Maps, atlases and other geographical sources

Call me strange but when I was a student I loved looking and learning from maps. Perhaps in my young mind it was the potential of the world experiences that the maps offered me. I grew up in a small town and most of the travel I experienced as a young child was in the province that I grew up in. Looking at maps during geography lessons was fascinating as I would plan out the adventures that I would have when I was older. Maps that were used for teaching purpose when I was a student in school were print materials. I remember the topographical maps that teachers would share were a series of overheads. They were very advanced at that time!

In my current school I teach at we don't have a class set of atlases. I have seen a few copies of atlases lying around the school, but sadly they are the same atlases I used as a student 20 years ago. Hasn't our world changed significantly in 20 years?
As I am realizing through out this course many of the resources used today in school are found online. The resources online are generally up to date and offer students experiences with maps that print maps can not provide.

However as many of my classmates brought up technology can fail, which makes it impossible to rely solely on online teaching resources. I liked the idea that several of my classmates mentioned. Instead of buying a class set, buy a half set. Students can share the atlases and the cost is cut in half. The exorbitant cost is one of the main reasons why atlases are not replaced, Several people also mentioned using a document camera when using atlases. Currently the school I work in a fortunate enough to have one. Personally I have not used the document camera (I know if I did I would not want to share it) but I can see how you could in fact use the document camera with only one atlas for the entire class.

Some of my favorite mapping sites are:

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/maps/default.asp.


http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ (Thanks Ann for pointing this site out)

http://www.reachtheworld.org/games/geogames/GeoGames-Teachers-Tools.html
(Thanks Lisa)

Bibliographies, and Biographies and Directories

When I started this module this week I had one question in my mind. How can I use or how would I use bibliographies, and biographies and directories with my elementary aged students. What has become increasingly clear to me is the text Reference Skills has been written for Middle or Secondary Librarians. Don't get me wrong there is some great information on selecting reference materials for any library. However when it comes to the links they mainly are for Middle or Secondary students. While disappointing I have been searching out appropriate materials and websites that I can use with elementary school students.

So hence the reason why I started out reading with the questions in my mind. At first I was not sure what place bibliographs would have in a school library. How ever then began to think of a research project I had seen done with a grade 4 class when I was a practicum student. The classroom teacher had assigned the class a research project on famous Canadians, which is a perfect example of how biographies could be used. While I did not find the listings in the course module in particular useful I did find these sites that I would use with a class:

http://www.wsd1.org/robert_h/Cdnbiog.htm
Great gateway site to finding famous Canadians. This site lists links to sites to find what any student is looking for.

http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/famous_canadians/index.html
A webquest where students have to act as a newspaper reporter find and research a famous Canadian.

http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b261/famous_canadians/
A site developed by the Calgary Board of Education. Very user friendly and all the links are useable by elementary aged students.

As for Directories I have used them in the past with a grade 3 class. While studying mapping I showed my students that the front of the phonebook contains maps. Then I proceeded to show my students how they could find their houses and other places of interest in the community. I did a quick search online of kids directories and what I found was listings for search engines like Yahooligians.

There are resources out there to use with the youngest of learners it just takes time to search them out and find the appropriate learning situations to use them in.

General and Specialized Encyclopedias

What is your opinion about established vs. free citizen-built encyclopedias such as Wikipedia? Consider how information environments are evolving and also think about the challenges for developing information literacy skills.

Prior to reading the article by Paula Berinstein Wikipedia and Britannica: The Kid's All Right (And So's the Old Man)I would have said out with the old and in with the new. Print encyclopedias seem highly outdated, our world is changing at a rate faster then seen in generations before. Information that use to take weeks to travel the globe travels in seconds thanks to the internet. It seems hard to believe that encyclopedias such as the Encyclopaedia Britannica have a place in the reference world, but it does along with its online counterpart Wikipedia.

