The case for strategic planning It’s like making resolutions, but it’s all about measuring your progress toward keeping them. In practice, I regret that didn’t create formal plans. I did write at least three goals each year and I reported on my progress. Those goals moved my program forward and moved me beyond simply making short-sighted hunches that I was simply doing a good job every day. For example: Goals pushed me to address the needs of the growing immigrant population in our community by gathering critical resources and developing targeted learning experiences and activities for our ESL students. Goals pushed me to discover the needs of my administrators and solve their problems by developing LibGuides that connected them to the resources they needed for educational research and for examining effective practice and innovative strategies. In my Leadership, Management and Evaluation of School Libraries course in the MI program at Rutgers, my students engage in a culminating strategic planning project. Why plan?
Learn to fight fake news in your classrooms and schools In the 1930s, Upton Sinclair was one of the most prominent writers in the United States. But no amount of fame could protect him, when he ran for governor of California, from “one of the most well-orchestrated smear campaigns in American history,” instigated by political and business interests hostile to the muckraking revelations in Sinclair’s books, such as The Jungle, making him a victim of “a forerunner of [the] ‘fake news’” that’s so pervasive today. Nor was he the first American to be misrepresented by his adversaries: John Adams and others in colonial and post-colonial times often felt abused by an unfettered free press. Call it fake news, propaganda, disinformation–it’s been with us in some form or another as long as the written word and doubtless in the oral tradition before that, in whispering campaigns and word-of-mouth slander. Related content: How to fight fake news Fight the good fight and combat fake news! But what’s happening today is different.
Badge the World Win or Lose, Competition Always Makes You Stronger Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. People have a remarkable capacity for putting off the inevitable and making life way harder than it has to be. We do that by creating huge, imaginary obstacles and using them as excuses not to take any action at all. It affects our work, our careers, our companies … even our health. I can just imagine Julius Caesar looking sadly down at his overgrown belly and confiding in Brutus, “I can’t even stand to look in the mirror anymore. The reason why more people aren’t healthy is because they think they’ll have to go on a strict diet, give up everything they love to eat and commit to a daily exercise regime. Truth is, getting into decent shape isn’t that hard, unless of course you’re a complete mess to begin with. Related: Neurotic? We tend to view competing for business or jobs the same way. I’ll tell you why we can’t all just get along. Besides, everyone can’t be a winner. While competing may be hard, it’s not all that hard.
TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills TRAILS-9 not active, content moved As of July 1, 2019, TRAILS-9 is no longer an active site. All TRAILS content is now available as an open educational resource (OER) at the new site at TRAILS-Archive.org. Resources available at TRAILS-Archive.org include: + TRAILS assessments as downloadable PDFs + A searchable database of all TRAILS items + Teaching resources contributed by users + A history of TRAILS Registered TRAILS-9 users Registered TRAILS users will be able to continue to sign in to this TRAILS-9.org site to view their existing data through June 30, 2020. Our Appreciation We are proud of the impact and reach TRAILS has had over the past fourteen years. TRAILS-9.org was a service of Kent State University Libraries.
Handouts, Worksheets, & Activities for Information Literacy | Indiana University Libraries Teaching & Learning Department I Services Handouts: Information on key concepts & skills Worksheets: Exercises for students Activities: In-class activities to be facilitated by an instructorAdditional Resources More about information literacy. Handouts Inquiry:Top 10 Research Tips for IU Students: Introduces key library resources and servicesFrom Topic to Research Question: Steps in developing a topic and research questionsNarrowing a Topic: Steps in exploring and refining a research topicIdentifying Keywords: Tips on keyword searching in databasesBasic Search Tips: Search strategies and ways to narrow/broaden a searchIntroduction to OneSearch@IU database: Tips for using this interdisciplinary database Evaluation:Evaluating Sources Rhetorically: Page 1: Questions for evaluating sources rhetorically; Page 2: Illustration of Bizup's BEAM model for rhetorical source use.Evaluating Search Results: Tips for how to evaluate relevance of search resultsIs It Scholarly? Worksheets Activities
Four Ways Google Calendars Can Help Teacher-Librarians Plan There are no two days alike when you are a teacher-librarian. You don’t have the same kids every day. You don’t have the same teachers every day. And you don’t have the same schedule every day. To maximize your impact on student achievement, it is crucial to have a plan to manage programs, lessons, and promotion. Calendars Organize Being organized makes sure things don’t fall through the cracks and keeps everyone on the same page. Calendar 1: Programming. Calendars Document We work in a data-driven profession. Calendars Don’t Just Record Dates and Times Of course, you can extend invitations, but Google Calendar also allows you to set up conferencing via Hangouts. Calendars Save Time Create tasks and set reminders that you can check off or mark as done when complete. There are all kinds of calendar options. This is a guest blog by Brandi Rosales and Kristi Starr. Save
Flip Badge This! Teaching Students to Love Databases Presented by Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair, New Canaan High School, CT; with Dr. Brenda Boyer, Teacher Librarian, Kutztown Senior High School, Kutztown, PA Sponsored by Mackin Educational Resources If you view the recording and would like a CE certificate, join the Emerging Tech community and go to the CE Quizzes link in the Community Toolbox. Get ready to badge your way out of those boring database lessons! About the Presenters Michelle Luhtala is the Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School in Connecticut and was one of five school librarians named as a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal in 2015. Brenda Boyer received her PhD in Instructional Design for Online Learning through Capella University. Join the Emerging Tech community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming webinars, view past webinars, take a quiz to receive a CE certificate for a past webinar, and access free resources.
