1. Jane Secker in her introduction said that this was a book that you could either read cover to cover or dip in and out of. Which chapters did you find the most useful and why?
I thought I was only going to have time to flick through this book and had planned to just read certain chapters. Once I got started though I found that I didn't want to miss anything out and ended up reading it all. The chapters were generally quite short and easy to read. I had been worried that it was going to be very focused on higher education but was again please to read that there was a lot of relevant stuff for school librarians to digest and use.
I will admit to starting to read thoroughly in the beginning, but couldn’t take in nuances if read too much.. Later chapters I did possibly skip through more. Have long ago decided I am definitely not up there with the intelligent people which is probably a good thing I’m not responsible for students in my charge.
Thanks for being so honest Dawn. I am not sure I understood it all either but put that down to it being targeted at higher education librarians. I think books like this must be dipped in and out of as there are going to be areas that are of more use to you than others. I think if you bought this book rather than borrowed it, it would be something that you referred to from time to time. Especially now that we know what it contains.
I think digital literacy is becoming more common than information literacy. This certainly helps in thinking about how I talk to teachers about research skills and will certainly use digital literacy more often.
I thought separating the different literacies and critical thinking and saying we needed them all was relevant, even if depending on what we are doing means they overlap.
I certainly thought that it highlighted the many literacies that are out there and agree that recognising that there is an overlap is important. This book certainly built our ability to talk about the overlap which is a powerful conversation within the curriculum.
This was an interesting chapter. I will be going to the AMORES website to read more about it.
I found it very telling that this project did not achieve what it set out to do - increase/promote reading. I guess it goes to prove that the concept of reading for pleasure has to be introduced to children at an early age so that they discover the intrinsic value in reading. I do not teach but might bring this to the attention of my teachers.
One of the TLs at our schools has used coding in the classroom linking it to narratives. This is a link to her blog post. She will also be presenting at ISTE2020 later this year about her work.
(This GIF because I was humming the song every time I read the acronym)
It was interesting Annie! The gif made me smile :) I do think adding technology into a topic can help engagement. However, I think you are right; that reading for pleasure really does need to be introduced early and then supported through reading teachers and the school library.
I am currently reading Reader, come home by Maryanne Wolf. In it she cites Hemingway’s 6 word story - For sale: baby shoes. Never worn - and says we pick up so much from our experience and prior knowledge. So a younger child may be able to decode the words, but without encouragement to critically think and discuss reasons for this, would not have the empathy to instantly focus on those last 2 words. So empathy can be encouraged from what we read and as adults, it’s our job to do that for our children.
As regards using different technologies and apps, children love that creative side, although as we all know they can focus on adding in movement and sounds in a PowerPoint at the expense of content, we need to show them apps are a tool and we need to use the right tool for the point we are trying to get across.
4. “To become fully literate students must become proficient in the new literacies of 21st Century technologies”. If 42% of teachers feel that students know more than they do how can school librarians support this area of teaching?
I find that a lot of teachers believe that students have skills that they really don't. It is important that we as school librarians keep encouraging teachers to do this properly by engaging fully in quality research. They need to understand that this is important and work with their students to prevent cutting and pasted and asking for bibliographies and not accepting questionable sources. This all takes time but with a school librarians support and collaboration the work the students produce will be better quality and their skill set will increase.
I agree but I still think we have a problem with expecting children just to be able to find the answers without much guidance on how to find credible sources. Is that down to time or lack of knowledge from teachers themselves? We know ourselves how hard it is to keep up and teachers hardly have time to do what they need to do. It is important that they begin to understand that this is something we can help them with and save them time. Advocacy is so important...
I have seen students used as digital champions in one of the schools I worked in but I don't think they were used in the manor that is discussed in this chapter. These students were taught how to use certain online tools and were called on if any teacher was struggling to use it with a class. It was more about students knowing how to switch something on rather than have digital literacy skills though.
In SLS I used to visit loads of primary schools during the Summer term to encourage pupils to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge. I lost count of the times teachers would call upon Ryan from Y6 to get the laptop and powerpoint working for me. But yes, that is different from having chosen which medium to deliver a message.
6. “To be digitally literate involves being copyright literate – being assertive yet respectful”. How often do you talk to teachers or students about copyright and do you feel you have enough knowledge to guide them?
Copyright conversations are few and far between 😔. I am fairly confident in my knowledge of copyright to be able to guide the teachers and students. Luckily at a primary school level, copyright talk is at a basic level.
In casual conversations with teachers I have found that they have a good understanding of what they can and cannot do around copyright.
I usually have copyright conversations with the year 5 and year 6 students when they work on their writing projects. I am sure the teachers have conversations with the students about copyright and attribution but I would love to be able to talk to them more about creative commons.
I feel that it is the more obscure copyright issues that older students are not aware of that we should be teaching them. Things like self plagiarism and collusion are two that are particularly fascinating to have a conversation about.
