For the first time, I am working as an embedded librarian this semester. I met the class on the second day they met. I have given them instruction in the Library. Now I am offering assistance with research by monitoring a discussion forum with their course management system (CMS). (We use Moodle.) My first post alerted them to recent multimedia tutorials I had created, as well as some older ones. In checking the forum today, no student had asked me any questions about research or asked for help, so I decided to offer a quick search tip, which appears below; this post.
Students tend to wait until the last few days before an assignment is due, before they really begin their research and writing. When this happens they do not have time to ask for assistance, or they might be embarrassed. Sometimes librarians have gone home for the day or the reference desk has closed already by the time they think to ask for help. Perhaps some of these tutorials and tips can be useful for them, since they can be accessed at any time. As long as they think to look at some of these resources, it could be useful for them.
Like other CMS software programs, Moodle allows the instructor to send a mass email to everyone in the class. Perhaps I should take advantage of this function to alert students to the resources they have available to them. Who know? Maybe they will be appreciative of a reminder to conduct their research and actually get an earlier start on it.
Do you have time-tested techniques for reaching students at their point of need? What do you do?
Tip: Did you know you could expand your results with an asterisk or a question mark? This can be helpful if you need more results.
For example, if I were searching for information on prescription drug abuse, I could "truncate" each word to get more results. Ex: prescri* and drug* and abus*. This tells the database to search for variations of the different words: prescribing, prescribe(s), prescription, drug(s), druggie, abuse(s), abusing, abusive, etc. When your search returns many results, this strategy is not recommended, but when you are getting too few results, then it may be helpful.
Note: the asterisk (*) is the truncation code used in the majority of databases (Ebscohost, LexisNexis, ProQuest, etc.). The question mark (?) serves as the truncation code in the Library catalog. Therefore, pigment? would return records with the following words: pigment(s), pigmented, pigmentation, pigmenting, etc. Truncating back to "pig*" would not be so helpful, since it would return results about "pigs" the animal, about humans acting like pigs, about guinea pigs, about skin pigments, etc. in addition to painting with pigments, etc.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Teaching Undergraduate Students--Attitudes
Before a recent class I asked the students what their instructors do to make their classes more interesting. One student at the back of the class piped up: "They let us out early." Perhaps I should have laughed and joked along, but this answer deflated me a bit and did not seem to help improve my attitude regarding teaching on that day.
Admittedly, in the last month I have felt more pressure and taught more classes, which may have contributed to my too-serious attitude. Yet, classroom experience is not always positive for one reason or another. Following is a list of possible reasons why library instruction sessions may not always be so wonderful:
It seems that focusing on the negative really breeds a downward spiral as far as performance and attitude goes. Sometimes I sense negative feelings from individuals in the classroom, and I let it get to me more than I ought to do. What should a teacher do? Should they ignore negative comments? Students can and sometimes do sabotage instruction.
Last weekend I heard someone talking about teaching--that teachers need to have positive attitudes. I needed to hear this, because I had begun to focus on students and all of their perceived faults. While some students may have less than desirable attitudes, that does not mean instruction should suffer. Consider some of the following suggestions to remain positive during the class:
Anyway, in my office I have a whiteboard with Post-it notes on it. It adds some variety with the different colors, but that is beside the point. In workshops I have taught on active learning or teaching-related issues, sometimes I like to ask participants to write down descriptors of their favorite teacher. Invariably, one or more participants (usually the majority) says their best instructor was enthusiastic about the material. Sometimes they use the word "passionate" or some other variation of the idea.
Other students will say the teacher that impacted their lives the most cared about them. All instructors, including library instructors, need to remember these things once in a while, especially if they intend to make a difference in student lives. Yes, I definitely need a reminder once in a while.
Admittedly, in the last month I have felt more pressure and taught more classes, which may have contributed to my too-serious attitude. Yet, classroom experience is not always positive for one reason or another. Following is a list of possible reasons why library instruction sessions may not always be so wonderful:
- Library instructor is not adequately prepared.
- Librarian feels overworked = not enough librarians or staff.
- Library instructor is trying out some new activities or methods.
- Students evince negative attitudes regarding library instruction.
