IASL Day 4: Assembly of Associations, Presentation and Workshop

Highlights of day four of the IASL Conference include the inspirational message of Indonesian authors to tell and write stories in their culture; the plenary session of Rachael Hodgson who shared her reading journey and the remarkable role school libraries played in the development of her reading skills and interests; the assembly of associations where I shared about the National Children's Book Award, the Salanga and Alcala prizes as well as future seminars of the Philippine Association of School Librarians.

After lunch, I attended two sessions. One on Bibliotherapy from Australian librarians and the other on Linguistic equity. Barbara Reid and Siobhan Roulston shared web 2.0 strategies to disseminate books for bibliotherapy. Andrea Paganelli and Cynthia Houston presented research findings on ebooks and linguistic equity. This prompts me to look at ebook purchases and how I can develop our ebook collection that is balanced and equal to all readers.

At my bibliotherapy workshop, Day 4 of the IASL Conference in Bali.

My workshop on Bibliotherapy, being the last session in the conference was attended by twelve participants. All appear to possess a genuine interest on the different models of conducting Bibliotherapy programs in their context and school culture. Kerry Pope from Australia found my topic and workshop as "bursting with potential". This comment inspires me to reflect on my current practice of bibliotherapy in my school, The Beacon Academy, and of the viable and realistic ways to improve it. Claire Napoleon, a librarian and music teacher, requested for the recommended reads I compiled for my students in school. It was a great way to establish links and contacts.

That evening, the Philippine delegate attended the gala dinner and grand auction. The food was good. The company was great. The grand auction was a success! Proceeds of the auction will go to IASL's fund for Books for Children Award, where a school library in dire need of book budget can apply for the grant.

Below are select photos:

At the gala diner with our mentor, Ibu Lourdes David. Ibu in Indonesian means teacher or mother.

Wayang Kulit for auction. I was able to buy a smaller one at the airport.

IASL 2013: Day 2 Concurrent Sessions: Learning Commons & Virtual Spaces

Last Tuesday, August 27, 2013 I attended Ross Todd's session and Lesley Farner's.

Ross Todd presented his research on Collaborative Inquiry in Digital Environments: Cognitive, personal and interpersonal dynamics. The title is a mouthful, I know. And in classic Ross Todd fashion, the whole paper was impressive. He is also very emphatic and passionate when presenting. This man truly loves what he is doing. I often use his studies and research (Rutgers University) for my workshops and training sessions. His work on the school library's role in student achievement is one document I've used over and over again to push for library advocacy initiatives and in developing programs and services in the school library. Needless to say, research has a function in amplifying sound library practice. Practice, in return, fortifies research if not, lead researches to test data once again. It is a cycle of creating and communicating information and it is a fascinating one!

So what brought me to his session last Tuesday? Ross Todd himsel. Yep. I am a fan.

Ross Todd has been to Manila for a lecture. He loves the dried mangoes of Cebu.

 Fan girl mode aside, I was intrigued at the results of the research. While knowledge construction is important in collaborative group work, and one that is valued by students involved in the assigned work, social justice is another aspect of collaboration and cooperation relevant to students. Diversity of view points is valued as well by students, but the struggle to accept and to come to terms with differences is another issue. The discussions and responses that came from the floor were infused with energy. There was engagement.

I sat there and thought about what the research finding has to do with my work as a librarian. For one thing, I am keen on looking at how students build knowledge to construct meaning out of this. The library then should function as a learning commons where students can collaborate not just with their peers but with their teacher librarian. And learning commons is not just about physical or virtual space. More on this in another blog post.

Another session of interest to me was Dr. Farmer's Issues in Teen Technology Use to Find Health Information. My take away from this session is that, libraries can set up reliable virtual spaces where teens can seek information pertaining to health issues and conditions. Librarians can work with counselors, health care professionals to establish a baseline or a context to latch the content on health and well being issues.

I think this online health guide may prove to be a good companion to the Life Skills Collection (aka Bibliotherapy) I'm working on.