I think teachers are much better now at sharing resources and crediting one another. I thank Twitter for that. Interesting to see the amount of material being shared online at the moment in case of closure of schools. Perhaps we should link Creative Commons to that.
7. How important is your CPD? Can you/ how do you share your learning within your local environment? Do you find it difficult to find the right training you need and is there someone in your school or workplace that can support your journey?
I love learning, playing and experimenting 😁. A lot of my CPD is self directed and I learn a lot from forums such as this, Twitter, and FB groups.
I am very lucky to be working in a school that is part of a very large systemic school system. We have a dedicated library services team that offers us (TLs and library assistants) a lot of support in terms of training and advice. We have professional learning meetings once a term that cover topics ranging from email wrangling and tech tips to collection development and management. These learning topics are usually in response to our needs - we have input into what we would like to learn. We also have the opportunity to share our work, concerns, triumphs, and challenges with each other. The library services team also has a website that has information to support us as well as teachers and students. We also have regular training sessions on our library management system.
Sharing my learning with teachers at school is a tad more tricky because of time constraints. I do send out emails to teachers when I find a new tool or app they might find useful in class but I am not sure about the efficacy of this method of communication. I would love to get some ideas, insights, suggestions as to how to share learning with teachers more constructively and effectively.
It sounds like you have amazing support and learning network where you work. I don't think many of us can say quite the same. I agree I think sharing our learning with teachers is definitely the hard part. I know that emails do not always hit the mark. Maybe a newsletter that is not called a 'newsletter' might work? Especially if it gives them tips and tricks that you could show them if they are interested. Some I know run book clubs for all staff and that sometimes works. I wonder if anyone else joining in might have some ideas? We will just have to wait and see :)
My CPD is very important to me, I think it is a way of showing teachers that we are still learning and often if I come across something that applies to teachers I share that with them. I am lucky to work in a school that allows me still to learn.
8. As school librarians we often focus on the need for digital literacy for our students going on to higher education. Has this book given you a different view and will that change your focus in school?
I have been thinking more and more about how all our students need digital literacy skills once they leave school at 16. The focus for me has really changed and even though it is important that our students going onto higher education do need these skills we have to make sure we are there to support everyone. In focusing more on all students I have found that teachers are more interested in what I have to say and in one school we are embedding these skills at the highest level.
I’ve always said this should start at primary school level. Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross’ picture books are great for showing children from 5 to 15 the dangers of throwing yourself into digital mayhem
Using picture books for older students is such a useful tool. I have loved the discussions it brings when older children are looking at the pictures and the messages they receive can be amazing. It takes us back to empathy again and looking deeper into the meaning of a book.
9. “Recognising that digital literacy is not a skill but a role in civil society” Did the chapter on Fake news change your way of thinking about how to teach this? We all have to take responsibility for our own actions online…
I feel that there is a large bank of teachers out there that never use social media for all sorts of reasons. One of the reasons I did take the plunge was because I wanted to know enough to keep my own children safe online. I feel that we as information professionals can have a role to play in leading by example of how to behave online and we could also be leaders and supporters of others if we do it well.
The government’s targeting of the BBC worries me as usually BBC news is fairly trustworthy by everyone world wide. If we end up in a world of competing news channels the danger is they will start cutting corners/making things up. Than as so many people - young and old, don’t question what they read fake news an panic will spread. At the current moment that’s the last thing we need.
Even more reason for us to engage in teaching how to evaluate websites and recognise fake news. It is going to get harder as technology grows. It is already difficult enough to keep up...
10. This book highlights the lack of knowledge amongst our students and teachers about digital literacy. Do you feel you have enough knowledge to support you school? If not what would help you increase your knowledge and confidence to teach this?
I have nowhere enough knowledge to teach this, but I think I have a larger knowledge on the subject than some teachers. This is an ever changing field and one you would need to specialise in
Do you think you need to specialise in it or can you learn as you go along and share your knowledge in the classroom. I feel it is about having a base and then updating as things change. Do you teach any of this at the moment?
1. Jane Secker in her introduction said that this was a book that you could either read cover to cover or dip in and out of. Which chapters did you find the most useful and why?
I thought I was only going to have time to flick through this book and had planned to just read certain chapters. Once I got started though I found that I didn't want to miss anything out and ended up reading it all. The chapters were generally quite short and easy to read. I had been worried that it was going to be very focused on higher education but was again please to read that there was a lot of relevant stuff for school librarians to digest and use.
2. Terminology is always going to be a problem for school librarians. Did this book help you define and understand some of the most common ones?
I think digital literacy is becoming more common than information literacy. This certainly helps in thinking about how I talk to teachers about research skills and will certainly use digital literacy more often.
