Week 3 Reading Reflection

My mentor teacher has just signed-up for Twitter and is now following Joyce Valenza.  Everyday she tells me something extremely informative and pertinent to our day-to-day duties and activities in the school media center that Ms. Valenza has just tweeted.  So- I've decided to go ALL "Valenza" on this week's readings so that I have something to contribute to the conversation.  A high school teacher-librarian, Joyce Valenza was also the techlife@school columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer for ten years, providing tips for students, teachers, and librarians on using techno-gadgets, information literacy skills, and Web 2.0 tools. (Source: http://joyce-valenza.wikispaces.com/Who+Is+Joyce+Valenza%3F).

These articles, in my view, all tie together.  As a teacher-librarian I can help teachers create a flipped classroom, through the creation of a virtual library that uses social media to get the instruction to students.  In Valenza's article "The Flipping Librarian", she suggests that the teacher-librarian is perfectly poised to guide teachers in the quest to "flip" their classroom instruction.  As the article describes, a flipped classroom allows for active learning in the classroom- NOT just a lecture.  The lecture is assigned by teacher to be watched by students outside of class time, and what would be considered traditional "homework" is tackled during class time.  A flipped classroom allows for differentiation- faster learners may only need to review the "lecture" once, but slower learners can review the "lecture" again and again as needed.  Because students have more background knowledge of the lesson an increase in discussion promotes more collaborative and hands-on learning in the classroom where students can apply knowledge learned and not just be presented with it.  Proof of the success of the flipped classroom is collected through an ongoing survey by "Flipped Learning Network"- advantages include: improved job satisfaction for teachers, improved student test scores, and improved student attitudes.  I have discussed the flipped classroom model in my blog before, but I did not realize how valuable a resource a Media Specialist could be in presenting, assisting, and promoting the flipped model in schools.  The teacher-librarian can introduce the practice to teachers, help teachers learn how to create their own instructional content (screencasts anyone?), and act as a content curator to allow ease of access (now and in the future) to teacher created content and resultant student work.  I am hopeful that I can help with this endeavor.  I know that for some learners, hands-on help in the classroom with knowledge building would help students overcome major hurdles in their learning curves.


Despite its "age" Valenza's article, "6 Ways: K-12 LIBRARIANS CAN TEACH SOCIAL MEDIA" s spot on its description of the "new" teacher-librarian as the chief information officer of the school.  Valenza points out that major shifts in the landscape of communication and information make this "the best time in history to be a teacher-librarian".  I totally agree, there are so many exciting products, tools, and services to share everyday with teachers and students- and it is my job to make sure that everyone in my building (through my instruction and my virtual library) will be able to "effectively interact with information and leverage it to create and share and make a difference in the community and beyond".  It is a tall order to keep up with all that is new and shiny, but the most important thing to convey to my learners (as digital citizens) is that they should never stop learning and sharing with others what they have learned.

Everyone thinks that they already know the best way to search the Internet, but that can NEVER be the case, because the Internet changes everyday.  The job for the teacher-librarian is to be the "guide" for navigating the Internet- and when the teacher-librarian cannot be there than "The Virtual Library" as Valenza describes should be there in the teacher-librarian's stead.  An effective virtual library can direct new learners to new knowledge while helping expert learners discover their own pathways to new knowledge.  What are virtual libraries?  They are simply pathfinders (designed by the teacher-librarian for specific learner communities) that are accessible through the library's home page allowing for independent instruction, as well as assistive instruction.  I have worked with a few "Virtual Libraries" and have found some more effective than others.  There are problems with maintaining a virtual library.  The first issue is that it takes time to create and maintain an effective site- time that most teacher-librarians do not have.  Secondly, access to resources is constantly changing as free resources come and go- or become sponsored by inappropriate ads, and districts stop paying for valuable resources like online encyclopedias.  This situation is frustrating, but it should not deter the teacher-librarian from making every effort to maintain a virtual library that can provide its learners with quality resources.

Info- Lit Articles chosen:

Valenza, Joyce Kasman. "The Flipping Librarian." Teacher Librarian 40.2 (2012): 22-5. ProQuest Research Library; ProQuest Technology Collection. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

Valenza, Joyce Kasman. "The Virtual Library." Educational Leadership 63.4 (2006): 54-59. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

Valenza, Joyce. "6 Ways: K-12 LIBRARIANS CAN TEACH SOCIAL MEDIA." Tech & Learning 30.3 (2009): 30,30,32,34,36.ProQuest Research Library; ProQuest Technology Collection. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.