the Virtual Bookmark

Why our editors support an open online journal and a membership drive

I recently was reading the Canadian Education Association web site.  I surfed over because of a listserv Webbits from Linda Hof, SFU ESGA, and skimmed the home page. I found they had a journal online. Fall 2009, Volume 49, Number 4, produced by the Canadian Education Association. Iwas intrigued with the abstract because I have been developing strategies for high transition. Good so far....then I saw a sidebar text-' Free Online Articles' . ' The Real Value of Teacher:If Good Teachers Matter, Why Don’t We Act Like It? '  - Oh goodie...jackpot! Wrong....they wanted a subscription. 

Just as big boys like Salon and Wired struggle with revenue streams from their online presence, organizations like CEA or BCTLA suffer and worry.  We need subscriptions! We need memberships! The same paradigm it seems.  How do we protect our intellectual property and how do we financially survive?

Surprise surprise! The article I wanted to read was closed to subscribers. Oh well, I sigh.  

Our latest issue features several articles that focus on the priorities, strategies, and effectiveness at preparing students for their next challenges, and will be a source of encouragement for teachers and administrators to begin their improvement efforts.( CEA)

http://www.cea-ace.ca/pub.cfm?subsection=edu&page=cur#free-online

Then I reflected on our Virtual Bookmark.  We open up everything, good bad and ugly. We are not proselytizing librarianship or economic fools but rather simple professionals advocating our service.  If readers all over the globe get our articles or documents for free so be it. We support intellectual property more than most and we preach appropriate use.  We also have come to believe it is an asset not a liability, to give our content away. 

With respect to BCTLA, I think teacher-librarains, whether 0.3 or 1.0 , need to join their professional organizations for pragmatic networking and advocacy.  Since I have been directly involved, I am astounded by the hours invested by your member volunteers because they care about school libraries, teaching assignments and teacher-librarian careers.  The journal and other resources are just desserts. 

Very soon 'subscribed' active members will receive the 50th Anniversary issue of the Bookmark in their mailbox. Yes, it is printed and mailed to each member.  This is because we are celebrating and want teacher-librarians to have not just a golden souvenir but a symbol of the years of hard work by past TL's who produced 50 years of journals! It also is a good device for advocacy in their region.  Go online and print your own copies- share the wealth- for free. - Al Smith

I eventually did get the above mentioned article. Thanks ERIC. 

 If you want my article- visit the citation below.

References.

Education Trust. 'Real Value of Teachers' online. 2004. < http://tinyurl.com/eric-ed494819 > 

2 Million Minutes doc- 21st C Solution for who?

Two Million Minutes Documentary:

A discussionn we should all have- teacher or otherwise. The recent film is all about solutions for education.  Not all of us in the world are failing despite the viral hype we hear from the US media.  The US is not the true centre of the globe just the media magnetic north. 

However, we need not look to the USA for solutions( we should not) but the discourse south of the 49th gives us a sense of the panic america feels toward education.  The author Compton is a supporter of the KIPP Charter school model.

I notice that the reflection on public education is almost invisible- despite the fact that most Chinese and Indian children receive publically funded schooling. A parralel topic is the Obama agenda. see blog below. 

Blog: http://www.2mm.typepad.com/

The back story : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQJvxpVFFZA&feature=player_profilepage

Trailer:

Why Creativity Now? ASCD

Why Creativity Now?  A Conversation with Sir Ken Robinson - Amy M. Azzam

Creativity: It's been maligned, neglected, and misunderstood. But it's finally coming into its own. Here, creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for creativity as the crucial 21st century skill we'll need to solve today's pressing problems. Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His most recent book, The Element (Viking Adult, 2009), looks at human creativity and education. He is also the author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative (Capstone Publishing Limited, 2001)

Both creativity and critical thinking have been flagged as essential 21st century skills, yet some people think of them as being as separate as oil and water. What's your take?

It's interesting that people see creativity and critical thinking as being opposed. It's partly because people associate creativity with being totally free and unstructured. But what we really have to get hold of is the idea that you can't be creative if you don't do something. ( Education Leadership)

http://video.ascd.org/services/player/bcpid11490813001?bctid=35245031001

 

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mindmeister web mindmap tool

Five Ways to Use Mind-Mapping Tools in the Newsroom(classroom)

PBS's Mediashift columnist,  Roland Legrand, August 10, 2009.

The online mind-mapping service called MindMeister is considered the right tool needed for non-linear thinking in the newsroom, why not the classroom?

As Wikipedia explains, a mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem-solving, decision-making, and writing.
Image by SayKaty via Flickr Creative Commons.

My review...

