Information+Literacy+\+ICT+Literacy

2.2 collaboratively plan and resource curriculum programs which incorporate transferable information literacy and literature outcomes
 * Information Literacy / ICT Literacy **


 * When delivering a robust library program teacher librarians must look to information literacy (including ICT) as a primary focus within their planning. The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and Australian School Library Association (ASLA) policy document on information literacy states: **“Information literate learners are able to access, process, organise, create and present information in a range of ways that make meaning for them and all the construction of personal knowledge. Information skills must be embedded across the school curriculum and explicitly taught in the context of teaching and learning programs. Effective teacher librarians are expert in collaboratively developing and implementing such an approach.” (2009, para. 5) In this implementation teacher librarians cannot dismiss the importance of an integrated ICT approach. Durrant and Green (as cited in Lankshear, Colin et. al., 2000, p. 26) states that we are in 'a broad-based shift from Print to Digital-Electronics as the organising context for literate-textual practice and for learning and teaching'; this means that the provision of and training in the use of online databases, internet search engines and other full-text services (owned or accessed by the school) has become a vital part of services provided by libraries.

 Site one provided some excellent examples of best practice as outlined above. During my visit I witnessed several collaborations, on unit and lesson planning, between the teacher librarian and staff. These collaborations related to future and current units being delivered jointly by the classroom and teacher librarian. Examples included the selecting of suitable fiction texts for a mystery genre unit and discussions regarding a unit in which students planned and published their own picture book using the library's ICT facilities. An integrated unit which had been previously delivered was grade 6 medieval unit (link below) w  hich used a webquest to explore the topic. Other literacy practices observed at site one included a number of online databases and encyclopaedias, OPAC and interactive whiteboard. Students were not only able to access these tools for their researching needs but were also given instruction in library lessons on the best ways to utilise these tools. Library lessons included the deconstruction of picture books to gain meaning from the text, pictures and the tensions between the two.

 The site one teacher librarian demonstrated best practice in delivering her library programmes by embedding and explicitly teaching both information and ICT literacy to her students. She also made sure that the context of teaching and learning was as authentic as possible. Lankshear, Colin et. al. (2000, p. 45) explain this authenticity of context as follows “We always use texts and technologies to do things in the world, and to achieve our own and others' purposes, whether in the context of school, work or everyday life. This means putting the emphasis on 'authentic' contexts, forms and purposes of learning”. This authenticity not only helps to engage the students but also gives them a genuine and meaningful way to use (and transfer) different literacy skills between the classroom, library and final product. The teacher librarian was also able to scaffold the students learning through the use of webquests as well as online databases, encyclopaedias and search engines. This diverse way of presenting information to students enabled them to access, process, organise, create and present information in many different ways thereby making meaning and constructing personal knowledge for themselves.

While site one was a wonderful example of best practice in information literacy I believe the ICT literacy could be taken further. It is documented throughout the literature (examples include Foley & Hay (2007), Harris (2006), Hay (2009), Kuhlthau (2010) and Lankshear, Colin et. al. (2000)) how today's student is more engaged through the use of internet and web 2.0 based activities which are by their very nature student driven and inquiry based. I would like to take this idea and allow students more scope in their analysis of text types, for example looking at short films or video clips and deconstructing the images and their meanings. I would also like to create a blog for students to read and discuss books (or other texts), not only for enjoyment but in the form of a type of guided reading exercise where the teacher librarian (or teacher) poses a question about the text and the students post their ideas or comments. I would also develop more webquests as a method of delivering a unit- this would enable students to work at their own pace as well as scaffold their use of websites and enable them to become more astute in selecting suitable websites for their research. Information Literacy / ICT Literacy