Hoax-slayer.net
I have just come across this site recently. It is very transparent and run by a Queenslander Brett Christensen. I thought it was worth including their mission statement.

Mission Statement
The goal of the Hoax-Slayer Website is to help make the Internet a safer, more pleasant and more
productive environment by:

• Debunking email and Internet hoaxes
• Thwarting Internet scammers
• Educating web users about email and Internet security issues
• Combating spam

This is a link to one of the latest stories and is very topical as it is related to the theory that the Coronavirus was made deliberately in China. It is a very good example of how conspiracy theorists use experts to spread information.

FAKE-NEWS ALERT: Japanese Professor Tasuku Honjo Did NOT Say That Coronavirus Was Made by China

"In light of recent misleading news purported to represent the views of Distinguished Professor Tasuku Honjo of the Kyoto University Institute of Advanced Study, the University is publishing the following statement from Professor Honjo.

_______

In the wake of the pain, economic loss, and unprecedented global suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am greatly saddened that my name and that of Kyoto University have been used to spread false accusations and misinformation.

This is a time for all of us, especially those of us devoting our careers to the forefronts of scientific research, to work together to fight this common enemy. We cannot delay one moment in this effort to save the lives of our fellow humans. At this stage, when all of our energies are needed to treat the ill, prevent the further spread of sorrow, and plan for a new beginning, the broadcasting of unsubstantiated claims regarding the origins of the disease is dangerously distracting."

Information Literacy

During the year at Gippsland Grammar each year level has at least two sessions on Information literacy. This is comprised of looking at the resources the libraries provide and also information and activities related to identifying Fake news, Propaganda and Conspiracy theories.

We are arming students with the ability to further develop critical thinking, understand media bias, avoid fake news and stop spreading it, and have access to authentic information and the ability to locate it.

The following article goes through and explains fact checking sites such as Snopes,, Hoaxslayer and Factcheck.org. In Australia we have ABC factcheck which works with the online publication The Conversation. I will write about The Conversation in a further post.

The 8 Best Fact-Checking Sites for Finding Unbiased Truth

The KidLit Club

Dr Susan La Marca and Sally Rippin. This is a fantastic interview with Susan. Sally interviews Dr Susan La Marca (Susan is Chief Executive officer of SLAV, School Librarian’s association of Victoria) Susan discusses the role of SLAV and its’ position in supporting and advocating for school libraries and school librarians. She also explains the difference between Teacher Librarians and librarians, and their role in promoting reading while also understanding the importance of educational pedagogy. Susan also explains while trained librarians are not being replaced, and the senate inquiry into the importance of school libraries.

This also ties in with the campaign supported by many amazing authors and many other organisations which has been shared widely on social media Students Need School Libraries

There has been a lot of research in the area of reading and literacy over the past few decades and the following article explains what is happening in America which is also reflected across Australia. Poverty and reading: the sad and Troubling Loss of school Libraries and Real Librarians.

Nancy talks about schools replacing books with computers, and saying schools saying that Librarians becoming “digital learning specialists, digital media content specialists, technology integrators, and information literacy teachers”. I would agree with Nancy that schools need books and digital technology and digital media specialists. There is a lot of research now becoming available on the effect of too much screen time on children and encouraging mindfulness. I would argue that the best mindfulness comes from immersing oneself in a great book and developing the love of reading early.

3D printing and Otto Robotic’s Club

All the library staff in the ISC have been utilising the 3D  printer and creating mini mes and robots by learning a variety of new programs. The result has been a successful club that began in late 2018 and continues to grow. We are now connected to a worldwide network of educators building and coding what are affectionately known as Otto Robots. 

Most students have now either created a mini me or built and programmed their own Otto robot. It has formed a jumping off point for many of the students as it is their first introduction to programming, especially using Arduino boards and the possibilities. There is also a lot available for them to teach themselves online, through Instructables, Wikifactory and Github. We hear all the time about AI becoming the way of the future. In the latest SCIS magazine Chelsea Quake in Supporting multiple literacies through robotics clubs refers to finding of a recent report by the Mitchell Institute, which is a warning to educators ‘ young people need to bring more that knowledge to the modern workforce’ and ‘the most crucial capabilities for the future include critical thinking, creativity, curiosity and communication skills’. 

