Slideshows are now de rigeur at most conferences where presenters often give us all 'the bells and whistles' in an effort to engage the audience...but this can reveal more about the presenter's technical skills than it does about the matter being presented. Some 'whizz-bang' web sites have lots of attention grabbing multimedia effects with graphics, animations, and sound files, but the user may find the actual content is limited or even give up in frustration because the site takes too long to load or some of the effects don't work on their computer. 

While we should certainly encourage students to use and present with these technologies, they should not become an end in themselves. The project that looks the prettiest, whether its hand produced [e.g. poster] or digital [e.g. slideshow] might indicate the students' level of technical presentation skills but we need to acknowledge [and teach for] more than this. The integration of technology across the curriculum is to enhance learning, not to replace other methods. I encourage teachers to redesign their research assignments not merely to include a few web sites, or require different forms of presentations, but most importantly to set an 'essential question'. Essential questions require students to consider a topic or issue, select appropriate information and reflect on it. The student needs to decide the most effective form of presentation which will be imbued with their personal understanding of the question. 'Consider', 'select', 'reflect', 'decide' and 'personal understanding' are all thinking skills, not technical skills. Such essential questions largely preclude plagiarism because they are about thinking, not merely finding and reproducing information in a pretty way. 

One of my main aims in setting up a Virtual Library with Topic Links and Pathfinders is to provide 'shortcuts' to information, so that more time can be spent on using the information, rather than merely finding it. So the technology becomes a time-saving locational tool. The students still need to define their search terms then evaluate and select from what they have found, which cannot be done by the computer! 

Learning technologies are indeed an effective tool for learning. The links listed on the Learning Technologies Links page offer a mixture of background theory on collaborative learning and web-based instruction, and practical lesson ideas and online projects. I have also taken the liberty of adding some sites that offer short ICT courses that may be suitable for educators and librarians wishing to update their technical skills.

As educators with particular expertise in information retrieval and management, I believe teacher librarians can play a large role in customising information networks for both teachers and students. So teacher librarians need to evolve from information specialists to knowledge managers. We have a role to play in facilitating knowledge (not just information) networks within, across and beyond our school communities. We are all aware of the internet and the plethora of commercial multimedia resources now available for RBL. Indeed that same multiplicity of resources is why we need to foster the information literacy skills of students [and teachers!]. What many discount or fail to consider are the 'home-grown' resources available within the school community from both staff and students. Intranets or 'Virtual Libraries' do not only improve the accessibility of information, they are the infrastucture by which schools can invest in 'knowledge management' - where expertise and knowledge that resides in the work of students and teachers is preserved and managed, to the benefit of all.

To tap into these non-commercial but valuable materials, I encourage staff to publish their assignments, and students to publish their responses, on the Virtual Library. My idea of a virtual filing cabinet can also be applied to faculty areas where teachers can share their ideas, worksheets, assignments etc.. 'Home-grown' resources are already customised to each school e.g. English assignments refer to class novels held at that school. Such a digital archive of materials means valuable resources are not entirely lost when a teacher leaves the school; rather there is a rich accumulation of resources over time.

That digital archive is now more feasible through the increasing use of learning technologies by teachers when preparing and delivering their programmes. The scanner, digital camera, digital video camera and mp3 file format allow us to digitise virtually any student/teacher created items, from word processed reports to multimedia presentations or web pages. In addition modern LIMS or library information management systems, now offer the facility of cataloguing these 'home grown' items as well as other digital resources, so that they are readily accessible to all.

The material is certainly there, as is the technology to make it accessible. Just as importantly teacher librarians offer the expertise not only to manage such an information/knowledge sharing network, but also to teach others how to contribute and use it effectively.

"The thrill of acquiring or distributing information quickly must not be confused with the more demanding task of converting it into knowledge and wisdom."

Alan Bundy, University Librarian, University of South Australia