(a guide for Teacher Librarianship)

All I really need to know about how to blog and what to post and how to build knowledge, I learned in EDES 545. Collective wisdom is not constructed alone, but there on the blackboard of WebCT.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything

• Play podcasts

• Filter less.

• Rethink what you’re doing in your school library right now.
  

• Build a learning community that meets the needs of your learners.

• Don’t post pictures without permission.

• Say you’re sorry when you delete somebody’s wiki comments.

• Respect intellectual property and privacy
  

• Update.

• Asselin and Valenza are good for you.

• Create a balanced plan – read some and question some and gather info and analyze and synthesize and create and share and connect every day some.

• Take a break from the online world every afternoon.

• When you go out on the web, watch out for inequity, and bridge that digital divide.

• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little videoclip on YouTube: your video goes up and the world downloads it and nobody really knows how it embeds, but it’s just like that.

• Web 2.0 applications like blogs and wikis and voicethreads – they’re all social. So are we.

• And then remember the post you accidentally deleted and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – SAVE.

Everything you need to know is online somewhere. AASL’s standards for the 21st-century learner and ISTE’s NETS for students and teachers, and Ribble’s nine elements of digital citizenship. Asselin’s and Doiron’s technology and critical literacies, and ethics and social responsibility.

Take any one of those new literacies and transform your practice for 21st century learners and apply it to your school life or your library or division or your department of education and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all – the whole world – practiced Asselin and Valenza 24/7, when logged on to our laptops to learn and collaborate with each other. Or if all districts had as a basic policy to put teacher librarians back in all our schools to build and sustain a culture of inquiry.

And it is still true, no matter how savvy a digital native or immigrant you are, when you go out on the Web, it is best to hold virtual hands with a teacher librarian and stick together.

[With respect to the original "All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum]

As the Coordinator of Library Services in our school division, I work with all school library personnel, including teacher-librarians, library assistants and library technicians, to support student learning and enhance teaching through our school library programs.  In addition to my administrative role for the division, I also provide direct support to seven schools operating school libraries without a teacher-librarian on staff. In order to arrive at a clear destination for our vision, it is important to reflect on our past, in order to understand how we have moved closer to the harmonization of our school library programming and the staffing of our personnel:

Timeline

• (2002) Amalgamation of two legacy school divisions with differing philosophies about school library programs and various staffing configurations for school library personnel
• (2005) School library harmonization begins as a new vision for school library programs begins to take shape
  • Teacher-Librarians receive copies of Achieving information literacy: standards for school library programs in Canada
• (2006) Committee of Teacher-Librarians present a 5-year proposal for professional development and receive the funding for implementation:
  • Literacy with ICT across the curriculum (Michelle Larose-Kuzenko)
  • MSLA SAG: Inquiry and beyond (Jamie McKenzie)
• (2007) A new staffing formula for school library personnel is established, ensuring that 33/40 schools are staffed with a half-time teacher-librarian and 35/40 schools are staffed with a full-time library assistant.  Professional development funding is formally included in the divisional budget to support the professional learning of all school library personnel (teacher-librarians, library assistants and library technicians) and the new position of Coordinator of Library Services is created at the divisional level. 
  • Focus on inquiry (Dianne Oberg)
  • Leadership in information literacy (Lois Barranoik)
  • Clarifying copyright? (John Tooth)
  • MSLA SAG: Beyond bird units (David Loertscher)
• (2008) Professional development continues to flourish and K-8 teacher-librarians plan new instructional partnerships that support inquiry and implement the ICT contimuum.
  • Re-visioning the school library program (David Loertscher)
  • Questioning is key (Carol Koechlin)
  • Assignments worth the effort (Carol Koechlin)
  • Talk about assessment: strategies and tools to improve learning (Damian Cooper)
  • Supporting inquiry and the implementation of the ICT continuum (K-8 teacher-librarian and classroom teacher instructional partnership teams). 
  • MSLA SAG: Light at the end of the tunnel (Kenneth Oppel)
• (2009) Professional development expands to include collaborations with other school divisions and sharing of costs.
  • Inquiry through the lens of assessment Grades 9-12 (Catherine Birch)
  • The power of storytelling (Gail De Vos)
  • Taking comic books seriously (Gail De Vos)
• Coming soon
  • September 2009: Learning right from wrong in the digital age (Doug Johnson)
  • MSLA SAG October 2009: What’s “new” about the new literacies (Marlene Asselin)

The occasion to scaffold a vision for the future is truly a welcome opportunity for our school library personnel.  We are presently entering our fourth year of a five year PD plan that set out to ”reinvent, regenerate and rejuvenate” (OLA Super Conference motto, 2008) the instructional role of teacher-librarians in our schools.  When the plan was originally proposed in 2006, we had purposefully left the 2009-10 school year open to address “emerging needs and new opportunities” that might arrive over the years.

It would seem that building in the flexibility to revise our PD plan at this time could not have been more timely because a new opportunity has emerged for our school library personnel.  Our K-8 teacher-librarian and classroom teacher instructional partnership projects, that support inquiry with an infusion of ICT skills, have come to the attention of our Board of Trustees.  Their positive interest in the project and how it effectively supports the Board’s priorities for teaching and learning, make this an opportune time to showcase the evidence we have gathered on how teacher-librarians support both student and staff learning in our division.  Due to declining enrollment division-wide, we will lose another teacher-librarian position this year, so presenting a new vision for 21st century learning is critical to rethinking the contribution of the teacher-librarian in fostering student engagement and increasing student achievement.  The door is open and the dialogue is beginning.

Although our teacher-librarian team will work together to collaboratively design and implement the new vision for school libraries in our division, I will also offer my personal vision for the future in support of 21st century learning for both students and staff, based on the following key elements:

1. New learners (David Warlick, Will Richardson, Stephen Heppell)
2. New literacies (Marlene Asselin, Ray Doiron)
3. New libraries (Joyce Valenza)
4. New learning specialists (Allison Zmuda, Violet Harada)
5. New leadership roles (Violet Harada, Sandra Hughes-Hassell)

In order to support this new vision, it is important to consider what students will need to be successful learners and productive, global citizens in the 21st century.  By using a “backward design” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) approach, we can use our divisional mission and vision statements, as well as our Board of Trustees priorities for student learning and professional practice and learning, to illustrate how the instructional role of the teacher-librarians impacts favorably on student achievement in the 21st century learning environment.

A final course assignment that you can actually use to improve your current practise is definitely a gift. Like our students, I always appreciate an authentic task that has added-value and supports an area of personal interest.  The opportunity to present a vision for 21st century learning is one such assignment. 

Please visit my VoiceThread entitled A vision for 21st century learning: beginning with the future in mind.  I hope to use this VoiceThread to initiate discussions with our teacher-librarians as we begin to lay the foundations for our new PD plan.  With the added input of the teacher-librarian team, I hope this information will emerge as a formal presentation to our Board of Trustees.  It is time to reinvest in the instructional role of the teacher-librarian in order to support student learning more effectively in the 21st century.

Teachers must become comfortable as co-learners with their students and with colleagues around the world. Today it is less about staying ahead and more about moving ahead as members of dynamic learning communities. The digital-age teaching professional must demonstrate a vision of technology infusion and develop the technology skills of others. These are the hallmarks of the new education leader.

—Don Knezek, ISTE CEO, 2008

I have always considered myself very fortunate to work in a school division where professional development is highly valued in support of student learning. As outlined by our Board of Trustees’ annual statement of educational priorities, professional development at all levels is a significant area where I believe our division excels. The priorities for professional practice and learning state that “effective use of technology to support student learning” continues to be one of “several professional development topics [that] will receive sustained focus to support educators’ abilities to program for the whole child.”

For most educators, the integration of technology into professional practice and learning is both stimulating, yet challenging. As Camilla Gagliolo observes in her article “Help teachers mentor one another,” what makes it such an exciting time for educators are the “rapid changes and evolution of Web 2.0 tools and applications [that] are providing new opportunities for innovation in education.” However, if teachers are to make effective use of these emerging technologies, they need to develop “new strategies and methods for teaching that will integrate technology across the curriculum” (Ketterer, 2008).

21st century technology skills

Camilla Gagliolo challenges educators to consider how we are using technology in our schools to support student learning when she asks:“How best can we, as technology leaders, inspire teachers to take advantage of these opportunities to engage students in 21st century learning?”

