I do see the distinction between the two in terms of access (one needs an app whilst one is an app) and agree with the present state re. the difference in regard to interactivity (The Book App. Alliance). As a TL I want my students to have rich experience with both print and digital literature. In looking at eBooks and book apps as defined I think access is an issue in regard to apps. Our collection includes eBooks which students read on their individual iPads but how can an app be part if the collection? I can share from my iPad in the library but how can students access it independently?
Thinking about narrative… January 2, 2014
In thinking about post-modernism and what seems a disjointing of the sequence of narrative, I quite like what Tabbi (2003, cited in Thomas 2011, Module 4:5) has to say, and see it as having broader applicability to literature than just fan fiction. He talks about “processual text” and views narrative as a journey rather than a goal as is seen perhaps in considering linear narrative. He sees a release from “future-orientation” as liberating. Lunenfeld (2000) also cited in Thomas discusses “an aesthetic of unfinish” again with focus on the process as a way of considering narrative. Douglas (2001) too suggest the notion of the “inexhaustible story” (cited in Thomas) as a challenge to a perception of narrative as “stable and finite”. Grappling with broadening my perceptions of what narrative is exactly it seems…how it can operate…
Digitally recontextualised literary texts December 29, 2013
Wow! I’ve taken a quick look at these before but didn’t realise the wealth of what I was seeing. I can see so much potential in use of The Rosetta Project collection in looking at units that include an historical/cultural perspective. Looking at Transdisciplinary Themes, much potential for both Who We Are and Where We Are in Place and Time. Hmmm How We Express Ourselves also.
I feel somewhat remiss in my duties as TL in an international school not having already promoted the International Children”s Digital Library. A wonderfully easy to use site that gives quick access (as does The Rosetta Project) to a multitude of titles in lots of different languages. I’ve shared with our EAL co-ordinator so I must follow through and see how useful her team and students have found the site. Lots of ways to search and information provided. Its just digitalised copies of texts so not offering anything “fresh” in presentation however, but offering breadth to coverage of cultures minimally represented in the print collection.
Project Gutenburg is rich and overwhelming. Took a while to navigate…Fabulous primary source materials…
Turning the Pages from the British library was just a wonder to explore! So easy to navigate with an interactive “feeling” of turning the pages. The original Alice just magical to view and it was with awe (and a bit of fun!) I found myself unscrolling the oldest printed book. Da Vinci’s notebook too a delight…Audio and text too…
The digital environment December 27, 2013
Technology provides some absolutely mind-blowing possibilities for learning when you consider it’s capabilities and the the way these capabilities just keep on expanding. You imagine and then very soon it’s possible. I do still however, have reservations about technology over-use with the very youngest – so much is learned through applying the senses our natural body already provides and through the nuances of interactions with our fellow human beings. Our responsibilities as parents and educators clearly lie in monitoring use of of technology by children. We still want to produce balanced little human beings.
In responding to the article by Friedlander (2013), I find the trend of curation in the App Store being significant to sales quite alarming. The tricks for achieving ranking too are worrisome but as a TL, I wouldn’t purchase any resource without close evaluation…
Interesting too the point made about the limitations of traditional linear storytelling. Even in reading literature where the story may seem disjointed, don’t we as human beings weave in our own narrative elements in making meaning? How do we escape linear when it is the nature of our lives? We contextualize to our own story. I get what Friedlander is getting at though in terms of the potential for interaction and exploration. Technology is to give a different freshness to “story”.
Censorship December 26, 2013
I truly believe in the role of the library in enabling intellectual freedom. I do however accept, as Vandergrift (1997) explains, my judgements in selection of literature, and also the way I chose to organise such literature are, undoubtedly reflective of the bias of my own values. Yes I see a little “protection” in the way we classify our fiction (Easy, Junior fiction, Young adult, etc) in my library at times although, such divisions are predominantly for “guidance” and access.
