ETL 503_210430 Assignment 1 Part B – Annotated resource list

‘In developing a school collection, the selector begins with the needs of the curriculum and then seeks to discover the positives in resources that would merit their inclusion in the school’s collection’ (Jenkinson, 2002, p. 22). The needs of the curriculum for the purpose of Assignment 1 ETL503 _210430 involve providing resources for the historical study of colonial Australia in the 1800s by students in Year 5. The relevant content descriptor for Year 5 knowledge and understanding of history is ‘the impact of a significant development or event on a colony’(ACARA, 2013). This is elaborated as investigating the event, explaining its impact on the colony. Through the examination of the development of the colony, significant events and people, they learn about what life was like for different groups of people in the colonial period. There is emphasis on identifying a range of sources and locating and recording information through historical inquiry (ACARA, 2013). The role of the teacher librarian in this situation is to ensure there is accumulation of resources: print, e-resource, fiction, non-fiction and reference that meet the needs of both the teacher and the students, enabling effective teaching and learning of the curriculum to occur (Koren, 2007).

            ‘The effective use of information sources in the learning program is facilitated by access to information provided by systems and services managed through the school’s information services. These systems include the identification and selection of suitable information sources’  (ALIA/ASLA, 2014).

            In order to select resources for use with this Australian History Curriculum (AHC) unit, the teacher librarian must engage the use of three sets of selection criteria: broad, general and specific. The South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services (2004) broad selection criteria for schools is summarised in the table located in Appendix A. Further investigation, using general and specific selection criteria will be applied to each resource, to accurately determine the resources worth in being added to the school collection. The general selection criteria located in Appendix B is taken from Hughes-Hassel and Mancall (2005), who believe that learner centered selection criteria places emphasis on matching resources to learner characteristics and the teaching–learning context (p. 43). A more specific selection criteria for e-resources has been developed (Williams, 2002 & Baltimore County Public Schools, 2013) and included in Appendix C. Table 1 provides a key for symbols that indicate the needs the resource meets.

Table 1

Reference to broad, general and specific criteria are represented in brackets using the number 1 for broad, 2 for general and 3 for specific and a letter for the exact criteria e.g. (2C) =  general selection criteria, accuracy.
✪	Teacher resource kit / pack	§	interactive	:	E-resource
3	Non fiction document / printable / blackline master	&	Fiction/ non fiction book	0	Student activities / student research

            The following ten resources have already been found to meet many of these broad selection criteria. They are all related to the providing information about the history of gold in Australia (1A, 1E), are relevant to the age of the students (1D) and do not appear to expose students to offensive materials (1E). Each resource appears to be inclusive of the peoples involved in the gold rush (1B, 1C, 1G).

1. Webber, K. (2012). Curriculum resource pack: the Australian gold rushes: for upper primary students. South Yarra, Vic. : MacMillan Education Australia.

✪ § 3 & : 0

Located in the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) (Education Services Australia, 2013) using Gold + resource pack as the search terms, The SCIS summary for this resource indicated the material was up-to-date (2C) and supported the curriculum content (2B). The limited search parameters on SCIS and  the lack of visual images made it difficult to ascertain the worth of the resource pack. This meant a further search for more detailed information was required. A Google (2103) search produced a more informative link to the resource at Teacher Superstore (2014). This site had several visual images of sample pages of the information texts that showed the resource to be of appropriate reading level and interest for Year 5 (2A) organised in a functional and eye catching way (2E, 2I) with both relevant, in-depth information on the topic and appropriate graphics, both illustration and photographs of artifacts (2H). The pack features a networkable CD providing digital copies of each book in the pack, providing a digital resource that is safe (3A) and suitable for the age group (3B).  There is a considerable cost for this resource that could be justified considering the networkable access to digital copies that would provide for multiple user access. The Powerhouse Museum (NSW Government, n.d.) is noted on the front cover of each title, giving indication of authority of the information (2F).

