Technology for Learning…anywhere

Among the many startling statistics in the Socialnomics video shown during Gwyneth Jones’ keynote presentation at last weekend’s BCTLA Conference, a fact about mobile phones stood out:

https://youtu.be/YV-3ZgLRnAc

 
Globally, people are more likely to own a cell phone than a toothbrush.  With access to cell phones, some populations in the developing world now have access to new information sources.

Mobile phones connect people living in geographically remote areas with distance education programs.  In Bangladesh, for example, a mobile phone network serves more than 97% of the country’s population – and serves many of the 300,000 students connected with the Bangladesh Open University.  As the university’s vice chancellor notes, “BOU has taken full advantage of the modern ICT to facilitate and support its students all over the country” (Mannan Bou.edu.com).  In addition to course content, mobile phones connect individuals to information about disaster preparedness, nutrition, agriculture, and health issues – often from a local perspective.  Where “traditional publishing and distribution mechanisms have tragically failed the developing world” (Witten et al 7) this information has become accessible with the advent of widespread mobile phone access.

Source

READ Global, an organization dedicated to establishing library services in rural areas of South Asia, works with community groups to build and operate library facilities (READ Centers) and educational programming, including classes related to technology.  Their collections include e-readers, available for sign out to school-aged library patrons.

A partner of READ Global, Practical Action, provides digital information sources to libraries in the developing world.  Information on a diverse range of topics –  energy, food production, sanitation, and disaster – is made freely available.  Their website states, “Knowledge belongs to everyone – we help to make it reach as many people as we can” (Practicalaction.com).  Their ultimate mission is to alleviate poverty.  Farmers, for example, may access their database to learn about pest management techniques, dairy production, or food storage methods.

https://youtu.be/Pvv1aUtwGYA

Another organization, Libraries Without Borders, offers a program for refugees.  Their “Ideas Box” is shipped  to refugee camps and offers workspaces, computers, e-readers, and power outlets to charge digital devices.  In offering access to digital resources, the Ideas Box provides individuals with the opportunity continue their educational pursuits.

These organizations rely on support from donors to fund their services.  Some years ago, some of our ‘Library Council’ students organized a book sale to raise funds for libraries in Nepal.  Inspired by the work of these agencies, I will work with current students to design a fundraiser to benefit one of these programs.

Works Cited

By doing this each year we help well over a million people break out of the cycle of poverty … for good. “Who We Are .” Who We Are | Practical Action, Practical Action, 2016, http://practicalaction.org/who-we-are.

Grönlund, Åke et al. “A Mobile e-Learning Environment for Developing Countries: the Bangladesh Virtual Interactive Classroom.” Information Technology for Development, vol. 16, no. 4, 2010, pp. 244–259.

“The Ideas Box, a Portable Multi-Media Kit for Refugee and Vulnerable Populations.” The Ideas Box, a Portable Multi-Media Kit for Refugee and Vulnerable Populations, Libraries Without Borders, 2016, http://www.librarieswithoutborders.org.

Mannan, M A. “About Bangladesh Open University.” Bangladesh Open University, Bangladesh Open University, 2016, http://www.bou.edu.bd/.

Mccreadie, Nell. “Library Value in the Developing World.” IFLA Journal, vol. 39, no. 4, 2013, pp. 327–343. http://ubc.summon.serialssolutions.com.

“Practical Action, Who Are We?”. Youtube, 23 June 2015, https://youtu.be/pvv1autwgya.

“#Socialnomics Short 2014,” director. Erik Qualman, 29 Apr. 2014, https://youtu.be/yv-3zglrnac.

Witten, Ian H. et al. “The Promise of Digital Libraries in Developing Countries.” The Electronic Library, vol. 20, no. 1, 2002, pp. 7–13.

Woodfield, Malcolm. “Educating Refugees: The Value Of Digital Platforms And Mobile Technology.” Digitalist Magazine, Digitalist Magazine, 5 May 2016, http://www.digitalistmag.com/improving-lives/.

 

Sharing Our Knowledge

While participating in this class, attending workshops, or reading professional literature, we often come across new resources and technology ideas.  How should we share this new knowledge with our school communities?

As noted in last week’s blog entries, the first step is to become familiar with the technology tools.  This involves keeping an open mind, being on the lookout for new tools and resources that may be benefit the students and staff we work with.

After becoming familiar with a new app, device, or online resource, we’ve likely gained the confidence to share this learning with others.

