CONFERENCE ARTICLES:
Engaging Girls in Technology
Information Literacy Assessment Websites
He Sees/She Sees: How School
Libraries Can Foster Gender Equity in Visual Literacy
ENGAGING GIRLS IN TECHNOLOGY
Tips to Engage Girls with Tech
• Provide choice
• Get the girls’ input – and act on it
• Make it social: encourage buddy learning
• Focus on communication – and human relationships
• Encourage intellectual risk-taking
• Emphasize effort more than mastery
• Have fun!
A Word about Cyber Safety
• Not all information is created equal.
• Not all people on the Net are nice.
• Don’t talk to strangers applies to cyberspace.
• A Girl Scout is honest – and respects others: don’t pirate media or
cheat.
• Have girls learn to cope and be discerning rather than protect them
completely.
Good Cyber Safety Sites
• http://www.onguardonline.gov/quiz/socialnetworking_quiz.html
• http://www.nsteens.org
• http://www.NetSmartz.org
• http://www.SafeInternetKids.com
• http://www.mcgruffspo.com/cybersafetysat.html
• http:// www.cybersafety.ca.gov/
• http:// www.cyber-safety.com/
• http:// www.wiredsafety.org/
• http:// www.isafe.org
• http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.htm
• http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/techinttele/internetsafety/internetsafety.htm
Engaging Girl-Friendly Web Sites
• http://www.girlscouts.org
• http://www.uah.edu/college/library/womensstudies/girls.html
• http://www.links4girls.co.uk/girlsonly.htm
• http://www.zoeysroom.com
• http://www.gurl.com
• http://www.zwinky.com
• http://www.mypopstudio.com
Teen-Centric Library Web Sites
• http://teencybercenter.org
• http://www.bclib.org/teens/
• http://www.skokie.lib.il.us/s_teens/tn_links/
• http://www.mylibrary.us
• Book clubs: http://www.bookdivas.com, teenreads.com …consider going
cyber with Council’s book club
Girls as Communicators: Wikis quick quick web pages -- build knowledge collaboratively
• http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Wiki_Booklists_for_Teens
• http://www.myowncafe.org/
• tools: http://www.wikispaces.com, http://www.wetpaint.com, http://www.pbwiki.com
Girls as Communicators: Blogs (online diaries) Use blogs to show processes
(great for Silver/Gold Awards)
• http://www.write4kids.com/blog.html
• http://www.piercecountylibrary.org/blogs.aspx?blog_id=2
• http://www.girlsblogspot.com/
• http://www.girlswritenow.org/
• Tools: http://www.edublogs.com
Girls as Communicators: Podcasting
• http://www.onlypodcasting.com/podcasting-articles/podcasts-for-teens.php
• http://www.kid-cast.com
• http://listen2me.libsyn.com/
• http://www.teenpodcasters.com/
Girls as Collectors
• http://www.del.icio.us.com
• http://www.pillfish.net/ -- kids’ social bookmarking
• http://edutagger.com/
• http://www.Flickr.com
• http://www.photobucket.com http://www.smilebox.com
• http://www.tabblo.com
Virtual Reality
• http://teen.secondlife.com
• http://www.penguinclub.com
• http://www.webkinz.com
• http://www.whyville.net
• http://www.millsberry.com/
Words about Google: Igoogle, Reader, Picasa, SketchUp, Talk, Groups, Page
Creator
Digital Storytelling
• http://www.storycenter.org
• http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~jrbing/Telling%20a%20Digital%20Story/Telling%20a%20Digital%20Story.htm
Sample: http://www.csulb.edu/~lfarmer/bangkok/
Other Web 2.0 Activities
• Make an animation: http://www.digitalfilms.com
• Create virtual museums: http://fno.org/museum/oldies&goodies.html
• Track animals: http://www.biokids.umich.edu
• Make a digital scrapbook: http://www.designerdigitals.com/ecom/GettingStarted.php
• Get political: http://homepage.mac.com/cutepups/Sites/Kidsguide2politics.html
EXISTING INFORMATION LITERACY ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS
By Dr. Lesley Farmer (lfarmer@csulb.edu) from a forthcoming book on Information
literacy and assessment (Scarecrow Press, 2006)
Research Processing Models
• Washington Library Media Association’s essential skills for information
literacy provides benchmarks at the 4gth, 7th, and 10th grades (http://www.wlma.org/Instruction/benchmarks.htm).
• Wisconsin’s model academic standards melds information and technology
literacies throughout the curriculum, and benchmarks targeted performances
at 4th, 8th, and 12th grades (http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/DPI_Standards/matrix.htm).