In “A professional development menu,” Kimberley Ketterer states that “ensuring access to 21st century technology skills for all students begins with teachers feeling comfortable using them in their teaching and learning environment” (Ketterer, 2008). The emergence of new technologies calls “for new strategies to meet the needs of today’s digital learners” (Gagliolo, 2008).

The International Society of Technology in Education publishes the National Educational Technology Standards for both students and teachers (with an administrators’ version currently in draft). NETS for Teachers encourages“using technology to learn and teach,” through the following:

• facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
• design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessment
• model digital-age work and learning
• promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
• engage in professional growth and leadership

Source: NETS for Teachers 2008

A digital divide of technology fluency

In the article “Revamping professional development for technology integration and fluency,” Sandra Kay Plair reveals that “veteran teachers” struggle “to gain technological fluency” and “to incorporate technology into their teaching and core content” (Plair, 2008). When veteran teachers resist moving forward in integrating technology in their content areas, a digital divide widens “between themselves and their increasingly tech-savvy students” (Plair, 2008). Students learning in classrooms where the teacher has not made technology integration a priority, are subject to contributing to a digital divide between students who use technology to support their learning at school and those who do not.

In “Faculty development for the net generation,” the authors state that technology integration can “catalyze innovations in learning across generations” and that “fluency with information technology is imperative today” (Moore, Moore & Fowler, 2005). In order to keep FIT (fluent in information technology), teachers today need three kinds of knowledge:

1. contemporary skills (ability to use computer applications and apply information technology in real time)
2. foundational concepts (basic principles and ideas of computers, networks and information technology)
3. intellectual capabilities (ability to apply information technology in high-level thinking situations)

Teachers can bridge the digital divide by developing greater awareness in meeting students’ learning needs using technology, enabling their own professional development and technological skill development, and integrating “pedagogy, learning space design, technology, support, policies – to enable successful learning.” Professional development for teachers will continue to be an ongoing process “because technology, pedagogy, and practice” are constantly evolving (Moore et al., 2005).

Teacher-librarians as “knowledge brokers”

The idea of teacher-librarians as “knowledge brokers” that enhance a professional development model is an interesting one that bears further consideration. Knowledge brokers, like teacher-librarians, collaborate with others, stay current of new technology tools, prepare technology-related activities, learn new technologies and how to infuse them into curricula. Knowledge brokers make themselves available to meet staff needs, facilitate change and offer leadership by bringing teachers together to learn about technology (Plair, 2008).

Recognizing the leadership potential of the teacher-librarian becomes critical to meeting emergent learning needs and preparing students for success in a workplace that relies more and more on the use of technology.

Implications for Teaching and Learning

When the new Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum was first published in 2006, school divisions in Manitoba chose different plans of attack when considering how best to implement the new continuum in their respective schools. While many opted to phase the model in gradually over several years, our division chose to immediately immerse our students and staff in developing computer literacy from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Such a bold move also required an infusion of professional development opportunities to support both student learning and teacher. One of the most successful initiatives included a series of early years, intermediate and junior high secondments of groups of teachers who met for three days to plan activities that incorporated best teaching practices with the “big ideas” of the new ICT continuum. The resulting projects became the basis of a divisional resource bank of technology-infused lessons that all teachers could access and use in their classrooms.

Since 2006, our divisional operating budget has included funds directly allocated to the professional learning needs of our school library personnel including teacher-librarians, library assistants and library technicians. Technology integration is best realized when it is interwoven throughout the professional development opportunities for our school library staff. Both teacher-librarians and library support staff play important leadership roles in guiding students and staff in the implementation of emerging technologies. Strategies that work for our school library personnel include:

• teacher-librarians see technology integration as a priority for literacy development and differentiated instruction
• the instructional technology coordinators and the library coordinator collaborate on facilitating PD opportunities for all school library staff (combination of teacher collaboration and funding from both library and ICT budgets makes professional learning not only possible but more powerful)
• new teacher-librarian and library assistant orientations include a technology component
• teacher-librarian PD becomes more concentrated and takes place over a two-day release period
• teacher-librarians frequently model both the “coaching” and “nurturing” styles described by Kimberley Ketterer in her article “Coach, nurture, or nudge” (2007).
• part-time library staff are accommodated and compensated so they can attend critical sessions
• in order to maximize our budget, we have sought out joint-PD sessions with other school divisions which allows us to do more with less. For example, Doug Johnson is scheduled for September 2009 – difficult for one school division to host on its own, but very affordable when four divisions participate and share the costs

An approach to professional development

Our approach to providing professional development for integrating technology into teaching and learning has involved a scaffolded approach over the last three years. We have “ordered” and continue to partake of many of the items from Kimberley Ketterer’s professional development menu including equipment training, “hands on” and “levelled” workshops, peer coaching, demos, webinars, after-school mini-sessions, “drop-in” help in schools and debriefing sessions, as well as the development and execution of a three year PD plan for teacher-librarians.

Our recent inquiry and ICT initiative would seem to support Gagliolo’s assertation that “powerful learning takes place when teachers teach other teachers in a peer-to-peer network” (Gagliolo, 2008).

September 2008

Teacher-librarians spend two days with Carol Koechlin learning how to build a culture of inquiry, develop curiosity through questioning and design assignments worth the effort.

October 2008

Teacher-librarians and classroom teachers begin working together as instructional partners to support inquiry and the implementation of the ICT continuum over a 2-day release period.

Instructional Technology Coordinator provides instructional teams with “just in time” learning and demos of new technologies throughout the planning session. The support continues by tech request when the project is underway in the schools.

March 2009

Teacher-librarians and classroom teachers return to share their projects and reflect on how their instructional partnership supported student learning through inquiry and the integration of educational technology. The evidence gathered indicates that the projects have been a great success and the coordinators plan for a future rotation.

Judi Harris reminds us that when it comes to providing professional development for teachers, “one size doesn’t fit all” (2008). This will be an important consideration to keep in mind as we mentor both veteran teacher-librarians, as well as those who are new to teacher-librarianship.

The characteristics for effective professional development defined by the National Staff Development Council can be applied as a checklist to evaluate our current teacher-librarian PD practices:

• is conducted in school settings (sometimes, more frequently becoming so)
• is linked to schoolwide efforts (always)
• is concrete (always)
• is planned and offered by teachers (almost always)
• is differentiated according to teachers’ differing needs and interests (somewhat, but this is an area identified for further growth)
• addresses goals and contains learning activities that are chosen by teachers (almost always)
• emphasizes demonstrations, trials of new tools and techniques, and opportunities for participants to both receive and give feedback (almost always)
• is ongoing over time (always)
• provides ongoing assistance and support on-call (always)

Source: National Staff Development Council

It will be necessary to regularly access the needs of our teacher-librarians as new technologies continue to emerge and evolve. The impact of teacher-librarian professional development and technology integration on student learning will continue to document the evidence that guides our future direction.

Has the use and integration of educational

technology improved teaching and learning?

Absolutely

Technology integration is the incorporation of technology resources and technology-based practices into the daily routines, work, and management of schools. Technology resources are computers and specialized software, network-based communication systems, and other equipment and infrastructure. Practices include collaborative work and communication, Internet-based research, remote access to instrumentation, network-based transmission and retrieval of data, and other methods. This definition is not in itself sufficient to describe successful integration: it is important that integration be routine, seamless, and both efficient and effective in supporting school goals and purposes.

Technology in Schools Task Force (2003)

Information and communication technologies provide students and teachers with an open window to the outside world. In education, our relationship with technology has evolved over time. What began as a trend where we learned how to use new technologies, is now focused on supporting student learning through the integration of technology (Oncu, Delialioglu & Brown, 2008).

Today, teachers understand that the future success of our students will depend on our educational system’s ability to equip our children with the skills required to survive in a society relying more and more on the use of technology. Educational technology prepares students for “lifelong learning in a rapidly changing technological society,” regardless of their prospective career goals (Integrating your technology, 2007).

Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions – as accessible as all other classroom tools.

National Education Technology Standards for Students, ISTE

The integration of technology into our classrooms does not always mean abandoning traditional tools, but providing new choices that have wider appeal to personal learning preferences. In the article “Meaningful technology integration in early years environments,” students engage in inquiry use digital cameras and microscopes, but they also use paper, crayons and pencils. “Integrating technology into the curriculum involves turning technology into a tool that enhances student learning in a subject matter area or multidisciplinary setting” (Integrating Your Technology, 2007).

The cursor joins the… pen.

The hard drive joins the… filing cabinet.

The monitor joins the… a piece of paper.

The CD-ROM joins the… book, encyclopedia.