There are many ways to communicate these ideas.  I find that one of the easiest methods is to simply model the use of technology tools.  This may be using Google forms when scheduling classes for activities, working with Google Classroom with our students, or using graphic design apps such as Canva to feature new library resources:

Another example is to use a presentation app to produce book trailers to highlight new items.  As we use these new tools, students and colleagues are more likely to approach us with related questions.  I hope to broaden my knowledge of these and other applications this year.

I also selectively share new items with staff.  Some resources, such as the BC Digital Classroom and CBC’s Curio.ca are potentially useful for all staff members and are worth mentioning during a staff meeting or in an e-mail to staff.

I am hoping to become more familiar with the Digital Classroom this year and introduce more classes to this valuable resource collection.

One of the most effective ways to infuse technology tools and resources into the curriculum is while working with teachers to design lessons.  This last week, we introduced grade nine and eleven students to the outstanding “Canadian Letters and Images Project” resources provided by Vancouver Island University.  This strategy is an opportunity to connect teachers with the technological resources we are familiar with.

Another effective approach to join the conversation about school technology is to participate in our school Technology Committee.  I’ve found that this a great way to learn about the direction that the school is going with educational technology and consider the school library’s role in its evolution.

A direct approach to sharing knowledge about technology is to provide in-service sessions for staff.  I am planning to look out for these opportunities this year.

Numerous opportunities exist to share our technology-related knowledge.  It can be as simple as approaching an individual classroom teacher with an idea.  I believe that the approach depends on the technology tool, the culture of the school, and the relationships that we have with our staff members.

Works Cited

Ray, Mark. “Changing the Conversation About Librarians.” TEDxElCajonSalon , 7 June 2016, https://youtu.be/inifub7wory.

Putting Together a Personal Learning Network

Beginning in junior high school, I wanted to be a teacher librarian.  One day, when working as a classroom teacher, I mentioned my goal to the school’s teacher librarian.  He replied, “It’s a lot of Professional Development.”

He was right!  One diploma and a master’s program later, I am still learning.  After starting as a teacher librarian, one of the first things I stapled onto the bulletin board next to my desk was the Canadian Library Association’s Competencies for Teacher Librarians.  I’ve often thought about the last two competencies mentioned in CLA’s list:

The Teacher Librarian

2.10 is committed to lifelong learning;

2.11 is flexible and positive in a time of continuing change. (CASL BCTF.ca)

I believe that these two competencies are interwoven.  While a stereotypical perspective of a librarian may describe someone who is staid and resistant to change, we know that the real life of a teacher librarian involves breaking out of comfort zones on a regular basis.  That occurs more frequently than ever as the pace of change in the fields of information, technology, and librarianship accelerates.

http://www.gocomics.com/cornered/2016/07/12

To date, I’ve relied on fairly traditional methods of Professional Development, from subscribing to Teacher Librarian and School Library Journal, to reading books related to librarianship.  I enjoyed reading these two books this summer:

Along with reading, I belong to our Local Specialist Association, attend the annual BCTLA conference, and connect with people inside and outside of the building as “human resources” for projects that I’m currently involved with.

What the Professional Literature Says

Writing for Knowledge Quest, Judi Moreillon makes a number of suggestions for teacher librarians wishing to expand their personal networks.  She recommends that we follow blogs written by other teacher librarians (staying up-to-date with RSS feeds, as practiced in this course), and connect with teacher librarians and related associations on Twitter.  She advises that we “post…comments in response to blog posts and use Twitter hash tags to build connections, community and [our] PLN”, in addition to sharing “new knowledge with students, classroom teacher colleagues, and administrators.”  In “Personal Learning Networks and Your Personal Expertise”, David Loertscher encourages teacher librarians to select carefully.  “Each of us needs to develop our own personal set of voices and we all need to consciously build variety so that our own ideas are both informed and challenged.”

Looking Ahead

In the months and years to come, I’ll follow this advice and overcome some personal reticence in sharing observations and ideas on Twitter and elsewhere.  I’ll continue to follow library and technology leaders on Twitter and elsewhere to glean technology-related ideas that may thrive at my school.  I ‘m also keen to engage more frequently with Webinars offered by edWeb, the BCTLA and others, while also reaching out to new groups, including the South/Central Island Teacher Librarians’ Networking Group and School Libraries in Canada.  After learning about an exciting idea, I will endeavor to spend time to learn more about it.  This week, for example, our school library assistant, a student TA and I created an Instagram account for the library featuring (so far) book returns and displays:

The  education-related features of  EasyBib is also on my list to try out.  In an article for ACCESS, a journal for Australian teacher librarians, Judith Way observes that “The plethora of free technologies at our fingertips to stimulate our learning is enabling us to engage and learn from the very best in the world.  The ability to exchange ideas and connect with the widest variety of educators and experts in their field is possible now like never before.”  I couldn’t agree more!

