Information Literacy
Previous semester's Information Literacy
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Akers, C., et. al., Teaching the teachers: library instruction through professional development courses [at Emporia State University]. Research Strategies v. 17 no. 2/3 (2000) p. 215-21
This is an article about how the librarians at an academic library workd to increase the informaitn literacy knowldege of instructors. By offering professional development opportunities to teachers the librarians were able to teach the facutly valuable informaiton, filling in gaps in knowledge for the teaching staff at the univeristy. The class also gave the librarians an opportunity to build relationships with the faculty and demonstrate the teaching nature of the librarian'srole which resulted in and increase in future collaborations between university instructors and the library staff. Even though this article is set in academic library instead of a school library, there is a lot to learn from this example. At the beginning of each school year there are mandatory staff development trainings. I bet there are quite a few principals who dread having to come up with activities to fill these hours and who would love to be abel to sit back for a little while and let the librarian run the show for a while. It would be a great way for the teacher librarian to show that she IS a teacher and to demonstrate some of the skills students can learn and resources available in the library.
Submitted by Rose Bright
Brooks, L. April/May 2008. “Old School” Meet School Library 2.0: Bump Your Media Program into an Innovative Model for Teaching and Learning. Library Media Connection. (26) 7 pgs. 14 – 16.
Library Media Specialists need to evolve to meet the 21st century needs of our students and staff. Book selection and managing collections is old school: in addition we must know how to select, adopt and promote new technologies to help create innovative models for teaching and learning. Web 2.0 is centered on collaboration and sharing and encourages student self expression. Library Media Specialists need to be the leaders of change on the school campus. The most important Web 2.0 tools in the Media Program and with respects to collaborative learning are blogs, wikis, podcasts and social bookmarking. Blogging is a great way to engage students and create a more innovative media program. Wikis provide a forum for students to share what they know and because of its social nature, wikis are ideal for group projects. Podcasts are being used to create book reviews. 41% of schools use podcasting to complement learning. Each of these technologies has a place and a purpose. It’s important to fit the learner with the learning need. Also, it was recommended to start small but think globally and eventually extend our expertise throughout the entire school. By becoming an expert in Web 2.0, it puts Library Media Specialists in the unique position as a leader among staff to the technologies most appropriate for their learning needs.
Susie Huber, 15 April 2009
Warlick, D. Aug/Sept 2007. Literacy in the New Information Landscape. Library Media Connection. (26) 1. pgs 20 – 21.
The very nature of information has changed in the past decade – ever more digital. It isn’t necessarily contained in books, magazines, etc. We need to rethink the basic skills that are required to use information to accomplish the goal of literacy. Because we can’t always be sure that what we read on the internet is true, reading now incorporates asking questions about what you are reading. Students must learn how to use contemporary technology to process text, images, sound and video and how to communicate ideas to others with new technology. Students also need to be taught how to decide which information to use and which to ignore. Information is seen as powerful raw material. Students need to be taught the responsibilities of handling complex information delicately.
Susie Huber, 15 April 2009
Peters, Tom. Embracing Virtual Worlds. American Libraries 39 no 11 33D 2008. Retrieved from Wilson Web 3/15/09
The virtual world is already creating, distributing and teaching information to people around the world. Libraries need to keep up with progress and create the presence of virtual worlds for their patrons.Virtual worlds would present an opportunity to make the world of literature a three dimensional experience for patrons. There are many factors to consider as the attempt is made to include virtual worlds.Freelance librarians usually take the initiative to explore virtual world possibilities, but independent companies are out there and waiting to step in to provide utiliztion of virtual world situations. Budget constraints may effect the depth of participation in virtual world acctivities,but perhaps innovative librarians can generate fund raisers or find other loopholes in budgets to facilitate the acquisition of virtual world programs.Virtual worlds can take library patrons beyond the limits of their normal reading patterns. This evolutionary approach to technology can combine the best of experiences from the real world and combine them with virtual experiences that can lead to experiences far beyond the regular experience of simple reading.
submitted by Nancy Shomo 4/12/2009
Farmer, L. (2005). Virtual Reference Service for K-12 Students. Knowledge Quest 33(3), Jan/Feb. 2005. Pp. 22-4.
With the group Virtual Learning Commons project complete I wanted to look more at issues of technology and 24/7 access to school libraries, and this article covered those topics thoroughly.
The particular needs and information seeking styles of K-12 students were well surveyed by the author here. She notes that school reference librarians will be better prepared for the reference interview than generalists, as they may more readily or rapidly ask, “Is this information needed for an assignment?” (p. 23). She also notes students’ style of information seeking, which is very results-oriented, and notes that if they have not previously accessed such services they may be unaware other users are accessing the system, and impatient about being in a queue. Finally, she notes that with options such as “cobrowsers” (23) that allow the library media specialist and searcher to view the information simultaneously, the reference librarian can help the student evaluate a document’s credibility and relevance. Which is to say, information literacy training can occur at the time, an important enhancement to user service.
