A Musing from the Stacks: Assignment 2: Curation

The selection of these ten resources began for me when I focused on my group of Challenge students that I work with twice a week; they are a phenomenal group of grade 4 and 5 students with diverse interests and needs. This past year I discovered, through working and building connections with them, that hands-on projects, art, and geography were areas of appeal. With this in mind, I thought a venture into notable historical places around the world with the chance for them to showcase model building and architectural design could be a lot of fun.

The students I teach this coming year will be from different classes as our gifted students are not usually clustered. The grade 4/5 teachers at my school have a wide range in teaching styles and technology use, this past year, only one of the five teachers worked directly with me in the LLC in terms of collaboration. All other students will have spent some time with me during their library time as I cover prep and will have knowledge of our library catalogue and district databases. During remote teaching, I was able to see that most of my students were comfortable and adept with using laptops and iPads but needed a lot of guidance in terms of sourcing information - in my online teaching, I always provided direct links to the pages and information that was needed to do assignments and I would model how to use them during weekly meetings. In Rod Berger’s video (2014) mentioned by Joyce Valenza (2014) in her blog about app smashing, it was noted that students should be allowed to take the lead in learning technology and that we should just start without being afraid. The video also mentions that with digital tools building on top of previous generations, many iterations merely shift in presentation but the skills learned are transferable and the more practice we do, the easier it is to learn new apps. In this sense, I think many of my students, having spent June with me online, will be willing and able to navigate curated resources I present to them in Destiny Collections and be comfortable to expand their searches from there.

In looking through Module 5, I kept in mind, the diversity in learning styles of this group, so I wanted to focus on providing an array of the types of resources to include: webpages, databases, interactive activities, print, video, etc.

Reading through Module 6, I noted the importance of digital and critical literacies and so I approached my curation with an analytical eye, using the CRAAP test as I went along.

The visual literacy toolkit from the Victoria State Government inspired me to include the Patrimonito video set from UNESCO which can be used in direct instruction or watched independently by students and requires inferential comprehension “to develop analytical thinking and semiotically informed observational skills” (“Visual literacy”, 2018). This engagement in deeper thinking would promote some great discussions with this group of students - they often need a nudge in this direction and these videos would provide a good catalyst for that. Visual literacy was also in mind when I looked at print materials, a flip book and David Macaulay’s stunning technical drawing books were thoughtful inclusions. A TEDtalk by Macaulay that I found was wonderful too but as it was not directly relevant to the search topic, I did not include it - should a student be further interested in aspects of drawing and architecture, I could direct them to it later.

Originally, my searches were just for the locating of information on notable historic sites around the world but as I delved deeper, it morphed. I looked through the eyes of a younger generation and of their worries and concerns and I thought, maybe old buildings and ruins are not huge draws, there has been so much talk about climate change and our planet, surely, natural wonders that could be disappearing as a result, may be more of an interest, so I started including them as well. This started a trend towards conservation and preservation that led me to UNESCO and locally, CRHP (Canadian Register of Historic Places). The biggest surprise for me in my search was the resource I stumbled on with regards to Indigenous Tourism. “Indigenous Tourism can be defined as a tourism activity in which Indigenous people are directly involved either through control and/or by having their culture serve as the essence of the attraction” (UNBC, 2020). In all honesty, this was new to me and I came across it while looking for landmarks that reflect First Nation’s teachings - I then found further articles with regards to how this was the fastest growing segment of the tourism economy, I also found opinions of how this was beneficial to many communities but also several issues and challenges faced by it. I wasn’t sure at first how I felt about including it but after reading Davidson’s (2020) article on evaluating Indigenous resources and finding the UNBC definition of the term, I feel this could be a topic that could be considered further and am including it in the list at this time for that reason.

Annotated Bibliography

Explore Indigenous Canada. (2020). Retrieved 29 July 2020, from https://indigenoustourism.ca/en/

Homepage of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, a non-profit organization with a goal to promote sustainable and culturally rich Indigenous Tourism in Canada. Webpage promotes indigenous events and experiences across the country, they are partnered with diverse provincial and territorial tourism associations as well as federal, national and international groups. Features an interactive map that highlights locations and experiences. My hope is that viewing this website will create questions for students about the type of tourism we expect in mainstream media, the drive behind this industry, and why it is important for Indigenous communities and for Canadians. This site is for the promotion of companies and businesses; however, it will allow students to see what is offered by this growing sector of tourism in our country.

Google Earth. (2020). Retrieved 27 July 2020, from https://www.google.com/earth/

An easy to use, browser-based version of the geobrowser for the exploration of our planet. Using satellite and aerial imagery and other geographic data, the Earth is represented in three-dimensional access. Users have the ability to pan, zoom, rotate, and tilt the view of the Earth. Various collections are also offered so that students can do subject searches to view experiences of world sites collected by institutions or contributors. Students will be able to walk the streets and go up to the landmarks they are interested in to view them. A powerful way to bring communities from around the world up close and personal. Google Earth provides a hands-on way to see our planet from the comfort of the classroom.

Hill, S. (2018). Then and Now - Ancient Wonders. Lonely Planet Publications.

