Thing 22: Reflection Engaged Professional

For the last month I have been "Running up that Hill."   I am almost there, I think??  This last badge has me thinking about how I engage with my profession.  Working in a school as a solo librarian can be isolating.  There is no one in the immediate environment that really understands the work "It's a lovely job, counting and minding the books, it so calm in here" Take a look at this.....!!!!!!
A homework club activity Business Competition from Cully and Sully - "Sew your seeds and sing us your puns and then upload a video"  (reading, writing, performance and technology skills!!).  All in the days work of a JCSP librarian!

So it is really important to engage with other librarians and not limit my professional engagement to just school librarians.  So what's holding me back.  TIME!

I did find Advocacy and Engagement an interesting exercise.  I am used to at a local level advocating for my library.  It did make me think about how we (as a group) advocate for the JCSP library service.  Although the focus of some of these questions were specific to the public libraries. It made me think about the contribution my school library makes to teaching and learning.  I need to take ownership and present the data I collect with The Management of my school and the Board of Management.

Professional Groups:  After this exercise, I was disappointed and did not feel that I was engaging enough. I have thought about this a lot since Thing 20 . I stated there that it was important to join, participate and contribute.  I felt I performed poorly. Why am I so passive about engagement.  Why do I not network more?

However I think I only put value on formal professional engagement where you are visible.  I gave it some more thought I reviewed my engagement with other librarians outside of my immediate professional circle.  I should not underestimate the value of twitter chat, skype and old fashioned email interviews!

• Locally I am involved in PLICS (Promoting Literacy in Communities and Schools) a committee made up of community agencies and the public library.  We meet regularly.  

•  I have participated in The International Librarians Network (ILN) Peer Mentoring Program  which is more of  a partnership.  Their philosophy  that we all have something to learn and something to teach.  I was matched up with a lady from Chicago Public Libraries who was involved in Adult Services but it was called Culture and Civic Engagement.    They are involved in an interesting program on Financial Literacy called Money Smart.  In the school environment the library facilitates workshops for parents on how to help their children with their maths homework, which often involves building parents confidence in basic maths operations.  I got some great tips from her on setting up adult workshops for everyday financial literacy.  

• I have also supported school library research and participated in interviews which has resulted in publications.  My most recent involvement was with Dr. Patrick Lo, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Library and Information Science at the University of Tsukuba in Japan.  From January 2016 to December 2017 I was responding to research questions via email and skype.

My contribution is in Volume 1:  The Americas & Europe

• 
  I also was a case study!  "In the Invisible Libraian:  A Librarian's Guide to increasing Visibility and Impact"  by Aoife Lawton which was published in 2015.  How ironic is that.  

Why do I like my cloak of invisibility so much.  I suppose again it is due to TIME - school librarianship is quiet intense.  You wear many hats.    

So replying to any request for information on school librarianship from M.A. Students or Professional Librarians is my form of engagement and advocacy.  I like to think I contribute quietly.  But is that enough??  

This part of Rudaí 23 has got me thinking about  how I can engage more effectively with other librarians.  I think I signed up for this course because I wanted to hear about other librarian  experiences and I have made so many note on Evernote on snippets of information from blogs I have read.  Going forward I will be keeping a much closer eye on what's going on and in time I am sure I will find my voice!   I have learned so much and will be constantly referring back to all I have learnt and all this course has asked me to focus and reflect on.  

Thing 19: Podcasts

I have always enjoyed listening to the radio, and so listening to podcasts is .....  I use them regularly with my students for lots of different reasons, to relax, to teach and to inform. 

For this topic I decided to do Option One as I am under pressure!!

But first I must say I do use Audacity and upload to SoundCloud regularly mostly my student's work/oral presentations.  They enjoy getting involved in WRaPP (Writing Reading and Performance Poetry) initiatives.  We have used this approach as an alternative to traditional book reviews.  We use SoundCloud to share their work.  They like to have a copy themselves and some have even used their work as their ringtone! Here is the latest one.  Students have access to microphones which automatically download the files into audacity so they/we can edit their work on the library computers. 

