9 types of Collaborator....

Dear Diary,


I did not realise there are different types of collaborator. This one is a good exercise to find out which one you are...use it as a gauge to determine your weaknesses then work on it....

from: http://blog.mindjet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/9-Types-of-Collaborators1.jpg

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ETL 503

Dear Diary,

This is how i summarised what i learned from Resourcing the Curriculum......

This sentence might be over used but there is no better way to say it: I have learned a lot from ETL 503. I also realised how little I know. Before this course, I have never heard of a collection development policy. But after creating one myself (with lots of room for improvement, I’m sure), my job now makes more sense to me. I can see a direction, a path where I want my library to head in unlike before when I felt that the library just existed on a day to day basis. I have summarised the knowledge I have gained and understanding of resource management into ten principles and gave it the name: 

The Ten Commandments of Resource Management

v  I am the school library, if I am equipped with quality resources then there is no other place in school where support, extension and enrichment of the education of students shall be received.

v  Do not make negative assumptions; lack of money, time and support are not hindrances in developing a well resourced library. Take it as a challenge instead. Stop making excuses, it is a useless exercise. The time used for complaining could be converted to time used for making a difference.

v  Do not use a name but instead a number of names to make up a committee which will assist you in developing a collection development policy. Remember collaboration with other teaching staff does not only make the job easier but produces better outcomes for the students, the teachers and the school. 

v  Remember to keep a good list of suppliers who can provide your library with quality, relevant and affordable resources. A checklist to assist in choosing a good supplier such as the NSW Handbook for school libraries will be handy to have. 

v  Give honour to your collection development policy, it is your guide to a better library collection; it must be reviewed every so often to meet the needs of the school and the changing times and to discover the weakness and how will  this be addressed

v  Do not weed out any resource without going through your weeding policy. If done correctly, weeding helps ensure that your library's materials are useful, attractive, and accessible to your students. It can also help in assessing the strengths and weaknesses and encourage the use of your collection.

v  Do not commit the same mistake of purchasing resources which are no good. Always evaluate your resources. Select resources which will meet the needs of both your students and teachers and help address the goals of the school. Always refer to your selection criteria.

v  Do not steal other libraries resources. Think of ways and means on how you can effectively fund your collection. Book fairs, book club, fund raising are examples of what can be done to help raise money for the library. Find a good supplier who will not only give value for your money but excellent service as well. If you do get funding, make sure you manage it well.

v  Do not bear false witness against another staff member when a resource is questioned. You should include in your policy how you will respond if and when a collection is challenged.

v  Do not covet your neighbour’s Collection Development Policy and other pertinent information. Each library is unique. The needs of the client, the environment, the funding, and the location are different from another. Make sure your school is complying with licensing agreements. When in doubt refer to Smartcopying website the official guide to copyright issues for Australian schools and TAFE is a comprehensive site which contains all the information you might need regarding copyright obligations.

Part C- Critical Synthesis

Dear Diary,

 This is a logo of a computer game called House of 1,000 Doors. This game involves opening a door to solve a mystery. The tricky part is when you  open a door, it leads to other doors which leads to some more doors...all of which are needed to finish the game. Very much the same as the roles of a teacher librarian.....as you learn a role, it opens up a whole range of responsibilities

Let's open the first door.....

Before taking up this course, I have had four years experience of being a librarian. I thought my experiences would be enough to make me a good librarian....but I was wrong....there is so much more I need to learn....the article, “All librarians do is check out books, right?”written by Dr. Purcell about the role of a teacher librarian is one of the first that made me realise how little I know.... that I am not performing all that is expected of a librarian. I also read the views of Dr. Herring but like some of my fellow classmates they have shown more liking to Dr. Purcell's version because I feel that she presented it in a more practical manner.

 In my blog post "Which one is it really?"I  mentioned that I read more articles on the role of a TL and have realised that in every article there are no less than 5 roles at least....I felt overwhelmed.....but found a cure.....Dr. Herring!!!!

"It is clear that no teacher librarian could possibly fulfill all these roles at the same time and teacher librarians who MANAGE THEIR TIME EFFECTIVELY prioritise roles according to the current needs of students, staff and parents in the school community."(Herring, 2007)

Then another door opens..... Time Management....How do we fulfill all these roles in such little time....here is one tip I got from one of our readings "Effective Time Management for Teachers"

 "Aim to work on a role or goal related task for a length of time -- say, 30 minutes. Unless it’s urgent, move on to another task. If you want to take the task beyond the time slot you allocated it, take a minute to consider the effects of not doing the next task on your list. Can it wait? If so, fine, carry on."

Then in my blog post"Time after Time" I mentioned that we should not be controlled by time but instead we should control time. If we always worry about time then nothing will be accomplished. We need to learn how to collaborate to make our load lighter.

