Vicki Courtenay Presentation - SLANSW Presentation

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend an online presentation by the School Library Assocation of NSW (SLANSW) Teacher Librarian of the year - Vicki Courtenay. Vicki is a Teaching and Learning Librarian at Trinity Grammar at Summer Hill (Sydney). 

I enjoyed listening to some of the work that she has engaged in but also provided insights into the work of the team at the Arthur Holt Library at their main campus in Summer Hill.

I was impressed with the idea of a booking sheet that teachers can use to book for Teacher Librarians to undertake research skills workshops with their classes. I was left wondering why I never had the idea in my head in previous years. I could have even created a flyer that could have provided an overview of ideas for possible research skills lessons. I believe that it could even be used for wide reading lessons etc if the English teacher wanted to focus on a specific aspect of wide reading.

It left me with better ideas as well on how to collaborate with teachers in the preparation of assessment tasks and also educating students in skills associated with academic integrity. Reflecting on it, I think I may have missed opportunities for collaboration even though I did collaborate actively with colleagues focusing on their students specific needs.

Finally I was interested by her insights into wide reading and promoting a positive reading culture. There are many ways that one can promote a positive reading culture, but did enjoy hearing insights into how Trinity Grammar has promoted reading and literature e.g. the book that changed my life. I actually liked the idea that they applied because it makes one reflect on the impact that reading a particular book has changed their lives and how it has changed for the better. Books can inspire us to make the decisions that ultimately shape our lives, whether it may be to change our behaviour, our lifestyles, our perspectivcs, develop our interests or even shape the career path that we choose to take. It may have even had an emotional impact in our lives or help us to discover something.

I could relate to one aspect of the wide reading program that they implement there - sharing reviews of books that have been read as part of wide reading sessions. I have encouraged this. I believe that students are more likely to read a certain title if a friend recommends it than that of a teacher. I think it also helps others to be aware of the books that are popular or are available. I know personally that hearing reviews by other people has even helped me decide what to read next, especially if I am uncertain about it.

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.

Games as Text

Last week, I attended the School Library Association of NSW conference at the State Library of NSW I had the opportunity to attend a seminar presented by Bill Cohen (Teacher Librarian, Asquith Girls' High School) titled: Games as Text.

I remember in primary school playing educational games like Punch & Judy and Granny's Garden on what I think were Acorn Computers.

In the past 25 years, such games have come a long way. I was introduced to a popular interactive fiction game known as 80 days, where you can set the plot line.

Some might see computer games as lacking educational relevance, but one should identify the relevance of the game and what you want them to learn.

Games that are inspired by real events or situations like The Westport Independent can teach skills in ethics associated with publishing and apply business principles i.e. advertising.

Another game that took my interest was Paper's Please, based on the checkpoints between East and West Berlin in the 1980's. The player must assess each person's suitability to cross the border. Literacy skills are developed in the viewing of information but also supports the development of critical thinking skills. As the game progresses, more information is presented, and the situations become more complex. The player has to consider each situation in more depth before making a final decision.

The question now, is how I am going to encourage their use in the classroom in line with school technology policies?

All My Own Work

One of my projects as the Teacher Librarian (Acting) at Mary MacKillop Catholic College, Wakeley in Term 4, 2017 was to oversee the completion of the All My Own Work modules.

Every school will have their own method or approach. Some schools will require that the students complete it in their own time at home. They then will be required to submit a printout of their results module by module to the school.

Some will allocate time for the students to work independently with no presentation/s etc.

I delivered the course over one day with the Year 10 cohort in the final week of Term 4 last year. The model was that the day was split into three parts with two modules in focus for each session. This worked well for a six period day.

Each session began with a 20 minute presentation, where an overview was provided of the key concepts in each module. Short activities using mentimeter were applied with student responses submitted presented on the screen live. Two examples are below.

This was providing me with live feedback on student understanding and knowledge. Even though I was strapped for time, I was impressed.

I also think showing clips of scenes from comedy shows like Mr Bean made a difference in understanding what can be seen by some as complex ideas.

E.g. Girls were asked to identify examples of Malpractice in this clip from Mr. Bean.

Then they were divided into their house groups, where the under the supervision of a teacher they were working through their modules. I set the pass mark as 85% for each module. Learning Support Students had a modified mark of 70% but they generally managed to get to 85% as well. The supervising teacher would initial that the student had completed the module and had cited the mark on the screen.

A registry was created and then sent through to the members of the school executive for processing with NESA.

Several students were absent, with a follow up session organised two days later. One student had actually done it at home and it was merely for me to sign off their confirmation slips.

A big thank you to those who assisted me on the day!!!

