OZTL_NET and high tide

I had an interesting email the other day, asking about OZTL_NET , the listserv for (mainly) Australian TLs, although there are members from many countries. I am the manager of the listserv at the moment, and the question asked was: why is OZTL_NET still so popular? My answer was that it still fills a need within the TL community for finding and sharing information, and that it reflects the spirit of sharing that is very prevalent amongst TLs. I think the same could be said for LM_NET in north America and SLN in the UK. These listservs also can be seen as individual TLs doing personal professional development, in that they are learning from each other and taking on board others’ ideas. If you are not on one of these lists, then I strongly suggest that you join one.

Last weekend saw cold north winds – straight from the Arctic – blowing here in Dunbar and one result of this was a very high tide, with waves crashing over the harbour wall. Dunbar Harbour is in fact, 2 harbours, with the ‘old harbour’ going back hundreds of years. The ‘new’ harbour was built in late Victorian times to provide more protection for the growing number of boats involved in the herring fishing industry. Today, there are only a few fishing boats which mainly catch prawns, plus some small yachts. The picture below shows the tide coming over the harbour wall.

Waves over Dunbar Harbour wall

Web 2.0 and Seamus Heaney

This week, a good number of my students are discussing the issues surrounding the use of web 2.0 tools in schools and in particular, in school libraries. It’s clear that many web 2.0 tools are fairly cosmetic e.g. presentation tools, unless they are used with a clear learning purpose in mind. So, for example, if students produce poor content in a glossy package using Prezi then we have not moved on from the glossy PowerPoint with poor content. Where web 2.0 can be an excellent learning tool is where students are engaged in meaningful learning activities i.e. where the focus on what they are learning and not on the tools they are using. Student involvement e.g. in blogs or wikis, can stimulate students to be critical thinkers and commentators, and students can see the products of their hard work – something which is not common in many schools. So thoughtful use of web 2.0 is the key here. TLs can be guides in their schools, advising teachers how to use web 2.0 tools effectively and not just for show or to tick ICT use i nteh classroom boxes.

Seamus Heaney’s new collection Human Chain is the Poetry Book Society Choice for this Autumn. Any new Heaney collection is a major event and not just in the world of poetry as Heaney is a poet whose books sell to people who don’t normally read poetry. I had forgotten that Heaney was the Autumn Choice, so my delight at opening the package was even greater than normal. Heaney’s poems are often deceptively simple but are powerful often on a second reading. There are some arresting phrases “The lush/ sunset blush/ on a big ripe  /gooseberry” or “Whitewashed gables/like petals stripped from hawthorn..”. A must read.

IASL Conference and after harvest walk

Alas, I will not be attending this year’s IASL Conference which takes place in Brisbane from 27 September to October 1. As ever, there is a wide range of topics being discussed by speakers on the themes of:

Developing curriculum – These sessions may focus on the collaborative work of teacher-librarians and classroom teachers and teacher-librarians and students to demonstrate the effectiveness of school library programs within the curriculum; the development and delivery of engaging and inspiring teaching programs to encourage social learning.

Delivering excellence through standards – These sessions may focus on the application of standards in information and digital literacy through national and international programs; the development and application of standards for the teacher-librarianship profession; the development of policy and procedures to support teaching standards.

Supporting the digital education agenda - Sessions within this strand may address the changes in information & communication technologies (ICTs) and the impact on teaching and learning programs; the challenges of ICT delivery, access and bandwidth; the social and ethical responsibility of use of ICT tools.

Building literate communities – These sessions may focus on the development of creative and literate learners through reading, writing, books, art and literature.

So, if you can attend, I certainly urge to do so as it is always an invigorating conference with the chance to meet colleagues from many countries.

As Brisbane heads into Spring, so Autumn arrives here in Scotland and the harvest is mainly over. One of the joys of the brief post-harvest time – as the farmers are soon into the fields of bales and stubble with their ploughs – is walking along the side of fields in which the bales still sit proudly. The fields are firm underfoot and easy for walking. Of course, in Scotland (unlike Australia) there is access to farm tracks because of the right of way law . Of course, you must keep to established tracks and normally, you would not talk in the fields themselves. This gives a great freedom to roam and to experience views as in the picture below which looks down from Doon Hill all the way across to North Berwick Law, both of which have had favourable mentions here before.

After the harvest

School library websites and Australian duathletes

This week, most of my students are looking at a range of issues relating to school library websites. It is difficult to put exact figures on the numbers of school library websites available for everyone to view on the web, but my hunch is that there are fewer – because of the growth of school intranets and virtual learning environments such as Moodle which are protected sites. This means that there is now less sharing of school library websites across the world by TLs. Fortunately, there are notable exceptions such as that at Dixie Grammar School in the UK. My own view is that, where possible, teacher librarians should attempt to have a publicly available school library website which can be seen by fellow professionals and ideas can be shared. School library websites have the potential to be learning websites which contain not only resources but material from which students can learn directly, and to which students can have input. If you don’t have a school library website – that’s your challenge.

On Saturday, I was at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh to watch part of the World Duathlon Championships as my mate Geoff Breese, from Wagga Wagga was taking part. It was a spectacular setting with the Scottish parliament building and Holyrood Palace on one side and Arthur’s Seat and The Crags on the other. It was a bright warm day and Edinburgh was looking at its best. There was a whirr of cyclists and runners as different categories took place at the same time. At the finish, I caught the Australian 45-54 team, proudly showing the flag, in the picture below.

Australian duathletes at Holyrood Palace

Reference interviews and harvest time cycling

This week, some of my students are examining aspects of information services provided to staff and students in the school library and some have been focussing on the reference interview, which remains a key part of the activities of TLs and, it could be argued, is even more important in this digital age. So my questions to you as teacher librarians and school librarians around the world reading this blog are: a) do you think about how conduct reference interviews with students or do you just do it by instinct? b) How do you solve the age old problem of students not asking for help but just browsing the web or the library shelves aimlessly? and c) Digital reference service – is this possible in schools e.g. where students or staff can email/text the TL with a reference query and get a digital response? I don’t have any easy answers, I’m afraid but if I get you thinking about these issues, that’s a very good start.

It’s harvest time here in Scotland and a great time to go cycling up the hills, passing fields in which the wheat or barley is being harvested or where the crop has been cut and the bales remain in the field (see photo below for part of today’s route), or where the crop is still there and gently swaying in the wind. Of course, it now being September, it’s officially Autumn but there’s little sign of the trees turning as yet. Cycling is always different – on the bike today, my helmet was clipped by a partridge as I surprised it and its mate as I turned a corner. Further on, a deer skipped across the road in front of me, its dark, reddish skin shining in the sun. Finally, a bee landed on my lips and I had to blow it away. It’s never dull – often painful but never dull.

Harvest time