Learning Commons to Idea Stores – the rebranding of the Library

The library at my school has recently been renamed the Resource Centre. The primary function of this space is to provide resources to support student learning. The rebranding of the Recourse Centre included a major transformation. Creating a space more conducive to collective learning. The transformation seemed revolutionary…or so I thought.

I always considered libraries a space dedicated to expanding cognitive enlightenment with countless resources. As the digital age carries multiple access points for instantaneous knowledge, literally at our fingertips- what is the function of a library today and in the future?

Hasley Elementary School Ca. 1950
gremsdoolittlelibrary.blogspot.com.au/2012_04_01_archive.html

Beth Holland’s 21st Century Libraries – The Learning Common (2015), outlines a progressive functionality for the library space in the 21st century. A common learning hub that combines the tradition and the digital. She acknowledges for libraries to be relevant they should be a space that encourages participatory learning and provides resources for a co-constructive understanding. Libraries should not only be the place for learning but creating. 

Sandlian Smith (2013)  tells a moving story of a young homeless boy who utilised the space at her library to script and perform a puppet show for the local children. Sandlian Smith, (2013) suggests libraries should be the space of dreaming. Some London libraries have rebranded the space, Idea Stores. Inspired by the concept of collective creative thinking and learning. Hubs of information that are community centred.

Idea Store – YouTube

This TedX talk by Judith St. John unpacks the concepts used in the Idea Store.

Idea Store – Judith St John

The word that stands out for me here is COMMUNITY. Providing a hub that encourages local clientele, participatory learning and creative, collaborative thinking. Similar to the concept of a café. Steven Johnson explains the space for creative thinking that birthed the Age of Enlightenment was the english Coffee House. The sense of community and hum of collaboration bore ‘Eureka’ moments. 

This concept from Paul Hamilton gives a number of creative ideas for a Leaning Common.

Image By Paul Hamilton
http://www.appsbypaulhamilton.com

The integration of technology, reading space, whiteboard paint for brainstorming, as well as, barrier free (glass walls) to encourage collaborative work between students and teachers. The inclusion coffee bars creates the aesthetic of the English Coffee House and the ‘Eureka’ effect.

The library is a necessary part of education. Rethinking the resources and space will allow for communities of learners to engage innovative ideas. Derby,(2011) highlights for youth today creativity is with them 24/7, on their mobile device. Understanding these concepts and providing for creative thinking is perhaps, the direction the library spaces needs to head.

References:

Derby, Bruce. Creativity in my pocket: No ‘I’ puns here [online]. English in Australia, Vol. 46, No. 3, 2011: 98-100. Availability:<http://search.informit.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=123358511934294;res=IELHSS&gt; ISSN: 0155-2147. [cited 05 Oct 15].

Holland, B. (2015). 21st Century Libraries: The Learning Commons. Edutopia. Jan 14, 2015. [online] Accessed, 04/10/2015.

Johnson, S. (2010). Steven Johnson: Where do good ideas come from. TedGlobal 2010. [online] Accessed 04/10/2015.

Sandlian Smith, P. (2013) What to Expect from Libraries of the 21st Century Pam Sandlian Smith at TedX: Mile High. TedXMileHigh. 

FanFic – Hijacked Literary Property or Creative Agents.

Fan Fiction

Darcy Moore’s (2012), abstract concept of “Social Reading“, outlines the evolution of the concept of traditional reading into an online collective discussion. Once a sacred personal connection between author and reader, social reading has revolutionised individual response to a collective conglomeration of thoughts, experiences and other points of view. Black (2009), refers to this as a collective imagination. A multilayered discussion fuelled by a variety of mind frames. These critique networks can provide the reader with a depth of understanding. Gaiman (2013), suggests the collective discussion of narrative is essential in building the foundations of reading and communication in our online world. He suggests, the rapid increase in popularity is due to the ease of access and the incentive of anonymity for the laptop critic.

Social reading has encouraged the rise of a new collective voice – Fan Fiction. Downes (2014), defines Fan Fiction or FanFic as any work that rewrites, elaborates on or creates alternative plots and characters from another author. The content extends on known literature or pop culture. So what of the copyright on intellectual property?

I was aware of FanFic but I was completely flawed by its popularity. To put it into perspective, according to Wikipedia (2015) list of best sellers, Harry Potter (books) to date has sold approximately 400 million copies – give or take a few. Yet in just one FanFiction site alone there are over 85,000 spin-off stories and over 2.1 million reads.

http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com

Titles such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Austen, J. and Graham-Smith, S.) and 50 Shades of Grey (E.L.James, 2011) found their genesis in FanFic and have proven to be very marketable commodities. James (2013), attributed the 50 shades trilogy as being inspired byTwilight, and was originally a FanFic story.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Downes (2014), describes Fan Fiction sites as being an ‘internet sensation’. With members being numbered in the hundreds of millions. He highlights, however; some legitimate concerns for young people. These include exposure to uncensored sexualisation through ePublications, pornographic content, and idolisation or romanising of mental illness and violence. So, a personal investigation ensued. It was a truly eye-opening experience. The number of forums are staggering. The more reputable ones have warnings and tags. Tags allow the writer to categorise their work. Some of these tags include,

FLUFF – sappy romantic themes involved.
SMUT – containing sexual content.
AU – the settings are in an alternative universe
POV – multiple points of view.

A benefit of mandatory categorisation means the writer is analysing their work (sound familiar teachers of English). Ergo, proofreading is an expectation before publication. A necessary skill indeed. Writers must also warn readers of sensitive issues or themes in their story. This is again done through tags. For example, if your work contained explicit language, rape, suicide, anxiety or depression it must include a tag to inform the reader. Whilst there is a huge amount of extreme Fan Fiction out there and some fairly sordid ideas, the concept is encouraging a generation to explore creative writing.

