InfoLit - Progress Update

All InfoLit QLC members - over the next week please do some reflection on how you are going and record it as comments on this post, or as a new post itself (remember to label it 'infolit'). Below are my initial reflections on the things I said I would do:

Progress I've made for my QLC actions:

The Our Way QLC is encorporating the inFOSmart resource into the MAD on Learning model. They agree that there is a lack of information skills teaching in MAD on learning. I think we need to provide them with guidance on the sorts of skills teachers need to build into their programmes, and then how they could/should build this in. This guidance should come from the work done by Duncan/Paul P in developing the inFOSmart resource.

I think we need to provide suggestions for how teachers could use the library and suggest items to put into team long term plans. Perhaps developing a suggested long term plan for teams would help this?

Desna/Chris - do you think this would help your QLC actions for improving how the library is used when classes visit?

I've been working with the Tech Wizards (as part of my TW work anyway) which is exciting. This ties in with Chris/Desna's work for book week. I'm encouraging all classes to contribute book reviews to go on the library blog.

Infolit Term 2 Survey Results

Here is a presentation that Paul Page created to share the results of the staff survey we conducted during term two, 2008.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

InfoLit Meeting Term 2 Week 5 - Research Findings

Present: Chris, Desna, Paul P, Duncan, Paul S, Rob

Agenda:

1. Big Picture of Information Literacy @ FOS (Rob/Paul S) - this is really our first meeting as a team, so I'd like to start off with the big picture first. We will look at: How QLCs work/the purpose of them, what infolit is, why we need to focus on it at FOS, linkages to Our Way, next steps for our QLC.
   
2. Research Results - sharing what each person has been doing in their research - each member to share back: Chris/Desna Library usage for staff & children, Paul P/Rob Staff Survey Results (there was also this evaluation late last year).
   
3. Making sense of the research - what does it mean? What next steps does it indicate for our QLC.
4. Next Steps - What are they? Who is responsible for what?
   

Links of use:

• First meeting minutes - First Meeting Wonderings -
  
• Research Results - What students want from the library, staff evaluation 2007, staff survey from Paul Page,
  
• Observational results are not published here.

Minutes:
We discussed why we have QLCs, the purpose and linkages to the annual plan/strategic targets, how infolit is a subset of 'Our Way'.

Observation of Library Use (Desna/Chris):

• We talked about how timetabling is run and the effect this can have on class usage.
  
• We are unsure if everyone knows how to use AccessIt properly.
• Information skills are not being taught and so we wonder if putting in tools that you would find in a regular classroom make a difference to what happens in the library?
• Questions/Reccommendations: get some informal learning sessions for using AccessIt (ie. techie brekkies), ideas for what to do when you come to the library, protocol for sending children to the library. People Responsible for developing library usage: Chris, Desna, Rob & Paul S (property side)
  

Staff Survey Results (Paul P):

• Paul shared a summary of his research, which can be viewed here. These findings reflect what Desna/Chris have observed in many ways. Some items of note include:

• This is linked in this presentation above.
• inFOSmart - seen as useful but not widely used, hard to use for juniors, teachers have used the areas which we've run PD on, teachers haven't referred to it regularly as it is hard to find.
  
• Questions/Reccommendations: Do we develop the use of inFOSmart, or look at changing it? How do we re-present inFOSmart so it is more accessible and usable? Ideas: targetting how and when people use it (team level planning). People Responsible for marketing inFOSmart: Duncan, Paul P

Actions:

1. Each person has selected an area to focus on as above.
   
2. Please put a comment onto this blog post saying what you will use your next QLC time (week 3, 6 & 9) for so each member knows what we are all doing.
3. Please post results of your work to this blog with the label of 'infolit' and 'crt use'.
   

Info Lit - NEMP Research

Here are two images showing the results of some research conducted by NEMP (National Educational Monitoring Project) relating to information literacy. I think the results are very interesting. 

The first image shows where students of Y4 and Y8 go to find information, the second shows which information sources students go to when they can't find information. 

Feel free to comment on these results.

Information Literacy - Possible Research Actions

1. Observing library/asking punters what they do, what they want (when teachers come in, get staff to answer some simple questions - 2mins). Chris, Glenys, Desna
   
2. Structured interview of samples of children. Rob, Desna, Here are the results from Desna's survey...
   
3. Finding out how staff teach information literacy or evaluating inFOSmart. Paul P, Jo

QLC members please decide which option you are interested in researching and let Rob know: Desna, Rob, Paul S

Information Literacy - Wonderings

• inFOSmart Resource - is this a useful resource? How well is it being used? How do you market this to teachers? Would children benefit from being directly taught some aspects of this framework and what would those elements be?

• Library - how do children use the library now? How could we challenge that and restructure it so that this time is used to encorporate inFOSmart/information literacy skills? Now that we have the new computers in the library, how does this change how we use it (eg. class in the library, others come in to use computers, etc.). We have a chunk of money to use on library development, how will we use this to best impact on learning? What people do with the library and what they'd like to do.

• What are the skills of our teachers in information literacy? How do we continue to develop the skills of teachers in information literacy teaching throughout the year? How can we continue to market the inFOSmart resource so it is used and making a difference to learning?

Information Literacy - First Meeting Agenda + Minutes

Dear all,

Prior to our first meeting, please spend some time on the following:

1. Check out the inFOSmart framework (this lives inside Teaching Resources located on the desktop of your FirstClass account). Please reflect on this using these two questions: 1.) How useful is this resource to teachers and children? 2.) What are the next steps in the development of this resource?
2. Check out the Library Blog. Spend some time looking through this blog with a view to us thinking about the next steps for the library.
3. If you get a chance, record your own personal wonderings/questions as a blog post in this blog.

Here is the agenda for our first meeting of 2008, we start at 3.20 in the Admin rooms. I plan on us finishing no later than 4.30.

1. Looking at what has happened in the past - existing QLC members share what has been done: Chris, Desna, Rob. 
2. Setting priorities for 2008 - wonderings > questions...
3. Establishing group targets for 2008 - using the google doc which is located here.
4. Establish links between our group targets and individual professional learning journey (PLJs) - deciding on your own area of interest and extending this for both your learning and the learning of FOS.

Minutes:

By the end of this weekend, all QLC members need to:

1. Decide which of the possible research ideas you want to find out more about and let Rob know. Check the wonderings link for the three main areas we discussed.
2. Formulate, as a post to this blog, questions plus how you will easily gain the information, for your research.
3. Set times to gather information during week 11.

Information Literacy QLC wonderings

# Develop skills of teachers in information literacy teaching throughout the year (what would those skills be?).
# Implement the inFOSmart resource so it is used and making a difference to learning.
# Continue to develop plans for the new library.
# Deliver a staff meeting and a parent information evening on selected topics.