The article “Youth and their Virtual Worlds: Research Findings and Implications for School Libraries” advocates a new path for school libraries in order to enhance their students’ learning in context with new technology. It focuses on school libraries as “knowledge commons” as opposed to mere “information places,” the main difference being that of the directionality of information (Todd, 2008). A library that is structured as an “information place” only provides information while a library that is a “knowledge commons” is a center from which knowledge is both given and re-presented in new and interesting forms. The very forms in which information is re-presented are the areas where new web 2.0 technologies intersect with the more traditional information gathering processes to create such a “knowledge commons.”
The article continues to explain that the use of web 2.0 technologies is the key to both school librarians’ and students’ efforts to engage in an “information to knowledge experience” that will improve students’ overall capabilities to discover, decipher, and employ information (Todd, 2008). It cites some examples of projects that can be both instructive and creative, such as blogs about literature and group wikis that compile the research of students and teachers on a subject. The most intriguing thing about these projects is that they do not have to remain merely a local classroom or school endeavor; because of the widespread availability and use of such web 2.0 tools as “facebook” and various kinds of blogs (written, video, etc...), these kinds of projects are capable of becoming highly enriching multi-school efforts to learn from each other and not just the books on the shelves. It is projects of this nature—ones that allow students to actively participate in their learning process and tap into their creativity—that are characteristic of a “knowledge commons.” More importantly, it is projects of this nature that will ultimately equip students with the critical skills to analyze, manipulate, and recreate knowledge in the ways that will be required of them in the future.
By suggesting that learning take place in such an open and engaging environment as a “knowledge commons,” the article is advocating a specific kind of learning that uses individual and group experiences to make knowledge gained through those experiences more relevant to the students themselves. The article emphasizes the process of constructing original representations of information in order to foster a student’s “personal knowledge and understanding of the curriculum” (Todd, 2008). The underlying concept behind such a process is that students who use information along with acquired skills to create something absorb more of that information and hone those skills as a part of their learning experience. Additionally, the article encourages school librarians to assist students in using technology to find creative outlets to share their ideas and insights. It refers to a study that illustrates how children and teens are already using the content published in social networks to spark conversation that is meaningful to them. School librarians could use those same networks to begin conversations that show students how relevant they are to their own education. Then, students can realize that they empower themselves by making the knowledge that has generally been forced upon them (and will be forced upon them in the future) into their own unique understanding.
The main concern of the article is the transformation of school libraries into spaces where knowledge is shared and created as a conscious, collaborative effort by school librarians and students together. It proposes that this is a crucial step in the effort to “rethink, re-imagine, and recreate a dynamic learning environment” (Todd, 2008). Presumably, learning in such an environment would nurture students into becoming more interested, focused, and knowledgeable about themselves and the larger world. Thus, school libraries that follow the example of a “knowledge commons” can begin to improve the interactions of people and information, one student at a time.
Todd, Ross J. (2008). Youth and their Virtual Worlds Networked Worlds: Research Findings and Implications for School Libraries. School Libraries Worldwide 14(2), 19-34.
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