Technical aspects of this type of service are well covered also. Farmer notes that not all schools are set up for chat options, in fact this is banned on some school servers, a consideration to think over early. Additionally, it may be necessary to “collaborate with other third party entities or knowledgeable technology staff” (23) to implement such a system and get it up and running.
Finally, aspects of this article link strongly to the idea of a Library Media Commons, including the profile of the typical user, which includes such features as: “are comfortable w/ technology . . .self-motivated, value convenience and mobility, prefer flat bureaucracies to hierarchies,” etc. This article thoroughly covers the topic of virtual reference in a school setting, then, because it includes all relevant considerations: users and their learning styles and capabilities, technical considerations, training for virtual reference librarians, and ways to make the service more welcoming and efficient. This is a strong contribution on the subject of 21st century LMCs and Web 2.0 generally.
Submitted by Mark Schneider, April 12 2009
Gilton, Dr. Donna L. Information Literacy As a Department Store. Young Adult Library Services, Winter 2008, p.39-44.
This article focuses on how public and school librarians can better instruct teens. Public librarians supplement the work of teachers and school library media specialists by providing homework assistance for teens in addition to promoting literacy. Most instruction from public librarians is often informal, spontaneous, and often very brief. Therefore, public teen librarians should thoroughly instruct their teen customers while defining (for themselves) how they will do this. Notably, this article was Gilton's response to Annette Skov’s article “Information Literacy and the Role of Public Libraries” which gives librarians guidance of how to improve, promote and provide effective information literacy instruction.
submitted by Margaret Martin, 04/10/09
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David, Jane L. Teaching Media Literacy. Educational Leadership, 66(6). Mar2009, p.84-86.
Media literacy in the past focused on alerting students to stereotypes, advertising and propaganda and on protecting them from undesirable influences. Today is encompasses much more: using search engines, creating Web sites and online profiles and participating in social networking. One of the most basic strands emphasizes the skills and knowledge students sneed to locate and critically assess content. Researchers find that reading for understanding online requires same skills as off-line reading including using prior knowledge and making predictions plus a set of additional critical thinking skills that reflect the open-ended continually changing online context. More and more students spend more and more time online. Reading online challenges students to make judgments about reputability and reliability of information they see.
Educators and education policymakers should incorporate what students are doing online into the school curriculum to keep students engaged in learning. If teachers integrate elements of digital media lilteracy into their instruction, they can influence how well students citically assess content both on and offline.
submitted by Kim Harris 4/8/09
Jaeger, Paige. Marketing Information Literacy. School Library Media Activities Monthly. 25(7). Mar2009, p.52-54.
Students today want everything and they want it now. A good way to teach information literacy is to sell it and use marketing. There are 5 effective marketing strategies: 1.) Know the consumer. Educators have to make information literacy precepts short and sweet, easy to remember, clever, jingly, cute and memorable and relevant to the students. 2.) Assume the need. Have to assume students need our services, skills and knowledge. A good way to reach them is through media and video. 3.) Advertise. Need to advertise with their mode of operation: quick, easy and effecient. Make banners, advertise in school paper, weekly blog, etc. 4.) Develop catchy slogans. My favorites for plagiarism and the research process are "Pick-don't click!" "Don't swipe it, at least re-write it" "Make it real, don't steal" and "It's buyable, but is it reliable?". Put these on vinyl banners around school and the library. 5.) Convey Immedicacy. Explain concept of supply and demand: best books get checked out first, so don't wait, choose a topic quickly. All are great ideas to teach information literacy to the need it now generation of students.
submitted by Kim Harris 4/8/09
Coiro, Julie. Rethinking Online Reading Assessment. Educational Leadership, 66(6). Mar2009, p.59-63.
Reading Comprehension on the Internet differs from tradiional reading comprehension in 5 ways. 1.) Students need new skills. Internet-based reading assignments require students sto generate appropriate search requests, sift through disparate sources to locate own texts, synthesize most reliable and relevant information with in texts and respond with online communication tools like email or blogs. 2.) Dispositions toward the Internet affect online reading abilities. Accomplished Internet readers gain new knowledge from reading and confidently share and generate knowledge with other members of a globally networked community. 3.) Students often seek answers on the Internet collaboratively. Teachers need new assessments that take into consideration all of the collaborative efforts students use when going online for research. 4.) Reading processes should inform reading instruction. Many adolescents don't actually use a search engine or type in keywords to launch an online query. 5.) The nature of reading comprehension is changing because of digital technology. Need to continually reconsider and expand what it means to be a skilled online reader. It's recommended that we accept inevitability of change and think more creatively about how to measure literacy and learning with online reading as part of the picture.
submitted by Kim Harris 4/8/09
This article discussed 21st information literacy as comprised of four types of literacy: information, digital, visual, and media. The author states that these literacy skills are all necessary in order to participate in Second Life. Second Life (SL) is “a place to do what you do in real life, but through your computer” (p. 7) and it is a place to “explore, live, learn, and play” (p.8).
