“We can raise the teaching profession by sharing what works, by taking the best of what we do and hanging it on the virtual wall” (Richardson, 2012).
When I consider sharing my vision, three main groups of people come to mind: The staff at my school, the Teacher Librarian group in my District and the greater group of the web (including discussion forums and groups of teachers found on twitter, web 2.0 and beyond). One thing I know that I will take from this class is the necessity to share. Whether this is through avenues such as twitter or forums like tlnet, if we are just sitting back and browsing the web, we need to consider what we are contributing. I originally thought to myself, “I’m just a new TL, what do I have to share?” However, now I realize that I have many resources, experiences and opinions about being a teacher librarian and our role, and simply browsing will not add to my personal professional development the way that interacting and discussing will.
To reflect on my new understanding of sharing online, I think back to the beginning of our course and when I read the book by Will Richardson, “Why School?” His perspective on sharing helped me to see how I could do it and why it is important.
“When I travel to speak at conferences and schools, I’m always amazed by how relatively few hands go up when I ask, “How many of you can I find online sharing your best practices and best thinking about education?” The reasons for this are many: fear, lack of technology expertise, a culture of competition in schools. Regardless, the reality right now is that we have the ability to reach not just our kids, but kids around the world. We can raise the teaching profession by sharing what works, by taking the best of what we do and hanging it on the virtual wall. Many would argue that it is now the duty of teachers to do so. Sharing comes in many forms. It may be a blog where we reflect on our work, or a video that captures a process. It may even just be a PDF of the paper handout that was the foundation of an outstanding group project. The form almost doesn’t matter (although it must be digital). What matters is putting it out there so others can build on it, make it their own, or just share it in the staff office.”
Richardson, Will (2012-09-10). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single) (Kindle Locations 394-395). TED Conferences. Kindle Edition.
This excerpt from his book was the part that stood out to me the most. For some reason, throughout University it seemed competitive. If you have a great idea, keep it to yourself, so you can seem like the best teacher! Really, it is a very strange mentality. If we want to support the most children possible, why not share the idea so more students can benefit from it.
Here is an interesting video about how collaboration between teachers using technology resources really works!
Who is this Vision for?
As I work towards this final vision project and my final inquiry project with my Teacher Librarian District group through our BCTF inquiry group, I find these projects are certainly overlapping. Therefore, this vision project will also guide my final inquiry which will be presented to District administrators, teachers and colleagues. As I explore how technology can support the inquiry process, I find that I am learning more about how my vision can support other teachers. As I was exploring for my last blog post, I came across a great resource for tech tools which I posted on my blog. I then realized it would be helpful to share with my TL group on Twitter. It was so easy to quickly share this and then it was available to me whenever I needed it.
My final vision will ultimately be a part of my presentation to the district staff at our final Teacher Librarian meeting in June and I will also use it to present to my staff at a staff meeting. Each month I get a time slot to share with teachers. Because I will be starting a number of inquiry projects in the spring, this will be relevant and important information for the teachers at my school.
It is so true that we have a duty to contribute to the larger discussions on education. This feels overwhelming at times, so I like how you focussed on a few select communities. Great piece on collaboration. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa, I like how you used the Richardson text as a starting point. It really seems to have resonated with you. It is great that you will be able share your project with your district and school. The video is a great example of using technology effectively and doing what Richardson implores all teachers to do: share! I also like that the video mentions that the teachers receive time to collaborate, something that is an essential part of the t-l role.
Melissa,
I enjoyed watching the video about the teachers using the district wiki called “beyond textbooks”. What an amazing resource for teachers to be able access for lesson plans. I saw this video was from Arizona. Just curious, what wikis do you know of locally that provide a similar purpose for teachers to share lesson plans?
Well done! A good, reflective blog post that connects where you are at in your professional role with your expanding PLN and community online! Your overlapping inquiry could not be better suited and provide an opportunity for you to share widely and locally to show your new skills and perspectives. I am so glad to see you embrace the sharing philosophy as teaching should never be a competition. Great stuff.
I’m going to suggest the Richardson text as a staff read at my school. The culture of collaboration and sharing he discusses is so poignant today. It’s wonderful that this project will be so useful to you and your colleagues and that you will have the opportunity to share it with stakeholders.