The wisdom of Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco, who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries:

"It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones."

"There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion. If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the 'medicine closet' and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That's why you should always have a nutrition choice!

"Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity."

One absolutely wonderful thing about being a school librarian is that reading and "going over your inventory" is the basically the same thing.

Windows and Mirrors

"We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become." — Ursula K. Le Guin

Reflections on Research Skills

The library should play a large role in teaching research skills. After all, libraries have since time-out-of-mind been the place where people go to conduct research and would be still had that little thing called the internet not been invented. Yet even with the internet, libraries are still the natural place to teach research for the obvious reason that the place is literally filled with books on countless topics coupled with both primary and secondary sources. There one can teach students how to browse non-digital sources as well as open doors of interest to other research topics they might not have considered. Honestly writing feels a little like describing why a laboratory is the best place to learn science; yes, one could learn it elsewhere, but nothing compares to learning something in the place designed with that purpose in mind.

What role does the library play in teaching research skills? Less than it used to, for a certainly. Not long ago most school libraries had rows of computers or an adjacent Computer Lab which teachers would bring their classes in for the sole point of co-teaching research alongside the librarian if not letting the Library Teacher themself run the show. I am hardly old, and this was the case for me all though high school. Now students carry chromebook laptops with their binders and online research is often taught in the classroom with the Library Teacher going there. Almost a complete reversal, and while it makes scene to a degree since chromebooks have made old-style Computer Labs obsolete, classroom teachers are seldom as trained in various research methods as Library Teachers.

A library is where adventures live.

Exploration of the ethical use of information

Why is an exploration of the ethical use of information relevant in a course on reference materials and research? A better question, I think, is why on earth would it not be. We live in the heart of the Digital Age, where information - and, sadly, disinformation - is easier to get than ever. A mere moment on Google calls up countless sources of all kinds on any given topic, and this does not even touch the rise of AI which has opened up and scrambled a host of new questions regarding ownership, copyright, and ethics. In such a world as this the exploration of the ethical use of information is not unlike studying the moral compass and rules - both written and otherwise - that govern the wild west. Rules/laws which all ages must learn.

So, what are the copyright issues in k-12 schools? Primarily, I think, a lack of focus both on them specifically and on creative work generally. As Karen Lagola says in her article How to Teach Copyright and Fair Use to Students, “students often best understand the importance of copyright and fair use if you contextualize it. Celebrate them as creators who produce original work every day; emphasize that they own their work and that it is deserving of respect and protection.” This sounds obvious, but so often students are taught simply to seek, learn, and memorize the Right Answer. Educators teach them to reflexively avoid plagiarism with phrases like "write/say it in your own words" coupled with, in middle school and above, "remember to cite your sources" alongside stern copyright lectures about the trouble you get in for plagiarism - but the latter two, again, are typically primarily experienced once one reaches middle school; K-4 teachers tend to neglect it. Yet many teachers, I think, also neglect celebrating students as creators. This hidden issue is critical because if we put a little less emphasis on the Right Answer gilded with "write/say it in your own words" and more on encouraging students to develop their own original, creative opinions and works, the better they will understand and appreciate the importance of copyright and the ethical use of information because, if nothing else, teachers can ask how they would feel if someone else used and claimed ownership over their original creative works.

Works Cited:

Lagola, Karen. “How to Teach Copyright and Fair Use to Students.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 9 April. 2021, https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-teach-copyright-and-fair-use-students. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

Top 10 Things Teachers Should Know About Technology

10 things teachers should know about technology? Only ten? One could, and countless have, written entire books on the role technology plays in education for both students and teachers. One even takes classes dedicated to such topics, classes required to become a licensed School Library Teacher. Dry humor aside, the Emerging Technologies for Libraries, and Managing and Evaluating the School Library Program class has not altered so much as added to my list of the Top 10 Things Teachers Should Know About Technology. How can I do this without going beyond ten? By combining items 3 and 4 of course, which can be done since both were AI-related. Anyway, the number 4 listed below (which I have bolded for assignment purposes) is new and reflects something I learned from this class.

