LIBE 467 Information Services 1: Blog Post Theme 1
A teacher-librarian has an important role to fill in the school. They need to have excellent knowledge of the resources in the library, they need to be able to talk to students and staff, and finally they need to be able to choose the best resources to help students and staff meet curricular outcomes (Riedling, 2013, 4). In beginning this course, I recognize how important it is to start with a clear understanding of ‘reference sources and services.' The teacher-library is tasked with the job of “assisting students in finding the answers to questions and helping them become independent users of information and ideas” (Riedlling, 2013, 4). To do this we need an understanding of how best to help students use reference sources “materials, from book to computer to periodical to photograph that can be found anywhere in the library or online” (Riedling, 2013, 18). The Teacher-librarian also needs to understand and be able to employ a variety of inquiry models to guide students as they engage in research to answer questions and learn. It is a lot more complicated than it sounds, just take a look at this chart comparing 5 different inquiry models. Chart: Comparison of Inquiry models (Riedling, 2013, p.10) (Beaudry, 2019, Course notes, lesson two) (BCTLA, https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/the-points-of-inquiry.pdf (Links to an external site.))
The colours indicate areas of similarity. Each model requires that students learn and master tasks so that they can effectively engage in inquiry. Questioning and writing questions is an area where students have to learn and practice so that they can explore deeply. Once they have a direction for inquiry students need guidance, and resources so that they can investigate and explore. The necessity of selecting the best possible reference resources has become a priority. I was alarmed when comparing the current library reference materials with the standards listed in Achieving Information Literacy. I was especially concerned with the fact that many of the reference sources are long past their best before dates and do not meet the benchmark of “copyright dates within the last 10 years” (Asselin, 2003, 33). Fewer than 50% of the reference resources have copyright dates within the last 10 years and many are much older. Evaluating these resources will provide an opportunity to acquire more appropriate and useful materials for students and staff. These are not the type of accurate resources needed by the student body. Two areas in the reference section that met the criteria: the new dictionaries and the new Indigenous atlas set.
What I need to work toward is the trifecta of the Library Learning Commons—becoming a more skilled teacher-librarian, acquiring the best reference resources, and assisting students to inquire and learn.
Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds) (2003). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada.
Initially I
thought I would organize my reflective bibliography as a journey through the
modules. I would highlight one or two books that I found had insights or
connections to the topic and comment on them. This ended up being too linear
and I found it difficult to organize—sometimes a book seemed to fit into more
than one topic. Sometimes a book did not fit into any category well but I
wanted to include it anyway and found myself trying to get it to belong when it
did not. After looking at the list I decided to organize this bibliography
according to questions. The overriding question is from the Module 10 video by
Linda Sue Park, “Can a children’s book change the world?” More specifically the
questions that organize my bibliography are:
Can a children’s book change the way
people see themselves and each other?
One of the
ideas that connected many of my choices was diversity. Many students do not see
themselves in the canonical literature they are assigned to read. In her
speech, “Books that are windows. Books that are doors” Patsy Aldana (2008) asks
that we consider, “what is the long term effect on a child of a steady diet of
books from which he is totally absent or present but falsely depicted?” How can
students feel that they are valued in society if they are not represented? Rudine
Sims Bishop’s (1990) metaphor, that books are sometimes windows, through which
we see others, sometimes mirrors, reflecting ourselves, and sometimes doors, through
which we can enter other realities, resonated with me.
I realized
that many of the books on my list could be categorized into mirrors, doors and
windows. Some books belonged in more than one category. I believe books that
are diverse, help address the social justice issue of equity. Why should one
culture be the only one represented? Culturally responsive texts are necessary.
The books I’ve included in this category tell diverse stories. The Day War Came tells of one girl’s
escape from war to a country where she faces challenges going to school. The
children’s book, And Tango Makes Three
provides a window into a family with two dads. The graphic novel, American Born Chinese illustrates the
challenges of fitting in for a Chinese student who is the only Chinese person
in the school. The YA science fiction novel Binti
(the first in a trilogy) won both the 2015 Hugo and Nebula awards. It follows a
Binti, a young woman, first of her people to be offered a place at the
finest university in the galaxy. It is a time of war and Binti is the only one
who is capable of ending it.
