What I already knew...that I love learning, reading, researching and being curious about everything.
What I learned...you need to stay current and open minded about all types of reference resources.
What I wonder, still need to learn...I wonder how much Internet research is going to change over the next few years and how am I ever going to catch up and then stay ahead?
Monday 9 April 2012
It's a book...
Taking this course has helped me open my eyes to the challenges and limitations of reference resources. What I have really learnt is that balance is the key. We have to work with what we have in our reference section in the library and with the digital resources we are offered by our school/district. If our budget allows more, then we are very lucky.
I have been reading books to the Grade 6/7 students that encourages them to think critically and make their own connections. I have been trying to encourage them to think critically about technology in particular. I recently read them Goodnight ipad by Ann Droid and It's a book by Lane Smith. They liked them, but they also needed lots of prompting and a little help making some of the connections. As much as I want to value all reference materials, they are not all made equally and I need to teach that every day to staff and students.
I have been thinking about a comment that Anne made on one of the articles I chose for the first assignment, the article implied that students where at an advantage in this technologically driven world, and she strongly disagreed. When I really thought about it and when working with students one-on-one on any research project, I realized that students are pretty misguided when using the internet or search engines. The skills that we encourage when looking through non-fiction or reference books should still apply for any kind of search engine. Find and filter until you find valid accurate information that answers your question.
I will always strive for balance and accuracy, because no one should need to be told 'It's a book Jackass.'
Droid, Ann. Goodnight ipad: a parody for the next generation. Blue Rider Press. 2011
Smith, Lane. It's a book. Roaring Press. 2010
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html
I have been reading books to the Grade 6/7 students that encourages them to think critically and make their own connections. I have been trying to encourage them to think critically about technology in particular. I recently read them Goodnight ipad by Ann Droid and It's a book by Lane Smith. They liked them, but they also needed lots of prompting and a little help making some of the connections. As much as I want to value all reference materials, they are not all made equally and I need to teach that every day to staff and students.
I have been thinking about a comment that Anne made on one of the articles I chose for the first assignment, the article implied that students where at an advantage in this technologically driven world, and she strongly disagreed. When I really thought about it and when working with students one-on-one on any research project, I realized that students are pretty misguided when using the internet or search engines. The skills that we encourage when looking through non-fiction or reference books should still apply for any kind of search engine. Find and filter until you find valid accurate information that answers your question.
I will always strive for balance and accuracy, because no one should need to be told 'It's a book Jackass.'
Droid, Ann. Goodnight ipad: a parody for the next generation. Blue Rider Press. 2011
Smith, Lane. It's a book. Roaring Press. 2010
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html
Grey Literature
I had no idea this existed and I am so intrigued to research more about it. How exciting to know that there is so much more to the Internet then meets the eye! I am sure that some of the content and databases are pretty specialized to some degree, but I want to investigate further anyways. I like how the Berkeley article says to start with wikipedia 'deep web', always such a good starting point when researching!
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Managing Reference Resources
Reference resources are such a tricky topic for me. Before taking any LIBE courses, I assumed that I would learn to use and teach others about the importance of using reference resources. However, since taking this class, I have had to rethink my assumptions about print resources. I had many false assumptions about being a TL in general, but I never thought that students and teachers would not even touch print reference resources. To be quite honest I do not blame them. My reference collection is at the front of the library and it is on its own shelf. It is well organized and very visible. However, I do not think this will help its use. I have a variety of encyclopedia sets as well, meaning there is some money that has been put into the collection. Officially I give up on print resources. I will still encourage staff and students to use the set of Worldbook People and Places, the Illustrated Animal Encyclopedias and the Earth and Science collection we have, but I will not be purchasing anymore print resources. The best way I could support the reference section at my school is to purchase a few i-pads that could be used strictly as library reference resources.
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Encyclopedias - Are they valid tools or a lost cause?
Before getting my temporary position at the school I am at currently, I always believed that print references were still valid and used in elementary school libraries. Now that I am at a school and am being exposed to reality, I am having a hard time 'selling' print encyclopedias to students and to teachers. I never thought that a reference section would collect so much dust and be ignored as much as mine is. I joked today with a class about how many students had even touched a 'real' print encyclopedia. Honestly, not many had. Even the encyclopedia companies are having a hard time keeping up their print encyclopedias. A recent article in the New York Times announced that Encyclopedia Britannica will not be printing anymore encyclopedias, instead they will be focusing on their website. The article described how many American families use to put themselves in debt just to own a set of Encyclopedia Britannica's. Now the company cannot even afford to keep producing encyclopedias because of lack of sales and public interest.
