The capstone project was a great opportunity to create something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I began noting down resources and ideas as soon as I read the capstone assignment at the beginning of the course, and I began talking to staff at the school to see whether they thought a virtual makerspace would be useful. I also sent out a few questions via email to ask what they notice students gravitating towards now, what they would like to see students doing, and if they or their students had suggestions for tools to include. This was a challenging moment, because the responses I got did not necessarily support my plan. When students had free time on computers, most of them chose to play games, not use creative tools. However, the one creative tool that was introduced and taught to several classes this year (Book Creator) was widely used.
I wondered if the results meant that a virtual makerspace was not needed, or if they weren’t using creative online tools because they didn’t know about them. Further conversations with classroom teachers showed that they were very interested, so I decided to go ahead. Our school year is wrapping up now, but I am eager to see how much use the makerspace gets next year.
The project gave me the opportunity to use tools like Padlet and Canva in new and creative ways. These are both tools I have explored a little bit in the past, but the way I’m using them now is more interactive and community oriented. One thing I learned is that I need to find a list of criteria from the school division for choosing online tools and creating student accounts, especially if I want to add more tools to the makerspace in the future or broaden it beyond “maker” tools.
This course has pushed my thinking in a few different ways. A couple years ago, I stepped back from social media, finding that it was taking up too much of my time and I wasn’t happy with what I was getting out of it. However, a few of my classmates posted on their blogs about using social media as part of their professional growth, and it made me want to try again. I’ve started a new social media account (on BlueSky) with some very specific boundaries and strategies to keep things balanced while also hopefully connecting with other TLs. I would love to know if any others from our diploma program are on there!
One key takeaway from the course is that technology has to be used deliberately. Ignoring new media may be a disservice to our students, but throwing tech tools around without thinking them through isn’t helpful either. I also really appreciated the inquiry format. I found that it took more time, but I also felt that I learned more and that the conversations with classmates were more authentic and interesting. This has me thinking about how to use more student-driven inquiry in my work with younger students. All in all, I really appreciated this course, as well as all the hard work from both Darcy and my classmates.
“When we design support that honors teacher variability, we make implementation more likely, burnout less likely, and impact more sustainable.” (Holloway et al., 2026, p. 10)
The role of Teacher Librarian is a unique one. As Godfree and Oddone say, teacher librarians “lead from the middle” (2023, p. 49).
Leading from the middle gives us interesting perspectives on school culture and what individual teachers need. While teacher librarians can certainly run traditional professional development such as presentations, we can also drive professional learning through conversations, modelling, and co-teaching, tailored to individual teachers and classrooms.
Personalized Learning
Lewis and McNamara highlight the importance of personalizing learning to staff members’ needs. They note that collaboration is key and that in their experience, “it was particularly helpful for teachers to be learning from a colleague with whom they had an ongoing relationship and daily access” (Lewis & McNamara, 2021, p. 54). Godfree and Oddone agree, pointing out that “teacher librarians can mentor teachers in many ways, including through the co-design of creative and innovative curriculum and assessment”(Godfree & Oddone, 2023, p. 48).
I’ve seen opportunities for this in my own work this past school year. For example, one teacher moved to Canada recently. She has a lot of experience teaching in a country with a very different school system and different access to technology. Some of the models and pedagogies that teachers in my school division have been learning for years are completely new to her. She is very open to learning new tools and has initiated co-teaching with me several times this year.
In contrast, another teacher is very experienced in our school system. She is has participated in professional development from our school division for years is comfortable with her current teaching methods. This year, however, many students in her class have significant academic needs, and she has found herself looking for new tools to support them, which has meant stepping out of her comfort zone when it comes to technology.
These are two excellent teachers with very different professional learning needs. It would be challenging to support both teachers during a staff meeting presentation. But with a co-teaching model, we are able to work toward two very different goals.
