Presentations and photos

Our SLAQ web manager has been busy and now you can find the following on the SLAQ 2008 conference website:

Web 2.0 technologies - Belinda Weaver
Landscape Your Library - Barbara Braxton
Some really exciting library landscapes - Fran Hughes

SLAQ 2008 Picture Gallery Day 1
SLAQ 2008 Picture Gallery - Conference Dinner
SLAQ 2008 Picture Gallery - Trade Fair

Enjoy the information and the pictures.

Strategic planning --- post-conference

As the closing keynote speaker, Barbara Braxton focused on one of Stephen Covey’s 7 habits of highly effective people – Begin with the end in mind.

She encouraged delegates to develop a school library mission statement that correlates with the library, the school and the Standards of Excellence for Teacher Librarians. The school library mission statement must not be static but organic in nature.

From the mission statement one can then develop strategic actions, allocate responsibilities, and act on decisions that will achieve the mission statement.

Delegates were encouraged to reflect on the three categories of the Standards of Excellence in Teacher Librarians (professional knowledge, professional practice, and professional commitment) and identify short term, medium term and long term goals.

The next stage was to develop a personal plan:
· Promise – intent
· Purpose – why
· Strategies – what steps
· Timeframe – timing
· Support – professional learning and where from
· Success – needs to be measurable
· Celebrate & Share

Barbara encouraged teacher-librarians to identify their uniqueness...what is it that others cannot do?

Research based reference web links can be found on the ASLA website.

Guided inquiry

There were a couple of sessions on guided inquiry so I thought I would provide some links to some of the resources mentioned where you can source more information.

Carol Kuhlthau – Information Search Process.

Kuhlthau, Carol C., Leslie K. Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari. Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. (Note: check the Guided Inquiry Ning below to be able to purchase a copy.)

Carol Kuhlthau and Ross Rodd – Guided Inquiry.

Guided Inquiry Ning


Will Richardson

A guided inquiry approach – the school library and the Victorian essential learning standards

Web 2.0 technolgies - Belinda Weaver

For Belinda, Web 2.0 is about engagement. One aspect of user behaviour is “want to use it, pass it on and modify it.”

Belinda took us through a journey of Web 2.0 tools that have the following characteristics:
· Social
· Sharing
· Seamless
· Interactive
· Participatory
· Innovative reuse of existing content
· Free or near free
· Whenever, wherever
· Always in ‘beta’

Some principles to consider for Librarian 2.0
· Everywhere
· No barriers
· Invites participation
· Uses flexible, best-of-the-best systems
· Everything matters

The Librarian’s 2.0 manifesto may have provided us with some humour, but some home truths and important elements need to be considered.

If all the Web 2.0 tools really baffle you then Belinda suggested taking a look at the “in plain English” site, Commoncraft.

As there were lots of web links in Belinda’s presentation, she has offered to provide this to SLAQ. I will let you know when this is available via this blog.

During discussion time I mentioned a couple of 'Ning' environments - the ASLA Online and the IASL Meeting Place.

Teacher-librarian as curriculum leader

Rod Chandler from The King's School, NSW, indicated teacher-librarians have a pivotal role in curriculum design, but the impediments for teacher-librarians are:

• lack of clarity of what is effective curriculum
• resource shortage, e.g. staffing, physical / virtual resources, buildings
• trying to work in a school culture where the library is only viewed for literature
• excluded from the decision making
• limited perceptions of school libraries and teacher-librarians
• uncertainty within profession of what is leadership
• leading learning is not for teacher-librarians
  

He encouraged teacher-librarians to consider some key principles for the development of an effective curriculum such as, have desired achievements, begin with the end in mind, assessment (in part) to be formative, assess "for" learning, tap into the student's interest and previous achievements, differentiate to accommodate the different learning styles.

Rod praised teacher-librarians who are at the centre of student learning and acknowledged the research that strongly indicates profound improvement in student achievement because of the involvement of teacher-librarians.

He highly recommended Suzette Boyd's The connected library: A handbook for engaging. He considered the Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians as outstanding and suggested delegates go back to their school and run a short survey, using the three categories (professional knowledge, professional practice, professional commitment) to see if the school staff believe the teacher-librarian addresses these areas.

The last part of his keynote address focused on "leading with soul" and he referred to a number of educational leaders and encouraged reading of Robert Greenleaf, The servant as leader (1970) and Joseph Jowarski, Synchronicity (1996.

