Teacher Librarian as Leader

Expect More: Demanding Better Libraries For Today's Complex World, David Lankes walks you through what to expect out of your library. Lankes argues that, to thrive, communities need libraries that go beyond bricks and mortar, and beyond books and literature. We need to expect more out of our libraries. They should be places of learning and advocates for our communities in terms of privacy, intellectual property, and economic development. The book is now available as a free download from this web address.

Director Jason LaMotte was profoundly affected by his neighbourhood library in Houston Texas - and the magical feeling it carried was the inspiration behind his new film The Library

Makerspaces - the hot trend right now in schools, libraries and education - but what is it about. A further contribution by Kay Odone on Makerspaces and how the support educational needs and future workplace requirements for innovative problem solving

In today's interconnected, technology driven world, learning typically takes place in physical, virtual and remote places. It is an integrated, highly- technical environment in which learners learn.

Ongoing, updated essay that encapsulates 21 C learning as part of a commercial website that provides professional support for schools - US based but with strong correlations to Australian setting.

Far too much of education revels in knowing rather than not knowing. Sitting fastidiously in a place of not knowing is one of the hardest, most rigorous, parts of learning. But this is rigor of a different color. Learning is not something we can script in advance. Syllabi should be living documents, co-created with students. Full of possible paths. Not a barrel of predetermined outcomes, carefully crafted to be specific, measurable, loved by our accrediting bodies. Outcomes, and rubrics or assessments we design, should be wild-eyed and tentative. Assessment as an act of agency, a learning activity in and of itself not something delivered ex post facto by an external authority.

Education and political leaders in countries around the world have recognized the imperative to prepare their youth for the 21st century, a goal that many believe requires the fundamental transformation of educational opportunities together with the integration of technology into teaching and learning. But educational change is complex. It takes place within an ecosystem of influences that range from national policies, programs, and supports to local community contexts and school-specific professional cultures. Part of Microsoft's commitment to education, ITL Research is a multiyear global research program designed to investigate the factors that promote the transformation of teaching practices and the impact those changes have on students' learning outcomes across a broad range of country contexts.

EY report on megatrends - large, transformative global forces that define the future by having a far-reaching impact on business, economies, industries, societies and individuals. We live in a world in constant motion. Goods, capital and labor are traveling globally at a faster pace than ever and moving in novel patterns. Technological innovation, including digital, is rewriting every industry and the way in which human beings manage their lives. In this world, the ever-increasing acceleration of change is one of the few constants.

I printed this entire report out for my husband to read because I thought it was so relevant to everything and everyone today. I'm happy to see it here, Jennie, because I referenced it in my assignment too :-)

How can the libraries of the present and future be influenced by those of the past? 'Ted Colegrove bases the concept of the libraries we need in the future on the libraries from our distant past. How does the Ancient Library of Alexandria and other ancient libraries relate to the libraries we need in the 21st century and beyond? They had huge stockpiles of written knowledge, but their greatest contribution was that they were places of learning with lessons facilitated by the great thinkers and teachers of the day. Great ideas like the Pythagorean theorum were developed, tested, debated, and taught in those spaces. ' (summary comment by HeatherParrish)

Thanks for sharing, this has challenged me to expand my scope of thinking on community partnerships.

Article by Terri Hayes, 2014. Abstract: The old-fashioned library model is no longer healthy for teachers or students. Converting your school library to a learning commons is one of the best recipes for school success in the current climate of educational reform. The library-as-learning commons functions as the hub of the school, where teachers and students collaborate, inquiry-based learning is promoted, and teacher-librarians provide instructional support to every teacher in the school while fostering a thriving reading culture.

The Canadian Learning Commons Network provides a network for communication, professional development and advocacy for those who are involved with a Learning or Information Commons on their campus.

Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada, 2014 presents a model for the development and implementation of the school library as a library learning commons. It provides educators with a common set of standards of practice for moving forward. This publication offers a vision and provides practical approaches for all those engaged in creating successful 21st century school libraries in Canada. Downloadable pdf

Personalized learning is steadily revolutionizing teaching and learning, both during the school day and the time students spend outside of the classroom. The proliferation of quality digital tools and platforms that facilitate exciting new ways for students to learn-such as through self-guided or blended learning-has dramatically expanded the possibilities for where and when students can access educational content and what they can do with it.

Are there computers in the classroom? Does it matter? Students, Computers and Learning: Making the Connection examines how students' access to and use of information and communication technology (ICT) devices has evolved in recent years, and explores how education systems and schools are integrating ICT into students' learning experiences. Based on results from PISA 2012, the report discusses differences in access to and use of ICT - what are collectively known as the "digital divide" - that are related to students' socio-economic status, gender, geographic location, and the school a child attends. The report highlights the importance of bolstering students' ability to navigate through digital texts. It also examines the relationship among computer access in schools, computer use in classrooms, and performance in the PISA assessment. As the report makes clear, all students first need to be equipped with basic literacy and numeracy skills so that they can participate fully in the hyper-connected, digitised societies of the 21st century.

Thanks Jennie, I have just come home from travelling in Asia and I heard them talking about this study in the media. I was thinking I'd have to look it up when I got home but you have saved me the effort. Thanks

Research into Big6

Great range of articles on Inquiry Learning, including examples of implementation

Suggested assignments for avoiding plagiarism