Agency and Relationships
My research this week emphasized that professional learning through collaboration requires a relationship between the teacher librarian and other educators. The TL needs to honour the teacher’s professional knowledge and experience, while the teacher needs to trust the TL’s knowledge of curriculum, school wide priorities, best practices, and resources (Baker, 2016, p. 152). This also brings us back to the TPACK model, combining a TL’s technological and pedagogical knowledge with the classroom teacher’s pedagogical and content knowledge.
A co-teaching approach to professional learning gives teachers agency in their own growth. Goals can be co-constructed by the TL and classroom teacher (Holloway et al., 2026, p. 11) to focus on the needs of the students in the class rather than focusing on a specific teaching strategy (Knight, 2026, p. 16). “Co-creation [of goals] removes the perceived status of the coach as the “expert,” promotes shared ownership of outcomes, and acknowledges the educator’s expertise” (Holloway et al., 2026, p. 11).
Collaboration designed around the educator’s context and needs, when done well, results in educators building new skills which they can put into practice immediately (Lewis & McNamara, 2021). And as Holloway et all put it, this makes “implementation more likely, burnout less likely, and impact more sustainable” (2026, p. 10)
Both modeling and teamwork are strong themes in this video on educational leadership from ISTE + ASCD:
Other Professional Development Formats
When it is time to lead other types of professional development, the work we’ve done collaborating with teachers can inform our decisions in terms of format and content. Jennifer Gonzales has an excellent list of professional development ideas that promote educator agency in her blog post/podcast episode “OMG Becky. PD is Getting SO MUCH BETTER!” In my context, I could create a choice board that includes technology tools for language learners and an overview of the pedagogies and frameworks used on a regular basis in our school division, or work with teachers who could then share their learning in a lab classroom. This would allow for differentiated professional development that supports a variety of teachers, who can then go on to better support the students in their classrooms.
Baker, S. (2016). From Teacher to School Librarian Leader and Instructional Partner: A Proposed Transformation Framework for Educators of Preservice School Librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, (Journal Article), 143–158. https://doi.org/10.29173/slw6911
Godfree, H., & Oddone, K. (2023). Teacher librarian as mentor: A vision for improving school outcomes. Australian Educational Leader, 45(1), 48–51. (163441383).
Holloway, J., Church, N., McKee, K., & Musiowsky, T. (2026). From Professional Development to Professional Learning: Intentionally designed support structures shift professional learning from one-off events to sustainable daily practice. Educational Leadership, 83(8), 8–13. (193675256).
Knight, J. (2026). How to Coach When Time Is Short. Educational Leadership, 83(8), 14–20. (193675257).
Lewis, M. A., & McNamara, K. (2021). A certified school librarian is a professional learning powerhouse. The Learning Professional, 42(4), 52–55.
“If we see challenges as opportunities for learning, if we engage our curiosity whenever we’re presented with an obstacle, we’re more likely to find solutions. This habit and disposition help us not just survive adversity but thrive in the aftermath.” -Elena Aguilar, Onward
I have been lucky with my in-person professional development and my local personal learning network (PLN). My school division has a teacher-librarian in every school, and we meet regularly throughout the year for professional development, to share what’s working, and to work through challenges together. I’m thankful that my school division has prioritized that time to learn and connect. I think that this diploma program is also a great opportunity to make some connections.
When it comes to more self-directed learning, I am a teaching nerd (like many others in our program, I’m sure!). I have a collection of teaching podcasts to which I subscribe, and favourite teaching blogs. During a good year, it’s not unusual for me to go down a rabbit hole about some teaching strategy one evening, then enthusiastically try it in class the very next day. Then, inevitably, a tough year with a tough class comes around, and I burn out.
When dealing with burnout, I’m in survival mode, and there is no bandwidth left for professional learning. I’m actively working on setting boundaries and making changes (the shift to the library is part of that), but in general, I tend to be in either feast or famine mode for professional learning.
