Assignment 2 continued....

I have moved over to the outline for strategic planning process (Balnaves, p. 86) just because at this stage it looks a little simpler to begin with and gather my thoughts as to where I want to go. The guidelines have helped clarify the points I want to focus on and now I want to look at the preparing for a cycle of planning.
Design the process and calendar
Well for starters as it is for the assignment I am looking at a 3 year vision
some of the components have to be achieved before I can do others e.g. Information literacy document - this needs to be completed so I can use it as the impetus to further collaborations with teachers to actually be fully involved in team teaching and assessment. I feel with this document I can achieve a basis to indicate what I fully can do in line with what has to be achieved. And having a year to year document for each grade will clarify for teachers what needs to be achieved.

So the first part of the process is to work on the document - I think this will take a year to develop if not longer, during this time I want to discuss it further with my princpal - what I do need to be aware of is the issues facing the staff at the moment - that is the DLP and ACARA. This is also what I have to push with the staff - the link this will have with ACARA and how I can be helping assess through the DLP.

From the information literacy document and keeping the principal and staff informed as it starts to develop I want to start to model how I could collaborate looking at the document and using units of work that may have been done or are being looked at. This collaboration process will take another 2 years at least to build upon. At this time there would need to be a look at my time and its use within the school as this limits the number of teachers I can work with during this time and maintain a functioning library.  This process really focuses on leading from the middle and working towards a 21C information literate student. We have a number of computers in the library already, I would like to see these pushed to a bank of laptops and an IWB installed - this is on my plan for the next 3 years too - through pushing it in my budget, using and demonstrating aspects of use with staff and students.

Part of this component will also require resourcing - as such more digital and 21C technological devices are required. Such things as flip cameras perhaps, podcast capabilities - whether sourcing free and also looking at requirements of computers.

Another aspect I am looking at is readers and the best way to resource them now and into the future, this is an important aspect of learning and supporting reading is vital in today's society with the move to more technological devices and different forms of reading - so I would be looking at considering e-book readers perhaps and their use in the reading program, whether we can look at it for the guided reading or  can it be utilised in the take-home reading or does this link in with promotion of literacy within the library. With this in mind - I am looking at focusing on some key events through the year and promoting them avidly throughout the community, after the first year this would then expand into maybe looking at providing activities out of hours/workshops for parents etc. Then in the 3rd year making sure this is running through the entire school.

Lots of ideas at the moment and I have to consider them against the criteria and the assignment task to make sure they match. Oh well enough for the moment - I will have to print this out so I have the ideas when I am working on them.

Assignment 2 ramblings

It is quite difficult to consider where to go with this assignment, there seems to be so much with it that it can be difficult to know where to begin with it. I know it is meant to be a vision for the next 3 years and how to implement it. But it seems like a big job, multiple readings to consider - it seems like a whole semester assignment rolled into 4 weeks, especially to do a good job on it.

I am unsure how to proceed, I keep thinking I should use the information from Balnaves' (1996) Appendix C readings but again, with such a variety provided it is hard to look through and consider. I might try and look at that now and see how it goes. Let's start with the Guidelines for strategic planning (p.85). The first point talks about taking the time to what makes sense in my school:

What are the prominent issues?
This is a hard one, being part time and trying to get the library back on track last year and on top of all its own issues I suppose there wasn't much inclination to consider what else was happening or not happening in the school. This year, we have a new LST teacher and Curriculum Coordinator so that is a bonus on what is happening, there is a bit of a renewal process going on in regards to previous expectations. I think looking at this aspect, I am trying to see how the library can be an integral part of the teachers' teaching. This links to issues in whole school approaches I suppose, I haven't been involved in whole school approaches that have been formulated and so the library isn't there in it. Also the school is up for school renewal this year, I am hoping I can be involved in this to look at the library and its role. One area that the LST is taking an avid interest is Reading and Spelling and sees this as an issue, one other area that I see an issue is with the information process procedure, using something like the NSW ISP. One final one is forming a whole school information literacy document for teachers and TLs for the Catholic Schools. This is a year by year document that will allow teachers and TLs to see what needs to be covered to match with ICTs and ACARA. There are issues with the DLP and teachers having their planning on it and the time management of it. Also I am the information specialist and I have expectations of helping maintain the system, I would like to consider more PD in this area to do a better job. Literacy is a concern too, in a broad sense and the role of the library in promoting literacy - I would like to do a better job in this.

