'Our world is changing at an unprecedented pace. To prepare our students, lessons must go beyond the "3 R's" and foster 21st century skills. Skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity will be essential for students to take on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead'
Published March15 2012
"People no longer have to come to a library to get information ...so the library has to get people coming in for different reasons. Students need somewhere to socialize, create things and collaborate."
When you look at your space, does it…
motivate learners?
promote learning?
support collaborative and formal practice?
provide a personalized and inclusive environment?
adapt to the changing needs of the school community?
lexible use, with everything on wheels to easily create smaller group work areas for social learning with lots of different seating options, including special desks that can raise up for students who prefer to stand while working.
creating a relevant learning space is not just about investing in expensive technologies
“students are drawn to spaces that are open, inviting and stimulating: spaces where they become fully engaged in the conversation and in the excitement of sharing new ideas”(JISC).
Libraries are reinventing themselves as content becomes more accessible online and their role becomes less about housing tomes and more about connecting learners and constructing knowledge.
Libraries are reinventing themselves as content becomes more accessible online and their role becomes less about housing tomes and more about connecting learners and constructing knowledge
Printed books still play a critical role in supporting learners, but digital technologies offer additional pathways to learning and content acquisition. Students and teachers no longer need a library simply for access. Instead, they require a place that encourages participatory learning and allows for co-construction of understanding from a variety of sources.
the space does include paper books and physical artifacts, as well as flexible furniture and an open environment, digital content encourages students to explore, play, and delve deeper into subjects they may not otherwise experience
a flexible space with moveable chairs, desks, and even bookshelves. Small rooms can be opened up to allow for group projects, and the circulation desk as well as the sides of the stacks are writeable with dry-erase markers to encourage the collaboration and sharing that the previous space had discouraged.
the role of the coffeehouse in the birth of the Enlightenment -- it provided "a space where people would get together from different backgrounds, different fields of expertise, and share."
interact with the content, the technology, the space, and each other in order to gain context and increase their knowledge.
Students and teachers no longer need a library simply for access. Instead, they require a place that encourages participatory learning and allows for co-construction of understanding from a variety of sources.
This looks like a great app for collaborative projects, but I also like the Featured Timelines. I just used one of them to do a lesson with my library assistants.
http://www.hstry.co/timelines/1-the-history-of-the-web
"Libraries and librarians are at the forefront and often the hub of the school. They are a community resource, a public face, a service profession, a helping hand, relationship builders, collaborators, and educational technology leaders. Librarians of 2015 are not the same librarians you remember from 1985. They still order books and teach research skills, but it is very rare to hear them shushing students, or hiding meekly behind the stacks. Librarians wear a number of hats and information literacy is closely tied to educational technology."
An excellent resource for teachers wishing to engage their students in collaborative fantasy writing. Includes 5 writing tasks as part of the quest incorporating Web 2 resources.
"This event has evolved from a conversation between Katie Day (Librarian Edge) and Dianne McKenzie (Library Grits) about collaborative professional development among school librarians in the South East Asian region."