I included two additional resources with an indigenous focus, This Place: 150 Years Retold, and
Jeremy Dutcher singing with the elders of his nation in the endangered Wolastoq
language. This Place opens with a
forward by Alicia Elliot that takes issue with the idea that only the history
of victors is the history that should be written. These stories put Indigenous
people and their stories of the past 150 years “front and centre on our own
lands” (Elliot, 2019, v). The music of Jeremy Dutcher allows us to hear the
recorded voices of elders speaking in a language that few currently speak.
The final
book in this category is the YA book Belzhar,
by Meg Wolitzer. It tells the story of 5 teens who end up a therapeutic
boarding school after each suffers a traumatic event. This book shines—it reveals
all the ways people fool themselves. Then it is masterful in showing what it
takes for the characters to each face the truths of their lives. The ideas in
these books and videos will influence the choices I make and possibly the
collaborations I will work on during the school year.
Can a children’s book change the way
we treat the planet?
In Module 7:
Considerations: Fiction, Novels and the Young Adult Genre, I was influenced by
the article by Beach on climate fiction. The article, “Literature and the
Cli-Fi Imagination” starts off with an important question, “What will happen to the Earth and to human beings in a future shaped
by global warming?” (Beach, 2017, 51). I had never heard
about climate fiction as a sub-genre of science fiction before. This article
prompted me to reassess how I viewed other YA post-apocalyptic novel through a
climate lens. Many YA texts are set in a post-apocalyptic world that suffers
from a climate affected by a catastrophic event such as nuclear war. These
books are scary but lack immediacy. The YA novel Dry, set in the
California of the very near future, is scary for right now. In Manitoba
and in many other provinces we are suffering some of the hottest summers on
record. The idea that water could run out is something I think about every
morning when I water the garden. I also included Shipbreaker on my list
in this category. The descriptions of the storms that occur how the changed
climate wreaks havoc on the people are frightening. The book The Elders are Watching
brings an Indigenous perspective to protection of the planet. People make
mistakes and harm the planet. The Elders are angry, and it is time to hear
their calls and save the land. Finally, in this section, I included the
wordless picture book Belonging by Baker. In the authors’ note,
Baker explains that people often think that land belongs to them. However, the
book shows that “it is the other way around: we belong to the land. If we keep
it healthy, it will sustain the web of life on which we depend” (Baker, 2004,
Authors’ note). The urgency with which our planet needs help and the necessity
of having students act in this regard is why addressing this question and
getting people to take action to save the planet is so important. One way is to
read about the problem. “Research on the impact of environmental
literature suggests that cli-fi also can make a difference...The results
indicated that reading one or more of these texts did predict increased
awareness and propensity to take action” (Beach, 2017, 53).
So then, can
a children’s book change the world? According to Bishop, books can “help us to understand each other
better by helping to change our attitudes towards difference. When there are
enough bools available that can act as both mirrors an windows for all our
children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our
similarities, because together they are what make us all human” (Bishop, 2019,
paragraph 11).
After all this reading and learning,
what is the focus for my professional development?
In order to
get students to read and to engage deeply with literature, I think it’s
important to understand the ways constant access to information and
entertainment have changed the brains of kids today. In the book, Reader Come Home, Maryanne Wolf (2018)
examines how and why reading patterns are changing. She explores the struggles
resulting because our students have constant access to feel good entertainment.
This has sapped them of their desire to expend energy and time reading (75).
A second
professional development book on my list is 180 Days by Gallagher and Kittle. I
agree with so many of the things they say in the book and with so many of the
strategies they propose. “Unfortunately, too many adolescent readers suffer
from an unhealthy school reading diet in which they fake or skim-read one
whole-class novel, then another, then another. This agonizingly slow crawl
through texts is continued month after month, year after year. Many give up
believing that reading will not offer them anything except meaningless work”
(Gallagher, 2018, 13).
A final
professional development resource on my list is one recommended in the Course
Resources: Maria Popova’s blob, BrainPickings. It is so rich in ideas, and
books, and ideas about books that I am in awe.
Bibliography
Aldana, P.
(2008). Books that are windows, Books that are mirrors: How we can make sure
that children see themselves in their books [Speech transcript]. Retrieved from
http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=1008
Bacigalupi,
P. (2010). Shipbreaker. New York, N. Y.: Little, Brown and Company.
Baker, J.
(2004). Belonging. London: Walker Books Ltd.
Bishop, R.
(1990) The Ohio State University. "Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass
Doors" originally appeared in Perspectives:
Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom(6)3.
