2.3

//Reflection on AASL Standard 2.3: Information literacy curriculum //
As I prepare lessons, I must constantly be aware of changes in information technologies to ensure I provide my students skills necessary for their world. Information Power opens by asserting, “Information literacy – the ability to find and use information- is the keystone to lifelong learning.” I believe that claim and that believe that the school librarian is the guide as students learn the skills to independently locate information. Our community is further challenged by the recently AASL publications Empowering Learners and Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action that not only call for a skill set but demand that we inculcate a disposition towards learning in our students. This requires that the librarian be intimately familiar with all forms of information sources. We must continually review and compare resources such as the software capabilities comparison I conducted while studying instructional technology. Taking the initiative, I have become certified in wikis and BlackBoard so that I might introduce my students (and the teaching staff) to these technologies. I believe that wikis can provide great support to education; I have drafted a wiki for student use that I hope to have students use in the future. I have Animoto, Delicious, Edublog, and PortaPortal accounts for the same reason. In multiple classes, I have taken advantage of this knowledge and designed classes to provide my students essential skills. It is frustrating at times, because county technology use policies do not always keep pace with the technologies (e.g. YouTube access- including to book talks – is blocked). I hope that by working together librarians and technology staff can establish workable solutions. One popular choice – that provides students access to websites while ensuring they are county approved – is the webquest. I studied webquests during my Educational Technology and Leadership class and have found them a very useful and flexible capability. Our collection policies and acquisitions must keep pace as well with technology. I am constantly pursuing electronic delivery mechanisms for titles. The Playaway technology is interesting but not within our budget, currently we are working on web based book offerings such as Tumble Books and the World Book Kids book delivery mechanisms to support our readers. It is important, as identified In AASL’s Empowering Learners that our collection remains flexible to meet the diverse needs of our learners. Evaluation of Internet resources – and differentiating between “the Internet” and private databases is an instructional area I work on constantly. Many of my lessons take advantage of subscription databases and instruction in their use. Similarly, identifying updates to the various databases and software we use is an instructional focus I give to both teaching staff and students. I always want people at my school to be aware of new capabilities so that they may use them to enhance instruction. I am the designated representative for our BrainPOP subscription, a capability desired by our teachers. The collection development plan focuses our understanding and efforts to ensure we provide support for each learner. The findings of student population analysis should be included; the corrective plan to meet unmet student needs should also be included. The collection development plan is dynamic, and must be revised and updated, as student needs change. Additionally, the wise school librarian will have a system of tracking specific, immediate, student and teacher requests whether the needs are physical or electronic.

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