Re: [LM_NET] AASL on National Education Technology Plan

[Barbara COMBES <b.combes@ECU.EDU.AU>]

Hi All,
If this is the case in this particular school then one has to wonder
what the Library staff are actually doing. We are publishing more in
print than at any other time in our history. There is a lot of
information that is not available in electronic form, simply because
people want to be assured of making a living from their work which is
based on the creation of information.

We have recently had the PISA 2000 report that indicates that being a
proficient reader is essential for success. Recent studies from the US
only reiterate earlier studies which show that students who complete
their education in a school that has a proactive library perform much
better academically. Recent studies from the UK and here in Perth also
indicate that our so-called techno savvy students are actually
information illiterate when it comes to accessing information and then
being able to do something with it.

I cringe when I read something like this and I have heard Principals
saying the same. Using a library is not just about locating information,
nor is the Teacher Librarian just a glorified book shelver. A TL's role
is to manage information literacy skills development in a school -
collaboratively plan and teach so skills are taught in context, promote
and deliver PD and sessions on fiction ('cos if you can't read you're in
trouble, even cmputers require high level literacy skills) and in
today's school there is a real role for TLs to be involved in the
development and design of online curriculum that incorporates
information literacy skills development in a seamless manner. TLs are
teachers first and managers of resources second.

Why aren't the staff in this library teaching in their school,
collaboratively planning, providing PD, providing access to virtual
resources, promoting literature and whole-school reading programs and
being in the thick of IT development and online curriculum planning?
Please don't send these students to university thinking they can cut and
paste or with no knowledge of how to use a library and gasp! even a book
for information. They won't survive and that's a fact!

:|
BC


@ Your Library

Barbara Combes, Lecturer
School of Computer and Information Science
Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia
Ph: (08) 9370 6072
Email: b.combes@ecu.edu.au

"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that
of an ignorant nation."

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-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Paula Yohe
Sent: Tuesday, 25 January 2005 8:57 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] AASL on National Education Technology Plan

Ah -- the debate begins -- Intersting point of view --- Any other high
school folks care to jump in -- Paula

NHS Webmaster <nhswebmaster@COLLIER.K12.FL.US> wrote:
I will posit a contrarians view.

I believe that school libraries, and especially high school libraries,
are on there way to becoming obsolete. That said, I think we need to
refocus completely what a high school library library can provide.
Please note, I am referencing high school libraries only.

We have a huge print reference collection that is no longer used.
Absolutely. By no one. Not an encyclopedia, not an almanac, not a
dictionary. The only use we get is for road atlases, because Drivers Ed
requires both a print map and an Internet based map.

No student uses are general collection unless required for a school
assignment.

No one, not one, checks out a book for reading for personal development.

Nada, no one.

Teachers no longer use the library. Not our ESOL teachers--they require
that their students select books only from their classroom libraries,
nor the Reading teachers, they are focused on Read 180 and the books are
in their rooms.

There is no focus on outside readings. Social studies and science
teachers from low level to AP are so structured that the use of the
library is out.

The AP programs on the Internet feature their own outside readings.
There is no in-depth reading of books in a library required.

We cannot support the highest level of student researchers, as we do not
have the funds to support books at their level. We ferry them to the
local university instead.

Our library could be reduced by one half. A room for presentations, a
computer lab, and a modest area for recreational reading--paperbacks and
high-interest periodicals.

And our staff could be reduced by at least one professional.

One professional/one aide would be enough (I know some of you would be
blessed to have that) to service 1700 students.

The use of the library media center is declining year by year,
standardized testing plays a part, national studies that say that
reading for pleasure does not improve test scores is another, the rise
in acceptable use of copy and paste assignments by teachers is yet
another.

So, why do we even need libraries? A reasonalbly sized room with
computers and some magazines and paperback fiction is enough!

Food for thought!

Adam


Adam Janowski
Library Media Specialist
Naples High School
1100 Golden Eagle Circle
Naples, FL 34102
E-mail: NHSWebmaster@collier.k12.fl.us
Phone: 239-377-2210
Fax: 239-430-6673
Library web site: http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/lmc/ School web site:
http://collier.k12.fl.us/nhs/
>>> Peter Milbury
01/21/05 9:51 AM >>>
Dear LM_NET Colleagues,

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005, Brent Bradley wrote:
>I'm more interested in what people think of the NCES document
"technology
> in schools" at
> http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003313
> While the AASL and the NETP pieces seem to be a lot of propaganda and 
> 'We're doing great things here', this document seems (to my untrained 
> eye, I suppose) something actually useful to districts and individual 
> schools.

I think Brent made an astute observation. Bureaucracies always seem to
drift toward inertia, or even worse, self-destruction. They become timid
and afraid of offending their perceived benefactors, and even forget
about who their benefactors are!

We just have to do our best with what we have, and let it be known when
there are deficiencies. There are many ways to band together for mutual
support, and LM_NET is one of them.

Perhaps there is a way that we can let both ISTE and the U.S. Department
of Education know that they are ignoring school libraries in this
important document, the National Education Technology Plan.?

Please, let us all know your thoughts on this topic!

Peter Milbury, LM_NET Co-Moderator pmilbury@iis.syr.edu School
Librarian/CA TeleMentor, Chico HS, Chico, CA
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Paula Yohe
Director Of Technology/Library Media Center Dillon School District Two
405 West Washington Street
Dillon, SC 29536
Phone: 843-841-3604 Fax:843-774-1214
paula_yohe@yahoo.com
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