Blog Post 2 for LLED 463

 

Our libraries and schools are just not set up for today’s learner (Asselin 1). In many ways I feel truer words have never been said. I think our technology has advanced faster than the school system can keep up and often teachers, including teacher-librarians, are struggling to keep up. How do effectively teach “digital natives”? I think it is important for teacher librarians to keep up new technologies but at the same time apply the important principles of learning so we are not using technology just for technologies sake. As students and their needs have changed in this digital age, so has the job of the teacher librarian.

I see my job taking on more and more information literacy lessons and teaching students not only how to use the internet but how to evaluate information they find on the internet, detect bias or faulty information and understand the concepts of intellectual freedom and intellectual ownership. I also think it is interesting that there is a focus on student’s activity using the internet to exchange and respond to ideas rather than just mindlessly gather facts (Asselin 4). In our class readings and discussion we talk about how teacher-librarians can “easily go beyond having their students use the internet only for research projects” (Asselin and Doiron 43). Learn by doing is a great way for teachers, in my opinion, to approach education. Web 2.0 tools provide an interactive place for students and teachers to work and learn.

In our class discussion we talked about making on-line learning environments safe, pros and cons for using Web 2.0 tools as well as how to come up with ideas for effective information literacy lessons. The consensus was that yes, we need to change how we teach but we need to do it in a meaningful way through inquire and personalized learning. Many of us in our class discussion expressed some familarity with Web 2.0 tools but also had some concerns with using tools we were not familar with.  I think it is important for the teacher-librarian to keep up with professional development with Web 2.0 tools so students do not find the library (aka the media centre!) dated. 

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Asselin, Marlene, PhD. "Towards a Transformative Pedagogy for School Libraries 2.0." School Libraries   World Wide 14.2 (2008): 1-18. Web.           http://asselindoiron.pbworks.com/f/14_2asselin_doiron.pdf

Doiron, Ray, and Marlene Asselin. Literacy, Libraries and Learning: Using Books and Online Resources to Promote Reading, Writing, and Research. Markham, ON: Pembroke, 2005. Print.