Bouchard, D.
and Vickers, R. H. (Illustrator). (2003). The elders are watching. Richmond,
British Columbia: Raincoast Books.
Davis, N. &
Cobb, R. (Illustrator) (2018). The Day War Came. Somerville,
Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.
I thought it would be helpful and useful to curate a bibliography of books to use
that would enhance the understanding of mental health issues. Mental health as
a topic has become more common in children’s literature including books for the
very young. Children are faced with many issues that can put their mental
health at risk: stress, heartbreak, bereavement, trauma, depression, and
anxiety. “In this day and age the impact of a student’s mental health on
his/her ability to learn and achieve academically is becoming more and more
widely understood, accepted, and addressed. In order for students to achieve at
their greatest potential they must be educated in a safe and emotionally
healthy environment”(Richmond, 2014, 19). There are many books that can provide information,
understanding and a sense of comfort to those with mental health issues. As
discussing the topic of mental health becomes more acceptable, students can
better understand themselves and their peers who might be suffering.
I teach in a high school and most of the titles I would
usually choose are YA novels. However, the timeline for the course necessitated
including shorter works and picture books. Reading these made me realize that
picture books often contain powerful stories that are immediately useful and
accessible.
Books intended for the very young but are also useful for
those who are older
1.Berube,
K. Mae’s First Day of School.
2.James, M. The Funeral.
3.Pinfold, L. Black Dog.
4.Yum, H. (2018). Saturday is Swimming Day
These
picture books explore the themes of anxiety (Mae’s First Day of School and Saturday
is Swimming Day), depression (Black
Dog), and death in the family (The
Funeral).
The
two books that deal with anxiety work through common situations for children—swimming
lessons, and the first day of school—in effective ways. Mae’s First Day of School has the teacher join Mae and deciding that she is not
going to school either because she is worried that the students won’t like her.
The situations are resolved and the children move on. In Saturday is Swimming Lessons it takes longer than one day to work
through the anxiety the child feels about the lessons, but after a few weeks,
the lessons are no longer dreaded. The fear was mostly the fear of the unknown.
Graphic novels for middle years and YA students
1.Britt, F. & Arsenault, I. (Illustrator).
(2017). Louis Undercover
2.Craft, J. (2019). New Kid.
3.Elliot,
R. (2017). It’s all Absolutely Fine.
4.LaPointe, S. & Roge. (2017). Grandfather and the Moon (S. Tanaka
Trans.).
All of these books deal with difficult mental health issues
and have examples of young people taking action to improve the situations they
are in. In Louis Undercover, Louis is
in a stressful situation with divorced parents, an alcoholic father, and a girl
he is in love who he is afraid to approach. At the end of the book Louis takes
action to improve his happiness by talking to Billie. New Kid sees Jordan as the new kid at school with all of the
requisite anxiety this brings. He is an artist so the book has several inserts
he has drawn providing his perspective on the situations he has to handle:
Jordan’s Tips for Taking the Bus; Judging Kids by the Cover of Their Books, The
Dude Pyramid: A Guide to Cafeteria Hierarchy.Ruby Elliot draws her way through the daily difficulties she
faces in the book It's All Absolutely Fine. In Grandfather and the Moon, a young girl helps her grandfather deal
with depression after the death of his wife.
YA Books that explore
mental health themes
1.Chbosky,
S. (1999). The perks of being a
wallflower.
2.Jensen, K. (Ed) (2018). (Don’t) call me crazy: 33 voices start the
conversation about mental health
3.Priemaza, A. (2017). Kat and Meg conquer the world.
4.Tomkins, M., & Martinez, K (2010). My Anxious Mind: A teen’s guide to managing
anxiety and panic.
When I told my daughter my topic, she suggested I read The Perks of Being a
Wallflower (she also named my blog). I could see
why she is a fan of the book. Charlie suffers from PTSD, anxiety and
depression. He turns to drugs and alcohol. When the root cause of his problems
is revealed he gets help. This book is signed out often from the school
library.
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is an anthology that exposes a number of
mental health issues that students will find informative. The chapters are
short and the stories are interesting. In Kat
and Meg Conquer the World one of the main characters has ADHD and the other
suffers from sever anxiety. When they have to work together on a science project
they become friends and they help each other deal with their mental health
issues. I included My Anxious Mind: A
teen’s guide to managing anxiety and panic on my list because it provides
some specific strategies for dealing with mental health issues.
Books that provide
positive examples of mental health
1.Beaumont, K., Catrow, D. (Illustrator). (2004). I Like Myself.
