technology in education

LIBE 467 Assignment 3: Essential Services

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Evaluation Plan for Improving Reference Services in a Rural BC Secondary School

“To spend a day in a school library is to witness what all the research says about quality education in the 21st century: educators and students engaged in research, collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity” (Riedling, 2019, p. 4).

Context:

This school had been without a library and a teacher librarian for four years. The fiction books had simply been moved to a large classroom and there were no reference materials remaining. Students could access them, but there were no services provided. This school was the victim of a growing scenario where we have seen “big cuts in teacher-librarian time and, some would say, diminished respect for the role of the teacher-librarian” (Beaudry, 2024, Lesson 7). When a new principal arrived, he rectified the situation and I was assigned the role of TL in this school; given the school size, I only had .375 fte. The library, quite simply, was a blank slate.

Evaluation and Rationale: 

Given that one of the key roles of a TL is to be the “information specialist” and facilitate reference services, this school was not meeting an important aspect of the students’ education. Teachers were working in isolation; there was no coordination, no one acting as a “quarterback” for research. Nor was there any certainty that students were developing information literacy. While there were computers, iPads, and Chromebooks in the school, some teachers rarely used them. It is therefore conceivable that some students graduated with next to no information literacy. Many students learned only from textbooks and teacher lecture. For those whose teachers did include online research in their pedagogy, there is no way of being certain if it was adequate. I recall working with a grade 12 (who I considered to be a strong student), watching her engage in a Google search. She simply made note of information from the search page. She didn’t even visit the site. This indicated to me that she had not been taught how to assess the reliability and relevance of online material- one of the most basic information literacy skills. The students had access to digital tools, but largely lacked instruction to make use of them or to appreciate the scope of what was available to them. Consequently, their independence as learners was compromised and the breadth of their education was limited. Quite simply, they were missing out on all the good stuff mentioned in the Riedling quote above.

My initial focus was on weeding and updating the collection, and then on designing use of the space. The next step is to implement a plan for reference services for this school that had none. Because this scenario was so egregious, I am therefore choosing to devote my limited fte to the development of plan that focuses on the development of a digital LLC and an accompanying continuum of skills to “support the development of student information skills, literacy development and the entire curriculum” (Beaudry, 2024, Lesson 7). The lack of library services in the school went hand in hand with outdated pedagogy; consequently, this focus will further help student learning by facilitating potential for an expansion of inquiry projects. An effective TL will help create “resource-based learning opportunities” that “improve[s] research skills and foster[s] self-confidence in finding information by integrating library skills as part of subject curriculum” (Nolan, 1989, as cited in Partido State University, 2012).

I am focusing on the digital LLC first for two reasons:

  • Starting from nothing, this is where I can have the most noticeable impact. There is a tremendous amount of information online that is available at no cost. Because navigating this vast amount of information is complex, this further underscores the need for reference services. Students need to know how to access what is available to them and to learn that there is a difference between “googling” and “researching.” Besides the scope of what is available, an online LLC is further valuable because students are also able to access it from anywhere at anytime, increasing the utility of what I am working on.
  • In a small school, we have a limited budget and therefore need to be very mindful of how funds are spent. Reference materials are often very expensive and would be taxing on such a limited budget, and “sound decisions related to the selection of resources based on available budgets” is an important aspect of the job (Beaudry, 2024, Lesson 6). That said, there is value in having a thoughtful selection of print materials on hand to meet a variety of learning needs, so this is one area I would revisit in the future. I would not see myself purchasing a set of encyclopedias given the cost weighed against the use they would receive. However, some dictionaries and perhaps targeted anthologies (based on discussions with subject specialists) would be considered (Beaudry, 2024, Lesson 6). Because of the limited budget I am working with, I would include in my planned continuum of skills, orientation with the public library. It is within walking distance of the school and they welcome classes. I would accompany students and familiarize them with the reference materials available to them. For older students, I would orient them with the EBSCO database available to them via the library computers. With a public library card, they can also access it at home. Acquiring a library card would be part of the orientation process.