I have uploaded my powerpoint slides from the day for those who may need some direction on how to organise the day.

Skills for Study and Lifelong Learning

Another idea which has come into my mind in recent times has been study skills and the need to provide students with skills that they need for lifelong learning.

Just finding resources is a real challenge - whether it is printed material or material that has been published by schools or universities. And the bigger challenge - How does it apply to Australian settings?

There are simply so many things to consider when we teach information literacy and lifelong learning skills:

• Time Management - So many kids complain of being "too busy", when with an organised schedule, they can get the most of the time that they have for study and fun.
• The process of doing assignments and preparing for exams.
• Reading and comprehending information.
• Academic Integrity (referencing and bibliographies)
• Text Types
• Well being through school
• Library skills
• Internet search skills
• Learning to use a variety of resources and not rely merely on Google. 

I have been using my time this term to begin to waddle through this information and try to create a set of resources to help students succeed in their studies. I have been focusing on workshops etc and have tried to offer them at a school where I am filling in this term. Students have been very reluctant to take advantage of what is available to them. 

It feels like my head is going on several paths this term, but it will be interesting to see where it heads.

Website Evaluation

My recent work at Kingsgrove North High School, gave the opportunity to present Information Literacy Skills sessions to the Year 7 cohort.

I decided to try a session on Website evaluation given they have done some work on online encyclopedias and comparing information from online sources.

When I did my Master of Education Degree, I was guided through the 5W's of Website evaluation modelled by Kathy Shorock. Believe it or not, its the same model used by Historians to evaluate the relevance of sources - Who? What? Where? When? Why?  I decided it was the most straight forward approach to teach them how to evaluate a website and then be able to apply that in History or any other subject.

It is such a handy research skill even in printed form.

Using the resources provided on Schrocks website, I got the students (as a class) to evaluate a website that I picked for them applying a set of criteria. To make it more interesting, I selected a history website in which I manage. Initially, I found that they struggled a little with the concept of the 5W's in the initial discussion, but once we began working together on the sheet and examining the website, they started to develop a good grasp of what they need to consider in selecting relevant websites for their research e.g. use of visual images, tables, graphs and further reading.

I will admit, that even I learn't some useful skills in how to create and maintain a website. I got ticks for the visual images, spelling and grammar, accuracy of information and links to further reading. However, there was no home page which can help one gain an overview of what the site is about.

Louise Limberg - UTS Connected Intelligence Centre Presentation - April 1 2015

On April 1, I attended a presentation by Louise Limberg at the University of Technology, Sydney. She spoke about meaningful learning through information literacy.

As a Teacher Librarian, I need to foster a culture of meaningful learning within my school but ensure that students have the information  literacy skills needed for effective engagement.

One key finding of interest to me was that those who analyse and scrutinise information. Learning outcomes were likely to be more sophisticated with well grounded and independent conclusions of a research topic. If we focus on fact finding, learning outcomes are less likely to be met. Knowledge is fragmented.

I think my qualifications as a history teacher helps me because we need to scrutinise and analyse sources in order to draw a finding or conclusion. I'm currently on a Ten Week block at the Hurstville Boys' High Campus of the Georges River College in Sydney and already I'm telling my students to look at the sources that they use when undertaking research. Even though at the moment its a bibliography, we need to draw some conclusions about sources, particularly if the source is missing information e.g. author. Does it make the source credible or not? Does the information appear accurate compared to other resources.

Another element I need to consider is ensuring the research questions are researchable. Instead of picking topics for research, we as educators need to set research questions that will foster inquiry.

We have also been reminded to provide feedback on student learning and progress in the research process. This can be overlooked when marking an assessment. I feel we need to foster the process of inquiry questions with our students in order to form knowledge and provide the conclusions that we seek from learning.

There are challenges that lie ahead which were identified by Limberg. Technology is ever changing. Obviously we must adapt to those changes especially the easy access to the ever burgeoning amounts of information in a digital world. Information is presented in a wide variety of formats. We need to ensure that students can draw on that variety (not a few) to add their reading, interpretation, assessment and construction of meaning. There is also the challenge associated with politics and society e.g. free access to education or the content to be included in new national curriculum.

As a teacher librarian, I must keep alert to the new and emerging formats and encourage students to utilise it, but at the same time also draw on traditional resources. If a student can draw on a variety of resources, it will become easier to construct meaning. I have found that any student that uses a variety of resources is bound to achieve better results in learning tasks, than one who may for instance rely on two or three websites.

Study Ties College Success to Students’ Exposure to a High School Librarian (Article from the School Library Journal)

An article recently landed in my inbox (hence the title of the post) about the three way relationship between the Teacher-Librarian, teacher and student in shaping the success of students in their studies at tertiary level.