This club engages the student’s curiosity and builds basic skills. Students are also engaging and higher order thinking  by problem solving, collaboration and further developing organisational skills. 

Also evident is the student’s inventiveness and capacity for new ideas and challenges! Of course the plus side is they have no assessments, work at their own pace and tend to be self-driven.

You might enjoy reading this article in The Conversation about robots and education.  Why R2D2 could be your child’s teacher sooner than you think

Reading and why it matters!

How to keep older kids reading and (why it’s so important they do).

I came across this article recently by Megan Daly and it sums up everything we try and do in the library to get students reading. Teachers and Library staff emphasize to students how reading, especially deep reading helps them critically analyse all literature and gives them the works to express themselves. But I wonder what they really hear? Blah, Blah, Blah? We would love it if parents just take some time to read themselves, or listen to audio books. This article gives some good advice about setting routines, making it part of a schedule, letting them see you reading, taking an interest in what they are reading. Bribery also comes into the discussion!

How do we choose books for our Libraries?

At the senior library we have hundreds of new books, and audio books (Borrowbox) a year to review and decide to purchase. What do we consider?

For a book to engage a teenage reader or YA (young adult), it needs to engage right from the start. First we look online to see what others say about the book, how many reviews and ratings it has. (Usually https://www.goodreads.com/). We also look for contemporary themes and issues. Often young adults have interests and questions which are being dealt with in a book. We look for different voices, male and female, diverse cultures and different genres. Dystopian and fantasy are always popular with students, but as teenagers progress through senior school, often biographies or autobiographies capture their attention, as they seek to understand people and events and develop wider insights. Sometimes students have a particular interest in subject, e.g. Physics and Black holes and will read extensively on the subject.

Teenagers also want to hear their own voice in novels, learn about relationships, challenges in history and seek understanding of current issues.

Librarians try not to exercise censorship or reflect their own point of view on students, but occasionally there are books which do not “fit” into a senior school library. This might be because of extreme violence or graphic content. Sometimes however, this content is important, as it is within the context of the story and very relevant in a well written novel. We also try to read as many books or at least the beginning to gain more of an idea. Our ISC Bookclub students also help choosing books their peers would like and offer us valuable insights into what is popular with students .We keep in mind also that in the internet age there is no limit to what our students can access so books can be a safe way of exploring complex themes.

This article in The Guardian is well worth a read. YA Marginalised books

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/15/torn-apart-the-vicious-war-over-young-adult-books

 It explains how publishers and authors are being pressured to censor content in their books as they do not want to be accused of racism, bigotry and marginalisation. We need to keep in mind that just because we read something it doesn’t mean we are going to agree with it. Teenagers are even more likely to question and form ideas by reading widely.

H

Importance of Libraries.

Earlier this year I was researching Pressreader for our Information Literacy sessions and came across this article which resonated with me. (Pressreader is a collection of magazines and newspapers from many countries around the world which can be read for free online). Our students in years 9, 10, 11 and 12 join up to the State Library of Victoria to gain access).

In The Insider, 23/1/2019 this article Journalism — the catalyst that connects communities and cultures in public libraries, discusses the importance of public libraries in America. At the advent of the internet age many people were predicting the end of libraries and books, but it is clear that this didn’t happen as libraries evolved and responded to meet clients’ needs in many different ways. What was surprising in this article was the number of millennials using public libraries. Also that people are increasingly looking for authentic news stories. The author says “When social media took off a decade ago many people used it as a gateway for news, bypassing the library’s limited supply of newspapers and magazines. But today, when it comes to news discovery, the love affair with social media is starting to largely wear off.To avoid all the misinformation and fake news polluting their social channels, people are starting to seek out more credible news sources When quality journalism is made available in public libraries and promoted by librarians, it fuels the power of the person and the collective by connecting people and ideas”.

