Read and Reflect 7/7/2011

What is the Future of Teaching?
This was an interesting study, but you would think the conductors would have made it a little more controlled.  I would really like to see more studies like this and more data put into it.  I'm glad that the use of technology is having a positive impact on student learning, but it isn't be the only factor.  I liked this quote:  "In other words, online learning tools are just like any other tools in a teacher’s bag of tricks: what matters is how they’re applied. The instruction of good teachers will be made better by the proper application of web tools, while bad teachers won’t necessarily be made better by utilizing online education methods."  The important thing is, that ALL tools can be effective if applied correctly.


Tell Me, What Do You Teach?
Absolutely the library is a classroom with learning, if it is used correctly.  Sure if you just use it as a book warehouse it won't be a learning space, but with the correct administration and teacher-librarian, it can become one of the best places for learning in a school.  Unfortunately others do not see what is going on in a library.  I think part of this is due to the emphasis on testing and scores.  Since the library doesn't "test," some don't see the necessity of what teacher-librarians do.  Once again, we have to be the advocates that let people know what is truly going on and the learning that is taking place.  I love Dr. Valenza's poster showing what she teaches.  Hopefully in the next few years, with all of the advances in technology, more people will start to realize all the kinds of teaching that the librarian does do in order to prepare our students for a world filled with media.     


It's Broken, Let's Fix It
I wholeheartedly agree with Buffy Hamilton's statement, " I am especially troubled by the disturbing number of school districts across the country that are choosing to reduce or eliminate staffing as well as funding for library materials and services at a time when information literacy is increasingly important in today’s cultural and educational landscape."  Librarians are becoming more and more important, and their role is changing.  I am looking forward to collaborating with teachers, I am hoping that while starting with a couple of teachers, the idea of collaboration will take off and begin to involve more and more teachers. 

She also states, "Research, information seeking and evaluation, and creation of content would no longer be an isolated activity students engaged in once or twice or year, but instead, a regular learning experience."  I think this is the key--if we want to impact student learning we need to engage them daily in Rich learning activities.  It can't just be every once in a while.  "We must wave the banner for a new model of school librarianship that ultimately is an investment in our learning communities."


Reframing the Library Media Specialist as a Learning Specialist
The first thing that stood out to me was that in the list of things of high priority, every single one of them was something that the library media specialist does.  All too often I hear that the reason teachers don't have their students work with technology, is because they don't feel comfortable using technology themselves.  Not only is it the job of the library media specialist to teach the students to use technology effectively, it is also our job to help teachers become more proficient with technology.

I really liked the 'bad business" and "good business" analogy that was used.  Some of the things that I would have originally thought were good practice were in fact bad practice, I can now see that they can be taken to a much higher level to be good practice.  I think I will definitely share this source with my teachers, so that they can see all of the jobs that I can do.  Many of them feel the librarian is still just the keeper of the books.