To begin with, SL is very visual. Visual literacy as defined by AT&T/UCLA Initiatives for 21st Century Literacies is “based on the idea that visual images are a language, visual literacy can be defined as the ability to understand and produce visual messages” (p.6). Participants in SL have avatars (a digital representation of themselves) that get to do many of the similar things in real life with additional powers such as flying or being beamed to a place.
Information literacy is a needed skill in SL as one needs to know how to “identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use the information (one) needs” (p.9). The author discussed her avatar having red hair, but it has a bald spot. In order to fix it, she needs to understand how to follow the instructions sent by the seller. This is where digital literacy comes into play. This skill consists of “executing tasks in digital environments, such as surfing the web, deciphering user interfaces, working with databases, and chatting in chat rooms” (p.9). She may visit chat rooms and ask for help.
Where does media literacy play in SL? The author mentioned that this literacy consists of the many different ways that technology has allowed learners to learn. This could include “webcasts or live SL sessions, podcasts, video clips, online training modules, or even_(gasp)_old fashioned printed documents” (p.10). The 21st century seems to be a very exciting place for learners to learn.
Kim Leng (April 8, 2009)
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Bush, G. (2008, January). Millennial Learners Build Knowledge Communities. School Library Media Activities Monthly, pp. 39,41. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text database.
Bush’s article speaks to the changing information needs of so-called “millennial learners”. These learners, born between the years of 1979-2000 or so, are immersed in technology in ways we cannot imagine. They are immensely connected to each other through technology, although some would say that these connections are shallow and lack the emotional intimacy found in previous generations. In addition, these learners are drawn to visual and aural learning as manifested by computer games, the internet, TV and other forms of media. The modern-day librarian and teacher must find ways to engage these learners in a language that speaks to them. The author proposes a few instructional strategies that seek to improve students’ information literacy. One of the critiques that she makes about current instructional strategies is the inclination on the part of teachers and librarians to spoon-feed appropriate information to students, thus disallowing them from figuring out where to find the information themselves. Finally, Bush concludes with her thoughts on plagiarism, social responsibility and the librarian/teacher’s responsibility to create assignments that make plagiarism virtually impossible.
Submitted by Alegria Barclay April 6, 2009
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action. American Association of School Librarians. Chicago, 2009.
This book produced by the AASL is intended to help teacher librarians understand and use the new standards. It presents the four main standards in depth, then explains the strands and finally gives benchmarks for grades 2,5,8,10 and 12. The benchmarks may be helpful to professionals in planning lessons. This publication was eagerly awaited by this new teacher librarian, and quite honestly, it is a disappointment. I would not recommend a purchase of this one. A classroom teacher would be completely overwhelmed by the complicated presentation of benchmarks, indicators and all the little sub numbers. The article presented below makes the new standards feel liberating and full of joy. This AASL book makes them seem dreary and unachievable. plus the bright orange highlighting is irritating!
Submitted by Mary Smartt, April 5, 2009
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Carnesi, Sabrina and Karen DiGiorgio. Teaching the inquiry process to 21st century learners. Library Media Connection. 27 (5). March/April 2009. 32-36
The authors present an easy to follow summary of the inquiry process. "Alas, old research, we knew you well." Unlike the old rigid models, the new research promotes higher level thinking, use of more and varied resources and is interactive. Indeed, it is pointed out, these are skills that students can use throughout life as opposed to finding and "regurgitating a set of facts they will never use again." A cyclical model from the Newport News Public Schools is presents. It begins with questioning, moves to planning, collecting information, organizing the information, synthesizing the information into a final form and communication results to teacher or peer. Students reflect, revise and evaluate at each step. The article presents a great chart for clearly seeing the process, correlated with AASL standards and practical tech ideas for accomplishment. Especially important is the fact that this process can be used successfully in all content areas and lends itself to integrating subjects. The authors end by saying, "Students must be proficient in inquiry skills to be successful in life beyond the academic years." The use of technology is preferred and welcome by today's students.
