Tag Archives: digital literacy

April 7, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Future Vision Project Reveal

When thinking about my future vision for a school library learning commons, an aspect that is important to me is supporting teachers and students with innovative education technology. Therefore, I wanted this project to combine the spirit of collaboration with a branch of ICT that is new to me. I decided to launch an inquiry on digital video production in the classroom because I wanted to develop my own skills in this area. As I began my research, I found more and more compelling support for using video production as an educational tool.

Why Digital Video Production?

I knew from my limited experience that student engagement with making their own videos is high. In a case study conducted in 2005, Schuck and Kearney found that student video production improved a variety of learning outcomes apart from movie-making skills including multiple literacies, communication and presentation, organisation and teamwork, higher-order thinking, metacognition, and affective skills. In addition, students can use video production as a powerful tool for improving and reflecting on their work (Henderson et al., 2010). As digital technologies become more and more prevalent, multimodal literacies are becoming vital components of pedagogy. Video production supports students in working across modes in alignment with modern literacy practices (Ranker, 2007). Finally, video production allows us to examine the voice and representation of youth that is inherent in media creation (Dahya, 2017). All in all, there are many powerful benefits to using video production across the curriculum.

Overview of Project

When I began to think of the key elements that I wanted to include in my project, my main goal was to help colleagues see the potential of video production and their own capabilities to incorporate it, even if they do not feel “tech-savvy”. For this reason, I wanted the overall tone to be one of support. Using the collaboration model from the BCTLA and Surrey Teachers’ Association for inspiration, I designed my project to show teachers how their SLLC can support them with this tool. In order to make it beginner-friendly, I knew I wanted to include tutorials and examples. I also wanted to communicate to teachers that video production should not be seen as yet another task to add to their plates. Video production is an instructional strategy that can help students master the content of all subject areas and not the object of study itself (Norton & Hathaway, 2010). This is why I wanted to include lesson plans and examples that demonstrated curricular connections.

Project Design

Originally, I thought of this project as a presentation that could be given at staff meetings or professional development opportunities. As the project began to come together, I was inspired to make it a living document that can be used for reference and added to as time goes on. In the end, my project ended up with two components: a PowerPoint to use in presentations to colleagues and a Padlet that summarizes key information but stands on its own. I chose to use Padlet because it is a compact way to incorporate documents, videos, links, and images that can be shared with one link. I can continue to add new tools as I learn about them and teachers can opt to be notified when new content is added. I can also add members so that other teachers can insert their expertise and enhance the project. After I created the Padlet, I began to worry that this format might discourage people who are not familiar with it, so I created a how-to video to help users navigate the information and included it in my PowerPoint.

Production Process

Although there are countless excellent video production apps available, I wanted to be intentional about the apps I included in this project. I started by looking at the list of pre-approved apps for my district. Submitting new apps for approval is a daunting process that is best avoided. Then I started curating a list of apps that I felt I could reasonably learn to use during this course. I wanted to use this project to cultivate the commitment to continuous learning and exploration that is necessary to be a digital age mentor (Miller & Bass, 2019). It was also important to me that I feel confident in using all the tools I promote. Learning to use these apps involved a lot of experimentation on my own but I also sought out teachers who had used the apps to ask about their experience, attended a professional development workshop on using green screens, and volunteered to help a class with their animal research video projects. The most challenging part of this project was curating examples of videos that linked to the curriculum for each app. While I did create some on my own, I wanted to show authentic examples of students using the apps as much as possible. Because I am currently on education leave, this involved a lot of collaboration with former colleagues and “borrowing” their students to create. In the end, my collaboration for iMovie got rescheduled and I was not able to get my example ready for that app in time. I will have to add it at a later date.

What Comes Next?

As my education leave comes to an end and I return to teaching next month, I want to continue to add to this project as I add to my video production toolkit. The next app on my list is Clips for iOS. This looks like a simple alternative to iMovie that has a similar interface to Tik Tok and may be more suitable for beginning movie-makers.