Some very nice features but making some of the visual elements behave was awkward. The 'sharing' feature could be very powerful.  Like all good tools, it takes some upfront investment before the real utility can be exploited. For those people who have used Inspiration, you may find this web 2.0 app less powerful. Good effort Mindmeister.

http://www.mindmeister.com/

K-12 Benchmark Project- final stages

BCTLA Information Literacy K-12
Benchmarks Project: 

The New 3Rs in Education are

Reading Research and Resources

“The illiterate of the year 2000 will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” (Alvin Toffler)

Highlights of the K-12 Benchmarks Project:

The BC Benchmarks Project uses a three-dimensional model in which strands, benchmarks, and dimensions of student learning serve as a frame for Information Literacy; that is,

 three STRANDS that represent the aspects of all school library programs -- Reading, Research, and Resources, the new 3Rs in Education, are learning outcomes drawn from teacher-librarian and teaching experience, from IRPs, from related documents, and from new understandings about literacies

 four BENCHMARKS, as opposed to a scope-and-sequence or list of skills to be introduced, reinforced, and so on; that is, within benchmarked periods, content learning outcomes can be matched to what students need to be able to do by for grades 3, 7, 10 and 12

 four DIMENSIONS of student learning, student  as information seeker, as information processor, as communicator, and as reflective learner

 one THEME: WINDOWS that portrays the relationship of students to the world in terms of what they know about it and their interpretation

A group of teacher-librarians from across B.C. have been working on B.C. K-12 Information Literacy Benchmarks for the past two years. The project documents, which are still in progress, have now been made available on the InfoLitBCTLA wiki which was originally developed for a presentation at the BC Library Conference in April.

Read more at:

http://bctlaincirculation.blogspot.com/2009/05/bc-k-12-information-literacy-benchmark.html

 http://infolitbctla.pbworks.com/

AASL's Best Websites for Teaching

AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning

July 17, 2009 . Neverendingsearch, J. Valenza

One of the most exciting revelations at ALA last week was the Sunday panel that unveiled the inaugural AASL's Best Websites for Teaching and Learning. 

The Best Websites for Teaching and Learning honors websites, tools, and resources of exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning as embodied in the American Association of School Librarians' Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/1970046797.html

BCTLA Position Statement-Book Levelling and School Library Programs

BCTLA POSITION STATEMENT:                                                                                                  

BOOK LEVELLING AND SCHOOL LIBRARY COLLECTIONS

BCTLA Annual General Meeting, April 2009

The practice of levelling books, used to support guided reading instruction in classrooms, is not consistent with the values of teacher-librarians and should not be applied in part or in whole to school library collections.  Children have opportunities in well-developed school library programs to acquire, develop, and use important lifelong skills that will enable them to select independently their own reading materials.  Levelled collections, whether located in school or classroom libraries, inhibit the use of authentic strategies for selection and directly contradict the message of pursuing reading for the interest and passion it inspires. 

Students have access to school libraries and to teacher-librarians to learn and practice the skills for finding the “just-right” book to read.  School library programs build in opportunities for child or young adult readers to engage in the complex task of finding a book that they can understand, that holds personal interest for them, that speaks to their life experiences or cultural identities or gendered reading preferences, or that extends a topic being studied in class or one catching their attention as something that simply needs to be explored more deeply.  Teacher-librarians, as specialist teachers, work with these sets of understandings about book selection, as well as particular knowledge about individual students gained through relationships built over time, and with the students themselves to help them come independently to the right reading level and the right book.  Teacher-librarians and teachers of literature eschew word counts and syllabic structures as measures of readability, looking instead for literary merit, sophistication of ideas, developmental appropriateness, capacity for engagement, or maturity of theme or language. 

Research into the field of reading literacy supports the position that book levelling is something that ends with classroom guided reading programs and is not meant to apply to classroom libraries or, by obvious extension, to the school library collection (Fountas & Pinnell).  “We seem to be in the midst of a levelling mania in which massive amounts of time, money and energy are devoted to organizing books by reading levels … teachers are driven to attach a level to every text that students encounter during their school day” (Dzaldov & Peterson).  Teachers, in so doing, are well-intentioned as they “whitewash” over the diversity factors of selection noted above in order to reduce the frustration students might experience that unquestionably confounds literacy development.  But these teachers act to suppress students’ natural interests even as they are also reducing

the field of choice, researchers suggest, where they need to be building connections and scaffolding their background knowledge and experience, motivating students to read and enabling them to reach beyond their assessed level, usually measured by a single standardized test which, interestingly, many would argue is inappropriate assessment practice. 

