Integrating teaching of information literacy skills into literacy programs

1. Integrating teaching of information literacy skills into literacy programs Richard Beaudry PHD Student UBC

2. Collaboration Works • "It has been demonstrated that, when librarians and teachers work together, students achieve higher levels of literacy, reading, learning, problem-solving and information and communication technology skills”, IFLANET

3. Teaching with Technology • Everyday across North America, teachers and students use technology in schools but little technology is being used in teaching classes. • A fundamental change must take place in teaching practices for technology to be used in teaching class.

4. Pro-D • Teachers, who entered the profession prior to technology being introduced into the curriculum in the 1990’s, need to be supported with professional development. They need time to learn about these new ideas, to adjust their teaching to reflect these changes and to feel comfortable adapting them to reflect the new reality of teaching with technology.

5. Using Technology • Teachers do use technology in schools but not for teaching. “A significant percentage of teachers’ use technology for their personal needs but don't employ it in the classroom” • Teachers are not being asked to reinvent their classrooms. “They are supposed to teach their subjects and create conditions for student learning, which is the foundation of technology integration .“ Bowman, 2004

6. Technology and School Libraries • Research has shown that having computers in schools doesn’t significantly increase teachers’ use of them for teaching. • The American Association of School Libraries (AASL) and the Canadian Association for School Libraries (CASL) have prepared standards that can be used in schools but it will require a collaborative effort between teacher-librarians and classroom teachers to integrate these standards into their teaching experience.

7. Online Searching • Access to unlimited digital resources does have drawbacks. Searching the Internet for information can be a daunting task when confronted with the results of a typical search. • Using one of the many popular search engines available (Google, Yahoo), the average hits could number over a million.

8. New Ways of Teaching • How can teachers and students sift through all this information and use it for learning? It requires skills for searching and evaluating results. Teachers will have to adapt their teaching plans to include technology and as research has shows, this has not had the expected results. (Levin, Arafeh 2002).

9. Technology as a Teaching Tool • The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE, 2003) surveyed computer and Internet use by teachers and found that “Eighty-two percent of teachers cited a lack of release time for training as the greatest barrier to using computers or the Internet for instruction, a problem that has been pinpointed in several studies. As would be expected, teachers in general reported feeling more prepared to use technology as the number of hours of training increased.”

10. Teachers using Technology • Levin and Arafeh (2002) have found that there is little evidence as to how teachers integrate technology use for schoolwork. One key point is the perception students have of their teachers understanding of technology: “Students believe that professional development and technical assistance for teachers are crucial for effective integration of the Internet into curricula.”

11. New Initiatives Seeds of Possibility: Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in the 2 year Elementary Teacher Education Program at UBC

12. Seeds of Possibility is a new program offered to pre-service teachers at UBC in the two-year elementary education program in the Faculty of Education. It consisted of two periods a week that were taught in conjunction with an EDUC class that the students were taking. The students met on Monday’s (40 minutes) and Wednesday’s (20 minutes).

13. Teachers and Technology • Seeds of Possibility is a first step in the professional development of pre-service teachers in understanding how to use technology in teaching.

14. Seeds of Possibility • “Seeds of Possibility” can benefit pre-service teachers two ways. First, teaching them to understand and use literacy technologies in schools. Secondly, preparing them to work with teachers in the school system to develop modules that can use ICT in the teaching of lessons or units.

15. Transition to the Web • Recent initiatives have shown that the Internet has potential as a teaching tool. On its own, the Internet is used for communication and finding resources but it can be integrated into a teaching plan.

16. Resources • School librarians are, by the very nature of their jobs, specialists in finding resources. When working in collaboration with the classroom teacher, they can recommend several resources, including websites that can complement a unit of study. The best scenario would have the teacher librarian showcase and archive the best resources found online for other classes.

17. Some Examples • Three examples of school library websites offering a wealth of useful information are The Bessie Chin Library Centre (http://rhsweb.org/library/) in Redwood California, the Chico High School Library (http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/) in Chico, California and the Springfield Township High School Virtual Library (http://mciunix.mciu.k12.pa.us/~spjvweb/) in Erdenheim, Pennsylvania. These three school library websites offer resources that are catalogued and clustered by subject areas. All three websites were started in the 1990’s and while they have limited esthetic appeal and seem cluttered by today’s standards their content offers valuable resources for the students in their respective schools.

18. Virtual Museums • Museums probably offer the best example of the successful integration of multimedia and Internet access. In 2005, museums from around the world can be accessed individually (Art Institute of Chicago – http://www.artic.edu/aic/index.html) or through several archives that are available online (Virtual Library Museums pages - http://icom.museum/vlmp/, and MuseumSpot - http://www.museumspot.com/. Many offer virtual tours of their exhibits and resources for educators and students.

19. Virtual Museums • Museums like the Louvre in Paris and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C offer a wide variety of resources but many others cover specific subjects like the Metropolitan Museum of Art - http://www.metmuseum.org/ in New York City and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens - http://www.mountvernon.org/ in Virginia. • The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. and the Virtual Museum of Canada are two examples of websites that offer significant digital resources for teachers.