- Student(s) have already received instruction in the library and know all there is to know already.
- Students have not chosen a topic for their research project.
- Students and/or instructors have not had enough sleep.
- Class takes place at a time when many are low on blood sugar = lunchtime.
- Class period occurs when many are drowsy (afternoon) or just waking up for the day.
- Students do not like reading, researching, and school in general. They may not value education or understand why they are still going to school.
- Students may only be around to get the degree, rather than learn.
- Student may be experiencing personal or family problems.
It seems that focusing on the negative really breeds a downward spiral as far as performance and attitude goes. Sometimes I sense negative feelings from individuals in the classroom, and I let it get to me more than I ought to do. What should a teacher do? Should they ignore negative comments? Students can and sometimes do sabotage instruction.
Last weekend I heard someone talking about teaching--that teachers need to have positive attitudes. I needed to hear this, because I had begun to focus on students and all of their perceived faults. While some students may have less than desirable attitudes, that does not mean instruction should suffer. Consider some of the following suggestions to remain positive during the class:
- Smile. : )
- Look around the classroom and make eye contact with as many as you can.
- Move around the classroom. This helps students pay attention more easily and show you are not afraid of them. Don't hide behind a podium or lectern.
- Insert some appropriate humor periodically.
- Ask students to explain to their neighbor something you have taught. Let them ask questions afterward.
- Find a friendly face or two and feed off of their positive energy.
- Share examples of how the content can be applied to life or various situations.
- Tell students how the content will be useful to them in their lives. This sounds the same as the previous point, but I believe it's slightly different. Telling students what they will learn at the beginning of class can sometimes be useful--just make sure you teach them what you said you would. Sharing examples throughout the class can make it come alive.
- Do something you like during the class. If you like music, literature, or sports, maybe you can find opportunities to demonstrate a search on a topic of your interest if that is what you are doing.
Anyway, in my office I have a whiteboard with Post-it notes on it. It adds some variety with the different colors, but that is beside the point. In workshops I have taught on active learning or teaching-related issues, sometimes I like to ask participants to write down descriptors of their favorite teacher. Invariably, one or more participants (usually the majority) says their best instructor was enthusiastic about the material. Sometimes they use the word "passionate" or some other variation of the idea.
Other students will say the teacher that impacted their lives the most cared about them. All instructors, including library instructors, need to remember these things once in a while, especially if they intend to make a difference in student lives. Yes, I definitely need a reminder once in a while.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
New Tutorials Created with Jing!
Take a look at some tutorials I recently created to help students become familiar with our databases, so they can find articles more easily and know how to take advantage of the search interface as best they can.
Database Features (4:06)
The following tutorial shows the steps Idaho State University students, faculty or staff might take for finding scholarly articles with resources available to them through the Library's resources:
Finding Scholarly Articles at ISU (2:23)
Ever wondered how to narrow down your topic to a more manageable size? Writing on global warming, gun control, abortion, or any other huge issue can be daunting. This tutorial covers some general tips to help narrow down just about any topic, including by population, time, and location/geography. This tutorial used Prezi--The Zooming Presentation free software to create the presentation. Jing allowed me to add audio.
Narrowing a Topic (4:59)
Do you have an opinion about any of these tutorials? Let me know what you like about them and what could be improved.
If you are interested in viewing other tutorials I have created, take a look at my Google Sites page: Eli M. Oboler Library Tutorials.
Database Features (4:06)
The following tutorial shows the steps Idaho State University students, faculty or staff might take for finding scholarly articles with resources available to them through the Library's resources:
Finding Scholarly Articles at ISU (2:23)
Ever wondered how to narrow down your topic to a more manageable size? Writing on global warming, gun control, abortion, or any other huge issue can be daunting. This tutorial covers some general tips to help narrow down just about any topic, including by population, time, and location/geography. This tutorial used Prezi--The Zooming Presentation free software to create the presentation. Jing allowed me to add audio.
Narrowing a Topic (4:59)
Do you have an opinion about any of these tutorials? Let me know what you like about them and what could be improved.
