LIBE 477B: Vision of the Future - Final Course Reflection

For my final project, I was inspired by the multimedia technology use by both our instructor as well as some of my classmates. Rather than do a video, I thought I would try my hand at producing a podcast instead. Podcasting is a very versatile medium, easily shared, and a bit of a challenge; that is, getting my point across with only sound! It has been really great to be able to try this out while tackling my topic, which is something partly made possible by the inquiry-based learning we engaged in as part of this course. It's also a great chance to share something - just like Will Richardson discusses in our course reading "Why School?" (2012). Creating content to share with the wider education community is something completely new for me, so consider this a first!

I had a lot of fun producing this podcast. I have done one or two on other topics years in the past, so it was quite interesting giving it another try. I personally listen to quite a few podcasts, one of my favourites being the "Stuff You Should Know Podcast", which served as part of my inspiration for this one.

My episode ended up being just under 15 minutes, which was longer than I was expecting, but rather short compared to contemporaries of the medium. I think podcasting lends itself well to educational topics and longer-form discussions because it's something you can listen to while doing something else, such as while commuting or while out for a walk. I intentionally wrote it as if it was the start of a bigger production, hence the "episode zero" title, and I may add on more episodes some time in the future. For now, though, it stands as a piece for teacher-librarians, teachers, and even students to enjoy.



Works Cited:

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. TED Conferences Publishing.

LIBE 477B: Vision of the Future - "Second Thought" Podcast

For my final "vision of the future" assignment, I decided I would try my hand at producing a short podcast to discuss my topic, Citation and plagiarism in K-12 classrooms. This leans a little more in the direction of "learning for the 21st century", although I also see many overlaps with teacher-librarianship - The TL is in the unique position to discuss information and digital literacy as part of their library program. I thought this would be a good format for sharing out to other educators, so if you have any take-aways from my little production, feel free to share it out!

I have split the podcast into four general sections:

• Why cite?
• Perspectives on Plagiarism
• What about Teachers?
• Teaching Tools

The goal with this artifact is to give other teachers an introductory look at approaching plagiarism in the classroom, and I encourage early engagement with the concept. We discuss how elementary school students should be able to have a good understanding of citing their work in some capacity that they can further refine at the Secondary level.

Here it is below:



Thank you for listening! I will include all the links and citations (including the fantastic intro/outro music by RoccoW) in the description below.



Links and Works Cited

My Haiku deck presentation (Scroll down for image citations)
https://haikudeck.com/p/ocxo1k8j8w

Music: "SuperBluesBros Banana Blitz" by RoccoW
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY NC

Mitchell, S. (2007). Penguins and Plagiarism: Stemming the Tide of Plagiarism in Elementary School. Library Media Connection, 25(7), 47.

Link: http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ762396&login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. TED Conferences Publishing.

Starr, L. (2002). Put an End to Plagiarism in Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr390.shtml

Vicinus, Martha & Eisner, Caroline. Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching Writing in the Digital Age. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2008. Project MUSE, p 195-207
Link: https://muse-jhu-edu.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/chapter/145068

Zigunovas, P. (2017) Why do students plagiarize? A cultural perspective. Retrieved from https://elearnmagazine.com/why-do-students-plagiarize/

LIBE 477B: Developing World Libraries / Mobile devices

One of the takeaways from my exploration of mobile devices for education being implemented in economically developing nations is to not take the technology lightly. It seems there are careful ways to get technology into the hands of students in these nations without resorting to a universal approach. Keengwe notes that “technology tools and applications that are familiar in developed nations may pose unique challenges in developing countries, so ‘one size fits all’ or ‘one technology for all contexts’ does not practically work.” (2014). Keengwe also discusses the different context for these mobile technologies depending on where you look, with schools in Africa and schools in Finland showing very different contexts (2014).

Creative Commons licensed image courtesy of Justin Parmelee

I think much if this relates directly to potentially transforming the library. Depending on the school, I imagine a library may be limited, mixed-us, or potentially non-existent. Richardson’s suggestion to “rethink assessment” comes into play here once again: “Stop asking questions that can be answered by a Google search” (2014) - this is a sentiment that I believe may be amplified by a developing nation school receiving access to mobile technologies for the first time; their teachers will want to address this head on.