Throughout the year students in year levels 7, 8, 9 and 10 through the Information Literacy sessions run by the ISC have been challenged to look at Fake news, Propaganda and Conspiracy theories. This is relevant to encouraging the use of authentic fact based information available through the State Library of Victoria. Lessons include How to spot fake news, and reverse image searching techniques.

Fake news anyone?

Early this year I was fortunate to attend an amazing SLAV Conference (School Library Association of Victoria) on Real Libraries vs Fake News. We heard from experts in media, Dr Barbara Combes – Charles Sturt University; Misha Ketchell, Managing Editor of The Conversation (previously editor of ABC Media Watch), Jo Teng, Australian Copyright Council. I also attended a workshop with the Australian editor of Wikipedia (which I will discuss in a later blog). 

Dr Combes discussed the historical perspectives and different studies of Fake news and concluded her presentation by saying the studies indicate “that we need to educate our students about the online environment and the effect it has on information reliability and dissemination. Our students need to understand that how we use the medium is actually part of the problem and it can have far reaching effects on how society is informed and by whom. There is a fine line between fake news and political propaganda or alternative facts. We have fake news because the information landscape today is incredibly complex; consists of multiple perspectives from multiple authors (anyone can publish); enables rapid dissemination of information that is often decontextualized or out of context and it is easy to manipulate or alter. To become informed today is actually much harder than pre-Internet, even though we have more information available and at our finger tips. The big question is can we find and sift out the good information from the fake. In an Information Age where our understandings are constantly changing, to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to be able to find and evaluate information is a primary goal of education and a major role for the information specialists in the library”.

Misha Ketchell explained how The Conversation came about, what its aims are, and how accurate the articles and references are. The Conversation is supported by numerous Australian universities and some philanthropic donations. Every day at least twenty people discuss the latest news/topics. Once decided on the topic, an expert is approached to write an article. This article is then blind checked by another expert for accuracy and reliability before publishing. ABC factcheck is also involved.

As part of Information Literacy Lessons this year, year 8 and year 7 students have learning how to spot fake news and choose relevant resources. They have also learnt how to search effectively for information. This included reverse image search, Boolean searching, keywords and quotations. They also learnt about fact checking sites and reliable news sources. Hopefully they also learnt to also double, triple check their sources and facts! They have also looked at the difference between headlines, news and the Fourth Estate (investigative journalism) = truth, facts and trust. One of the sites they looked at was the Edelman Trust Barometer. This showed the survey undertaken on Australian trust by respondents on NGOs, government, business and the media.

It is quite a while since we've published our In the Know Blog, but with libraries, especially school libraries currently in the spotlight with the campaign #StudentsNeedSchoolLibraries we thought it timely to re invigorate this blog and let you know what has been happening in our libraries at Gippsland Grammar.

We will also share innovative ideas happening throughout the library world.
In the meantime have a read to see what the author Nick Earls says about libraries and librarians...

IT’S NOT ABOUT SHELVING THE BOOKS AND KEEPING KIDS QUIET

This post was originally published on Nick Earls' blog on 21/09/2015.

Some schools no longer have teacher-librarians and, the more I see of teacher-librarians, the less sense that makes to me. What’s next? No teachers? Kids turning up to the classroom each morning and inventing the day ahead? Maybe there’s a note on the door about what the curriculum has in mind, maybe there isn’t …

Each time I’m told that a school no longer has a teacher-librarian, I’m told that the school still has a library, as though the building does the job all by itself. I imagine, as usual, classroom teachers are expected to take up the slack and add the library to their already overcrowded list of duties. And kids are taught how to check books out, as if they’ve suddenly been up-skilled, and as if that’s what it is that teacher-librarians do (along with putting them back in the right place, and stopping things getting too noisy).

Some news for schools thinking of going librarian-free: having some books on shelves in the school’s second-biggest building – along with a chillout zone with half a dozen lunch-stained beanbags – does little for your students lives without a well-trained passionate human or two in there to wake the place up and get the most out of it.

Read more...

