I’m in the process of complete immersion and drowning in information, data points, ideas, readings literature, to do my latest assignments. I’ve been trying mind mapping – does that make any sense? It does to me it’s life the universe and everything of TLship.  The issue is to translate that into 2500 words, no more no less appropriately referenced.

 

I also have other stuff. Lots and lots of other stuff.  Way too much stuff. Like the matrix I made of all the issues around being a TL. Beautifully referenced even.

Issue	Implication	Response
Demographic shift to students with more linguistic and cultural diversity (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013; “Canadian Demographics at a Glance: Some facts about the demographic and ethnocultural composition of the population,” n.d.; Center for Public Education, 2012; Ho, 2011)	Issues around equity and access to learning and resources (Mestre, 2009)Teaching strategies to address strengths and needs of students (Australian School Library Association, 2014)	Resources, staffing and collections necessary to reflect diversity of students and scaffold to language of instruction (Center for Public Education, 2012)
CCSS and other centrally determined standards and assessment (Dow, 2013; Lewis & Loertscher, 2014)  Emphasis on testing / learning outcomes (Weaver, 2010)	Need strategies and deep understanding of standardsProvide teacher support & student instruction   TL should show how their existence enhances testing / learning outcomes	10 initiatives to put library at center of learning (Lewis & Loertscher, 2014)Content and inquiry skills support opportunities by TL (Todd, 2012) Examine ways to integrate resources / tools in teacher in learning Extend textbook Teach IL – retrieval / search terms Tap into discussion at national and professional level Librarian as co-teacher with curriculum overview Show importance of reading to academic success Focus on learner needs
Budgetary constraints coupled with under-estimating value of TL (Weaver, 2010)      Return on Investment (ROI) for TL needs to be evident (Gillespie & Hughes, 2014)	Staffing shifted to teachers, aides, or librarians rather than teacher librarians  Accountability and evidence based practice	Reconsider time and priority managementMaximize opportunity for adding value Outsource / terminate or streamline activities not focused on learner needs Provide qualitative and quantitative evidence of impact
Only librarian at a school (Valenza, 2011)	Cannot fulfil all aspects of role / spread thin across school	Mastery of publishing platforms to enhance website and web-based path-finders

And how about the current and future trends?  All there.

Trend	Implication	TL response
Shift to inquiry based learning / project based learning / resource based learning (Boss & Krauss, 2007)	Curriculum resourcing needs to be more sophisticatedLearning not limited by time or space	Guide process with teachersCreate guides / pathways Integrate technology Networks for meaningful collaboration
Technology integration in classrooms; BYOD; 1:1 programs (Everhart, Mardis, & Johnston, 2010; Johnston, 2012; Lagarde & Johnson, 2014)    Part of collection is digital (particularly non-fiction) Physical space (Lagarde & Johnson, 2014)	LT’s need to have knowledge, skills and strategies to assume leadershipIssues with DRM (digital rights management), academic honesty, intellectual property, Ethical and plagiarism issues due to ease of copying Information literacy becomes more important Use of space in library changes – fewer stacks more collaborative spaces; change in balance from “consumption” to “creation”	Lead / teach teachers and students, be positive role model / expertUnderstand DRM and IP Ensure digital collection is visible Teach searching internet  & databases Teaching and coaching academic honesty Rethink collection and space Shift to flexible teaching, meeting, collaborating and presentation space (Hay & Todd, 2010) Rethink promotion and display Think also about psychological space – not just physical (Todd, 2012)
5 Trends (International society for technology in Education) Big data Augmented reality Semantic Web BYOD Transmedia story telling (Marcoux, 2014)	Easy to be overwhelmed hard to discern what is effective / fits learning needs / goals	Know what is trending and what the implication is for teaching / learning / information literacyBe discerning, what is valuable / effective for learning Network / make connections Deconstruct technology
Access to all and any information (Marcoux, 2014)	Possibility of students using irrelevant / incorrect or unsafe information	Information literacy instruction, separate, embedded in curriculum, learning themes, at every opportunity
Inter-textuality, transmediation and semiotics (Schmit, 2013)  Post literate society (Todd, 2012)   Gutenberg parenthesis (Pettitt, Donaldson, & Paradis, 2010)   Shift from Information literacy to meta-literacy (O’Connell, 2012b)	Shift from text to other sign symbols (audio, spatial, visual, gestural, linguistic)  Change in type and media of collections     Adapt (information) literacy teaching	Literacy and text definition expanded to “architecture, art, dance, drama, mathematics, kinaesthetic, play, technology, and so forth,” (Schmit, 2013, p. 44), transmediation in curriculum and lesson planning, use of technology, digital storytelling.
Distance Learning / MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)/ Professional learning communities (PLC) / Professional Learning Networks (PLN) and Communities of practice (COP) (Lagarde & Johnson, 2014)	Learning no longer bounded by time, space and location

And all useless. Totally totally useless.  I just can’t find a structure. I can’t find a thread, meaning, a theme, something to tie it all together. Something wonderful and powerful and amazing.  It is too much. It’s probably enough for a dozen blog posts and 4 articles.

