Are Teacher Librarians on Borrowed Time?

An article was published in The Age Newspaper in Melbourne last year that questions the relevance of the Teacher Librarian to the learning process.

But at the same time it looks at the threat that the profession is facing as some schools opt for specialist teachers in other subject areas instead or in some instances closing libraries and replacing them with IT Centres.

I have to say "well done" to the paper for highlighting the challenges that the profession is facing.

But there was one thing that I felt that was missing from the comments provided by Dianne Ruffles (Teacher Librarian - Melbourne Grammar) and Alison Lester (Author); the importance of communicating information.

As a Teacher Librarian, I believe that providing students with skills in the effective communication of information is important to the learning process. It is one of the most important life skills that one can possess as it allows us to share and transfer information from person to person, whether it may be in a written form, visually or verbally.  Through that new knowledge can be created.

But are we on borrowed time? I'd say no. Jobs are under threat from budgetary but as the research indicates, Teacher Librarians are gaining an ever more important role in the learning process. For me, just continue to advocate the role and show to everyone how wonderful Teacher Librarians are.

Boys, Underachievement and fixing the problem

I came across an article written by Dr. Peter West this morning. It was funded by The King's School at North Parramatta and the University of Western Sydney. 

What I did like about it was some of the strategies that he has recommended to engage boys in their learning. 

I tended to take more interest in the reading side. I would agree with the need to promote non fiction literature because it can relate back to their interests. The Book Week idea was excellent because it allows one (especially teachers) to share their favourite literature with others. Imagine a PE teacher sharing one book that they love reading. It allows the boys to learn something about their teacher that they may not know. I think they like surprises. 

Another point of interest was active learning.  I think you still follow a guided inquiry process for learning, but rather than an essay or report, the information is presented through engagement in the role play or debate. Debating does also require critical thinking as you must justify a particular point of view while at the same time rejecting the alternative view. 

App Evaluations - Postscript

Back in December, I had the chance to learn and apply Kathy Schrock's model for evaluating web apps for the purposes of education and teaching.

Recently I was asked at school to nominate relevant apps that were to be installed onto a set of Ipad's that were recently acquired by the school.

The Ipad arrived preloaded with the apps that had been selected by the school's IT department. Using the model, I was able to evaluate and recommend apps to my head of department. There were a number of apps that under the model that did not meet educational requirements. The model made my evaluation quite easy and quick.

What helped me too, was the completion of the IPad course that was provided by the CEO Sydney aided in my nomination of apps. There were some apps that were not featured, and I had some of them nominated and included.

In the end, it meant we were able to have the Ipads installed with relevant apps. Three of the Ipad's are now in our library which can be used by the students.

Making it a success with Sue Larkey

My mother who is a teachers assistant has been receiving newsletters from Sue Larkey. Larkey is an educator that has taught students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in mainstream and special schools.

The newsletter provides practical strategies for school and for the home in supporting those who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

If you are a teacher, I strongly recommend that you subscribe to her monthly newsletter; regardless of whether you teach students with the condition or not. Even if you are a parent of a child with ASD, it is also a must.

Click on this link to allow you to register for her newsletter. You can receive it in the post or electronically.

Her website also contains useful resources. You can also purchase resources and obtain information on workshops that she has organised for each state. In NSW the workshops are recognised as professional development by the NSW Institute of Teachers.

I hope to go to one of her workshops this year. I believe that anyone with ASD can be successful in their lives just like anyone else can and live the same life that we take for granted.

Technology & Classroom behavior: Do they cause kids to misbehave? (Part II)

I have taken some time to sit and reflect on how we as teachers should deal with those in the classroom that engage in inappropriate use of technology.

During the past few days, I had the chance to look over at two technology policies of two schools that I am employed at casually at the moment along with their consequences.

I have also been challenged by the limited number of articles on the topic as well. I hope at some point soon that there is some research out there to guide me.

At this stage, I feel that punishment within the “pastoral” or “welfare” policy is fair provided that the behavior is covered by policy. For example, acts of cyber bullying can be dealt with under the policy because bullying involving the use of technology is the same if the bullying was to occur physically or emotionally. Cyber bullying does cause the same effects.

Obviously if a student fails to comply with instructions with their use in the classroom e.g. no music again it should be dealt with because the student has not complied with instructions.

The only time a student should be denied access to technology is if there is serious misuse of it e.g. accessing sites of pornographic and/or offensive nature. If we look at workplace expectations, serious disciplinary action can be taken if one misuses technology. In many instances it has led to loss of employment. 

If school is about preparing our youth for the workplace then we need to foster appropriate workplace practices and develop an understanding of possible consequences. It may mean that a student may loss access to technology for their learning but sometimes students need to learn the “hard way” of separating right from wrong. Access to technology is a privilege, not a right.  

