Dreaming big, but making small changes in the real world.
I think that in the
research that I have conducted, I have been very critical of the current library
I work in, to the point where I have created, or ‘dreamt’ a school that is the
antithesis of my current school. I am having a progressive meltdown of sorts,
thinking of ways to get my late-adapting administration to bring our students
up to speed with the 21st Century in current educational practices,
and information spaces. These
things are difficult when “the
technology available is out-dated and slow, due to budget restraints-our
security door is just a prop- the unit broke years ago, and it costs more than
our annual budget to replace!” (Dafoulis, 2014) I have subsequently immersed
myself in digital expansion solutions, rebelling against the luddites that I
have found myself amongst. The amount of ‘e-solutions’ that I have discovered
over the course of this unit is astounding; one only needs to read my reference
list in the submitted assignment to see this.
As I planned for this model collection, I thought about what should be
nurtured in young learners, like critical thinking, and authentic experiences.
That the collaborative, inquisitive year seven students should not lose that
sense of wonder as they get drilled with content and rote learning until all of
the fun is drained from any educational setting. What initially, and still appeals to me
professionally is that “a school library is a non-commercial
enterprise. It only seeks to assist and engage the patrons” (Dafoulis, 2014) One of the reasons why I think that the
library is an important learning space is that it is the richest concentration
of information in a school setting, where Information Literacy is promoted and
supported by the Teacher Librarian or Information Specialist. This “transformational process in which the
learner needs to find, understand, evaluate and use information to create for
personal, social or global purposes.” (Abilock, 2004 p.1) will hopefully transform the students
approach to learning and gathering information as well.
My decision
to choose bring your own device (BYOD) in the model library setting was one
that I had come to from observation of my students, as well as several
university visits. “Under the BYOD system, classroom digital devices would
not only be purchased by the school district; students would also have the
option to use their own smartphones and tablet computers to complete class
projects or access learning resources while at school.” (Concordia, 2014) Whilst
there is still a place for computer laboratories, I think to keep children
connected, the library should ‘speak their language’ with digitally curated
spaces online, accessible from any device that students are comfortable with.
This also eliminates a large portion of school budget spending, which allows
greater flexibility to acquire more items for the collection.
Funding
this space has been an interesting exercise, probably designed with a
particular ideology in mind. I think that artists and journalists should be
paid for their work, and that copyright law should be adhered to so that these
individuals are paid for their services accordingly. I discovered that I am in
strong opposition to censorship, and while there should be limitations on some
borrowers, a good library knows its users, and a sound collection management policy
should be all a library needs to guide its acquisitions. Writing a policy document for my
current place of employment will be a challenge, but one can only try.
My new
priorities in my current workspace are to create a better dialogue between curriculum
leaders and myself at my school so that the non-fiction collection can be
strengthened. At present, “junior classes (year 7
and 8) all have to use a tablet as a replacement for all textbooks.” (Dafoulis,
2014) so I can see a willingness to transition some aspects to digital text.
However, I happen to
have a principal that wants to see the resource centre remain a print-rich
environment, which poses no problem as far as I can see, so long as the print
resources are relevant and balanced.
I want to revitalise the collection, and the learning space itself,
creating an environment that is conducive to collaboration and inquiry. Through my frequent visits to universities and other independent (read-better funded)
schools, I have gained insight into several possibilities that can be achieved
through small changes. Baby steps Dani, baby steps.
References:
Abilock, D (2004) Information literacy: an overview of
design, process and outcomes. http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html
Concordia University (2014) Retrieved from:
Dafoulis, D
(2014, March 21st ) Online forum comment. Retrieved from:
http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL503_201430_W_D
Dafoulis, D
(2014, March 25th )Online forum comment. Retrieved from:
Dafoulis, D
(2014, July 16th) Online forum comment. Retrieved from:
http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL503_201430_W_D
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