The School Library Association of NSW (SLANSW) held its second professional learning summit for 2021 and was not left disappointed by what was offerred and what I learnt from it.
I was introduced to three elements that before attending I lacked familarity with in terms of research but upon reflection was already applying or experiencing it without noticing:
- Digital ecology of teen reading
- Fan Fiction
- Micro-credentialling
The digital ecology of teenage reading focused on the use of social media platforms to promote literature. Reflecting on it, I had identified at least one situation where I had already applied it in practice - Starting a Goodreads Group for students at the MLC School in 2014.
I think promoting and sharing content is straightforward, especially if it is curated and can be embedded into a wide reading lesson. My recent completion of the Apple Teacher courses for Macbook computers and iPads opens up scope for content to be created by the students. My view has been that recommendations by peers are more likely to encourage others to read. I should select students to record their content and then provide it through a suitable channel e.g. YouTube.
I may not have known the concept of "FanFiction" in research but have been practicing it. I consider my decisions to order literature tied to popular media e.g. Star Wars and Minecraft. I agree that it bridges popular media/culture and reading. If a person has a particular interest, it is that interest that should be used to motivate them to read.
Micro-credentialling also interested me, especially in terms of information literacy skills development because I can create a program e.g. incoming Year 7 cohorts and they can complete activities to earn certificates and attain skills in an area. I would like to investigate it further. I had also encountered tools that could support this such as badgr while undertaking a Google Fundamentals Course through Catholic Online Learning recently.
I am currently a member of the SLANSW Management Committee and this month was re-elected for a two year term at the recent Annual General Meeting.