It also opens up a host of challenges that we increasingly face as Teacher-Librarians in the modern school system. Discussions surrounding digital literacy, information literacy, fair use, plagiarism, and internet safety are all suddenly on the table with new access to these technologies, perhaps even amplified by the unfamiliarity and novelty of the mobile technology.



Works Cited

Keengwe, J. (12/01/2014). Mobile learning and integration of mobile technologies in education Springer.

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. TED Conferences Publishing.

Parmelee, J. (Photographer). (2010). Glowing Keyboard [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/7GucS3

LIBE 477B: Broadening Horizons.

picture by gob-scure: https://flic.kr/p/ZJHHyU

Here is a list of topics I am considering for broadening my understanding in these areas. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Information Literacy:

This is one topic that has come up in a few other classes as well, the idea of cultivating skills to navigate and effectively use the massive amount of information that is at our fingertips (both for ourselves and especially for students). There is always the temptation to grab the easiest and quickest search result to support our arguments or positions, but is this the best option? Many school districts have access to catalogues and web magazines from vetted sources, but having the perseverance to properly sift through, sort, and curate a citation list is often not an immediately obvious skillset. Some questions: How “deep” should information literacy skills go, and how early in on in a student’s learning journey should it occur? 

Citing; Crediting:

This is another topic that often goes unnoticed by younger students, even before they are expected to write longer form essays or have an acceptable level of research to back up their assignments. I think proper citation attitudes and skills are an important competency to start considering even in elementary school. Even an idea as simple as “Hey, I grabbed this picture from the internet for my writing assignment, I through the author’s credit below it” would go a long way; and for older students, knowing about creative commons licenses, knowing what they mean and how to search through them. In our internet age for nearly infinite sharing, remembering to give credit where it is due allows proper recognition (for the original creator) and accountability (for the student synthesizing their content) to remain intact. Some questions: What level of accreditation is acceptable for students just starting out (eg. A grade 3 students learning how to capture an image online for a polar bear webquest)?

Reference Materials - Discussing Wikipedia

While filling in the gaps and learning about different reference materials, I was reminded of an anecdote that happened fairly recently in my school library. Students were working on a short activity involving Morse code. They were practicing writing their name in written “dot” and “dash” format, followed by a secret message they could write for a friend if they had extra time.

At one point during their work a small group of students asked for another copy of the “code sheet”, which indicated what each letter and number was coded as in Morse code (eg. the letter E = one dot). As I went back to my document to print off a few more copies, a few of the grade 4 students noticed my “from Wikipedia” citation at the bottom of the page. They asked, incredulously, “This came from Wikipedia? They could be lying on there you know!”. Clearly they had been given the “Wikipedia” talk before!

James Kanjo at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

What followed was a short class discussion about the use of Wikipedia, which I indicated that it’s a good starting place for researching a topic. What was interesting to me is that this student’s reaction to my use of Wikipedia lines up with co-founder’s Larry Sangers comments in Berinstein’s articles: that Wikipedia suffers from not merely a lack a credibility (which it arguably does), but more specifically a “lack of public perception of credibility” (2006). Is this unwarranted? Maybe, maybe not - I think taking a critical view of Wikipedia is important, but that doesn’t mean we need to avoid it at all costs.

Despite being a nearly 10 year old article, I do still like Harris’s Rules of Wikipedia:

“1) At least three sources are required to verify research.
2) General encyclopedias like Wikipedia are a great place to get started, however …
3) Serious research projects cannot cite general knowledge encyclopedias.” (2007)

These rules strongly convey the need for a critical eye when viewing information on Wikipedia, but don’t outright prevent it’s usage, which I believe is a great use for this resource.



Works Cited

Berinstein, P. (2006). Wikipedia and Britannica: The Kid's All Right (And So's the Old Man) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Searcher 14(3), 16-26.

Harris, C. (2007). Can we make peace with Wikipedia? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. School Library Journal, 53(6), 26.