If you are interested in viewing other tutorials I have created, take a look at my Google Sites page: Eli M. Oboler Library Tutorials.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Activity for Narrowing Down a Topic
Today I participated in a good class discussion about academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and narrowing topics down to a manageable size. I split the class in half, and had one set of groups talk about childhood obesity and how it could be broken down into a smaller topic for a 5-6 page paper. The other half of the class talked about "reality TV," and how it is influencing society. They were a great class to work with.
The whole activity took about ten minutes. In groups of 3-5 they discussed various aspects of the topic to consider how it could be narrowed down from a large, book-sized topic to a more workable essay-sized topic. After five minutes, a scribe wrote down answers from the groups on the board, and I inserted comments and suggested ideas. The scribe divided the board in half and wrote the ideas for obesity on one side and for reality tv on the other.
Then I suggested in general terms, that they can always narrow down a topic by population (a demographic), location (geography), and by time period.
Here are some of the results from the group discussions about narrowing a topic:
Childhood obesity
* parenting
* video games/TV (sedentary lifestyles)
* genetics (it's changing)
* future health
* junk food access/availability
"Reality" TV
* perception of reality
* distracts from life
* jackasses (society getting dumber?) Reminds me of Pinocchio movie where the boys play and do bad things, then they become jackasses.
* demographic influence
Narrowing Down a Topic (suggestions from the librarian)
* demographic = population i.e. age group, race, class, single-parent family, income, etc.
* time = last 5 years, last 10 years, the 90s, 19th century, etc.
* location = city, state, region, country, world--even urban, rural, 3rd world, etc.
For the plagiarism discussion, I used a PowerPoint presentation to drive the discussion. Each slide asked a question:
With each question, students wrote down answers on their own piece of paper. Then they discussed their answers with a neighbor before we talked about each question as a class. This method of active learning seems to yield more participation. It leads me to believe that students will more readily accept what they hear from a peer than from their instructor. Also, students like to test their ideas on each other before sharing them with the instructor and the class as a whole.
The whole activity took about ten minutes. In groups of 3-5 they discussed various aspects of the topic to consider how it could be narrowed down from a large, book-sized topic to a more workable essay-sized topic. After five minutes, a scribe wrote down answers from the groups on the board, and I inserted comments and suggested ideas. The scribe divided the board in half and wrote the ideas for obesity on one side and for reality tv on the other.
Then I suggested in general terms, that they can always narrow down a topic by population (a demographic), location (geography), and by time period.
Here are some of the results from the group discussions about narrowing a topic:
Childhood obesity
* parenting
* video games/TV (sedentary lifestyles)
* genetics (it's changing)
* future health
* junk food access/availability
"Reality" TV
* perception of reality
* distracts from life
* jackasses (society getting dumber?) Reminds me of Pinocchio movie where the boys play and do bad things, then they become jackasses.
* demographic influence
Narrowing Down a Topic (suggestions from the librarian)
* demographic = population i.e. age group, race, class, single-parent family, income, etc.
* time = last 5 years, last 10 years, the 90s, 19th century, etc.
* location = city, state, region, country, world--even urban, rural, 3rd world, etc.
For the plagiarism discussion, I used a PowerPoint presentation to drive the discussion. Each slide asked a question:
- What is academic dishonesty?
- What is plagiarism?
- What is common knowledge?
- How can you avoid plagiarism and academic dishonesty?
- Where can you go for help?
With each question, students wrote down answers on their own piece of paper. Then they discussed their answers with a neighbor before we talked about each question as a class. This method of active learning seems to yield more participation. It leads me to believe that students will more readily accept what they hear from a peer than from their instructor. Also, students like to test their ideas on each other before sharing them with the instructor and the class as a whole.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Information-Literacy Quotes
On the information-literacy and instruction listserv, several librarians shared the following quotes about the need for information literacy in today's world.
How important do think information-literacy competency skills are in today's society?
"We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely."by E. O. Wilson from Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
It is not the finding of a thing, but the making of something out of it after it is found that is of consequence.by James Russell Lowell in My Study Windows
"My guess is about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in doing search," says Craig Silverstein. "But we can make slow and steady progress, and maybe one day we'll get there."by Craig Silverstein, Google's Director of Technology and Google Employee #1
How important do think information-literacy competency skills are in today's society?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Promoting the Library's Learn Something Quick Workshops
Once I got going, these videos got easier to create. Here's one that highlights our Learn Something Quick workshop series.
