On page 8, Kist describes 5 characteristics that are essential for a classroom to be a 'new literacies classroom'. I would suggest that these characteristics can also be applied to libraries. Think about Kist's characteristics and post 5-8 characteristics of a 21st century school library, based on your current understandings. In your group, compare and contrast the lists that each person has presented.
For each of the characteristics Kirst presented, I found a comparable aspect in the library! Based on what I do in my library, this is how I see the 21st century school library:
In a 21st century school library, the teacher-librarian work with teachers to create projects and activities that incorporate web 2.0 tools so that students have different options to express themselves. This is similar to the “multiple forms of representation” that Kirst describes in the first characteristic.
The library offers many different ways to access information thus allowing students the flexibility from choosing books to reading articles online. Today, there are online databases, video streaming, and many credible website to choose in addition to print materials. There are also options to find experts and interview them via Skype, E-mail and other social media. It is through the library that the students are exposed to this wealth of resources and learn how to use it responsibly.
The T-L uses different mediums to model, teach and learn with the students. This shows the students a concrete example of a particular tool and also attempts to teach the students its uses. Then when the students try the tool or symbol system, they are also teaching the teacher. It is a dynamic environment where the learner and the teacher are interchangeable. I begin by teaching but end with learning myself!
The projects and activities that take place in the library have both a collaborative and individual aspects. Teamwork is encouraged and there is also time for individual work.
The library is a place where students can take their work and take it to the next level of their own comfort level and creativity.
In Chapter 5, Kist talks about the role of games and gaming in schools. In your group, please discuss the following questions (as posed by Kist on page 112): Can participating in games be a legitimate activity in schools [and libraries]? Can you think of a time when you learned something either about yourself or about the world by playing a game?
I certainly believe that games are a legitimate activity in schools and libraries! Even in class, we create games for learning purposes. I always played games with my students in French and Sciences and I know that it makes it engaging and fun. I believe it has a place in the library as well especially during out of class time. Students do need some down time to relax as the rest of us.
There is the perception that they aren’t learning from games like World of Warcraft but that is probably because we never played it. Online games now are very social and entertaining. There are goals to them and reading and writing are actually involved! I recall learning lots of new vocabulary from playing RPG (Role Playing Games) when I was younger and some of it prompted me to learn more about certain topics like mythological creatures and legends like Odin and Shiva. Obviously, in excess, it is not good but that goes for everything...
In the Forward to the book, Kylene Beers suggests that William Kist consistently "asks us to consider what happens when our classrooms become as big as the world?...[Or alternatively], what happens when our classrooms do not become as big as the world?" Consider your reading and understanding of this book and think about how you would answer these questions. Share your responses with the group.
I think that if our classrooms do not become as big as the world, we are not doing our job to prepare them for the future. Regardless of where we like it or not, technology has brought the world into our hands. It would be a shame if we did not show our students the proper ways to interact with this world using the medium that they use and access everyday.
This week, I had Grade 8 orientations in the library and I noticed that a lot of the students did not know how to use the computers very well. They had difficulty logging in and they couldn’t type properly. I was shocked. Some of them did not know what a URL or a browser were! A lot of jobs today require computer skills. It is almost expected. If these students do not know how to use a computer effectively, they have a long way to go to succeed. Am I worrying too much? Perhaps they all have iPads so they no longer need a computer. But then, it is still much easier to type with an actual keyboard...I am worried for these Grade 8’s.
One of the reasons that I think that grade 8 students do not have the necessary computer skills is that there is not enough time allotted for teaching computer skills during library time in elementary schools. The students usually have 15 minutes to get a book. There are also not enough full time librarians for elementary schools,unless there are a lot of students, but even then, the teacher-librarian must make the time to get every class through the library to get a book. It really seems as if it is up to the classroom teacher to teach computer skills, but if the students get a teacher who is nervous about trying new things, then the students are out of luck. However, I am a secondary teacher, so this is just my guess.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, thanks for reading! I do agree that elementary T-L's do not have the time to teach typing but it should not be the T-L's job to do that! There should definitely be specific class time for something like that and it should happen sooner than later. Kids are definitely using technology at a younger age and developing habits that may or may not be helpful. But of course, change takes time!
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