Vision of the Future Project

Well, here is my white board video in all its imperfect glory! I am pretty nervous to share it as I don't really know if it will be well received, but I put a lot of heart into and I believe in my message strongly. My target audience is senior school board staff but I think (hope) it could be interesting to my school staff, fellow TLs, and maybe even parents.

Click below to watch my Advocacy Video for Teacher Librarians:

General Thoughts / Reflection on the Course
 

When we first started our course and I read the description for this assignment, I was quite daunted. I really didn't have a solid understanding of what I wanted to do until we had progressed in the course and I started to feel more comfortable with the ideas surrounding 21rst century learning and using digital technologies.  Before this course, I was generally pro-technology (as long as it enhanced NOT replaced learning) but I was discouraged by the lack of time, training and available of technology in my job/library.  Working at an inner city school with a low socio-economic status can be challenging and frustrating, particularly when I was seeing my colleagues in other schools doing some AMAZING collaborative/inquiry/technology projects that just would not be a reality at my school.  Sadly, I've often left PLC meetings and Pro D Days thinking  "awesome ideas but won't work for me" because of a lack of staffing, time, funding, etc. I've found it really difficult to stay positive about my role as a TL when I just feel that more and more and more is being dumped on my plate. I started to find myself feeling stressed and anxious going to some TL events - instead of leaving feel inspired I felt almost a sense of depression that I wasn't "doing enough" as  a TL.

I've come to realize now that the reality is I can't do it all.  Even my full time colleagues probably can't "do it all" (but full time would certainly be a step in the right direction!)  The reality is I am a part time TL working with limited funds, resources and staff.  It's a tough pill to shallow and not one that I want to readily accept.  I truly feel that I could be doing more for my school library, my staff and students if I had more time! It is such a shame the TL FTE is ultimately connected to enrollment numbers - our district continues to shrink and close schools which is discouraging.  Despite all this, our district does have a wonderfully supportive TL group and we will not go down without a fight, so to speak.

Throughout our blog posts, I started to warm to the idea of using some technology (however limited) and I began to realize that my frustrations could be flipped around in a more positive light to create something useful and effective within my school district.  I kept coming back to the idea of advocacy and how I could create an advocacy artifact.  

The Idea

My default for most projects such as this would be a paper/essay (the English major in me speaking!).  Cue the *bwamp bwamp* noise.  I knew that now would be a good time for me to get out of my comfort zone, branch out and try something new.  I have been wanting to play around with some sort of video project for a while, but always assumed they would be to time consuming.  I had seen white board videos before, and I thought they were quite intriguing. Once I established that there was a good program to make white board videos, and that I wouldn't need any overly specialize equipment, I figured I would do as requested and try something that was for myself, rather innovative.

The Process

The most time consuming part of my project was the research.  It took we a while to find what I was looking for given my time constraints (never enough hours in the day!).  I did end up finding some interesting and helpful articles as noted in my Works Cited at the end of this blog post.  I knew generally what I wanted to say - that TLs do a lot of good in schools, are relevant now more then ever, and need more time/support to do their job properly.  After I had some initial research I began to write my "script" and think about my audience.  It was very difficult to stick to the three minute limit (as you saw) because there was so much I wanted to say! I soon realized that with a project like this, less is more.  I ended up pairing down the actual voice over audio and adding more text to the video to partner with my talking. I then went back and did some more research to fine tune what I wanted to stay. The actual putting together of the video was quite easy and at times fun! Videoscribe turned out to be very user friendly.  I had to read through my script about four or five times on my microphone but I got it eventually.  I also had to adjust some of the images and drawing lengths.  After a few failed (panicked) attempts at uploading to YouTube, it was ready to go.

Challenges 

While I'm proud of the process and how it turned out generally, the final product was different then how I originally envisioned.  I did feel a bit frustrated with my research and wonder if I could have done better.  I didn't have much luck finding that quantitative data I was after - I know when balancing budgets, school boards are often looking for basic numbers and stats about how a certain program/person, etc. has increased student learning and school performance.  There isn't, as far as I am aware, a standardized test that straight out measures how much a TL has helped reading scores - as an example.  So I am thinking that perhaps my video could have been a bit more "technical" with my intended audience in mind, but I found this very hard to do - the nature of teaching being what it is. I've included a copy of my original script to view here which includes in text citations of my research. 

