Great idea Glen. You'll find a new Information and Digital Literacy category in the Discussion forum now. I look forward to seeing the conversations grow!
Add Information and Digital Literacy to the Subject Area // Glen Warren
One way we can better use librarians and their expertise is to provide a discussion area in the BOE site under Subjects. Now that the SBE has adopted our standards and they are in the BOE site, it seems like a reasonable next step to add us as a subject area. Information and Digital LIteracy will emerge as one of the most important 21st century content areas, and BOE can be out in front!
Marie gives so many wonderful examples of ways that Teacher Librarians and strong school libraries make a difference! Unfortunately, I think all too many schools and teachers just don't realize the important work that Teacher Librarians do because they haven't experienced it yet.
Marie says it so well, there are lots of ways that Teacher Librarians can collaborate with teachers to create meaningful learning experiences for all of our students. I truly think that having a strong school library contributes so much to creating lifelong learners.
Why are strong school libraries important? There's a lot of research out there that show that regardless of parent education levels, poverty levels, and ethnicity, schools with strong school libraries and adequate staffing by Teacher Librarians have greater student achievement levels. Here are some great sites with more information:
Stephen Krashen's website with information and research about the importance of access to books and the importance of school libraries (and much more): http://www.sdkrashen.com/
David Loertscher's website with links to lots of research on how school libraries are linked to higher student achievement: http://www.davidvl.org/research.html
Our perception of "the librarian" has not changed and it needs to. Our librarian is a media specialist--and an amazing, underutilized asset on our campus. I think they are on most campuses. One way to change this, is to market and advertise his/her expertise through e-mail or for a small part of faculty meetings. Teachers need to view the librarian, not as a threat, but as a help in the process of educating our students. Our librarian has the most up-to-date information on what is going on in the technology and research world. I do not have time to research this under the mounds of papers I have to grade. I rely on her to inform my students and myself about the most updated information on the web. She and I have also been collaborating on how to improve our students resource retrieval literacy. Many students that graduate are not prepared to do the quality research that is expected at most colleges. With the help of the librarian, we have a four day lesson on college-level research. It is one of the lessons the students are most appreciative to learn.
Strong School Libraries empower students and staff to be effective users and producers of ideas and information. Teacher Librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to create "plagiarism-proof" assignments, research papers, and other learning products to demonstrate mastery of content-area standards AND information literacy.
Teacher Librarians teach how to access information, organize it, evaluate it, communicate it and USE it ethically and responsibly. Plus we really love our databases, ebooks and print books too, sharing that love with students and staff.
Students learn HOW to learn using their school libraries. They use school libraries to further their intellectual, emotional and social growth. School Libraries are the "Libratories" that infuse our schools' content area standards with the innovation and creativity of educational technology.
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian how to organize a wiki so that your students can share their Animotos, Google Docs, Xtranormal animations, SchoolTube Videos, Interactive Maps, and Glogsters with others - an authentic, meaningful experience with a worldwide audience!
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian to show your students how to create a "Works Cited" to properly give credit to their sources. Ask your Teacher Librarian to help students organize "information overload" using RSS feeds, iGoogle and social bookmarking tools.
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian to teach students how to make videos and post them to TeacherTube or SchoolTube. Ask Teacher Librarians to structure research with a Pathfinder! http://fjuhsdlibraries.wikispaces.com/Research+Pathfinders
Teacher Librarians can transform dull projects into lively, meaningful Knowledge Building Centers in which students are not regurgitating information - they are culling info to create new information and products! A Teacher Librarian will be sure to work with you to include important content area standards. http://fuhsmath.wikispaces.com/
And if your school doesn't have a Teacher-Librarian, ask, "Why not?"
Our library staff does a wonderful job of scheduling use of our library's computer lab. In the pre-computer era, motivating our kids to research two careers to compare and contrast in a research paper was an uphill battle. Thanks to our government's Occupational Outlook Handbook, that task has become quite a bit more manageable. With this solid start, our kids are more engaged in and less overwhelmed by what can be a daunting writing process.
Here's a link to the site, in case anyone's interested:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/
A further benefit of computer-based library research is that it lends itself so much more conveniently to student management. I can see at a glance who is on task, and who may be in need of some gentle "encouragement" from me. With book-based research (while we still do some), I often feel like there simply isn't "enough of me to go around" during library visits.
Why is access to a strong school library important for student
achievement? How can we better use our libraries and take
advantage of the expertise of our teacher librarians?
