Assignment 3: Sharing Reference Resources


I have the joy of being a Teacher Librarian at a small, inner-city, K-7 elementary school. Some goals we had for this year were to teach students about information literacy through library skills in the physical library, our online catalogue, and our digital databases. Our current reference collection is not very large and we had plans to add to it. We lacked print copies of atlases, encyclopedias, proper dictionaries, etc. However, our whole planned changed a few weeks ago when we learned we would not be going back to school and instead we needed to equip students with resources at home.

Now that student learning has been moved online I find myself in the same mindset as many other teachers—wishing I had somehow prepared my students for this. In particular, I wish I had taught more students specific digital citizenship lessons as well as how to access our online reference resources. The digital citizenship stuff I can teach as we build their learning through an online platform and they communicate with others and leave a digital footprint. How though could I plan to teach them to access our online reference resources. Most students didn’t even know it existed.

So, I created and implemented a plan. First, I gathered the information that students would need from my school district in order to log in to our reference resource. Part of this entailed adding the district online digital resource page to my school’s website for easy access for my students. Then I perfected the log-in process. Thirdly I got to know the reference resource well. Our reference resource is World Book Kids and World Book Early Learning. I gained knowledge by exploring the pages myself, trying to see it from the perspective of all three stakeholders—teachers, parents, and students. I wrote down what the key features are as if I were creating an advertisement. I watched tutorials on how to navigate the site and how to enhance the experience through customizable settings.

            After I had all the knowledge I decided to create a screencast video showing students how to log in and highlighting my favourite parts of the reference resource. I wrote a loose script to make sure I included everything I needed to say. Even with the script, however, it took a very long time and many takes. I am happy with the results.  
           


Click Here for my Screencast Video Bigger!

 (note: I have another video for World Book Early Learning, but I give away the credentials, so I will email you the video for that one.)

            I will communicate this addition to our reference resources by sending the two videos to teachers next week and to families after that. I hope that this will inspire student inquiry and that they will utilize the free access to this online reference resource. I am glad to have a way to support teachers through this uncertain time. Whether they use it to spark student inquiry simply by exposing their class to this resource or if they formally set up a research project that utilizes it, I will be happy for them to gain this knowledge.         


Bibliography


Digital Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from Langley School District: https://www.sd35.bc.ca/our-district/instructional-departments/digital-resources/
Early Learning by World Book. (2020). Retrieved from World Book Training and Support: https://www.worldbookonline.com/training/video_tutorials/earlylearning-videos.htm
Introduction to World Book Kids. (2019). Retrieved from World Book Training Site: https://www.worldbookonline.com/training/video_tutorials/kids_videos.htm
Riedling, A. M., Shake, L., & Houston, C. (2013). Reference Skills for the School Librarian. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO.
World Book Early Learning . (2020). Retrieved from World Book: https://www-worldbookonline-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/wbel/#/home
World Book Kids Home. (2020). Retrieved from World Book Kids: https://www-worldbookonline-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/kids/home




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Planning for the Future Vision Project 1 November 14 // LIBE 477 (Courtesy of Pexel by Pixabay) As I plan for my Future Vision Project this week I tackled a brief outline that answers the questions “What” and “How”. HOW will I display my work? I have seen some examples of a Microsoft Sway, but have never created one myself. Every LIBE or LLED course has pushed me to try new technologies and presentations styles. I’ve enjoyed exploring different programs and have often reflected afterwards of how I could integrate that presentation style into the classroom. As I have mentioned a few times during these blog posts, it is my joy to be part of a TL community within my district that is supportive and very collaborative. I few lead TLs within this community have showcased their LLCs to us through a Sway presentation. (I cannot embed an example because the link is private). I like how Sway reads like a blog, but is part of the MS suite. I like how it allows for creativity and integ...
Read more
Theme One: Google or Bust! “The day of seeking answers has not ended; only the process has changed” – Riedling et al. (p.109) If the school library is the hub of information, the epicenter of knowledge in the school, then the role of the Teacher Librarian is that of an information keeper and distributor. This is a heavy burden to bear. We have learned throughout these first few lessons of the tasks required and strategies for selecting and evaluating reference resources. In lesson 4, however, we addressed the idea that we, even the teacher librarians, come to the selection table with biases towards different reference resources. As I reflected on this, I realized that my biases and tendencies towards one type of reference resource over another has shaped how I view different reference materials. My Biases and Tendencies: In “Reference Skills for the School Librarian, Riedling (et al.) says, “essentially every aspect of school library media services has altered over ...
Read more
Image
Connecting to the World  LIBE 477 // November 1st // JKroeker “ By learning to read and write, children can succeed not only in school but  throughout their lives. ”   (CODE website: https://code.ngo/understanding-literacy/) When looking to provide aid to developing countries, many NGOs focus on delivering support to fulfill the bottom tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the population. Physiological needs of food, water, shelter, clothing, air, and sleep are vital for life. Without these needs met, growth cannot be made to better one’s life because focus is entirely on surviving. NGOs are able to pull at the heart strings of North Americans sitting at home because the idea of these basic needs not being met brings on feelings of empathy and sadness. I remember my dad, who worked for World Vision for my early childhood, holding a small child in his arms describing his or her story to the cameras and into the homes of viewers. As donators we focus on our money bein...
Read more