20. Interactive Maps • Interactive maps have benefited the teaching of geography from kindergarten to grade 12. Simple map programs like Mapquest - http://www.mapquest.com/ and Rand McNally Get a Map - http://www.randmcnally.com/rmc/directions/dirGetMapInput.jsp?cmty=0 can help students learn about their neighborhoods and how to travel from one point to another. Organizations like National Geographic and Altapedia Online offer thematic maps that cover everything from population growth to transportation.

21. National Atlases • Two national atlases of note have been converted to digital resources. Other countries and website offer some maps of various countries but not with the in-depth coverage of the National Atlases of the United States and Canada. • NationalAtlas.gov http://nationalatlas.gov/natlas/Natlasstart.asp • The Atlas of Canada http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/index.html

22. Online Databases • Online databases are key tools for teachers and students. School librarians are always on the lookout for this type of resource since it provides a vast amount of information neatly packed into one website. Most school libraries have their union catalogues online so students and teachers can find resources from the classroom or from home. With limited library budgets, school librarians need digital reference resources that can replace aging printed materials.

23. Factmonster • Factmonster http://www.factmonster.com/index.html • It is an online atlas, almanac, dictionary and encyclopedia all wrapped together and ready for use in schools.. Factmonster offers lots of interesting resources for teachers and students who need up-to-date information. Two sections that teachers and students should use are the Homework Center and a page on how to cite resources from the different resources.

24. Awesome Library • Awesome Library http://www.awesomelibrary.org/ • Awesome Library contains over 26,000 carefully reviewed resources for K-12 schools. The website is divided into 24 thematic sections that offer links to websites that have been researched and evaluated for content and use. Awesome Library offers links and resources in multiple languages (Spanish, French, German, Russian, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese). It has different levels of access for schools: teachers, kids, teens, parents, librarians and college students.

25. Author Resources • As a group, authors have taken advantage of the Internet to post their own websites to communicate with their readers, promote their books and announce upcoming releases. Authors like J.K. Rowling – http://www.jkrowling.com who writes the Harry Potter series and Jan Brett – http://www.janbrett.com, an author and illustrator of children’s books are good examples of interactive websites that are popular with their fans. It is possible to search online for each individual author but for teachers and teacher librarians, it would be simpler to access online databases that provide information and resources on children’s authors.

26. The Reading Room • The Reading Room http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/booksf/kidsbooks.html • The website is divided into several sections: Cool Kid’s Sites, General Children’s Literature Websites, Award Sites, Genres, Reading Lists, and Series, History of Children’s Literature, Journals and Research in Children’s Literature, Multicultural Literature and Young Adult Books. • The site is updated on a regular basis and all the hyperlinks work. The Reading Room is a good starting point for learning about children’s literature.

27. Canadian Children Book Centre • The Canadian Children’s Book Centre http://www.bookcentre.ca/ • The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) website was launched in 1998. It was created to promote Canadian books for children and teens. The website provides resources for teachers, public and school librarians, students and parents. It is well organized and easy to navigate. The CCBC offers programs and resources that cover all aspects of Canadian children's literature, including special bibliographies, biographies and teacher guides.

28. Teaching Information Literacy Skills • Knowledge Quest on the Web May/June 2000 Teaching with ElectronicTechnology By Michael L. Hall http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/volume28/285Hall.htm • The Texas Information Literacy Tutorialhttp://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/nf/intro/internet.htm

29. Teaching Information Literacy Skills • Media Web Awareness Network http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm • Information Overload at the Tech Exhibit – Stanford University http://ldt.stanford.edu/~pworth/ed124x/searchy/Main.html

30. Online Resources for Information Literacy • National Forum of Information Literacy (2004).Definitions, Standards, and Competencies Related to Information Literacy. • http://www.infolit.org/definitions/index.html • Information Literacy for those that teach it http://www.librarysupportstaff.com/teachlib.html • Bellingham School District Online Research Investigations Based on the Research Cycle model for information literacy And Essential Academic Learning Requirements • http://www.bham.wednet.edu/studentgal/onlineresearch/newonline/online.htm • From Now On. The Educational Technology Journal. Educational Technology for Engaged Learning. Educational Technology for Literacy • http://www.fno.org/

31. Useful Information for Teachers • Webquest example: • http://quesnel.vsb.bc.ca/Webquest/teacherresources.htm

32. Tech Learning: The Resource for Educational Leaders • Website Available athttp://www.techlearning.com Offers: • Reviews • Book talks • Grants & Contests • Events • Tips • Web Picks • Web Links • Databases

33. Success Stories • Some states have successfully implemented online learning programs In Colorado, more than 20 online programs are operating “including 2 virtual charter schools (one for alternative high school students, the other for home-schoolers in grades K-5), 3 district-based comprehensive online high schools, and 1 consortium-based program that provides high school courses to half of the state's school districts” (Kalmon, 2003).

34. Final Word • The infrastructure is in place, resources are available and new teachers are being taught about technology and new literacies in pre-service programs. The final key will be to work with the teachers who have not had experience teaching with computers. Districts will have to devote time and resources to make sure that their investment in technology does prepare students to enter the workforce in the 21st century.

35. Quote • “The Fates guide those who go willingly; those who do not, they drag.” • (Levin, Arafeh, 2002)