There is little evidence to support the decision to acquire and build levelled collections in our schools.  While certainly supporting the literacy industry, the notion of applying a single strategy to entire collections eliminates the importance of both balanced and differentiated approaches to literacy development in schools, threatens to turn rich and dynamic collections into extended bookrooms, may be largely budget-driven, and is incompatible with the goals for school library programs.  We know that it limits choice and may cause children to miss “great reads.”  Capable readers may not choose books, perceiving them to be too low for them.  Students may miss light reading opportunities that are, in Stephen Krashen’s view, conduits to more substantial reading or, in Jim Trelease’s terms the very “home-run” books that turn a child on to reading more.  Worse still, it may exacerbate reluctance and resistance to reading, stigmatize struggling readers, and mislead others into believing that reading level is the important criterion in choosing a “just-right” book. 

References

Dzaldov, B. S. & Peterson, S.  Book Leveling and Readers. The Reading Teacher. 222-224.  November 2005.  Retrieved March 2009 from ProQuest Education Journals.

Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. S.  Leveled Books K-8: Matching Texts to Readers for Effective Teaching.  Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2006.

Krashen, S.  The Power of Reading.  2nd ed.  Portsmouth, N.H.: Libraries Unlimited.  2004.

Reuter, K.  Teaching Effective Book-Selection Strategies and Inspiring Engaged Readers in the Library Media Center.  Library MediaConnection. April/May 2008. 26 (7) 18-20. Retrieved March 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals.

Rog, L. J. & Burton, W.  Matching texts and readers: Leveling Early Reading Materials for Assessment and Instruction. The Reading Teacher.  Dec 2001/Jan 2002.  348-356.  Retrieved March 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. 

Trelease, J.  The Read-Aloud Handbook.  New York: Penguin, 1985.

Wedwick, L. & Wutz, J.  Bookmatch: How to Scaffold Student Book Selection for Independent Reading.  Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2008.

 

The argument against Accelerated Reader

There is some criticism of the Accelerated Reader( and others) building from teacher-librarians.  The argument against is not specifically targeted at AR or other computerized reading tools but rather the trend to diminish or even replace a strong flexible library program with just AR.  The position that 'book levelling and school libraries' is a major error, is the result of not just hard research but also the advoacy for a program that develops reading from a broad approach. Opposition is building from librarians because many are being asked( or even  ordered) to warehouse the AR collection and administer much of it.  AR , whether one approves or not, is a reading system not a replacement for other powerful education programming. AR in the classroom  is not the enemy.  The enemy is an attitude that sees any one system( and the monopolizing costs) as the only way.  Turning a library into a bookroom is backward thinking.

My experience has proven many times that a collaborative approach WITH a trained teacher-librarian builds a stronger base that helps more students. Replacing a good library program with an AR program is just folly.

I like the analogy of fitness or performance training.  If a person needs to complete a mini-triathalon, he needs aerobic fitness, strength and endurance as well as flexible to prevent injury,etc. Only training on a stationary bike, no matter how high-tech or motivating isn't going to get the job done.  - Al Smith, Kelowna

 

References

Biggers, D. (2001, September). The argument against Accelerated Reader. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(1), 72. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

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Section: STANDPOINTS & VOICES

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST ACCELERATED READER

English losing to literacy

English 'losing out' to literacy

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7992662.stm )

English lessons are dying out and being replaced by literacy, the leader of a teaching union claims.

Children no longer have the freedom to read for pleasure or express themselves in writing, says Mary Bousted of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

Children were reading extracts rather than whole books and this meant the love of reading was being lost.

The government insists whole books are read and says it is committed to making reading part of children's daily lives.

Dr Bousted told delegates at the ATL's annual conference in Liverpool: "English is no more. It has been replaced by a newcomer - literacy.

"Literacy, as a subject, is based on the naming of parts. Children rarely read whole books; they read parts of books - extracts.

" For those children who spend their lives at home cocooned in front of the television, interacting with no-one, this loss will be incalculable "
Dr Mary Bousted, ATL

"These extracts are mined for adjectives, and adverbs, and active verbs, and nouns. The belief is, once the parts have been named, then they can be used, independently in the children's writing.

"But they cannot choose what they will write; they cannot choose the form they want to write in - that would be far too dangerous."

She added that the concept of pleasure had gone.

"I don't want to get misty eyed about the past, but it is clear to me that something important has been lost - for both teachers and taught.

"And that is the heart of the subject - the subject which is dear to my heart - the subject of English."

She said Ofsted had encouraged a literacy strategy without speaking and listening, because the former chief inspector of schools Chris Woodhead had convinced ministers that these were not needed.

"For those children who spend their lives at home cocooned in front of the television, interacting with no-one, this loss will be incalculable," Dr Bousted said.

The former English teacher also complained that teachers' lives were "being made a misery" by a constant regime of inspection and "ridiculous" control.

"Is there any profession which is more watched over, more regulated and more directed than teaching?"

Lessons had become a "common pattern", she said. She painted a picture of teachers obeying a dictated formula for every lesson, which included:

• starter, middle section and plenary

• explanation of learning objectives

• pace and activity

• interactive learning

Such rigid structures were causing teachers to lose their professional pride and feeling of autonomy.