I also had the challegne of presenting the video in the correct way.  At first my script read very much like an essay, with a lot of embedded quotes.  While I felt this was good as it demostarted my research, it just didn't sound right on the voice over.  I quickly realized that using my own words and ideas backed by research gave the video a much more natural sounding flow - I'm glad  I made this change as my video now sounds more relaxed and less monotone.

Final Thoughts

I feel pretty good overall! I have learned a lot about 21rst century learning, Teacher-Librarianship and technology.  I think every educator needs to read the "Why School?" book and I'm considering bringing it up at one of our PLCs in the future.  I also appreciate that I was able to learn more about some Web 2.0 tools and social media for educational uses such as Twitter.
Our job really is so important (How can anybody do the research I've done and not get that?!?!?!) I've learned that I may have limits to what I can do, but that with baby steps and the right attitude I might just be surprized at what I can accomplish.  It was great working with such as interactive class and I really enjoyed working via our blogs and not just off of Connect.  I'd like to stay connected as much as possible and I'm hoping to read some of the blog post I wasn't able to get to before (particularly the one of fostering a reading culture) over the holidays.  Thanks to everyone in the course!

 

 

WORKS CITED

British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) "Read The Points of Inquiry: A Framework for

Information Literacy and the 21st-Century Learner." Read The Points of Inquiry: A Framework for Information Literacy and the 21st-Century Learner., 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. bctf.ca/bctla/pub/documents/Points of Inquiry/PointsofInquiry.pdf

Dickinson, Gail, et al. “The Access Gap: Poverty and Characteristics of School Library Media Centers”. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy. Vol. 81, No. 2 (April 2011) , pp. 143-160. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/658868

Haycock, Ken. School Libraries Worldwide: Connecting British Columbia (Canada) School Libraries and Student Achievement: A Comparison of Higher and Lower Performing Schools with Similar overall Funding. 17 Vol. International Association of School Librarianship, 01/01/2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Huysmans, Frank, et al. Performance Measurement and Metrics: The Library at School: Effects on Reading Attitude and Reading Frequency. 14 Vol. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 07/19/2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Keith, Curry Lance. "Impact of School Library Media Programs on Academic Achievement." Teacher Librarian 29.3 (2002): 29-34. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Library Research Service (LRS) "Make the Case for School Libraries with Our New Impact

Studies Infographic."  27 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. http://www.lrs.org/2013/02/

 

Montiel-Overall, Patricia. Library & Information Science Research: Teacher and Librarian Collaboration: A Qualitative Study. 30 Vol. Ablex Pub. Corp, 2008. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

NCTE Comprehensive News.  "The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies." 15 Feb. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/21stcentdefinition

Oberg, Dianne. Education Canada: IGNORING THE EVIDENCE: ANOTHER DECADE OF DECLINE FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES. 52 Vol. Canadian Education Association, 04/01/2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Richardson, Will. Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. Kindle ed. 2012. E-book.

 

 

 

 

Vision of the Future - Part Three

I am creating a white board video using the program Videoscribe.  I admit that progress is slow going as I try to complete my script or "message" of my video. Balancing full time work, schooling, home renos and family is proving to be quite challenging to me these past few weeks but I know this project will get there.  I am creating an advocacy video for administration and senior school board staff I hopes that "the powers that be" will be the value of TL jobs for student achievement and how much more could be done with a full time TL in a school.

Right now I am researching scholarly articles through the UBC library such as this one and this one as I will likely want to touch on quantitative information - I feel like my audience will be most interested in numbers and stats as far as how having a full time TL benefits student learning. I am finding research to be increbible slow going  - lots of articles I have read are out of date or not Canadian in content or just not quite what I am looking for. I really would like my video to be backed up my good, reliable information.  I am anticipating that my biggest challenge this week will be creating something of value given my limited time frame. It will have to be short and sweet blog post this week as I need to focus my time on actually doing it, rather then just talking about doing it.  Looking forward to having more time to think and reflect on the process next week!