Works Cited

“Cornered.” Go Comics, Universal Uclick, 12 July 2016, http://www.gocomics.com/cornered/2016/07/12.

Creighton, Peggy Millam. “School Library Infographics How to Create Them, Why to Use Them.” School Library Infographics How to Create Them, Why to Use Them, Libraries Unlimited, 2016, http://www.abc-clio.com/abc-cliocorporate/product.aspx?pc=a4707p.

Loertscher, David V. “Personal Learning Networks and Your Personal Expertise.” Teacher Librarian, vol. 40, no. 3, 2013, p. 53. http://ubc.summon.serialssolutions.com.

Moreillon, Judi. “Building Your Personal Learning Network (PLN): 21st-Century School Librarians Seek Self- Regulated Professional Development Online.” Knowledge Quest, vol. 44, no. 3, 2016, p. 64. http://ubc.summon.serialssolutions.com.

“The Shallows.” ‘The Shallows’: This Is Your Brain Online, NPR, 2 June 2010, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyid=127370598.

“Students’ Information Literacy Needs in the 21st Century: Competencies for Teacher-Librarians .” BCTF.ca, British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, 1997, http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/casl/casl%20-%20publication.htm.

Way, Judith. “Developing a Personal Learning Network for Fast and Free Professional Learning.” Access, vol. 26, no. 1, 2012, pp. 16–19. http://ubc.summon.serialssolutions.com.

 

 

Ramping Up Reading

Current Practice

Promoting reading is one of my favourite aspects of teacher librarianship.  Part of this involves staying up-to-date with young adult literature.  My target is to try to read one novel and one graphic novel a week.  This helps with reader’s advisory, promotion, and collection development.  It also helps me prepare for booktalks in classrooms and the library.  Most presentations have a theme (upcoming sessions are about “What’s New” and “Feature Author—Kenneth Oppel”) .

Student involvement with book selection is terrific.  Students are encouraged to make book requests on paper or online.  I made some chalkboards earlier this year to display some of their favourites:

I always enjoy constructing literature-themed display windows.  Our current display is for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, built by a Library Science student and a colleague.  We attached a puzzle contest along with it:  to enter, students identify the meaning of five objects in the window.

In the past, we’ve created large colour posters of books of “read-alikes” for popular fiction (i.e. Maze Runner, Fault in Our Stars) to post in hallways and English classrooms.

I’ve stopped running generic reading contests for the time being (interest seems to have faded).  I am looking for new ideas for DEAR.  I’ve done hallway displays, draws, and coffee in the past but am now looking for new inspiration!

What the Research Says

The challenge of building a high school reading culture is reflected in research findings.  Elementary school students spend more time reading for recreation than older students in middle or high school (Chance and Lesesne 26).  In addition, the amount of time students devote to reading is in decline (26).  Chance and Lesesne offer a 21^st century approach to marketing – digital booktalks.  “No matter who is delivering the booktalks and trailers or in what form they are delivered, the importance is enthusiastically sharing books and multimedia students and educators love” (Chance and Lesesne 28).

The authors suggest sharing existing book trailers (as well as creating new projects with students).

Writing in Knowledge Quest, Ercegovac notes that “a larger spotlight on reading, and why it’s enjoyable, needs to be turned on” (38).  She recommends that students self-select reading material, and notes the potential for teacher librarians to engage with social media to learn about student interests to personalize book suggestions.

Future Practice

I will begin to feature new books in short videos.  I haven’t decided what software to use yet, but it will likely be one of the apps mentioned in Gordon Powell’s “Biblio Tech Webinar”:

I would also like to re-launch our school’s version of ALA’s Celebrities Read posters, perhaps in digital form.  In the same video, Gordon Powell refers to “Big Huge Labs” as an image editor for this type of project.  I know there are many other ideas out there;  I’m looking forward to reading classmates’ ideas.

 

Works Cited

Chance, R., & Lesesne, T. (2012). Rethinking reading promotion: Old school meets technology. Teacher Librarian, 39(5), 26-28. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1024434634?accountid=14656

Ercegovac, Zorana. “Letting Students use Web 2.0 Tools: TO HOOK ONE ANOTHER ON READING.” Knowledge Quest, vol. 40, no. 3, 2012, pp. 36.

Springen, Karen. “The Big Tease: Trailers Are a Terrific Way to Hook Kids on Books.” School Library Journal. School Library Journal, 01 July 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.

Webinar #1: Marketing with Biblio Tech. Perf. Gordon Powell. Youtube. BCTLA, 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.