The digital joins the… analogue.

The colour laser printer and paint programs join the… box of markers.

The mimio joins the… chalkboard.

The document camera joins the… overhead.

The blog joins the… daily journal.

The subscription database joins the… periodicals.

In an age where information is vast and quick access a necessity, students and staff are required to develop skills that will enable them to locate, select, analyze, record, organize and communicate information, using a variety of resources and tools. The Internet has changed the way we gather and manage information. Educational technologies are taking an active role in research, in acquiring information and in presentation. Teacher-Librarians are already providing leadership in the implementation of new information technologies, expanded views of literacy and the education of students, parents and staff in their use.

Technology is an essential tool in curriculum delivery and it is used to promote thinking, both in the creative and the critical sense. Self-expression does not really change with technology as it will always be important for students to find a voice for their thoughts. They will always have a need to record their learning and a stage from which to present their new understandings. Students will also benefit by studying the ideas and expressions of others.

As information and communication technologies continue to impact our daily lives, schools play an important role in educating students and staff in their use, as well as providing digital equity to diverse communities of learners. Not only is the information landscape changing, but our concept of literacy education is also expanding. Without question, teaching and learning have gone through a period of positive transformation in recent years due to the integration of educational technologies in our school programs and curricula.

Learning to learn

Technology allows students to take ownership for their own learning by teaching themselves and constructing personal meaning. Video tutorials and podcasts on the Internet provide students and teachers with information and instruction on a wide variety of topics. Technology encourages students to “find their own teachers online” and everyone has the potential to be your teacher (Richardson, 2009).

Student Achievement

Educational technology has been proven to have a positive effect on student achievement:

ISTE [Iinternational Society for Technology in Education] members have monitored research on the effectiveness of technology in education on student outcomes for more than 20 years, and one convincing trend has emerged: when implemented appropriately, the integration of technology into instruction has positive effects on student achievement.

In reviewing peer-reviewed journal articles on the effects of education technology integration on achievement, seven studies published since 2000 have shown significant effects in mathematics, and fourteen articles have shown significant effects in reading and literacy.

Technology and student achievement – the indelible link (2008)

21st Century Skills

The integration of educational technology equips students with 21st century skills such “as the abilities to communicate, collaborate, analyze, create, innovate, and solve problems” (Technology and student achievement – the indelible link, 2008)

New Tools

Teachers are learning that video-sharing web sites like YouTube, TeacherTube, and United Streaming can be accessed for quick videos to illustrate a point or enhance a lesson. As Joyce Valenza states “there is no better tool for analysis than a blog” and “no better tool for synthesis than a wiki.”

Access to information in real time

The integration of educational technology in our schools allows students access to unlimited information at the click of a mouse button. In the article “Meaningful technology integration in early learning environments,” when a teacher and her students need an expert opinion, the children “dictate an e-mail message to a local paleontologist” while the teacher types their questions (Wang, Jaruszewicz, Rosen, Berson, & Bailey 2008).

Collaboration

A technology-rich environment encourages collaboration as students “learn together, rather than on their own.” Using technology often means that students need to learn how to share equipment and troubleshoot technical problems when computers don’t work properly. Technology makes collaboration simpler and more efficient with the use of e-mail, video conferencing, websites and wikis (Williams, Atkinson, Cate & O’Hair, 2008)

Creativity and innovation

Technology in the classroom gives students new and creative ways in which to develop their “ideas and opinions, for communicating and collaborating with others, and for enhancing problem solving and personal fulfillment” (Integrating Your Technology, 2007). Digital storytelling allows students to combine words, pictures and sound to tell a story or convey a message using critical thinking skills. When used appropriately, educational technologies can “promote deeper student thinking and understanding” (Oncu, Delialioglu & Brown, 2008).

Globalization of communications

Technology brings people from all over the world together, allowing students to develop greater understanding of one and other. “The plight of different peoples in the world who suffer from poverty, starvation, disease, and major catastrophic events becomes available instantly” (Benton-Borghi, 2007). Blogs have also emerged as “communication tools that create a variety of authentic writing experiences for students and teachers” (Mullen & Wedwick, 2008) before a global audience.

Differentiated instruction

Educational technology enables all students to receive the instruction they need, as they need it. Dr. Hope Benton-Borghi describes the integration of educational technologies on teaching and learning as “remov[ing] the shackles of the discriminatory one-size-fits-all modality of print.” The implementation of educational technologies in classrooms means that both the gifted, and students with learning challenges, can have their needs met in the same instructional setting. Effective technology integration makes this possible.

Special needs

Educational technologies provide new opportunities for learning for students with special physical, learning, behavioural and emotional challenges. Technology can often be “customized” to accommodate a student’s particular need. For example, “specially designed digital cameras allow children to take pictures by pressing an attached switch” (Wang et al., 2008). Educational technologies can frequently be adapted to meet special needs and allow children increased independence in their use.

Student-directed learning

The integration of technology often gives students more choice in their learning. Students make choices based on their skills, the learning task and their personal preference. Educational technologies support and extend student learning through inquiry across the curriculum.

Student Engagement

In the article, “Mutual support between learning community development and technology integration: impact on school practices and student achievement,” the teachers interviewed, reported that “technology increased overall student engagement” because “the extra layer of interactivity that technology brings as an instructional tool changes the way the students perceive information forever” (Williams et al., 2008). Teachers also observed an increase in attendance and a decrease in discipline problems with the integration of new technologies in their programs.

Distance Education

Distance education allows students in remote areas to attend classes via technology. Technology allows school divisions and other educational institutions to extend the curriculum and share resources. Students are no longer restricted to the courses offered at their local university. For example, students from Winnipeg who want to study teacher-librarianship can enroll at the University of Alberta and attend classes via WebCT.

Promote and document learning

The use of digital cameras makes it very affordable and convenient to document student learning and provide evidence that technology integration has a positive effect on student learning. A digital camera and email allow students to communicate with their families from school. Class web sites and teacher blogs provide new ways of communicating with parents (Wang et al., 2008).

Student Leadership

As today’s students become more skilled in using technology than their teachers, students are taking on new leadership roles. By encouraging student involvement in “technology decision making and implementation,” educators can promote “the benefits of service learning and leadership with the needs of schools struggling to integrate technology” (Martinez & Harper, 2008). Students participate in authentic tasks such as creating curriculum resources, presentations, videos and web sites for real purposes, becoming stakeholders in their own learning.

Conclusion

The potential value of technology as a tool for teaching and learning can no longer be ignored. Integrating educational technologies in the classroom provides new ways for students to learn and teachers to teach. “Classroom technologies can encourage engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction (Wang et al.,2008). Educational technologies are tools to improve student learning and enhance teaching, not toys with a short shelf life.

REFERENCES

Benton-Borghi, H. (2007). Are schools better than they were 20 years ago? Learning & Leading wih Technology, 34(7), 8-9.

Davis, A.P. & McGrail, E. (2009). The joy of blogging. Educational Leadership, 66(6), 74-77.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). National Educational Technology Standards for Students. Available at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). Technology and student achievement – the indelible link. Available at http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Advocacy/Policy/59.08-PolicyBrief-F-web.pdf

Lawless, K.A. & Pellegrino, J.W. (2007). Professional development in integrating technology into teaching and learning. Review of Educational Research, 77(4), 575-615. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals.

Martinez, S. & Harper, D. (2008). Working with tech-savvy kids. Educational Leadership, 66(3), 64-69.

Mullen, R. & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: getting started in the classroom with YouTube, digital stories, and blogs. The Clearing House, 82(2), 66-69.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Forum unified education technology suite: Integrating your technology. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/tech_suite/#H1

Oncu, S., Delialioglu, O. & Brown, C.A. (2008). Critical components for technology integration: how do instructors make decisions? The journal of computers in mathematics and science teaching, 27(1), 19-47.

Richardson, Will. (2009). A web of connections: why the read/write web changes everything. OLA Super Conference.

Technology in Schools Task Force (2003). Suggestions, tools, and guidelines for assessing technology in elementary and secondary education. Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003313.pdf

Wang, X.C., Jaruszewicz, C., Rosen, D., Berson, I. & Bailey, M. (2008). Meaningful technology integration in early learning environments. National Association for Education of Young Children, 63(5), 48-50. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals.

Williams, L.A., Atkinson, L.C., Cate, J.M. & O’Hair, M.J. (2008). Mutual support between learning community development and technology integration: impact on school practices and student achievement. Theory into Practice, 47(4), 294-302.