Most people tend to first search for information online, it is true of the saying that information is at your finger tips. For any topic that you search for online using a search engine Wikipedia tends to be in the top ten results returned. The information is compiled from volunteers and the information is updated constantly. Realizing this fact and understanding this issue is what you need to take into consideration when relying solely on Wikipedia for information. When teaching students we need to let them know this and teach them about being media literate.

This is where Encyclopedias like Britannica have the foot up on their free online counterparts. Print encyclopedias entries are written by scholars in the subject area. The scholars are paid for their work and are considered area experts on the topic. Unlike Wikipedia authors which are anonymous print encyclopedia authors are recognized, this leads to authors being accountable for what they write. Wikipedia's authors are unmentioned so it can lead to people not caring what information they give is accurate or correct.

Reading the comments on the class discussion board many of the points I brought up here were also raised by my colleagues. Karin brought up a situation that highlighted how Wikipedia was in fact a better source for information then the print encyclopedia. When looking up information on a topic about a plant Karin found that the print encyclopedias did not contain much information, however after searching for information on Wikipedia Karin found pages of information and pictures of the plant. It just goes to show that print information can be either outdated quickly or not have the print space to provide detailed information. Electronically stored information can be only limited by the storage capacity which in some cases is limitless. This also brings up to mind the fact that print or user paid online encyclopedias are limited by how much money the have in their budget to pay for information. Whereas Wikipedia a volunteer site is relies on free information which means it can be constantly evolving with no cost to the host site for the information it provides.

This being said Wikipedia is free and you need to pay to read encyclopedia's such as Britannica. Who is going to pay for information that can be found online for free? If encyclopedias die out I would bet it will come down to dollars. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next few years.

The Reference Interview and Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching

Prior to taking this course I had never heard of the research interview. In my own experience when I have sought out of the librarian I have just been told that "what you are looking for is in call number..." I can't recall a time that a librarian has taken me throught the research interview.

I can see the value in being able to use the research interview with students. Most students come to the library knowing that they need to find information, but have no idea how to find the information that they require or they may not fully understand the question that they are trying to answer. The school library media specialist plays an important role in ensuring that the student is sucessful in finding what they need. I can see the reference interview as being a skill that takes time to evolve. First as the text points our "the school library media specialist must have exceptional knowledge of the library media center's collection" (Rieding pg. 92).
This can take time for a library media specialist to get to know the collection in both print and electronic formats. As with good wine it takes time to age and the research interview must take perfect as a librarian becomes comfortable in the process. I just hope one day to actually work in a library so I can try out the research process

Sources
Rielding, A. (2005). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, 2nd ed. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing, Inc.

Article Review: Connecting the digital dots: literacy of the 21st century by Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan

In the article Connecting the digital dots: literacy of the 21st century authors Barbara R. Jones-Kavalier and Suzanne L. Flannigan discuss how the concept of literacy has changed in the 21st century. In their article, Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan discusses the issues surrounding digital and visual literacies which they see as the next wave of communication specialization.

Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan define being literate prior to the 21st century as “a person’s ability to read and write” (Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan, 13). However with the advent of the internet individuals must now become technology literate in both digital and visual literacy.

Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan explain that educating young students in these new literacies is difficult as “few educational organizations have developed comprehensive technology plans that specify technical learning objectives or ensure successful integration of technology to enhance student’s digital and visual literacy” (Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan, 13) There is simply not the professional materials or development to support educators. However, Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan argue that is no reason to throw in the towel. Students are digital savvy and educators need to move into the 21st century with them. Lessons need to be taught using streaming video and instant internet access; “the greatest challenge is moving beyond the glitz and pizzazz of the flashy technology to teach true literacy” (Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan, 14).

In their article Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan define 21st century literacy as “the ability to read and interpret media (text, sound, images), to reproduce data and images through digital manipulation, and images through digital manipulation, and to evaluate and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments” (Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan, 14). The most critical aspect of digital and visual literacy Jones-Kavalier and Flannigan believe is for a person to have the skills to critically think about what is viewed and read online.

