Information services--what a vast topic! Although at times I felt overwhelmed by the seemingly innumerable reference resources available online, this course introduced me to several excellent free sites, including ipl2 and National Geographic's MapMaker Interactive, and provided me with additional tools for evaluating online reference sources.
I also now have a better idea of what types of print reference sources should be part of a collection (depending on the school, of course), and I have Katz's and Riedling's criteria for evaluating potential purchases.
At the beginning of the course, I felt that I should be using and promoting more online references sources, not only the online encyclopedias and databases purchased by our school district, but also new websites I was discovering. Part of this feeling came from a push within our local teacher-librarian association to increase schools' use of new products, such as World Book Kids and World Book Discover, and part came from my enrollment in this course, which addresses reference services in K-12 schools. As a secondary-trained teacher new to library and to primary and intermediate students, I was too ambitious. I was relieved to see Anne's comment in response to a previous post: "Looks like you need to be building subject directed web pathfinders to augment the non-fiction books that your colleagues already like. In a K-5 setting, there is nothing wrong with kids using books - a lot!" I was also reminded, after reading about CBAM, that new approaches to instruction take time, and that I would have more success with colleagues (especially those not as comfortable with technology) if I introduced one tool while providing a lot of support, than if I introduced several tools in one year.
Unfortunately, I have been laid off and will not be returning to this elementary school. Fortunately, having completed this course, I feel much more confident about my ability to assess the reference services in a new library, and to supplement the print resources with useful online references sources, particularly if I am placed at a middle or a high school.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Role of the Teacher-Librarian
The role description created by the Greater Victoria School District is fairly consistent with my role as teacher-librarian at a K-5 school. The responsibilities listed under the section "Learning Resource Management" were a significant focus during the year and took up a considerable amount of my time. As I mentioned in a previous post, my district cut spending last year by requiring teacher-librarians to provide prep time for kindergarten teachers. Out of my .35 library time, I had to allot two hours to kindergarten classes in addition to their regular library classes. As a result of this cut to an already constrained library program, my responsibilities in the areas of "Program and Instruction" were severely limited. Although I did, for example, occasionally apply my "knowledge of resource-based learning" to assist teachers in addressing learning outcomes, I certainly would not have described myself as a "teaching partner." In the two days a week that I worked at the school, I simply did not have enough time to meet regularly with teachers who already had full schedules.
The one area of "Program and Instruction" that I did address in a meaningful way was "promoting reading and language development and literature appreciation." At an elementary school, this responsibility needs to be prioritized. However limited time may be, a teacher-librarian needs to work hard to instill in children a love of reading and to help them develop their language skills.
Under the heading "Leadership in Resource-based Learning," I spent the most time "applying skills in evaluating and selecting learning resources to reflect the curricular, informational and recreational needs of the school and its learners." This responsibility is integral to the teacher-librarian's role. Other activities that are especially important in times of budgetary constraint are those relating to the promotion of school library programs. "Developing the potential of parent and student volunteers" can also be a wise use of time. Finally, "seeking opportunities for personal growth in school librarianship and participating in collegial networks" are always important activities because teacher-librarians who have current strategies and who share with others to develop best practices are more likely to be viewed as valuable members of the school community.
The one area of "Program and Instruction" that I did address in a meaningful way was "promoting reading and language development and literature appreciation." At an elementary school, this responsibility needs to be prioritized. However limited time may be, a teacher-librarian needs to work hard to instill in children a love of reading and to help them develop their language skills.
Under the heading "Leadership in Resource-based Learning," I spent the most time "applying skills in evaluating and selecting learning resources to reflect the curricular, informational and recreational needs of the school and its learners." This responsibility is integral to the teacher-librarian's role. Other activities that are especially important in times of budgetary constraint are those relating to the promotion of school library programs. "Developing the potential of parent and student volunteers" can also be a wise use of time. Finally, "seeking opportunities for personal growth in school librarianship and participating in collegial networks" are always important activities because teacher-librarians who have current strategies and who share with others to develop best practices are more likely to be viewed as valuable members of the school community.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Invisible Web
Until I read the class notes for Lesson 11, I had never heard of the invisible or deep web. I did, of course, realize that vast amounts of information are unavailable via search engines such as Google--mainly information that is fee-based, such as many articles from scholarly journals.