Source: Riehl, D. (2007). Students’ privacy rights in school libraries: balancing principles, ethics and practices. School Libraries in Canada: a journal of the Canadian Association of School Libraries. 26(2). Retrieved March 14, 2009 from http://www.cla.ca/casl/slic/262studentsprivacyrights.htm

If you have ever questioned whether or not the policies and procedures in your school library are really protecting the privacy of your clientele, perhaps a “privacy audit“ is in order.  In the article “Conducting a privacy audit,”  Helen Adams describes this term as “a process during which library staff examine what personally identifiable information is collected about each patron and the records generated about the individual’s use of library resources, services, and facilities.”  In Donna Riehl’s article entitled “Student privacy rights in school libraries: balancing principles, ethics and practices,”  the author suggests that “a privacy audit conducted at a school level might provide [library personnel with] an enlightening review of practices and identity modifications to better support students’ rights.” A privacy audit can also help library personnel to reflect on how well they address privacy concerns in regards to patron confidentiality in the following areas:

• access to client library records
• policies adopted specifically in regards to library use
• records of a patron’s personal information
• records of a patron’s circulation information
• distribution of overdue notices to students
• requests for interlibrary loans
• patron data and histories recorded by Internet search logs on school networks
• disposal of library records that contain patron information

If school library personnel thought that upholding student privacy rights in the library was difficult before the onset of the Internet, they certainly could not have imagined how challenging the task has become since the rapid growth of social networking sites. In his book Learning right from wrong in the digital age: an ethics guide for parents, teachers, librarians, and others who care about computer-using young people, Doug Johnson states that “privacy issues are a hot-button topic as citizens become more aware of how easily technology can gather, hold, and analyze personal data and how, increasingly, their own online activities can be monitored” (Johnson, 2003). In considering the issue of online privacy, students need to “protect their own privacy as well as honor the privacy of others” (Johnson, 2003).

Protecting your own privacy online

Teaching students to protect their own privacy online is really no different than teaching them how to be “street smart” in their real life. It is important for students to become savvy to online marketing and advertising, in the same way that we teach them to be wary of print media and television advertising. Students need to understand that a stranger online is no different than a stranger they might meet on the street. What is different is that online we “lose the visual clues to the other person” and we only know what we are told (Johnson, 2003).

It is a challenge for both educators and parents to ensure that children in their care learn to be “googled well” (Richardson, 2009). Children also need to understand how their online behaviour may be interpreted in the future. Their actions online may seem harmless at the time, but what will others think a year from now or a prospective employer five years from now. In “Lighting lamps,” blogger Doug Johnson advises us to write as though people we want to think well of us are reading what we write or post – a parent, a friend, a co-worker or a boss.

Respecting the privacy of others

In addition to protecting your own privacy online, students also need to learn the importance of respecting the privacy of others, including their peers, teachers and parents. The content of student work created on a computer is private, in the same way that the content of a written diary is personal. Students need to understand that just “because information appears on a computer screen doesn’t make it public” (Johnson, 2003).

In “R U Safe,” author Johanna Mustacchi asks “Who better to teach young adolescents about online dangers than other adolescents?” This article from the March 2009 issue of Educational Leadership describes how 8th Grade students took on the responsibility of educating 6th Graders about online safety and privacy. It is really impressive how middle years teacher, Johanna Mustacchi, uses her media literacy course “for motivating older students to present information on a public safety issue – and getting younger students to take it seriously” (Mustacchi, 2009). As part of this authentic inquiry project, the 8th Grade students created the following top ten list of Internet safety tips:

1. Don’t give out personal information
2. Don’t talk to anybody you don’t know
3. Use a secure password
4. Don’t give your password to anybody
5. Be careful about what you post online
6. Don’t put pictures of yourself online
7. Tell someone if you get cyberbullied
8. Be honest
9. Don’t click on pop-ups
10. Only go to sites you know are safe

Source: 8th Grade Students at Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School. Mustacchi, Johanna. (2009). R U Safe? Educational Leadership, 66, 6. p.81.

Implications for teaching and learning

Teacher-librarians support intellectual freedom and advocate for client privacy rights on principle, but I wonder whether or not what we know and believe, always transfers into practice in our school libraries? It can be a curious situation that we find ourselves in when it comes to honouring a student’s right for privacy in a school library. The dilemma stems from the fact that teacher-librarians have a dual role in the school – first, they are teachers and in that role, act in the best interests of a child in their parent’s absence. Secondly, they are librarians who have the responsibility to uphold the ideals of intellectual freedom and privacy in the school library. So how do teacher-librarians resolve this conflict within their assignment when parents or guardians request specific library information about their child’s borrowing habits. Are parents denied access to their own child’s library circulation records when inquiring about overdue book titles, even when the child is a kindergarten student?

Concerns relating to patron privacy in a school library are not only the responsibility of teacher-librarians, but of all school library personnel including library technicians, clerks, parent volunteers and student helpers who may come in contact with personal client information. It is important that all those who work in school libraries be cognizant of what constitutes student privacy when managing personal information. For many of our school library personnel this means re-thinking how we handle circulation procedures and overdue notices. It also means re-educating our colleagues and parents to understand how libraries have a responsibility in protecting the privacy of their patrons.

According to the Canadian Library Association’s “Position on citizenship access to information data banks – right to privacy,” the policy states “that names of library users not be released to any person, institution, association or agency for any reasons save as may be legally required by Federal or Provincial laws.”  It would not surprise me if administrators, staff and parents found the school librarian’s perspective on student privacy somewhat overprotective or even excessive. Teachers posting overdue lists and parents requesting titles for missing library books have always been considered as ways in which adults help students take responsibility for borrowed library materials, not as invasions of privacy.

In some ways, I think teacher-librarians may have an easier task when it comes to convincing staff members and parents as to the importance of educating students to guard their privacy in an online environment. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s website includes pertinent information on Children’s Online Privacy. This site confirms that more and more young people are spending a great deal of their lives online, and as a result, they “must [learn to] navigate the challenges of protecting their personal information online.” Teacher-librarians can help students to understand that what they write and say online can profile their identity for marketing purposes. Personal data is “a hot commodity” for companies looking for trends and patterns in their preferences upon which to capitalize.

In order to address student privacy issues in the school library, my first step would be to investigate our divisional policy manual in regards to existing student privacy rights. Developing and documenting a divisional privacy policy for our school libraries, that supports both circulation and online issues, would be valuable in educating both students and staff to recognize how school library programs promote the ideals of intellectual freedom.  To support a greater understanding of common privacy issues, it would also be worthwhile for our teacher-librarians to make authentic connections to the affective domain of our Manitoba Literacy with ICT across the curriculum.  This area of the continuum identifies “respecting others’ privacy” and “protecting personal information” as examples where students can apply an ethical and responsible use of ICT.  By embedding these ideals within their inquiry-based learning activities, teacher-librarians can create a greater sense of awareness among students and staff in regards to individual rights and responsibilities.

Privacy and confidentiality are social responsibilities that school library personnel need to take ownership for in our school libraries.  It is important for students, even at a young age, to understand that school libraries defend their rights to privacy and freedom to read as they choose.

It would seem rather appropriate that this week’s post is timed to coincide with our Freedom to Read Week in Canada. From February 22nd through 28th, Canadians are celebrating the 25th anniversary of “Freedom to Read Week.” This annual event draws attention to our right to intellectual freedom and serious issues such as censorship.

Intellectual freedom can be defined as an individual’s right “to read, to listen, to write, and to speak your beliefs and opinions” (Kids, know your rights! created by the Intellectual Freedom Committee 2005-2007, Association for Library Service to Children). In Canada, our Canadian Library Association’s Statement on Intellectual Freedom also states that:

All persons in Canada have the fundamental right, as embodied in the nation’s Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity, and to express their thoughts publicly. This right to intellectual freedom, under the law, is essential to the health and development of Canadian society.

In “Intellectual Freedom 101,” Helen Adams refers to “intellectual freedom” as “one of the core values of the library profession” (Adams, 2007). Libraries play a prominent role in supporting our right to intellectual freedom, even when it might be considered “to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable” (CLA, Statement on Intellectual Freedom) to do so. This means that libraries and librarians have a responsibility to ensure there is access to materials that express a variety of opinions and interests, although there may be some who object to their content and may challenge their inclusion in a library collection.

