The Library and the Educational Environment
As a current Librarian I am the one who wants everything. I want our students to read all the time and I want them to have everything they need to accomplish their task and I want it now. I will always want for them. Today after reading the articles and the chapter in our text, I wonder just how long it is going to take someone to go before our Department of Secondary and Elementary Education and say -We don't need those Libraries anymore.
I was disturbed by the comments added to Andra Brichacek's article. There seemed to be way too many that didn't think the building/library was really needed. I can't help but believe that no matter what new technology we invent, we will still need our libraries. I WANT that building. I WANT that opportunity for my students to be able to come in and smile when they find the right book, or show me their paper they did well on because they did the research in the library. I am glad that major libraries will have their holdings online-FREE. Benefits go beyond the holding of an actual book in your hand. Our home environment provides access to as much information as one can use and receiving help using the resources is something a Nook can't provide. Having others near by to collaborate with is one of the essentials to learning and knowing that you can come in and sit down for an hour and study with help just around the corner is such a relief for many students who do not have Internet access at home.
I want my students to remember the things from the past so they can excel in the future. I know that the items listed by Stephan Abram in his article are gone or on their way out and it is sad to see some of them leave. He mentioned Standardized test. I can't believe I agree with him, but I do. Such a poor way to check our students understanding. I want our students to see school as a pleasure and not as a "drudgery" as he called it. In Valenzas' manifesto the first note she had was "Some administrators have never seen a vibrant library program." I want all administrators to know that the library is a vital organ to their school system and know the need to finance the changes to come in order for our students to not need that standardized test. I feel we in the library play that big of a role in our students lives.
In her manifesto she speaks of a new librarian who wants to know "what does a school librarian do?" We need to hook her up to our text book that colorfully demonstrates "A day in the life of a High School Media Specialist."(34-35) That section made me so tired. She was called a director and that sure fit her massive job. Libraries of the past were small with no quiet areas, offices or media rooms. The person who cared for the library would have a time keeping up with our "director/Librarian" of today. I want to remember the struggles of those past librarians so that I can welcome the new changes that are in store for me in the future.
There are so many changes in our libraries today that it is hard to keep up with them all. We find Standards moving to Common Core. Expectations of students to go from learning to read to presentation of learned content using more than their paper and pencil. It is coming to the "survival of the fittest" form. If my library is to keep up, I will have to WANT for more. If I am to keep up, I will have to WANT and EARN more knowledge.
Works Cited
Abram, Stephen. "15 educational experiences my granddaughter won't have ." Stephen's Lighthouse,
8 May 2012. Web. 5 June 2012.
Brichacek, Andra. "READERS RESPOND: Do school still need brick-and-mortar libraries?"
ISTE Community Ning, 17 Aug. 2009.Web.27 May 2011
Hay, Lyn, and Ross J. Todd. School Libraries 21c. Rep. NSW Department of Education and
Training, 2010. Web. 30 May 2012.
Valenza, Joyce. "A Revised Manifesto." Never Ending Search 3 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 May 2011.
Woolls, Blanche. The School Library Media Manager. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.
Print.
Three Questions:
What do you think will take the place of Standardized testing and the EOC's (End of Course) testing?
How can I incorporate Skype into my library program?
How do I convince my Technology Director of our need for a more open web?
Jeanie,
ReplyDeleteI had many of the same feelings that you talked about in your post. I actually felt myself getting defensive when reading about those who didn't see a need for an actual library. There is so much more behind a library than what they were looking at. We will just have to continue to educate those on all that a library has to offer.
As for question number 2, "How can I incorporate Skype into my library program?" I think that there are some different ways that you can do this. There are many author's out there that aren't able to actually do school visits but are up on their technology and a skype cast would work out for an author visit. How neat would that be? Also, our elementary library does a challenge every year researching questions with other elementary schools across the country. Those libraries could skype each other for the kids to have actual interaction with their competitors. The kids would love that! There are so many different things that you could do, that would be exciting and fun, yet still very educational and useful for the kids.
Jeannie,
ReplyDeleteI do not understand people who think that libraries are not needed today. They are needed today just as much as yesterday or maybe even more so, because someone needs to be able to guide our students in this vast world of technology. I am going to try to answer question number 1. I believe that they will continue to test until at some point they see that it isn't an effective way of judging a students knowledge. They may be very smart kids, but are not good test takers. Until they realize this, we will continue to have to give them state tests. Hopefully someone will figure it out sooner rather than later.
Dixie
I would love to see portfolios of students work. I can't remember the article if it was for this class or another. It talked about having students being able to show a college their work and not just a score. This allows for the creativity to shine through, especially for those who are't test takers. But like Dixie said, until the ones in charge "get" that what is happening now isn't working, testing will remain.
ReplyDeleteI love your first question! It will having me thinking of different answers for days. What can replace standardized testing... I don't know what about a well rounded, well educated, forward thinking student who has a high quality job at the end of schooling. But how do we get there?
ReplyDeleteI always say I don't want to teach to the test, I want to teach every child life skills. I know I can hold myself accountable, but there are teachers in my building who if they didn't have the standardized test scores to keep them accountable, they wouldn't work nearly as hard as they do.
What if a administration only hired quality teachers that truly believed in teaching every child regardless of accountability? But, the administration tries to do that anyways.
I like Amber's suggestion of student portfolios.
I just think it's too bad we have to prove quality teaching is taking place. But is taking a standardized test encouraging quality teaching or just good test taking skills?
Excellent question! I am curious to see what how other classmates will respond. Thanks for providing a real lingering thought...
Besides the authors out there who will Skype for schools, there are a multitude of experts whose wisdom could be tapped. I remember Buffy Hamilton writing about one of the science classes Skyping the captain of a vessel near Antarctica, I believe, and how that added so much to the concepts they were trying to teach in that unit.
ReplyDeleteWhy not Skype a politician? someone whose job you might be discussing in class? How about Oprah - she seemed to use it pretty well.