In this modern time there just seems to be no use for expensive print encyclopedias. So should they even be in libraries, especially elementary school libraries? I say yes, but only if they get used. There is no point in having sets of encyclopedias that just sit on a shelf and never get used. The person who has the most power over the encyclopedias fate is the teacher librarian. Maybe encyclopedias will not have the same significance as they once did for research purposes. However, they still can be used for comparisons and checking for accuracy (in some cases at least). The question still remains: are encyclopedias worth having in a school library or is it better to have a set of i-pads? The choice lies with the teacher librarian.
Article: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/after-244-years-encyclopaedia-britannica-stops-the-presses/
In this modern time there just seems to be no use for expensive print encyclopedias. So should they even be in libraries, especially elementary school libraries? I say yes, but only if they get used. There is no point in having sets of encyclopedias that just sit on a shelf and never get used. The person who has the most power over the encyclopedias fate is the teacher librarian. Maybe encyclopedias will not have the same significance as they once did for research purposes. However, they still can be used for comparisons and checking for accuracy (in some cases at least). The question still remains: are encyclopedias worth having in a school library or is it better to have a set of i-pads? The choice lies with the teacher librarian.
Article: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/after-244-years-encyclopaedia-britannica-stops-the-presses/
Thursday 9 February 2012
Are we fighting a losing battle? Reference vs. Non-fiction
Yes and no. Yes because I feel there is a great divide in an elementary school when it comes to seeking information. Intermediate students and teachers instantly go to the internet for project-specific information. I know this because I work closely with most of my grade 4-7 teachers and they very rarely seek my help when researching for projects. I suggest and lure them as best I can but it is a losing battle: tech rules. On the other hand, my primary teachers are very dependent on our (very oudated) non-fiction section and often will take out 20 books at a time for one topic. Some of the primary boys rely on the non-fiction section for their pleasure reading, without it they would refuse to take books out.
I think one question that is an important one to ask is what kind of non-fiction books are being purchased for the library? Without Ripley's Beleive it or not, National Geographics Weird but true and other fact books like them it would be hard to keep kids in the non-fiction area. The Basher series is also hugely popular in my library right now. They are these small, cartoonish books that can simplify very tricky topics like Physics, Geometry, Planet Earth...Thank goodness there are non-fiction books that are being made for all levels and all grades.
I know that the concept of 'wonder' is a hot topic with some of the primary teachers so I have been hunting for the very information books that Reidling described as important: the ones that answer questions. It has been interesting because they are out there, we as TLs just need to stop and look for them. I recently bought a book called 'Just a Second' by Steve Jenkins and it is a very unique way to look at time. It looks at a second and what else takes a second; for example "A hummingbird beats its wings 50 times" and "A rattlesnake shakes its tail in warning 60 times." It looks at a small amount of time like one second and continues until one year. An interesting book to help kids visualize time and think about time in a bigger picture. If you are buying non-fiction books instead of reference materials you may be able to win the losing battle, but is there that much of a difference?
I think one question that is an important one to ask is what kind of non-fiction books are being purchased for the library? Without Ripley's Beleive it or not, National Geographics Weird but true and other fact books like them it would be hard to keep kids in the non-fiction area. The Basher series is also hugely popular in my library right now. They are these small, cartoonish books that can simplify very tricky topics like Physics, Geometry, Planet Earth...Thank goodness there are non-fiction books that are being made for all levels and all grades.
I know that the concept of 'wonder' is a hot topic with some of the primary teachers so I have been hunting for the very information books that Reidling described as important: the ones that answer questions. It has been interesting because they are out there, we as TLs just need to stop and look for them. I recently bought a book called 'Just a Second' by Steve Jenkins and it is a very unique way to look at time. It looks at a second and what else takes a second; for example "A hummingbird beats its wings 50 times" and "A rattlesnake shakes its tail in warning 60 times." It looks at a small amount of time like one second and continues until one year. An interesting book to help kids visualize time and think about time in a bigger picture. If you are buying non-fiction books instead of reference materials you may be able to win the losing battle, but is there that much of a difference?
Do you have a bias?
I must say that I am pretty open minded to many things and in my previous (rant-ish) posting about wikipedia I am sure many people rolled their eyes and thought I was a bit of a nut. However, it is the truth. All information may not have been created equally, but it can at leat create teachable moments and be used as a springboard to a better understanding of whatever has been assigned (ie. project, inquiry question). Right now I am team teaching with a colleague of mine and we are in the process of (trying) to teach Information Quest to a grade 6/7 class. The teacher is not a fan of the format of Information Quest, because he feels it is too wordy for his students. I like the bones of it, but need to tweak it so I can teach it better. So far him and I have been teaching many little mini lessons on how to focus your question, how to find appropriate material and how to filter through that material. It has been a bit hit and miss to say the least. Considering we are both new to this, I think we are doing all right. Thank goodness his students have not realized yet that they are guinea pigs in this experiement of sorts. I will say this though...we have used wikipedia and google search several times.
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