Assignment 1 Part 1

LIBE 467 Assignment 1 Part 1: Summary of Three Articles

Personal Analysis and Context

The three articles I have chosen to read are linked together by the common theme of the Learning Commons and technology. I have been to the Learning Commons on campus and have heard about it in my course work a little bit, but I still really didn’t have a clear, definitive picture of what it was.  It was nice to read in one of the articles that this confusion exists because there is no precise definition of it. I knew that it was a place of collaborative learning and increased access to technology. I knew also that it was a creative use of space, comfortable chairs, and a shift of the rules of the library (possibly even allowing food and drink into the library). These articles helped to erase the blurred lines of my mental picture and allowed it to come into full focus for me. Not only do I feel that I understand what it is but I could articulate it better to someone else. And even better than that, these articles have provided me with some exciting ideas for implementing my own shift from a Library to a Learning Commons. I am especially interested in learning more about the ways technology is used in the Learning Commons and I am particularly excited about one new idea I have gained. In the one article, the Teacher-Librarian facilitated a small group of students who formed a technology team and they worked together to come up with ways to help teachers learn more about new technologies. In another article I gained the idea of collaborating with the art teachers to have students create puppets for the library to facilitate in storytelling and for puppet buddy reading (the puppet is the buddy). This is another example of the students working together to enhance the learning environment in the Learning Commons. One of the first things that I would really like to do when I become a Teacher-Librarian is to set up an online collaborative learning environment for teachers and students through a Wiki, blog, or website. One of the articles talked about how Teacher-Librarians in Ohio set up a social learning environment online and the successes and challenges they experienced and so the benefits of this were reinforced for me. I felt all of these articles showed innovative and creative thinking. It wasn’t just in changing the furniture that created a Learning Commons but it was the way students and teachers interacted with the Library that has changed. They were connecting, collaborating, and working together to find solutions to problems that they themselves had defined. It is not about the comfortable chairs or being able to eat while you are working in the library but about focussing on a new collaborative learning model where research and ideas are shared and the tools of technology are available for students to use and create products of their learning.

Article 1

The School Tech Squad: A Learning Commons Technology Boost by Karen Ramsey

The author of this article, Karen Ramsey, is a Teacher-Librarian in a public school in Sherwood Park, Alberta. In this article she discusses how a group of students worked together to boost their learning commons. Ramsey states that in doing so the students “have not only transformed their school, teachers, and library, but also themselves.” (Ramsey, 2010, p. 28). The vision for Ramsey’s school was to increase the use of technology in their library and classrooms. Smartboards were purchased for the library and the classrooms and instruction was given to teachers on how to utilize the new technology. Ramsey’s role was to provide support to teachers in their use of the Smartboards. Ramsey noticed that while many teachers were gaining skill in using the new technology others were not. One student began helping some of the teachers out and he really enjoyed doing it. This caused Ramsey to wonder if there were other students who would be interested in assisting the teachers in the school. A call was put out to all the students and the result was that the youth tech committee was formed. The students played with the technology and had fun while they used creativity to solve problems. The group then took on the challenge of trying to figure out a way that they could help teachers overcome their intimidation with the technology and have fun with it. Students were connected with teachers in one to one sessions and the change amongst teachers occurred and “so began our school transformation from teacher-focused learning to a shared community of learning.” (Ramsey, 2010, p. 29). The positive effects were multi-sided. The teachers felt that the students were great ambassadors for the school and the teachers’ skills grew because of them. The learning was enhanced by the collaborative sharing of ideas amongst students and teachers. The confidence of the students grew and they developed skills in technology and leadership that they would carry with them throughout their lives. One parent remarked how her daughter was empowered by her experiences. The youth tech committee became more than just increasing the technology skills of the teachers and students it became a way for students to contribute to the school and transform the learning environment for the teachers, students, and themselves.

Article 2

The Journey from Library Media Center to Learning Commons by Linda Waskow

This is an interesting article about how Linda Waskow, a Teacher-Librarian from South Carolina transformed the library into a Learning Commons. In the article she states that because what a 21^st Century School Library Media Center looks like has yet to be fully defined she set about creating one based on her own vision through her own research. Her vision included designated areas where students would have access to a variety of materials and resources. These include areas for: relaxing and reading , information searching, publishing in print and on the web, podcasting and vodcasting, collaborative use of technology for students and teachers, reading buddies (including puppets which can be used as reading buddies), and performing on a reader’ theatre stage. She discussed a reading buddy program she does where strong readers volunteer to read with struggling readers. She also organizes a collaborative project where students in their art classes create puppets for the students to use as reading buddies in the library. This would not be the quiet library of days ago but “a place where children would come to explore, learn, and actively engage in information resources that would be in a variety of formats. They can extract from this plethora of information data sets to create their knowledge in forms that only they would be able to imagine and craft. ” (Waskow, 2011, p. 9) Waskow’s vision has evolved as she implemented her ideas and by the end of her journey the “Library” sign on the door was replaced with “Learning Commons”.

Article 3

INFOhio's 21st Century Learning Commons: Transforming How Educators Use and Think about School Libraries by Jennifer Schwelik and Theresa Fredericka

Schwelik and Fredericka discuss that the way people learn has changed and we now have a global, knowledge-based society. Geographic, economic, and social barriers have been eliminated through advances in technology. Students learn in ways different than their parents due to new technology. Teaching practices are slow to address this change. In this article Schwelik and Fredericka describe how Teacher-Librarians in Ohio are working to determine the impact of school libraries on student learning. Research was done to determine how school libraries help improve student leadership. The aspect this article focussed on is how INFOhio (the K-12 Information network) created an online professional development environment for K - 12 educators called the 21^st Century Learning Commons. Through the 21^st Century Learning Commons educators from across Ohio are linked together through the internet to improve their learning. Teacher-Librarians are important partners in ensuring that the students gain the skills they need. They created an online space called the Knowledge Building Community and it provides teachers with a social network for collaborating with other teachers and librarians. They have developed tutorials, videos, and numerous other resources and research tools which benefit both teachers and students. The role of the Teacher-Librarian is to facilitate this collaborative learning environment through the Learning Commons. “School library media specialists on the front line are the best channels of communications to classroom teachers.” (Schwelik, 2011, p. 26). Because of the changes to the Teacher-Librarian’s job description INFOhio is recommending increased assistance to Teacher Librarians to support them so they are better able to fulfill this important role.

Sources

Ramsey, K. (2010). The School Tech Squad: A Learning Commons Technology Boost. Teacher Librarian, 38(1), 28-31.

Schwelik, J. C., & Fredericka, T. M. (2011). INFOhio's 21st Century Learning Commons: Transforming How Educators Use and Think about School Libraries. Teacher Librarian, 38(5), 21-26.

Waskow, L. M. (2011). The Journey from Library Media Center to Learning Commons. Teacher Librarian, 38(5), 8-14.