Rod stated, "no other single person in a school has such influence over students as the teacher librarian."

Other authors referred to by Rod:
Michael Fullan, Hedley Beare, and Patrick Duignan.

Monday afternoon indulgences

Presenters and conference delegates - don't forget to make some comments about the session you presented or attended. A chance to engage in more sharing and discussion.

Ms Joy Lawn -- STRAND: Literature

Children’s and young adult literature airborne
Discover the best of new and recent books and how to motivate your students to read them. Literature through the primary, middle school and secondary school years will be presented. Books for wide and close reading will be celebrated, with a focus on graphic novels. Teacher librarians will be inspired to share these ‘Airborn’ books with their students and colleagues.

Ms Janette Carter -- STRAND: Learning

Exploring the web for quality resources
A tour of what's new in the Edna website and suite of tools. Participants will learn how to find their way around events, resources, news, groups, lists and related sites.

Ms Marj Kirkland and Ms Mary-Elizabeth Nash -- STRAND: Leadership/Learning

Literacy is everyone's business
This workshop will outline the process whereby one school developed a Whole School Literacy Plan and accompanying Action Plan. It will promote a multi-faceted approach to literacy by:

* developing a workable Whole School Literacy Plan and accompanying Action Plan
* creating a reading culture through structured programs
* scaffolding and modelling written assignments across the Key Learning Areas (KLAs)
* addressing multi-literacies (including Information Literacy) across the KLAs.

Ms Cathy Oxley -- Session 1 -- STRAND: Learning

Wikispaces and Animoto: creating captivating content
Engaging students in the classroom and capturing their interest is always a challenge. This hands-on session looks at two web sites where you can create captivating content.

Wikis are a great way to involve students because they capitalise on what students already like doing - sharing information with others in a collaborative way. During 2008 Redlands College Library has used Wikispaces to develop a wiki for their RIB-IT reading scheme, and you will be able to add to this, or begin making your own wiki.

Animoto is a web site where you can upload phgotos and music to create engaging animated video clips showcasing student activities at your school.

Literature and learning sessions

I'm hoping conference delegates will be able to enter some comments about any of the first concurrent sessions on Monday. I'm sure some gems or words of wisdom were shared. Presenters...don't be too shy either.

Ms Lucy Baker -- STRAND: Literature

Where to begin with verse novels
Verse novels are form and format identified, rather than the more obvious genre delineations. They are usually short, intensely emotional and deliberately written to appeal to readers rather than poets. This offers an option to librarians for less accomplished readers who are wanting more advanced stories and literature than what is usual in 'easy read' novels. By having a familiarity with the genre and an understanding of its strengths for young adult readers, librarians have yet another arrow in their quiver when it comes to serving the young adult community with enjoyable literature.

Ms Kirschty Birt -- STRAND: Learning

Starting a girls computer group can really take you places
Having taught in both the UK and Australia has given me a wide variety of educational experiences. As a digital immigrant who is basically self taught, I set about experimenting pedagogically and now my classroom looks very different from the way I taught 20+ years ago in a rural high school. To complement my own interests and those I thought were out there in my school, I set about starting a girls computer group. Results of this effort have been outstanding and I am keen to share my experiences.

Ms Vicki Palmer and Mrs Lee Fitzgerald -- STRAND: Learning

Guided inquiry. Just do it!!
Using one of Ross Todd’s favourite expressions as its title this session will be jointly presented by Lee and Vicki as each shares her experiences with the implementation of guided inquiry. Vicki will speak from an upper primary perspective and Lee will speak from a secondary perspective, using guided inquiries from both their schools. They will talk about what’s new and what isn’t new about guided inquiry, (including if there’s anything “misguided” about guided inquiry!) and about what has worked for them, and what has presented challenges.

Ms Helen Hall -- STRAND: Learning

Resources for the study of Queensland history
During this session I would like to:

* present my efforts to pull together a diverse range of resources and sources for the study of Queensland history
* call on the two presenters mentioned to discuss their work

Negotiated Independent Learning

Pat Carmichael, Learning Centre Manager at Concordia Lutheran College and SLAQ nominee for the Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year 2006 says, "We want our students to become confident and motivated learners who are equipped with the skills that will enable them to be accountable for their own learning, compete in the information economy and so become life-long learners."

Pat shared with delegates the establishment of the Independent Learning Centre where an IL unit of work is an elective of choice for one semester. Students are encouraged to pursue their personal interests. They negotiate their own personal learning journey so that it is interest based, has intrinsic value and is futures related for them.