Then the door on TL as acollaborator opens.....After reading "America's Most Wanted:Teachers who Collaborate" I posted both on the forum and my blog a picture of a librarian with a knife in her mouth and wrote this is not the kind of librarian I want to be.The picture totally contradicts what was written in the article mentioned above.

"Her work is of a cooperative nature that requires constant use of all her powers for social adjustment. She needs to understand people and to inspire their confidence in her activities. This is best accomplished by someone possessing steady nerves, an alert mind, a sympathetic and understanding nature, and who is orderly and readily adaptable." (cited in Currin, 1939, p. 23)

I want to be a librarian who rocks.... just like the librarian featured in the video from
" Colorado Highly Effective School Library Programs".

Opening next is the door on  Information Literacy.... definition after definition literally made my head spin until I finally settled for Abilock's. I found it be the most practical and most suited for the primary students. In my blog"Information Literacy" I mentioned the importance of knowing the concept but we should not really be focusing on it but more on how to do it.

Campbell (2004) from Defining Information Literacy in the 21^st Century quotes “Edward Owusu-Ansah has suggested calling a halt to defining the term and just getting on with the business of doing information literacy.”

Then after all those readings, I decided to look at images of IL in google. I thought maybe if a saw a picture I will have a better understanding. In the forum, I posted a picture of a shopping centre with a caption that says Shopping and Information Literacy...it says that the process of library research and shopping is not really that different from each other.

and then there was light......something I can relate to....TL as a teacher should find means and ways to try and simplify concepts/ideas so that students will have a better understanding...thank you to technology!!!!!

I believe that for every role the leadership aspect should come in. It is that role which will provide guidance for outcomes to be achieved.

I am still inside that tunnel that I spoke of in my second post....but unlike then I, the tunnel is no longer dark. I do not feel alone anymore because I know that I am not the only one in this journey and the things I have learnt has helped provide some light as well.

References:

Abilock. (2004). Introduction Literacy: an overview of design, process and outcomes. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from Charles Sturt University: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL401_201230_W_D/page/b185ce53-0264-44d6-00d6-d2458c162ba7

Carol, B. (2004). America's Most Wanted: Teachers who Collaborate. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from Charles Sturt University: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=3ce29032-4fad-4ab5-8634-76dac94a3c5a%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=14658043

Effective Time Management for Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved 2012, from Time Management Success: http://www.time-management-success.com/time-management-for-teachers.html

Faubl, A. (2004). An Online Tutorial Taking You Through the Steps of the Library Research Process . Retrieved 2012, from Google Images: http://www.mchenry.edu/library/tutorial/StartTutorial.htm

Herring. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. Retrieved 2012, from Charles Sturt University: http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/ereserve/pdf/herring-j.pdf

Highly Effective School Librarians Create Collaborative Culture . ( 2011, August 2). Retrieved 2012, from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Kaz6LXu30

Purcell, M. (2010, November-December). All Librarians Do Is Check out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from Charles Sturt University: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=e45634e8-2763-4377-8fe8-0393a978b055%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=18&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=EJ907292

Collaboration Rocks

 Dear Diary:

Today I dug deeper into the concept of COLLABORATION and found this video....

I want my students to feel 

exactly the same way 
as how the children 
felt in this video....
I do not want to be the 
old hag who everyone is afraid of.....



...I want to be the librarian who ROCKS!!!!!

I like this one tooooo....

Dear Diary,

After further reading...I found another definition of information literacy that I like....from 

Understanding Information Literacy by Barbara Humes...she said and I quote....

"The term information literacy, sometimes referred to as information competency, is generally defined as the ability to access, evaluate, organize, and use information from a variety of sources. Being information literate requires knowing how to clearly define a subject or area of investigation; select the appropriate terminology that expresses the concept or subject under investigation; formulate a search strategy that takes into consideration different sources of information and the variable ways that information is organized; analyze the data collected for value, relevancy, quality, and suitability; and subsequently turn information into knowledge (ALA 1989). This involves a deeper understanding of how and where to find information, the ability to judge whether that information is meaningful, and ultimately, how best that information can be incorporated to address the problem or issue at hand."

WHAT we do not want our students to become.....

When defining a terminology I prefer those who K.I.S.S.........Keep It Sweet and Simple....this one has the 5W components

what .......a set of skills

who.....to create information literate creatures...DEFINITELY not that dude in the  pix.....

where.....a variety of sources

when....faced with a problem, research

                                                                                        why.......to be able to judge validity of  

                                                                                         information, gain deeper understanding and  

                                                                                         solve the  problem at hand

and here is yet another definition i like because I can so relate to this....

