-going conversation today.

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LibraryThing | Catalog your books online

Discovered this fun and useful site from Steven M. Cohen’s Library Stuff blog.  As the title says you can have your own book list, which by virtue of the LibraryThing database connects you to others who have the book, book reviews, etc.

 I set up an account for the Alaska Battle of the Books.  Each year students in grades 3-12 read a given list of books and then battle it out in February to see who knows the books the best.  

 I’ve tried using a blog for the BOB books before, but it was a bit cumbersome to track all the titles… at least the students thought so.  With LibraryThing you can link to your blog or wherever!

I will introduce August 3 at the Alaska School Library Summit in Anchorage.  sorry no link for this event yet…

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