I feel the posts in my blog show evidence of much learning in this course. Despite joining the course late, I have participated in many discussions and have learned much from them. I have discussed various aspects of my learning that I have gleaned from the readings, course work, and from the discussions in this course, using quotes and specific examples. In this reflection I will briefly summarize the points that I feel have been most important to me in my learning as evidenced in my blog.
What I already knew when I began this course:
To be honest, when I started taking this course I didn’t know a whole lot about reference materials because I teach grade one and I haven’t used them much with my students. I imagined the materials to be above the ability level of my grade one students and so I just never thought much about using them. I do have a set of junior atlases that I use with the students and I must say those are a BIG hit. The students love pouring over them. The learning has been fast and furious for me in this course however, and I am excited about using reference materials more with my students. What I thought I knew was that Wikipedia should NOT be used as a reference resource! Wow, I have sure changed my thinking about that one! It can be used as a starting point as long as other authoritative resources are used. I also knew that resources are becoming more accessible online and that these tools can be really handy and dynamic.
What I have learned:
1.) I would like to use reference materials more often.
I have learned that I would like to try using reference materials more often with my students. Today, I sat down beside one of my students who was reading one of our junior atlases during free reading time and I showed him how to use the index. It will be interesting to see if he shows others tomorrow! I think I will try giving the class a little lesson on using the index and try to play a fun seek and find game with them as Linda mentioned she does with the Encyclopedias. I feel I have learned a lot from my peers in this course through our discussions, especially since I am a classroom teacher and not a TL. I would also like to try exploring with the encyclopedias and the online WorldBook.
2.) I have learned that even though reference materials are becoming increasingly accessible through the internet, this does not diminish the need for the TL.
The following quote that we discussed in class said by the School Librarian of the Year in the UK leads to this point, I believe. “You can take away my library, but do not remove my position”. I feel that this points to the position that the TL is becoming even more important in helping students access, analyze, and use this information even though the physical resources may be disappearing.
3.) I have also learned about the importance of informing students and teachers about the reference resources that exist and how they can be used.
It is important for the TL to make it a regular habit to share information about resources with staff. Through our discussions I have learned that some TL’s take a few minutes at every staff meeting to share resources or other important points. Others pass along useful information to staff through email. Others use websites or Wikis to share information. Some create displays. Some use a bit of all of these methods.
4.) I have learned to keep an open, unbiased mind when thinking about resources.
One of the biggest eye openers for me in our readings was that there is a place for Wikipedia to be used in the research process. We should not just automatically dismiss it – it can be used as a starting point in research. It is important to remember that the information may not be reliable and that other authoritative sources should be used as well. Wikipedia should not be cited in research papers as it is not an authoritative source.
What I still want to learn:
I would like to continue to learn more about innovative ways that TL’s are using reference resources. I would also like to learn more about some of the collaborative projects TL’s have done with teachers using reference materials.
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