I know. Simplify. Stick to one or two things. Let the rest go.  But I don’t have any clarity yet…

 

References:

 

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Australian Social Trends, April 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features30April+2013

Australian School Library Association. (2014, January). Evidence Guide for Teacher Librarians in the Highly Accomplished Career Stage. Australian School Library Association.

Boss, S., & Krauss, J. (2007). Mapping the Journey – Seeing the Big Picture. In Reinventing Project Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age (pp. 11–24). Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/images/excerpts/REINVT-excerpt.pdf

Canadian Demographics at a Glance: Some facts about the demographic and ethnocultural composition of the population. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-003-x/2007001/4129904-eng.htm

Center for Public Education. (2012, May). The United States of education: The changing demographics of the United States and their schools. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/You-May-Also-Be-Interested-In-landing-page-level/Organizing-a-School-YMABI/The-United-States-of-education-The-changing-demographics-of-the-United-States-and-their-schools.html

Dow, M. J. (2013). Meeting Needs: Effective Use of First Principles of Instruction. School Library Monthly, 29(8), 8–10. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=iih&AN=87773552&site=ehost-live

Everhart, N., Mardis, M. A., & Johnston, M. P. (2010). Diversity Challenge Resilience: School Libraries in Action. In Proceedings of the 12th Biennial School Library Association of Queensland. Brisbane, Australia: IASL.

Gillespie, A., & Hughes, H. (2014). Snapshots of teacher librarians as evidence-based practitioners [online]. Access, 28(3), 26–40. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=589128468876375;res=IELAPA

Hay, L., & Todd, R. (2010). School libraries 21C : the conversation begins. Scan, 29(1), 30–42. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/fullText;dn=183676;res=AEIPT

Ho, C. (2011). “My School” and others: Segregation and white flight. Australian Review of Public Affairs, 10(1). Retrieved from http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2011/05/ho.html

Johnston, M. P. (2012). School Librarians as Technology Integration Leaders: Enablers and Barriers to Leadership Enactment. School Library Research, 15, 1–33. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=82442509&site=ehost-live

Lagarde, J., & Johnson, D. (2014). Why Do I Still Need a Library When I Have One in My Pocket? The Teacher Librarian’s Role in 1:1/BYOD Learning Environments. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 40–44. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1548230103?accountid=10344

Lewis, K. R., & Loertscher, D. V. (2014). The Possible Is Now: The CCSS Moves Librarians to the Center of Teaching and Learning. Teacher Librarian, 41(3), 48–52,67. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1504428059?accountid=10344

Marcoux, E. “Betty.” (2014). When Winning Doesn’t Mean Getting Everything. Teacher Librarian, 41(4), 61–63. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1523915729?accountid=10344

Mestre, L. (2009). Culturally responsive instruction for teacher-librarians. Teacher Librarian, 36(3), 8–12. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA195325714&v=2.1&u=csu_au&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&asid=fc46665000eaf30a53c320a0b77bc226

O’Connell, J. (2012). Learning without frontiers: School libraries and meta-literacy in action. Access, 26(1), 4–7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/934355007?accountid=10344

Pettitt, T., Donaldson, P., & Paradis, J. (2010, April 1). The Gutenberg Parenthesis: oral tradition and digital technologies. Retrieved August 29, 2014, from http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/forums/gutenberg_parenthesis.html

Schmit, K. M. (2013). Making the Connection: Transmediation and Children’s Literature in Library Settings. New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 19(1), 33–46. doi:10.1080/13614541.2013.752667

Todd, R. J. (2012). Visibility, Core Standards, and the Power of the Story: Creating a Visible Future for School Libraries. Teacher Librarian, 39(6), 8–14. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?sid=db2eaed5-c51c-48a2-adf5-8caa9a624d24%40sessionmgr113&vid=0&hid=115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d

Valenza, J. (2011). Fully Loaded: Outfitting a Teacher Librarian for the 21st Century. Here’s What It Takes. School Library Journal, 57(1), 36–38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/881456147?accountid=10344

Weaver, A. (2010). Teacher librarians: polymaths or dinosaurs? Access, 24(1), 18–19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219618343?accountid=10344