Without further ado, I present to you my project in its current form (best viewed in full screen):

Digital Video Production in the Classroom Presentation

Digital Video Production Tools Padlet

Made with Padlet

References

BC Teacher Librarian’s Association & Surrey Teacher’s Association. (2019). What can collaboration with a teacher-librarian look like?. https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/teacher-librarian-infographic-final.pdf

Dahya, N. (2017). Critical perspectives on youth digital media production: ‘voice’ and representation in educational contexts. Learning, Media and Technology, 42(1), 100-111. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2016.1141785

Henderson, M., Auld, G., Holkner, B., Russell, G., Seah, W. T., Fernando, A., & Romeo, G. (2010). Students creating digital video in the primary classroom: Student autonomy, learning outcomes, and professional learning communities. Australian Educational Computing, 24(2), 12–20.

Miller, S., & Bass, W. (2019). Leading from the library: Help your school community thrive in the digital age. International Society for Technology in Education.

Norton, P., & Hathaway, D. (2010). Video production as an instructional strategy: Content learning and teacher practice. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 145-166.

Ranker, J. (2007). A new perspective on inquiry: A case study of digital video production. The English Journal, 97(1), 77–82.

Schuck, S. & Kearney, M. (2005). Students in the director’s seat: Teaching and learning with student-generated video. In P. Kommers & G. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of ED-MEDIA 2005–World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications (pp. 2864-2871). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

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March 29, 2022 ·

LIBE 467 Evaluation Plan – Improving Reference Services

Context

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the reference collection and services of an elementary school library. The school currently has 277 students enrolled in grades K-7. The school library learning commons is staffed by a qualified teacher-librarian two and a half days per week. The SLLC follows a hybrid schedule, with fixed book exchange times and four flexible blocks per week for co-teaching opportunities. Most of the reference collection is housed in the non-fiction book section. There is also a small separate collection of print reference materials. Digital reference materials subscribed to by the district are available on the SLLC website from school and home.

Analysis

Students use the SLLC often (1-2 times per week) to select books to read for pleasure. They rarely use the collection for information-gathering purposes. Teachers feel that there are adequate resources in the collection to support the curriculum, but not a wide enough variety of formats available to support the learning styles of their students. Other than the web resources subscribed to by the district, there are only books in the collection. In total, there are 9,477 books in the collection. Although the book to student ratio is Exemplary, non-fiction/reference (3,602 books) make up less than 40% of the collection, which does not meet standards (Canadian Association for School Libraries, 2006).

Due to the Below Standard 0.5 staffing of the SLLC (Canadian Association for School Libraries, 2006), the school community does not have open access to reference services other than the digital resources available online. There are 13 online English databases suitable for elementary (see Appendix A). Although teachers feel there are adequate web resources available to support their teaching, they do not use them often. When asked how the collection could better support their students’ information-gathering needs, most indicated they would like more support in using the databases. Currently, the focus of co-teaching is ADST and story workshop. Classes rarely use the SLLC for research, although teachers occasionally sign out a selection of books for a topic of study.

Project Rationale

The reference collection should support the development of knowledge, skills, and understandings by providing a variety of print and non-print resources. Although the current collection adequately covers curricular content, it should “have a number of reference items covering the same content that present information in different formats, languages, or reading levels in order to meet the needs of diverse learners” (Riedling & Houston, 2019, p. 24). The digital resources available add to the variety of the collection, but classroom teachers do not feel equipped to use them with their students. According to the Canadian Library Association (2014), an established SLLC fosters information literacy when the “teacher-librarian collaborates with teachers to infuse information literacy instruction in learning experiences to ensure deep understanding of content” (p. 17). Despite dynamic co-teaching opportunities, users are not accessing the collection to develop information literacy.

Recommendations

In order to improve the reference services of the SLLC, two main courses of action are recommended:

  1. Diversify the current collection by adding a variety of resource formats to support different learning styles, such as realia, podcasts, maps, or audiobooks.
  2. Use co-teaching blocks to focus on resource-based learning to achieve curricular objectives.