What do you think? Did you catch any humor? Does that detract or make the video more digestible? Do you find this appealing or a good learning tool?
What do you think? Did you catch any humor? Does that detract or make the video more digestible? Do you find this appealing or a good learning tool?
Succeed in the Oboler Library
Watch this longer video, which gives more in-depth information about ISU's Eli M. Oboler Library while also trying to mix in a little humor periodically. The characters' voices are machine-automated, so they sound a bit panned, or artificial. The video creator did forget to say that the reference desk is only open until 9:00 p.m. on regular weekdays.
Promoting the Library with Xtranormal Text to Video
I recently discovered Xtranormal Text to Video. It looks like it could be a fun way to promote libraries and information literacy competency skills. They do not charge money for the basic stuff, but if you want more character, actions, and settings, then you do need to pay some money. Check out this quick, introductory video:
Do you think this would be useful? How would you use this free online software? Could it offer good instructional help?
Do you think this would be useful? How would you use this free online software? Could it offer good instructional help?
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Google Sites Workshop
As part of the Library's Learn Something Quick programming, I taught a basic 15-minute workshop on how to create Google Sites. Following are some of the YouTube links worth looking at:
Introductory Videos
• Google Sites Tour: it offers examples for how you might use Google Sites.
• Google Sites: Simple, secure group websites: shows how to create the pages, how to allow others to edit the pages, and how to create group websites.
• Google Sites #1: Creating a New Site: a series of videos created by individuals from Radford University.
• Google Sites #2: How to Edit and Add Media to your Google Site
• Google Sites #3: How to Change the Appearance of Your Site
• Google Sites #4: How to Share Your Site
• Google Site Search: Quick Tour (But you have to pay for this Google search box.)
Why use Google Sites?
Google Sites allows you to...
• Create page
• Edit page
• Site Content
• Privacy
• Site appearance
• Site layout
• Colors and Fonts
• Themes
• Subpages
• Insert: Images
• Links
• Calendar
• Share the site: collaborators, owners, and viewers
Types of Pages:
Introductory Videos
• Google Sites Tour: it offers examples for how you might use Google Sites.
• Google Sites: Simple, secure group websites: shows how to create the pages, how to allow others to edit the pages, and how to create group websites.
• Google Sites #1: Creating a New Site: a series of videos created by individuals from Radford University.
• Google Sites #2: How to Edit and Add Media to your Google Site
• Google Sites #3: How to Change the Appearance of Your Site
• Google Sites #4: How to Share Your Site
• Google Site Search: Quick Tour (But you have to pay for this Google search box.)
Why use Google Sites?
- Develop a pathfinder for a class or a site.
- Share professional information, including a resume or CV.
- Share personal or family information. It is possible to limit who sees it by invitation.
- Research items and interests
- Class projects
- Work projects
- Promoting the an organization or company, such as the Eli M. Oboler Library
- Promote an event
- More… Do you know other reasons why people use Google Sites? Please share a comment in the comment box.
Google Sites allows you to...
• Create page
• Edit page
• Site Content
• Privacy
• Site appearance
• Site layout
• Colors and Fonts
• Themes
• Subpages
• Insert: Images
• Links
• Calendar
• Share the site: collaborators, owners, and viewers
Types of Pages:
- Lists
- Web page
- File cabinet
- Announcements
- Start Page
Monday, August 30, 2010
Finding Free Images and Clip Art
Today I taught a workshop on finding free photos and clip art as part of our Learn Something Quick series.
Below are some of the websites I highlighted:
Google's Advanced Image Search allows individuals to look for images with varying degrees of copyright restrictions. For example, searches can be limited to images "labeled for reuse," "labeled for commercial reuse," "labeled for reuse with modification," and "labeled for reuse with commercial modification." Naturally, the default to all image searches is the all-inclusive "not filtered by license."
Information-literate individuals understand the legal and ethical issues surrounding information. Google also knows about these sticky concerns. On their Features: Usage Rights page they have included the following information:
When looking at photos, keep your eyes open for the licensing information. On the sites listed above, these notices generally appear in a visible spot near the photo.