Am I cautious in selection, as Vandergrift warns against? I think possibly I try to be courageous, aimed with my Vision Statement and Collection Management Policy, but having experienced the trauma of a questioned book (which remains in the collection I’m happy to say), certainly I want to avoid it again. Interestingly our fiction classification system upheld keeping the book as it was in part of the collection not intended for the age of the reader who accessed it. We try not to limit access by age and look more closely at the nature of the individual however, it gets really foggy here but not too often thankfully…Knowledge of literature is so important here.
Thinking too the company I deal with in purchasing a lot of fiction has already exercised many levels of censorship: possibly political or societal – effected by popularity/the market. Possibly reticence to publish the controversial?
EBooks December 24, 2013
ebooks are still in the “what could be” (Parkes, 2010) stage I believe. I see the applause and derision as Parkes mentions reflected by library patrons and have experienced the licensing dilemmas as exemplified by Harris (2013). Having a one-to-one iPad programme in upper elementary has brought it to the fore for me in wanting to maximize the use of technology in providing access to literature. Looked at Kindle before when it seemed it was ok to purchase one book and read it on up to 6 devices…saw great Book Club opportunities for the library. Following this along lead to the confusion Harris describes so into the wait and see basket this approach went. Then we got our iPads. We went the safe route and began purchasing titles through our library management company (Follett) and have amassed quite a collection which are read using the Follett reader. It’s all integrated into our catalogue and accompanying apps so access is great but the selection is still limited. Some literary gems but not the latest titles…the print collection still wins hands down here for fiction. There is the rental approach where you can pay by use with some publishing companies that have quite excellent collections…working for a colleague in a small school situation…hmmm…
What do we mean by eBook?
- I think still they are mainly flat digital replications but am excited by a different vision of “book”
- Agree with Parkes re. the difficulties in researching, cross-referencing using eBooks and the confusion over different platforms and interfaces
Would we build libraries today?
I hope so in providing an environment that deeply encourages reading and inquiry through the atmosphere and services it maintains and in recognition of the cultural and aesthetic object that it is. This vision of library would reflect the needs and employ the technology of the times but would still in essence exist to celebrate and enhance both literature and literacy. I like Parkes words: dynamic, inspirational, social, collaborative, technically-rich, and cultural. That’s what a library can be – indispensable in meeting a diversity of needs and desires. I think too we should keep in mind an evolving notion of “Library” and stop messing around with new titles like “Information Centres”. Libraries are changing but the basic premise of access to knowledge remains the same. By calling them other names we inadvertently represent the concept of “Library” as somewhat outdated and static…
Forum post
The simplest and most effective way I have found to shift literature across the collection is to simply face the covers enticingly outward…ridiculously wonderful!!! Thanks Kevin Hennah.
Our students too love love love Destiny Quest and it’s book sharing and reviewing capabilities. They sometimes occupy every computer in the library at breaks exchanging ideas here…It’s like junior literature-based Facebook in its allure a colleague remarked.
Response to Travers & Travers December 23, 2013
I have never really considered matching theory such as Gardner’s multiple intelligences to the task of selecting literature to read aloud or in advising readers on what to read. I have however, considered deeply elements of curriculum, particularly the reflection of “big idea” concepts through literature. In advising individuals, their interests and developmental characteristics have certainly been considered but without any explicit theoretical framework, just that of passion for literature and children as the individuals they are! I have worked at too showing students how nonfiction texts are structured and read differently. Discussion given to Rosenblatt’s transactional theory brings clarity big time in this regard. I feel I have a vocabulary to apply!
Returning to the idea of “goodness of fit” (literature matching the child matching the developmental level), I need to keep in mind development is about change in all aspects of a child’s life – physical, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial interactions). Again I think the committed TL actively works at this knowledge but certainly the specificity of application to different theorists (extending beyond developmental psychology eg. Gardner) operates to highlight and both broaden and hone. Is it not what education is all about in its essence ? Vgotsky’s zone of proximal development surely relies on an intimate knowledge of individuals and the clues to their challenges and interests such theorists offer – building from the known to the unknown.
Online resources
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/raps/index.htm
Never heard of book raps before…fabulously collaborative…
Remember too Wikispaces as a resource…authors who Skype, tweet, fansites, etc
Cool tools
Any type of program that mentions “phonics” as a stand-alone skills scares me. “Whole language” as an approach still works for me and always meant just exactly what it says. Learning to read starts with meaning making. Just a couple though…off the soapbox.