More information about the Independent Learning Centre

The seminal work of Csikszentmihalyi, 'Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience', provides a philosophical background to the ILC whereby students are "completely absorbed with the activity at hand."

Language is a funny thing

Christine Harris entertained delegates with a mix of wit and slang....well, in the sense, and I quote, "Language out of context becomes humorous."

Christine's series Audrey of the Outback is about a girl living in the outback in 1930 and the books were released in the UK at the same time as Australia. Will British readers understand or even want to read Australian colloquialisms? And what of the time difference between Audrey in 1930 and modern young readers? What's a "sundowner" or a "ning-nong"? How far should a writer go in using language as it is spoken, rather than how it is formally written? Language has power. It is political and has cultural biases. Language can identify us with a special group.

According to Christine - "Australiana is worth preserving."

Struth and fair dinkum, when you are all laired up, flat out like a lizard drinking, happy as a pig in mud, your head over turkey, and you really need to hit the frog and toad...why not?

Don't forget to leave a message for Audrey on her diary -- check out Audrey's diary.

Author - Tristan Bancks

Tristan Bancks is a well known actor and television presenter in Australia and overseas who is also a passionate writer and filmmaker. His short films have won a number of awards and have screened widely in festivals and on television.

Tristan has written a number of books for children and teenagers, include Mac Slater, Coolhunter series for Random House Australia and the Hollywood or Bust and Dream Racers series. Tristan is driven by the desire to pen inspiring, past-paced stories for young people and is currently writing more books in the Mac Slater, Coolhunter series.

Author - James Moloney

James Moloney is a Brisbane writer who has published more than thirty books for children and young adults. Many of this novels have won awards and commendation both at home and overseas, including Swashbuckler and A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove, both of which were CBCA Books of the Year.

He is a former teacher and teacher-librarian and spends part of each year giving talks and presenting workshops to students and teachers. His most recent book for younger readers is Master of the Books and for teenages, Kill the Possum.

Author - JC Burke

JC Burke was born in Sydney in 1965, the fourth of five sisters. With writers for parents, she grew up in a world of noise, drama and books, but she decided to become a nurse after her mother lost a long battle with cancer. Since she started writing in 1999, she has published a number of acclaimed books for teenagers and young adults, including Children's Book Council Notable Books White Lies and The Red Cardigan, Aurealis Awards finalist Nine Letters Long, The Story of Tom Brennan, Faking Sweet, and Starfish Sisters.

A rich array of authors

With special thanks to the conference major sponsor, The Book House, delegates had the opportunity to engage with authors during the author panel discussion and at the book signing.

The Book House is a local Queensland owned and operated company. Rob Holt (grandson of the Hon. Harold Holt) is the owner and proud to be a leading primary and secondary school educational and school library supplier.

SLAQ thanks The Book House for the support to bring a rich array of authors to this conference event.

I will post some separate messages about the authors who joined in on the Monday events.

A morning with Stella Axarlis

The Roy Lundin Memorial Address was presented by Stella Axarlis.

Stella loves to challenge her mind as makes an effort to read outside her interest areas to expand the borders of her learning at the time. She sees teacher librarians as playing a crucial role in inspiring young learners to look outside those borders. Lifelong learning has always been a focus for her family alongside change as a constant. She encouraged delegates to embrace both in their job.

Like an orchestra, Stella indicated the importance of working collaboratively with parents, colleagues, other teachers and the school community to deliver on the core aspects of what we do - curriculum leaders and information specialists, connecting students through learning, literature, information literacy, resource based learning and technology.

Stella considers the challenges facing education are:
globalisation and the knowledge based economy that will require a desire for lifelong learning so we stay ahead
education institutions to be the conduit between government, business and community
push for a seamless education sytem that requires a continuous dialogue better sectors and acknowledging different sectors
education institutions that will adopt fundamental strategic thinking to respond to the rapid change in the patterns of work
schools that are not afraid to reinvent themselves and build the capacity of students to acquire knowledge and life skills
vocational education and training crucial for alternative career pathways
motivate for lifelong learning to meet future challenges.

Stella encouraged us to revisit the Delors Report (1996) UNESCO Task Force on Education for the Twenty-first Century, especially the four pillars of learning.