Cognizance and ability to correctly (read legally here) apply copyright and license information relate to the last information-literacy competency standard, espoused by the Association of College and Research Librarians (ACRL). Namely:
Best wishes as you search for free photos, images, clip art, and other files.
Below are some of the websites I highlighted:
- Creative Commons: Open Clip Art Library
- Free Digital Photos
- iStockphoto
- Microsoft Clip Art
Photoshop Tutorials Blog: Free Stock Photos (Lists many stock photo sites, including the popular Stock.xchng and Morguefile sites.) - Wikimedia Commons
Google's Advanced Image Search allows individuals to look for images with varying degrees of copyright restrictions. For example, searches can be limited to images "labeled for reuse," "labeled for commercial reuse," "labeled for reuse with modification," and "labeled for reuse with commercial modification." Naturally, the default to all image searches is the all-inclusive "not filtered by license."
Information-literate individuals understand the legal and ethical issues surrounding information. Google also knows about these sticky concerns. On their Features: Usage Rights page they have included the following information:
Anyone can browse the Web, but usage rights come into play if you're looking for content that you can take and use above and beyond fair use. Site owners can use licenses to indicate if and how content on their sites can be reused.
When looking at photos, keep your eyes open for the licensing information. On the sites listed above, these notices generally appear in a visible spot near the photo.
Cognizance and ability to correctly (read legally here) apply copyright and license information relate to the last information-literacy competency standard, espoused by the Association of College and Research Librarians (ACRL). Namely:
Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally.
Best wishes as you search for free photos, images, clip art, and other files.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Information Literacy Outcomes
It seems like the following might be appropriate outcomes of for a course intending to teach students how to become information literate. I tried to incorporate Bloom's Taxonomy, so you ought to be able to insert "I" or "I can" before each of the bullets below. The link to Bloom's Taxonomy takes you to a website with the taxonomy, including verbs that you can insert into questions to focus students on develop that level of thinking.
* understand the differences between scholarly and popular sources.
* know how to access scholarly sources.
* describe ways to narrow down a topic in order to write a manageable paper.
* create an annotated bibliography.
* evaluate sources and explain why they are or are not useful for a given purpose, such as arguing a point/thesis in a paper.
* apply criteria for evaluating information sources.
* understand why information needs to be cited.
* explain why some information costs money to access and other information does not. ~ Explain why information is not equal in its quality or demand.
* show how to mold a topic into a research question.
* understand when it may be necessary to seek help from a librarian/information professional.
* identify the differences between a catalog and an index.
What other outcomes would you expect to come out of a semester-long course that incorporated information literacy?
* understand the differences between scholarly and popular sources.
* know how to access scholarly sources.
* describe ways to narrow down a topic in order to write a manageable paper.
* create an annotated bibliography.
* evaluate sources and explain why they are or are not useful for a given purpose, such as arguing a point/thesis in a paper.
* apply criteria for evaluating information sources.
* understand why information needs to be cited.
* explain why some information costs money to access and other information does not. ~ Explain why information is not equal in its quality or demand.
* show how to mold a topic into a research question.
* understand when it may be necessary to seek help from a librarian/information professional.
* identify the differences between a catalog and an index.
What other outcomes would you expect to come out of a semester-long course that incorporated information literacy?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Improving Student Learning in the Information-Literacy Classroom
A few months ago I came across an excellent article:
They argue that the information-literacy concept "has been undertheorized in its relationship to writing pedagogy" (225). Rhetoric and composition instructors who envision the Library's utility for them and their students as a single one-shot orientation (or even a single online tutorial) may be found lacking in their understanding of the full capabilities of information-literacy instruction in full collaboration with librarians (225).
Bowles-Terry and company call on librarians to explain and broadcast their contributions to the rhetoric and composition instructors. The authors build their arguments on personal experience as they have collaborated with writing instructors on the Utah State University campus. Not only that, they have learned how valuable "creative learning activities" can be to foster real information-literacy skills that persist.