Interestingly, though, I find that learning is also part of burnout prevention, an experience supported by Elena Aguilar in Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (chapter 9). I want to do regular professional learning, I have a ton of tools and resources at my disposal, but what I am missing is a strategy. How can I make it a regular part of my routine, and set boundaries in place so that I can still focus on the other parts of my life and my role?
One key realization for me recently was that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I have, at times, had a collection of blogs or podcasts that I followed but couldn’t keep up with. But keeping up with them shouldn’t be my goal. Instead, regular learning should be. I think I need a routine that prioritizes professional learning for a few minutes each day or each week. I haven’t found something yet that works for me. Maybe pairing it with lunch or with a snack at the end of the day would be good? If you have a routine that works for you, I’d love to hear about it!
Now, on to other strategies and resources:
Feedly is a tool that I learned about through this course that I can see being useful in the future. I can compile a list of blogs through Feedly and skim through it regularly to find articles of interest. This would fit well with my plan of reading/listening to professional resources for a few minutes each day. I’ve already added several from our course extended reading list.
Email newsletters are another great format. There are so many organizations creating and curating resources for educators, and many of them are tailored to specific contexts. For example, the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba has a newsletter for educators with many ideas and tools that would be applicable both in Manitoba and in other parts of the country. Similarly, Manitoba Council for International Cooperation and Canada’s History both have great newsletters specifically for teachers. Many EdTech tools have newsletters highlighting features, PD opportunities, and ideas to use their tools. I already have all these sorted into a folder in my email; now I need to plan time to actually look at some of them!
I have a couple inquiry-related books set aside to read over the summer as well: Dive Into Inquiry by Trevor MacKenzie, and Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies by Brad Buhrow and Anne Upczak Garcia. These fit with one of my current goals: learn more strategies to support inquiry for language learners.
Writing this post has given me the chance to think through a possible strategy. I’m going to try looking at a newsletter or blog post each day while I eat a quick snack. I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes me!
Buhrow, B., & Garcia, A. U. (2006). Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling Galaxies: English Language Learners Discover Their World Through Inquiry. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032681399
As I was thinking about digital tools and strategies that I’ve seen used to promote a reading culture, it seemed as though they fit one of three different goals: Connection, book promotion, and increased access.
Connection:
This is where students share what they are reading with each other, make book recommendations, and talk about their reading. Lockwood points out, “Having a real audience and purpose for book recommendations, other than the immediate classroom context, is motivating for young readers. The Internet, properly supervised, provides a setting where children can communicate with other pupils they do not know personally in a direct and informal way. Sharing the pleasures of reading with others always adds to the enjoyment” (2008, “Activities that are Open…” section). There are so many different tools that could help with this, like Padlet. Next year, I plan to create a book review form where students can submit a review. I can then print the review and post it close to where the book is shelved.
Nancy J. Keane has tons of ideas to use technology to promote reading and books in Tech-Savvy Reading Promotion. She says book promotion helps increase student awareness of which books are available for them to read and which books may interest them (2019, p. xii).
A theme for using technology to promote books seems to be choosing tools that students are already using, such as the school’s learning management system (which could also be used to share book recommendations with staff) or social media. One caution for social media is that there may be policies preventing staff from connecting with students on non-school platforms. However, a teacher librarian could start an account with book recommendations for families, which might help reach younger students.
Increased access:
For some students, technology is revolutionary in making reading more accessible, either by making more books available (through ebook and audiobook tools such as Epic and Sora and kids encyclopedias like Pebble Go) or by making reading easier.
Accessibility can be improved using tools such as Microsoft’s Immersive Reader, which is available in many of Microsoft’s programs (and even some others, like Canvas). It allows you to listen and/or translate either individual words or an entire text. It can be very powerful when combined with something like Minecraft Education, where I’ve noticed struggling readers often skip over the reading (where most of the content is).
If you use Microsoft apps or Canvas, check out the Immersive Reader! The icon (in the orange box) is consistent across apps.