Vision of the Future - Part 2

I am now trying to work on the script/content of my video and I am realizing that I will have to focus my topic much more then I initially realized. I would like to show my video to my principal and staff but I would especially like to share it (ideally) with senior school board staff -superintendents, trustees, etc - the people who are making decisions about how much time and money is allotted to TL jobs in our district.  I would love them to watch my video and think that maybe, just maybe, TLs are really making a difference in student learning and worth investing in.

Thinking about the needs of my audience was an interesting thing to consider.  In last weeks blog post and in my initial notes about why my school needs a full time TL, I realized that it was a bit too "me" focused.  My audience doesn't care about me! What they care about is how an increase to my job is going to improve student learning. I think for them that is the bottom line. We as TLs know what we can do, but at the end of the day my video will need to be less focused on "endless possibilities" and more focused on concrete information.  They don't need another inspirational quote written over a photo of a sunset - they need facts.

I will need to do some research! I will want to make sure that I create an advocacy video that “not only clearly (and simply) articulates the role of school libraries and librarians in supporting student learning, but also to makes sure their message is received and understood by the right people….” (Ray)  My rationale will need to be based on qualitative and quantitative information on how having a full time teacher librarian will benefit student achievement. It will need to be clear, concise and effective and hopefully persuasive!

Some key ideas I'm reflecting on for my video are:

*Teacher Librarians helping with the learning goals presented in the new curriculum

*TLs helping with implementing new technologies and skills for 21rst century learning

*How more time allotted/support to collaboration will benefit students!


I need to continue to focus and narrow my topic and continue to make is relevant for my particular audience and school.

 

Works Cited

Ray, Mark. "Aiming Higher for Successful Advocacy." Teacher Librarian 41.5 (2014): 61,62,71. ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

 

Vision of the Future - Part 1

I've broken this post down into two main parts.  First I'd like to discuss what format I'm researching and then I will discuss content.
For my Vision of the Future I have been thinking a lot about the themes of embracing change, taking risks and embrace a more positive attitude toward technology .  I really want to try something different and new.  With this in mind, I have decided to try and create a whiteboard video.  I'm sure most of you have seen numerous whiteboard videos before, but just in case you aren't familiar, here is an example of what they are and why they are effective.

I think this is going to be a bit of a challenge for me but I'm really motivated to try something outside of my comfort zone rather then just a paper or blog post or website that I have done before.  I am still very much in the early planning stages and am a bit daunted, but I've found a program that seems quite user friendly called Videoscribe. Here is a very informative tutorial on the program.

Perhaps even more important then learning the program is what my content will be and the planning process.  After all, I have already discussed on my blog the importance of technology being used in a meaningful way.  I want to make a video that is insightful, educational and reflective, not just flashy and fun to watch.  This video, particularly the first minute, talks about the planning process and where I should begin.

I hope I will be able to make the video, I suspect it will be a lot of work. I played around with the program a little bit and made a intro, which likely won't be in the final product but I did figure out how to add text, images, music and voiceover.

And now to focus on my content! I have mentioned several times throughout our course the importance of advocacy. I, like many TLs, don't have enough time to do my job.  I currently work three days a week in the library, doing prep coverage for 13 classes in K to 7.  I see each class for 30 minutes a week and I have approximately 3-4 hours (depending on the week) of library admin time which includes maintaining the library collection, planning, attending to daily library "issues" and collaborating (if I'm lucky) with my staff. I don't have enough time to plan lessons that are as meaningful as I would like, I don't have time to plan Pro D opportunities, I rarely work with other staff (although partly I think this is a matter of getting teachers "on board") and the books in my library, particularly the non-fiction, is embarrassingly out of date. I want my video to specifically focus how my school would benefit having a full time TL. Dream big, right?

