Spector, J. M., Ifenthaler, D., Sampson, D., Yang, L. (., Mukama, E., Warusavitarana, A., & ... Gibson, D. C. (2016). Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment for 21st Century Learning. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 19(3), 58-71.

Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=116991598&site=ehost-live&scope=site

This article details the importance of providing formative assessments.  It discusses how formative assessments have changed over time and how now they are more important than ever. Since, these types of assessments have grown in importance they have changed a great deal in structure. This article discusses how formative assessments how grown to include 21st century learning topics or technology.  It discusses how educators have changed their assessements to reflect these new 21st century skills.

21st Century Skills - 2 short videos

 Two short videos about the Four C's.

Above & Beyond is a cute story about what is possible when communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity transform learning opportunities for all kids.

What Is 21st Century Education
This short video is a wake up call for the importance of teaching the Four C's.

A Collaborative Journey: The Learning Commons

Amanda Rude

ET, CO

KOLOD, L. k., & UNGAR, B. b. (2016). A Collaborative Journey The Learning Commons. Teacher Librarian, 43(4), 22-27. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=114825284&site=ehost-live&scope=site

This article takes the reader though one school's Journey from a traditional library to a 21st century learning commons.  Outlined in particular is the planning, research and collaboration that went into the process.  the end product is truly amazing and is an idyllic representation of the the learning commons.

Standing on a Corner

Amanda Rude

IL, CO

HARLAN, M. A. (2014). Standing on a corner Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=98973023&site=ehost-live&scope=site

This article explores the various  accessibility issues of rural schools and proposes possible interventions to address them.  These issues contribute to the problem of a growing digital divide between these students and students from more urban areas.  This article addresses the equity issues created by geography.  But, it is interesting to note that many of these same issues could be encountered by students from low-income areas as well.

Professional Learning Networks

Felix Davila III
CO
Moreillon, J. (2016). Building your PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORK (PLN): 21st-century school librarians seek self-regulated professional development online. Knowledge Quest, 44(3), 64-69. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=112090464&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Moreillon’s work here is a strong reminder of the necessity of developing a personal learning network. A PLN is essentially a core of resources that allows professionals to communicate or collaborate with others of the same field to expose themselves to new resources, tactics and more. The article provides a listing of ideas that librarians should bookmark for future reference. Moreillon includes discussion boards, Twitter groups or hastags, Facebook groups, webinars and blogs as common resources that can provide endless engagement, workshopping and brainstorming.

What is important to realize is that professional development is not simply located at work through employee meetings or training sessions. With technology, professional development is an every day, every hour phenomenon that can allow professionals a chance to grow and develop. Essentially, librarians should not rule out any outlet where they can connect with fellow librarians. This article motivated me to join a Facebook group of students that have taken INFO 254, which allowed me to not only share and receive ideas, but keep in touch with colleagues without compromising my personal social media (an important factor for those that may be really concerned with privacy).

In the war on fake news, school librarians have a huge role to play

Campbell, Renee

Tiffany, Kaitlyn. (2016). In the war on fake news, school librarians have a huge role to play: Talking to an information sciences professor about the challenges ahead. The Verge. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/16/13637294/school-libraries-information-literacy-fake-news-election-2016.

Summary:

Interview with Professor Nicole A. Cooke of the University of Illinois School of Information Studies on how, as information specialists, to teach how to identify “fake news”. Cooke discusses the “all or nothing” approach people today have towards news. That “a lot of people say that they ‘distrust’ something not because it’s not trustworthy but because they actually just don’t agree with it.” And, how our students, who are the most technologically savvy, may also be the least informed because the speed of the internet and social media allows little time to adequately test credibility.

Evaluation:

This is a very timely article with useful tools for librarians, teachers, and students. In these past two weeks, I have had numerous discussions with all three groups and am thankful for the insight and applicable tools. I especially like her advice to “meet students where the are” on Wikipedia, Facebook, and Twitter, and being a guide through the wilderness of information and misinformation.

CA-21st Century Standards and Curriculum

St Clair, Deb

CA

Alismail, H. A., & McGuire, P., Dr. (2015). 21st century standards and

    curriculum: Current research and practice. Journal of Education and

    Practice, 6(6), 150-154. Retrieved from

    http://files.eric.ed.gov.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/fulltext/EJ1083656.pdf

Summary:  This article describes how the Common Core Standards support the type of learning necessary for our students in the 21st Century.  

This article provides a very clear connection between 21st Century Skills and the Common Core Curriculum.  There is sufficient, detailed background provided to understand the Common Core and 21st Century Skills.  In addition, the article describes how presenting students with real-world challenges makes learning authentic and engaging.

