Question 4: Guiding in Virtual Spaces
In relation to last week's blog topic of virtual libraries, is it possible to guide students in the zone of proximal development in virtual environments such as a digital library? Outside normal school hours? Without adult assistance?
Elizabeth
While I think it could be done, with a librarian available online ready to respond to any email, I don't think it is practical and I don't think young students would do it. How many of us, as librarians are willing to be available evenings and weekends? It works fairly well with the U of A library, but we are patient and we plan ahead (usually!). The virtual school library will guide students to a certain degree and it will work better for some than for others. To guide students in the zone of proximal development in schools, in my opinion, real (live) assistance and intervention at the time of need is required in addition to the services of the VSL.
Ronda
On some virtual school library sites there exists tutorials, pathfinders, examples, etc. which are aimed at helping guide students when interaction with a teacher may not be available. Depending on the student's level of understanding, these tutorials may be enough to help them solve the problem, and carry on. However, this may not always be the case. I like the idea of a virtual school library site which offers varying levels of tutorials, to meet the various needs of the users. Also, it was identified in the literature that having an "Ask Us" email option was a component of a successful school library website. There needs to be some degree of interaction between teachers and students, even in a digital library environment. However, answering email questions can not always happen in the most timely fashion.
Val
I see virtual libraries and virtual learning as opportunities to work at 'off hours' for students (and teachers if they choose), but like Elizabeth mentioned, I don't see young students (most elementary students) opting to use a virtual learning space when they have computer time at home. One site I like that seems to be successful in guiding students toward virtual learning is 1,2,3 (young blogs). In posting a 'vacation assignment' (I'm hoping its for extra credit and not expected over spring break), the teacher offers a tutorial on adding an image to your work. I noticed one student had successfully added an image of lightning in a dark sky. These are great guide tools to talk you through the specifics of 'how to' but to virtually teach a lesson would be more challenging. The zone of proximal development is best achieved with a student and teacher working, discussing and collaborating (at least at the elementary school level). Virtual learning gains more success as students gain more learning tools and inquiry methods, thus in a post-graduate course, such as this one there is great opportunity.
Katie
I agree with you Ronda, tutorials and "ask us" are valuable tools that can help students with the learning process, however I think that there still has to be some kind of contact between teachers and students. Even if you take these WebCT classes, we do have information on assignments, expectations and readings, but we still need to be able to contact and have interaction with our teachers and leaders. We need to be able to discuss things and have clarification every now and then. Ronda also brought up another good point- time. How much is to be expected? When are the interactions supposed to take place?
Cindy
Virtual libraries provide the unique opportunity to study and research outside the regular classroom. However, I feel that students learn how to research best when they can interact with an educator who can model the process of information retrieval.
According to The Changing Role of School Librarians from The George Washington School of Education and Human Development, as resource experts, teacher-librarians understand how to integrate digital information tools into the research process and can model how and when they might be relevant to learning. The ability to expose metacognitive thinking to novices is critical in their understanding of the research process.
The tutorials, Ask Us , and Ask a Librarian are services that some virtual libraries offer. They can be helpful but accessibility to an immediate response is an issue. The ability of a young student to know how to word a question or a request effectively is another concern. As Katie mentioned, the need for discussion and clarification is an area that virtual libraries are not able to clearly and effectively provide. Perhaps because I am at an elementary school level, I feel that there will be issues with guiding students in the zone of proximal development in Virtual School Libraries outside of school hours without adult assistance and support.
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