 

 

Reading Review Part C

Picture made available through a Creative Commons License from http://www.picserver.org

Over the last two weeks, I’ve encountered an ample selection of resources on the topic of information evaluation.  The journal articles that I found have focused on one of three audiences:  elementary, secondary, or post-secondary teachers.  The majority of websites and videos I discovered were produced with secondary or post-secondary students in mind.  While I’m approaching the topic from a secondary perspective, I’ve also included some sources intended for elementary and post-secondary audiences because they contain some attractive ideas that may be scaled to a secondary setting.

A student’s ability to competently sort through web search results is becoming increasingly important.  I included the new English 9 curriculum as a source since information evaluation is labelled as a “big idea” and as a “core competency” in this document.

I intentionally gathered information written during the last five years.  It appears as though a shift in instruction has occurred over the last decade. Older patterns involving different approaches for print and web-based materials may require reconsideration as the lines between “published” and “non-published” sources continue to blur.  The original approach to information evaluation instruction often involved students viewing web pages and completing a checklist-format worksheet organized by categories such as “authority”, “relevance”, etc.  I’ve tried this method in the past but am hoping to locate a new approach.  Several recent articles suggest that these checklists represent a linear approach to a non-linear process.  New ideas include adopting a “constructivist”, collaborative approach to instruction.

Research suggests that the majority students do not accurately evaluate information quality when collecting information.  If information quality is considered, students may mistakenly equate website design, number of web links or information quantity with source trustworthiness.

A majority of articles and websites recommend adopting an acronym or other mnemonic device to make the information evaluation process easier to understand and recall.   These acronyms range from the mildly offensive (“CRAAP” — Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) to the very basic (“CARS” — Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, Support) .  Recent research suggests that teachers should define each of the relevant terms, (i.e. “relevance” and “accuracy”) with their students and model how to assess each of these quality indicators.

There is no doubt that the information evaluation process is complex.  For example, in “A Field Guide to Lies”, author Levitin relates how even famous sayings can be misattributed in the mass media.  As we know, many layers are involved in determining information quality.  The challenge, I believe, is to find a balance that introduces students to the idea of information evaluation (at appropriate level of complexity based on grade level), packaged with an easy-to-remember acronym.  An engaging, interactive group-based activity would reinforce this information.

 

Works Cited

Benjes-Small, Candice, et al. “Teaching Web Evaluation: A Cognitive Development       Approach.” Communications in Information Literacy, vol. 7, no. 1, 2013., pp. 39-49.

Borrelli, Steve, and Corey Johnson. “Information Evaluation Instruction.” Communications in Information Literacy, vol. 6, no. 2, 2012., pp. 173.

“CARS: Evaluating Information You Find on the Internet”. Cranfield University Libraries, 11 Sept. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kbtthmdmiq.

Coiro, Julie, et al. “Investigating Criteria that Seventh Graders use to Evaluate the Quality of Online Information.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 59, no. 3, 2015., pp. 287-297doi:10.1002/jaal.448.

English Language Arts. “Building Student Success – BC’s New Curriculum.” Building Student Success – BC’s New Curriculum, Province of British Columbia, 2015, https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/9.

Kampoun, Jim. “LibGuides: Evaluating Web Pages: Questions to Consider: Categories .” Evaluating Web Pages: Questions to Consider: Categories, Cornell University Library, 10 Aug. 2016, http://guides.library.cornell.edu/c.php?g=32334&p=203767.

Levitin, Danicel J. Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age. Toronto, Penguin Books Canada, 2016.

“Library: Evaluating Information Sources.” UBC Wiki, UBC, 24 July 2015, http://wiki.ubc.ca/library:evaluating_information_sources.

Radom, R., and RW Gammons. “Teaching Information Evaluation with the Five Ws an Elementary Method, an Instructional Scaffold, and the Effect on Student Recall and Application.” REFERENCE & USER SERVICES QUARTERLY, vol. 53, no. 4, 2014., pp. 334-347doi:10.5860/rusq.53n4.334.

Shenton, Andrew K. “A Multi-Faceted Approach To School Pupils’ Evaluation Of Information.” School Librarian 64.2 (2016): 77-79. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 2 Oct. 2016.

Wittebols, James. “Empowering Students to Make Sense of an Information Saturated World: The Evolution of Information Searching and Analysis” Communications in Information Literacy [Online], 10 9 May 2016

Zhang, Shenglan, Nell K. Duke, and Laura M. Jiménez. “The WWWDot Approach to Improving Students’ Critical Evaluation of Websites.” The Reading Teacher 65.2 (2011): 150-58. Web.