Getting there....slowly

I am now relatively happy with how part one of my assignment one is looking. I had to rewrite a large chunk of it since I realised that I wasn't actually critically comparing but simply describing the roles. I had difficulty finding differences to talk about in the articles and am a little worried that what I have chosen to compare isn't really what they are looking for.

So, now I move to part 2. I have looked at the standards and have chosen to focus on 2.1 and 2.2 as there are the two areas that I think I am most knowledgable about coming from the position of a classroom teacher with no experience (yet) in a TL position.

Assignment 1 continues...

In all my readings for assignment one the same thing seems to ring true through the process. That is the focus on information literacy and the needs of students who wish to succeed later in life to become information literate from a young age. When I think back to my days in primary school when we were given a research task to complete it meant that we all headed off to the library to plagarise the life out of the encyclopedias. Occassionally we may look at some of the books in the non fiction section but this was a rarity. That part of the library was often left abandoned as it was perceived as uninteretesting and containing books that were older than my parents (which seemed very old as a child).

 It's now 18 years since I finished primary school and the situation is very different, or is it? Instead of copying a chunk out of an encyclopedia it seems that my students opt to hit google with their query and then just copy and paste what they find on their top result. Despite the emergence of a plentitude of information, it seems the result is quite similar to my encyclopedia copying of the early 90s. The difference in the situation is they have an endless number of websites in which to obtain this information. When they go to the effort of consulting more than one reference they often find conflicting information and are unsure how to proceed. Due to the internet being a resource that is open to anyone who can type it means that there is little to no filter as to what people can claim as the truth. This means that it is down to the reader to determine the authenticity of what they are reading. How can  a 10 year old determine what is real and what is someone's opinion that may be skewed?? I guess this is the job of the 21st century TL.

TL as info specialist

I find this an interesting role as I have been researching for assignment 1. While this is probably one of the traditional TL roles it is one that has changed the most dramatically. While in the past it would have been a specialist of hard copy information, it now encompasses a wide range of new technology and the role they play in exposing us to new information. However, it brings with it so many challenges. How do you teach children to distinguish between sources of information?? How do you show them the difference between objective retelling and opinion?? It is a skill that is often challenging for adults to master but is now the domain of children. So many students at my school blindly trust information that they obtain off website and pass it off as definite fact in the form of information reports. However, often their sources of information is wikipedia or people's personal websites that give their skewed view on events.

This highlights the important need of developing children who are very information literate and who can critically read information and determine bias. What perspective is this written from? What is the writer trying to get me to think???

A huge task that is now a major repsonsibility for all teachers.... how do we teach students to examine information critically? How do we help them find the truth in a sea of opinion???

Assignment 1

My work on assignment one this week has really opened my eyes to the task that lays ahead of me as I take on the TL role at my school this year. I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate on curriculum with all the year level teams at my school. This is my fifth year at my school, which in the ACT where we have mobility, makes me one of the more experienced staff at my school. It is a IB PYP school which has a focus on inquiry learning and each year level undertakes 6 inquiries a year. This role will give me the opportunity to assist in obtaining resources for these inquiries as well as collaborate with teams on ideas for learning within their inquiries.

Things change quickly...

I undertook this course with the idea that it would broaden my options in a couple of years time once I had completed it. Everything changed very quickly on Tuesday when I was told by the principal of my school that our new librarian was no longer able to come to the school as she got a better offer in NSW. Therefore, the job was mine if I wanted it. How could I say no to that opportunity??

It was interesting timing as I was in the middle of reading a plethora of journal articles in preparation for writing my first assignment. Spending one day with the current, and departing, TL was an eye opener into the huge and varying responisbilities and roles that will now by mine. She is an amazing lady who has now hooked me up with a variety of people in the ACT who are going to assist me in taking on this challenge.

I'm excited... however.... slightly nervous.....