James Kanjo at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

Moving Forward: An evaluation plan to improve reference services

Please find my assignment #3 below (either link)!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRc3EtxYuXuJCuP-jHtCkRC-Twm3lSB40cOdIFsixnRUuP2ut6NzuAVWD0vrQKCXvB35yOX6ahNGYEl/pub

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sWazs5ufcJROQTZ6sz99QkwHLhTfCj5CCScxIZFsuhw/edit?usp=sharing

Working Together: Collaborating with a teacher and evolving their practice

Please find my assignment #2 below (either link)!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oHEnugTxfFnJFYjB761ensE0yHqmvFgb_wrye99FIUM/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTfoFatBTffWI9iVYNZq8H8hzmWLQ5wFeVekNJwqkB7AxhAjMO60x58P4ZKPBNFQ9qIFoiJJb6gWwXy/pub

Does it make the cut? Evaluation of a Reference Work

Photo by Jason. Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/4Zoxzx

Please find my latest Assignment below!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZI-sO6AMrHJeVgMDinAv6ZLAIXkMce7ZTkxutzxFPnc/edit?usp=sharing

To Dream the Impossible Dream

Photo by az. Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/8KCCKW

We all want to do the best job that we can, especially when tackling a new challenge in our careers or personal lives. Going through the Theme One readings for LIBE 467 has reminded me that the position of the Teacher-Librarian is truly complex and multifaceted. I am currently six months into my position as a new TL, and there is lots to do. At the risk of feeling overwhelmed, I think it is beneficial to take a long range view and consider the implications of a five year plan; what will my library look like in the future?

First, view through the lens and applying the context of Assignment 1, my non-fiction and reference section need a careful look. As I mentioned in some of the discussions, I have done some essential weeding of more aged material that has outlived its usefulness, such as a small collection of older print encyclopedias, but there is still much more to evaluate. And even then, does that resource require a replacement despite the availability of digital encyclopedic resources? This is a process that will take time to properly assess and execute on.

Second, there is the discussion surrounding the web and online reference materials, as outlined in Chapter 10 of Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips (Riedling, 2013). Does every teacher and student at my school know what is available to them in terms of digital resources, both through their school library as well as across the board as a school district? Simply knowing what is out there can be a solid step in the direction of making the library a more valuable resource.

As a few examples:

• There is Webpath Express, a curated collection of web links that support curriculum and can provide a solid foundation for student research. (Note: to access, find “Newton Elementary” → Catalogue → Webpath express in the sidebar)
• Other curated resource lists outside the district, such as infotopia.info and other associated Student-friendly custom searches. These can drastically cut down on the information overload from a internet-wide google search as well as give students a leg up in evaluation because of the list curation.
• A new resource in our district for this year is the Discovery Education Science Techbook, a fantastic science “online textbook” integrated with ample multimedia resources and student activities. Here is one that doubles as a very solid teacher resource as well as another potential avenue for student research.

This is a short list of what is available to our teachers and students, and part of the role includes building capacity and making use of the resources we have available to us.

Thirds, also outlined by Riedling throughout Chapter 10, there is the topic of web source evaluation. While the curated lists shown above can help in this regard, it is still invaluable for students to obtain the information literacy skills needed to properly evaluate a resource. I think lessons from education resources such as Common Sense Media can assist me in this area and help students brush up on (or perhaps newly acquire) their research skills.

Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/

Lastly, I think the BCTLA's information literacy model the “Points of Inquiry” bears mentioning. This is a hugely important model for tackling concepts of inquiry and research, and one of my goals is to introduce this to teachers and students as part of our collaboration. Given that much of the redesigned curriculum is focused on essential questions, and promotes the inquiry learning model itself, exploring info lit models such as this one with other teachers could do a lot to move us forward.

It seems like a lot to handle all at once. However, Reidling has a great quote from William A. Katz that really resonated with me in Chapter 1 (2016) “In time the beginner becomes a veteran. And veteran [school librarians] never quit; or are fired, or die, They simply gain fame as being among the wisest people in the world. One could do worse”. As I gain experience, I strive to be able to make my way towards the path of a veteran teacher librarian.

Works Cited

BCTLA Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/

D-221 books. (2018, January 28). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://flic.kr/p/8KCCKW

Dr. Michael Bell and Carole Bell. (n.d.). Infotopia--A Google Alternative Safe Search Engine for Students. Retrieved January 28, 2018, from http://www.infotopia.info/

Website Evaluation. (2016, August 05). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/lesson-plans/website-evaluation

Welcome to SD No. 36 (Surrey) Catalogue. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://library.sd36.bc.ca/district/servlet/presentlistsitesform.do;jsessionid=3F9364BE22C2C0B8573C3372B646A6C0?districtMode=true

Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference skills for the school librarian: tools and tips. Santa Barbara: California.

Techbook™ Digital Textbooks. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018, from http://www.discoveryeducation.ca/what-we-offer/techbook-digital-textbooks/index.cfm