Music and spoken word are great ways to tap into the teenage psyche.  It is fantastic that there now is an oral component in the Junior Certificate English curriculum and currently we are researching and preparing students for their Oral English as part of CBA1 (Classroom Based Assessment).  I expect listening to podcasts and making podcasts will be used more frequently as a learning tool in Irish schools.

Back to the task.... 

Yes I decided to listen to a podcast about:
"The Letter Of The Day is "S":  Seasame Street an Avenue for good."

Who isn't a fan of Sesame Street?  Yes I know some people find it a little too old fashioned and perhaps it tries too hard to be politically correct.  This podcast gives insight into the Sesame Street Community Workshop approach for inclusion and tackling the Big Issues that impact us all and especially the under fives!!

I listened to this through Podcast Addict which I downloaded to my phone.  It has lots of support on YouTube.  The app is free but there is a lot of advertising which was a little irritating.

Back to "The Letter Of The......  this aired earlier in the week on NPR.  It was a discussion  about Sesame's Street content with Sesame Street Executives Ginette Bentancort and Leslie Kellerman. What does it take to create socially conscious television for children that is entertaining and fun?  Sesame Street is a global brand and has been at the forefront of children's TV since 1969.  I found this podcast because I was searching for podcast discussions about Autism.  Sesame Street introduced a character last year "Julia"  who has autism. It has been a year since this character was included.  This podcast touched on her inclusion but it really was more about their approach to BIG ISSUES in general. So not really what I was looking for.  But interesting nevertheless, especially the localistation of the series to the country it is aired on.  I assumed the US version was the only version because that's the only one I have seen!   But in fact, there are many versions of Sesame Street reflecting a country's culture.  Here's the Arabic version. 

Podcasting offers huge opportunities,  the challenge is to produce meaningful relevant content that is "fit for purpose".

Thing 21: Pay it forward: Professional Groups

I am a member of the School Library Association in the Republic of Ireland (SLARI) which is a branch of the UK based School Library Association. It provides support to primary and secondary school librarians.  SLARI is very much a Dublin based organisation, so getting involved at committee level is not practical.  I did volunteer to get involved but meetings are held during working hours which would involve taking most of the working day off because of the commute.  At present there are 5 JCSP librarians on the committee of 9.  So I feel I am well represented! Perhaps in the future if this organisation grows there may be potential to have regional representation.   Whilst SLARI provides many support services for librarians in schools through their website, it is heavily influenced by the UK association.  Continued Professional Development comes through the UK branch.  Although SLARI is small it holds an annual conference which I attend.  In 2016 they started the "Great Reads Award."  The aim of this is to highlight new authors and diversify the reading of young adults.  It's also an opportunity for Irish students to voice their enthusiasm about good writing for their age group.

I am not currently a member of LAI.   My focus to date has been collaborating with lots of different associations who are interested in literacy and numeracy.  This is not exclusive to education or libraries.  For example, I am a PLICS (Promoting Literacy in Communities and Schools) committee member.  This is a local organisation in Waterford city and county whose participants are made up of schools, public library, charities and government agencies. 

On a final note I do think it is important to join professional organisations, to be a member and to contribute.    Many years ago..... I was a member of American Library Association (ALA).  My qualifications were from an Irish University and required interpretation for potential American Employers.  I contacted ALA looking for guidance.  They put me in contact with Dr. Norman Horrocks who at the time was Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Professor at the School of Information Management at Dalhousie University.  He verified that my qualifications and 4 of my classmates were legitimate.  This letter allowed my colleagues and I to work in libraries in the US.

I suppose I think the greatest strength of Professional Associations is Networking and making contacts. I feel strongly that librarians in general subscribe to Pay it Forward!!!  and being part of an Association makes this easier. 

Thing 20: Library Advocacy and Engagement

Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) Demonstration Library Project 

Some context before I start this exercise!  Established under the Department of Education and skills, the brief of the JCSP Demonstration Library Project was to improve literacy levels and develop a whole school reading culture and enhance the learning experience of our students.  To date the project has expanded into 30 schools across Ireland, all in designated areas of disadvantage.  Each library is staffed by a full-time professional librarian.

Exercise 1:  Name three detrimental effects to a local community when a public library is closed.

For some people, libraries are an outdated concept, for others they exist to educate, inform and serve.  The heaviest impact of a library closure is on the young, the elderly and the unwaged.

