from Kate Hutchens:

This panel focused on issues of authority from the perspective of School Media Specialists. The first panelist to speak was Sally Evaldson. She presented some of the challenging aspects of student research behavior that she has observed, as well as some difficulties in dealing with teachers. She emphasized the importance of acknowledging the foundation of reading skills on which all internet reading and research is based, and the necessity to consider these skills when dealing with students and web resources. One resource that Ms. Evaldson pointed out as particularly helpful is QUICK, the QUality Information ChecKlist (http://www.quick.org.uk/index2.htm). The second panelist, Monique Uzelac, mentioned her use of the mantra "Why do I care?" while working with students to evaluate the reliability of web resources to help them understand (by being able to tell her why she cares) the importance of being critical of web information. Our third panelist, Julie Darling, discussed her way of explaining authority and bias to her students. She tells them (to paraphrase), "You are authorities on what it's like to go to East Middle School, so if you make a website about it, it's pretty authoritative. If somebody from West Middle School makes a website about East, wouldn't you wonder about their motives and quality of information?" The fourth panelist, Marcia Mardis, discussed some of the issues of negotiation, with colleagues/administrators as well as with resources and students, that confront professionals in school media. She also talked some about the AASL's Standards for 21st Century Student Learning, of which she is one of the authors. Unfortunately, time ran short for the Q&A, but the question that spurred some discussion from the panelists was about the issue of disparity in research and resource-locating skills for those graduating high school and going on to higher education, and what a college-level librarian might want to know or do to better deal with the situation.

The AASL Standards for 21st Century Student Learning can be found on AASL's page, downloadable in PDF format from:

http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cf...