2.DiOrio, R., Wheeler E. (Illustrator). (2010). What Does it Mean to be Present?
I wanted to include books that illustrate ways of being
mentally healthy. I Like Myself is an
ode to self-esteem. I love the dedication, “Wishing every child the magic of
self-acceptance and love.” What Does it Mean
to be Present shows children how to be mindful so that they can be present
in their lives. “When we are all present, life can be much richer, fuller and
happier!”
Video texts
1.Green,
John (July 25, 2017). What OCD is Like
(for me). (YouTube video). Retrieved from:https://youtu.be/jNEUz9v5RYo
John Green candidly discusses
what OCD is like for him. Since he is one of the most popular YA novelists, and
so many young people read his books, having him explain this mental health
issue is very impactful.
The books and the video provide information on mental health
issues that are prevalent with high school students. Using the books as
resources can help build understanding among the teachers of the issues that
the students struggle with. As well, the texts can help students understand
mental health issues they and their friends are dealing with. On a final note,
there are a number of other texts that I did not have time to read but would
like to in order to include them on this list.: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green; Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis; Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone.
Bibliography
Beaumont, K.,
Catrow, D. (Illustrator). (2004). I like
myself. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Berube, K.
(2018). Mae’s first day of school.
New York, NY: ABRAMS The Art of Books.
Britt, F. & Arsenault,
I. (Illustrator). (2017). Louis undercover
(C. Morelli and S. Ouriou Trans.). Toronto: Groundwood Books, house of Anansi
Press. (Original work published 2016).
Craft, J.
(2019). New Kid. New York, NY: HarperCollins
Children’s Books.
Chbosky, S.
(1999). The perks of being a wallflower.
New York, NY: Gallery Books.
DiOrio, R.,
Wheeler E. (Illustrator). (2010). What
does it mean to be present? USA: little Pickle Press, Inc.
Elliot, R.
(2017). It’s all absolutely fine.
Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Green, John
(July 25, 2017). What OCD is like (for me).
(YouTube video). Retrieved from:https://youtu.be/jNEUz9v5RYo
James, M. (2018).
The funeral. Toronto: Groundwood
Books, house of Anansi Press.
Jensen, K. (Ed)
(2018). (Don’t) call me crazy: 33 voices
start the conversation about mental health. Chapel Hill, North Carolina:
Algonquin Young Readers.
LaPointe, S.
& Roge. (2017). Grandfather and the
moon (S. Tanaka Trans.). Toronto: Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. (Original
work published 2017).
Pinfold, L.
(2011). Black Dog. Somerville,
Massachusetts: Templar Books an imprint of Candlewick Press.
Priemaza, A.
(2017). Kat and Meg conquer the world.
New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.
Richmond, K.J.
(2014). Using literature to confront the stigma of mental illness, teach
empathy and break stereotypes. Language
Arts Journal of Michigan (30)1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.2038
Tomkins, M.,
& Martinez, K (2010). My anxious
mind: A teen’s guide to managing anxiety and panic. Washington, DC:
Magination Press.
Yum, H. (2018). Saturday is swimming day. Somerville,
Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.
I decided to build a new website for the Library Learning Commons as my digital artifact.
Since my knowledge in this area was non-existent I spoke to everyone I even suspected of having some expertise about website building to find out which website builder was the easiest to use while still providing professional results. Since we are not a Google school division, using it was not an option. After much talk, the two most recommended web-site builders were Weebly and WordPress. I spent some time looking into both. While I thought that WordPress produced more professional and interesting results, Weebly seemed easier to use. Several staff members in the school have Weebly sites so I could go to them for support--decision made.
The course of website building never did run smooth! I had a traumatic experience working with Weebly. While on the Weebly site for the school's 50th reunion, I accidentally deleted a significant part of it. With all of the technology teachers out of the building, and a presentation to do at the reunion committee that evening it was imperative that I figure out a way to get it back. The only way to recreate the page was to get a student who is a code writer, and probably some kind of secret web master, to write code from a previously published page. After he resurrected the page, I asked him why he was still in high school. He told me he needed his math credit--go know! First lesson, Weebly doesn't appear to save previous versions of the page you are working on. Because of this shortcoming I decided I needed to look at other website builders.
Our divisional library consultant suggested I use Wix.