This article is a call to action. No longer can we ignore technology in our classrooms. It must be embraced, used and students must be taught how to understand it. If we fail our students will miss out on an important aspect of literacy that goes beyond books and paper.

Source:

Jones-Kavalier, B.R., & Flannigan, S.L. (2008). Connecting the digital dots: literacy of the 21st century. Teacher Librarian 35 (3), 13-16.

Print and/or Electronic Reference Materials

The library is the one place in the school that has seen the most change in the past twenty years. On Monday at the school I teach at our focus was integrating technology in the classroom. While most school libraries have embraced the technology the typical classroom has remained stuck in a time warp. Part of the reason is classroom teachers are afraid of change, but a bigger obstacle is funding. It actually made me sad to see the types of technology that is available, but unreachable due to funding.

But back to the school library where most technology in the school is located. In the school library I would say that print reference sources are becoming obsolete in the school library. The reason comes down to pure cost. The amount of money to purchase and maintain a print reference collection is very expensive. The teacher librarians I have encountered see the online references as a better investment. The students and faculty are given access to greater collections. As the online reference resources are constantly upgraded the only cost becomes the yearly subscription fee. That all being said holding a book in your hand is something special. It is the hunt for information that you just don’t get with online resources. However I realize that our society is changing. Most students rely on electronic sources to live their lives; they don’t wear watches they look at their cellphones, books are downloaded to their electronic book readers, letters are not written on paper and mailed they are typed and emailed. Perhaps it is just us as librarians who get the nostalgic feeling from print materials. If we look at our youth we can clearly see that print materials are not what they need or will use. As the text states there will not be a less need for libraries and librarians to the contrary “Information needs are growing and becoming more complex. The result is that there will be as increased need for experts, school library media specialists with skills in searching, accessing, using, and evaluation information efficiently and effectively” (Rieding pg. 104).

Sources
Rielding, A. (2005). Reference skills for the school library media specialist: Tools and tips, 2nd ed. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth Publishing, Inc.

Article Review: What Do You Know? By Amy S. Pattee

In her article entitled What Do You Know? Applying the KWL Method to the Reference Transaction with Children Amy S. Pattee seeks to educate educators on how to use the know, wonder, learn (K-W-L) process of inquiry when guiding young children through the reference process.

Pattee begins her article by explaining why children need different information- seeking process then adults. Pattee attributes the difference between adult information- seekers and children to their cognitive growth and development. She further explains that “young children, in the earliest stages of development, may not even recognize their own information needs” (Pattee, 30). As a result librarians need skilled and sympathetic librarians to aid in the reference process. To best aid children librarians can use the K-W-L process to help children articulate what they need and to find the resources that they need.

In the what I know phase the teacher librarian can better understand what the child is looking for specifically in order to guide the child to the right resources. This step is important Pattee explains as children may understand they need to find information but they are clueless in how to go about it.

Pattee writes that the what do I want to know phase librarians have the important task to ask “open ended questions” (Pattee, 36). Open ended questioning helps to allow the child to point the way to the answer of the question.

During the what I learned stage learners are able to find the resources for the question that they developed in the what to know phase. Unlike adults who tend to find and search answers without a librarians assistance, children may need support. The librarians job is to “guide(s) the child through the process of locating material on the library’s shelves, or via the library’s computer system, and extracting information from it” (Pattee, 37).

In conclusion Pattee’s article brings up some very interesting points that I had not thought of. Children do see the world in different eyes and as much as some things can be simplified to suit the needs of children – the information process is not one of them. One must remember Piagetian stages of cognitive development when considering to aid children in the research process.

Using the K-W-L process to search for information is an easy way to adapt the research process for children. As the K-W-L process is used in virtually every classroom young children are very familiar with how it works. To me it is simply a continuation of a familiar learning process- linking the library with what is happening in the classroom.

Reference

Pattee, Amy S. (2008, Spring). What Do You Know? Applying the KWL Method to the Reference Transaction with Children. Children & Libraries 6 (1), 30-39 Retrieved September 12, 2007, from Academic Search Complete database