Student habits of copying and pasting from the "right" resources reflects behavioral theories more espoused in education from the 1950s and 1960s. "On the other hand, constructivist approaches emphasize that the prior knowledge of individual learners shape all information seeking, which is conceptualized as a recursive process, with an emphasis on strategies rather than mechanical procedures and rules" ( 226). This view sees the expert as a guide who is not so didactic but helps beginners practice skills that will help them find the information they need.
In their description of integrating information literacy into the freshmen and sophomore writing classes, they mention their ability to hire five writing instructors who became Information Literacy Fellows, their creation of IL learning goals (226), and their development of Problem-based learning (PBL) projects (227). When implementing newer pedagogy, such as this inquiry- or problem-based learning, they advise that some supports be given, what they call "scaffolds." These might include more access to librarians, class time to work in their groups, and tailored readings, not to mention additional input from the instructor regarding expectations for their research (228).
Permit me to quote extensively from the article, as they expound on the constructivist approach:
Admittedly, not all students accept or eagerly join this inquiry-based approach. Not surprisingly, they become "focused on creating a final product for a grade rather than on their understanding of the problem itself" (228). It seems that this highlights the value of this constructivist approach. Problem-based learning, when done correctly, can promote development of real critical thinking skills by getting the students to work together in teams assess, evaluate, synthesize, and so forth. The other model seems to center on finding a fixed number and type of sources that are thrown together in the right order to fill the specified number of pages (228).
A discussion of evaluation criteria fills a sizable portion of the second half of the article. Many acronyms have been created to facilitate student evaluation of sources, including the memorable CRAAP Test. Bowles-Terry and company criticize these checklists, and others that can be found in many textbooks (writing, rhetoric, and composition ones, for example) elsewhere. They cite Marc Meola who has written about the checklist as a promoter of "a mechanical and algorithmic way of evaluation that is at odds with the higher-level judgment and intuition that we presumably cultivate as part of critical thinking. The checklist gives students the impression that evaluation is mechanistic, enabling them to spit out correct Web-site evaluations given the right input" (229).
Still, today there are many students, instructors, and librarians who continue to follow the traditional patterns, though the authors argue that these "traditional [...] ways" are "sometimes counterproductive" (229).
On a different note, it appears that this article lacks any reference to assessment or outcomes. One sentence encapsulates their assessment efforts: "We evaluated students' reactions to the PBL approach by observing their behavior in class" (227). In order to convince a larger population of librarians and writing instructors, perhaps a look into the literature on assessment of PBL as it relates to information literacy might be productive.
Personally, the list of four IL learning goals in the article, plus the brief, yet explicit, descriptions of the three instruction sessions connected to one of their PBL projects proved to be some of the most appreciated parts of the article, though the discussion of theory offered a quick and useful refresher. Read this well-written article and consider putting into practice what they have already set in motion.
Meola, Marc. "Chucking the Checklist: A Contextual Approach to Teaching Undergraduates Web-Site Evaluation." portal: Libraries and the Academy 4.3 (2004): 331-44.
- Bowles-Terry, Melissa, Erin Davis, and Wendy Holliday. "'Writing Information Literacy' Revisited: Application of Theory to Practice in the Classroom." Reference & User Services Quarterly 49.3 (Spring 2010): 225-30. Print.
They argue that the information-literacy concept "has been undertheorized in its relationship to writing pedagogy" (225). Rhetoric and composition instructors who envision the Library's utility for them and their students as a single one-shot orientation (or even a single online tutorial) may be found lacking in their understanding of the full capabilities of information-literacy instruction in full collaboration with librarians (225).
Bowles-Terry and company call on librarians to explain and broadcast their contributions to the rhetoric and composition instructors. The authors build their arguments on personal experience as they have collaborated with writing instructors on the Utah State University campus. Not only that, they have learned how valuable "creative learning activities" can be to foster real information-literacy skills that persist.
Student habits of copying and pasting from the "right" resources reflects behavioral theories more espoused in education from the 1950s and 1960s. "On the other hand, constructivist approaches emphasize that the prior knowledge of individual learners shape all information seeking, which is conceptualized as a recursive process, with an emphasis on strategies rather than mechanical procedures and rules" ( 226). This view sees the expert as a guide who is not so didactic but helps beginners practice skills that will help them find the information they need.