Why (and How) to Set Up a College Library Visit for Middle Schoolers It can be surprisingly easy—and incredibly worthwhile—to arrange for middle schoolers to conduct a day of research at a college library. This academic librarian shares her insider know-how. A tour of the Plymouth State University library reference area. Academic librarian Robert Fitzpatrick keeps students from Rumney (NH) Elementary School engaged. photo: Bruce Lyndes Until recently, it was rare for me to see students younger than college age doing research in the academic library where I work. First things first It’ll be hard to get buy-in from an academic librarian without being able to tell her or him what you want to accomplish. Finesse the details Once you have the assignment in hand and an academic librarian on board, you can begin planning the specifics of the visit. Enjoy a successful library research day The big day will pass quickly in a whirlwind of activity. Students from Rivendell School (Orford, NH) find their own books from the stacks. photo: Bruce Lyndes Make memories.
The Rise of Junk Science In early 2017, Eduardo Franco, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, sent an email to his colleagues, warning them of a global “epidemic” of scams by academic journals that was corrupting research and, in effect, endangering the public. As head of the oncology department, where he oversees approximately 230 people, Franco promised to comb through every CV and annual evaluation in the department to flag any colleagues’ resumés that listed journals and conferences that weren’t reputable or, in some cases, even real. He didn’t spell out the consequences, but the implication was clear: the faculty members would be held accountable. A scholar for forty years, Franco has followed the rise of junk publishers for about a decade. These companies have become so successful, Franco says, that for the first time in history, scientists and scholars worldwide are publishing more fraudulent and flawed studies than legitimate research—maybe ten times more. So they rebelled.
"Crime Junkie" Hosts Accused Of Deleting Controversial Podcast Episodes The hosts of the popular true crime podcast Crime Junkie have been accused by a former journalist and multiple fellow podcasters of using their work in episodes without credit — and then quietly deleting the episodes after being called out. Crime Junkie is a weekly podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers of Indianapolis and her childhood friend, Brit Prawat. Flowers, a self-proclaimed "crime junkie" herself, launched the podcast in December 2017 after working with her local Crime Stoppers. Flowers told Deadline she hosted a crime segment on a local radio station before starting the podcast. Over the past year, Crime Junkie has rapidly become one of the most popular podcasts of the genre and is currently the most listened to series on the iTunes podcast charts. Flowers and Prawat have quickly leveraged their success, selling merchandise and hosting a series of live shows around the country this summer and fall. The hosts did not return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
Discussion strategies for your pedagogical toolkit Each semester I think about how I might create more engagement in both my online and on-campus courses. I want more students thinking. I want more students talking. Across the years, I’ve gathered a number of go-to websites I visit for inspiration and I revisit a few old favorite discussion techniques. If you are new to practice, or just want a little refresh, let’s explore a few options and resources and let’s consider them as low-tech or higher-tech strategies for encouraging deeper thinking and more active, student-centered learning and to build your own pedagogical toolkit. First, these are those go-to websites and a fabulous book: I’ve curated some my personal favorite discussion strategies: Hatful of quotes: (to reinforce and prompt responses from a reading or viewing and ensure focus on the text) Select several provocative or key quotes from the source and print them on strips of paper or index cards. You may also be interested in:
Project SAILS Project SAILS has helped faculty, librarians, and other educators better understand the information literacy skills of their college students since 2006. These data-driven insights inform instructors of weak areas, guide course instruction, affirm growth following instruction, and prepare students to be successful in learning and life. Learn why more than 200 universities have used our information literacy tests. Next up: Learn more about the Project SAILS Tests. Take the Test Students: If you’ve been instructed to take the Project SAILS test, click here.Test Me Simple Pricing Our Per-Student pricing makes it easy for you to predict the cost of your testing.Tell Me Ease of Use Our web-based setup allows you to be ready to start testing in a matter of minutes.Show Me Customer Service We’re here to make your testing a success.