An interactive (gatefolds and flaps) book detailing palaces, temples and buildings from famous historical civilizations. Information is given on the importance of these structures during their heyday and their influence on us today. Comparisons are shown detailing how the buildings looked in their prime and what they look like now. The appeal will be to learners who are hands-on, visual, and love to pore over details and diagrams. Print books allow students to read and learn at their leisure. Lonely Planet has been a trusted guide for travelers for nearly 50 years, their children’s imprints are vibrant, attention-grabbing, and rich in details.

Learn360. (2020). Retrieved 27 July 2020, from https://learn360.infobase.com/

A subscription database of streaming multimedia resources including videos, games & activities, printables, audio content, and maps and flags. Search is easy to use and can be filtered by grade level to provide more focused finds. Specifically, this resource provided many videos results that I feel will pique student interest; the information contained is reliable and will help them as they search further online. Many of the video are educational-based and provide historical, cultural and architectural information rather than the tourist information I have seen from other sources. This resource is accessible at school or from home with a school district login.

Macaulay, D. (2010). Built to last. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

A reimagining of three books: Castle, Cathedral, and Mosque by David Macaulay. The previous meticulous works have been revised and updated in colour with new drawings and information. Students the how and why some of the world’s greatest structures were designed and built through detailed illustrations. Macaulay’s work has always been a favourite of mine, in the way he interprets story and weaves in architecture. A lot of technical information will be gleaned by students through the examination of this book - I hope questions and discussions will arise about how structures are built and the change in technologies from the past to the present. The depth of information and detail will appeal to my Challenge students, many of whom, revel in knowing about all the particulars, I feel they will appreciate the minutiae usually associated with these books and will be able to apply their learning to other structures they examine.

New7Wonders | The Global Voting Campaigns. (2020). Retrieved 29 July 2020, from https://new7wonders.com/

The webpage for the New7Wonders Global Voting Campaign with a detailed list of 49 finalists from around the world. This webpage is a part of voting campaigns that occurred in 2007 (Wonders) and 2011 (Natural Wonders); though the currency is not as recent as I would prefer, the information is relevant and accurate and the lay-out of the pages easy to navigate. The goal of these campaigns had been to allow voters from all parts of the world to vote and choose a new series of Wonders and promote a shared legacy for years to come, a lot of effort was put into building awareness globally to ensure maximum participation so for this reason, there was quite a lot of coverage in the media and the list is actively used today. It is always nice to go back to the source and begin from there.

Parks Canada. (2020). Canada's Historic Places. Retrieved 29 July 2020, from https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/home-accueil.aspx

The webpage of The Canadian Register of Historic Places (CRHP), a source for information on over 13,000 historic places in Canada and useful conservation tools. Students are able to search by area on the register map to find places of significance. Clicking on the location name will give further details such as details, heritage value, and character-defining elements. The search features are a bit clunky and students will likely need some guidance but I feel it will be engaging for many of the students to see and find locations of historical significance in our community and adjoining neighbourhoods. Being able to connect our search of historical landmarks closer to home may give incentive for my students to visit, examine, and raise questions on what is around us that is important to remember and preserve.

Wilson, A. (2020). 10 virtual tours of the world's most famous landmarks. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/mar/30/10-best-virtual-tour-worlds-most-famous-landmarks

A news article highlighting virtual tours of ten of the world’s most famous landmarks. The Guardian is a mainstream news source that is generally reputable and this article has been well curated for virtual tours that showcase several of the world’s most famous landmarks. All the tours are appropriate for students and provide very good visuals to experience the sights as if they were there. These virtual tours give an extra bit of oomph to the general videos of places that students may have seen and could create interest in a new way. Students can engage in a true-to-life manner with these simulations in ways that written words may not describe. Several of the tours draw from Google Earth and Google Maps but many are a part of project collaborations between archaeologists and historians who are able to lend their expertise and enhance learning.

World Book. (2020). Retrieved 27 July 2020, from https://worldbookonline.com/

A subscription database encyclopedia containing enhanced articles with embedded media and related resources. The World Book family of resources are available in a range of levels from beginning learners (preschool - Early Learning) to those who are more adept (secondary - Advanced). World Book Online Student, aimed at intermediate and middle school students, has an easy to navigate search with straight-forward language. Articles tools include: read aloud to promote student understanding; translation into multiple languages; ability to define words by clicking within the article. Students will be able to gather general information from this resource to start-off or come to WBO to verify information from other sources. This resource is accessible at school and from home with a school district login.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2020). Patrimonito. Retrieved 29 July 2020, from https://whc.unesco.org/en/patrimonito/

A series of educational videos featuring Patrimonito, the international mascot of the World Heritage Education Programme, who journeys around the world and introduces World Heritage sites, the threats they are facing, and proposes solutions to preserve them. Videos can be viewed by students independently or shown by teacher to aid in discussion about cultural and natural site preservation. The videos are available in multiple languages but that pertains only to the title and information pages at the beginning and end of the feature; the videos have no dialogue so students will be tasked with inferring the information through the actions and visuals of the cartoon. I feel this will actually aid in understanding as students can share what they glean and compare with their peers. Further, UNESCO also has the World Heritage List on their site accessible through search on an interactive map for students to go deeper in their exploration.

Destiny Collection: Investigating World Landmarks