Alex Lawhon

Reflection for Standard 3. 2 Access to information

Candidates support flexible, open access for library services. Candidates demonstrate their ability to develop
solutions for addressing physical, social and intellectual barriers to equitable access to resources and services.
Candidates facilitate access to information in print, non-print, and digital formats. Candidates model and
communicate the legal and ethical codes of the profession.
Artifact Description
ISTC 653, Pathfinder:
For the Organization of Knowledge course, this pathfinder was created to support fifth grade students at
Fountain Green Elementary in their learning about Ellis Island and immigration in America. The pathfinder
combines collaborative planning, Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and AASL Standards for 21st-century
learners with various classification systems and community resources to aid students in their learning.
ISTC 541, Research Paper on Integrating Technology and Close Reading:
My research paper created for ISTC 541, Foundations of Instructional Technology, examines the trend
of close reading in the classroom and how technology can support this movement toward close examination and
analysis of texts. The paper explores ways that technology can be used in the media center to make the reading
of rigorous texts, as required by the CCSS, accessible to all students. The paper includes ways that technology
can assist in locating complex texts, annotating and recognizing patterns in texts, and sharing new
understandings about these readings.
Relevance
The preceding artifacts both apply this AASL standard by developing solutions for addressing physical,
social, and intellectual barriers to equitable access to resources and services in the school library setting. The
pathfinder for ISTC 653 was created using ThingLink, an online Web 2.0 tool and can be accessed by scanning
a QR code or typing a shortened link in any Internet browser. The shortened link makes the pathfinder easier to
access, and the QR code requires no typing at all; this helps those for which keyboard skills may be a difficulty.
The inclusion of visuals and songs related to the topic of immigration makes the pathfinder inviting to all.
The pathfinder I developed provides students with ways to independently gather print and non-print
information on Ellis Island and immigration in America. Some ways that I facilitate access to information is
through the use of Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR) and the use of MARC tags. Keywords are also
included to enable students to search the school’s Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), Alexandria, with
terms that will help them find appropriate resources. Community resources such as a virtual field trip of Ellis
Island and a search of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation’s archives also make the information
exciting and engaging.
For ISTC 541, my research paper about strategies for integrating technology into the process of close
reading applies AASL Standard 3.2. As the CCSS increase the expectations for students’ reading abilities,
students are required to read closely to make inferences, draw conclusions, evaluate arguments, analyze
structure, and many other skills. This paper’s discussion and application of current research develops solutions
for addressing barriers to equitable access and use of resources in the K-12 school library setting when it comes
to close reading.
The first portion addresses using online tools (i.e. NewsELA, LibriVox) to aid educators in locating
complex texts to close read. In this section, I communicate legal and ethical codes of my profession by
including information on permissions for using copyrighted material in the classroom. In the final two portions
of the paper, digital tools are suggested that allow equitable access and use of texts to all students. For example,
Web tools such as Citelighter and Skitch allow students and teachers to highlight and annotate texts digitally
and then compare annotations side by side. This aids students who may have difficulty with organization. My
paper also communicates best practices for allowing students to choose how they present and share new
understandings, providing multiple means of expression with Web 2.0 tools. This is suggested in the principles
of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and makes close reading accessible to all types of learners.
Analysis
Creating the pathfinder for ISTC 653 taught me that developing such tools for students empowers them
to be able to locate and use information on their own. The pathfinder assists students in finding information in
print, non-print, and digital formats. Because I included interesting visuals, songs, and resources such as virtual
field trips, the pathfinder is appealing to students and addresses barriers that may otherwise have been present.
To continue to make the pathfinder more accessible, I will also be creating paper formats for students who do
not have access to technology or for those times when technology does not always cooperate. I would also like
to further address social barriers by including more resources that focus on Angel Island and the archives found
there, so that students who may have family that migrated from elsewhere also feel they are equally represented
during the study of immigration.
After completion of the research paper on integrated technology into close reading, I have been able to
use some of the Web tools during lessons in my own classroom. Using websites like NewsELA has allowed me
to find complex articles on subjects that are appealing to my students and, therefore, more accessible to them
even though they are rigorous resources. Students have also found that note-taking tools, such as Citelighter,
have enabled them to become more confident in their reading abilities and in their analyses of texts. Because
students are able to have discussions about their readings online via Web 2.0 tools like Padlet and ClassFlow,
they have an equal voice in the classroom.
I will continue to practice AASL Standard 3.2 in the future by modeling the ethics of the profession and
educating students on the importance of citing any information that they highlight and refer back to in their own
discussions or work. When I am a library media specialist, these tools will continue to benefit the literacy skills
of my students and will enable stakeholders to see the value of the library in furthering these skills.