Submitted by Mary Smartt, April 5, 2009
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Teens and Their Technologies in High School and College: Implications for Teaching and Learning
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The Journal of Academic Librarianship 34 no6 502-12 N 2008
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The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in violation of the copyright is prohibited. To contact the publisher: http://www.elsevier.com/
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Barbara Valentine and Steven Bernhisel
Barbara Valentine and Steven Bernhisel have realized that teens competent in digital media will not always be high school students. Eventually they will make the transition to college. Valentine and Bernhisel also realize that because these students are so competent in digital media it is very important to study their habits to prepare the teachers and professors how to best reach their students. In order to find this information, the team conducted a survey. The survey focused on questioning about devices that students regularly used and visited. Content creation, internet communication and technology related to school work were other areas of concentration within the survey. Results for this study found not only differences in uses of technologies between different ages but also between genders. “In both surveys, more males than females said they made and edited digital movies, created music, websites, games/animation, used MP3 players, and visited YouTube. More females than males sent pictures via cell phone, used digital cameras, posted to blogs, and visited MySpace or Facebook. Further research might focus on whether there really is a gender difference related to sociality and a desire to experiment with new technologies. These along with other findings will show implications for educators. Educators should know that communication with students is easy with technology. It is a good way to get in contact with students. Digital access is no longer the issue that it used to be. Students are now provided with access to the internet in most educational situations and can search the Web regularly. Educators should be aware, however, that because of this easy access to information online, plagiarism has been made easier. If a teacher is smart though, technology can also make plagiarism easier to catch. It is also time for educators to learn that though technology was once thought of as a distraction to education, it is now a helpful tool and should be used regularly. Also, even though students seem to be tech savvy across the board, this may not be entirely true. Students may only be good in the areas they use regularly. This is the opportunity that we as educators can take to learn technological tools ourselves and push the skills onto our students. This will help create lifelong learners and prepare them for the even bigger world beyond high school education. The most important thing for us as educators to know, even if it is based on a small study such as this, is that students learn differently today. We must be there to support this learning and participate in it to give students the full advantages of the world of technology. Kids are still kids, but they have new tools that educators can take advantage of instead of fight against.
Varley, Pamela. (2002). As Good As Reading? v78n3p251-262 May/June 2002.
Pamela Varley, a journalist and friend of the audio book has written an article questioning the validity of audio books. First, she notes the disdain of her friend (who is an avid reader) expresses for people who use the term “read” too loosely. Varley’s friend finds it appalling that people who “listen” can say that they have “read” a book. Even though audio books have become so common, “reading purists” advocate for more of a distinction of this fuzzy line.
Next, Varley examines the effect of the popularity of audio books in the world of children. She has one parent/friend who wants to supply her daughter’s eager addiction to audio books, but wonders if this is “as good as reading, or as bad as watching TV ?” The topic is also up for debate as to whether this is a form of cheating for students.
Varley mentions that audio books seem to be ok for ELL students or for students with disabilities, but what about the mainstream students? Others argue further that audio books create a way for children to enjoy literature. That is what we librarians aim for anyways right? So, if a child does enjoy a print book or a spoken book, a librarian’s job has been accomplished, no matter the form of media.
Varley is quick to mention that the general consensus in the reading community, whether for or against audio books, is that students cannot solely listen to books. Reading is still extremely important and the audio world should be used to supplement the print world. Reading is more active than passive, and is the most important skill a child can learn. The audio book, however, can enhance a print book. The hard-to-pronounce words or names in a book can become clear to even students without disabilities through reading. The list of benefits of listening as a supplement or break from reading goes on. Just beware of abridgments!
Crowley, Bill. “Lifecycle Librarianship.” Library Journal. New York: Apr 1, 2008. Vol. 133, Iss. 6; pg. 46, 1 pgs.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1455056241&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=17867&RQT=309&VName=PQD
This article details the triumphs and resistance to change to a new idea of “lifecycle librarianship” bringing information to every stage in life. This idea makes knowledge accessible to everyone, from “the lapsit to the nursing home,” and helps to reinforce the ground work of the library system itself.
Trina Schlee 3/29/09
Michele Gilchrist- March 27, 2009
Quinn, Lena Consolini (2009) Breaking News. School Library Journal, January, 2009, p. 40-42.
This article looks at the necessity for teaching news literacy to today’s youth. News literacy, according to the author, includes the “ability to decipher the truth amidst [a] vast array of media messages.” (p. 40) Two programs: the News Literacy Program (www.thenewsliteracyproject.org) and the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook are beginning their efforts to increase young people’s abilities to read/view the news critically and value keeping current on news events. I think this is especially important in these times for students to be up on current events (and to care about them) and be critical of what’s reported on the news and the way in which news is reported.
