Resource Based Learning

It’s all about learning isn’t it? It’s all about the process of acquiring knowledge. I know from my experience if I needed to know something I would first ask questions in my head then outwardly to my immediate surroundings (that is the walls, my mug, the computer screen – no just kidding. I usually bombard and harass (don’t worry he likes it) my partner with the whys, how’s and whats then I think about my friends and family – would they know the answer to my questions??) and if none of them have any clue (although some might be able to give me some ideas on how to tackle it) I then go to my computer and do a quick search. Isn’t the Internet fantastic?

For example, I want to set up a company so I type ‘register’ and ‘company’ in the box and voila I get links to the ASIC (Aust Securities and Investment Commission), Australian govt business portal and a private company where you can register your company in an instant. Within those websites are an array of information about starting up a business, tax requirements etc. So I take the information I need, organize them and present them in a way to help set up my company.

The difference between my experience and that of a student in a school environment is that I sought my information independently whereas the student has the teacher/librarian facilitating his/her information seeking process. But how did I acquire my information seeking skills? Mostly from trial and error. To be honest, teachers or teacher librarians have not had any significant impact on me when I was learning or doing research at school. Perhaps it’s because it was so long ago that I don’t remember any of it. Or maybe I just didn’t know that I was being taught information literacy.

I love the Internet – it’s instant, it’s there 24/7. So why would we need school libraries if we could access information via this new technology? Because human beings are social, tactile and physical creatures. My 18 month old son loves our local library – I set him loose in the kiddies area and I tell you if he had his way he would spend the whole day there. He picks out books, takes them to the beanbag and sits there reading like a real grown up-it’s so funny. And even though he doesn’t know how to read yet, he is learning that the library is where books (which have so many wonderful pictures) are kept and other people/kids hang out. So the answer to the second question of this discussion is no, the nature of RBL hasn’t changed with the advent of new technologies.