In their description of integrating information literacy into the freshmen and sophomore writing classes, they mention their ability to hire five writing instructors who became Information Literacy Fellows, their creation of IL learning goals (226), and their development of Problem-based learning (PBL) projects (227). When implementing newer pedagogy, such as this inquiry- or problem-based learning, they advise that some supports be given, what they call "scaffolds." These might include more access to librarians, class time to work in their groups, and tailored readings, not to mention additional input from the instructor regarding expectations for their research (228).
Permit me to quote extensively from the article, as they expound on the constructivist approach:
Students also need opportunities to reflect upon, write, and talk about their research throughout the process. This helps them to share information with others and practice that difficult task of summary and synthesis. They need to organize, evaluate, and synthesize information not just for their final project but also in classroom conversations and short written assignments throughout their research and writing process. These types of activities can help students assess their information sources on the basis of how specific discourse communities assign value to certain kinds of knowledge and how the information addresses the students' own rhetorical purpose. (228)
Admittedly, not all students accept or eagerly join this inquiry-based approach. Not surprisingly, they become "focused on creating a final product for a grade rather than on their understanding of the problem itself" (228). It seems that this highlights the value of this constructivist approach. Problem-based learning, when done correctly, can promote development of real critical thinking skills by getting the students to work together in teams assess, evaluate, synthesize, and so forth. The other model seems to center on finding a fixed number and type of sources that are thrown together in the right order to fill the specified number of pages (228).
A discussion of evaluation criteria fills a sizable portion of the second half of the article. Many acronyms have been created to facilitate student evaluation of sources, including the memorable CRAAP Test. Bowles-Terry and company criticize these checklists, and others that can be found in many textbooks (writing, rhetoric, and composition ones, for example) elsewhere. They cite Marc Meola who has written about the checklist as a promoter of "a mechanical and algorithmic way of evaluation that is at odds with the higher-level judgment and intuition that we presumably cultivate as part of critical thinking. The checklist gives students the impression that evaluation is mechanistic, enabling them to spit out correct Web-site evaluations given the right input" (229).
Still, today there are many students, instructors, and librarians who continue to follow the traditional patterns, though the authors argue that these "traditional [...] ways" are "sometimes counterproductive" (229).
On a different note, it appears that this article lacks any reference to assessment or outcomes. One sentence encapsulates their assessment efforts: "We evaluated students' reactions to the PBL approach by observing their behavior in class" (227). In order to convince a larger population of librarians and writing instructors, perhaps a look into the literature on assessment of PBL as it relates to information literacy might be productive.
Personally, the list of four IL learning goals in the article, plus the brief, yet explicit, descriptions of the three instruction sessions connected to one of their PBL projects proved to be some of the most appreciated parts of the article, though the discussion of theory offered a quick and useful refresher. Read this well-written article and consider putting into practice what they have already set in motion.
Meola, Marc. "Chucking the Checklist: A Contextual Approach to Teaching Undergraduates Web-Site Evaluation." portal: Libraries and the Academy 4.3 (2004): 331-44.
A Visual Explanation about how Google Works
Have you ever wondered how Google really works? Below is a fun visual explanation that communicates the basics. I discovered this graphic on Peter Godwin and Jo Parker's Information Literacy meets Library 2.0. When I selected the link to the infographic, it would not connect to the proper webpage, saying how it was unavailable within Firefox. Copying the link location into the Google search box helped me find it. Apparently, it was only missing the "h" in the "http" protocol prefix.
I think it's pretty cool how PPCBLOG provides the code for inserting the graphic on your own website:
Yes, I include the label/tag "index," because that's exactly what Google is--an index, a very, very big index. Like an index finger, they point people to what they want to see, though in some cultures you may be wary in using your index finger to point to things, since it may not be very polite. Fortunately, it still remains a common practice in the U.S.
If you are interested in an explanation about the difference between a catalog and an index, take a look at one of my previous posts.
I think it's pretty cool how PPCBLOG provides the code for inserting the graphic on your own website:
Infographic by PPC Blog
Yes, I include the label/tag "index," because that's exactly what Google is--an index, a very, very big index. Like an index finger, they point people to what they want to see, though in some cultures you may be wary in using your index finger to point to things, since it may not be very polite. Fortunately, it still remains a common practice in the U.S.