Knoble, M., & Wibur, D. (2009). Let’s Talk 2.0. Education Leadership. Mar2009, Vol. 66 Issue 6, p20-24, 5p.
http://web.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=3&sid=6e9afe5d-7fad-4e25-95f7-21bc557ed4a3%40sessionmgr9&bdata=JmxvZ2lucGFnZT1sb2dpbi5hc3Amc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl#db=aph&AN=36666620
Knoble and Wilbur have written an insightful article about 2.0 tools and information literacy. They define 2.0 as a business model that provides services to users rather than selling services to them. There are three parts to a 2.0 model, which are participation, collaboration, and distribution. Wikis and Blogs are good examples of 2.0 tools because they allow the user to give feedback and to collaborate. The sharing of resources also allows for distribution of sources. The authors describe how users can fully participate in creating and editing content with tools like YouTube and AnimeMusic Videos.org. Social networks also help to create collaboration and distribute information because users can communicate what they know about a topic and receive feedback about questions they might have. The authors bring up a very interesting point that because 2.0 is such a new kind of literacy, it really challenges the traditional model of how schools function. Schools are traditionally used to pushing in information, which is a one-way form of communication. Now, schools have to adapt to this type of two-way communication. Schools need to recognize that students want to collaborate and contribute to content. They cite a creative writing web site called “Fanfiction.net” where participants can post their writing and others can edit and provide feedback. They also note that gaming sites value user feedback and encourage fans to make changes to improve the games.
The authors see this editing and modifying of content as a great way to teach students how to use copyright correctly and to generate a discussion on copyright laws. They discuss Creative Commons copyright licenses and how they could be used to modify content found online. The authors introduce a new term called “affinity spaces”. They see these spaces as places where people can read, discuss, and modify content such as in the AnimeMusic Video.org site. This creates a new literacy that encourages reading, writing, collaborating, and sharing knowledge. The authors do bring up the issue of copyright since the remixing and modifying of content is being done through collaboration. This is an important issue since content is being changed.
The authors note that outside school, students are wonderful writers when they can add their writing and comments to sites that encourage collaboration. However, this doesn’t translate to school. The authors make the point that this online collaboration where students can get good feedback and participate in active discussion is educationally very valuable and worthwhile. They suggest that teachers need to shift t their thinking by designing collaborative lessons that engage the students. They give examples like podcasts of history units and having students make documentaries based on what they are studying in class. The authors note that because many schools filter collaborative web sites like Flickr, it is challenging for teachers to create collaborative projects. However, Dotphoto.com isn’t blocked and does the same job. They also give examples of how students can do a wiki project on local histories and collaborate. http://newlits.org/index.php?title=Witness%5fto%5fHistory). Another suggestion they had was to create class blogs about book discussions. Their argument to use 2.0 tools in the library and in the classroom was very convincing. This article is extremely useful because it clearly explains the collaborative nature of using 2.0 tools and gives excellent resources and links for using 2.0 tools. At the end of the article, they give a lot of good links to resources such as Blogger, VoiceThread, and Ning. Submitted by Joanne Maher on March 25th, 2009.
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The Question Mark "an educational journal devoted to questions,
questioning, sound intelligence, strategic reading
and quality teaching."
http://www.questioning.org/index2.html
Jamieson McKenzie is the editor of the "From Now On" site.
His Question Mark website is a searchable site offering free subscriptions, access to articles, and an online bookstore. It also has information, examples, and templates for essential questions, online research modules, digital lessons, educational scaffolding, and more.
For example, here is a summation of one article, "The Question is the Answer":
Strong questioning skills are what enable us (and students) to cut through the glut of information to get what we need. Schools must make the switch from teaching to learning, or they will not “be prepared for this New Information Landscape which calls for independent thinking, exploration, invention and intuitive navigation.”
The three most important questions for forming curriculum-based essential questions, and for doing independent research, are: Why? (cause-and-effect), How? (problem solving), and Which? (decision-making). These three questions require mental efforts in the top half of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. The author advocates school’s creation of a Questioning Toolkit for teachers and students, which will contain many questions, types of questions, and questioning tools.
Here is one more example:
"Five Kinds of Slam Dunk Digital Lessons: How can teachers build brief lessons with digital resources that inspire a high level of engagement while challenging students to interpret, analyze, synthesize and evaluate?"
This article details for teachers how to create lesson plans in a digital format using one (or more) of five ideas: 1) the persuasive image, 2) the provacative piece of text, 3) the dramatic image, 4) the essential question based on one rich site, 5) the database. McKenzie provides several examples of each, guidance for the lesson, and links to additional support materials.
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http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/elementary.html
Tomlinson, Carol Ann. Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades.ERIC Digest. (2003-2004).
