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 I am finding research to be increbible slow going - lots of articles I have read are out of date or not Canadian in content or just not quite what I am looking for.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!
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.
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.
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.
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 Librariesis 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.
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.
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.
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.