To achieve the first recommendation, teachers and students should be consulted about the formats they would most like to see added to the collection. The teacher-librarian should then prioritize the budget to add these formats in alignment with the curriculum. As new resources are acquired, the teacher-librarian should alert the school community by promoting new formats during lessons, on the SLLC website, and in physical displays in prominent locations. At the end of the next budget cycle, the teacher-librarian can use an evaluation checklist (see Appendix B) to assess progress.

A shift in the focus of co-teaching blocks will require cooperation from administration and staff. The teacher-librarian and administrator should present rationale for incorporating resource-based learning to classroom teachers. The promotion of digital databases can be used to increase interest in co-teaching opportunities that involve active participation with information resources. The teacher-librarian can use the next assessment period as a goal for increasing student information literacy skills, using BC’s Digital Literacy Framework (BC Ministry of Education, 2021) as an assessment tool (see Appendix C).

This plan to improve the reference services provided by the SLLC should be re-evaluated after one year. Potential challenges will include budget limitations and resistance from classroom teachers. The support of the administrator is key to “provide the leadership, budgets and support for moving forward with library learning commons transitions and implementation of national and regional standards” (Canadian Library Association, 2014, p. 21). The end goal of the project is to ensure that the SLLC is providing the school community with the reference services they need to become lifelong learners.

Works Cited

BC Ministry of Education. (2021). BC’s Digital Literacy Framework. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf

Canadian Association for School Libraries. (2006). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. (M. Asselin, J. L. Branch, & D. Oberg, Eds.) Canadian Association for School Libraries.

Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Ottawa, ON.

Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Appendix A: List of Available Digital Databases

  • 4Canoes
  • EBSCOhost
  • Explora Primary – Canada
  • KnowBC
  • National Geographic Kids
  • NoveList
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  • TumbleBookLibrary
  • World Book Early Learning
  • World Book Kids
  • World Book Discover
  • World Book Student
  • World Book Timelines

Appendix B: Sample Evaluation Checklist

Adapted from Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada, Canadian Association for School Libraries, 2006.

 

Appendix C: BC’s Digital Literacy Framework

Click here to see the complete framework.

 

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March 5, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Developing World Libraries – Libraries On The Go

This week I am taking a break from digital video production to investigate how libraries are impacting communities around the world. The courses in the UBC Diploma in Teacher-Librarianship give vast information about library programming, managing resources, information literacy, and so on, but it is important to remember that this is only a small view of what libraries can offer their patrons. It was eye-opening to delve into innovative ways that libraries serve their communities in areas of the world with limited resources.

Library Reform in Bangladesh

According to a 2016 report, about 148 million people in Bangladesh do not have access to the internet. Additionally, although there are over 5000 public libraries in the country, over 80% of children in primary grades have never used one because they are geared towards adults. Beyond Access, a project established by IREX to expand the impact of libraries across the globe, formed a network of 24 libraries across Bangladesh with literary resources for young children.

Photo from Beyond Access.

The focus has also been on bringing ICT into the library for the young patrons to use. Children are provided with access to tablets that have educational software encouraging literacy and creativity. The program has shifted the perspective that libraries are only for educated citizens to one where libraries are part of the education process. Although there is support for this shift, there is reportedly still some resistance to libraries being about more than just books. Truth be told, I have seen evidence of the same resistance here in North America. It is informative to see that mobile technology in libraries is making an impact in other parts of the world.

The Wheels on the Bus Bring Books, Books, Books!

Photo from Sorin, Furcoi, Al Jazeera Press, 2019.

In Kabul, Afghanistan, the education system has been impacted by decades of war. Due to Taliban rule, barriers to education are particularly significant for girls and in rural areas. In 2018, The Charmaghaz Project started a library bus system which delivers books to children in the city. According to the founder, Freshta Karim, “The main goal of the mobile library is to promote critical thinking, which we believe it is not promoted in our education system or our society.” The project relies on donations and currently has 5 buses, each with a driver, librarian, and librarian assistant. It also offers hands-on workshops designed to promote creative thinking. The project was working towards collaborating with the Ministry of Education to provide service to schools before it had to pause operations due to another Taliban takeover in August 2021. In December, the buses were granted permission to resume service once again. The mobile libraries get around 400 young visitors each day.