1. Students are digital natives. Gone are the days when kids come to school and learn about computers in the School Library's Computer Lab. Now they have school-issued chromebooks/laptops and I have seen them find ways to play games on them the school has supposedly blocked. They can often as not Google search like pros and know the ins and outs of their Smartphones better than most adults. Never underestimate a student's digital know-how, in part because many hope you will and use it to their advantage.

2. Wikipedia is officially less trustworthy but in reality almost if not a great deal better than real Encyclopedias. For years teachers have warned students away from Wiki like doctors do the Plague, however, having been a semi-official Wiki editor and article-writer for the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, I can say that, now, the site is inherently trustworthy. Why? Because contrary to popular belief, while it is true that anyone can write and edit articles, all contributions had better be well-written and properly cited if you want it to stick around. The academic standards are topnotch and constantly monitored for dis or misinformation.

3. AI, for better or worse (and likely plenty of both), is here to stay. Instead of fearing and avoiding it, teachers should learn how to use it to their advantage. Making or brainstorming lesson plans, for example. Every AI program, even the seemingly semi-sentient ChatGPT, has its strengths and weaknesses. Learn them by challenging them to do the very things you fear students doing so you can learn how urgent the fear is. I tried it with writing and, believe me, no AI written novel would make it past even a sub-standard literary agent.

4. That there are countless varieties of Adaptive and Assistive technology, and that it is wise not only to know what one's school and/or district offers, but also be able and willing to improvise with what you have.

5. Students live double lives. Not in the villain or superhero sense, but online, chatting with friends and acquiescence about any topic under the sun. Last year my students created a group chat dedicated to solving a beyond hard riddle I gave them. All the concerns about cyber-bullying still exist, only now in a world of digital natives.

6. Students do not come with to the School Librarian with research or technological questions much anymore, since they are digital natives and ask the research questions of the teachers who assign the research projects; and, given student laptops, that research can now be conducted in the classroom.

7. Remind students to backup their work beyond the Cloud. Google Docs and other such things are excellent, but individual documents/files can get corrupted suddenly and for no reason. Therefore students should create multiple copies by sending drafts to their email.

8. Utilizing technology can enhance student engagement. Teachers should explore interactive tools, multimedia resources, and collaborative platforms to make lessons more dynamic and interesting. Better yet, give the students freedom to use technology as they see fit within academic guidelines, and their skill and creativity will shin through.

9. If you see a student using an obviously harmless program/app, ask them what it is, not as a teacher but as a curious person. One can learn a lot this way and, in addition, learning how students think and what programs are trendy can be useful in its own right.

10. Technology is rapidly evolving. You do not need me to tell you this seeing as AI has jumped into the game before most realized it was a serious player, but it does illustrate the point that teachers should keep themselves informed of and open to learning about new, emerging technologies. Because if we do not then our students will first, and then where would we be?

Yes, I know I did not mention such classics as Digital Literacy, Online Safety, and Professional Development. You do not need me to. The above, however, are things I feel are often ignored and have proven quite useful to me personally.

Why did this list not change more? Not because the Emerging Technologies for Libraries, and Managing and Evaluating the School Library Program class was not informative so much as it was naturally librarian-centric. This post, however, asks for the Top 10 Things Teachers Should Know About Technology. Teachers in general, not School Librarians specifically – an important distinction since the prime knowledge and tools a Library Teacher uses are not the same as, say, a Math of History Teacher. There is overlap, to be sure, but classroom teachers need seldom worry about or learn the intricacies of, for example, an OPAC. Nor do they need to try to lure students in; they can merely direct their classes whereas Library Teachers have to actively and visibly promote their ideas to get students to participate. Also, they are bound by their individual curriculum while a Library Teacher is not. Had this post been titled Top 10 Things Library Teachers Should Know About Technology it would have looked a little different. Point of order, I have learned much in this class about the technologies, tools, and related methods of Library Teachers, but I do not think they fall under the top ten things I think all teachers should know about technology and its role both in school and in the lives of our students.