Plan: 

  • This is a two-year plan to create a basic roadmap for ensuring students at the school receive essential reference services to help develop their information literacy skills and meet their reference needs. The first year would be the consultation, development and curation, and the second year would be the roll-out.
  • As TL, I will begin by meeting with departments to gauge their needs: what topics are commonly studied? What types of projects are they interested in working with students on? This is also an opportunity for me to build strong working relationships, offering to assist with project development, curate resources, and co-teach. Busy teachers appreciate help, and this is the perfect opportunity to build capacity in the teaching staff by offering to help develop inquiry projects (Riedling, 2019, p. 9). 
  • Using my own professional knowledge along with exemplars from other BC TLs (CLA, 2014, p. 35), I will develop a continuum of information literacy skills for students in grades 8-12, with the goal that graduating students would be prepared to embark on post-secondary studies and function as “educated citizens” as defined by the Ministry of Education (Province of British Columbia, 2023).
  • I would then use LibGuides to develop a digital LLC for the school. The cost of just over $1000 a year for the licensing is justified in a cost-benefit analysis in that it will enhance the education of all students, both at home and at school. My initial focus would be on three aspects:
    1. A “How to” page of resources to support them in conducting research, covering such things as citations and formatting, strategies for assessing digital resources, and research tips.
    2. A curated collection of useful resources for different curricular areas (informed by my department conversations), such as World War II resources under a Social Studies page.
    3. Curated resources to support the instruction of the continuum of skills, such as creative commons sites, free databases, and useful resources such as the Canadian Encyclopedia.
  • Schedule in-class co-teaching as an actionable means of instructing the developed continuum of skills. This coaching and mentoring firstly helps in the professional development of teachers, “strengthen[ing] service to users” of the reference resources (Riedling, 2019, p. 8). Furthermore, by targeting a particular mandatory class (ie: Social Studies 8, etc.), I would ensure delivery to all students. Having engaged in this process in consultation with the departments would facilitate planning for this delivery as well as communicate the plan to enhance services. As this is a seismic change for a school with previously nothing formal in place, it is essential to at least engage with all students early on to expose them to the online LLC and provide direction in how it will be of use to them.

To conclude, successful delivery of reference services will “lead the student to appropriate and accurate resources and foster the student’s information literacy skills for socially responsible, lifelong learning” (Riedling, 2019, p. 95). In the 21st century, the ability to access, assess, and avail oneself of information is an essential skill- as important as literacy and numeracy, and is embedded in the BC curriculum. It is therefore inconceivable that a school was functioning without a library for years. I look forward to rectifying this and offering the students of this community the education they deserve.

References

LIBE 467: Where’s the best place to hide a body? Page two of Google!

emadsen1 Comment

The role of teacher-librarian is remarkably complex. Beyond the stereotypical pushers of books, they are information superheroes! It is a privilege to assist in the shaping of young minds, but as it has been said, “with great power comes great responsibility” (Raimi, 2002)

source

Our humble TL becomes an information superhero by working to “build information literacy skills and identify appropriate tools” (Riedling, 2019, p. 89).  Those two things are important: it’s not enough to simply identify reference tools that are useful for the school community; the TL is also responsible for reference services. The resources themselves do not function in isolation; rather they work in concert with the reference services as part of a thoughtful continuum of information literacy skills. Ideally the TL (information specialist) works collaboratively with classroom teachers (subject specialists). Together they “prioritize the process involved in doing a research assignment,” (Beaudry, Lesson 5, 2024) and create “resource-based learning opportunities” that “improve[s] research skills and foster[s] self-confidence in finding information by integrating library skills as part of subject curriculum (Nolan, 1989, as cited in Partido State University, 2012).

With this in mind, my 5 essential tools  for a school library learning commons are useful in that they support this desire to not only provide learners with information in a specific moment for a specific task, but to “foster research and the student’s information literacy skills… for socially responsible life-long learning” (Riedling, 2019, p. 95).

 A good LLC has useful student information like this poster in plain sight. My recommended tools help students work through this process.

A rule of thumb of North Vancouver teacher librarians:

If you know 0-25% of your topic, choose a REFERENCE source.

If you know 25-50% of your topic, choose a BOOK.