3. Have you ever used or thought about using technology with a class as described in Walton’s chapter?
This was an interesting chapter. I will be going to the AMORES website to read more about it.
I found it very telling that this project did not achieve what it set out to do - increase/promote reading. I guess it goes to prove that the concept of reading for pleasure has to be introduced to children at an early age so that they discover the intrinsic value in reading. I do not teach but might bring this to the attention of my teachers.
One of the TLs at our schools has used coding in the classroom linking it to narratives. This is a link to her blog post. She will also be presenting at ISTE2020 later this year about her work.
(This GIF because I was humming the song every time I read the acronym)
As regards using different technologies and apps, children love that creative side, although as we all know they can focus on adding in movement and sounds in a PowerPoint at the expense of content, we need to show them apps are a tool and we need to use the right tool for the point we are trying to get across.
4. “To become fully literate students must become proficient in the new literacies of 21st Century technologies”. If 42% of teachers feel that students know more than they do how can school librarians support this area of teaching?
I find that a lot of teachers believe that students have skills that they really don't. It is important that we as school librarians keep encouraging teachers to do this properly by engaging fully in quality research. They need to understand that this is important and work with their students to prevent cutting and pasted and asking for bibliographies and not accepting questionable sources. This all takes time but with a school librarians support and collaboration the work the students produce will be better quality and their skill set will increase.
5. Student digital ambassadors and champions sound like a great idea. Would you see the use of ambassadors working within your schools?
I have seen students used as digital champions in one of the schools I worked in but I don't think they were used in the manor that is discussed in this chapter. These students were taught how to use certain online tools and were called on if any teacher was struggling to use it with a class. It was more about students knowing how to switch something on rather than have digital literacy skills though.
6. “To be digitally literate involves being copyright literate – being assertive yet respectful”. How often do you talk to teachers or students about copyright and do you feel you have enough knowledge to guide them?
Copyright conversations are few and far between 😔. I am fairly confident in my knowledge of copyright to be able to guide the teachers and students. Luckily at a primary school level, copyright talk is at a basic level.
In casual conversations with teachers I have found that they have a good understanding of what they can and cannot do around copyright.
I usually have copyright conversations with the year 5 and year 6 students when they work on their writing projects. I am sure the teachers have conversations with the students about copyright and attribution but I would love to be able to talk to them more about creative commons.
7. How important is your CPD? Can you/ how do you share your learning within your local environment? Do you find it difficult to find the right training you need and is there someone in your school or workplace that can support your journey?
I love learning, playing and experimenting 😁. A lot of my CPD is self directed and I learn a lot from forums such as this, Twitter, and FB groups.
I am very lucky to be working in a school that is part of a very large systemic school system. We have a dedicated library services team that offers us (TLs and library assistants) a lot of support in terms of training and advice. We have professional learning meetings once a term that cover topics ranging from email wrangling and tech tips to collection development and management. These learning topics are usually in response to our needs - we have input into what we would like to learn. We also have the opportunity to share our work, concerns, triumphs, and challenges with each other. The library services team also has a website that has information to support us as well as teachers and students. We also have regular training sessions on our library management system.
Sharing my learning with teachers at school is a tad more tricky because of time constraints. I do send out emails to teachers when I find a new tool or app they might find useful in class but I am not sure about the efficacy of this method of communication. I would love to get some ideas, insights, suggestions as to how to share learning with teachers more constructively and effectively.
My CPD is very important to me, I think it is a way of showing teachers that we are still learning and often if I come across something that applies to teachers I share that with them. I am lucky to work in a school that allows me still to learn.
8. As school librarians we often focus on the need for digital literacy for our students going on to higher education. Has this book given you a different view and will that change your focus in school?
I have been thinking more and more about how all our students need digital literacy skills once they leave school at 16. The focus for me has really changed and even though it is important that our students going onto higher education do need these skills we have to make sure we are there to support everyone. In focusing more on all students I have found that teachers are more interested in what I have to say and in one school we are embedding these skills at the highest level.
9. “Recognising that digital literacy is not a skill but a role in civil society” Did the chapter on Fake news change your way of thinking about how to teach this? We all have to take responsibility for our own actions online…
I feel that there is a large bank of teachers out there that never use social media for all sorts of reasons. One of the reasons I did take the plunge was because I wanted to know enough to keep my own children safe online. I feel that we as information professionals can have a role to play in leading by example of how to behave online and we could also be leaders and supporters of others if we do it well.
10. This book highlights the lack of knowledge amongst our students and teachers about digital literacy. Do you feel you have enough knowledge to support you school? If not what would help you increase your knowledge and confidence to teach this?
I have nowhere enough knowledge to teach this, but I think I have a larger knowledge on the subject than some teachers. This is an ever changing field and one you would need to specialise in
The more I do the more I learn and the more I understand that I do know more than many teachers. We need to be brave and believe in ourselves more.