Last year, a picture book inspired by mobile libraries in refugee camps in Kabul was written by Bahram Rahman with illustrations by Gabrielle Gimard. The author of The Library Bus grew up in Afghanistan during the Taliban’s first regime. You can listen to the author read his book in the video below. The reading is followed by an interview where the author talks about his inspiration for the story:

Definition of the Word Mobile

/ˈmōbəl,ˈmōˌbīl/

  1. able to move or be moved freely or easily.

  2. relating to mobile phones, handheld computers, and similar technology.

Although these examples of world library initiatives are two different spins on the word “mobile”, they both highlight ways that libraries are thinking outside the box to serve their communities. Closer to home, libraries are also becoming more mobile. Patrons want to access information from anywhere at anytime. Why should school libraries limit that access because of outdated device policies? Online databases and wifi access for personal devices allow school libraries to better serve their learners. Information is information, whether it is gleaned from a book or the screen of a mobile device.

Closing Thoughts: The Danger of a Single Story

As I conducted my research about the development of libraries around the world, I discovered much of the information is provided through a Western lens. I found many examples of other countries establishing programs in a developing country, rather than projects that are being developed intrinsically by the country itself. The effectiveness of these initiatives is questionable because it means outside influences are imposing views of what a library should be. The most troubling article I found was one which praised a Rotary program which collected discarded books from American school libraries and brought them to developing countries. These books would be outdated, in poor condition, and representing Western perspectives. Could they be doing more harm than good? Can we say the same for well-meaning library development initiatives being imposed on developing countries from across the globe? I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.

Works Cited

1 World Connected. (2020, September 1). Beyond Access Bangladesh. https://1worldconnected.org/project/asia_digitalskills_libraries_youth_beyondaccessbangladesh/

Asia Society. (2021, November 15). A reading of ‘The Library Bus’ [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkDTKCjXUEc

Furcoi, S. (2019, March 7). ‘This is how we’ll change the country’ – inside Kabul’s book bus. Al Jazeera Media Network. https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2019/3/7/this-is-how-well-change-the-country-inside-kabuls-book-bus

Charmaghz. (2021). Mobile Libraries. https://charmaghz.org/mobilelibraries/

 

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February 17, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Developing ICT Skills and Pedagogy – Teamwork, Technology, and Trajectory

As the title of my blog suggests, I recognize that one of my hats as an educator is that of a lifelong learner. The most important reason for personal growth is that I am modelling a growth mindset for my students. Additionally, in order to best serve students and schools, teachers must keep up with the ever-changing digital landscape. As a classroom teacher, this often meant that I was trying new technology on the fly, learning alongside my students. As a future teacher-librarian, I am looking forward to having a bit more time and freedom to try out new technology tools in my teaching. I think I can use this as a path to collaboration with teachers who may not be ready to try technology on their own. Because I have the present luxury of being on education leave to take part in this program, I am taking advantage of this extra time to pursue professional development. I have been volunteering in classrooms and libraries, participating in workshops and webinars, and experimenting with new technology tools to further my own learning. This experience has been a wonderful opportunity to develop my learning network and hone my skills, something that I will be sure to continue when I return to teaching.

It Takes a Village

Trying something new can be scary, but there is safety in numbers. I find that I am more likely to take risks if I have someone else jumping into the deep end with me. Apart from the comforting notion of “at least I won’t fail alone”, sharing the load can make learning something new a little less daunting. Recently, I offered to help a fellow teacher with an ADST unit in robotics. This allowed her to focus on planning the logistics of the unit and assessment, while I supported the students with the technology tools. The result was a much richer learning experience for the students than either of us could have provided on our own.

Collaboration leads to rich learning experiences!