Intellectual freedom also includes respect for intellectual property. Intellectual property and copyright protect the work of others from being reproduced without permission. It is important for students “to understand that property is a two-sided issue: they need to respect the property of others as well as protect their own property from the abuses of others” (Johnson, 2003). Since it has become so easy to copy the content from electronic sources, there is a need for increased emphasis on ethical behaviors such as respect for intellectual property by seeking permission for use and acknowledging authorship.

In this digital age of learning, we all have the potential to be content creators in the Web 2.0 environment. David Warlick agrees in “Redefining literacy 2.0,” when he says that “an increasingly accessible Web” means that many of us,”our students included, are [becoming] information producers and intellectual property owners” (Warlick, 2009). We can express ourselves in writing, visually, through sound, through movement, and through multimedia. However, with all this new freedom, comes responsibility and the need to be literate in new ways. In the United States, the National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for students was updated in 2007 to include the concept of digital citizenship which states that “students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior” (NETS-S).

The “affective domain” of our own K-8 continuum model for Literacy with ICT across the curriculum in Manitoba consists of four big ideas: responsibility and ethics, social implications, collaboration, and motivation and confidence. The affective domain is an important target area for our teacher-librarians, as classroom teachers often focus their attention on the big ideas of the cognitive domain of the continuum. Teacher-librarians can provide the essential support to help students “recognize the need to acknowledge authorship of intellectual property” in various media (text, images, music, video). As well, teacher-librarians guide students to recognize and question unethical behavior that might materialize in the form of bias, prejudice, hatred, racism, fraud or theft. Teaching students to be critical evaluators of online information becomes a critical new literacy for our students.

In his book entitled Learning right from wrong in the digital age, Doug Johnson asks the question…”Why do technology ethics deserve special attention? In considering the following, it becomes apparent that students require support in developing new literacies in “appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use” (Ribble, 2008-09) for the following reasons:

• media such as books, films and television have trivialized our respect for technology ethics by making hacking into computers seem acceptable, and even “heroic”
• a virtual world seems less serious than the real world, making it easier to “copy” software from a computer, as compared with physically “stealing” software from a computer store
• there seems to be less physical evidence when breaking the law electronically

In “Intellectual freedom for youth: Social technology and social networks,” author Annette Lamb outlines eight ways teacher-librarians can use their instructional role to support both students and teachers in navigating the “key issues related to intellectual freedom and social technology for young people.” Lamb’s “eight ways to take action” are particularly attractive because they allow teacher-librarians to envision specific ways in which they can use new social technology tools “as an opportunity to enhance thinking and learning” (Lamb, 2007).

1. look for ways to include these new tools in “positive, productive ways”
2. keep informed about new legislation (Bill C-61) that moves forward, rather than hinders progress
3. use social technologies to “amplify learning”
4. encourage students and teachers to evaluate social networks for themselves
5. work with students and their parents in developing strategies to ensure safety and privacy online
6. scaffold student experiences with social networking, from both within (portal) and outside (world wide web)
7. continually update your policies (collection development, selection policy, library procedures)
8. advocate for intellectual freedom

Source: Lamb, A. “Intellectual freedom for youth: Social technology and social networks, “Knowledge Quest: Intellectual Freedom 101. Vol.36, No.2, 38-45.

In our schools, teacher-librarians don’t only find themselves providing guidance in ethics and responsibility to students, but to their colleagues as well. As Mike Ribble observes in the article “Passport to digital citizenship: journey toward appropriate technology use at school and at home,” we are not only “educat[ing] our children on the issues that are occuring with technology but provid[ing] resources for our teachers and parents as well.” Teaching and promoting ethical behavior to adults is critical because they are often the models for students in their care. If we expect students to model responsible, ethical conduct when using technology, then we must also display the same regard and respect as their teachers. As Doug Johnson says, “It’s useless to lecture about intellectual property when we as adults use pirated software!” (Johnson, 2003).

An important strategy that teacher-librarians can use when dealing with the controversy that often results from disagreeable discussions that lecture on copyright infringement, plagiarism and disrespect for intellectual property, is to focus on the positives and what is permitted, rather than what is not. For example, if students and teachers are frequently using images that are not copyright free, teacher-librarians can re-direct them to sites and sources where they may have permission to use free images (World Book Online, Creative Commons, flickr). When we want to divert students and teachers from activity that is seemingly harmless, but unethical, teacher-librarians can experience greater success if they have a do-able alternative ready to offer up in substitute of the offending behavior.

Perhaps one of the most effective ways educators can “help students understand and appreciate information as valuable property is to make them property owners” (Warlick, 2009). We can also support students in developing a deeper understanding of intellectual property, by encouraging teacher-librarian and classroom teacher collaborations, whereby this dynamic instructional team plans and designs assignments that discourage plagiarism and promote original thought. By embedding safety, ethics and responsibility within student projects, digital literacy skills should eventually become seamlessly woven within the inquiry process. More than ever before, schools will need to rely on the skillset and expertise of the teacher-librarian in interpreting copyright laws, confronting censorship and defending intellectual freedom in a new digital age – where the very social nature of our online environment has forced us to re-evaluate how we interact with both public and private information.

Generally speaking, the term “digital divide” has come to mean “the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all” (Wikipedia). As the “digital divide” gapes and recedes, it also continues to evolve and redefine itself to describe a variety of “imbalances in [ICT] resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen” (Wikipedia). As George Sciadas states in the research paper, “The Digital Divide in Canada,” it has become an “umbrella term for many issues,” including access to and use of ICT, inhibitors to using ICT, and literacy with ICT skills. It can also be “used to refer both to internal country divides, as well as divides across countries” (Sciadas, 2005).

Global Digital Divide

In examining the “digital divide” from within a global context, it is not difficult to understand how the gap increases in areas of the world where the Internet is not easily accessible. Lack of access to technology and the Internet creates a ripple effect because without the infrastructure and necessary hardware, education and the economy both suffer when a country’s citizens remain illiterate in using new ICT skills. Common factors that contribute to the “global digital divide” are gender, age, income, education, ethnicity and country of residence. In many cases, these factors “overlap, so that some groups are doubly or triply disadvantaged” (Looker & Thiessen, 2003).

Digital Divide in Canada

According to a recent Canadian Internet Use Survey referenced in the Globe and Mail, “age, income, education and place of residence” continue to be factors that contribute to the “digital divide” in Canada. In 2003, Dianne Looker and Victor Thiessen reported the following statistics based on interviews with high school students in Canada. Although some differences were marginal, their study revealed that “there is indeed a digital divide for Canadian youth in terms of access and experience with ICT:”

• a divide persists between users and non-users (heavy and light use equates to competence and tentative use)
• male and female students report equal access to technology, but different reasons for why they use it (gaming, social networks, school work)
• rural students less likely to have computer access at home, but use their school and local library computers more than their urban counterparts
• urban students have more access to specialized software for specific subject areas
• less computer support and professional learning opportunities for teachers in rural areas
• where the level of parent education is low, computers are rarely used at home or there is no computer
• lower socio-economic status homes tend to spend less time on the computer
• schools where teachers struggle with time limitations, pressure to cover the curriculum, lack of funds, limited number of Internet connections

Source: Looker, D. & V. Thiessen. (2003). Digital Divide in Canadian Schools.

Digital Divide in Education

Access to computers and the Internet tends to be the focus of most discussions concerning the “digital divide.” However, the ways in which computers are used both at school and at home offer yet another dimension to the term “digital divide.” For example, students can still be disadvantaged by a teacher or parent who does not model the use of new technologies effectively.

In the AASL blog post “Web 2.0 in schools: our digital divides are showing!” mmardis suggests that the integration of Web 2.0 tools in our schools is causing a new kind of “digital divide.” In reflecting on mmardis’ four quadrant divide model, I can evaluate how we are enabling or reducing a digital divide within our own school division:

1. Access (technology, bandwidth)

In terms of access to computer technologies and the Internet, our school division has been very diligent in providing equity to all our schools, regardless of factors such as school population, location and teacher education. All of our schools have comparable access to hardware, software, professional learning opportunities and technical support. We are now in the process of dismantling our computer labs in our K-8 schools and reconfiguring our hardware in pods of computers in school libraries and classrooms. Teacher-librarians will be instrumental in helping classroom teachers to make this shift in how they structure their instructional time with students. In “Revamping professional development for technology integration and fluency,” author Sandra Kay Plair anticipates that it will be difficult to “convince veteran teachers to rethink the role of technology” and move them towards a new understanding of “the value that new technology tools have to offer to student learning” (Plair, 2008). The collaborative and instructional skills of the teacher-librarian will be critical to building a culture of inquiry that seamlessly integrates technology into the classroom setting, thus increasing student engagement and supporting best practices in teaching.