If you know 50-75% of your topic, choose a DATABASE. (School District 44, 2024)

Tool #1:

The first essential tool is to help our students who are looking to form their base knowledge and therefore reach out to reference sources on the internet. It also serves to help with what I call the ““But I found it on Google…” problem. Part of our information literacy teaching has to be the difference between googling and researching. And this tool ia awesome to help our students become more thoughtful consumers of digital information:

Central Michigan University Online Research Guide

Tool #2:

It is helpful to introduce our students to some reliable information workhorses, sites they know they can go to in order to build their base knowledge. So this “tool” is a two-for-one deal to cover most curricular bases:

The Canadian Encyclopedia

World Book Online

Anyone can access the former site anywhere, anytime. The second connects automatically within the school but requires a login code from home. Communication of this code is important for students to be able to harness its power, so it could also be posted throughout the library, included in the continuum of skills instruction, and available at the circulation desk on slips of paper: Important login codes- please take one!

Tool #3:

Once students have good base knowledge, a book is often the next logical source of research. Unfortunately due to budgetary restrictions, most schools cannot maintain a robust print reference collection. However, it is incumbent on our superhero to possess a strong “knowledge of sources” (Riedling, 2019, p. 93). If the school LLC cannot supply it, who can? In our case, the District of North Vancouver Public Library searchable website is an excellent tool. Furthermore, “tools” can sometimes be people, and my local branch employs a youth librarian- an excellent resource for students to access!

North Vancouver District Public Library

Tool #4:

We do our students a huge favour if our instruction of information skills includes the use of databases. Once our students have decent base knowledge on a topic, this allows them to go deeper into that topic. Like most schools, I would use EBSCO . Like the World Book Encyclopedia, this has automatic access within school, and students would need a login code to use it from home.

Tool #5:

I call this the 1-2 punch! Bam! Pow! 

Once students have engaged in meaningful research, the TL (and classroom teacher) need to make sure to instruct the entire continuum of skills of information literacy and help students accurately and effectively cite their sources 📑. This reinforces the importance of a) ethical use of other people’s work, and b) substantiating their work with quality research. So I would provide them with a tool to explain the process and answer questions they might encounter: Purdue University Online Writing Lab,  which can help with both APA and MLA.

I would then provide them with a tool to help create their citations: Citation Machine.

I used both to do this blog- so they are “real-world” useful!

In providing tools, and more importantly, instructing students in the use of these tools, the TL is using their superpowers and helping to “assist students in developing skills in information retrieval and critical thinking so that they may become informed decision-makers and life-long learners” (Victoria School District as cited in Beaudry, Lesson 6, 2024).

Teacher-librarians: fighting the evil scourge of ignorance and the invading menace of intellectual dishonesty. Bam! Pow!

References

 

LIBE 467: Out with the Old and In with the New

Link emadsen3 Comments

I have arthritis in my shoulder; consequently, investigating the reference section of my school library proved hazardous to my health.

Riedling (2019) defines a good reference source as “one that serves to answer questions and a bad reference source is one that fails to answer the questions” (p. 21). If a book is too heavy for a student to even lift, chances are, they’re not going to use it to answer their questions. 

In my investigation of my school references section, I selected the behemoth below:
*Pop can for scale

Anecdotally, I began my assessment of this resource by showing it to some students in the library and asked them if they would use it as a resource. The most generous response I received was, “If my teacher made me.”  The least generous response I received was laughter. I interpreted that as an emphatic “No.”

I created the attached rubric and will use it to evaluate the resources:

Purpose: This category addresses how a resource would be used. What goals does it help us meet? In determining if a resource will be purposeful for instruction in the school, it is valuable to work in a collaborative role with the teachers in the school (Asselin, 2003, p. 24). Teachers in different subject areas  have the expertise to judge the accuracy of a resource and assess what purpose it fills in their teaching goals (Riedling, 2019, p. 17).

In consultation with Social Studies teachers at my school, their response was that this set is “minimally useful”  due to its age and layout. Their intention as teachers would be to include it in their “continuum of skills” (Riedling, 2019, p. 105), particularly in engaging students in inquiry. Part of their teaching includes helping students build  base knowledge as well as developing students’ information literacy skills (Asselin, 2003, p. 26). They judged it as not useful in meeting these key  goals, as it is not student-friendly and is outdated.

