In the five-minute excerpt from the video "Choosing the Right Information," two children find a turtle standed in the road as they are riding their bikes home from school. I would expect most kids to either take it to the other side of the road or take it home to keep as a pet. Instead, these two industrious kids set out to find out what kind of turtle it is and where it should be released. They make a list of questions they need to answer in order to help the turtle, then set out to do research by phone, by library, and by internet. These kids are practicing skills of lifelong learning by using what they already know about turtles to guide their research, and by utilizing many different resources to get answers. They are organized, and willing to follow the path when the answer to one question leads to a new question. The kids are becoming information literate by exploring so many avenues of information...they will then be able to decide which resources were most helpful, and can use the experience to better evaulate the usefulness of available sources when solving future problems.


“Choosing the Right Information”, Pt. 3 of Know It All Series by GPN / Univ. of NB
http://gpn.unl.edu/static_catalog/675_000.html

I had never heard of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003 until I read Robert Martin's article "A Nation of Learners" (2004). It is refreshing to know that our government almost unanimously agrees that libraries and museums are vital opportunities for lifelong learning of Americans, and is willing to provide funding to help these organizations remain current. I agree that a major challenge to creating a nation of learners is first making the public aware of the resources available in libraries and museums, then educating the public in the use of those resources.

As a third-grade teacher, I do not feel I make full use of the educational opportunites presented by our school library. The students have 45 minutes of instructional time in the library each week, and due to the number of classes that must have library time, it is nearly impossible to take my class down for extra time. Instead, I should be communicating more with the librarian to see what kind of collaborative activities we can create for the time allotted. With her support, I could incorporate more inquiry-based learning opportunities into the curriculum, and the students could explore and become adept at using the many resources available for finding the answers to their questions.


Martin, R.S. (2004). A nation of learners [Electronic version]. Threshold, 4, 32. Retrieved January 27, 2006, at http://www.ciconline.org/default.htm

This blog was created for ITEC521, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.