And children were "bored rigid" by the same lesson structure again and again, she added.

The government denied teachers were over-inspected, and said literacy had not led to the death of reading and the enjoyment of language.

"The government is firmly committed to making reading a daily part of children's lives and we have a range of initiatives to encourage all young people to take an interest in reading for pleasure," a spokeswoman said.

"It is right that schools should come under rigorous scrutiny and assessment by a body independent from ministers.

"This makes sure that parents can be confident standards are being maintained, that achievements are properly celebrated and that any problems can be identified and resolved."

A majority of parents valued inspections, she added.

Dr Bousted did however, praise the government's work to raise standards and help the most deprived children.

"There is much to congratulate this government for," Dr Bousted said.

"It has put its money where its mouth is."

But it was still telling teachers what to do.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/education/7992662.stm

Published: 2009/04/09 16:18:35 GMT

Lazy and unprepared for university- the Star

Profs blast lazy first-year students

Wikipedia generation is lazy and unprepared for university's rigours, survey of faculty says

Apr 06, 2009 04:30 AM

Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/614219

University professors feel their first-year students are less mature, rely too much on Wikipedia and "expect success without the requisite effort," says a province-wide survey to be released today.

And guess what? In this case, many students agree with their profs.

"I think it's a fair assessment," said first-year Ryerson journalism student Annie Webber. "I'm addicted to Wikipedia."

Lina Kim, a fourth-year University of Toronto sociology student who works in the U of T's Robarts Library, agrees.

"Many students can't even ask for help. Partly, it's generational, the attitude and sense of entitlement they have," Kim said.

"...Computer science student Nadya Denissova says universities shouldn't blame high schools if students do poorly. (April 5, 2009)..." ( Harris, Toronto Star)

More than 55 per cent of Ontario's faculty and librarians surveyed believe students are less prepared for university than even three years ago. In fact, many post-secondary institutions have had to create catch-up courses to help those who are struggling.

"It wasn't a shock for me – I'm aware of what's happening out there," said Brian Brown, a University of Windsor visual arts professor. He also heads the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, which oversaw the online survey of about 2,000 professors and university librarians out of the province's 15,000.

"What the questionnaire reveals is a serious challenge that we are facing in the system. We are teaching students from what is basically an underresourced secondary school system."

James Côté, a sociology professor at the University of Western Ontario, says the survey confirms a lot of recent research, and that the decline in student preparedness began years ago but has more recently accelerated.

"It's a wider societal issue, where leisure is very much valued and work habits are not necessarily reinforced in the way that they were in the past. The work ethic is not what it used to be ... no pain, no gain doesn't seem to be prevalent any more."

Côté co-authored a book, Ivory Tower Blues: A University System in Crisis, that in part chronicled the issues professors have with today's students and he writes a blog where he hears from professors all the time.

With the current focus on stemming high-school dropouts, discipline and punctuality are not longer reinforced, and students come to university expecting to continue that, he added.

Even though students are one year younger heading to university, a change brought in by the previous Conservative government, "We've just caught up with the rest of the world," although in other countries they expect students to be more mature.

Côté said universities are caught: they don't want to fail anyone as they are funded on a per-student basis.

The question on student preparedness was part of a larger survey of professors completed in February and March that asked about all aspects of campus life. More than 60 per cent of professors said they were teaching larger classes than three years ago, and that not only has hiring slowed down, but so has the creation of full-time tenured positions – which was an issue in the recent strike by teaching assistants and contract faculty at York University.

As for first-year students, Brown said professors don't think they have the needed critical thinking or math skills, and they lack the ability to learn independently.

"We are basically trying to deliver a quality education on our campuses for a cohort of students who need extra attention to succeed."

He applauded the provincial government for recent funding announcements, including $780 million for infrastructure and an immediate $150 million for universities and colleges.

Colleges, too, report troubles with unprepared students, especially in math, and have each developed their own way to deal with it.

According to the College Mathematics Project, which tracks high school students' math achievement through to first year, schools may offer night classes, tutoring or add hours to existing math classes.

"Traditionally, the first semester success rates are quite low – I'm from the science and technology side of things, and clearly we knew that from the results we saw, particularly with younger students, that they are struggling with math," said Laurel Schollen, dean of applied science and engineering technology at Seneca, who is involved with the project.

Danish Zakir, a third-year U of T student in actuarial science and economics, said: "I think there should be an initiation program in high school to prepare them for university."

But Nadya Denissova, a fourth-year computer science and statistics student at U of T, disagrees with the survey, saying she knew students in the double cohort, and they were given extra work to make up for missing OAC.

"I think the problem is with the universities," Denissova said. "They have to teach better rather than blame high schools."