The two features that sold me on Wix were it's ease of use and that there is 24/7 support. Ease of use is a relative term. Even though I have been able to use Wix, each element takes hours for me to learn and often requires redoing, and reworking sections of the website many times. The help/support feature is extremely useful. I have probably clicked on help for most of the items I have included some several times.
So then Lesson 1: Begin by choosing a website builder that provides the kind of support you need and that is easy to use.
Lesson 2: Make a plan.
This part of developing the artifact took forever, partly because I never felt as if I had finished my research. Each new search revealed pages that looked like they might work, ideas I should include, links I should add. Two school libraries that were great examples were Royal Bay Secondary Learning Commons and Cedar Hill Library and Learning Commons. In the article, "Will this Website Save Your Library (and Your Librarians)?" there is a description of five basic rooms that can be built on a school library learning commons website. I have tried to follow a number of guidelines from this model. "The main page and information center is the closest in personality to the 'old library website.'"(Shauffenhauser p. 42). My main page contains much of the information that was on the old website, along with some photos that will draw the students in.
I have not included a school culture page as suggested because we have a school website that promotes student school activities. I have included an "about" page so that information about the library and its policies is easily accessible.
The article also suggests two more pages that I will continue to work on even though the website is published. I can do this due to a miraculous feature of the Wix website builder which allows revisions and previews without publishing the changes until they are ready.
Lesson 3: Revise the plan. When I began working on this artifact, I thought that it would be challenging but doable. However, like house renovations, everything took twice as long as expected.
I am still working on the "for student" and the "knowledge-building center" pages. This is where I want to include a place for collaboration, where "..the librarian and teacher can work together to pull together the resources that learners (and their parents) will need for a project" (Shauffenhaser, pl 42).
This is an ongoing process. As I get some of the feedback from teachers I will be better able to build the pages that they will find useful. Here is the website so far:
How am I going to share it with others?
To begin, the website had a soft opening. I shared it with my department which only has a few people in it. Then I shared it with staff at the staff meeting April 3. I asked for two things: items they wanted me to include on the website; and, for staff to look through the current website and let me know which items, links, assignments they want to have on the new website as well.
This only happened yesterday, and I have the first request so far. A teacher suggested that I put a link to the old website on the new one. I will keep it there for a few months so that they have enough time to decide what they want me to transfer to the new site. I will further share the website with the school, divisional and greater community by having this new website as the link to the school LLC on our school website.
What are the implications of the website?
My hope is that the website will provide increased opportunities for teachers to collaborate with the library and with each other. We can design the kind of assignments the teacher wants, build a page to store the work and resources. Students and parents can access the information any time.
As well, I see the website as a way to keep administration in the building up to date on what is happening in the library, how it is the hub of the school, how we promote a culture of reading.
My work getting student input has not been as successful as I hoped. Partly, I think this is due to timing. I did much of the planning around and during Spring Break. My plan is to meet with students to get more feedback about what they will find useful on the website.
Reflection on the course
The use of technology has been a source of fear and frustration since I started working as a Teacher-Librarian. It was difficult to be a media and technology specialist with little confidence and less know how. When I started in the diploma program in September one of my goals was to become more skilled in this area. No question, I have made significant progress.
One of the most important take-aways from this course is the idea that I don't have to have my blog, or my artifact perfect in order to post it. I can share what I am working on and my teacher and the people in my PLN can provide feedback to make it better. The importance of this shared expertise really hit home during this course. I was able to connect with people and learn from them. I am so thankful for everyone's generosity with ideas and problem solving when I struggled to do something, well actually everything. It has resulted in profound changes in how I see my abilities. Isn't this what we want for our students as they incorporate 21st century skills into their toolkit--for them to learn new skills, struggle and see themselves anew.
Works cited
Baumbach, Donna, et al. “What Should Be on a School Library Web Page?” Learning and Leading with Technology, vol. 32, no. 1, Sept. 2004, pp. 46–53., files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ695797.pdf.
Schaffhauser, Dian. "Will this Website Save Your Library (and Your Librarians)?" Education Digest, vol. 80, no. 1, Sept. 2014, pp. 37-43. EBSCOhost, ezprozy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AN=97950287&site=ehostlive&scope=site.
YouTube, Epic Tutorials for IOS and Android Filmmaking, 5 Apr. 2015, youtu.be/R0DQfwc72PM.
“Wix Vs Weebly: Which Website Builder Should You Use?” YouTube, 31 May 2018, youtu.be/N1VQYkl7WrE.