So I wanted to experience it for myself and wrote my first ever published work. I was surprised by how I felt. Mostly about what to write, being authentic to the original and how it would be judged. However, I survived my first publication and enjoyed it.

http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/50359425-marlenes-journey-back

There is no denying, like anything online, there are dark, compromised and unsafe places, however; I love what Gaiman (2013), said, “We have an obligation to imagine.”

References

Austen, J., Graham-Smith, S. (2010). Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Quirk Books. Philadelphia, USA

Black, R.W. (2008). Adolescents and online fan fiction. New York: Peter Lang.

Black, R.W. (2009). Online Fan Fiction, Global Identities, and Imagination
Research in the Teaching of English, Vol. 43, No. 4 (May 2009), pp. 397-425. National Council of Teachers of English. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27784341 23-09-2015 12:08 UTC.

Gaiman, N. (2013). Why our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming. (A Lecture) In Cooper, S. (2013). Libraries are the frontline in the war for imagination. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming accessed 23/09/2015 at 11.42pm.

Downes, S. (2014). Column: What is Fan Fiction – and why is it making people nervous?. thejournal.ie 01/03/2014. [online] accessed 21/09/2015. http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/what-is-fan-fiction-and-why-is-it-making-people-nervous

James, E.L. (2013). Biography. [online] http://www.biography.com/people/el-james-21129925. Accessed 22/09/2015 at 11.04pm.

Moore, D. (2012). Social Reading: Fad or Future. Darcy Moore Blog. http://www.darcymoore.net/2012/07/29/social-reading-fad-or-future. [online] accessed 21/09/2015 at 5.45pm.

Potter, C. (2009). Harry Potter and The Temple of Witchcraft. [online]. http://www.harmony.fanfiction.tumblr.com  accessed 22/09/2015, at 5:15pm.

Wikipedia. (2015). List of best-selling books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books [online] accessed 23/09/2015 5.45pm.

Digital Literacy – More than Words 😶📱

Shakespears’ dauntless vocabulary is heralded as literary genius! Yet his works were filled with an almost laughable excess of new and modernised words. He twisted and manipulated the boundaries of traditional written language and used slang to connect to the community. His prose is now a fixture in our curriculum. Perhaps, just as Shakespeare did, digital slang is transforming literacy from its’ traditional form, one post at a time.

Boyd (2012) outlined the primary function of literacy according to ACARA as,

“…to develop students’ ability to interpret and create texts with appropriateness, accuracy, confidence, fluency and efficacy for learning in and out of school, and for participating in Australian life more generally.” 

Increasingly, as digital media saturates every facet of life, being able to understand, interpret and communicate digital language is an essential skill for anyone wanting to participate in a productive society. Boyd (2012), highlights this as a shift from the traditional understanding of literacy to a broader, rounded perspective that collects the digital matter under a holistic paradigm.

Bill Boyd – Literacy and New Media Landscape

What is digital literacy? Traditionally, mention literacy we immediately think of words, spelling, writing, grammar, themes, books or reading. Digital literacy, however; goes far beyond the fore-mentioned. Hague and Payton (2010), identify digital literacy as critically engaging with technology. They go on to say it,

“Develops social awareness of how a number of factors including commercial agendas and cultural understandings can shape the ways in which technology is used to convey information and meaning.” (Hague and Payton, 3:2010).

FutureLab Handbook for Digital Literacy in the Curriculum.

Limiting literacy to written form can limit student outcomes. In my music classes I introduced a songwriting unit. Students’ write their own song, record it and create a music video. Within a short space of time students started to post their songs online in a variety of forms. Some students even created their own Sound Cloud accounts. At first I was overwhelmed and hesitant to inform my Faculty Head. The litigation…I don’t have parent permission (gulp)😳. After a while I realised, these students had taken a leap into real life production and had mastered the digital literacy of production. Dowdall (2009), supports this concept of children as producers. She acknowledges the evolution of text production through new technologies, and advocates the concept that digital forums provide opportunities for mastery of digital literacies.

Windows 10 have created an ad that illustrates the future. The announcer outlines the babies pictured, as the future digital consumers. This ingenious marketing, presents us with a glimpse into the saturation and influence that technology will have in the not so distant future.

Windows 10

Windows 10 – window to the future

The opportunities are endless if educators embrace the forums available at the click of a button. Assessment can be as diverse and innovative as the creator desires. Best of all this is, of course, no longer limited to the classroom. One of the most difficult issues I have both faced and foreseen, is having a grasp on the technical aspects. This is where we become networkers with the experts the students themselves.

Technology enable the discovery of new literacies – and just like Will Shakespeare himself – can challenge the established idealism to forge a platform of innovation. Perhaps by offering opportunity to explore these new territories, a new literary genius will rise.

This is one of my students’ Doolie and her original song- this young lady is exceptional.

Cleopatra by Ms Doolie Shadforth

References

Boyd, B. (2012). Literacy and the New Media Landscapes. https://literacyadviser.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/literacy-and-the-new-media-landscape (Accessed 09/09/2015)

Burnett, C., & Merchant, G. (2011)Is there a Space for Critical Literacy in the Context of Social Media? English Teaching: Practice and Critique. may (2011). Vol. 10:1. pp 41-57.

Dowdall, C. (2009) Masters and Critics: Children as Producers of Online Digital Texts. In Digital Literacies: Social Learning and Classroom Practices. SAGE Publications, London.

Hague, C &Payton, S. (2010). Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum. A Futurelab Handbook. Futurelab – Innovation in Education. http://www.futurelab.org.uk (Accessed 10/09/2015).