When I read the Berkeley tutorial "Invisible or Deep Web: What it is, How to find it, and Its inherent ambiguity," I learned several useful tips. First, I had never thought to combine a search term with the word "database." When I searched "earthquakes database," I discovered useful sites that allowed me to find information on recent and historical earthquakes. While I did locate two of the same sites when I typed only the term "earthquakes," I also retrieved irrelevant hits such as sites about sports teams, and I noticed that Wikipedia was the first hit. Students doing research could narrow their focus by adding the term "database."
The Berkeley tutorial also recommended two useful directories that contain some invisible web pages: ipl2 and Infomine. Although the pages I visited were also available through the search engine Google, I would recommend these directories to students and to teachers because the web pages have been selected by "students and volunteer library and information science professionals" ("About ipl2"). Of course, the information should still be viewed critically, as stated on the ipl2 site, but it is more likely to be reliable and relevant, and middle- or high-school students will have fewer hits to wade through than if they simply "Google" a topic.
I also was interested to discover that the Google Directory mentioned in the Berkeley tutorial no longer exists. At http://www.google.com/dirhp, the following message appears: "We believe that Web Search is the fastest way to find the information you need on the web." It may be the fastest way to obtain information via the Internet, but is it the fastest way to obtain relevant, reliable information? Google does point to the Open Directory Project at dmoz.org for browsers who prefer to use directories. This directory claims to be "the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web" and "the only major directory that is 100% free." Dmoz criticizes directories with paid editors as being unable to keep up with the "explosive growth of the Internet" and asserts that "the Open Directory provides the means for the Internet to organize itself. As the Internet grows, so do the number of net-citizens. These citizens can each organize a small portion of the web and present it back to the rest of the population, culling out the bad and useless and keeping only the best content." The one quick search I conducted revealed well organized content and brief, useful annotations. I would like to investigate this resource further and compare it to directories such as ipl2 and Infomine.
Works Cited
"About ipl2." ipl2: Information You Can Trust. Drexel University, 2009. Web. 20 Jul, 2011.
dmoz Open Directory Project. Netscape, 2011.
Web. 20 Jul. 2011.
"Invisible or Deep Web: What it is, How to find it, and Its inherent ambiguity."
Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial Regents of the University of California, 2010. Web. 20 Jul. 2011.
.
When I read the Berkeley tutorial "Invisible or Deep Web: What it is, How to find it, and Its inherent ambiguity," I learned several useful tips. First, I had never thought to combine a search term with the word "database." When I searched "earthquakes database," I discovered useful sites that allowed me to find information on recent and historical earthquakes. While I did locate two of the same sites when I typed only the term "earthquakes," I also retrieved irrelevant hits such as sites about sports teams, and I noticed that Wikipedia was the first hit. Students doing research could narrow their focus by adding the term "database."
The Berkeley tutorial also recommended two useful directories that contain some invisible web pages: ipl2 and Infomine. Although the pages I visited were also available through the search engine Google, I would recommend these directories to students and to teachers because the web pages have been selected by "students and volunteer library and information science professionals" ("About ipl2"). Of course, the information should still be viewed critically, as stated on the ipl2 site, but it is more likely to be reliable and relevant, and middle- or high-school students will have fewer hits to wade through than if they simply "Google" a topic.
I also was interested to discover that the Google Directory mentioned in the Berkeley tutorial no longer exists. At http://www.google.com/dirhp, the following message appears: "We believe that Web Search is the fastest way to find the information you need on the web." It may be the fastest way to obtain information via the Internet, but is it the fastest way to obtain relevant, reliable information? Google does point to the Open Directory Project at dmoz.org for browsers who prefer to use directories. This directory claims to be "the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web" and "the only major directory that is 100% free." Dmoz criticizes directories with paid editors as being unable to keep up with the "explosive growth of the Internet" and asserts that "the Open Directory provides the means for the Internet to organize itself. As the Internet grows, so do the number of net-citizens. These citizens can each organize a small portion of the web and present it back to the rest of the population, culling out the bad and useless and keeping only the best content." The one quick search I conducted revealed well organized content and brief, useful annotations. I would like to investigate this resource further and compare it to directories such as ipl2 and Infomine.
