In January, I started as a Teacher Librarian at a K-5 elementary school in the Saanich School District. I have been very busy settling into the library, familiarizing myself with the collection, and re-organizing and changing the layout of the library. It has been a busy few weeks, but I am keen to provide a new, fresh approach to the learning that happens in the library. I’m very lucky because I work three days per week in the library and because it is a small school, I am able to collaborate with all of the classes in the school. This allows me to work closely with all of the teachers and provide them with lots of resources and ideas to support the learning that is happening in their classrooms. Because of the flexibility I have, I have some definite goals and interests that I hope to explore further in this class.
Collaborative Publishing
The current school goals are engagement and outdoor learning and I feel that as a teacher-librarian, it is important to support the school goals. We have recently installed an outdoor natural playground and have a beautiful school garden that was a huge success last year. I believe that documenting the progress of the school and the learning that is taking place would be beneficial to promote our school as a great place to be. Using technology would ultimately increase engagement amongst the students and help them to document and publish their individual learning. Through the use of Wikis, blogs, digital story-telling and various other programs, I’d like to look at how this could be accomplished.
Researching Safely on the Internet
At the District level, we have access to some online databases such as World Book Kids and Searchasaurus that I have begun teaching to classes. We also have a school website that all of the teacher-librarians in the district collaborated on to create a website that students at all grade levels can use to access relevant websites on topics that are popular at a particular grade level. You can take a look at ours: http://prospectlake.sd63.bc.ca/course/view.php?id=41
This website links students to appropriate sites where they can find information on a particular topic. Ultimately, I think it is important for students to be able to research independently and therefore it is a goal for me to teach students how to safely access good information that is relevant and up to date.
Learning Commons
Our school district is transitioning into learning commons, which has been completed at the middle and high school levels. At the elementary level I struggle with what this will look like and how it will function. At this level we have smaller spaces, and the emphasis is still largely about books. I’d like to look into how elementary schools have transitioned to learning commons and what successes they have had with the changes they have made.
Personal Questions
How can I combine outdoor learning and technology?
How can technology help to improve overall student engagement?
How can I promote the use of technologies with staff outside of our collaboration time?
How do I transition the space to learning commons?
How can I better use technology to introduce new topics to students?
How can I foster inquiry and student centered learning in the library?
Key Words to Explore
collaborative publishing
learning commons
online learning
web 2.0
video sharing
wikis
podcasting
digital story telling
apple TV
icloud
voice and video recording
electronic classrooms
differentiated instruction
ipad/ereaders
ebooks
internet safety
student-centered learning
QR Technology
educational Apps
ethical online use
Resources to Explore
Blogs
Technology in the Elementary Classroom. Retrieved January 17, 2014 from: http://technology-in-elementary-classrooms.blogspot.ca/
Monkeying Around with Technology. Retrieved January 17, 2014 from: http://monkeyingaroundwithtechnology.blogspot.ca/
Mrs. Lodges Library. Retrieved January 17, 2014 from: http://www.mrs-lodges-library.com/blog/
Fried Technology: Blogging in the Classroom Retrieved January 17, 2014 from: http://www.friedtechnology.com/2012/10/blogging-in-elementary-classroom-from.html
Robin, B.R. (2008). Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Technology Tool for the 21st Century classroom. Theory into Practice. 47: 220-228. Retrieved January 17, 2014 from: http://digitalstorytellingclass.pbworks.com/f/Digital+Storytelling+A+Powerful.pdf.
Jog the Web: Web 2.0 Tools for Kids. Retrieved January 17, 2014 from: http://www.jogtheweb.com/flat/z1O1GPxm4bCR/Web-20-Tools-for-Kids