2. Skill (personal, professional)

For most teaching staff in our division, Web 2.0 tools are still very much buzz words. We are just beginning to use the language of blogs, wikis and podcasts in terms of our portal system… but having access to new tools is only half the battle… being able to use these new tools effectively and responsibly is even more important. In order to help build understanding among staff, one of our divisional strategies has been to empower teacher-librarians to offer instructional leadership in using blogs and wikis to support both student learning and professional learning for teachers. In order for our teacher-librarians to develop the necessary skills, the instructional technology coordinator has offered after-school workshops at various schools around the division… blogs one week, wikis another. We have also embedded the use of Web 2.0 tools in our teacher-librarian inquiry workshops and presented our PD plan in the form of a wiki. As a result, teacher-librarians are beginning to make new connections with students through book club blogs and collaborating with colleagues by using wikis to plan committee events. Using new tools in an authentic and meaningful context, not only models the tool for new learners, but generates useful content at the same time.

3. Policy (acceptable use, library, filtering)

Although our division blocks most Web 2.0 tools, we do have access to blogs, wikis and podcasts from within the confines of our divisional portal. Our policy is not to provide access to open source software that requires an external email address, but the tools in our portal can provide a simulated experience for our students and staff from within a safe environment. While we are learning to blog, to record and post a podcast, and to collaborate on a wiki, we are building the same skills we will need to use on the open web. In order to respect our divisional policy and give our students a similar Web 2.0 experience, our teacher-librarians are working collaboratively with their school personnel to set up classroom blogs and use wikis for class projects where appropriate. An important strategy will be to “share” how we are using these tools to support student learning successfully, rather than “tell” decision makers that we need increased access and less filtering. As Stephen Abram counsels in “Talking tech with leaders: getting buy-in and understanding,” “you’re building support for a vision and trying to influence priorities” (Abram, 2009).

4. Motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic)

I know that many of our teacher-librarians and instructional technology advocates are motivated to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into their practice. My motivation in using the tools that we have, is to use them effectively in context and exhaust their possibilities within the portal. At present, we are able to connect with students and teachers in other schools which is a start to expanding the confines of the physical classroom space. However, what makes Web 2.0 tools so engaging for learners is not so much the creation of the content, but what comes after publication (Richardson, 2009) … the comments, the discussions, the new ideas, the new understandings. What can be more intrinsically motivating than feedback from a real audience? How long will we be satisfied with only connecting to our immediate community of learners within the portal? In demonstrating our mastery of the tools from within the portal, we will be in a better position to advocate for less restrictions and the use of external Web 2.0 tools that are already available outside the school.

Without question, Web 2.0 tools are gaining in popularity outside our schools. Since students are already using these new technologies, we need to recognize the impact they are having and use these tools to re-engage students in learning. We need to give students the opportunity to use these new tools for learning, not just communication. In a “big picture” sense, Web 2.0 tools allow students to find their own teachers in a connected world (Richardson, 2009).

As an experiment last week, I decided to add a Clustrmap to the left sidebar of my blog. I’ve been thinking about where the content of this blog has been travelling. It’s very easy to forget that others may be reading and sharing what is written here. I expected to see red dots pop up in Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, but certainly not in Toronto, the United States or the Netherlands? Now this might be a bit of a stretch in regards to this week’s “digital divide” theme but I’m going to make a pitch for how clustrmaps might reveal emerging trends, which are intriguing, but hardly scientific by any means.

In referring to how his own learning takes place through the contacts he makes on his blog, Will Richardson reflects on how Web 2.0 learning makes it possible for him to connect with many “teachers.” He adds that it’s “humbling” that so many people worldwide visit his blog every week. In acknowledgement of Richardson’s authority on Technorati and his reputation as a top Edublogger, we can examine his clustermap, considering that most weblogg-ed visitors are interested in education and/or savvy to Web 2.0 tools. Although, not a thoroughly scientific premise, the clustermap reveals a “digital divide” of its own. Examine Will’s map for yourself and consider a digital divide among educators around the world that is taking place at this very moment, between those who are tracking Richardson’s new ideas and those who are not.

The question of how much or how little we need to filter Internet content for our students is a 21st century conundrum for most educators today. We are struggling for consensus in this transitory time where we are talking about developing 21st century learning skills, but simultaneously obstructing the means by which we can move forward in acquiring these skills. Even though the emergence of Web 2.0 tools and access to open source software brings new challenges to educators, it is increasingly difficult to ignore the realization that these new resources also “bring tremendous learning advantages to our students” (Hall, 2008).

THE PLAYERS

• Students
  • often several steps ahead of most adults when it comes to navigating the Internet (both their parents and their teachers included)
  • active participants in social networks and comfortable in using Web 2.0 technologies
  • required “to power down” at school
  • lack experience in using “new literacies” such as critical thinking, ethics and responsibility
• Teacher-Librarians
  • believe student safety and well-being are paramount
  • offer expertise in using “new literacies” such as critical thinking, ethics and responsibility
  • frustrated by restricted access to online resources and Web 2.0 tools
  • advocates for intellectual freedom
  • concerned about “making waves” when jobs are on the line (Bell, 2008)
• Classroom Teachers
  • believe student safety and well-being are paramount
  • frustrated by restricted access to online resources
  • seeking instructional support in implementing “new literacies” such as critical thinking, ethics and responsibility
  • concerned about “making waves” when jobs are on the line (Bell, 2008)
• School-based administrators
  • believe student safety and well-being are paramount
  • obligation to the students, parents, staff and community
  • obligation to the school board trustees and superintendents
• Information Technology Directors and Supervisors
  • believe student safety and well-being are paramount
  • responsible for setting and maintaining the levels of access on the network filter
  • responsible for responding to requests to unblock resources
  • often make decisions regarding what students and teachers have access to at school
• School Board Trustees and Superintendents
  • believe student safety and well-being are paramount
  • have a legal obligation to the students, parents, staff and community
  • can be “set up for litigation if students are exposed to questionable content” (Media Awareness Network, 2009)
  • rely on the expertise of information technology directors and supervisors
  • have concerns for placing teachers’ careers in jeopardy without filters in place

ACT I – What we know…

We can all agree that when it comes to our children, we want to ensure that they are always as safe as possible while working online, both at school and at home. In our “Acceptable Use Policies,” we recognize that “the Internet is a valuable resource for students, and [that] students need to know how to use the Internet effectively and safely” (LRSD IT Acceptable Use & Safety, 2005). Even so, most school divisions filter web content from the Internet by restricting words or meanings that may be considered offensive or inappropriate for children. Filters can also shield students from obscenities, profanity, slurs, blasphemous terms, and slang terms for items such as drugs. For the most part, filters provide schools with “a reasonably high degree of protection from objectionable material when using online resources” (Hall, 2008).

According to Robert Losinski in “Patrolling Web 2.0,” it takes more than just blocking harmful sites to keep students from accessing them.” Reports on how “students can get around a standard filter and gain access to just about any site imaginable” (Losinski, 2007) continue to raise questions about how effective filters are in protecting our children. In the United States, the Children’s Internet Protection Act or CIPA, was legislated to “address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers.” As outlined in CIPA, schools and libraries receiving federal funding must purchase content filters to “prevent users from viewing objectionable material” (Villano, 2008). Despite the high financial costs required to support CIPA’s conditions, students admit that it is not difficult to slip by the filter using “anonymous proxy servers” (Losinski, 2007). By relying heavily on web filters to protect us from unseemly content, it seems as though we may be developing a “false sense of security” by putting all our faith in an unreliable technology.

ACT II – What we are learning…

As web filtering continues to be an issue of concern, both students and teachers are experiencing frustration in being unable to retrieve the information they need to access while at school. In the article “What are we protecting them from,” author Matt Villano concedes that often schools that operate filters at the highest settings may actually be doing their students a disservice by blocking access to quality information as well.

In “I’m Mad and I’m not going to take it anymore,” Mary Ann Bell states that “not allowing access can be dangerous, as it keeps us from teaching kids to be safe and smart online when they are on their own.” (Bell, 2008). She adds that filtering can lead to “laziness” because “it is easier to widely block a list of words than [to take the time] to carefully evaluate materials” (Bell, 2008).

We have also learned that “web filters can’t stand alone in an effective online safety strategy” (Losinski, 2007). Students also have access to computers outside school where content is not filtered and supervision varies depending on parent involvement. Therefore, it becomes more important than ever that students become educated in how to protect themselves online. “Educating students to make wise decisions and to evaluate the source and quality of information and communication they receive” (McDonald, 2007) are essential skills for today’s learners.