1. A local library is something unique and indispensable providing books and computer access. It provides a services for people of all ages and backgrounds.  Often it facilitates kids clubs, is a meeting point for older people and a resource and supportive environment for those looking for work.  
2. Having lived in a small New York Apartment I cannot put enough stress on the public library as a place, a safe free space where everyone is equal.  The author Alan Bennett said that "for anyone living in "an apartment or house... where space is at a premium and peace and quiet is not always easy to find, a local library is vital."
3. Libraries are educational and social anchors in their communities.  But their main business is giving access to books.  Having a library in walking distance of your home is especially relevant if you come from a background that does not have a culture of reading or cannot afford to buy books.  Libraries give access to the same breadth of reading material as anyone else at no expense.  

Exercise 2:  Find a library Strategic Plan in Ireland or beyond for a library of any size.  Identify three ways in which the strategic plan also advocates for the Library Service.  

I started by looking for Strategic plans for school libraries, I even looked at my own library plan!  On reflection my plan really only deals with goals and objectives for the school year.  It reads more like a class plan rather than a.....  It made me think about how I write my plan it should be a road map which shows the value of the school library which brings equity coherence and innovation to all students regardless of their ability. I looked at

Loughborough University Strategic Plan for 2014 -2020 

The first think I noticed was the value of  staff - not books or digital resources but also investment in staff.  A supportive program for staff which gets them engaged in learning and continued professional development and thus keeping a vibrant library service.  Maybe I need to write this into my plan, making management aware of my conscious efforts to upskill and keep up-to-date.  All this portrays the library service in a positive light.

I also liked that it linked the library strategies to the overall goals of the University.  So presenting a Library plan which was cohesive and understood its' role in supporting the University's goals.  I know I need to alert staff  to new resources  but I should probably link them to specific strands of learning.  For example the Izak9 Cube support Numeracy for units....

I also liked that fact that it referred to having influence, and strong links to national and international institutions.  I think this is something that JCSP libraries need to play to their advantage, we have a network which transcends our schools.  We have often helped other schools set up libraries, and we have a natural infinity with the public library supporting and using their facilities to supplement our own collections.  Through these networks we have brought authors, speaker, illustrators, storytellers and a whole variety of performers into schools, we have often shared these events with other schools.  We see the benefit of being generous, it often opens the doors to collaborative interschool inter agency projects which can only serve our students well. 

I liked the language of this plan, it was assertive in a positive way.  Sometimes libraries shy away from "taking all the credit."   We are quick to acknowledge the contributions of others and sometimes are contributions get lost.  Maybe that is the nature of the profession!  But that all needs to change we need to step into the limelight.  I can only comment on school libraries where sometimes are work is presented to the Board of Management by a teacher.  That needs to stop!!

Exercise 3:  Name three ways in which you can demonstrate the impact and value of the library service that you work in or use.

Indicators used in JCSP school libraries

1. Librarian Monthly Reports:  We keep a regular diary and from these entries and recordings we prepare a monthly report which includes:

• Factual events to do with accommodation, resources, library organisation and systems.  
• Interactions with the students.  A brief account of the classes and students met that day highlighting student reactions, comments, real or anticipated difficulties. Anecdotal comments from the students are very important.  It is essential that the student's perception, views, attitudes be recorded as faithfully as possible.  
• Interactions with Staff.  Brief accounts of both formal and informal interactions (positive and negative).  
• Interactions with parents and other groups  
• Library Based Strategies.  This is promoting the library, organising library displays and events, playing an active role in delivering the curriculum, instruction, in information literacy and technology literacy skills and so fourtth,  

2. Questionnaires or Surveys, quantitative or qualitative carried out with students, staff, parents and any groups using the library.

3. Book Borrowing Data gathered through the OPAC:  Borrowing statistics reflect the use of resources in the library.  However it is important to remember that in schools where the JCSP libraries have been placed we are trying to break a negative attitude towards books that has been reinforced over generations.  So borrowing statistics doe not always reflect adequately the use of resources and the space.   

4. Case Studies:  "Tracking of students"

It is difficult demonstrating the impact of a casual or even an associative relationship on standarised reading test gains and the role the school library contributes to these gains.  It was decided that  a number of students who, in the view of teachers and librarian were improving in their literacy skills and showing a demonstrable usage of the resource of the library would be tracked.  The information being presented as a case study.  