I haven't figured out my exact "script" for my video yet but the ideas I'm working with right now are "the dream" of my school having a full time TL in order to:

• allow more time for TL/classroom teacher collaboration so library prep lessons are planned and specifically relevant for classroom learning - students are more engaged in library when they know the lesson is directly tied to what is happening in the classroom!
•  allow time for me to be directly involved in teaching staff why TL/classroom teacher collaboration is important (fostering inquiry, personalized learning, asking questions, making connections, problem solving).
• allow time to work with staff in other roles such as Pro D, etc.
• allow more time for me to research and become more comfortable with new technologies.
• allow more time for me to work on our entire library collection with particular focus on:

                       -weed and add to the non-fiction collection to help                              meet the needs of the new curriculum

                        -consolidate, review and relocate our Aboriginal                                   resources to make the more accessible for staff.

                         -weed and add to our fiction collection in order to 

                          continuing promoting reading for pleasure and                                   have students make good book choices.

I think these are all interconnected and will all benefit student learning - which I suppose is the most important thing of sll for my intended audience.  I also want to touch briefly on the importance of our district TL group and how TLs are making a difference across the province.  My next step will be to doing some research to back my ideas in my video.  I will also need to focus my topic a bit more as I think pairing my video down to three minutes or so will be very challenging.  When all is said and done, I'd like my final product to be a concise, effective video to share with my staff but especially my admin and district staff in the name of promoting the benefits of teacher librarianship.    

Reflections of Phase 2 Inquiry

As I reflect back on my key learning from this phase of our course, I keep coming back to the idea that we as TLs are each others best resource for being life long learners.  Collaboration is alive and well in our professional and I feel more inspired than ever to learn from my colleagues within this course, at my school, in my district and around the province.  With some of the new technology we have learned about (Google hangout, Twitter, etc) it seems easier then ever to connect.  I was able to collect a lot of relevant and practical tips and resources from reading classmates' blogs which has been beneficial. Teaching can be very isolating if you are not willing to put yourself out there or are scared to ask for help.  Being a TL can also be isolating as we are often the only one doing our specific job at our workplaces.  We must stay connected, learn from each other and share, share, share!

 I have also learned to try and take a more positive attitude particularly when it comes to the implementation of digital technologies.  Instead of focusing on what my school doesn't have, I'd like to try and focus on what we do have, take some risks and move out of my comfort zone. I may not have the time and support to undertake a massive collaborative inquiry project using web 2.0 tools, but perhaps I can do something simple and learn about and implementing a few educational apps with one of the classes at my school. Baby steps. A specific goal I have in mind is having students make a book trailer.   I'd like to try using iMovie.  Here is a video running through the program.

The one topic the resonated most with me, as it was the most relevant and realistic to my job, was fostering reading cultures in schools.  Technology is wonderful, but for those of us working in a low tech/limited tech library, I think it is important to take a step back, unplug, and focus on good old fashion books. Yes, the definition of literacy has hugely changed, but I would like to think that reading for pleasure and enjoyment will always remain.  Reading is so important. This excellent article describes in a much more eloquent way what I am trying to explain.  I love talking to students about books! I love to see the excitement on a young persons face when they have found that "just right" book that has hooked them and opened up a whole new world.

As I move forward I would like to try and find a comfortable balance with all the many facets of my job- a challenge for us all.  I think I will be most successful by remaining flexible, open minded and adaptable to change.

Libraries in India and the Mobile Device Debate

This week I came across some interesting information about the changing nature of libraries in India.  Some articles I read describe Indian libraries as “undergoing metamorphosis and are reengineering their services” (Malhan 5) and are “in a hybrid state” (Zaveri 3) as they try to keep up with the needs of the 21rst century. Despite the obvious differences between Canada and India, I couldn’t help but think that some of the challenges libraries in India are facing are similar to ones here in Canada. We are united through our challenges it seems.

 Malhan's article is an interesting read and a detailed example of library programming in India.  Indeed, it seems the recommendation is that

 “Indian libraries and information centers in fact require transforming themselves from information processing and administrative units to more effective service providers and institutions that provide outreach service to meet vital information needs of the society and groom the hidden potentialities of people through information literacy programs” (Malhan 7).

Learning commons anyone?  This sounds quite similar to a lot of the buzz words and professional discussion that is happening in our school libraries.  Likewise, Malhan’s article discusses how librarians and library professional’s role is changing stating that

"Library and information professionals are increasingly working in a networked environment, dealing with library automation packages and web based information resources and services. Every LIS professional irrespective of his future place of work must have knowledge and skills for handling information technology and has the competency for creation and collection of information using the Internet (Malhan 10)".