 

                                                                                      

                                                                                      

When shopping, you are faced with a vast array of choices.  Think of all the different stores and all of the different products and merchandise they carry.  How do we decide what store to go to and when we get there, what we will buy?  How do we decide we need to buy something in the first place?  For most people, the process of shopping is intuitive.  The process of library research is not.  But how different are these two processes really?

Looking for information is very much like looking for a new car, CD, or pair of jeans.  We are bombarded with numerous decisions to make.  What are we looking for?  Where will we look?  How will we look?  Once we find something, how do we determine if it meets ours needs and is good quality?     

                                                                                     

                     (from  http://www.mchenry.edu/library/tutorial/starttutorial.htm )

I love shopping...who doesn't......for someone who teaches in a school with 96% non English speakers...I am pretty sure they will understand this because SHOPPING is a universal language.....lol

                                         

                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                       

                                                                                  

Information Literacy

Dear Diary,

Today, I started to venture on the topic Information Literacy. Have just finished reading 3 articles about it and this is how I understand it (or shall I say I DON'T understand it!!)....It is a COMPLEX TASK!!!!....and with all these ideas coming out from everywhere...it just makes it even more complex!!!! I am going with Abilock on this one....he/she says(not sure wether it is the mother or son who wrote this) and I quote "Information Literacy is

              A problem-solving process for:

• exploring and questioning
• defining an information need
• creating a plan to locate relevant information
• reading the medium
• synthesizing information to create knowledge
• applying insight to personal, social or global contexts to create wisdom
• self-evaluating the process and the product

Although it is good to understand the concept but that to me should not really be the focused but the reason behind why we are doing it.

And why are we teaching it...because we want the students to be able to work independently...and this independence is the kind of skill that they will use when they are faced with real-life problems....it also helps them become responsible for the decisions they make....independence and responsibility...two of the most important skills that we need to    equip the children with to prepare them for.....LIFE!!!!

TGID......

Dear Diary,

I am sure everyone is familiar with TGIF( Thank God It's Friday!!!). Well that expression used to mean alot to me...it actually still does but I have sort of suspended it.....My Friday's now a days mean...reading, reading, more reading......

Well, this is how I would look like if I was reading for pleasure and not because I have to do an assignment which I will be graded in and the future of my career greatly depends upon!!!!!

I have come up with a new expression basing from the TGIF....

TGID..............THANK GOD IT's DONE!!!! Assignment 1 for both courses done!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Well, you would think that I would be jumping for joy but not yet cause it only means that now 1 done is ...on to the 2nd one!!!!!

Now that's more like it!!!!

Four HABITS

Dear Diary,

 Gilman, T. (2007). The four habits of highly effective librarians, (Chronicle Careers), The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 23.

I read this at 5:00 in the morning....I absolutely loved it!!!!!

Anyway, these are my thoughts.....I think what makes a TL's job overwhelming is that there is really a lot to absorb, a lot of information to take in and everyday more and more just come....Before, everytime I check the listserve it makes me feel like I AM NOT DOING ANYTHING compared to what the other TL's are doing...like settting up websites, blogs, etc....then I started to do blogging which ended up not being successful because I sort of forced my students in to it....then after awhile I realised that I do not have to do everything everyone is doing because my school make up is totally different from theirs....as the article says

Openness entails a willingness to listen to what the facts are telling us. - It is always good to listen but doesn't mean you have to absorb everything straight away! That is why I have LiveBinder...when I read about or discover something I put it in livebinder because I know one day, when the time is right, I will be able to use it...or share it with staff

Responsiveness means taking appropriate action based on careful listening. The action might not be immediate because some issues are important than the rest but if you postpone something for awhile it doesn't mean that you are ignoring it.

Collaboration desirability of working -- not in isolation! I am one who is guilty of always complaining about collaboration...lots of excuses such as teachers have no titme, I have no time , no one really knows how to implement collaboration....then I feel so upset that I am ignoring that part of my job!!! But then I realised Collaboration may not always mean sitting together and talking about the lesson but it could also mean, a TL sharing thoughts on how to contribute to a teacher's programming by giving handouts with a note saying that if there are any questions they are free to see you in the library; it could be asking the Head teacher how can I help implement the program of your stage level so instead of talking to different teachers you just talk to the head then she passes on the information; or it could be making everyone aware that you are there to help and that they can come to you anytime...you are still collaborating with out really taking
so much of each others time....

Communication if you make known that you exist then you will not be ignored!!! How..... by participating in non library activities.

Hoping I made sense at 5 in the morning...if not blame the coffee!!!

Time after Time

Add caption

Dear Diary, 

It seems that the number one enemy of most teacher librarians is TIME!!!!

Can't blame us...we do have a lot of roles and responsibilities on our hands!!!

There are a million advise we can get from out there but there is really one thing that we should remember...

 

 Do not let time control you......YOU should control time!!!!!