Exercise 4:  Identify three key people (name their role) outside of the library in the wider organisation/community that you need to network with in order to advance the development of the library service.  

1. Kathleen Moran, Senior Librarian of JCSP Demonstration Library Project.  I report directly to Kathleen.  She has the responsiblity of advocating at a National level for the continuation and expansion of JCSP Project.   The information we collect in our libraries informs her work.
2. Noreen Reilly, Principal of St. Paul's Community College.      A JCSP Librarian works in professional partnership with school management and teachers in planning and running time-tabled library classes throughout the day supporting all areas of the curriculum.
3. Maria Lindell,  PLICS (Promoting Literacy in Schools and Communities) Social Incluison and Community Activation Coordinator.  PlICS is a network of local agencies made up of Local Service Providers, School Completion Programme, Waterford Library Service, Waterford Area Partnership and DEIS schools.   We run a number of collaborative projects across schools in Waterford city and county such as study skills, inter county spelling challenge, paired science and creative writing workshops.  Our remit is improving literacy levels.  

Exercise 5.  Write down in 200 words or less an idea for Library Ireland Week for a library you work in or use.

Some students in our school at this point in time are experiencing challenging circumstances but, like all students, they have a passion for a good story imagined or factual.  It is just a matter of "Right Book, Right Time, Right Student Reads!"  The school's view is that all teachers and departments should be involved in reading promotion.  For example, an initial step to raise the profile of reading involved members of staff and students displayed on posters around the school reading.  There is also acknowledgement that reading tastes are diverse but all are respected.  These images are also shown on the monitor at the entrance to the school

 Building on this I would like to incorporate a Reader in Residence initiative in our school and push reading is fun.  More activities which connect reading for pleasure rather than curriculum driven.

Exercise 6:  In your opinion what are the three best features of the My Library, By Right Campaign and why?

A successful Public awareness campaign has to do a number of things:

• Wake up supporters to see that "My library By Right" is relevant to their lives and part of our statutory rights.
• Put libraries firmly into communities infrastructure alongside with other public services  such as schools, Garda, and hospitals  
• Raise the profile of public libraries get people talking about the libraries and the role they play.  

I like this public awareness campaign because it is ballsy!  It has given voice and engaged with people stating that "government and local authorities have a legal responsibility to provide you with a quality library service which meets your needs."

Exercise 7:  In 200 words or less, describe a new area of librarianship that you are passionate about.  How would you go about promoting within the library that you work in and / or the wider library profession?

Can new literacies "fit" into how we currently do school?

Schools have been encouraged to use technology and 21st Century skills in all subject areas.  The term 21st century skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits and character traits that are believed by educators and employers to be critically important for success in today' s world.   However the Irish system is still very much orientated towards the state exams.  Teachers and students are under pressure to cover the curriculum and integrating 21st Century skills is another challenge in an already high pressured environment.

So what are 21st Century skills?  They include:

• Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning analysis, interpreatation, synthesizing information.
• Research skills and practices, interrogative questioning.
• Being creative, innovative, having imagination.
• Being able to manage yourself, to persevere and adapt.
• Communication skills oral and written, presenting and listening
• Leadership and teamwork, collaboration and cooperation.
• Use of ICT, media and internet literacy
• Be aware of civic and social justice literacy
• Global awareness, multicultural literacy
• Subject specific literacy such as science, geography and maths

And the list seems to be endless, but in a nutshell they break down into four areas which can be incorporated into the classroom.  Every class does not need to incorporate all these skills

•  Collaboration and teamwork
•  Creativity and imagination
•  Critical thinking
•  Problem solving

But we do need to teach and give students experiences which will give them strategies to cope in an environment where sometimes  there isn't a right or wrong answer.  In these circumstances you work  for the best possible solution at that time.  The best solution will  always be a "work in progress".   JCSP libraries have been working on 21st Century skills we share are findings and observaitons in our schools and with the PDST and at conferences such as the LAI (Literacy Association of Ireland).

Exercise 8:  Choose an area of library practice that you feel requires debate.

