Category Archives: Community Participation

The summative: an ode to all of you! – Module 14

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Where I was:

When I first started this course, I was really only thinking about technology and getting better at using it. And to be honest, I was also dreading the inevitable hiccups that I knew were awaiting me in using said technology. In short, it was just basically all about ME.

Some random thoughts going through my head in the weeks leading up to the course.

  •  Time for me to start using more online resources, not just suggest them to classroom teachers.
  • All the kids are doing it.
  • There’s so much out there. I need to learn how to use all this digital technology.
  • Think of how awesome I’m going to look when I go back to school in September with a digital resource bag full of goodies.
  • This course is really going to help me get better at figuring out how to use social media in the classroom and the library.

I simply just wanted to be better with technology but I don’t think I knew what I meant at all when I said that to myself. There was one giant part of the puzzle missing and that was the “why?”

How did I begin to figure out the “why?” Well, it all happened thanks to you.

Where I am now:

I have asked the “why” and I will remain vigilant in answering the “why” thanks to Jenny urging us to examine this most crucial aspect of using technology and thanks to you for sharing your experiences, your opinions, your expertise and your unanswered questions with me. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate “live” with all of you.

So where I am at now? I am at a place of feeling connected. I feel connected to all of you and I feel more connected to technology because of you. It’s that simple.

  • Karen, you patiently showed me how to use Diigo.
  • Naomi, you showed me how to embed an infographic into my blog and helped me unravel the mysteries of the Google Site.
  • Jorden, you have guided me through Twitter and shared your power adaptor with me.
  • Sophia, I like your cat pictures and you know I am getting a Pinterest account.
  • Christine and Julie, your sense of humour makes me smile and your final project impresses me totally.
  • Kate, you make me want to be a more conscious caretaker of the environment.
  • Charlotte, you have constantly reassured me that I don’t completely suck when it comes to technology. And you’re always smiling.
  • Cherise, your calm demeanour and insightful contributions to class discussions never go unnoticed.
  • Michelle B., I love how you used Padlet (new to you) to sum up your “where I was/am/am going.”
  • Kristine, you blow me away with your passion for protecting intellectual property – bravo!
  • Brianne, you are my go to person for all things iPad.
  • Merrin, you have a crazy, cool voice and major congrats on your new position in your new school. Maillard Middle is so lucky to have you!
  • Michelle S., ’twas a blast exploring the different platforms we might use for our classroom websites. I think you might just be a bit of a Weebly expert now.
  • Janet, your passions for music and librarianship are truly inspiring. I look forward to checking out your website!
  • Petra, you make comics come alive! And with a most soothing voice to boot!
  • Neelu, I so hear you about CONTINOUS teacher development.
  • Doni, if not for you, Yammer might never have crossed my path.
  • Sandy and Terrence, über cool idea to create a database of available/truly existing ICT for TOCs in a given school or district!
  • Amy, like Karen, you have convinced me that online bookmarking is a “must embrace.”
  • Tess, your presentation on digital storytelling has provided me with great ideas for my Gr. 9 French Immersion classes.
  • Shirla, you are Evernote organized and an absolute master of the WordPress platform. Your blog resembles no other.
  • Justin, I love the super cool image you posted of the teacher-librarian in her many starring roles and so much fun alliteration in there too!
  • Lisa, I assure you that it’s not you when it comes to Sharepoint. I send you good karma to continue doing the outstanding work you have done so far using this challenging platform.
  • Harjeet, your Delview Library website and the pages you’ve included on inquiry are beautifully laid out. Lots to explore there!
  • Jennifer, you have provided super cool international perspectives to our discussions, not to mention the tasty treats!
  • Karen Sandhu, forgive me for forgetting you when I presented. You and Neelu are doing amazing work and thank you for introducing me to Quadblogging.
  • Jenny, you have the courage, the strength, the resilience and most importantly, the trust.


Where I want to go from here:

It’s kind of amusing to me now to see that I was barely considering the logistics and the why of constructing a classroom website/blog before I started this course. The website I have created (still in its early stages) has become a major focus in where I want to go for it represents the beginning of a digital connection to my students and the potential for so much more. I will continue to explore all that digital technology has to offer, partake of what works for me in my particular context and will ensure that the “why” has been answered. I will do my best to keep an open and conscious mind and know that I am right in doing so as I continue to build on this beginning.

10 Minutes of Fame – Infographics & Piktochart

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Another one

Infographic

Bad news first people.

If you so desire to add yet another online resource (I did not say “tool” Jenny!) and you decide that Piktochart turns your crank, well you have to open yet another account with another user name and another password that you will undoubtedly forget. When is someone going to do a 10 Minutes of Fame on how to create, organize, cleverly disguise and remember all of our user names and passwords? There must be an app or Web 2.0 tool for that! But I digress…

Why should you use infographics?