Re- thinking the role of a Teacher Librarian

As I was looking for more information to read on Teacher Librarians, I stumbled on this great presentation from slideshare. I have used some of their presentation in my class. Like most webtools, it is free to register. It is good that people create slideshows, videos because sometimes it is easier to understand rather than reading 10 pages long essays.  Re-thinking the role of the teacher-librarian in a post literate society

View more PowerPoint from International Association of School Librarianship

"All of these five roles-leader, instructional partner, teacher, information specialist, and program administrator-are interconnected; one cannot be performed without the support of the others. Teaching for learning requires collaboration with classroom teachers and students to design engaging lessons and units of study (as an instructional partner), knowledge of what technologies can support learning (as an information specialist), effective program administration to ensure quality resources are available for learners, and leadership to establish the way forward."

--Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (AASL, p. 18)

Dear Diary,

I came across this wordle today. It made a lot os sense to me. I think that a librarians role should not be taken as separate entities. Just as the words in this wordle are inter connected....so are the roles of a teacher librarian....that is if we want to impact on the students' learning.

What’s in a Name?

A principal recently inquired about changing the title of her school librarian to something that would describe her leadership and instructional role. She thought “librarian” sounded old-fashioned and sent a message of “keeper of books.” The title for the school librarian has evolved since the first appearance of school librarians in the early 1900s. “Media specialist” was in vogue in the early 1970s as School Library and Department of Audiovisual Instruction (DAVI) standards merged. Today, with the advent of technology and renewed emphasis on student learning, “teacher-librarian” is more widely used. Simply put, school librarians are teachers first.

Nancy White
 http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/august-september-2008/the-role-of-today-s-librarian.html

Which one is it really?????

-teacher
 - curriculum advisor
 - information professional
 - resource manager, advisor and selector
 - trainer for students, teachers and school assistants
 - collaborator
 - computer technology advisor and troubleshooter
 - internet trainer and supervisor
 - network coordinator
 - literacy consultant and advisor
 - cataloguer
 - librarian

Dear Diary,
Why is there so much discussion about a teacher librarian's role? I have just finished looking at a few articles about roles of a teacher librarian and each named no less than five roles.... some examples of which are:

"Angus(1993) identified an extensive list of roles that are undertaken by a TL. Each one of the 18 items on her checklist amounted to almost a full time position."

"ALIA/ASLA joint statement on TL(1994) identified 17 different facets of the role with seven separate areas of responsibilities."

After reading these articles.....one person came to mind...Superman!!!! Yes, to be able to perform these roles you have to be able to dodge bullets, leap in a single bound, lift a building with a finger.... to cut a long story short ...be supernatural!!!! Panick strikes once again.

Then Dr. Herring saves the day!!!! "It is clear that no teacher librarian could possibly fulfill all these roles at the same time and teacher librarians who MANAGE THEIR TIME EFFECTIVELY prioritise roles according to the current needs of students, staff and parents in the school community."

Then I decided to make a list out of the numerous lists of what I think my role is according to the needs of my school community.....teacher: 94% of our students are non english speaking and come from third world countires who do not have access to the internet so it is my job to teach them to use technology the best way it can help them learn, ....collaborator: it is my job to work hand in hand with the teachers, to assist them with their teaching programmes to help our students not only improve their English but to be life long learners....information specialist: assist teachers by providing them with resources that they need to improve their teaching programmes and assist students by providing them with resources they need to help them learn....curriculum leader: work principals and senior staff to ensure that information literacy development is our major school focus....librarian:  acquiring, weeding, maintaining resources, budgeting, providing a stimulating and helpful environment....

I love my job and I want to be the best in what I do.... not to compete with others but to be remembered by my students and co workers as someone who has contributed to their growth as a learner.
And in so doing, I will keep an open mind, be flexible to change and constantly keep myself updated with the latest trend.

topic 1

Dear Diary,

This entry is a bit delayed. I was meant to enter this sometime last week but I was soooooo busy finalising my program...anyway, i had a play with the ebsco , informit data bases and quite overwhelmed.....WOW!!!! Have started to save some articles, journals for reading later....(hopefully helpful with my assignment)....anyway(again)....I began to wonder how is the librarian from csu  able to gather sooooo much resources....then thought of my own library....I feel mine is not well resourced but then again I am in primary so I probably do not need that much....so the question is....How does a librarian know that she has a well resourced library???? is there a checklist...so I tried to find some answers and this is what I gathered:

• the creation of policies to guide material selection
• replacement of worn or lost materials
• weeding of materials no longer needed in the collection
• planning for new collections or collection areas
• cooperative decision-making with members of school community

from Collection Management: a concise introduction by John Kennedy

I suddenly felt really important!!!!!! The future of the students is on my hands!!!!!!