Clearly digital technologies are important in India as they are in Canada. It would only make sense then that mobile devices play an important role in libraries in India despite the fact that they don’t seem to be as accessible in India as they are in Canada with only “one in four people owning a mobile device by 2020 (Malhan).  I really got the feeling that libraries in India vary significantly and are caught in a transition between the old fashion library and a new learning commons model.  Zaveri’s article claims that “paper based resources still form the major part of the collection in most….libraries” (7) yet I found some examples of Indian libraries taking steps into the digital world. A clash of the old and new it would seem, again this sounds familiar to challenges here at home.

This video shows an digital automation system in India.

 

 

The article E-Resource Services in Indian University Libraries is also worth a read claiming that:

The history of mankind has already witnessed three revolutions and emergence of internet is fourth revolution.

1. Language emerged
2. Advent of writing
3. Printing press: printed media of scholarly communication
4. Internet and its application: Worldwide web and electronic publications. (Mundhe)

Quite the claim!!! I think with this in mind, it fair to say that no, libraries don't need just books - digitization is here to stay. My guess regarding donatated books in India, for example, public libraries such as these

might rely on donations but that privately funded or university libraries do not.  My personal belief regarding donating weeded books is fairly strong.  Although there are certainly exceptions, I tend to believe that if weeded books aren't good enough for my library (out of date, poor condition, etc) they aren't good enough for anybody.  Given that India is known to have an unprecedented population living in poverty, donated books may be all some people have access to - never mind technology or mobile devices.

I'm glad we are considering mobile devices in schools.  Our school has a strict no cell phones policy and my library is a Wi-Fi dead zone. In other parts of the school however, the Wi-Fi and a BYOD network is alive and well, albeit for staff only.  When I worked at a secondary school five years ago, I didn't really feel there was a solid school policy on cell phones - it was left up to the teacher's discretion.  I never saw it, but apparently one of the teachers on staff was famous for having a full aquarium in his classroom with a few cell phones in the bottom of it- needless to say mobile technology was not encouraged in his classroom.  At the time I took a different approach - I let students have their phones out (I had no interest/energy in policing something so widespread) but I told them they were not to let texting, etc. distract them from their work.  This was somewhat successful - some students could handle the distraction, some could not.  So I accepted their presence in the classroom but I didn't harness the potential power of these devices either. My personal opinion is that they should be allowed in schools but that there needs to be education (internet safety, think before you post, etc.) and regulations surrounding their use.  Here is a small debate on the issue from two students perspectives:

      I wonder how much has changed since I was last in a secondary school five years ago?   I think mobile devices, particularly for secondary and post secondary students, have the ability to improve access to libraries.  I would think that students would be much more likely to access the library from their phones they then would on a family or school computer. In the article Use of Mobile and Wireless Technology in Indian Libraries, students are described as thinking "of their mobile devices as more than efficient or convenient pieces of hardware; they view the devices as integral to their daily lives" (Grovil, et al 2).  This article is  good overview of mobile device in libraries in general. One of the rules I've often heard about being a good writer is that good writers "write about what they know" - I absolutely think this rule applies to this issue.  Why reinvent the wheel when students already have a device they know how to use and is immediately accessible?

From a library/librarian point of view ,it makes a lot of sense for me to use mobile devices even if it's something as simple as using the Destiny app on my phone to check out a book (if I'm out and about in the school) or check the status of a resource from home.  But I know that this is just the beginning, really only the surface level of mobile technology use.  I was lucky enough to stumble across the International Literacy Association post while surfing Twitter. Here are some great ideas how this organization has used mobile devices and apps help build classroom libraries for international children in need. Similar to the apps they have described I have used "Level it" and "Fantasic Library" to scan books and find out information on books with which I may not be familiar.

This is really just a taste of what is out there to with libraries and mobile devices.  I did a simple search on Twittter, "mobile devices in libraries" and came up with a ton of interesting posts - I recommend checking this out if you haven't already.  At the end of the day, love them or hate them, mobile devices are definitely here to stay.  I wish it was Canadian content but I thought I'd finish with this interesting info graphic.