IL-Plagiarism

St Clair, Deb

IL

Strittmatter, C., & Bratton, V. (2014). Plagiarism awareness among students:

    Assessing integration of ethics theory into library instruction. College

    and Research Libraries, 75(5), 736-752. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/

    Crl.75.5.736

Summary:  This article evaluates the views students have of plagiarism and the role of the library in increasing knowledge of plagiarism.  

This article goes in depth about the effectiveness of instruction regarding plagiarism.  The premise is if students are intentionally provided with direction instruction regarding plagiarism and the ethics regarding plagiarism, then there will be a higher perception regarding plagiarism ethics.

Seeking and Finding Authentic Inquiry Models

Jacobsen. T.E., & O’Keefe, E. (2014). Seeking and finding authentic inquiry models for our evolving information landscape. Knowledge Quest (43)2, 26-33.

Summary: Jacobsen and O’Keefe suggest two shifts in education of information literacy: metaliteracy and threshold concepts. Metaliteracy is the concept that the Web 2.0 environment is better navigated by learners who are willing and able to reflect upon the interactions they have with and within this environment. Metaliterate individuals adapt to changing technologies and create relationships among related literacies. Threshold concepts are those foundational concepts necessary for understanding a particular discipline. The authors discuss ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015) as threshold concepts for Information Literacy.

Evaluation: The authors stress using the Framework as a guide to teach information literacy skills. They suggest, along with a focus on metaliteracy that the Framework will push students be engaged and promote authentic inquiry instruction. 

Political Ethics: Keeping Your Library Neutral

Aubree Burkholder

CO

Hart, A. (2016, October). Political Ethics: Keeping Your Library Neutral. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2016/10/political-ethics-keeping-your-library-neutral/

Summary:

Librarians like everyone else have opinions about politics and it can be very tempting to express those opinions in the workplace, but this is never a good idea.  Even if a librarian does not outright verbally express their opinions about politics, these opinions may still come through in various ways such as bias book displays. This article explains the librarians’ responsibilities to public and ethical codes that need to be followed in order to best serve the community.

Evaluation:

I very much enjoyed this article because I feel that the political frenzy that is gripping this country at the moment makes it exceptionally difficult for librarians to refrain from expressing their opinions to the public. I feel that this article gives necessary tools to librarians to help them overcome this. 

Digital Projectors for Interactive Teaching

I finally found an article interesting enough to post here on the classroom blog.

Kids around a table using an interactive projector.

Nelson, K. (2016). 10 game-changing ways to use an interactive classroom projector. WeAreTeachers.com. Retrieved from http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2016/02/01/10-game-changing-ways-to-use-an-interactive-classroom-projector

This article describes modern technologies, like digital projectors, used for interactive teaching, turning any surface into a whiteboard which then detects fingers or a special pen so it moves like the touchscreen on a tablet or smartphone. Think of the possibilities in that. Maps, history, geography, all able to be interacted with and change how classrooms work.

Miller, Olivia

CO

Husid, W. (2013). Collaboration: Make it happen in your school. Library media connection 31(4), 42-44.

Summary

This article gives good tips and techniques for approaching classroom teachers about creating co-teaching learning units, including starting out with smaller units, icebreaker lessons, and relationship building techniques. A good article for getting started with collaborative teaching if you don't have any teachers on board yet. The very first step Husid gives is to become a curriculum and Common Core expert so you can find spaces in existing curriculums where teachers might be open to supplementary resources. Also includes a very useful section on branding yourself as a professional educator and instructional technician; communicating to classroom teachers the skills and technologies you can bring to them and their students can help fuel excitement. Concludes by giving advice on "pacing yourself" and giving enough time to develop relationships slowly, integrate yourself further into multiple teachers' practices, and not take on too much too soon. This allows building of multiple collaboration units over time than can be tweaked and re-used in ensuing years, essentially your own library of instructional co-teaching units!

Review

I found this article very helpful for how to begin collaborative relationships. During our workshops many fellow students noted that it can be hard to get administrators and classroom teachers on board with collaborative teaching; this article gives a roadmap to slowly integrating and ramping up collaborative efforts. I found it useful from a beginners collaborative relationship standpoint, especially the advice about building an instructional unit library over time, starting small with LibGuides and Web 2.0 tools before launching giant collaborative projects right away, and making sure not to overwhelm yourself. I also liked the portions on being aware of how you brand and present yourself as a school librarian, making sure to communicate to teachers and administrators that you are an instructional professional with specialized skills.