In “Justifying the social tools: improving the conversation,” Stephen Abram states that restricting access to the Internet has the potential to “damage the teacher-librarian’s key roles in preparing learners to research well.” For teacher-librarians, collaboration and critical thinking are not new skills… but, perhaps more than ever, students need to be able to find, edit and evaluate information in an authentic environment.

The teacher-librarian provides leadership and instructional support to both students and teachers. Developing critical evaluation skills, designing effective search strategies and respecting intellectual property are becoming core skills for student success online. David Warlick refers to this shift as an “ethical imperative” which means we must “teach children to be their own gatekeepers” when it comes to being “literate in the new information landscape” (Warlick, 2007).

ACT III – What happens next…

Finding consensus between student safety online and student access online has become the essence of the filtering conundrum in our schools. In “Patrolling Web 2.0,” author Robert Losinski comments on the irony of how school divisions provide students and teachers with Internet access as a resource to complete research assignments… yet filter the exact content that would enable them to actually carry out their inquiry-based research. Mary Ann Bell echos this concern when she observes that “state standards call for online collaboration that is hindered by overly restrictive filters. Thus, schools are working environments that keep them from achieving their own goals” (Bell, 2008).

Even though school filters may restrict our Internet access at work, both students and teachers spend the majority of their time in an “unfiltered world” outside of school. This is our reality and we need to know how to deal with it more effectively. Filtering online content in our schools works in direct opposition to our need to increase experiential learning. Blocking access to electronic learning sources can affect curriculum delivery.

Teacher-librarians are well-positioned to play an important role in transforming teaching and learning in our schools. In reflecting on my own teaching and learning, I can envision a personal action plan that has the potential to impact favorably on student learning during this transitory time.

• ask pertinent questions in regards to filtering standards in our school division
• ensure that Acceptable Use Policies “respect the rights of both child and school,” emphasize “supervision and guidance,” rather than “surveillance and control” (Media Awareness Network, 2009)
• refocus our attention on the Canadian Library Association’s Statement on Intellectual Freedom
• develop an action plan for teacher-librarians to take the lead in preparing students and teachers to become fluent in new 21st century literacies, that emphasize critical thinking, evaluating and editing
• create a technology hearing committee comprised of representatives of all the stakeholders (students, teachers, classroom teachers, principals, parents, community members, technology directors, senior administrators and school board trustees) to address the question of content filtering in our schools. In “Filtering woes redux,” Mary Ann Bell reminds us that stakeholders like “librarians, teachers, and administrators need to work together to use the best the Internet has to offer and to help students be successful and safe searchers” (Bell, 2006).
• bring current literature and research findings on filtering to the attention of all stakeholders.
• advocate for the empowerment of curriculum coordinators and school-based teachers to become actively involved in making filtering decisions
• investigate ways in which to educate and inform parents more effectively in regards to filtering in schools. In “Web 2.0: the virtual wild, wild west,” Don Hall advocates for building “a parent-education program about Internet safety and content filtering in the home” (Hall, 2008).
• propose a filtering system that is built on a “sliding scale,” that releases restrictions as students advance in age and move through their formal school education
• “create a list of highly effective, district supported Web 2.0 resources that are aligned to your instructional program” (Hall, 2008). Our division has already embraced Photostory in this way, perhaps there are others we might add… Voicethreads, for example.

EPILOGUE

Although filtering web content in our schools may appear to be all about safety, it is also becoming more about disabling our students and teachers. We acknowledge that information is everywhere, but we are reluctant to admit that filters in our schools just don’t work in the way that they should in this time of transition. In many ways, filters actually jeopardize what it means to be literate in the world today.

As we work our way through this conundrum, it will be necessary to ensure that students, educators and parents become educated in how they can navigate this new landscape critically and prudently, rather than “fighting over which Web sites to block” (Hall, 2008). As Doug Johnson ponders in “Changes from the radical center of education,” … “The solution to most of the world’s problems will rely on effective education,” … and the filtering conundrum is no exception.

When Marc Prensky first used the terms “digital native” and “digital immigrant” in 2001, he succeeded in creating a thought-provoking analogy that differentiated between those learners who were born into the digital world and those learners of a previous generation who had adopted new technology over time. Prensky challenged educators to concede that today’s students had “changed radically” and that our educational system was no longer effective in meeting the needs of these new learners. (Prensky, 2001).

In the recent article, “Youth and their virtual networked worlds: Research findings and implications for school libraries“, Dr. Ross Todd makes reference to studies that now show that we may have “overestimated the impact of information technology on young people and underestimated its effect on the older generation.” Todd observes “that older users are catching up” and that research shows the “gaps are closing” (Todd, 2008). As well, educators like Kathy Schrock, who “have been there since the beginning, and have adopted [new] technology as it came about,” take exception to Prensky’s broad generalizations about the stodgy characteristics of “digital immigrants” as readers of software manuals and printers of email. Schrock prefers the term “digital pioneer” for those users “who grew up as technology grew up.”

Like Shrock, I don’t see myself in Prensky’s description of a “digital immigrant.” When technology was new in our schools, I was fortunate to work with an administrator who immersed our staff in all kinds of new technologies. I remember that even back then, we believed that information technologies provided classrooms with an open window to the outside world and as educators, we looked beyond the parameters of the classroom, as we sought out the globalization of communications. There were no labels and we learned together as a school community.

It is easy to get caught up in the “digital natives” versus “digital immigrants” debate, but rather, the question we might want to ask ourselves is “How is learning different in the digital age… for everyone?” Whether you imagine yourself as a digital “native,” “immigrant” or “pioneer,” we are arriving at the understanding that being a digital learner in the 21st century involves more than simply being able “to use software or operate a digital device” (Berger, 2007).

In the United States, the Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up survey would seem to endorse Prensky’s view that “digital immigrant instructors make education not worth paying attention to…” (Prensky, 2001). The survey revealed that “more than 40 percent of the students polled in grades 6-12 cited their teacher as an obstacle to using new technology in the classroom.” In the article “Working with tech-savvy kids,” Sylvia Martinez and Dennis Harper suggest that “schools can teach students the 21st century skills they need by involving them in technology planning and implementation” and that “for help with technology integration and tech support, schools need look no further than their students” (Martinez & Harper, 2008). By using the following five models, educators can learn from the experience of the “digital native” and, at the same time, “show students how their education is relevant for the world today.” These models give today’s learners the opportunity to improve their skills in the areas of problem-solving, communication, collaboration, ethics, leadership, and information literacy:

1. Model 1 – Students as committee members, working with teaching staff on real projects
2. Model 2 – Students as trainers, collaborating with adults, planning lessons and assessment activities
3. Model 3 – Students as technical-support agents, troubleshooting technical problems
4. Model 4 – Students as resource developers and communicators, creating curriculum resources, user manuals, websites, documents, presentations
5. Model 5 – Students as peer mentors and leaders, working with learners of all ages

Source: Martinez, S. & Harper, D. (November 2008). “Working with tech-savvy kids,” Educational Leadership. Vol.66, No.3. pp.64-69.

It has often been stated that the purpose of an education is to prepare students for the world of work. In examining the National Center on Education and the Economy’s 2007 report on the American workforce entitled Tough choices or tough times – The report of the new commission on the skills of the American workforce, educators need to consider placing greater emphasis on skills that prepare today’s students for the workplace.

• strong content knowledge in language, mathematics, technology, science, literature, history, and the arts
• creativity and innovation as well as self-discipline and organization
• the ability to think abstractly, good at both analysis and synthesis
• the ability to work as a member of a team and adapt to frequent changes
  

Source: The National Center on Education and the Economy. “Tough choices or tough times – The report of the new commission on the skills of the American workforce.

The Conference Board of Canada publishes a similar document entitled Employability Skills 2000+ that outlines “the employability skills, attitudes and behaviours that [students] need to participate and progress in today’s dynamic world of work.” The similarities between the American and Canadian documents confirm new trends in skillsets that employers are looking for in future employees.