Tomlinson discusses what differentiation of instruction is in a very clear and concise manner. She notes that in a regular classroom, there are many levels. Some students achieve above grade level, some below, and some right in the middle. Because of this difference in ability and the various kinds of learning styles, differentiation is necessary. Tomlinson says that when a teacher varies her instruction to suit an individual learner or a small group of learners that can be defined as differentiation of instruction. She notes that there are four areas that can be differentiated. They are in content, in process, in product, and in learning environment. She gives good examples for each area. For example, in content, a teacher can vary reading level to suit a student’s reading ability by using leveled books, books on tape, and using reading buddies. For process, teachers can use centers that are leveled so there are activities that all have the same content but are tailored to suit students who may need a challenge or reinforcement. Activities can also be individualized by giving students flexible timing to complete tasks. For products, students can choose how they want to present their work. This could range from letters, mobiles, role-plays, or drawings. The use of rubrics that are geared towards individual students are useful. Students should also be given the choice to work alone or in groups. For a differentiated learning environment, students should have places to work alone and collaboratively. Materials should reflect the culture of the class. Allowances should also be made for different learning styles.
Tomlinson cites research that states that students learn best when material is differentiated. She notes that Vygotsky matched his instruction to the student’s ability, which made for optimal learning. Also, good teachers know how to vary instruction to meet the individual learner. When teachers design curriculum, they should make sure that lessons actively engage students and that the material is interesting and relevant to them. Tomlinson notes that there are several factors that make a good differentiated classroom. They are ongoing assessment that is connected to instruction. There are also activities that are meaningful for all learners from the learner who needs reinforcement to the learner who needs a challenge. Students should also be grouped in a variety of ways so that they see themselves in different contexts. For example, students can be grouped in homogenous or heterogeneous groups depending on the skills being taught. The best teachers who differentiate are the ones who constantly reflect on their teaching, their philosophy, their classroom management, their routines, and how they communicate with parents. Differentiation is necessary for the best classroom environment. This article was very useful in implementing ways to differentiate in an Elementary class, but it could be easily translated to teaching in a school library setting. The techniques that Tomlinson suggests would also benefit students who are learning about information literacy and research skills.Submitted by Joanne Maher on March 23rd, 2009.
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Burkhardt, Joanna M., MacDonald, & Rathemacher. (2003). Teaching Information Literacy: 35 Practical Standards-based Exercises for College Students. Chicago, Illinois: American Library Association.
This is an excellent book for teachers and teacher librarians because it provides practical ways to teach information literacy. It is aimed at college level students but could easily be adapted to Middle School and High School age students. The activities are linked to the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards. The book contains a series of exercises that are based on these Standards. Each exercise is created to promote active engagement, problem solving, and inquiry. The book contains 35 lessons so librarians can create a course or units very easily around these lessons. The exercises cover a variety of skills such as how to access books and bibliographic information. They also show how to use online sources. The book is broken up into nine chapters. Each chapter focuses on a different type of information source such as books and catalogs, periodicals and indexes, the Web and Scholarly research, and other tools for research. There are also two appendixes that contain the Information Literacy Competency Standards and a list of further reading, which I found useful.
The beginning chapters give the rationale as to why information literacy should be taught. The authors make a good argument for teaching students how to find good information using electronic resources, how to use tools and resources that aren’t electronic, how to evaluate print and electronic resources, and why the librarian needs to select good resources for students. I liked the activities because they were very clearly written. As a teacher, I appreciated the detailed and step-by-step lessons. These activities could also be modified for an individual, a group of students, or teachers. The activities also built on each other. For example, Exercise 1 dealt with the “Many Ages of Information” and helped students learn the history of information and why learning about information is important. Exercise 5 then went into more detail and had students identify the different kinds of information by creating a chart. They plugged in information sources into primary, secondary, and tertiary categories. Exercise 8 had students using Encyclopedias and evaluating the different kinds of encyclopedias available. Students also created concept maps to explain their thinking.
I really liked Exercise 11, which taught students how to narrow their research questions. It introduced the concept of Boolean searching. Exercise 16 was also useful because there was a lesson on plagiarism and Exercise 25 showed students how to cite sources and write an annotated bibliography. I also liked Exercise 29, which showed students how to write clear search statements by using key concepts, creating a list of synonyms, and word variation. The last section of the book had a scope and sequence student time line for completing each activity, which would be very useful for planning and assessment. This book had excellent information and was nicely written for teachers because it was well-organized and broken down into specific skills. Submitted by Joanne Maher on March 23rd, 2009.