Works cited

 

Grovil, et al. USE OF MOBILE AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IN INDIAN

LIBRARIES. International Journal Of

Engineering And Computer Science. Volume 2 Issue 6 June, 2013 Page No. 1799-1805.  Web 28 Oct 2015.

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrSbl9_UjBWVQUATx7rFAx.;_ylu=X3oDMTEzM3VyNWFzBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQNjI2XzEEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1446036223/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fijecs.in%2fissue%2fv2-i6%2f10%2520ijecs.pdf/RK=0/RS=ntkddGjfpcu4Sbp6J_KNgIHajCM-

 

Malhan, I., and I V Malhan. Library Philosophy and Practice: Challenges and Problems

of Library and Information Education in India: An Emerging Knowledge Society and the Developing Nations of Asia. University of Idaho Library, 12/01/2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Mundhe, B. T.1, maulib_2007@rediffmail.com, and D. K.2 Veer. "E-Resource

Services In Indian University Libraries." Indian Journal Of Library & Information Science 7.3 Supp (2013): 305-311. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

 

Zaveri, Parul. Library Hi Tech: Digital Disaster Management in Libraries in India. 33 Vol. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 06/15/2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

 

Professional Development Realities

I think the 21rst century vision of a teacher-librarian as a leader in developing new skills, evaluating and acquiring new resources, and leading Professional Development around new strategies, resources and school technology is very inspiring.  I think TLs all over BC and beyond are doing amazing work for their staff, students, schools and districts. I said it before and I will say it again, I truly believe that my fellow TLs are my best resources for furthering my professional development and pedagogy.  I think it can benefit all teachers to remember the basics of why we do professional development and how we can be supported in this.  The BCTF promotes lifelong learning and I can only assume that most schools districts have support networks in place to help with professional development. This is very much a necessary part of our job!

Having said that, this is a job with a very steep learning curve, particularly in the technology department, and little time to learn with.  I feel that I am very far from being an inspirational leader in my job BUT it is a role I would like to take on eventually. The reality is I have little to no involvement in  planning/facilitating  my staff's professional development. At this time, the realities of my part time TL job (time constraints being perhaps the biggest challenge) simply do not allow me to be "all that I could be" within the role of helping my staff with professional development.  Certainly, I communicate with my staff (both individually and as a whole, formally and informally) on a regular basis, and partake in staff collaboration, but I can't say I've had much experience at the school level with Pro D, often preferring to working with my teacher librarian group to expand my knowledge base with colleagues who are doing the same job I am. In addition, I have thus far hesitated joining my school's Pro D Committee as I don't really feel overly confident yet with digital technologies - or taking on a leadership role in this capacity - one day!  One goal I have set for myself for this school year is to learn more about how iPads can effectively and purposefully be used in a educational setting.

This video, although not reflective of the technology in my school (no smart board etc.) is something worth considering and could be a good conversation starter at a staff meeting.

I do wonder how I can start to help my staff with their professional development despite the time constraints. I suppose even small actions are helpful. I am hoping to be able to revamp and consolidate our professional collection over the next few years as it is both out of date and not centrally located in the library.  As mentioned above, I would also like to be able to share with my staff useful information surrounding iPad use, but I need to learn about this myself first!  I can't imagine doing much more beyond this when I am working with such limited time - but one can always dream! And dream, I think, we must! I think from an advocacy point of view is it very important for us to consider "all the we could be" as TLs so that one day, hopefully the dream can be a reality.  Hopefully, one day I and other TLs facing similar challenges, can take on more and more leadership roles.

For the present time, unless we are talking have a 1.00 FTE at a single school, I don't really see how a TL could  do a lot of meaningful work with Pro D beyond the basics of attempting to maintain a relevant and up-to-date professional collection and keeping staff informed about said resources.  In my ideal TL job I would (and hope to one day):

• Have enough time - say an hour or two a week (?) to spend on Twitter and other social media sites connecting with other TLs and sharing their ideas and recommendations with my staff.  I really recommend checking out #TLCHAT on Twitter if you haven't already - lots of great discussion there.
• Have a school website or Facebook page to share happenings in the library with students
• Have collaboration or a "check in" time with each staff member to see what their professional development needs are.
• Have enough time to weed and add to my professional collection in a timely manner.
• Be able to attend PLC times so I could help facilitate workshops and seminars.
• Be able to attend staff meetings! Staying connected is so important!
• Help staff who are slow to use technology.

