The Problem:

During the first class period, you will be introduced to the 18 Think! models for transforming a learning experience from a "bird unit" into a higher-level learning experience. You will be transforming five learning experiences for this module. This will give you practice in making transformations. It would be nice to do these transformations with a teacher or professor, or professional development planning group, but most likely, you will be doing these alone and then bringing them to class for critique from "the friendly bird patrol." For each of these transformations, you will need to have an information literacy component to assist learners in some way to deal with the research process "just in time" for them to use the skill or skills you teach with your "partner" teacher/professor/professional development team.

1. Your product for each of the transformations is a one- to two-page report that you will log on the http://libr250transformations.pbwiki.com for all your colleagues to see and discuss. After a round of discussions, you will post your final version to Angel and that you can show to prospective employers or clients as a demonstration of what you mean by a transformation of learning. This one to two-page description should have:
2. A title and your name.

3. A first paragraph describing the old method of teaching the unit or concept

4. A second paragraph listing what the learner will know, be able to do, and understand both for content understanding and process understanding. Here you put the goals and objectives. There are two types:content goals and process goals.

5. Next, list the essential question  that the students are to pursue/answer.

6. A third paragraph description of how the learner will be assessed. You need two assessment strategies: one for assessment of content and the other for assessment of process.

7. A flow chart of the learning activity like those in the 18 Think! models

8. Several paragraphs describing the learning activities that are co-taught by teacher and librarian. These activities include the content ideas and the process or information literacy skills that are being folded in.

9. A final paragraph describing the two 'so what' activities. This needs to describe both content and process 'so whats'.

If you can squeeze in a web 2.0 tool that facilitaties the learning of both content and process, please do so.

Check your transformation against this rubric. Do you have e everything?

1. Title and name
2. Old method
3. Goals and objectives: content and process
4. Essential question
5. Assessment: content and process (assessment matches the goals and objectives)
6. Graphical chart/flow chart
7. Learning activities describes the co-teaching of both content and process
8. So what activities: content and process
9. All the way through, it should be evident that the teacher and the librarian are working together at each stage of the creation, implementation, and assessment of the learning activity.
10. You get a bonus pat on the head for using a Web 2.0 application in the learning activity somewhere.
11. Not more than two pages.

Before doing too many transformations:

• Spend two hours looking at information literacy sites for contrasting approaches to information literacy:

• Library Research at Cornell: A Hypertext Guide
• TILT: Texas Information Literacy Tutorial
• Noodle Tools - a must info lit site (K-12)
• There is a new book by Nancy Miller and Connie Champlin about using web 2.0 skills to teach the research process (check LMCsource.com)
• You might find other helpful guides for teaching various components of the research process either as an entire process or just one skill that the learners need to know right now to succeed. For K-12 students, the Koeschlin and Zwaan volume will be invaluable in this regard.
• You will also begin to discover various web 2.0 tools that will help the learners achieve the learning objectives.

By March 8, prepare the first two transformations for class discussion on: http://libr250transformations.pbwiki.com. Everyone in the class, including the instructor, will be able to comment on your transformations. Thus, you will be subjecting them to the "friendly bird patrol" before submitting them to "Big Bird." After this experience, you can make revisions on your transformations and then submit them in final form to Angel.

Sources of learning experiences for School Librarians:

• Web site: The Gateway to Educational Mateials (GEM) at http://www.thegateway.org is a portal created by the National Library of Education in Washington D.C. and it links to educational resources Kindergarten through higher education.

• Web site: Discovery School at http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans boast hundreds of lesson plans for K-12. This site is sponsored by the Discovery Channel. Check out the puzzle maker. Cool.

• Free Resource for Education Excellence done by the U.S. Dept. of Education. At: http://free.ed.gov

• Blue Web'n created by AT&T at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn

• Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - zillions of lesson plans and helps. At: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide

• Do a search on "big six" information literacy in Yahoo and marvel.

• Module Maker by Jamie McKenzie teaches teachers and library media specialists how to plan together. Can you use this Module for both behaviorist and constructivist units? At: http://questioning.org/module/module.html

• TracStar lessons by the hundreds. At: http://trackstar.4teachers.org

• Math Forum: Arithmetic Lesson Plan Sites. At: http://mathforum.org/arithmetic/arith.sites.html

• Teachers.Net Lesson Exchange - LESSON PLANS - At: http://teachers.net/lessons

• Try the Library of Congress at http://www.primarysourcelearning.org/index.shtml for ideas on using primary sources in units of instruction.

• Bernie Dodge's Webquests at: http://webquest.org/index.php

 

 

Sources of learning experiences for Academic Librarians:

• Gradowski, Gail, Sloranne Snavely, and Paula Dempsey. Designs for Active Learning: A Sourcebook for Information Education. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1998. (available from ALA). A recent collection of sample units and ideas for teaching information literacy.

• Library Research at Cornell: A Hypertext Guide and TILT: Texas Information Literacy Tutorial - already explored examples of information literacy courses/modules mounted on the web for students. Please find others.

• Web site: The Gateway to Educational Mateials (GEM) at http://www.thegateway.org is a portal created by the National Library of Education in Washington D.C. and it links to educational resources Kindergarted through higher education.

 

 

Sources for Special Librarians/ Entreprenurial Enterprizes:

• Check out expositions held all over the country such as Siebold Conferences where insturction in new technologies combined with fairs/demos exist. One such event in San Francisco costs $2,000 to have a pass to attend everything or you can buy a half-day training for a measly $450.

• Ask employees and officers of various large corporations and professions about their inservice training, short courses, orientations. There is much now going on the web, but these are often internal classes requiring password access.

• There are corporations who consult with large corporations to create and provide continuing education courses (Arthur Anderson, Inc.?).

 

 

Sources for Public Librarians:

• Look for examples of staff training for paraprofessionals or professional staff.

• What about examples of seminars or sessions conducted for home schoolers?

• Orientation classes for adults on such topics as use of the Internet or perhaps a tax or investment seminar. You might stray into programming of any age - if that programming's objective is educational rather than pur entertainment.

For the last three transformations, have them ready for class discussion on March 27 and in final form and uploaded to Angel by May 10.