At 4 and a half years of age at a family gathering she was keen to speak up and, whilst her brothers were trying to stop her from speaking, her father said, If she has the facts and can defend them, then she can speak. Sounds like very good advice for every teacher librarian as we invest to challenge the mindset.

People who help me engage

Dr Lee-Ann Perry, Principal of All Hallows' School, welcomed delegates to the SLAQ conference. Dr Perry referred to teacher librarians as "those people who help me engage with resources." Within her school the school libraries are the hub of the school and vibrant learning communities. She recalled how 10 year ago they were discussing whether to go VHS or Beta and now its digital cameras, digital resources....everything digital. A major focus still remains on a healthy combination of print and online resources.

Wise words..."move beyond Google Search and Wikipedia".

Referencing and bibliographies for primary students

Hilary Hughes from the Queensland University of Technology launched a new SLAQ publication - Guidelines for referencing and bibliographies for primary students. This text, compiled for SLAQ by Jennifer King with additional editing by Chris Kahl and Maureen Twomey, will be an invaluable addition to any school library.

The text compliments the secondary school version and provides a special focus for the primary student - lots of graphics and visuals, larger print and a range of resource referencing and bibliography samples relevant to the primary level.

A special feature is 'When should students begin writing bibliographies', which outlines the stages of development that a school might consider for their learners.

Orders for class sets can be placed...so visit the SLAQ website.

Welcome Reception

Instead of entertaining her 'drive time' clients who tune into the ABC, Kelly Higgins-Devine provided SLAQ delegates with an insight into her day and some media tips. If you think a radio broadcaster's life is easy then begin your day scanning the newspapers, connecting online to news streams and sites, watching TV screens, preparing your scripts and wondering if you have enough for your 3 hour radio slot. Add to that a different location, such as a bus, from which to broadcast. BTW: Wikipedia is a source, but not for the serious stuff.

As a broadcaster Kelly gets to meet interesting and exciting people and to think about how to deal with the bombardment of requests to be included in the radio broadcasts. Kelly's tips: make sure it is something original, unique, an interest story, unusual, a real gem that has a grab, fascinating, new and adds to the conversation one may have had before. (So, what is unique about a teacher librarian...what makes us different...what makes us stand out in a crowd?)

Her job is to be the 'tapas bar of drive time' - little bits of this and that, short and sharp snapshots of the day - to help fill in your time as you drive home so you get a picture of the day.

Kelly's career advice - go regional. I think we can identify with that and I'm sure some of the schools in remote, isolated, country locations in Queensland would be keen to have someone going regional.

Venue-All Hallows' School

The venue for the SLAQ 2008 conference is All Hallows' School, an inner city Catholic school for young women. The pre-conference tours - Tour of Literary Brisbane with Nick Earls and All Hallows' School Libraries - will help to get everyone into the conference atmosphere.

Kelly Higgins-Devine, ABC local radio broadcaster of the year, will welcome all delegates to the conference at the Welcome Reception on the Sunday afternoon.

Then it's serious conference business and into the program on the Monday. Stella Axarlis - "from teacher to internationally acclaimed opera singer" - will certainly provide an interesting opening keynote address for a teacher-librarian conference.

Enough for now...

Back for SLAQ 2008

A little over two years ago this was the first message - "This blog has been established with the intent to discuss ideas and issues that are generated, initially, from the SLAQ 2006 conference to be held in Mackay, Queensland in September"

Well, I'm back for SLAQ 2008 and the message is very similar - This blog has been reinvigorated with the intent to discuss ideas and issues that are generated from the SLAQ 2008 conference to be held in Brisbane, Queensland commencing Sunday 21 September.

A reinvigorated SLAQ Blog....has a certain ring to it ;-)

Hope you can join in as I journey through the conference sessions, events and happenings.

Is Web 2.0 a threat for schools?

Since starting this blog I have received some interesting comments from teacher librarians who indicate their school blocks access to many of the Web 2.0 environments - for example, MySpace and Flickr.
Is there a concern that students will not get access to relevant information?
Is there a concern that these spaces will provide another avenue for bullying and harassment?
Is there a concern the school network will not cope with the flood of traffic as kids get connected in a potentially technology-oriented teaching and learning environment?
Is there a concern the curriculum requirements cannot be accommodated within these new environments?

Or, is it easier to just do what we have always done?

I read an interesting article by Dale Spender (Brisbane-based writer and educationalist), entitled History consigned to history. The article provides an interesting perspective on the need to embrace this changing technology-oriented society and 'marry' it with our educational curriculums.