2. Fox. M. & O. (2003). Discovering gold. Ballarat, Vic. : Wizard

3 0

Museums around Australia have made considerable efforts to build links between their heritage resource and history education and can often provide valuable information on available resources. The Sovereign Hill website, provides a bibliography of classroom resources, where details of this resource ‘Discovering Gold’ (Sovereign Hills Museum Association, n.d.) was located. The review of the resource indicated that it is suitable for years 4-6 (2A), and contains appropriate curriculum content (2B), reflecting the diverse society of the gold fields (2D). A SCIS search confirmed the resource, with a link through to Google Books (Google, 2012) that showed several example pages from the resource. The information is presented in a way that shows an appropriate level of detail and content for Year 5 students (2A, 2B). While this resource is a blackline master book and therefore not as visually appealing as digital resources, this is a print resource that could be used to provide information for students to analyse when digital / online resources are not available (2G, 2I). There is no indication of the author’s qualifications nor sources cited.

3. National Museum Australia. (2013c). Gold and Civilisation – for teachers [resource pack]. Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/18965/gold_civilisation_teachers_colour.pdf

&

National Museum Australia. (2013b). Gold and Civilisation – for students [resource pack]. Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/18966/gold_civilisation_student_colour.pdf

✪ 3 : 0

An initial search for ‘Gold’ on the Scootle website (Education Services Australia, 2014b), easily located this digital resource without need of further search refining. Produced by a recognised authority (2F), the pack includes relevant information for both teachers and students (2A, 3B), for the purpose of education about the Australian goldfields (3C). The teacher pack provides detailed background information on the history of the gold fields (2B), citing credible sources (2C, 2F). There is a significant section on minority peoples on the goldfields, providing details of the diverse colonial society (2E). The student pack contains primary source images and poetry with questions to promote inquiry and critical thinking, suitable for Year 5 students (2A, 2B), that meet the needs of visual learners (2D) and would be a good compliment to other non-fiction resources (2G). It is clearly set out and organised (2E). Although produced digitally, the resource is designed to be used as a print resource.

4. Victorian Cultural Collaboration. (n.d.). Gold. In Gold. Retrieved from http://www.sbs.com.au/gold/

§ : 0

Exploring the use of Google (Google, 2013) as a selection aid, the terms ‘Gold’ and ‘Colony’ were used in the search engine. The fourth result was the link to ‘The Original Gold Rush Colony’ (n.d.) located in Mogo, NSW. This easily navigated site, contained relevant information useful for the unit. However it also proved useful as a selection aid in its own right, providing links to other relevant sites. ‘Gold’ is produced for educational purposes through a collaboration of credible sources in Victoria, such as the Museum of Victoria (n.d.) and the State library of Victoria (State Government Victoria, 2014) (3C, 3E). The website features a combination of relevant facts, primary source pictures, and interactive activities (3C). It is easy to navigate and appears user friendly for Year 5 students (3F).  The text however, could be difficult for some Year 5 students to comprehend, and may be best used for higher end students (3B). The site does not contain any advertising or pop ups, but does provide links to other relevant sites (3C). The site requires the ‘flash’ plug in (3D).

5. Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. (2000). Gold!. In Kidcyber. Retrieved from http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/gold.htm

: 0

Exploring the validity of using Google (2103) as a selection aid to locate kid friendly websites on the Australian Gold rush, a boolean search was conducted using ‘Australia+Gold+Kids’. This proved a successful search option with the top result being a link to the kidcyber ‘Gold!’ page. The site appears to contain relevant content supporting the curriculum (3C), is visually appealing (3F) and written in kid friendly text (3B). There are relevant graphics, links to further relevant information and is easy for the students to navigate (3D, 3F).  This site claims to locate their information from specialists but does not cite credible sources (3E) making their accuracy and authority and accuracy difficult to determine. Although no advertising was evident, the home page does state that advertising is now being included across the site (3C). The site appears to function purely for student research (3B, 3C) does not require students to provide any personal information (3A) and does not require additional software or subscription fees (3D).

6. Education Services Australia. (2012). Gold Rush: level 2. In Scootle. Retrieved from http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L680/index.html

§  : 0

This interactive gaming resource was very easily found through a search in Scootle using the School’s Online Thesaurus (ScOT) (Education Services Australia, 2014a) terms ‘gold rush’, year 5-6, learning object. Developed in conjunction with the National Museum of Australia (2013a) (3E) for the purposes of exploring the Gold rush in Ballarat (3C), students are required to take on the persona of a person seeking their fortune on the Goldfields. The site is user friendly (3F) and does not require teacher supervision (3D). The site is contained and cybersafe: it does not have links to any other website, nor does it have advertising or ask for student information(3A).This site would complement the learning of the curriculum content, providing the students opportunity to apply and analyse their understandings in an interactive way (2G). This site has received a 5 star rating from 3 reviews on Scootle and is also available in an easy format Gold Rush level 1 for lower end students.