We all agree the library has always been to make resources and materials accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, intelligence, gender etc.  Traditionally these resources were print, but over the last twenty years this has expanded to include access to digital resources and tools.  This is now evolving again to include tools for creation "makerspaces."

There is much debate and criticism about makerspaces that they cater only for the tech-savy and more affluent individual.  I read recently an interesting article Recommended Practices for Equitable Makerspaces   which would argue that it makes perfect sense for these tools and materials to be made accessible to all in and through libraries.

Exercise 9:  Open up the ALA Frontline Advocacy Plan.  Complete the plan for a real/fictional advoacy campaign.

PDST Wellread Campaign / Award is a  National Initiative designed and organised by the Professional Service for Teachers (PDST).  It aim's to get schools actively promoting and nurturing a reading habit in their schools.  Our school is currently part of this campaign.  We report on our year of reading to parents and the Board of Management to keep this campaign visible.  The structure of this report is based on the ALA Front Line Advocacy Plan. 

"Right Book, Right Time, Right Student Reads" 

Thing 18: Critical Thinking Reflection

Caring about free reliable information

Thing 14 – 18 in a nutshell was about giving me an opportunity to think about the reliability of information that is shared freely on the internet and my attitude to it. It also made me think about my digital footprint.  

Working in a secondary school has probably clouded my judgement.  I can be negative about student's and teacher's use of wikipedia. Sometimes it is the starting and ending point of the research component.  It is then just a case of copy and paste, present,  job done!! 
I would advocate that it is a good starting point. I often use it myself as a starting point for topics I am unfamiliar with to build appropriate vocabulary to aid my searching.  On a bad day I am guilty of subscribing to Colbert v Wikipedia (2007) a somewhat dated assessment of wikipedia's editing standards. 

Is it CRAPP?

The Colbert sketch gets the point across very effectively, a point that is not as true as I would have thought having delved into Wikipedia's editing tools and tried the citation hunt in Task 15.  I decided to attempt to find a reliable source that could support a statement on an article about Derry Airport!  Adding a citation using Wikipedia’s cite generator made it simple to format. A reference from any url, DOI or ISBN.  I choose an online newspaper article but got scared and didn't click publish.  The editing ability has been tightened up considerably since Colbert.  More importantly the task made me question how good am I at evaluating information? My remit is literacy and all that encompasses.  In school the internet is probably "the educational tool" of the moment.  We use it for teaching and learning and more recently for communicating with our colleagues and students.  I now need to focus on  online reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.  I teach and use a strategy know as  "The Think-Aloud Approach" 

I was curious about other people's attitude to wikipedia  I asked someone I know who works in an academic library in New York did they use it in their teaching.  Their response was:

 "No I'm not involved enough with students to use Wikipedia  the most I do is talk about it as a source of information.  Most of the faculty that mention it in my presence do so negatively as an inappropriate source for term papers, but lately one surprised me with a far more nuanced approach.  As for me, I praise it as a great place to start research."

So attitudes to Wikipedia are changing.  I am changing....

Wikipedia helps immigrants learn Swedish
The task made me remember some good presentations I had seen at conferences from people who use Wikipedia  productively and creatively.  I recall seeing something about Sweden having a children's Wikipedia written in simple Swedish that was written at least in part by students.  The challenge is to find topics of interest that are insufficiently addressed, so items of local interest, local history and geography, local fashion maybe and then there is the difficulty of identifying good sources.  If you can find the right topics or maybe our students could identify them?  It could be  an amazing teaching and learning experience!  Perhaps activities like this will be included in the new curriculum.

Going back to that Swedish teacher  I heard her speak about her wiki projects, she was working in a fairly unusual situation.  Her students (second level) including immigrants with fluency in a middle eastern language were eager to use their language skills to improve access to information about their homelands.  So they translated and edited entries from non-english Wikipedia to English (or probably swedish.....?) So the students were able to create content in previously unaddressed topics.  She talked about how heavily politicized Wikipedia entries were in the middle east.  I think the idea being that students were supposed to be writing more neutral stuff.  I loved the idea that the students were able and took pride in sharing their own knowledge.  