Throughout this course I just keep coming back to advocacy.  It seems so connected to this week's topic!  I want to consider this further... how can we, as TLs, fight for our jobs and all they could potentially be? Food for thought...and absolutely something to consider when speaking to school board staff, trustees, and administrators. Below I've included another video that could serve as a generally TL advocacy piece.

Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork!

Ever since I started working as a TL three years ago, I have found that it is a steep learning curve and at times, frankly, it's daunting.  Our TL group had a sharing day in the summer and we discussed the challenges and demands of our jobs.  I feel pressured to plan amazing digital technology based lessons, to have an up-to-date accessible library collection that promotes reading, to start to think about doing the flip to a learning commons, to advocate to my staff and district and PAC why the library is important, to try and be a leader within the school, to promote the benefits of collaboration, to read all the latest and greatest children's literature and so forth - not to mention all the mundane yet time consuming daily tasks that are necessary when you are a teacher. It's overwhelming! .With this is mind, I truly, truly want to learn about more time friendly ways to share and learn and develop in my job!

 

I think I can continue to develop my skills, pedagogy and professional development in a number of ways including:

•  Learn from my colleagues! 

 

 

I've always believed that a teacher's best resources are other teachers! I found that this can be both formal - staff meetings, TL association meetings, PLC days, or informal - using our TL list serv to ask questions, emailing each other, chatting before or after school with staff, etc.  I would argue that this is the single biggest way I learn and will continue to learn and grow as a TL.  I think it's a win-win situation when teachers work together, not in isolated.  Our district has early dismissal every Monday followed by an hour of PLC time.  Unfortunately I don't work Mondays so I'm not able to take advantage this year, but I hope to in the future.  This video talks about the benefit of PLC time.

 

 

• Follow other teacher librarians on social media.  I wish I had more time to look at my various social networks, but I do get a sense of being connected with others in my field, especially on Twitter. I had no idea how to use Twitter until a few years ago and basically taught myself, finding it fairly user friendly.   For those new to Twitter it would seem that there is a wealth of important describing Twitter as a valuable education resource and a "dynamic tool for building social engagement through the school community" (Dixon 39).

• Keep reading our blogs.  I hope that some of us can stay in touch after this course! I found last weeks topic on reading communtities very helpful and already have some lesson ideas for the upcoming months.  I do not have much time to dedicate to blog reading at this point - I could happily read everyone's post if it were possible - summer reading perhaps?  Maybe we could have a virtual sharing day?

• Host a summer sharing day with your fellow TLs (we had one in the summer this is what it looked like and it was held at the public library which also builds community connections) or attend a conference.

I think there are a number of ways that other educators are sharing with each other including involvement in your PSA, being a part of your school's Professional Development committee, and sharing your resources and great ideas with others.  I already mentioned that my TL group has a Live Binder which we all add to and develop.  For example, if one of us has a great lesson idea to share, we will link it to our live binder.  I find Livebinders a really handy, user friendly and easy to organize program - check out a how to video here. 

Although helpful, I'm not sure that any of these strategies and tools are exceptionally innovative! I feel like I should be doing something with more piazza, so to speak but alas, time constraints don't really allow it.  Perhaps TLs could start their own YouTube channels or host "sharing days" in a science fair type setting or use digital technology to connect more - whether its TLs in the same city meeting on Google Spaces or connecting to colleagues in another part of the world - I look forward to hearing some great ideas from my classmates!

Works Cited

 

Dixon, Brian. Social Media for School Leaders : A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most Out of Facebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 13 October 2015.

 

 

 

Promoting Reading

Within my school library I try to create a culture of reading as much as possible.  Our library has very limited technology so I do try and focus my library program more on books and being excited about reading. In my library I am doing a variety of things to foster a love of reading.