If you are interested in an explanation about the difference between a catalog and an index, take a look at one of my previous posts.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
My creation
In an effort to promote ISU's Oboler Library, we are considering the possibility of making library trading cards. It seems that this would be a great way to piggyback off of the First Year Seminar scavenger hunt that has been created. One of the questions asks to name two library workers, their positions, and where they work in the Library.
A search for "library trading cards" on Flickr will show you all kinds of different cards that other librarians have created already. Big Huge Labs (a website) allows you to create this style of library trading card for free.
If you have created library cards, please let us know how successful this was. What were your objectives? Did students and patrons get to know you better and then return to ask for assistance? What kind of information did you include on the card?
A search for "library trading cards" on Flickr will show you all kinds of different cards that other librarians have created already. Big Huge Labs (a website) allows you to create this style of library trading card for free.
If you have created library cards, please let us know how successful this was. What were your objectives? Did students and patrons get to know you better and then return to ask for assistance? What kind of information did you include on the card?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Academic Blogs
Many professors blog about their research, teaching, and administrative duties, as well as issues they encounter in higher education. The Academic Blogs wiki classifies these academic blogs according to discipline. If you wish to keep up-to-date in your field or to understand what interests others academics, take a look.
Each of the disciplines are represented, i.e. social sciences, humanities, sciences, professional and useful arts, etc.
Have you found a blog that has been particularly useful for you?
Apparently, Salem Press has even given awards to the best library blogs, according to the following categories:
Honestly, I often feel overwhelmed with all of the information out there, and I often feel technologically averse, as well as a laggard in adopting new technologies. For example, I still have not developed the habit of using a blog reader to keep up on technologies, news, or information-literacy developments. I still gather information literacy and instruction ideas from the now prosaic (definition: dull; unexciting; lacking in poetic expression, feeling, or imagination; unromantic; commonplace; mundane) listserv. It still works, but it seems that many in my generation have moved on to blogs as a source for professional ideas and so forth.
Admittedly, the only time I see some of the blogs that are of interest to me is when I come to write on my own blog. After logging in, I see new feeds to recent posts from a variety of blogs I have chosen to follow. Though I have an account to Bloglines, I never log in to keep up to date. It might be worthwhile to give it a try again.
By the way, one of the best academic library blogs out there is "In the Library with the Lead Pipe." A team of librarians commit to post regularly to this blog, and they do their homework well, contributing interesting ideas on a variety of topics germane to academic librarianship. It does help to know one of the authors, Kim Leeder, who attends the Idaho Library Association's Annual Conference each year in October.
Each of the disciplines are represented, i.e. social sciences, humanities, sciences, professional and useful arts, etc.
Have you found a blog that has been particularly useful for you?
Apparently, Salem Press has even given awards to the best library blogs, according to the following categories:
- General Library Blogs
- Quirky Library Blogs
- Academic Library Blogs
- Public Library Blogs
- School Library Blogs
Honestly, I often feel overwhelmed with all of the information out there, and I often feel technologically averse, as well as a laggard in adopting new technologies. For example, I still have not developed the habit of using a blog reader to keep up on technologies, news, or information-literacy developments. I still gather information literacy and instruction ideas from the now prosaic (definition: dull; unexciting; lacking in poetic expression, feeling, or imagination; unromantic; commonplace; mundane) listserv. It still works, but it seems that many in my generation have moved on to blogs as a source for professional ideas and so forth.
Admittedly, the only time I see some of the blogs that are of interest to me is when I come to write on my own blog. After logging in, I see new feeds to recent posts from a variety of blogs I have chosen to follow. Though I have an account to Bloglines, I never log in to keep up to date. It might be worthwhile to give it a try again.
By the way, one of the best academic library blogs out there is "In the Library with the Lead Pipe." A team of librarians commit to post regularly to this blog, and they do their homework well, contributing interesting ideas on a variety of topics germane to academic librarianship. It does help to know one of the authors, Kim Leeder, who attends the Idaho Library Association's Annual Conference each year in October.
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