• The Kansas State Department of Education aligned its information literacy
standards to the American Association of School Librarians’, and developed
benchmark indicators for each standard (http://www.ksde.org/outcomes/libstd52001.pdf).
• Mankato (Minnesota) area schools have developed grade-level targeted
performance standards for information and technology skills (http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/infocurr/benchmarks.pdf).
Access / Location Skills
• Copeland (2005) has guidelines for posing and assessing questions
(http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0394ch05.pdf).
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy developed an interactive
key word assessment (http://21cif.imsa.edu/mc/challenge/KeywordChallenge.swf).
• Moore (1997) listed significant elements for educators to observe
in children’s problem solving efforts (http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla63/63moop.htm).
• Shambles lists several useful tools for assessing information and
communications technology competency (http://www.tepaonline.net/pages/staff/AssessIT/).
• Direct evidence: locate the item.
• Written evidence: concept maps, lists of key words, journaling, underlining
key words.
Content Evaluation Skills
• Mark phrases that reflect content accuracy, perspective, authenticity
• Explain why a specific source was selected or rejected in terms of
the criteria, preferably documenting the decision-making process
• Use evaluation rubrics to analyze a source (e.g., Kathy Schrock’s
extensive list at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html)
• applying critical thinking skills to program solving (http://www.denison.k12.ca.us/ms/courses/rain/rubric.htm).
• Chico (California) Unified School District uses an authentic task
to assess students’ ability to evaluate web sites (http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/info-lit.html).
Communication Skills
• Socratic circles, where students discuss their insights on their reading,
model intellectual dialogue. The National Teaching and Learning Forum provides
a rubric for assessing several facets of participation: http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/suppmat/1306a.htm.
• Arizona State University’s Foundation of Communication Assessment
and Evaluation has developed a simple instrument for oral, written, and
visual communication (http://www.fulton.asu.edu/~fcae/Insturments/Communication%20Instrument/Communicationinstrument.htm).
• Schools of California Online Resources for Education (SCORE), which
uses California content standards, has developed a simple collaboration
rubric (http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/collaborub.html).
Metacognition Skills
• Biggs 2001 revised study process questionnaire gives valid information
about a student’s level of motivation and use of study strategies (teaching.polyu.edu.hk/datafiles/R75a.doc).
• Learning and Teaching Scotland supplies two self-assessments for capturing
learner perceptions and for collecting evidence of attainment (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf).
• Conduct interviews about information literacy strategies.
• Have students create concept maps or write reflective journals.
Collaboration Skills
A good practice is to have one person serve as an observer of the group,
noting behaviors that advance and impede collaboration. Other typical assessment
tools include individual and group questionnaires and checklists, reflective
documentation, and authentic assessment of group projects.
• The International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education
(http://www.iasce.net/resources.shtml) offers resources from the leading
researchers in the field.
• The Center for the Study of Learning and Performance at Concordia
University has a very useful set of assessment tools for students and teachers
(http://doe.concordia.ca/cslp/RS-Instruments.php).
• San Diego (California) County of Education developed a simple rubric
to assess student collaboration (http://www.sdoe.k12.ca.us/socre/actbank/collabororub.html).
• Las Cruces (New Mexico) and Kyrene de las Brisas Elementary (Arizona)
public schools targeted their collaboration rubric to elementary students
(http://www.zianet.com/cjcox/edutech4learning/cincorubric.html and http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/litpack/collaboration_rubric.htm).
• Arizona State University’s simple teaming instrument measures group
performance over time (http://www.eas.asu.edu/~fcae/Insturments/Teaming%20Instrument/teaminginstrument.htm).
Appreciation Skills
• Kansas State Department of Education has developed a rubric that addresses
basic appreciation elements across the creative arts (http://www.ksde.org/outcomes/rubricfinal.pdf).
• Bartel has a rubric that assesses discussion and writing on art and
esthetics. With just a few changes in terms, it can be used for creative
expressions in any format (http://www.goshen.edu/art/edu/rubric3.html).
• Cope (2003) offers several useful assessments to document students’
affective reading experiences (http://ksumail.kennesaw.edu/~jcope/WorkshopHandouts/2003Handouts.htm).
• The Australian Children’s Television Foundation lists indicators of
TV and film appreciation (http://www.actf.com.au/learning_centre/school_resources/teaching_kits/btv/units/btv_lp.htm).
ASSESSMENT AT DIFFERENT SYSTEM LEVELS
Library Level
• The Department for Education and Skills and the School Libraries Working
Group (UK) developed two series of scenarios that teacher librarians can
use to assess their programs, one for primary and one for secondary settings
(http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/resourcematerials/schoollibraries/?3300545056b4385-a1d7191d-3302-4529-8db5-17eb5900db37).
