Resourcing the Curriculm Reflection

One thing that I enjoy the most is "the hunt". Give me an impossible task of finding something, be it a piece of information or a distributor of some obscure craft bit and I will find it.

So the prospect of finding resources to meet a curriculum need got me all excited .. really!

I have enjoyed this piece of writing because in order to effectively resource the curriculum you need systems, and I like systems. I also like the idea of evaluating so I am looking forward to the next essay which is on collection management strategy within a library.

So cross fingers that the lecturer liked it as well ..

Where is the evidence - Assignment 1

For Assignment 1 we are meant to choose a section of the curriculum that needs resourcing in the school and then go through the motions of choosing resources and justifying the process that we went through.

My first point of call was the Head Librarian at my school. He gave me some guidance on the areas that he felt was lacking. But my IT head on my shoulders asks the question "Where is the evidence?".

If I had more time with this Assignement I would develop a tool that I could use with the Heads of Faculties regularly within a school environment to evaluate whether the collection is meeting the needs of the teachers. A simple survey that you could use regularly at the end of a unit perhaps, as part of the evaluation process (thinking this through for Assignment 2).

But so far I am loving this area of Library Studies. Not only from the logistical point of view, but it is all about systems, and I love systems! The aspect that I am finding the most interesting is the inclusion of technology into the mix. How does that affect both the acquisition and use of resoures?

Justification?

Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where the importance of Libraries was given? Where school Libraries didn't have to fight for funding or their importance within a school?

I came across this recently on Cathy Nelson's blog, and thought it was worthwhile to re-post.

Now more than ever it is important for School Librarians to understand marketing in the same way that the school registrar understands marketing. What are the numbers telling you about borrowing patterns? Have you surveyed your students to find out what they like or do not like?

School Librarians need to work smarter using technology and tools to be proactive within their school and not reactive.

“Our new school won’t need a library” (Johnson 2002)

I was quietly grinning while reading through Johnsons articles on the promise of research gold with the permeation of internet resources in school.

picture via

When I taught at MLC many moons ago, there was a lot of discussion about “classrooms without walls” and how learning would be seamless as students moved from home to school. There would be no classrooms, just learning pods ...

Johnson makes the point of the powerful blend that both “print and electronic resources” can make within a school library (2002 p 5). He talks about the serendipitous nature in which students can use both print and electronic resources to find and discover information for themselves when they are not all hell bent on “using Google” but when they have been exposed to the power of online databases and quality paperback resources.

Johnson, D. (2002). Print and electronic library resources. School libraries in Canada, 21(4), 5.

Johnson, D. (2007). Managing the intangible: Digital resources in school libraries. Library Media Connection, 26(1), 46-49.

Re-design

This year I have a part time Teacher Librarian load and I am so excited. It is like someone has put a shot of something in my arm. I have so many ideas and thoughts running around in my head and I hope that I can make a positive contribution to the school Library.

I will also start my third CSU subject, "Resourcing the Curriculum". So keep an eye out for posts on the readings.

I've been sprucing up the blog and associated social networking tools, preparing for the start of another school year.

Follow us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, Comment on our blog entries but make sure that you leave your email address so that we can answer questions or comments.

Can I be specific .. maybe not

Chugging along on the essay, nearing the point where I will actually read it offline for the first time. Strange but true. It has taken me a while to get my "study groove on". I read better offline, I write better online, I think better with food in my mouth, I also need time to let ideas ferment. Finally I have come up with a study system that "I think" works. It is a bit different this time around studying, now I have two kids to juggle.

Found this interesting diagram here ..

A few thoughts from my readings that relate back to my experiences working with IT and ICT. This observation might not make it into my final piece as I don't want my assignment to be focused on ICT, but it is something that seems to be popping up in a number of articles. The lack of specificity in some areas, but not others. Particularly in the area of Information Communications and Technology (ICT).

Herring (2007) makes a number of valid points in his Chapter on "Teacher Librarians and the School Library" about the cross over between the various roles within a Library. I would however argue with his point that because the ASLA guidelines do not mention Internet or web, that they are outdated.

The Internet is an information system, a global information system and a disorganized one at that, but still an information system. We call the World Wide Web the Internet a the moment, but within the context of guidelines (which are normally loosely compiled to allow flexibility), I would expect that they would not be specific. Perhaps the guidelines could read “networked resources”. This would imply that they could be accessed by networked devices.

Continuing further down the article, he then goes on to state in the 'Information Skills in schools' section that in the role of developing information literate students we have to teach students to apply their information literacy skills irrespective of technology. So guidelines have to be specific except when they are referring to skills that students must have?

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, NSW : Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

An opportunity missed for IT teachers and Teacher Librarians

I am busy reading articles and compiling my first essay of my course. But one thing that struck me is that in many of the articles the role of teacher librarian seems to be taking on the role of IT specialist in schools. Herring (2007) would argue that this is indeed a good thing, that it is part of the package that the Teacher Librarian needs to offer to be relevant in today's teaching and learning environment. But coming from being an IT specialist in schools, I worry that Teacher Librarians would spend too much time learning software and teaching IT skills rather than information literacy skills. If we talk about Teacher Librarians working in partnership with classroom teachers, then they shouldn't be taking on the roles of classroom teachers. They should be enablers not disenablers.

The implementation of VELS in Victoria has managed to all but wipe out the IT specialist in schools. What was once a noble profession within schools is now seen with distain as Curriculum Coordinators around the state cancel compulsory IT subjects and shuffle competent information professionals into teaching something else. Many of these teachers who had so much to offer have simply given up and have gone back to teaching a non-IT subject because of the hassle.

The compulsory IT subjects are an opportunity for both IT teachers and Teacher Librarians to work side by side to ensure that our students have not only good IT skills but also excellent information retrieval skills.