In an age where teacher-librarians are disappearing like leftovers in a kitchen of teenagers, we must make ourselves irreplaceable, indispensable, and invaluable. We must be more than “keepers of the books.” We need to be strong leaders, comfortable with technology and web 2.0 tools, ready to instruct and support those on our staff.

In our Inquiry Post #2, I enjoyed reading Lia’s blog, where she talks about her principal hosting weekly “Teacher Talk” sessions before school. It got me thinking about the concept of hosting a book club using our class text, Why School?  (Richardson, 2012).  We could discuss a chapter/section each week. We could use our Discussion #3 question from this class, for example, as a jumping off point: “After reading ‘Part II: New School’, which practices and ideas could you drop from your current teaching practice, and which would you be interested in exploring?” I think that this would be a non-threatening, non-judgemental, low-key way of connecting with teachers at the level they are at.

A second idea I have is using one of our after-school-collab sessions to demonstrate the features of our new Destiny Quest OPAC. In particular, I would like to show teachers how seamless it is to organize their research projects on Destiny. I couldn’t host it this school year, but I am hoping that by September, I will be more adept at using the OPAC and be confident enough to teach it to staff.  Collab is a huge deal in my school, and the Collab team is always looking for ideas. If I let the Collab team know now that I am interested in doing a Destiny session in the fall, it would force me to spend my spare time working out the bugs, learning the program, and getting comfortable teaching it. I know that many teachers would appreciate the instruction and support. Getting them on board will increase its usage and make our educational community even stronger. Here is a sample video that I could begin a Collab session with:

A third way that I can support the staff is to continue to keep Accelerated Reader running in our school. There are several teachers that use the program and need me to support it. There are also many children who love the challenge and rewards it offers. I maintain all aspects of the program and assist students in their online quiz taking, book selection, etc. Tomorrow, I am meeting with a new staff member to show him the basics of the program (login in, password, star reader assessments and so forth).

My philosophy with all aspects of staff development is always, “How can I help?” And my response to staff queries is always “yes” or “I’m not sure about that, but I’ll find out!” Supporting staff ICT needs is always dependent on the quality of technology at any given school. That can make it very frustrating at times, as many in our class have alluded to.

References:

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. TED Conferences Publishing. (EBOOK)