Cost could be factor if wanting to use some of these…Free ones include high quality resources like ReadwriteThink, but also some that are a mixed bag needing sorting and delving and with questionable pedagogy…Seems quite a strength in audio recordings which I will investigate further…I wouldn’t see the vocab based stuff as part of the library collection but the book based sites I would definitely consider incorporating into the catalogue and “collection” if evaluated as of quality and value. I think some sites are intended as supportive of the learning of explicit mechanical reading skills rather than being resources encouraging rich response. Valuable in the classroom in tailoring to assessed learning needs but not the domain of the library??? Hmm but teachers are patrons too…going in a staff diigo strategy direction…more to think deeply about here…
I think Unsworth’s (2012, p. 12) categories work well in the library context in demonstrating the diverse nature of different forms/perspectives of online resources surrounding “literature” as opposed to a broader conceptualisation of reading. There is unquestionably overlap but I think the library focus deals primarily with literature over any mechanical skills acquisition. Tweeked categories include the literature (stories) themselves (eBooks, audio).
Sharing stories
Composition /story genesis
Invitation/ enticement to read
Appreciation /Celebration sites
Interpretation /response
Adjunct composition/ creation
Literary non-fiction December 2, 2013
One example of quality literary non-fiction is Portrait of Spain for Kids produced by the Queensland Art Gallery. It was shortlisted for the CBCA Awards this year in the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books category. In review of Gill’s (2009) discussion of quality literary non-fiction, this book certainly has strong visual emphasis. The layout includes beautifully reproduced full-page and double-page artworks, speech bubbles which work in eliciting interaction with our gallery guide Pepe, a generally predictable format with each painting including sections “About the artist” and “About the painting”, as well as the inclusion of recipes, quizzes, and other interesting additional information that would by appreciated by the intended child audience. (Such as urine being used to create yellow pigment – gross, but you know they’ll like that!) The text is actually quite diverse as multiple text types are employed but attractive and skillful design brings unity to the work. Returning to Gill’s criteria, the written information provided is varied and truly engaging, and the tone is personably, often referring to the reader directly as “you”, employing the directness of speech bubbles, and providing clear explanations of new terms, as well as being just wonderfully creative in marrying art to pursuits such as making Spanish hot chocolate! The cover is shiny and gold with a silken bookmark…gorgeous! Perhaps the anthropomorphism can be forgiven.
I would use this with my middle/upper elementary students. Just wonderful for transdisciplinary units: How We Express Ourselves and Where We are in Place and Time perhaps focussing on culture through time as expressed through the Arts. Our specialist Art teachers and Spanish language teachers would value this resource too. Direct instruction (such as through Guided Reading) in the navigation of such texts, however, warrants significant teaching focus.
Multicultural literature December 1, 2013
Justify preference for one of three views expressed. Justify in the context of own library clientele.
Cai (2002) offers three contrasting descriptions of multicultural literature:
1. Multicultural literature includes literature from diverse cultures, with no distinction between the dominant and other cultures.
2. Multicultural literature is comprised only of literature from marginalised cultures – power structure/struggle is elemental to the concept “multicultural”.
3. Multicultural literature is focussed only on the literature of “people of colour”, whose voices are largely absent in literature.
In examining the definitions proposed by Cai, on reflection I think I have mainly operated with the first definition in mind in considering our clientele as pretty much “international” in the breadth of nationalities represented, (although there are dominant groups), and hoping to reflect this in the collection in my role as teacher-librarian. My working definition has been somewhat narrower however, in that I have equated multicultural with diversity of ethnicity. Although highly cognisant personally and professional of other dimensions of “culture” such as sexual orientation, age, disability, etc. they didn’t figure into my definition of multiculturalism. Perhaps the other definitions are significant for pedagogical purposes more than as definitions – The “what” you use the literature for. The literature of the marginised and “people of colour” are certainly vital for focus in providing experiences for our students in “feeling” the lives of others and finding the deeper connections.
Books@Baccon 