  • To make a grand impression on your course instructor of course! You know you are going to be asked to collect data on fill in blank so how are you going to present all your Survey Monkey info? And then you are going to be asked to conduct a school/community analysis too, statistics included.
  • Powerful marketing tool to advocate for you, your library and the integral role it plays in your school community.
  • How about an infographic instead of the usual brochure outlining all one needs to know about your library? Hours of operation, number of books you can take out, how to renew your book etc….
  • You know that Annual Report you may or may not have to hand in to your Administrator come the end of the school year…well, let’s face it, it’s going to contain some pretty boring stats about circulation. Important info no doubt, but how do you deliver it in a compelling way?
  • Kind of like a digital poster but not as busy as Glogster can potentially be.
  • Once you’ve completed your infographic you can export and share it as a PNG or JPEG, convert it to a PDF or whatever which means you don’t have to rely on the internet to access it. (VSB colleagues, I know you are picking up what I’m putting down here!)
  • Great way to create a “how to” or “tips list” (possibly a how to access and use databases for your students) or Top 10 books of the month list. 

What are some of the online resources available to create infographics?

  •  Piktochart
  • 7 free themes, access all charts, 10 image upload shots, Piktochart branded
  • lots of ready made tools, drag and drop approach, user-friendly
  • Here is my first Piktochart (created with old version).

Churchill Secondary Infographic

  • Visual.ly
  • must authorize via Twitter or Facebook
  • Easel.ly
  • drag and drop approach
  • not able to insert charts
  • Venngage
  • lets you track the analytics of who is viewing your infographic
  • could be used for classroom of students who want to see who can make the most popular infographic

Some cool infographics for teacher-librarians:

Improve your Google Search Skills from How-to-Geek
How to Geek

27 things teacher-librarians do from educators technology.com
TLs

Module 1 Questionnaire

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1. What policies govern your uses of ICT in your school setting?

We have an “acceptable internet use” policy in the school that is published in the staff and student agendas. The Vancouver School Board is also currently working on a more specific set of guidelines for social media and its role in an educational setting. Many would agree that the policy currently in development encourages educators to simply use common sense when using social media and to be mindful that nothing is private once it has been posted.

As for devices in the classroom, there is no specific policy. Teachers decide how and when smart phones etc. can be used and/or visible. In the library, we do request that the computers be used for school related work only but do not have time to constantly monitor what the students are doing online.

2. What digital technological resources do you have available for teaching and learning in your school setting?

Most classrooms will have access to a laptop computer and projector but that is not always the case. Only two classrooms have Smart boards. The school has two PC computer labs and one Mac lab as well. The library has 30 computers as well as a document camera and interactive white board. We also have two laptop computers on carts.

3. Please provide an example of an exemplary use of digital technologies for teaching and learning that you have observed or experienced personally.

The interactive white board and document camera have been a most welcome addition to our library since their arrival just before Christmas. I love using the document camera to showcase students’ work and the interactive white board has been fun to use for both the teacher-librarians and the students. It keeps students more alert and interested when discussing the less-than-invigorating details of what makes a Works Cited page perfect.

4. Please provide an example of a problematic use of digital technologies for teaching and learning that you have observed or experienced personally.

Our biggest and most frustrating technological issue is the lack of bandwidth across the Vancouver School Board schools. It is simply impossible to rely on streaming anything and forget about using Web 2.0 tools such as Glogster for students to present a final project. You cannot count on the internet working when you need it to.

5. Please provide a brief history of how you learned to use digital technologies (personally and professionally).

Working in the film industry for almost a decade before returning to teaching full time about 18 months ago was my introduction to using digital technologies. In the film world we used a virtual production office on many shows. I then began using Facebook in my personal life. Since my return to education, the digital world has really opened up for me. I am using Google Docs, have a Google site and explored lots of 2.0 tools that can be used both professionally and personally.

6. How would you rate your digital technological proficiency? 0 = low level of proficiency -> 10 = high level of proficiency? Why did you give yourself this rating?

I would rate myself about a 6. This answer really depends on who I compare myself to. I don’t think I’m super savvy when it comes to digital technological proficiency but I know that I am not scared of it. I love learning how to master the digital tools that exist although I experience many frustrating moments and abandoned projects in the process.

7. What do you hope to accomplish in this course?

I hope to uncover and use tools that are not yet known to me. This has already happened! I love my Kindle for Mac application and am thoroughly enjoying the read of “Why School” thanks to this new app. I also hope to be more comfortable in an online presence role. I have always considered myself a total people person and have never really felt like I “present” well online. This is my first time using a blog so who knows? Maybe I’ll really love blogging and will find that online skin that has been somewhat elusive thus far.