There is value in print resources  for students who find the graphical layout of websites overwhelming and benefit from simplicity (Beaudry, 2024). This resource, however, has dense text and few images. It would therefore be more overwhelming than most digital resources. 

Relevancy: This category addresses the resource from the lens of meeting the students’ needs. I have specifically separated the diversity of student needs from the information needs. The needs of diverse learners overlap with the intended purposes of teachers. Those who prefer print because of its simplicity, would not find that with this print resource (Department of Education, 2008, pp. 10-11). Relevancy also includes student interest (is the source relevant to their lives?), and this old, dense, text-heavy artifact is downright off-putting to students. 

A considerable disadvantage for this resource (and other print resources) is that students’ information needs go beyond the walls of the school (Asselin, 2003, p. 32) and this resource can only be accessed Monday-Friday, 8:30-3:30.

An important part of the selection process is understanding the community needs and preferences (Riedling, 2019, p. 107) and how users of the library seek information. Our community is an affluent one with good access to technology, both in school and at home. Furthermore, we are home to an iPad-based program, so the learners in our school are very much technology-oriented and prefer digital options to meet their learning needs.

The aesthetic value also matters (Department of Education, 2008, p. 10). Just look at that thing!

Click here

Currency: Riedling (2019) makes recommendations for optimal “shelf lives” for different focus areas. She says 15 years is when a Social Studies resource becomes outdated (p. 18). This resource was published in 1988, 36 years ago. Our perspective on history and culture has evolved considerably. In fact, there is no section on Residential Schools!!!

Curricular Connections: This category looks to consider how well this resource serves the school in terms of the provincial curriculum and how many students might have opportunity to engage with or need of this resource (Department of Education, 2008, p. 5). Because this resource is useful for Social Studies at all levels , and it is mandatory for four years of high school, this kind of  resource would be useful for the curricular needs of all students. However, because it is so outdated, as described above, this particular resource does not support the curriculum well. 

Collection Considerations: This category acknowledges the budgetary reality of libraries and looks to balance ⚖️  the value of a resource versus its hit to a limited budget. This is where print resources like this one lose out. They are really expensive, and considering how less likely students are to use print resources, it feels hard to justify the expense. It is nice to have a “one-stop shop” resource of Canadiana; however, that shop ought to be appealing and current. Otherwise it’s just a dust collector using space that could be more appropriately used.

The Canadian Encyclopedia was revolutionary when it was introduced in 1985. It “plays an essential role in providing Canadians and others with accurate, updated information about our people and country” and “a bilingual, national edition produced by, for and about the people of a single country, charting its events, culture, history and landscape, remains rare” (Historic Canada, 2024). However, as an accurate document of our culture, the decision to go digital in 2001 made sense. 

So that is my choice to replace this dinosaur of a resource. I would recommend replacing the Canadian Encyclopedia (dead tree 1988 version) with The Canadian Encyclopedia (online constantly updated version). Not only is this a tremendous upgrade (see rubric below), but it is FREE!

Purpose: Not only would my Social Studies teachers use it, they do use it! Whereas the print version misses the mark as a tool for developing students’ inquiry capabilities, they stated that this resource is very useful: it is easy to navigate, the layout is clean and simple, and the articles are accessible for most readers- reasonably chunked and interspersed with images. Furthermore, students who need it, can use adaptive technology to have the articles read to them. Plus, within the articles, there are links to allow students to explore related topics with a simple click and go deeper with their understanding of a topic.

Relevancy: As outlined, this source meets the learning needs of diverse students; it is so much easier to use. Students can either browse 👀 the helpful topics or input their subject of query into the search function. Furthermore, it is in line with the community preference for digital tools. It allows students to look for information how they actually look for information. Finally, the digital platform has allowed The Canadian Encyclopedia to continually expand, and it now hosts over 25 000 articles, meaning it conceivably offers information on whatever our students are looking for. The website also allows for regular feature updates to reflect current areas of interest and highlight diverse sections of the resource. For example, there is currently a curated section honouring Black History Month. 

Currency: It’s constantly updated. 