Artist Uses 100,000 Banned Books To Build A Full-Size Parthenon At Historic Nazi Book Burning Site

This article came up on my newsfeed recently. In term 4 the ISC has also been running a Challenge for students to read some of these banned/challenged books. A number of students have taken up the challenge and have read titles from the 52 books we have on offer, such as The Color Purple, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Perks of being a Wallflower. 

Students were surprised at why people try to have these books banned and enjoyed reading them immensely. They also felt enriched by reading books of great writers such as Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck , James Joyce and Harriet Beecher-Stowe.

I was very excited to read this article on the weekend MacManus:A Digital Future for Libraries and reflect on the last couple of years in the ISC. Our library is gradually incorporating more digital platforms, while retaining our core value of providing quality literature for our students.

Turanga Library, Christchurch, NZ

Recently the ISC has had the use of a 3D printer and ISC team members have been learning and teaching the associated 3D software to scan, print and manipulate people and objects. An Otto robotics club has also begun. "Otto" is a  3D printed robot, students can design various fun add-ons, build the robotics component of Otto and then learn how to program him/her!

Teacher-Librarians have been working with year 7 history teachers to implement Adobe Photoshop and year 7 science teachers to implement Adobe Illustrator for posters. Year 8 history teachers also implemented scatter charts with excel spreadsheets. The ISC also has a number of greenscreens for students to use for their presentations. Our first VR headset has also created excitement.

The ISC also has the ebook platform Wheelers, as well as the audio book platform Borrowbox. Borrowbox is proving very popular with students and staff.

The Digital Evolution of Schooling

I have been following Mal Lee’s blog for a number of years, and there is always a lot of thought provoking topics discussed. Basically where education is going in the digital world. Topics such as Roles of IWBs, BYOTs, harnessing Social networking, Where to now Education?
Mal Lee shares his research with Roger Broadie. Mal is an internationally published educational consultant and author specializing in the digital evolution and transformation of schooling. He writes for ACER as well as this ongoing blog. Roger’s background is more from the technology and marketing industries.
Their goal is for those globally interested in advancing, researching and analysing the digital evolution and transformation of schooling.

A learning Secret: Don’t take notes with a Laptop

This article came to my attention recently and is worth sharing. The study printed in the Scientific American outlined details of the study of many hundreds of students after lectures.

Half of the students were instructed to take notes with a laptop, and the other half were instructed to write the notes out by hand.  As in other studies, students who used laptops took more notes.  In each study, however, those who wrote out their notes by hand had a stronger conceptual understanding and were more successful in applying and integrating the material than those who used took notes with their laptops.

Students who used longhand remembered more and had a deeper understanding of the material.

The article also explains how social media impacts the students using laptops, how writing notes helps students analyse the information. "Instead, they listen, digest, and summarize so that they can succinctly capture the essence of the information."

The Latest SCIS Connections magazine online

1,000 reasons to support Australian book creators

Jackie French

Talks about the power of great books and how they can’t be measured in Dollar terms

Dear Jackie French,
What I have learned from your book is to be wary of anyone who tries to make you angry.
Love James

James was 14, and Hitler’s Daughter was the first book he had ever read. Yet he had found the truth behind a question I had been hunting for ever since I was ten years old: how did Hitler convince most of Europe that killing over 44 million people was reasonable, from those shipped to concentration camps to prisoners who had surrendered.

Teacher Resources

 Humanities

Australian History Mysteries. Subscription site but has a few free resources and good links to the Australian Curriculum. One is a 23 page Teacher Demo case Study

How have Indigenous people's citizenship rights changed over time?

Growth Mindset for students

There have been quite a few videos worth looking at added to the ISC Libguides - Growth Mindset. The Growth Mindset for students is suitable for primary students as well.

The Learning Brain

Growth Mindset for Students E1/5 (Animation New 2016)
Growth Mindset for Students E2/5 (Learning from Mistakes)
Growth Mindset for Students E3/5 (The Power of "Yet")
Growth Mindset for Students E4/5 (The World of Neurons)
Growth Mindset for Students E5/5 (Mojo Puts it all together)

The Key to Success

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn’t the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of “grit” as a predictor of success.