Jon Knolle
Great idea Glen. You'll find a new Information and Digital Literacy category in the Discussion forum now. I look forward to seeing the conversations grow!
http://myboe.org/portal/default/Discussions/Discussion?forumid=945&action=2&view=forum_view
Add Information and Digital Literacy to the Subject Area // Glen Warren
Re: Strong School Libraries Work // Lesli McCutcheon
Marie gives so many wonderful examples of ways that Teacher Librarians and strong school libraries make a difference! Unfortunately, I think all too many schools and teachers just don't realize the important work that Teacher Librarians do because they haven't experienced it yet.
Marie says it so well, there are lots of ways that Teacher Librarians can collaborate with teachers to create meaningful learning experiences for all of our students. I truly think that having a strong school library contributes so much to creating lifelong learners.
Why are strong school libraries important? There's a lot of research out there that show that regardless of parent education levels, poverty levels, and ethnicity, schools with strong school libraries and adequate staffing by Teacher Librarians have greater student achievement levels. Here are some great sites with more information:
California's School Libraries Make a Difference (from research done by Doug Achterman, 2008):
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/caschoollibraries.asp
Stephen Krashen's website with information and research about the importance of access to books and the importance of school libraries (and much more):
http://www.sdkrashen.com/
David Loertscher's website with links to lots of research on how school libraries are linked to higher student achievement:
http://www.davidvl.org/research.html
Librarian as co-teacher // Christina Fisher
Our perception of "the librarian" has not changed and it needs to. Our librarian is a media specialist--and an amazing, underutilized asset on our campus. I think they are on most campuses. One way to change this, is to market and advertise his/her expertise through e-mail or for a small part of faculty meetings. Teachers need to view the librarian, not as a threat, but as a help in the process of educating our students. Our librarian has the most up-to-date information on what is going on in the technology and research world. I do not have time to research this under the mounds of papers I have to grade. I rely on her to inform my students and myself about the most updated information on the web. She and I have also been collaborating on how to improve our students resource retrieval literacy. Many students that graduate are not prepared to do the quality research that is expected at most colleges. With the help of the librarian, we have a four day lesson on college-level research. It is one of the lessons the students are most appreciative to learn.
Strong School Libraries Work // Marie Slim
Strong School Libraries empower students and staff to be effective users and producers of ideas and information. Teacher Librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to create "plagiarism-proof" assignments, research papers, and other learning products to demonstrate mastery of content-area standards AND information literacy.
Teacher Librarians teach how to access information, organize it, evaluate it, communicate it and USE it ethically and responsibly. Plus we really love our databases, ebooks and print books too, sharing that love with students and staff.
Students learn HOW to learn using their school libraries. They use school libraries to further their intellectual, emotional and social growth. School Libraries are the "Libratories" that infuse our schools' content area standards with the innovation and creativity of educational technology.
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian to teach your students how to transform dull PowerPoints into Animoto presentations: http://animoto.com/play/Yof0gtrow46YE4FGwSjkEg
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian how to organize a wiki so that your students can share their Animotos, Google Docs, Xtranormal animations, SchoolTube Videos, Interactive Maps, and Glogsters with others - an authentic, meaningful experience with a worldwide audience!
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian to show your students how to create a "Works Cited" to properly give credit to their sources. Ask your Teacher Librarian to help students organize "information overload" using RSS feeds, iGoogle and social bookmarking tools.
Ask your school's Teacher-Librarian to teach students how to make videos and post them to TeacherTube or SchoolTube. Ask Teacher Librarians to structure research with a Pathfinder! http://fjuhsdlibraries.wikispaces.com/Research+Pathfinders
Teacher Librarians can transform dull projects into lively, meaningful Knowledge Building Centers in which students are not regurgitating information - they are culling info to create new information and products! A Teacher Librarian will be sure to work with you to include important content area standards. http://fuhsmath.wikispaces.com/
And if your school doesn't have a Teacher-Librarian, ask, "Why not?"
Researchers' Paradise // Ken Lovgren
Our library staff does a wonderful job of scheduling use of our library's computer lab. In the pre-computer era, motivating our kids to research two careers to compare and contrast in a research paper was an uphill battle. Thanks to our government's Occupational Outlook Handbook, that task has become quite a bit more manageable. With this solid start, our kids are more engaged in and less overwhelmed by what can be a daunting writing process.
Here's a link to the site, in case anyone's interested:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/
A further benefit of computer-based library research is that it lends itself so much more conveniently to student management. I can see at a glance who is on task, and who may be in need of some gentle "encouragement" from me. With book-based research (while we still do some), I often feel like there simply isn't "enough of me to go around" during library visits.
How can we better use our school libraries? // MaryRose Lovgren
Why is access to a strong school library important for student achievement? How can we better use our libraries and take advantage of the expertise of our teacher librarians?