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Cooper, L. (2008, January). Supporting Visual Literacy in the School Library Media Center: Developmental, socio-cultural, and experiential considerations and scenarios. Knowledge Quest, 36(3), 14-19. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Persistent link to this record (Permalink): http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=31574469&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live
The question of “how might we educate children to become effective users and generators of visual information?” is answered through the examination of sociocultural and developmental aspects that affect children’s comprehension. Our understanding of images comes from not only our experiences, but how society defines them for us as well. Considering the large range of different cultures, images and colors represent different ideas.
The author discusses the theories of Vygotsky, Piaget, and Goldsmith and how it affects the visual literacy of our children. Through the various stages of development, the child progresses into a new state of understanding. They become capable of applying previous knowledge to an image and synthesizing the meaning of a picture rather than just seeing each image separately.
Furthermore, the author describes ways we can support visual literacy through several means. First, we can teach children how to read pictures for information. One of the examples given of this is young girl who is doing research on a country. Since her reading level is lower than the book she is using, the librarian encourages her to use the pictures to gather information. In doing so, she finds information that she didn’t expect to know considering her comprehension of the text. Another form is through drawing information. For students who are not as comfortable with writing have the opportunity to share information through drawing.
The article is great for school librarians who want to show students that text isn’t the only form of information. Since children are naturally visual learners, they may feel more at ease with pictures. The use of drawings may allow children to become more comfortable with library resources and will slowly guide them into using different types of materials.
Marisa Reyes 3/21/09
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April Gilbert posted this 3/17/09 Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Donham, J, Bishop, K., Kuhlthau, C.C., Oberg, D. (2001). Inquiry-based learning Lessons from library power. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing.
This book takes some of the most important ideas from Library Power and shows staff how to initiate inquiry based learning at their sites. Helpful charts are in the appendix to organize ideas and to provide a framework for research and citation. Starting with a constructivist model, three sites are used as case studies to show the transformational power of teaching this way. Collaboration between the teacher-librarian and staff was emphasized. Their meetings were ongoing as units progressed. From designing the curriculum, to expectations for students, the librarian was involved in the process. In the beginning of an inquiry the librarian and teacher model the kinds of open ended questions someone might as they learn about something new. Planning research in stages with students helps them learn the steps involved in learning something new. Often more complex questions come after initial research. Children were not expected to choose a topic for research until they had some time to learn about it first and explore. The feeling tone of cooperation and respect gave students confidence to take risks and ask questions without fear of appearing stupid. This model transformed the way students were taught in the library and classroom and common terms were used in both to make the process easier for students to grasp.
The evidence of student learning was gathered in various ways. Some students wrote journals as if they were people from a time in history they studied. Others created objects that would have been in use. Some found art projects to be the most appropriate way of showing understanding of what was learned. This variation gave students control in how to show what they had learned and discouraged copy and pasting information without synthesizing it. Students were also interviewed after sharing their projects. They were given the opportunity to share what they had learned and why they had selected a certain format for showing what they’d learned. This helped the librarian and teacher figure out where in the unit students might need more support in the future and what stages of the process to focus on next time.
Units integrated content so that while learning social studies, students used language arts skills considered how it related to the science unit and practiced information literacy in researching their topic. Library times were flexible so students could come frequently while working on a project and teacher and librarian could team to teach some concepts. Some teachers were resistant to working together in this manner. The administration’s teaching philosophy was important in supporting this shift to constructivism. Teacher training was key as well. Often the collaboration begins with a few teachers at a time and grows once the staff sees the results in the students and effectiveness of teaching this way. Constant teacher turn around can hurt the effectiveness of the program. Current, appealing materials at the appropriate reading level must be on hand to support research projects. The library space must be flexible for various groupings, and have enough computers for students to work on.
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Robins, Jennifer (2005). Beyond the bird unit. Teacher Librarian 33(2), 8-19. Retrieved March 14, 2009 from Library Literature & Information Science Full Text.
“In the traditional bird unit, students record knowledge on worksheets and express knowledge in linear written forms” (Robins, 2005, p.17). This kind of learning, which is not limited just to bird units, asks students to complete predetermined learning exercises and regurgitate what they have learned to prove that the exercise has been “successful”. There are many reasons that this type of teaching is not ideal for the student. The typical bird unit treats knowledge as though it is something to be passed from teacher to student rather than something the student has the innate capability to discover for himself. Further, any library or other materials used in these kinds of exercises are merely a means to an end, and the student gains no deeper understanding of what it means to be information literate. Lastly, these types of unit will not likely spark any ongoing curiosity on the part of the student or allow for the individual student to have any control over their own learning experience (which would have the effect of making the learning experience a deeper and more meaningful one).