7. French, J. (2009). The night they stormed Eureka. Sydney: Harper Collins Publishers.

&

A search on the Library thing (n.d.) website, using the tag ‘australia; gold rush’ produced the title of this book, written by a well respected author (2K). A review on this site confirmed it was about the Eureka stockade but little other detail.  Further research produced a book review from the journal ‘Reading Time’ (Steinberger, 2009, p. 35), which gives a detailed synopsis of the book confirming the content fits with the scope of the curriculum (2B). Steinberger states that it is ‘an excellent historical novel for young readers aged 10 to 13’ indicating it’s appropriateness for Year 5 (2A).  Although the reviewer indicates that French provides notes on the goldfields and a history of the rebellion and it’s aftermath, there is no mention of French’s qualifications, nor whether she cites credible sources (2C, 2F). This resource is a well crafted historical fiction, and appears to have the literary merit required (2J), if the teacher is to use it as a whole class read to create connections to events of the past (2G, 2I).

8. Wilkinson, C. (2008). The night we made the flag. Newtown, NSW. : Black Dog Books.

&

This resource was located on librarything.com using the tag ‘eureka stockade’. A review of this book located in Books + Publisher Magazine (Jordan, 2008), confirmed it was historical fiction offering a unique view of the Eureka uprising through the eyes of the women who sewed the flag (2D). Jordan states that it is a ‘valuable source of factual information’ (2B, 2E) ‘with an end note explaining the historical context’ (2E, 2G). Jordan praises the aesthetic qualities and literary merit of the book (2I, 2J) stating it would be ‘an invaluable addition an any school library’.

9. National Library of Australia. (2013). Trove. Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au

✪  3 : 0

One of the priorities with resourcing the history curriculum is the need for student access to primary sources. While Scootle provides links to some basic primary source collections, these are created by someone else.  Ultimately, students need to learn to ‘search for, and select among masses of primary sources, analyse the context of the materials, before interpreting and arriving at their own conclusion’ (Krause, 2010, p. 402). Although Trove could be considered a selection aid for locating resources, in the case of the History curriculum, Trove is a critical ‘primary source’ resource (3C). It is produced by a reputed organisation, and contains credible materials (3E). The issue with this resource is that it is not designed specifically for students, and requires explicit teaching in order for students to effectively access relevant resources (3B, 3C, 3D). The organisation and layout of Trove is easy to understand, and students at a Year 5 level would be able to navigate the site (3F) as long as there was teacher assistance (3D) ‘to facilitate the discovery and use of these resources’ (Krause, 2010, p. 402).

10.           The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority). (2014). Year 5 History – Investigating the colonial period in Australia: shaping the Australian colonies [research pack]. Retrieved from http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/26012.html

✪ 3: 0

Scootle's comprehensive search parameters enable easy location of specific resources.  ‘Gold rush, year 5-6, assessment resource, history’ located this resource.  The educational details state it to be of significant value to the Year 5 AHC, and provides a way of gathering evidence of knowledge and understanding (2A, 2B). Produced by the Queensland Studies Authority (2F, 2K), it is a downloadable resource to support teaching, learning and assessment of the content. This resource contains matrixes, rubrics and tables to guide the students through the inquiry process (2G). This site does not contain specific information on the Australian gold rush but does provide a list of credible source links that could be used to enhance the teaching of this unit (2C, 2F). The student booklet has been organised in a logical and coherent way, supporting students through the inquiry process (2E). This resource would be of value to teachers new to the colony content, the AHC or the process of inquiry learning.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA),  (2013). The Australian Curriculum v6.0 History Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum by rows. In The Australian Curriculum v6.02. Retrieved from

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10#level5

Australian School Library Association (ASLA) & Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA),  (2014). Access to Information. In Australian School Library Association::ASLA. Retrieved from http://www.asla.org.au/advocacy/Access-to-information.aspx

Baltimore County Public Schools. (2013). Selection Criteria for school library media centre collections. In Baltimore County Public Schools. Retrieved from https://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html

Education Services Australia. (2012). Gold Rush: level 2. In Scootle. Retrieved from http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/L680/index.html

Education Services Australia (2103). Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS). Retrieved from http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/home.html

Education Services Australia (2104a). Schools Online Thesaurus. Retrieved from http://scot.curriculum.edu.au

Education Services Australia (2104b). Scootle. Retrieved from https://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/p/home

French, J. (2009). The night they stormed Eureka. Sydney: Harper Collins Publishers.