I am not sure if this is what they mean about issues but this is what I see at the moment as concerns in my school, there are some big ones but some little ones too.

What do I personally wish to achieve?
1. further collaboration with teachers to work with them in their units
2. using the library to promote literacy for the students
3. whole school information literacy document, linking ACARA, ICTs and information literacies together.
4. leadership within the school - a realisation of the TLs knowledge and abilities in helping affect policy in the school.
5. more specialist knowledge of the information system - technically.

What terminology and style of approach are appropriate?
 This is something that needs further research, I am trying to work more with the principal and I need to look at the idea of leading from the middle I think as Donham (2005) talks about, there is a need to think about transformative leadership but perhaps looking more a the leadership capabilities (Wizenried, 2010; Davies and Davies, 2005) than the style of leadership needed. I think I need to consider that some of the ways will change with what I am hoping to achieve, for example with the collaboration, I am taking a whole school view with trying to get planning sheets set up and giving these at staff meetings or in pigeon holes but then actually talking with teachers individually about what they are wanting, if the library can help either through resources or through team teaching. I can also look at providing leadership in how the TL can help them. The library to promote literacy is for me, my staff and the principal to consider with promotion to students and teachers and the community through the newsletter. So all of these things need to be considered in regards to terminology and style.

What amount of effort is justifiable and can be resourced?
This is key, I only work 9 hours a week and need to consider what I can actually do in this time considering there are lessons to do, meetings with my staff, buying/resourcing discussions, meeting preparations, and because there is a lot of work coming in from other classes this is quite time consuming at the moment. Generally most of what I have to do can be resourced fairly effectively with minimal outlay, there would be some with PD, that would have to be discussed with the principal but the effort is the concern - what is justifiable, what is worth doing? I think the information literacy program, the collaboration are definitely worth it. I think discussions about the others and trying to allocate certain time frames would be worthwhile to achieve this.

So this covers the first consideration of what makes sense in the school - what I can do and what is justificable. Now I need to address the core elements of strategic planning and this is the big component.
I think I will need to do up some surveys for  staff, students and parents, I will need to discuss this with the principal and see what I can feasibly do in the timeframe for this assignment.

Balnaves 1996 appendix C

As an appendix it provides some great examples and information but that is its problem too. There is little description for us to look at how it all fits together. It is an accumulation from a variety of sources and to see where it would actually fit into a reference point in the text would be beneficial and advantageous to see.

I do like the 'planning to plan' section (p.84) and the strategic guidelines.

I started out thinking the assignment would be excellent to complete but as I start to read more and think about what to include in it then I realise how much more work is involved in it.

Beare 2001 building a manifesto for the school as a provider

An interesting article - I initially wasn't seeing the point in understanding about charters of different schools in different countries, even different states like Victoria and NSW and I think that is because in Qld I haven't heard of this really happening. The concept of a charter sounds like alot of work and for it to be applied to a school library, I am not sure that a charter would be the way to go. It is good to think about what is required for a school to function and perhaps some aspects could be outlined for a library but this was a very broad article and when it talks about an overarching view that is how I see this article too. The examples were vaguely interesting but I must admit that I did some skimming at parts in this article. Maybe as I am working the assignment I will come back to this.

I do understand the concept that here the school is looked at as a provider and our libraries are providers to those using it too.

Welch 2006 Groundwork

Reminiscent of the Collection development plan readings that providing information about gap analysis so I felt this was quite familiar territory. The only thing here is that it doesn't specifically relate to a school library situation, which means there is some tweaking to do with the plan and worksheets they provide. I do like the set out of the article that provides specific steps to achieve and why. Then it goes through some of the how-to in the use of the ratings but there would need to be some definite rewrites for students and staff for them to work. Again time is a constraint they don't take into account to achieve all of this. I don't like that it is taking a marketing tact but as it is for commercial situations I understand that. I wish there were more articles written for the TL and/or school library, maybe there is and I haven't found it yet. there is some jargon that can make it difficult to follow as we don't come across that in our 'world' as much.

I feel this could be adapted and could be worthwhile to look at but it is very theoretical and mathematical in their ratings which could make it difficult to fulfil when you have students as clients of the library.