Works Cited
"About ipl2." ipl2: Information You Can Trust. Drexel University, 2009. Web. 20 Jul, 2011.
dmoz Open Directory Project. Netscape, 2011.
Web. 20 Jul. 2011.
"Invisible or Deep Web: What it is, How to find it, and Its inherent ambiguity."
Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial Regents of the University of California, 2010. Web. 20 Jul. 2011.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Electronic Resources - Public Library
I am embarrassed to say that I had never looked closely at the electronic resources available through the Okanagan Regional Library. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a variety of useful databases and online encyclopedias not available through my school district. The ones most interesting to me, as a teacher-librarian and English teacher, are Novelist (which our district used to have and which will be reinstated next year), Encyclopedia Britannica, and the Oxford English Dictionary.
While the public library does not provide access to databases or encyclopedias that supplement what our district offers to primary and intermediate students, there are some products that would be valuable to high-school students. The public library offers four automotive databases (two are for in-library use only), Canadian Business and Current Affairs, Canadian NewsStand (both available through ProQuest), Opposing Viewpoints, two law databases (for in-library use only), and, of course, the previously mentioned Encyclopedia Britannica and Oxford English Dictionary.
This year, as a teacher-librarian at a K-5 elementary school, I did not promote the databases our district purchases. I did introduce Grade 3-5 teachers and students to World Book Kids and World Book Discover. The teachers seemed to appreciate my instruction, and I noticed that all three teachers later used these online resources to varying degrees; more information in one year, however, would have been too much for them to incorporate.
If I am teaching at a high school in September, I will promote the databases and teach students and teachers how to use them effectively. In a discussion posting, Jody Brummond persuasively illustrates the need "to ensure students have these vital skills before they reach the post secondary level." Jody describes being a "lost student" unfamiliar with online databases until an education professor took Jody's class to the library to learn how to navigate electronic resources. Even students who do not plan to attend post-secondary educational institutions can benefit from knowledge of databases. As I just discovered, the public library offers many databases to patrons. One tool useful to consumers is Consumer Reports, available free through EBSCOhost on the public library's website.
We pay for access to databases through schools and public libraries, but people will not use them if they are not informed of their existence and taught how to access and to use them. Students (and adults) often turn to Google because it is a quick, easy source of information, but they usually do not realize that using a reputable database can be more efficient: much less time is required to assess the authority of a source.
While the public library does not provide access to databases or encyclopedias that supplement what our district offers to primary and intermediate students, there are some products that would be valuable to high-school students. The public library offers four automotive databases (two are for in-library use only), Canadian Business and Current Affairs, Canadian NewsStand (both available through ProQuest), Opposing Viewpoints, two law databases (for in-library use only), and, of course, the previously mentioned Encyclopedia Britannica and Oxford English Dictionary.
This year, as a teacher-librarian at a K-5 elementary school, I did not promote the databases our district purchases. I did introduce Grade 3-5 teachers and students to World Book Kids and World Book Discover. The teachers seemed to appreciate my instruction, and I noticed that all three teachers later used these online resources to varying degrees; more information in one year, however, would have been too much for them to incorporate.
If I am teaching at a high school in September, I will promote the databases and teach students and teachers how to use them effectively. In a discussion posting, Jody Brummond persuasively illustrates the need "to ensure students have these vital skills before they reach the post secondary level." Jody describes being a "lost student" unfamiliar with online databases until an education professor took Jody's class to the library to learn how to navigate electronic resources. Even students who do not plan to attend post-secondary educational institutions can benefit from knowledge of databases. As I just discovered, the public library offers many databases to patrons. One tool useful to consumers is Consumer Reports, available free through EBSCOhost on the public library's website.
We pay for access to databases through schools and public libraries, but people will not use them if they are not informed of their existence and taught how to access and to use them. Students (and adults) often turn to Google because it is a quick, easy source of information, but they usually do not realize that using a reputable database can be more efficient: much less time is required to assess the authority of a source.
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