Research has found that the development of information literacy skills is shaped during a student's schooling. Students that were exposed to the expertise and skills of a teacher librarian are more likely to result in better academic achievement at university. Also collaboration with teacher made it even more likely.

I found from my own experience as a student, that we were not necessarily prepared for the requirements to engage in learning effectively at university level. For example, I did not know what a database was and how to use it, nor to reference effectively.

These experiences have helped me as a teacher librarian. I encourage students to make use of databases that may be available to them, either through the school library, their local library or the State Library of NSW. I have found them to be amazed at what they do end up finding.

Or teaching students where to locate books on a certain topic e.g. Music in the 700's.

Also I have encouraged students to not just focus on websites, but also on printed, electronic and audio visual materials through Resource Based Learning.

And finally I have been an advocate of Guided Inquiry because it allows for that reflection on the learning process, right from start to finish. I have guided senior students in writing up a research question/s, recommending resources (as mentioned) or reflecting on the usefulness of a resource.

What Is The New Role Of A School Library In The Digital Age?

Ron Leunissen wrote an article last year that tries to answer the role of a school library in a school.

Certainly it is easier to access information than ever before. You can access library services from your own home or your own device.

But school libraries will always have a big role in a school. One comment stood out for me:

"The role of a librarian will be more to teach students how search properly in the ocean of information and  to evaluate the value of the source of the information."

I've noticed this in my work to date. Some students don't know where to go to begin their research for a learning task. They need a librarian to sift through what is available and provide a recommendation or the skills that they need to undertake an effective search. I also encourage students to reflect on what they have used in their learning and determine their relevance to the task at hand.

Libraries support the technology driven curriculum. Some would say this reduces the need for one to visit the school library. This is where libraries also have a big role to play. Why? They can provide the resources that one needs to create information. It might be the mp3 recorder that they need to create a podcast or seminar rooms to create a presentation that they might present to a class. We can also guide one in how to present that information as well.

Wikipedia as a library of knowledge + tips

Judy O'Donnell has written an interesting article on the role of Wikipedia which allows for the creation of a library of knowledge (as I see it) and how we as a global society can shape it.

There are also some useful tips on how to use Wikipedia in research as well.

However in a classroom context, I feel that while it can guide a student in understanding an idea or concept, they can easily fall into the trap of relying on it solely for gaining information. 

I'd only recommend Wikipedia as a starting point for a research task and generally should not be included in a reference list or bibliography. We need to encourage students to locate resources in different formats from different locations. Students also are taught how to verify their information as they can compare information from one source with another source to ensure that it is correct and accurate.

Blur by Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel

There is a book I'm going to recommend not just to Teacher Librarians but to everyone because of its relevance.

It is: Blur: How to Know What's True In The Age of Information Overload by Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel.

Why? In this age of 24 hour news cycles, abundance of information in many formats and differing views, it is so important that we take time to examine the information that is presented to us.

Society is fast paced and people want to get their information quickly. Those involved in getting the information like journalists are also required to meet tight deadlines.

The book encourages us to be more critical about we see, read and view. It encourages us to determine if the information fulfills its purpose. Does it inform us? Does it answer the questions that we as the viewer are seeking. Is there truth in the item? Is the information accurate?

Do we get the full story which is balanced? Do we get detailed information? Was it well researched?

Even characterisation is looked at. Some journalists especially on TV like to assume roles of characters in order to get points across and we need to see how that impacts on the information we get from the story.

The two part telemovie Power Games (Nine Network Australia, 2013) allowed me to reflect on this particularly Sir Frank Packer's insistence that his Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph favour the Liberal Party and be anti communist when it was part of Consolidated Press (the paper joined News Limited in 1972). There was also the battle between the same paper and the now defunct newspaper The Daily Mirror operated by Rupert Murdoch in advocating for candidates for the Australian Prime Minister ship following the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt in 1967.

Would a biased approach to an event be fair? For someone like me, its not. I want to hear all sides of a story, not one. Both Packer and Murdoch went for one side by focusing on a particular candidate. Packer choose William McMahon because he was a personal friend while Murdoch supported John Gorton. If I was around in that time, I want to find out about both contenders and find out why they are suited to the job; like I would in the current battle for the Labor Party Leadership between Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese. I also think bias leads to distortion of the truth as well, not good.

I find its similar to the approach that historians undertake in historical research where they need to assess a source for its usefulness and reliability as part of their research. This includes the fundamental questions of any investigation - Who, What,Whee, When, Why and How? If we can have this information, then we can determine if there is truth in what we see, view, read and listen.