The Intellectual Property Bus

“Many states once had segregation laws that required African Americans to sit at the back of the bus. More than 50 years ago, a brave woman named Rosa Parks defied the law and changed the course of history. Are our current copyright laws requiring students and teachers to sit at the back of the intellectual property bus? … As librarians and educators in the information age, there are times we need to have the courage to stand up for freedom” (Johnson, 2008).

The laws of copyright and fair use can be complex and confusing.   Things may become more complicated as educators since there are separate guidelines to use that are meant to give more freedom, but in some cases might lead to more confusion.  So, what happens when in doubt? Often, teachers decide to stick to safer routes as to avoid breaking copyright law.  As Doug Johnson encourages in the article, we need to step out of the comfort zone and be willing to be willing to take chances with our projects (without intentionally breaking copyright laws).  Being better educated is one step toward moving beyond the ‘safe methods’.  However, if it seems as though there is nothing written in the law, let’s not assume that it cannot be legally done, but instead move forward.

Education is always an important factor.  Copyright and fair use guidelines are two topics that people could benefit from better understanding.  This would help educators and students move beyond traditional, safe projects.  However, students often do not take into consideration these laws.  With the invention of the internet, there seems to be a new mindset that everything found online is free for everyone.  Teaching students to think about copyright and consider whether their actions are following copyright laws can help move people forward.  The more familiar a topic is, the less daunting and confusing it will be.  Hopefully, through our work as librarians, we can help people begin to think about copyright, learn to work with it instead of avoiding it, and give people the courage to move to the front of the intellectual property bus!

Johnson, Doug. “Whose afraid of the big bad ©” School Library Journal October 2008 44-48.

21st Century Learning

An underlying theme in my recent readings has been the changes we need to make in education, and the new skills that students need to have.  One example is the National Council of Teachers of English, and their new 21st century literacy that "readers and writers need to manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information."  Other skills mentioned have included collaboration, cooperative work, reading by scanning, being globally aware, be creators and consumers of hypertext, and be able to consume and edit information.  These have moved far beyond focusing on the basics of reading, writing, and arithmatic.

The readings also point out how technology is the cause behind the shift, but also the solution in teaching these skills.  Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds, when implemented correctly, can provide students with lessons and hands on experience practicing these new 21st century skills that will be invaluable for them as they continue on in life.  The school librarian plays a key role in this process.  It is up to us to help teach these skills through lessons in the library, collaboration, or providing professional development so that teachers feel comfortable implementing these tools in their classrooms.  It is necessary to stay up-to-date with these skills, and practice them ourselves.  It is hard to teach students 21st century skills if we do not have them ourselves.

Over the summer I began to build up my own knowledge of web tools by setting up an RSS feed through Google Reader.  It was fairly simple to do, and I love the amount of information I able to view regularly without taking a lot of time to go to each site.  I am slowly learning more about RSS feeds and how to fully utilize them.  My experience with this tool has allowed me to feel more confident about encouraging others to use and helping them get started.  I feel that students could really benefit from this tool, and I cannot wait to share this tool, and many others, with them one day. 

Wikis: Good or Bad?

Collaboration plays an important role in today’s workplace.  Students then need to be prepared for this.  Often, teachers use group work to encourage this skill.  However, with the help of the internet, our world is becoming more global.  As Richardson mentions in his book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, wikis are a great way to practice collaboration online, with others who do not necessarily have to be in the same location or even the same school!  One of his examples includes having teachers and school districts start a wiki to share teaching ideas—one more example of how workplace collaboration is taking place online.

One popular argument against wikis, and in particular Wikipedia, is that since anyone can edit them, their accuracy in questionable.  I myself have used this argument.  However, Richardson makes a valid argument for the use of wikis, and despite my previous thoughts, I believe wikis have a place in the school.  Examples of class wikis that I have viewed seem to work well in encouraging student learning.  Plus, I think that through the class participation on a wiki, students will walk away with a better understanding of how Wikipedia works and why evaluation of its information is important.  We need to expand views on wikis and consider that their benefits might just outnumber any existing arguments against them.

Let's Do Something!

Technology is rapidly changing, as is its importance in the role that it plays in our society.  With the recent changes, it is not too surprising to hear that not everyone is prepared to deal with what this means for personal safety, yet I doubt anyone would disagree that internet safety is an important topic.  In the end, finger pointing does no good, it does not matter if parents or teachers or technology coordinators were supposed to be teaching on this subject.  What matters is that change occurs and people are educated on this topic.  Technology is not going away, so students need to be equipped to protect themselves whether it be from identity theft, cyberbullying, sexting, or the viewing of inappropriate websites.  Schools need to step up, including teachers and SLMS, to ensure that students are being educated on this very important topic.

In addition, I feel that students are not the only ones that need to be taught internet safety.  With 26 percent of teachers not prepared to teach the subject (Pruitt-Mentle, Davina, and Pusay, 2010), it is an indicator that many adults are not well educated in the area of internet safety.  Perhaps parents and teachers would have more of a role in this area, if they were knowledgeable.  There is an opportunity right now for libraries (school, public, and academic) to fill this gap in knowledge.  Let’s start classes, have workshops, and do anything we can to provide a valuable service to our patrons to make sure they understand cybersafety, cyberethics, and cybersecurity.

Something for Everyone

Personally, the school library website is not something that is immediately thought of when considering the school library media center and the role of the school librarian.  However, after thinking about it, the website is very important in engaging students and showing what the library has to offer.  There is no question that we want students to come to the library and take advantage of all that is offered.  Nevertheless, not all students are going to willing come to the library nor are all parents going to have that opportunity.  The website can play a role in enticing students to come to the library, as well as keeping parents and community members informed of the importance of the library.

Keeping in mind the importance of the library’s website, it can be a bit intimidating to think about having to create and maintain this important tool.  While I have a background in graphic design, coding and building websites is not one of my strong suits.  Due to this, I was drawn to the article discussing the benefits of building a website in a blogging format.  Having set-up and worked with this blog, I know from experience that it is easy to build, format, use, and keep updated.  The format is user-friendly, and the information is kept updated easily, and is dated for users to gage how relevant the information is.  More importantly, with all of the new technology out there, I like that there is tool for everyone so that librarians can fully serve their patrons, no matter their strengths (or weaknesses!).