 Growth Mindset Teacher Resources

Mistakes - To Get Better You Have to Get Ugly

Trevor Ragan of TrainUgly.com explains how it all works and how shifting our focus from worrying about how we look to what really mattters, learning and growing can change the way we learn.

Featuring Insights From:Seth Godin, Carol Dweck,Erika Andersen, Brené Brown, John Gardner.

ISC Bookclub

The ISC Bookclub has been meeting enthusiastically to discuss new and old books every few weeks, and help choose new books for the ISC. Some are enjoying reading Jackson’s Track by Carolyn Landon. The bookclub is also reviewing and selecting books for our Fiction collection. Every meeting we try have a topic focus but being a bookclub one discussion leads to another! 

Last week’s discussion was “The Book versus Movies”. Most concluded that the book is usually far better than the movie! However, then the discussion started re horror movies and what should and shouldn’t be shown, to fables and Grimm’s Fairy tales, to finally everyone watching Into the Woods….
As a result of this discussion I have added Into the Woods, some old horror movies as well as Tim Burton's movies to Clickview (Corpse Bride,Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare before Christmas, Nosferatu and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein). What do you think about books versus movies? The ISC Bookclub would love to hear your views.

   Literature Circles

All the year seven classes completed the Literature Circles program in Term 1 as part of the wider reading program at Gippsland Grammar.

Students were broken up in groups and chose a novel they would read, discuss and do activities on. A wide range of books were chosen- The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis, Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Find me a River by Bronwyn Blake to name a few. Students discussed connections between the books and their own lives and world events, created mindmaps and quizzes, discussed new vocabulary, and generally just enjoyed the concept of reading and discussing a shared book!

Students were very creative in their approach to their activities each week.

It is a pleasure to take up the position as Head of ISC. (Marianne is currently adventuring and volunteering and setting up a library in Vietnam.) The ISC is an outstanding library. I have been delighted with the high level of borrowing by students which is indicative of a strong reading culture. The ISC in 2016 will continue to nurture good reading habits by providing a rich and diverse collection, celebrating reading through special events (Premier’s Reading Challenge) and author’s visits. Electronic resources will continue to be added for the learning community though its dedicated website. In 2016 some of our goals are to continue to increase student participation in the ISC by running more student run competitions, implement augmented reality workshops and hopefully assist and support students/staff in using 3D printer.

The year got off to a bang when  “Ripping into Research” began for the year 7 students. This involves a basic introduction to the ISC Libguides, access to school referencing sites and online databases. Currently Joy, Lyn and myself with Year 7 English teachers Leah Stoffels, Julie Cannon, Faye Kennedy are running the wide reading program called Literature Circles. Literature Circles are basically student centred book discussion groups which meet weekly over a six week period. The groups formed are differentiated, enabling each group to be challenged by a novel at their reading level. Each week sections of the novel are read at home, a specific role is completed and a group collaboration occurs where students discuss and analyse what they have read, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of the novel.

Last year an ISC book club was launched, students will meet four times a term to discuss the book they are reading, or choose a commo book they can share, and also to choose new resources.

In Week 8, as part of our wide reading program,  the very successful Premier’s Reading Challenge will be launched to all Year 7’s and Year 8’s by convenor Joy Reid. The Challenge involves students reading at least fifteen books between March and August.

I will endeavour to continue Marianne's fantastic "in the Know" blog, keeping you up to date with emerging trends, helpful links and support, and ISC events.

 

So long Marianne

Last Friday I organised my last Holiday Reading Function and yes it was tinged with sadness. Thank you to all staff who have supported this event and helped to nurture a reading culture on our campus. I have enjoyed these events  over the last ten years and they  have  satisfied my love of reading and also my love of cooking!
This will be my last post and it is also tinged with sadness. The In The Know blog has been a labour of love and I am grateful that I started it five years ago  as it has been a fantastic professional learning opportunity for me. I would highly recommend having  your own digital PLN  as it certainly keeps you inspired and informed.

We are in exciting times with regards to educational change and  I will watch from a distance, with much interest, the moves Gippsland Grammar  makes to ensure  an education that embraces the future.