No more gaping holes in our collective history:

Curricular Connections: This maintains the “every student learns Canadian history, geography and culture in Social Studies” advantage, while shedding the “how can I teach Canadian history with no mention of Residential Schools” problems.

Collection Considerations: This resource, when included in the purposely curated school digital learning commons, adds tremendous value. It gives students that reliable “one stop shop”  for Canadiana, updated, and AT NO COST- just some TL time to add it to the LibGuides and promote its use.

Needless to say, it is beyond time to get rid of this artifact of a bygone era and a bygone Canada. No one uses it. And why would they?

I used this set when I was in high school. And as I said, I’m now old enough to have arthritis. 

References

LIBE 467: The Reference Book Dilemma: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

emadsen3 Comments

Take a trip back in time.

source: https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2023/08/best-second-world-war-books

For a course last spring I was tasked with assessing my school library’s reference books in support of a commonly taught curricular area. I selected World War II because a) I was teaching it; b) it’s super interesting 🪖, and c) I figured that would be one of the more robust sections of the non-fiction collection. Hahaha 😂- I just used “robust” in a sentence talking about reference books! While there were certainly more WWII books than most topics… it was still very limited. I consequently struggled with the assignment. It’s tough to show your ability to assess a wide variety of things when there isn’t a wide variety of that thing.

But the reality is, it’s 2024, and our teacher-librarian has a realistic view of the needs of our school community and has tailored the collection accordingly (Riedling, 2019, p. 107). Our print collection primarily addresses the recreational reading needs of our students, and 99% of information services have gone digital. And that’s a good thing. ✅

I am a literature-loving, information-hungry bookworm 🤓 and am therefore just as nostalgic as anyone for the libraries of the past. However, it is not the past and the days of pouring through books 📚 to complete research papers 💾  have gone the way of the leg warmers and neon I would have worn while doing it. We need to teach our kids how to acquire information in 2024.EBSCO Mobile on the App StoreLogo, google, g icon - Free download on Iconfinder

Wikipedia logo - Wikipedia

The dramatic shrinking presence of the “dead tree” (my TL’s phrase of choice) in the reference section of the LLC in no way diminishes the value of a good teacher librarian. In fact, our students need us more than ever. Back in my day (said like a screechy old woman 👵🏻), the challenge was locating information, but once I found it, I had faith in the publishers that I could trust it. Today, information is ubiquitous; it is no longer a challenge to find it 🔎. The hard part is sifting through the vast amounts of garbage and determining what the good stuff is. Capable librarians can sift through garbage, so our jobs are safe. Kids need “school librarians with skills in searching, accessing, using, and evaluating information efficiently and effectively” (Riedling, 2019, p. 105). 

The way we access information has changed and consequently a library’s “information services function will become increasingly important” (Riedling, 2019, p. 108). Our reference book section has shrunk, but OUR importance has grown. We want our students to benefit from all the greatness the internet 👩🏼‍💻 allows: the most up to date information, a vast amount of information and a wide variety of perspectives, multi-media learning, access from anywhere, and interactivity (Beaudry, 2024). Therefore an important aspect of our information services includes a strong focus on a continuum of skills for our students. We cannot just ditch the books and let the Internet do the rest! 😳 The ability of students to access information from home further highlights the power of a good teacher librarian. Strong curation of “garbage-free” digital resources on the school virtual LLC is another way our information services are expanding (Riedling, 2019, p. 106). The “reference section” is now the whole world. Cool!

Are there still reference books in our library? Yes. In honouring the diverse needs of our learners, we recognize that the sometimes “confusing graphical layout” of digital resources presents a challenge for some. Furthermore, all students in general can benefit from the simplicity of something like an encyclopedia in building basic background knowledge as they embark on their research (Beaudry, 2024). It’s a great example of the UDL mindset that can make us more effective educators: needed by some and good for everyone (CAST, 2024).

source: https://resoluterecords.ca/products/the-clash-london-calling-new-vinyl
The print reference section is smaller, but it’s there for you like a reliable fiend 🙂. The computer access to digital reference sources is at your fingertips 🖖; work alone or with friends. The reference services are amplified: the TL is amazeballs! 🤪 And your reference needs can be met anytime, anywhere- even at home in your leg warmers while you rock out to The Clash.

References