According to Lockwood, such tools allow students “to decide on the amount of assistance they need for reading a text, either listening to the whole book, using the voice facility only when stuck on a word, or a level of support somewhere in between. This situation gives children the pleasure of ‘reading’ a book independently when their reading ability may make this difficult otherwise, with resultant gains in confidence, enjoyment and motivation. Using headphones for listening makes the experience even more like ‘silent reading’ for children working alongside other more competent readers” (2008, “A Reading Environment…” section). Lockwood was writing about older technology (ebooks on CD-ROM), but the benefits still apply.
Technology can help support student choice in reading. Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash
There are two common threads through each of these goals – connection between students, promoting books, and increasing access:
1. They support student choice in what they read, a key factor highlighted by Pernille Ripp and Jennifer Gonzales. Students are more aware of the options available and have access to books that may be beyond their level otherwise.
2. They normalize reading. When we talk about our reading, share recommendations, celebrate books, and ensure that everyone has access to books they can enjoy, reading becomes a regular part of students’ lives. Which, I would argue, is the definition of reading culture.
Making creates evidence of learning. – Doug Dougherty
To recap from my last post, I am hoping to make a virtual makerspace for students at my school. The idea is to give them opportunities to build skills like collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking through passive programming that they can access when they have free computer time.
I found several resources on makerspaces, and some examples of virtual makerspaces. However, information on virtual makerspaces is a bit sparse. While I did find some studies, they often defined “makerspace” differently and were less relevant to my context upon inspection. Accordingly, I found resources that are written with physical makerspaces in mind but could apply to virtual makerspaces as well.
I began with podcasts, and found several that I am still planning to listen to. One of my favourite education podcasts is Cult of Pedagogy, so a good place to start was “What is the Point of a Makerspace”, a blog post and podcast episode in which Jennifer Gonzales interviews John Spencer. His definition is “simply a space designed and dedicated to hands-on creativity”, where a product (physical or digital) is created.
A comment on Cult of Pedagogy led me to the Renovated Learning website and the post “Defining Makerspaces: What the Research Says”. Here, Diana Rendina summarizes definitions from a number of different sources. Along the way, a few trends pop up: creativity, community, open-endedness, and giving students opportunities to make something.
I also explored what my school and public libraries have to offer and found several relevant books at the Winnipeg Public Library. After briefly looking them over, my favourite was not focused on makerspaces but rather the broader maker movement: Free to Make by Dale Dougherty (the creator of Make: magazine) and Ariane Conrad. Several chapters seemed very relevant to my virtual makerspace project, including “The Maker Mindset” which went into some of the research supporting putting time and energy into making, as well as “Making is Learning”. I read the latter chapter and particularly appreciated the quote “making creates evidence of learning” (p. 194)
Dougherty also distinguishes between three kinds of projects: directed projects, guided projects, and open projects. He suggests that at least fifty percent of a maker program should be dedicated to open projects (p.189). This brings me back to the idea of passive or self-directed programming, like those described in the School Library Journal article “DIY to the Rescue: 10 Librarian-Tested Passive Programs”. This article emphasizes that self-directed programs do not need to be elaborate. It discusses starting points, ways to assess the effectiveness of programs, and gives 10 examples of passive programs.
I also found these two resources that provided me with questions to ask when developing my virtual makerspace:
Sethi De Clercq’s blog post “Instant Learning” which asks whether we are teaching students to expect instant results and posits with this brilliant question to evaluate EdTech tools: “Will this help them learn to sit with wonder, curiosity, or challenge, even when it’s slow?”
My next steps are focused on taking the wisdom from the resources I found on physical makerspaces and applying it to a virtual context. One resource I found late in this process and haven’t yet been able to listen to is the “Virtual Makerspace” episode from the School Librarians United podcast, where a teacher librarian discusses transitioning to a virtual makerspace in 2020 as part of remote learning:
One final resource is the staff and students at my school. They can tell me what they do with their computer time now and what they would like the virtual makerspace to achieve. I may even pilot it with a couple classes in the fall before making it available to all students. While the other resources listed here are valuable and helpful, I believe listening to the people who will use the makerspace will be the most influential.
