Towards a Transformative Pedagogy for School Libraries 2.0[1]
I noticed that I chose articles that are focused on new skills for librarians, in particular for opportunities for collaborative teaching and using social networking.
This article talks about the competency of “new” learners in digital technologies but points to the widening divide in different socioeconomic classes. Socioeconomic class is an important point since the web is considered a global information source, however in 2005 over 50% of the world population lived on less than $2.50/day[2]. The article notes that literacy skills used for the web are common with print literacy skills with some unique web skills including comparing information across sources, and using search engines. I think some of the skills the article states are unique are actually used in print literacy, like comparing information across sources and scanning for information using text features. Websites have different text features but the process is similar.
Like our text (p. 104) the article recognizes a growing need for teaching learners how to use web resources effectively. The article identifies web skills students need to learn:
- searching more effectively,
- develop critical thinking for reviewing and evaluating information found on websites, videos and social network sites and producing own postings and sites
- rewording and recording to avoid plagiarism
- understand social and ethical responsibilities of living in a network world
- Develop technical literacy skills including communicating in variety of internet formats, word processing, integrating different media formats.
I agree with the article that these skills are important for new learners. Some of these skills are taught with literacy already and lessons can be adapted to be appropriate for the web. However the large and lifelong issues of critical thinking, social and ethical responsibilities can have an immediate impact when applied to the web and are critical for the TL to be teaching to students. The summary of this article is for TL to make school libraries the bridge between in-school and out-of-school literacies. This sentence really sums up the importance of teaching the literary skills to our “new” learners.
BTW, it's Doiron! And I agree with you and Ray. We have to make the transition to the digital delivery of information.
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