Social Bookmarking Catch up

Week 2

http://www.libraryinstruction.com/school-librarians.html

This website discusses the role of the school librarian in an electronic age. There is an article on the webpage that states school librarians are moving from a “warehouse concept” to a consulting role as they collaborate with teachers to teach information literacy skills to students who are becoming more self-directed learners. This is occurring in an age where more information is available online than and the acquisition of print materials is declining.

This site also contains library instruction materials, lesson plans, articles about library instruction, resource links, and materials relating to information literacy. This site also encourages the submission on materials from viewers to increase the amount of useful information available.

Week 5

http://virtualinquiry.com/specialist/theorypractice.html

This webpage is dedicated to making students lifelong learners. It discusses turning theory into practice and having school media specialist enhances teaching and learning. The website suggests “take the key elements of the idea and apply them to a simple learning activity”. Thus enhancing the inquiry learning process. The site also lists several instructional models and gives a description of each. There are also useful videos to help emphasize the points. There is also a page geared toward understanding the learners. The site also offers ideas on how to make your library a “learning laboratory”.

This site appears to be a good resource in regards to the idea of the school media specialists as a consultant. It offers many links to resources that can aid the teacher librarian in becoming knowledgeable in making the school librarian relevant to teachers and students, addressing the many different types of methods used by teachers and the different learners that may come into the school library.

Week 6

http://www.chlive.org/pbeck/eastlibrary/librarians.htm

This is a basic resource website for school librarians. It does have a link pertaining to curriculum mapping: what it is, what’s its purpose and how it was used in a Pennsylvania school district. More detailed information can be found on the http://virtualinquiry.com/specialist/theorypractice.html website. But the site may prove useful for links to the various resources presented on the page.

This website could be useful as a resource if you need additional infomation on how to get started with curriculum mapping if one wanted to do this at their school.

Week 7

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6545434.html

I chose this website because it has a very interesting article titled “If school librarians can’t prove they make a difference, they may cease to exist” by Ross Todd. The article states that evidence based practice is not a new concept and encompasses many beliefs held by school librarians such as:
1. The combination of learning, information and technology presents a new challenge for teachers, school librarians, students and administrators but is centered around providing the best opportunities for students
2. School libraries should be seen as the school knowledge center and essential for addressing school curriculum standards.
3. School librarianship is constantly improving and evolving and is based on active engagement with theoretical and empirical knowledge and it is applied to practice.
4. All students can learn when engaged in the school library, enhancing their growth intellectually, socially, and culturally.
5. A carefully designed program transforms information into knowledge.

The overall goal is students who are able to analyze, synthesize information and draw conclusions in regards to their research and broaden their ability to present their own ideas.

Week 8

http://www.oelma.org/StudentLearning/documents/OELMAResearchStudy8page.pdf

This website contains the research of Dr. Ross Todd in his study of the helpfulness of school libraries in student learning. One of the key findings in the study was that the school library and the services offered there in some way helped students. The libraries examined were located in Ohio and ran by a credentialed school librarian. Those who participated in the study demonstrated that the library was an active agent in helping students builds their own understanding and knowledge. Students also like the use of information technology and the guidance provided by the school librarian in not only how to use technology but how the technology is a useful tool in creating reflective products. Overall, the article supports the idea that a school library headed by a credentialed professional is effective in supporting student learning and increasing the learning that occurs.