Becker, S. (2016). Developing Pedagogy for the Creation of a School Makerspace: Building on Constructionism, Design Thinking, and the Reggio Emilia Approach. The Journal of Educational Thought (JET) / Revue de La Pensée Éducative, 49(2), 192–209.
Bubert, L. (n.d.). DIY to the Rescue: 10 Librarian-Tested Passive Programming Activities. School Library Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2026, from https://www.slj.com/story/DIY-to-the-rescue-10-librarian-tested-passive-programs
Clercq, S. D. (2025, June 4). Are We Teaching Children to Expect Learning to Be Instant? Flipped Classroom Tutorials. https://sethideclercq.com/2025/06/instant-learning/
Dougherty, D., & Conrad, A. (2016). Free to Make: How the Maker Movement is Changing Our Schools, Our Jobs, and Our Minds. North Atlantic Books.
Gonzalez, J. (2018, May 20). What Is the Point of a Makerspace? Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/makerspace/
Hermon, A. (Host). (2020, August 14). Virtual Makerspace (No. 84) [Broadcast]. Retrieved from https://schoollibrariansunited.libsyn.com/virtual-makerspace
Rendina, D. (2015, April 2). Defining Makerspaces: What the Research Says. Renovated Learning. http://www.renovatedlearning.com/2015/04/02/defining-makerspaces-part-1/
I work in the Library Learning Commons (LLC) of a K-5 school. Students do not have constant access to devices, however, each class has a regularly scheduled period with laptops. On top of this, teachers can book additional laptops or iPads for students to use. This is in contrast to most other schools I’ve worked in, where there were no regular schedules and devices were just booked as needed.
While many teachers integrate their computer time into their usual teaching, often students have computers booked without a specific purpose. Teachers frequently use this time as a break (a valid tool to fight burnout, in my opinion) or to occupy the majority of the class while they work with individuals or small groups. During such periods, students generally have free time to use one of a few websites with educational games.
I recently attended professional development with Daphne McMenemy, and she was pointing out that while we do not have computer science in our Early Years curriculum in Manitoba, computer science is an excellent way to teach and practice the six global competencies:
Manitoba’s Global Competencies Contains information from the Manitoba government, licensed under the OpenMB Iformation and Data Use Licence (Manitoba.ca/OpenMB)
This has me thinking about ways to leverage students’ computer time to work on these competencies, through coding or more creative activities.
I have seen a couple examples of virtual makerspaces, and I am wondering about making something similar for my students to use during their “free” computer time. This would be a type of passive programming, as it would need to be something that does not add to classroom teachers’ schedule or workload. I wonder if a curated set of resources and activities would be helpful in building these competencies, and whether students would be able to use them independently. Would they need prompts or some kind of structure in order to focus on specific skills? What kind of support would they need from me as the teacher librarian? Would teachers even find a virtual makerspace valuable? Is there a way to use a virtual makerspace to increase communication and collaboration between grades? What tools could be used to present a virtual makerspace in a way that is accessible, easy to maintain, and transferable to someone else if I were to change schools? How can I set up a virtual makerspace that maximizes learning and skill building without adding to teachers’ workload?
A project on this would stretch my comfort zone a bit. I have only just begun to develop a virtual LLC using Destiny Discover, and I am not sure what tools I would use. I do not have much experience with physical makerspaces either, so I would be starting from scratch in that area as well. However, I think a virtual makerspace would be very helpful to the teachers I work with, and this seems like a great opportunity for me to learn by doing.
Some topics and keywords that might be helpful in my research:
Makerspace/Virtual makerspace
Benefits
Setup
Pre-teaching
Independent student activities
Passive programming
Tools for sharing collections of links (with images for accessibility)