• The Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations developed a
questionnaire to assess school libraries (http://www.qfhsa.org/pdf/library_questionnaire_nov04.pdf).
• Berea College Hutchins Library uses a number of useful forms to assess
bibliographic instruction program (http://faculty.berea.edu/henthorns/bieval/).
• Bertland maintains links evaluation forms for school library programs
and teacher librarians (http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/evaluate.html#forms).
• Maxfield (Montana) Library has quick forms for both students and teachers
to assess library instruction (http://www.lib.umt.edu/research/eval.htm).
Classroom Level
• The Indiana State Department of Education’s learning communities handbook
includes a self-assessment tool (appendix 5) to determine to what extent
a course needs library instruction; although targeted for college faculty,
most of the questions can be easily adapted for secondary school settings
(http://www.indstate.edu/fyp/handbook.PDF).
• Alberta (Canada) Learning’s 2004 publication Focus on Inquiry guides
teachers on incorporating technology for inquiry-based learning, and meld
information literacy; 12appendices include useful assessment tools for both
teachers and students (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf).
• New Zealand’s Ministry of Education constructed a literacy assessment
rubric targeted to classroom teachers (http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/atol_online/self_review_e.php).
• Probably the most telling evidence, however, is sample student work.
Redwood HS’s research handbook serves as a consumable guide in this respect
(http://rhsweb.org/library/researchguidelong.htm). Their rubric is useful:
(http://rhsweb.org/library/research_rubric.htm).
Research project rubrics provide a concrete way to assess student work;
both the process and product should be assessed.
• Rochman’s rubric, based on the Association of College and Research
Libraries (ACRL), is a good start (www.calstate.edu/LS/1_rubric.doc).
• New Jersey City University’s information literacy rubric is also based
on ACRL’s information literacy, and was cited by the Middle States Commission
on Higher Education (http://www.njcu.edu/Guarini/Instructions/instrucations.htm).
• From New Zealand comes another simple rubric to assess information
processing skills (http://www.in2edu.com/downloads/infolit/inforubirc.PDF).
• The Australian Library and Information Association has developed an
information literacy toolkit, which includes an ICT literacy matrix of student
learning (http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/literacy.kit.pdf).
• The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory’s research rubric assesses
student work from three perspectives: technology use, researching, and presentation
(http://www.ncrel.org/mands/FERMI/prairie/9prairie/9rub1.html).
• Joyce Valenza’s research “checkbric” can be used by students and adults
alike (http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/checbric.html). Her research project rubric
aligns with standard research process models (http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/resrub.html).
• California State University, Long Beach, developed an analytic writing
rubric, which reflects information literacy elements (http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/personnel/fcpd/resources/ge/analytic/index.html).
• The Kansas Research Collaborative Network’s science report rubric
(http://rhsweb.org/library/rubric_secexp.htm) and Howe (Oklahoma) High School’s
science report rubric point out the critical features of technical writing
(http://www.howe.k12.ok.us/~jimaskew/evalua.htm).
Site Level
• A good practice is a system-wide information audit, used to identify
resources and services that can contribute to information literacy planning
and implementation. At the operational level, it can help streamline procedures,
minimize duplicative effort, and aid in prioritizing the allocation of resources.
• The New South Wales (Australia) Department of Commerce Office of Information
Technology offers guideline for conducting an information audit, which can
provide a framework for an information literacy assessment plan (http://www.oit.nsw.gov.au/Guidelines/4.3.12.g-IM-Audit.asp).
• The Association of College and Research Libraries (of the American
Library Association) has designed an information literacy IQ (Institutional
Quotient) test and scoring guide to determine an institution’s readiness for
integrating information literacy into the curriculum; the emphasis is on
system-wide conditions and steps towards capacity building (http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/professionalactivity/iil/immersion/infolitiqtest.htm).
• New Zealand’s Ministry of Education developed a literacy leadership
tool for elementary schools that includes a planning vision, literacy review
tool, and school action plan (http://www.tki.org.nz/r/literacy_numeracy/lit_lead_tools_1_8_e.php)
• Colorado’s Department of Education now mandates districts technology
and information literacy plans, and provides forms and guidelines to help
staff in this process (http://www.cde.state.co.us/edtech/plng-etil.asp)
• The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory offers a self-assessment
tool for school leaders to examine technology and transformation, which
may be adapted for information literacy issues (http://www.ncrel.org/cscd/pubs/lead51/51assess.htm)
• California’s Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership
provides several templates and guidelines for site and district technology
plans, which include information literacy aspects (http://www.portical.org/contents2.html?mode=TT).