·         Author of the Month – I try and do a display about a different author each month.  During the first week of the month I highlight this author with students.  I find that students in my school often need help when choosing reading material and that many of them choose the same books over and over. Minecraft, Geronimo Stilton and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are all well and good but I like students to branch out.  As an example, last month I did Kenneth Oppel – a Vancouver Island native – and his books were checked out by several classes.  I talked a little bit about his personal life, his books (showed some book trailers on Youtube) and we explored his website.  My experience has been that students are usually quite receptive to learning about a new author.

 

·         50 Book Challenge  - I have challenged the students in my school (grade 3+) to do a reading challenge.  They can choose to read 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 books between September 15 and June 15.  I have started to have them record their reading on Padlet, (thanks Aaron for the recommendation!) an easy to use digital wall program.  It is just for fun but I have small prices at each increment of 10 and it does seem to create some excitement.  I am still trying to learn Padlet but I like that they do not have to log in or have an account and can add a book on their own time.

·         Weeding – I know this may seem a bit off topic but I really think that weeding promotes reading! There is nothing more undesirable then a jam packed shelf of out of date books.  I find that less is often more when it comes to reading! By keeping the collection looking “fresh” students feel more welcome to check out books.  Our district has a very specific collection development policy and as any TL knows, wedding is NOT throwing out books.  I’m currently in the process of keeping my non-fiction VERY stream lined and getting rid of novels and picture books that hold no interest for today’s students. I really find weeding is a breath of fresh air in the library. 

Before:

 

After:

 

·         Library volunteer program – Once a week I have students come into the library at lunch recess to help out with odd jobs.  While not directly tied to reading I think this does let students know that the library is a welcoming place. This is a “paid” job – students earn three dollars of scholastic book credit each time they come to the library.

·         Encouraging good book choices – this can be tricky with very limited time but I do try and make sure students are picking books at the appropriate age and ability level.  I try and keep this positive often saying to students “you can’t read this book….yet” so they know that they have something to strive towards. 

I think it is great for a school if all the staff is on board with school wide programs. I know my school believes reading is important but I think we could do more as far as school wide programs.  We have access to Tumblebooks which a lot of the primary teachers use with our iPads. Older students who struggle with reading at our school also have access to Kurzweil software in our student support room.  We also have reading groups that work with multi grade level students who are at the same ability level. I previously have worked in a school that seemed to have a lot of success with the Accelerated Reader program – particularly with students who are self-motivated readers.

I would love to know more about programs for reluctant readers. For some reluctant readers I think finding that “right fit” book is key to opening up the world of reading to them. There are often many recommendations of different books to try.  For other readers that struggle with motivation, it is probably not that simple.  Although American, this post has some great suggestions for promoting reading in schools.

If I can focus my blog post a bit this week, I’d like to look more into how to further utilize my school’s iPads to foster reading. I was able to find some good “starting point” articles through UBCs website here and here. The TL group in our school district also has a Livebinder with iPad app suggestions but my lack of familiarity with most of these apps makes this challenging – I am hoping in the next few weeks me and the other teacher in charge of the iPads at my school can sit down and go through some of these apps and figure out exactly what we are doing.  I will also be talking to my staff at our next meeting and see what is working and what is not.

Some other links I found for promoting reading are the Chocolate Lily Awards (check out the video!) and DEAR day which is coming up.  Here is a checklist from the BCTLA about some ways to prepare for DEAR day. Also, I thought this website from New Zealand was interesting. It's set up nicely with relevant topics such as "reading and boys" and "reading environments" - lots of ideas to pick and choose from - I like the reading tent idea!


To end my blog post for this week I’d love it if anybody could share any more information on implementing iPads, useful apps, and any other ideas on how to use iPads to promote reading. Some search terms I tried in YouTube were “best apps for teachers”, “reading apps for school libraries”,“apps to promote literacy” but I couldn’t find a video I thought was really good. The search continues!

Works Cited

 
Harmon, Jim. Learning and Leading with Technology:
Unlock Literacy with iPads. 39 Vol. International Society for Technology in Education, 06/01/2012. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
 

Williams, Carol. School Librarian: My Year 8 iPad Project: Apps in Action. 62 Vol. School Library Association, 2014. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.