Since discipline is about helping students correct their behavior – I feel that students should also be required to receive support from support staff such as counselors who can guide the student in addressing their issue. Sometimes it does go deeper and that may help the student long term as it may fix other problems affecting them at their stage of life. 

It is still an area that needs to be looked it further. As this blog entry and the previous one showsmI am glad that I have curiosity about it, which is great.

Cyberbullying is "overrated"

I have viewed some interesting emails relating to this article.

I feel I have to throw my two cents into this matter.

To me cyber bullying is a problem not matter how often it occurs in comparison to bullying that occurs offline.

If we look at NSW, the vast majority of school students in Year 9-12 now have a laptop due to the Federal Government's laptop rollout program.

Virtually every school student that I have come into contact with as a teacher owns a mobile phone or smartphone. Simply technology is around us.

We are proliferated with it. With this rise in technology, this provides the perfect setting for cyberbullying to occur.

The internet is a public place like the town square. Views can be said or heard by the entire world. Cyberbullying is a form of bullying, like physical or verbal bullying.

Unlike the physical world, it can be done anonymously and the offender can get away with it without penalty unless their identity is published. in the physical world, the perpetrator is often known to the victim and is more likely to get caught.

In the classroom as teachers, we have a challenging job controlling a group of up to thirty students in a room. I find that I have to move around the room quite frequently if students are using computers to ensure that they are on task that they are not using communication tools (facebook, phones etc). Even then Its extremely easy for a student to put their phone in their lap or under the desk and text or message away. I have caught students doing this. Its akin to passing notes in the old days from student to student, except it is now done electronically.

But for the article to say that cyberbullying is not as prevalent as it seems because 16 % have reported being bullied electronically as opposed to 39 % who might be bullied offline bemuses me.

16 % of students being cyberbullied is still a very high number.

There is no way that cyberbullying is overrated at all.

The article does not mention what percentage of students have been bullied either physically or verbally. There is also silent bullying (excluded from peer groups, not invited to social outings, being delibrately ignored by peers etc). And I will also add that a small percentage of students are bullied by their teachers. I was actually subject to bullying by a teacher when I was in Year 10. As one of my peers said it was done because in that teachers view that I "needed to be a man". If you were to break the offline bullying into the categories that I have mentioned, I think you will be amazed at how common cyberbullying is compared to other forms of bullying.

Module 10 (Web 2.0) - Learning Communities, Constructing Knowledge Together in Wikis

Wiki's have proven to be quite popular for accessing information whether you are a student or a teacher. I try to avoid them because I question the accuracy of the information contained within them but I will often access a wiki such as Wikipedia to get a background on a topic of interest to me, and then head off to other well established websites or print resources.

They do have one advantage - the fact that you don't need any skills in web publishing and this works fine with many people who more than likely cannot be bothered learning the skills needed to make a website.

The focus is on the presentation of the information itself which is what people want to focus on when presenting their information. I like the fact you can update a wiki at any time from any location on any machine and that it can occur in real time. Groups of students can collaborate together to present information as it is sought and allow for input.

If I had to choose between students creating a web page/site or a wiki for a learning task, I'd favour the wiki. The focus should be on the presentation of the information as opposed to the layout of the site. Students don't need to get into the nitty gritty associated with creating web pages.


However the concern with Wiki's is that other students may "hack" into the wiki and wreck other students work. It might mean backup versions of text may have to be kept just in case the worst happens. Everyday on Wikipedia there are trolls that wreak havoc by changing information to cause trouble. I remember a Wikipedia entry for Ballina several years ago was changed to say that only one person lived there and that they were a "tool". The data and facts for the town had been removed. In fact according to the altered entry it was settled by the Balinese.

As for creating websites, I think they come in more handy where information may have to be presented in a variety of formats such as photographs or video. Websites are more personal as well. I'd use them where the task needs to be done individually and requires multiple formats to be used.

Being a casual teacher, I have found it quite challenging to engage as a member of a professional network because it is harder to meet and get to know other teachers. I feel encouraged by sites such as Ning that allow me to meet other teachers and share my ideas and thoughts on issues affecting the profession but also be informed on the latest happenings in teaching practice.

What is a Teacher Librarian? First Impressions

As I start my course, I feel I should take the opportunity to define what I see as the role of teacher-librarian. I hope to use this as a means to explain my changing views as we go further into the study of the ETL401 unit but also the course.

To me the role of teacher-librarian is to manage the learning resources of a school. This includes the following:

• School Library - including the collection of books, audio visual and Internet based material.
• Provide access to learning resources to students, staff and the wider community.
• Develop research skills in each student.
• Ensure that resources are relevant to the learning needs of students.
• Provide access to the latest resources for students and staff.
• Identify strategies to further enhance student learning.
• Provide regular opportunities for students and staff to utilise the library for learning and teaching.