An approach that will lead to a more fulfilling learning experience for students is to create units that use the constructivist theory. Robins discusses three excellent options that teachers and teacher librarians can use. The first is problem based learning which begins with a real world-type problem that students can explore from a variety of angles to come to a solution. The second is inquiry-based learning which involves taking “advantage of information-rich environments by promoting a student’s natural inquisitiveness” (p. 9). The third is project-based learning which is when students work together on a project by putting together what individuals have discovered. Each of these methods alone or in combination allows for students to be an integral part of their own learning because the learning is more directed by the student and his/her interests and curiosities than by the teacher alone. Ideally, this type of learning will stick with the student and inspire future investigation into topics that are of particular interest.
One potential concern that might come up from teachers or teacher librarians with regard to a more constructivist approach to teaching, is the issue of curriculum standards that must be adhered to. However, creating an enriching learning environment need not ignore these standards. In fact, these learning standards can provide the framework with which teachers and teacher librarians work to create their collaborative units. Once a teacher identifies the standards that he or she wishes to address in a particular unit, the teacher and teacher librarian can work together on ways that they can create engaging, exploratory units for students.
This article also includes several lesson plans that utlize the methods discussed in the article. One I found particularly interesting was one where students take information provided in the book Charlotte’s Web and use it to try to discover what kind of spider she is using varioua library materials.
Added March 14, 2009 by Katie Gallagher
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April Gilbert added this 3/12/09
Koechlin, C. & Zwaan, S. (2004). Build your own information literate school. Salt Lake City, UT: Hi Willow Research & Publishing.
This is a must have resource for the teacher librarian for teaching information literacy! The book is divided into chapters by the stages of the information literacy process. It is loaded with sample lessons, useful charts, and links to online resources and additional reading. It provides research support for this model of instruction. The book breaks down lessons into the observable behaviors of students as they grow in their information literacy with greater expectations for them as they progress. Activities from kindergarten to high school are listed. Reproducible forms can support the teacher librarian as he/she begins to use the material and are ready for use by students as the librarian works within the suggested units. As the teacher librarian becomes confident, the forms provide a template which can be adapted to future situations. One example of a form in the book is an online search plan (fig. 9) that helps a student define what their inquiry question is. A place to list key words and search phrases are featured. A check list is provided of resources where they might search. Reminders are provided about what various reference materials contain. Lessons incorporate information literacy with content area subject matter. Rubrics for grading student work based on observations are also provided. A collaboration form for working with staff (fig. 82) gives useful ideas for our library evaluation assignment. It looks at teaching curriculum expectations, teaching information literacy skills, building reading literacy, and enhanced learning through technology, library collection/facility, student engagement, and collaboration. It has a place to evaluate and plan for the future. A student info skills matrix (fig. 83) helps the library teacher evaluate student’s skills. Page 173 has a powerful school evaluation tool to see where the staff and site lie on a continuum in the process of building an information literate school. The book would also be helpful for a future class, Libr. 250.
Crow, S.R. (2007) Information literacy: What’s motivation got to do with it? Knowledge Quest, 35(4), 48-52.
This article outlines how library media teachers can foster intrinsic motivation in students and improve the teaching and learning of information literacy skills. Crow focuses on how to keep students who may have loved the library when younger interested when they begin to do more serious research and projects in the library. Perceived competence and relatedness are two keys to motivation. This article is full of great examples and ideas for working with students. I felt inspired after reading it and ready to connect further with my students.
Submitted by Elizabeth Richardson, 5/13/09
Luke, A. and Kaptizke, C. (1999). Literacies and libraries – Archives and cybraries. Pedagogy, Culture & Society 7(3), 467-491.
Allan Luke and Cushla Kapitzke argue for the importance of redefining literacy to include “information literacy” for today’s generation of youth, outline current information literacy methodology and its flaws, and suggest how to implement change. The crux of their argument revolves around the value of librarians and libraries, but also the absolute necessity to redefine traditional definitions of librarians. This new information literacy training that must rise, they say, is based on three core assumptions:
- New technology is powerful and vital to shaping student’s beliefs and students need to know how to critically analyze what they find in new technology
- The texts and knowledge available in the increasingly digital world are ever-changing and students can become the authors of the new texts and knowledge so it is important for them to recognize their power in the digital space
- Students can “reposition themselves” in terms of the knowledge they seek once they understand both how to critically analyze the work they discover AND how to consistently question and co-author change.
This theoretical argument for new literacies that empower students and harness their draw to technology, is a strong argument for the creation of client-side learning commons that emphasize collaboration between students, teachers, and librarians, to make the library more than just a collection of dusty tomes, but instead make it a flexible space that can be accessed 24/7 from a variety of places.
Submitted by Maryanne Olson 11/15/09
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