• The U.S. National Center for Education Statistics developed a questionnaire
that examines information literacy instructional programs (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/SASS/pdf/0304/sass_ls1a.pdf).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He Sees/She Sees: How School Libraries Can
Foster Gender Equity in Visual Literacy
Overview
. Gender impacts the way that individuals get, process, and share ideas.
. How does gender influences learning developmentally and socially?
. How does gender impact visual images?
. Libraries need to provide resources and experiences that engage both genders,
separately and together.
Gender-Equitable Library Practices
. Resources: note content and images
. Facilities: be welcoming, foster relationships
. Services: offer concrete help, support collaboration and communication
. Instruction: make content meaningful, push collaboration
. Staffing: model positive role, empower female volunteers/staff
Gender and Learning
. Biology: cross-hemisphere, language, visual memory, concrete experience,
emotions, maturity, stimuli
. Development: societal messages, risk-taking, relationships
. Social: multiple intelligences, points of view, feminism
Visual Literacy Elements International Visual Literacy Assn., 1996
. Interpret, understand, appreciate meaning of visual messages
. Communicate more effectively by applying visual design principles
. Produce visual messages using technology
. Use visual thinking to conceptualize solutions to problems
Visual Process
. Visual elements are manipulated simultaneously unlike words
. It’s a right brain thing
. 30% of the brain cortex is devoted to visual processing (3% for hearing)
. Brain registers a full-color image (megabyte of data) in a fraction of
a second
.Linked with text, messages are dual coded(Remember the impact of transferring
to non-picture books?)
. Visual info cycle: create, review, assess, use
Research Cycle and Visual Literacy
. Task definition: gendered task, prior knowledge
. Search strategies: lateral thinking
. Locating/access: Net confidence, genres, sharing, reading, reflection
. Use: critical eye, points of view
. Synthesis: organization, collaboration
Visual Literacy
. Societal uses of visuals to communicate and teach
. Technology’s new “spin” on visual literacy
. Gender issues relative to visual literacy
. Educators need to embrace visuals, both in terms of resources as well
as instruction.
Visualization: From Thought to Symbol
. Visual tools: “symbols graphically linked by mental associations to create
a pattern of information and a form of knowledge about an idea” (Clarke, 1991)
. Sign: object that represents something else (1-1 correlation)
. Symbol: signs with more meanings (e.g., cross >> Christianity)
. Visual diagramming: brainstorm web, task organizer, thinking-process map
Gendered Visual Codes
. Vertical men vs. horizontal women
. Central men vs. subservient women in the background
. Submission expression by women
. Grasping men vs. women with light touches
. Accessories of power (e.g., globe, tech) vs. accessories of virtue
. Mainly young women vs. broad spectrum of men
Children’s Literature and Gender
. Picture books may be students’ first look at fine art
. Image and reality may be mixed: photo=real / abstract=fantasy / real=good
. Literal vs. metaphorical text
. Historical stereotypes
Gendered Careers in Visual Literacy
. Art as male occupation
. Lifestyle impact
. Social expectations about appropriate images
Gender Issues in Media Literacy
. Mass media impacts today’s young people both consciously and unconsciously,
and certainly influences their concepts of gender
. Process: male dominant
. Hot vs. cool approach
. Content: point of view, genres, performance
. Context and connotation
. Audience: historical, cultural, structure
Gender Issues in Tech Visual Literacy
. Technology-enhanced projects are gender-neutral or more male oriented.
. Girls are discouraged from taking advanced tech courses.
. Girls lack info about the impact of technology on salaries and promotions.
. Girls tend to classify all tech jobs as masculine.
. Websites stereotype girls via images and colors.
What School Librarians Can Do
. Provide authentic tasks
. Provide choice
. Provide context
. Facilitate collaboration
. Integrate technology
. Help students organize
. Facilitate communication
What School Librarians Can Do
. Set tone/ambiance
. Signage with graphics
. Displays
. Visual learning/teaching aids
. Graphic organizers
. Pictures of staff and users
. Computer screens
. Have technology for access and manipulation
. LOTS OF VISUAL RESOURCES AND GUIDANCE ON UNDERSTANDING THEM http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/picture.htm
Visual Print Resources
FACTORS
. Visual cues to information
. Knowledge representation
. Graphical analysis
. Visual principles and language
. Composition impact
. Cultural contexts
. Media literacy
. EXAMPLES: Picture books, Periodicals, Art reproductions, Photographs,
Posters, Graphs
Library Roles
. Use of space
. Access to resources
. Ways of instructing/coaching
. Library services
. Student library staff
. Librarian as role model
. Build self-confidence through achievement
. Instructional Planning