by Tracy

Are you looking for resources to support your learners throughout the year?  Do you want new and exciting material; books to engage and inspire students; digital resources that educate, stimulate, and motivate.  

Curriculum Services offers this and more. All around New Zealand, every school has access to the very best information, support, professional knowledge and resources available.

Over the next several weeks ANZAC and Matariki will be at the forefront.  Along with our print collections, we have a wonderful selection of digital material, which you can access at any time to support classroom learning.

The High Interest Topics area on our Services to Schools site has an extensive list of authoritative, quality web resources specially selected by Curriculum Services Librarians on subject areas that are constantly in high demand.

Take a look at our entries on ANZAC and Matariki.  

There is also wonderful content in the Primary Sources section. These galleries include material that has been digitised from the Turnbull collections in Wellington, along with supplementary material: explanations of what primary sources are; guides for using primary sources and educator resources too.

Have a look at the Primary Sources ANZAC gallery.

For more information on Matariki take a look at Many Answers, which collates responses from librarians around New Zealand to students’ questions on this topic. The focus is on developing student information literacy skills.   

Now is the time to be placing your order for resources with your nearest Curriculum Services Centre. You can order classroom resources online. If you would like any of the digital resources mentioned above sent to you please tick the appropriate box on the order form and provide us with your email address. Otherwise these resources are easily available to you on our Services to Schools page.

We look forward to sending you resources and would love to hear what you and your students have done with the material. What have you created? What have you learnt? How did the material strengthen and assist the inquiry process? If you have stories or feedback your nearest centre would love to hear from you. 

By Peter Murgatroyd

The Select Committee inquiry into 21^st century learning environments and digital literacy currently underway is a critical opportunity for the library profession in New Zealand to contribute to the shaping of the future of our schools and to highlight the significant contribution that the library profession and school libraries can make to enhance learner outcomes through the creation of dynamic future focused learning environments.

The preamble to the terms of reference for the inquiry defines ‘learning environments’ as both physical and virtual spaces:

“The term ‘learning environment’ suggests learning happens in a place and space such as a school, a classroom, or a library. However, while much of 21st century learning takes place in physical locations, in today’s technology driven world, a learning environment can also be virtual, online or remote. The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate and provide recommendations on the best structures, tools, and communities, in both rural and urban New Zealand, that could better enable students and educators to attain the knowledge and skills, such as digital literacy, that the 21st century demands of us all.”

The terms of reference for the inquiry include:

•  facilities, learning spaces and ICT infrastructure;
•  the impact of the rollout of Ultra-fast broadband on teaching techniques and processes;
• the need for investment in additional resources or training for educators and learners;
• exploration of opportunities for collaboration;
• issues of equity of access and the digital divide;
• the impact of increased digital literacy on learning.

The 2012 Horizon Report highlights the paramount importance of critical information literacy and the need for our students to be able to make sense of and critically assess the credibility and value of information in an environment where information is everywhere. It also challenges schools to remove the institutional barriers that may impede progress on embracing new technologies and pedagogies.  These themes are reflected in both the focus and urgency of the Inquiry.

The inquiry challenges us to reflect and redefine our understandings of the school library and the role of the school librarian within the context of a transformed information landscape, shifts in teaching pedagogy, and the necessity to ensure that our students acquire the knowledge and skills, such as digital literacy, that the 21^st century demands. 

Submissions can be made online via a web form on the Inquiry webpage .

Writing a submission for an inquiry is different from writing a submission on a bill. As there are no specific clauses to comment on, it is important that you use the terms of reference of the inquiry as a guide to presenting your views.

• The Parliamentary guide to making submissions identifies five basic principles to follow when making your submission
•  Present a clear and logically developed argument;
• Be simple and direct. Do not write more than is necessary;
• Be accurate and complete;
• Include all relevant information;
•  Restate your recommendations in a conclusion at the end of the submission or an executive summary at the beginning. Consider listing your submission’s recommendations or summing up its main points.

Submissions closing date 11 May 2012

Further reading

• New ZealandParliament:  Make a submission on the Inquiry into 21^st century learning environments and digital literacy
• Procedural guide: Making a submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee.
• NZ e-Learning Planning Framework
• School library futures
• Manifesto for 21^st century school librarians
• 2012 Horizon Report