COVID-19: Thoughts

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on all aspects of our daily lives. We have been asked to work from home. School Students have been asked to stay home as well. Public gatherings and social activities have been banned along with any movement around the community that is non-essential.
Public services including our local libraries have been ordered to shut down in the short term.

School Libraries are still open unless library staff have either been asked to work from home. There have also been reports that some support staff have been stood down. Some schools will allow borrowing while many have opted for a click and collect service. This is good step which is better than providing nothing.

As Teacher Librarians, we have been provided with plenty of opportunities to promote digital collections, etc. which can easily be endorsed by students, including eBooks and Databases which allow students to engage in meaningful content for their classwork and general reading without having to leave home. The challenge though is providing directions. I find performing an in class demonstration more interactive than doing an interactive demonstration online as I can easily guide students through the process and give quick assistance. But I know that I have the ability to record the steps using recording software, add some audio and students can then do it at a pace that they can choose.

There are also opportunities for collaboration. All colleagues are faced with the same challenge of providing interactive lessons online and a Teacher Librarian is fantastic in providing that support , especially with information literacy skills, which we need to develop amongst all students. Even the complexities of organising the work and hosting it online is a challenge. Teacher Librarians again can step up to provide support.

On site, some schools have been able to undertake jobs that otherwise could not normally done without disruption - I was fortunate to assist at one school in setting up and commencing their stocktake before the school holiday period. Stocktakes can be done at any time, but then in normal circumstances, there the disruptions that go on which can slow down the process. I have heard of other school libraries doing stocktakes. Great step forward.

I'll reflect on reading for pleasure next week.

Reading and Wellbeing - The Pretest

The School Library Association of NSW is hosting the first of its two biannual conferences at the State Library of NSW this week.

I have decided to attend a workshop that will focus on reading and wellbeing.

I have challenged myself to undertake a pretest where I will brainstorm what I think about reading and wellbeing.

Next week, I will look back and reflect on what I wrote.

Reading and wellbeing...

• Calms one down when they are anxious and down.
• Stimulates the brain.
• Great recreational activity.
• Motivates people
• Allows one to play with their imagination.
• Settles a class down, especially at the start of the period.
• Can improve concentration in classroom settings and in general.
• Relaxes people (even sends them to sleep)
• Empowers other people

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.