So then I had to go look ........  Task 15 was thought provoking.  I know I need to exercise my own critical thinking skills and challenge myself and maybe even consider seriously contributing to wikipedia 

Task 16 to 17 made me think, but less critically.  My digital footprint we had touched on earlier in the course.  You can read about that here  

"We are living online, but have yet to realize the implications of doing so.  One of those implications our tracks through the digital sand are eternal." 

                    (John Battelle,  New York Times. June 17 2006)  

Thing 17: Using Slideshare to share your work

Getting started with slideshare is very straight forward, I opted to access it using my google account.  Uploading your "contribution" to this site is a matter of clicking, selecting the file you want to upload or you can drag and drop it!!   Then, view it, give it a title, tag it, decide who you would like to share it with and publish it.  I decided to share using a link:

Before successfully sharing, I did try to upload a powerpoint presentation on "New Literacies."  However this powerpoint had videos I made embedded in it and they didn't play.  According to the website it doesn't support "direct video uploads"  so it would require me to upload it first to youtube. I also tried uploading an infographic but it isn't supported either.  I decided to upload a report I wrote about Summer Reading.  I needed to convert it into a pdf file before uploading.   I think slideshare is a social media platform which has huge potential for use as a promotion and marketing tool.  

https://www.slideshare.net/secret/dDeDTZeKArrzGb

Thing 16: Actions speak louder...... Be aware of your digital footprint.

My digital footprint tells the story of me, my favourite apps, the websites I have visited, the messages I have sent, videos downloaded, images uploaded, music downloaded, games played, comments posted, boards created, things pinned!!  These “marks” colour in a picture of me and hence my online reputation/integrity is being embellished every time I log on!!   I know this can be positive or negative and can shape how people see me now and possibly view me in the future. I realised this after Thing 13 – Personal Brand and Managing it.  It made me do things I hadn’t considered before.  I searched myself online.   Searching for yourself is a quick way to see what information is out there about you.  I did find a person with the same name, living the other side of the world. I did take a look at their digital footprint. Luckily there was nothing for concern!!    I am now aware of what’s out there about me and I have an idea about what’s out there,  for the other Hilary Cantwell!!!! 

On a daily basis I remind students about the precautions one should take online.  Since starting this course I have made a conscious effort to put into practice what I preach:

·       Social networks have privacy settings which help you manage the content you share and who you share it with.  It is important to use them.   Controlling who sees my online presence, yes it could be restricted to friends and followers only or I can choose to put it all out there!!.  I also realised that I need to be aware of the content of my friends and followers because it can affect my digital footprint too. 

·       Think before you post! Funny pictures, jokes are subjective. We should take time to question ourselves Do we want friends, family, future employers to see our content?  Am I happy for people to see the information I have posted.  Once online it has the potential to be online forever. 

·       Deactivate and delete when you stop using a social networking profile or website it’s a good idea to deactivate or delete the account.  This means the content is no longer live and should not be searchable online!  It may also make sure that the account is not hacked.

·       I have always been very careful about giving out personal information to websites I am unfamiliar with.  I don’t respond to phishing emails, no matter how enticing or innocent it may seem.  Banks have worked hard to educate users that they will never ask for or send personal details.  I am obsessed with secure internet connections, legitimate hot-spots and that they are encrypted. 

·       I am also getting better at reading the “terms & conditions” of apps I download.  I am not as quick to put the “x” in the box.  In other words I am giving “informed consent.”

·       I use many passwords online.  My attitude in the past has been somewhat naïve, I have told myself keep it simple so you remember it!!  I have now realised how important it is to use an alphanumeric password.  I have stopped keeping the same password or a very close derivation for my accounts.  It is scary to think that if someone can get access to my online accounts they can control them my digital footprint.

I will be prudent and careful about my digital footprint. Now that I know all the ways that I and others are shaping my digital footprint, it's important to be vigilant about keeping my footprint in shape.  Using an appropriate photo of yourself in your social networking profiles is an important start.  We all have good days and bad days but what goes on the Internet is public and long-lasting. I tell my students that if there are some parts of their digital footprint that they are not proud of, then don't be afraid to untag a photo, ask a friend to take something of theirs down, or even delete an account.  These "fixes" are not absolute, but they can help to keep private business private.  

Thing 16 was about taking charge of your digital footprint, maintaining and shaping it is controlled by me.