2. Schizophrenia The school library field divides itself pretty cleanly and clearly between the childrens/young adult lit people and the research people. Sorry, but it is true. And to a very large extent, the lit people are very much those who lead it.
The Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Knowledge Quest is a telling example. I was very excited to learn that the theme was “Intellectual Freedom 101.” But I was very disappointed in reading it to find that the majority of the issue was devoted to book challenges – not Internet censorship and filtering problems. What does this say about the librarian’s role in technology integration when we still seem to be more concerned about a few cranks wanting to strike a couple fiction books from our shelves than we are about an entire generation of children losing access to a broad range of online information sources and tools? One of the things I have always been most proud of about the library profession is its anti-censorship stance. But the world has moved on in this area and we have not. The teachers I talk to don't worry about kids getting access to Harry Potter, but to Wikipedia, YouTube, blogs and wikis. (Have we met the enemy? Feb 16, 2008)
Since I am open with my criticism of AASL, I need to praise when praise is due. The Sept/Oct issue of Knowledge Quest, guest edited by my friend Helen Adams, is excellent*. It directly addresses my complaint in the excerpt above. In fact, Helen even gives me credit for priming the pump:
The impetus for the themed issue “Intellectual Freedom Online” began with an e-mail from Doug Johnson. Although complimentary of the Knowledge Quest November/December 2007 themed issue “Intellectual Freedom 101,” he commented that the articles were focused primarily on print materials. What about intellectual freedom online, he asked? Long-time Knowledge Quest editor Debbie Abilock and I agreed, and we immediately began to plan for the issue. Later in 2008, Doug stated on his Blue Skunk blog during Banned Books Week, “But ALA (and ISTE), if we are truly committed to "Freedom to Read" what we really need is...“Blocked Bytes Week.” Americans need the freedom to read more than just books” (2008). Doug’s nudge gave us even more incentive to spotlight minors’ rights online and intellectual freedom related to the use of the Internet in schools and school libraries.
Pretty cool. And thanks for listening, Helen, Debbie A., and AASL.
Unfortunately Knowledge Quest is another one of those "members only" publications, but if you are an ALA/AASL member, have a friend who is a member, have access to a library that carries KQ, or have access to a full-text periodical database, you'll find some great articles in the issue by Barbara Jansen, Barbara Stripling, Nancy Willard, Annette Lamb, Frances Harris, Nancy Everhart, and other library luminaries.
If you are a school library media specialist or have an interest in IF, censorship, Internet filtering, or your students' rights to have access to a multiplicity of ideas, views and values, the issue is worth finding and reading - really, really. When I think of the all the loses that kids would experience were school librarians to disappear, having advocates for their reading, research and technology rights would be the most grievous.
Lessons School Librarians Teach OthersAmerican Libraries, December 2004. (Referenced in the 7th edition of the ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Manual and now available online.) and chosen for inclusion in The Whole Library Handbook 4.
Response to “Just Give It to Me Straight: A Case Against Filtering the Internet,” in the May 2004 Phi Delta Kappan by Callister and Burbules. Appeared in Kappan Backtalk section, June 2004
I have been asked to visit about "where [our district] is going with technology"* with the student advisory council in a couple weeks. Here is what I hope I have the courage to say:
Dear Students:
Where is our district going with technology? Good question and one that is not as simple as it may seem.
Here is the quick and dirty answer: I would like to see that every student have an individual computing device - a laptop, netbook, tablet, or some yet to be invented thing-a-ma-jig that will link wirelessly to our school network and the Internet. These projects, commonly known as 1:1, have been around for a number of years. In our own backyard, Loyola High School and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools have initiated such programs.
We've done the spade work for this by installing wireless networks throughout the district that have guest access, using GoogleApps for Education for productivity tools and file storage, and moving as many student resources to the "cloud" as possible. Our libraries are purchasing e-books and e-reference materials. As the cost of such devices fall, the district will find a way, I'm sure, of either providing such tools directly or helping parents purchase them.
That's easy part. Here are the challenging bits...
Such devices alone will not give you a better education. Period. Every student needs to have the skills to use these devices to do more than just check his/her Facebook page. By the time you leave school, these devices and the resources they give access to should be tools that:
Help you find and evaluate information that you can use to solve real problems.
Help you produce and publish your own ideas and products you have created.
Help you be more creative and better communicators.
Help you be more self-directed and self-assessing in your education.
Help you learn at anytime, from any location as all classes are supplemented [or delivered] with powerful online tools that clarify and enrich the subject matter. I am excited about online tools as tutors, including games and simulations.
Help replace your library books and textbooks with digitally enhanced resources like this one:
7. Help you become better collaborative learners/workers, practicing with both local and international students and subject experts. 8. Help you understand and practice global citizenship and safe, responsible and ethical technology use.
Behind the scenes, technology needs to be productively used by teachers and administrators to:
Design a custom, personalized school experience for every student.
Use technology to gather, analyze and use data to create these experiences.
Allow technology to deliver curriculum content so the teacher can guide, coach and design student learning.
Facilitate timely and meaningful communications among the teacher, the school, the students, the parents and the community. (Eliminate as much paper as possible.)
Use technology to streamline and economize all education support services so that more dollars can be directed to the classroom itself.
What do you think? Does such a future sound interesting? Does it sound like a real change in how we "do" school? A lot of adults - teachers, parents and politicians - would call it a revolution. And revolutions make us old people nervous.
If you want to see this kind of revolution that will use technology to help make your schools more effective and meaningful to you - not just the same old, same old with a few bells and whistles - you will need to be the ones who lead the revolution.
Not all revolutions require heads to be placed on pikes, leaders driven into exile, or the Bastille destroyed. Some revolutions are quiet, subtle and thoughtful. This needs to be one of them. You can foment a quiet revolution by:
Teaching your teachers about how you use technology to learn.
Taking classes from teachers who fit your learning style when possible.
Exploring options to traditional schooling [online classes for example] when you feel underserved by regular classes.
Serving on your school governering bodies (such as student council, the technology committee) and advocating for allowing the responsible use of student owned technologies and least-restrictive filtering of Internet resources.
Communicating with educational leaders and politicians YOUR ideas of effective education.
Technology alone won't create change. I am less and less convinced that adults will be able to fundamentally change how school is done.
I think it will be up to you...
*I am also going to be asked why some of our teachers are not using the Smartboards in their classrooms - a much more difficult question!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 06:10AM 
