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.