Are you a Web 2.0 TL? What compelling argument caused you to become a TL? Many of us started in school libraries as we loved books – that is not enough nowadays. In an article from the Times Online, a university academic has stated that
“Technological change is now so fast that it is hard to predict what the next development will be but Broughton insists: “The professional who is trained in the principles of managing information will not be fazed by this change. The medium is not the message – you respond as the medium changes.
“Do not go into library work if you do not like IT. If you really prefer books, think about the book trade or publishing, not librarianship.”(Cilip.org.uk)
Teacher Librarians have aresponsibility to engage with digital tools even more so than librarians. We are primarily concerned with student learning and our students deserve and need learing at a variety of levels and witha variety of digital media tools.
Do you consider you have the skills and curriculum ideas to work in a Web 2.0 environment? Have you developed online learning products or strategies to use for your students? Whether the school is small with a half day per week TL or a large school with more than 1 full time TL, consider how you can provide the right mix for your students?
Check these out and then keep an eye out for ASLA NSW’s new course online for TLs:
1 response so far ↓
Loving books was never enough to be a teacher librarian or any librarian for that matter. You need to enjoy the front line with students/teachers/public, or you’ll go crazy (of course, this may happen anyway). I think I became a librarian because I loved finding out about things, solving puzzles, finding the newest most exciting things. Getting the latest books is part of this, but the internet has made finding anything you want to know much easier (used to wait weeks for obscure books on interlibrary loan). Now our challenge is – as it always has been – to tame the information. To make sense of it, to package it in usable bites and to help users to manipulate it and create new knowledge. Web 2.0 makes this a possibility. Also a joy and a headache (mostly through the enormous choice and pressure of time). These tools also make it even more fun to share literature. It’s all good.
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