Case studies from New Jersey

from the latest edition of synergy – slav’s online journal. It only comesout twice a year and an issue went live a couple of weeks back.  Thejournal is only available in full to members but we always make onearticle available to everyone on the slav website. The contents of thisfirst issue for 2011 can be seen herehttp://www.slav.schools.net.au/synergy/vol9num1/vol9num1.htm
Some great reading today, made available for us from the latest edition of synergy – slav’s online journal.
first issue for 2011 can be seen hereThe contents of this
http://www.slav.schools.net.au/synergy/vol9num1/vol9num1.htm
By Dr Ross J Todd
Overview
This paper presents some selected key findings of the first phase of a multiphase research study commissioned by the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) in 2009 and undertaken by the Centre for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The overall research agenda seeks:
(a) to construct a picture of the status of New Jersey’s school libraries and the work of school librarians in the educational landscape of New Jersey;
(b) to understand the contribution of quality school libraries to education in New Jersey;
(c) to understand the contextual and professional dynamics that inhibit and enable school libraries to contribute significantly to educational agendas, and
(d) to make recommendations to key stakeholders to develop a sustained and long term program of capacity building and evidence-based continuous improvement of school libraries in New Jersey.
While this is a state-specific study, findings have salience for the broader landscape of education and school librarianship. Phase 1 of this research program sought to provide a comprehensive picture of the status of public school libraries in New Jersey: their infrastructure, personnel, resource and information technology provision, and the instructional and administrative work of the school librarians. This research phase was titled ‘One Common Goal: Student Learning’. A key finding, documented in this paper, centres around the role of school librarians in the development of the intellectual capacity of students. Such findings provide an opportunity to reflect on strategies for continuous improvement of school libraries and their pedagogical role in information age schools.

Some great reading for us today, from the latest edition of Synergy – SLAV’s online journal.

The journal is available in full to members, but one key article is available to everyone. This month it’s by Dr Ross J Todd and recent research on school libraries and the work of school librarians in the educational landscape of New Jersey.

While this is a state-specific study, findings have salience for the broader landscape of education and school librarianship. The research sought to provide a comprehensive picture of the status of public school libraries in New Jersey: their infrastructure, personnel, resource and information technology provision, and the instructional and administrative work of the school librarians. Its results hold lessons for us all.

A key finding, highlighted by Dr Todd, centres around the role of school librarians in the development of the intellectual capacity of students.

You can access the article through the latest Synergy edition’s contents page.

Create your e-portfolio

Today’s update comes from Ria Coffey, teacher librarian and Head of House and Reading Coordinator at St Patrick’s Secondary College in Ballarat. Ria is currently completing her Masters in Teacher Librarianship.

Dr. Helen C. Barrett has created a site for individuals to access that provides tutorials in Web 2.0 and particularly how to create an e-portfolio.
Her website offers modules for participants to work through at their own pace and in their own time. The modules are designed for users who have no prior knowledge and without using ICT jargon explain the process step-by-step with audio and video tutelage.
In a mini version of our PLN, Dr. Barrett covers RSS feeds, blogs, Flickr, social networking and much more. Let’s hope a Web 3.0 tutorial is coming soon!

Changes afoot

We’re sorry to say that Rachel Fidock, who has been ably steering the good ship Bright Ideas this year, has decided to leave us, to spend more time with her young family.
We’d like to acknowledge Rachel’s work on the blog and being Bright Ideas in other forums such as Twitter, bringing great new resources and ideas to people in schools all over Victoria and beyond.
Thanks, Rachel!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be treated to guest posts from a number of SLAV members and other special guests.
We’re also planning a range of content ideas for the coming months, including an ongoing roster of guest bloggers, and we’ll be introducing extracts from leading journals, made available especially for Bright Ideas readers.
So stay tuned.

SLAV conference with Joyce Valenza

Communicate, collaborate, create: and think critically!
School Library Association of Victoria Conference
29 July 2011 – Melbourne


Featuring: Joyce Valenza, dynamic, leading teacher librarian and school library ‘change maker’.
SLAV is excited that Joyce is returning to Melbourne to continue a journey we started with her in 2010. She is an inspiration to all educators and provides inspiration and ideas at a time when schools are moving to 1:1 computing and a digital learning. At a time when many are struggling with the survival of their school libraries, Joyce shows that this is an exciting time for learning and that the school library now has an expanded role with the focus on enabling the learning.  She is an inspiration to all educators and provides a strong, positive message for the resourcing of learning today. Join us in continuing this journey of inspiration and enablement of learning in a time of communication, collaboration and creativity.  See the registration form for details or visit the SLAV website.

Joyce’s presentation from the SLAV 2011 conference

Super Action Comic Maker

If you haven’t heard of this yet, have a good look. Super Action Comic Maker is where students make their own comic story. It is especially great for art and english classes. Students can create a plot before going onto the comic maker, using words to describe what happens. Once they have logged into Super Action Comic Maker, they can add the images. The comic maker is part of a larger site called ArtisanCam, a fantastic site full of ideas to use in art class.

Super action comic maker

Recognising Innovation. $100K Follett Challenge.

The Recognising Innovation site shows the videos that have been entered into the $100K Follett Challenge. This challenge consists of the education community promoting the role that school libraries play in encouraging and developing information literacy and student engagement, in the form of a video. You can view the videos that have been entered and vote for your favourite. There are many inspirational ideas in these video, like the ones in ‘Extreme makeover: School library edition’, by CMS library:

New research guides at SLV

State Library of Victoria provides research guides on their website that aid research on specific topics. Two new ones have recently been created. Victoria’s early history, 1803-1851 is a research guide that details Victoria’s early history, using published history and documents, including the library’s collection of Port Phillip papers, maps, and pictures. The other research guide is Picture research. Picture research focuses on how to find images in the Library’s holdings, and information about other places you can search for pictures. SLV has extensive holdings of illustrative materials. Whether educators use this in their own research on topics, or get their more senior classes examining the research guides, they are well worth investigating.

Picture research