RIA Blog Post # 1

I investigated the two pathfinders of the other students in my assigned group.  The first pathfinder that I looked at was designed by Matt and Amanda and was entitled "Dinosaurs".  This was a very interesting pathfinder, which was created to appeal to children ages 6-12 and teachers of those age groups.  This pair had a plethora of book resources, both fiction and nonfiction.  I assume the fiction books could be used to spark and interest in dinosaurs that would tie into both ELA and Science Common Core Standards.  Matt and Amanda also included several lesson plans, including an interactive classroom activity about fossils during which students view objects in a mystery box.  These seemed like they would intrigue and appeal to the young students in their demographic.  Additionally, Matt and Amanda included two databases, one of which was Britannica, which I am a huge fan of lately.  The new and improved Britannica database offers videos and interactive tools, as well as tips for teachers.  This would be a great resource for students to use in their exploration of dinosaurs.  I found their database to be very easy to use and navigate, and I think teachers would appreciate its descriptions of the resources (especially the books so they could rule out those that did not apply to their students).

I have created six questions that could be answered from exploring Matt and Amanda's pathfinder:
1) What are some different types of dinosaurs that used to roam the Earth?
2) What is the difference between the Triassic and the Jurassic eras?
3) How are fossils created?
4) Where can I go to see the remains of a real dinosaur?
5) What is the difference between paleontology and archaeology?
6) What role does a paleontologist play in the preservation and study of dinosaur bones?

I also explored Heather and Karen's pathfinder on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  This pathfinder was designed for ages 10 to adulthood.  This site had many NC resources that could be multi-faceted and used in a variety of lessons about our state.  I especially liked the link to the NC History Project, as I had never heard of that site before and would like to learn more about the famous sites and figures from the Outer Banks area.  There were various books and online resources about Edward Teach aka the pirate, Blackbeard that would intrigue younger patrons.  However, in one of the descriptions he is mentioned as being "bloodthirsty" which makes me question which Blackbeard resources are more "kid-friendly" than others.  I also found the NC Pedia site to be interesting in exploring the various famed Outer Banks landmarks, such as Cape Hatteras.  Their pathfinder had a myriad of resources such as museum links, maps, and timelines, as well as teacher resources like webquests (the Blackbeard webquest looks fun and awesome).  It might be helpful to patrons to post Common Core standards for teachers exploring the pathfinder.  It also might be helpful to separate the links by age group/grade level.  I created six questions that could be answered by using Heather and Karen's pathfinder.

1) What is the history and connection between the coast of North Carolina and piracy/famous pirates like Blackbeard?
2) What are some aspects of Blackbeard's life and reign that are "tame" enough for my 4th grade students?
3) What is the oldest lighthouse in NC?
4) What are some legends/examples of folklore from the Outer Banks?
5) If I am planning a trip to the Outer Banks, what are the top historic attractions I should see?
6) Where are the wild ponies located and how did they get there?

Article Assignment 1

Citation: Shantaram, P.(2012). Challenges in spreading information literacy among students. Indian Streams Research Journal, 2 (11), 1-5. Retrieved from: http://0-search.ebscohost.com.wncln.wncln.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=84443046&site=ehost-live


Summary of Article: This article discussed info literacy at the Higher Ed level in India and was more about encouraging the faculty to become literate so that they could share more with the students.  The article also discussed disseminating info in rural areas. 

I thought this was an interesting study about information literacy.  I located it using the Belk Library search through Ebsco.  I think it could be applicable to reference librarians in a college, especially one located in a rural setting.  A small college might have faculty members who are still "feeling" their way through the transition between paper resources to online resources.  The article seemed a bit outdated by the standards with which I am familiar (teachers switched from overhead projectors/began using Internet resources to meet state standards several years ago), but it was written for an international audience.  When I considered the audience, I realized that it was probably quite relevant to faculty members meeting the challenges of becoming literate and promoting information literacy to college students world-wide.

I found this quote from the article very realistic and relevant to the reference world.  The/article states on page 3, "Dissemination of information is alone not sufficient, instead the user of information should be taught to make the best use of the options provided to enhance their knowledge to perform a particular task." (Shantaram 2012).  I think this relates back to my experience when I was an observer at the public library reference desk.  The librarian I interviewed mentioned that there are opportunities to help patrons learn to use the resources rather than just "spoon feeding" them information.  It kind of goes along with that whole saying (which I think was mentioned in our last class), "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day.  Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime".  As a former teacher and a current media specialist,  I see the importance of teaching the faculty (or in a public case, the library staff) various ways to share information and help students to find resources on their own.

The other part of the article that I thought was useful was a section titled, "Seven Skills That Make a Person Information Literate".  This was cited as coming from article by Shyama Rajaram.  One of the skills listed in the section was "locate and access".  I think this is really important for students and patrons alike, as the awareness of information available and its location will help them to find what suits their needs.  This is actually one of the steps in the Big 6 research process.  I often teach this to my middle school library patrons, and make them aware that they have to know where to look, but also be able to go there and actually find what they are looking for!  It sounds simple, but this is a serious impediment to the research process quite frequently.  If the college faculty in the article could not locate the information they were suggesting that students use, then it would be difficult to show the student where to go!  

Another skill that was mentioned was "Compare and Evaluate".  Obviously, from what I have learned thus far in this course, the research process is not as easy as typing your topic into Google and pressing enter.  A reference interview with a librarian on campus or at the public library could help a patron/student to find exactly what he/she needs.  The "compare and evaluate" skill would have to be taught to students by the librarian or a faculty member.  This would involve an acute awareness of what is available in the library, as well as its online databases.  

The article later addressed the need for information literacy on college campuses, as well as the hindrances that can complicate the process of becoming literate in a technologically savvy world.  

Again,  I felt that the article was lacking in some areas, as far as relevancy in the reference field.  However, it did discuss some of the basic foundations needed to understand the role of reference in an educational setting.