Fox. M. & O. (2003). Discovering gold. Ballarat, Vic.: Wizard

Google. (2102). Discovering Gold – Google Books. In Google Books. Retrieved from http://books.google.ca/books?id=5knxqtAzzuIC&source=gbs_ViewAPI&redir_esc=y

Google. (2013). Google Canada. Retrieved from https://www.google.ca

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J.C. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners. Retrieved from EBook library.

Jenkinson, D. (2002). Selection and censorship: It’s simple arithmetic. School Libraries in Canada. 2(3), 22

Jordan, Leonie. The Night We Made the Flag [Book Review] [online]. Bookseller + Publisher Magazine, Vol. 88, No. 1, Jul 2008: 48. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=420036792096633;res=IELAPA> ISSN: 1833-5403. [cited 09 Apr 14].

Koren, J. (2007). What is a library collection? [slideshare]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/joh5700/what-is-a-library-collection-2007-format

Krause, M. G. (2010). ‘It Makes History Alive for them”: the role of archivists and special collections librarians in instructing undergraduates. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(5), 401-411.

Library Thing. (n.d.). The night they stormed Eureka by Jackie French – Library Thing. Retrieved from https://www.librarything.com/work/8774133

Museum Victoria. (n.d.) Museum Victoria. Retrieved from http://museumvictoria.com.au

National Library of Australia. (2013). Trove. Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au

National Museum of Australia. (2103a). National Museum of Australia. Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/homepage

National Museum Australia. (2013b). Gold and Civilisation – for students [resource pack]. Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/18966/gold_civilisation_student_colour.pdf

National Museum Australia. (2013c). Gold and Civilisation – for teachers [resource pack]. Retrieved from http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/18965/gold_civilisation_teachers_colour.pdf

NSW Government. (n.d.). The Powerhouse Museum. Retrieved from http://www.powerhousemuseum.com

State Government of Victoria. (2014). State Library of Victoria. Retrieved from http://www.slv.vic.gov.au

Steinberger, K. (2009). Swerve. Reading Time, 53(4), 35.

Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. (2000). Gold!. In Kidcyber. Retrieved from http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/gold.htm

Teacher Superstore. (2014). The Australian Gold Rushes – Curriculum Pack. In Teacher Superstore. Retrieved from http://www.teachersuperstore.com.au/product/australian-curriculum/the-australian-gold-rushes-curriculum-resource-packs/

The Original Gold Rush Colony. (n.d.). Australian Gold Rush Colony- resource Links – Australian 1850s Gold Rush Colony Mogo South Coast NSW. In The Original Gold Rush Colony. Retrieved from http://www.goldrushcolony.com.au/resources

The Sovereign Hills Museum Association. (n.d.) Sovereign Hill Bibilography of classroom resources. In Sovereign Hill.  Retrieved from http://education.sovereignhill.com.au/teachers/bibliography-of-classroom-resources/

The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority). (2014). Year 5 History – Investigating the colonial period in Australia: shaping the Australian colonies [research pack]. Retrieved from http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/26012.html

The State of South Australia, Department of Education and Children’s Services. (2004).  Broad Selection Criteria [ETL503 Module 2.5]. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from Charles Sturt University website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL503_201430_W_D/page/107347c1-3a72-453a-8091-13f98fefcf2c

The State of South Australia, Department of Education and Children’s Services. (2004).  Choosing and using teaching and learning materials. Hindmarsh, S.A.: DECS Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/policy/files/links/Choose_use_booklet_FA.pdf

Victorian Cultural Collaboration. (n.d.). Gold. In Gold. Retrieved from http://www.sbs.com.au/gold/

Webber, K. (2012). Curriculum resource pack: the Australian gold rushes: for upper primary students. South Yarra, Vic. : MacMillan Education Australia.

