Teaching Availability for 2019

At this stage, I am still available for employment as a Teacher Librarian in 2019 whether it may be on a casual/temporary basis, part time or full time.

Details of my availability can be located here or you may wish to contact me directly.

Students, CNN and Fake News

I recently read a posting by a Teacher Librarian on the OZTL_NET forums about students perceiving American news channel CNN to be "fake news".

This is concerning given that I believe that such perceptions have been shaped by US President Donald Trump's comments at the reporting by CNN about him and the presidency.

The comment "fake news" has been misused as pointed out by some media outlets including The Guardian to discredit the information. Trump is amongst them, even applying the term to journalists.

Fake News refers to a story that is created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers. The events or information is simply untrue. Information is not verified.

Such articles can also be biased e.g. alleging that individuals were involved or connected to the event when it was not true. This can then be used to advocate a particular argument or justify an argument.

In the United States and Australia, we are blessed to have freedom of the press. News outlets are free to pursue whatever agenda that interests them. To protect the community, there are also standards imposed on how information is presented. Government departments like The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Press Council regulate the media to ensure that viewers or readers are presented with information that is true and accurate.

There is bound to be bias in media outlets and journalists in presenting information. They will have a tendency to usually support one side of the political spectrum. Some will not be afraid to change sides e.g. The Daily Telegraph advised its readers to elect Prime Ministers Gough Whitlam (1972) and Kevin Rudd (2007) despite historically leaning towards the Liberal Party.

So how do we respond to this? We should tell our students to:

1. Verify the information - Check other sources. Are the facts correct? 
2. Consider the audience that it is being written for?
3. Is there bias in the article? Are other perspectives presented?
4. Is the author reputable?
5. Consider the presentation of the content - Is it well written? Is the discussion balanced and fair? Can you understand concepts and ideas? Consider spelling and grammar.

Is CNN Fake News?

I have access to CNN and CNN International at home. I tend to prefer CNN which is the flagship channel of the networks that form CNN. The content is largely talk based focusing on discussion of news issues by various presenters including Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon and Chris Cumno. CNN will also screen special reports and documentaries.

Like any media outlet, CNN has been guilty of controversies on its reporting but it is a reputable source for news and information. Personally, I use it alongside other sources including The New York Times, MSNBC, One America News, NBC and CBS to obtain news on events in the United States and around the world. 

CNN will draw on other news sources including global television networks and news agencies including Reuters and Associated Press. They will go to some effort to verify their sources!!!

There is definitely some bias in its reporting but competitors do the same. However, this becomes less of an issue as long as you obtain other perspectives from other sources.

NSW PRC Reading Log - electronic version

This term, I have been working part-time with the library team at Killara High School. One of the projects that I am working on is the promotion of the PRC for 2019.

I have created a log that students can use to record books that they may read as part of the NSW PRC from September 1 until official registrations take place in March next year.

The version that I have shared is a generic version, which is presented in pdf form. If you wish to obtain a word doc template so you can modify the layout and formatting to your school needs, please email me as creating the form in a pdf format is quite simple with Adobe Acrobat reader.

Apart from recording the books read, each entry must include a short book review. This will aid in the verification process and can also be published as reviews on OLIVER and the bookmark style reviews on the shelves.

It will be good to see how the students make use of it.

The 2019 NSW PRC - Not too early to start!!!

The official period for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge commences in early march, but students are not often aware that any book that they start reading on September 1 of the previous year can count.

I have seen the look on students faces when they hear this. Reading 20 books in six months can be daunting, especially when mixed in with the other committments that go in the life of a school student. Being asked to read one book per week can be a little difficult

This year the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge concluded on August 31, giving students one year to meet the challenge of reading 20 books if they were in Year's 7-9 which I will focus on given my secondary training.

But how can we help them to get there?

Averaging it out, students would need to read at least one book every two and half weeks. If the reading was done in school time, a book per fortnight.

I would begin any promotion for the PRC in 2019 now. Encourage your students to keep reading. 

Keeping a record of books read from now until March is going to be a tough challenge. 

In some schools, students are required to keep a reading log as part of their wide reading program. While there is a template provided by the organisers of the PRC, you may wish to create your own. 

For verification, students should provide a one paragraph review listing:

• What the book was about
• Who should the book be recommended to.

Even have the review published on the library catalogue. Softlink Oliver enables this function.