Technology myths and the birth of the bale

Skimming through some links on the Teacher Librarian website, I came across an interesting report on Educators, technology and 21st century skills, and I recommend that you have a look at it. The report looks at 5 myths about using ICT in schools and how research has shown these myths, while commonly believed, are nevertheless still myths. The 1st myth is that new teachers or teachers with greater access to ICT will be more likely to use ICT in their teaching. The research showed that newer teachers may use ICT more in their personal lives 9e.g. Facebook and Twitter) while ‘veteran’ (and you may or may not like that term) teachers are just as likely to use ICT. Another myth is that, because students are using ICT more at home and appear comfortable with its use in schools, it’s less important for teachers (and TLS) to use ICT. The research shows that using ICT is very important and that teachers need to be seen to be using ICT. This does of course mean that they need to be seen to be using ICT effectively, and not, for example, merely using a whiteboard as a projector. Whether you agree that the other myths are indeed myths in side or outside your school, this report is still worth reading. There’s a useful summary, so you don’t need to read it all.

It’s harvest time in Scotland again and, as I’ve noted before, it’s a time of year I particularly enjoy. A few days ago, I had my camera with me on a merry walk up the country and caught (see picture below) a new bale arriving into the world. Now, you may think that calling this a ‘birth’ is a bit OTT in the anthropomorphic scales. However, I am a great fan of fields with bales scattered across them. Indeed, I think that there should be a law against farmers removing bales from fields until they have been there for, say 3 weeks. Probably doesn’t make economic sense but aesthetically, it definitely adds to the countryside. In fact, when you see a newly harvested field with these new arrivals, everything else bales into insignificance.

Birth of the bale

IASL (2), rain and abstract sky

I decided to have some audience participation in my presentation at IASL on what I called (trying to be controversial) the bookless school library i.e. a school library with no printed  material. Well, it was controversial, with most people not liking the title at all. Interestingly, the responses I got from my audience were similar to those that I got from my research study, in which I interviewed leaders of Australia’s teacher librarian associations, e.g. when I asked what a bookless (OK completely virtual) school library would look like, the audience came up with flexible spacing, but not interactive walls. I’m not sure that I convinced all the audience that a school library without printed material would come about, but I argued that technology is ever changing, and that a sentimental attachment to printed books (e.g. which I have at home) in the school library will not cut much ice with senior managers in schools. I used the analogy of the home, where having a shower has replaced having a bath in most (developed world) homes – few would argue against this change. What was particularly interesting was that, after I had finished the presentation, an Australian TL came up to me and told me that her school was planning a new middle school – without a school library in it, although she was reassured that the TL still had a key role in the school. This justified my conclusion, which was that TLs and SLs need to think about their strategy re a totally virtual school library now, and not wait until after it happens.

Back in the eastern side of Scotland, it’s late summer, and although this part of the country gets 50% less rain than the western half, and less annual rain than Sydney, the last 2 weeks have been the exception that proves the rule. The rain has come down in buckets at times, and at other times ‘like silken strings’ as in Thomas Hardy’s poem. Ironically, we’ve had some great evening skies at the same time, as in the photo below. I’ve cut out the town below in the photo as I like the abstract nature of a summer sky. As a child and as an adult, I’ve been fascinated by looking for shapes in the sky – both abstract shapes and shapes which suggest aspects of people or animals. I hope this might inspire the artists among you. I was hopeless at art when at school and my teachers told me I lacked imagination. I had the imagination but no skill. I’ll stick to drawing conclusions, breath and money from the ATM.

Abstract summer sky

IASL and Jamaica

This week, I am in Kingston, Jamaica for the annual IASL Conference. I’m presenting a paper (in one hour’s time) on research I’ve done into what I’ve called the bookless school library (title deliberately controversial). I want us all to start a conversation about the future in which there is no printed material in the school library. I think that this will happen, and that the decisions made to bring in such a library, will not be made by teacher librarians. Now, one stance to adopt is that this will never happen, so don’t discuss it, James. I think this comes from seeing a totally virtual library as a threat and not an opportunity. I’ll be interested to see what my audience thinks this afternoon. It’s a full-on programme here at the conference and the papers cover a range of aspects including web 2.0, 21st century learners, information literacy, the education of teacher librarians, and research on reading.

I’ve had very little time to explore Kingston itself but others at the conference have been to Port Royal which combines history with seaside leisure activities. My free time was on Sunday when, unfortunately, all the cultural centres are closed, but on my next trip here I would visit The Bob Marley Museum, Devon House, which is a magnificent mansion with lavish gardens, and the National Gallery of Jamaica. I’m afraid that I forgot to pack my camera, so can’t send photos e.g. of the beautiful flowers around the town or the two little black birds with shiny yellow beaks and apparently humming wings. As Captain Mainwairing in Dad’s Army used to say to young Pike “You stupid boy!”.

Digital literacy project and seafood

If you haven’t signed up for the FutureLab Newsletter then you should do so immediately, as it is an excellent way of keeping up to date with a range of ICT issues in education. The latest issue reports on a digital literacy project – with a difference. This project involved students conducting their own research and included them developing their own research questions, undertaking the research, analysing the results and publishing their findings. There are a number of interesting mini projects here and I’m sure that it might be fairly easy for you to replicate this in your own school i.e. by getting your students to pick the issues in which they are interested – and they may well be similar to those in this FutureLab Project. I think that this is an interesting development – and one which we TLs and SLs have been suggesting might be done in the past. It’s called digital literacy – I would include it as part of information literacy, but no matter what terms we use, what’s important is what our students learn.

On holiday in Nice recently, there was an abundance of seafood on offer – in markets and in restaurants, where it can be quite expensive, depending on you budget. I particularly like mussels and clams (see picture below) done in herbs and wine. While the seafood itself tastes nice, it is when you have emptied the shells of the flesh and you are left with a herby/fishy soup, into which you dip some fresh bread, that you really enjoy this dish. It’s also easy to cook this dish -and of course, it’s much, much cheaper to buy some mussels and clams, and cook them with some white wine, a bit of garlic and herbs such as parsley. The BBC has some excellent recipes.

Seafood dish