Wilkinson, C. (2008). The night we made the flag. Newtown, NSW. : Black Dog Books.

Williams, I.D. (2002). Ensuring quality in the collection of free internet based resources for Australian schools. Access, 16(3), 27-30.

Appendix A: Broad selection criteria

Teaching and learning materials should be selected and accessed in ways that they
1A	Are related to curriculum policy and program, supporting the learning and /or recreational needs of the students
1B	Support an inclusive curriculum
1C	Encourage understanding of the contributions to Australian society made by a diverse range of peoples.
1D	Are relevant for the age of the students
1E	Do not expose students to offensive materials such as violent and sexualized content
1F	Enable opportunities for students to find, use, evaluate and present information in order to develop critical thinking capacities
1G	Represent a range of views on all issues.

The State of South Australia, Department of Education and Children’s Services. (2004).  Broad Selection Criteria [ETL503 Module 2.5]. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from Charles Sturt University website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL503_201430_W_D/page/107347c1-3a72-453a-8091-13f98fefcf2c

Appendix B: General Selection Criteria

PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS
Criteria	Questions to Consider
2A   Appropriateness	Is the content appropriate for my learners? Does it match their developmental level? Reading level? Social development? Learning style? Ethnic or cultural background? Will the work be of interest to my learners?
2B  Scope	What is the purpose of the work? Is the level of detail appropriate for my learners? Does it support the school curriculum or interests of the students?
2C   Accuracy	Is the material up-to-date and accurate? Are opinions and biases, if they exist, acknowledged as such? Does the creator of the work identify the sources used to create it? Does the creator cite credible sources, including specialists or experts in the subject area?
2D  Treatment	Is the style of presentation appropriate for the subject matter and does it have appeal to my learners? Does the creator avoid stereotypes dealing with race, gender, age, region and socioeconomic level? Does the resource reflect our diverse society?
2E  Arrangement and organization	Is the information arranged and organized so that students can understand it? Is the resource organized so that students can easily locate information?
2F  Authority	What are the creator’ qualifications? How knowledgeable is the creator about the subject? Does the creator cite credible sources, including specialists or experts in the subject area? Has the creator published or  produced other materials on this topic?
2G Comparison with other works	How doe this work compare with others in the same genre and format or on the same subject? How might my learners use this work? How might educators use it with students?
SECONDARY CONSIDERATIONS
Criteria	Questions to Consider
2H  Physical quality	Do physical elements such as the clarity of images, illustrations, speech, and music, the consistency of navigation icons, and the legibility of typefaces or fonts support the purpose of the work and the learning styles of my learners?
2I  Aesthetic quality	Will the work appeal to the aesthetic tastes of my learners?
2J  Literary merit	How well does the author, illustrator, or produces deal with literary components such as theme, setting, character and style?
2K  Reputation of author, illustrator, or producer	Do my learners use other works by this individual and would they find this title interesting and worthwhile?

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J.C. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners. Retrieved from EBook library. P. 46,47

Appendix C: E-resource selection criteria

PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS
Criteria	Questions to Consider
3A  Cybersafety	Is the website safe? Are students protected from exposure to inappropriate material of a sexual or violent nature? Are the students protected from encountering e-mail or bulletin board messages that are harassing or demeaning? Are students required to give personal information such as email addresses, last name, phone numbers and /or date of birth in order to access the site?
3B  Audience	Who is the target audience for this website: Students / teachers / parents / general public? Is it suitable for the age group?
3C Content	Is the site for education or entertainment? Does the content support the curriculum? Does it contain advertising? Does it contain popups? Does the site contain links to other non-relevant websites? Is the content available in other languages?
3D Accessibility	Can students use the site by themselves or do they need to work under teacher supervision? Is additional software required? Are additional plugins required to view the resource? Does the site require payment or subscription?
3E Authority	Is the content accurate? Does it cite credible sources, including specialists or experts in the subject area?
3F Organisation	Readable text? Attractive graphics? Appealing layout Search capabilities? Navigation tools? User friendly?

Baltimore County Public Schools. (2013). Selection Criteria for school library media centre collections. In Baltimore County Public Schools. Retrieved from https://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html

Williams, I.D. (2002). Ensuring quality in the collection of free internet based resources for Australian schools. Access, 16(3), 27-30.