• access, analyze and apply knowledge and skills from various disciplines (e.g., the arts, languages, science, technology, mathematics, social sciences, and the humanities)
• be creative and innovative in exploring possible solutions
• understand and work within the dynamics of a group
  
• adapt to changing requirements and information
  

Source: The Conference Board of Canada. “Employability Skills 2000+”

The ISTE National Education Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers is a document worth promoting among educators to improve their current professional practice. For teacher-librarians, the NETS•T is a useful template for guiding our own professional learning as school leaders in modelling and applying the standards we set for our students. I wonder how many Manitoba teachers consciously read our Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum document and think “How does this apply to me as a learner?” We understand that these are the “big ideas” that we must teach our students, but do we stop and consider whether or not we are expecting the same of ourselves? Does ICT for teachers just mean staying a step ahead of our students? Learning what we need to know for the grade we teach? Relying on others to implement the skills we haven’t acquired?

“Teachers must become comfortable as co-learners with their students and with colleagues around the world. Today it is less about staying ahead and more about moving ahead as members of dynamic learning communities. The digital-age teaching professional must demonstrate a vision of technology infusion and develop the technology skills of others. These are the hallmarks of the new education leader.”

—Don Knezek, ISTE CEO, 2008

In my current assignment, I frequently encounter new teachers who Prensky would identify as “digital natives.” In our schools, “digital natives” are already teaching newer versions of “digital natives.” As a teacher-librarian, I observe that “digital native educators” often struggle with the “Ethics and Responsibility” section of the Affective Domain of our ICT continuum. Like their students, they need to be supported in modelling respect for intellectual property and copyright.

In order for teacher-librarians to take on a leadership role in the education of these new learners, they will need to examine ways in which they can effectively implement new technologies in their teaching and learning. In the article “Literacy and learning in a digital world” (from School reform and the school library media specialist), Pam Berger states that teacher-librarians have the “opportunity to become leaders, advocates, and change agents willing to embrace the digital environment.” Berger outlines six action steps that teacher-librarians can implement to support the digital education of students, staff, administrators and parents:

1. Create a shared vision for learning in the 21st century with all stakeholders (students, staff, administrators, parents)
   
2. Revisit your information literacy skills curriculum and analyze how new technologies can be effectively integrated
3. Create an awareness of the need for digital literacy and survey both students and staff in regards to how they view their ICT competencies
4. Ensure equity to all students by providing access to instruction and digital literacy tools
5. Support professional development in 21st century skills for staff, administrators and parents – recruit and train students as ICT mentors for teachers and administrators
6. Increase your own ICT literacy by embracing emerging technologies

Source: Berger, P. (2007). “Literacy and learning in a digital world,” School reform and the school library media specialist. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. p.125.

In our school division, I continue to collaborate with our Instructional Technology Coordinators in providing our teacher-librarians with opportunities to support their inquiry-based learning activities and implement our provincial ICT continuum. Professional learning networks have proven to be successful in bringing teacher-librarians together to explore common interests and goals. Sharing implementation and integration ideas for incorporating new technologies in the classroom and library are often the focus of these groups. I understand that one of the most valuable ways in which I can support teacher-librarians in their professional development is to provide release-time to dialogue, to collaborate and to learn how applications of new technologies can impact favorably on student learning. As well, I need to remain an active participant in these professional learning networks, and provide equity in regards to collaboration and instruction to our schools operating without a teacher-librarian on staff.

Even though my formal education took place during the latter half of the 20th century, like most of our teacher-librarians, I am also a 21st century learner. I am one of “today’s learners,” and unlike a “digital native,” I do remember a time when technology was not the invasive force it is now. So rather than being designated as a “digital immigrant,” I am applying for digital dual citizenship on my 21st century passport!

]]> http://katkin.edublogs.org/2009/01/25/applying-for-digital-dual-citizenship/feed/ 0 http://katkin.edublogs.org/2009/01/18/in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/ http://katkin.edublogs.org/2009/01/18/in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:51:38 +0000 katkin http://katkin.edublogs.org/?p=37 Have you ever had the feeling that you were in the right place, at the right time? After reading through the articles published in the July 2008 issue of School Libraries Worldwide, that’s exactly how I am beginning to feel. After years of advocating for quality school library programs and promoting the role of the teacher-librarian as an instructional partner, it has become clear that the school library is poised to play a key leadership role in how students learn in the 21st century.

In Towards a transformative pedagogy for school librarian 2.0, authors Marlene Asselin and Ray Doiron identify the characteristics of today’s students and describe how “new literacies” are “constantly evolving.” These new learners are arriving at school with technological skills that differ greatly from their predecessors. Rather than dismiss their new skillsets, we need to look for ways to capitalize on what our students are already able to do with technology outside our classroom. For example, at first glance, social networking and video games may seem out of place in our instructional programs, but there is mounting evidence that recognizes “the connections between play and learning” (Sanford, 2008). In addition to supporting new ways of informal learning through socialization and entertainment, students are practising critical thinking and problem solving skills that are transferable to other areas of their lives.

Teacher-librarians find themselves in a rather unique position these days, as they have the opportunity to re-invent their role and develop more “meaningful user-centered services and programs” (Asselin & Doiron, 2008) that will engage and support this new generation of learners. In Youth and their virtual networked worlds: Research findings and implications for school libraries, Dr. Ross Todd encourages us “to rethink, re-imagine and recreate a dynamic learning environment for school libraries.” By moving the instructional program beyond accessing, locating and evaluating information, school libraries can focus on providing students with the following “essential knowledge-developing competencies:”

• critical thinking and communication competencies
• knowledge creation processes
• ability to develop arguments, positions and viewpoints
• dealing with conflicting ideas and evidence
• constructing creative and meaningful representations of new knowledge
• communicating ideas in thoughtful ways

(Source: Ross J. Todd – Youth and their virtual networked worlds: research findings and implications for school libraries)

So just how exciting is it to be working in school libraries in the 21st century? Listening to educator Joyce Valenza as she describes the most challenging year of her teaching career, there is not only positive change in the air, but re-newed enthusiasm and joy in learning… for both students and teachers. Joyce Valenza’s Manifesto entitled You know you’re a 21st century school librarian if you… provides a template for making the school library more relevant for today’s new learners. In conversation with students who have grown up connected online, we hear how increased access to new technologies in the library is highly valued, both for academic and social reasons. What is most encouraging is that students also identify “the human touch” of interacting with school library staff and view them as collaborative partners in their learning. “They value the real-time presence of and interaction with school librarians, their personal responsiveness and immediacy of help in their journey” (Todd, 2008).

The theme of “new learners, new literacies, new libraries” is coming to the forefront just as our teacher-librarian group is preparing to update our professional learning plan for the next few years.  As we sit down to identify both our short and long terms goals, it will be necessary for our teacher-librarian group to discuss the evolution of new literacies and how we can best support new learners through our school library program.  Revisioning our leadership role from within our schools will be critical to facilitating transitions during times of change, as well as addressing our division’s priorities for literacy development programming and implementing differentiated instruction.

I agree with Dr. Ross Todd when he states that “school librarians have a golden opportunity” to provide leadership in navigating the Web 2.0 environment. With our commitment to “inquiry, knowledge construction and communication,” we have already set the foundation from which students can build their new independence. However, even though today’s learners have been dubbed as “more tech savvy” than their teachers and parents, “they still require direction from mentors… like school librarians, in the development of appropriate online critical thinking and communication skills” (McPherson, 2008). Current research also confirms that we have “overestimated the impact of information technology on young people and underestimated its effect on the older generation” (Todd, 2008).

In a recent article in Teacher-Librarian, Allison Zmuda and Violet Harada describe how teacher-librarians “are strategically positioned” to move “from the margins to the mainstream of school leadership” (Zmuda & Harada, 2008). Our divisional leadership team meets this week and we have been asked to bring an article that we have found to be particularly useful to the role of the school or division-based leader. Both Zmuda and Harada heavily endorse the leadership potential of the teacher-librarian in “preparing students for the 21st century.”  The authors remind us that our goal is not to highlight the role of the teacher-librarian, but to support student learning and enhance our practise as teachers.

It would seem that we are embarking on a period of renaissance in our school libraries. Valenza, Asselin, Doiron and Todd are the Petrarchs and Medicis of our times. Whereas the Italian Renaissance unfolded gradually, the Web 2.0 environment shifts rapidly, propelling our school libraries to the frontlines. There is no question that technology is an integral part of our students’ lives, both in and out of school. School libraries are recognizing and addressing new literacies that students will need to be successful in the workplace and in a “global, networked society” (Asselin & Doiron, 2008).

Pre-Web 1.0 Teacher-Librarian meets future Web 2.0 Teacher-Librarian

“Unpack the good stuff you carried from your 20th century trunk” (Valenza, 2007)

With my mother at the grand opening of my first school library (circa 1992)