Connecting with other educators and sharing ideas and experience is a powerful force. The robotics collaboration was a result of staying in contact with a former colleague and meeting regularly to discuss our practice. This is my single greatest professional development tool. I have recently joined Twitter and am getting in the habit of using it to keep track of individuals and organizations that can expand my professional network. You can use the link at the top of the sidebar to connect with me on Twitter. If you have any accounts to recommend, please leave them in the comments!

I am lucky to be working in a district that values teachers as professionals and provides us with valuable professional development opportunities. One of my favourite days of the year is our district pro-d day where we come together in one place to learn from each other. Although it has had to shift to an online format in the past two years, the added benefit of this change has been that we have been able to join forces with another district, effectively doubling the number of talented professionals that we can learn from. This year, I was thrilled to find some webinars that can support me in my inquiry project for this class. I have registered for a workshop on green screen filmmaking and one on Twine, a digital storytelling tool. These workshops are run by fellow teachers, which means they can give me the best insight on how to incorporate these tools into my teaching. I am looking forward to next Friday!

Shiny New Tools

Apart from professional development days, it can be hard to find time to learn how to use new technology tools. Throughout my coursework in this program, I have tried to use technology to show my learning as much as possible. Here are some examples where I have successfully incorporated a new digital tool into my learning:

  • Curation
    • Padlet: to curate resources for my inquiry unit in LLED 469
    • Wakelet: to gather online tools to support media literacy for LLED 462
    • Symbaloo: to bookmark web tools to use in the classroom for LLED 462
  • Present/Publish
    • Microsoft Sway: to present my annotated bibliography of illustrated texts in LLED 446
  • Create/Design
    • Canva: to create an infographic for students about curating learning resources for LLED 469
    • Tinkercad: to design a school library learning commons layout for LIBE 461
    • Pixton: to make a comic showing my tech learning journey for LLED 462

All of these tools could be used in the classroom or library. Learning how to use them has been one of the most valuable parts of the program. I want to continue adding to this list as I work towards my future vision project for this course. In my final post for my Reading Review I made a list of apps that could support video production in the classroom. As I learn to use these apps, I will be posting my progress to my blog. This week, I started acquainting myself with Stop Motion Studio. I found a video that had helpful tips which I could also share with my colleagues and students:

After playing around with the app for quite awhile, I think my next step is to invest in a small tripod, as shown in the video. Hopefully I will be able to share some stop motion productions with you soon.

Looking Ahead for Learning

Although this education leave has been full of rich learning, in less than three months, I will be returning to work. Setting up some habits and plans to ensure I stay on top of my professional development now will help me when I return to the busy teaching lifestyle. Some things I can do:

  • continue registering for workshops and webinars through my district’s learning portal
  • subscribe to professional blogs and periodicals
  • set up opportunities to learn from my colleagues
  • sign up for my district’s teacher-librarian mentorship program
  • keep up to date with my yearly professional growth plan

Making a commitment to my own professional development is one of the most important services I can provide for myself, my colleagues, and my students.

References

Parry, K. (2020, September 16). Stop-motion with only a phone app [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOeMZFKGxOA

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February 10, 2022 ·

LIBE 467 Evaluation of a Reference Work – World Book Online vs. Discovery Education

Introduction

“A good reference source is one that serves to answer questions, and a bad reference source is one that fails to answer questions” (Riedling & Houston, 2019). It is the job of the teacher-librarian to continuously evaluate the reference sources in the collection. While the evaluation criteria may change depending on the type of resource, there are some categories that should be considered for all:

  • Content scope
  • Accuracy, authority, and bias
  • Arrangement and presentation
  • Relation to similar works
  • Timeliness and permanence
  • Accessibility/diversity
  • Cost

(Riedling & Houston, 2019)

Due to the rapidly changing world in which students now find themselves, digital reference sources are better equipped to keep up-to-date with the exponential growth of information. For elementary-aged students, full-text online databases provide a comprehensive, accessible resource that give them opportunities to develop their digital information literacy skills. Specific factors that need to be kept in mind when evaluating this type of resource include: search function, update frequency, and user interface. A rubric for evaluating full-text online databases is included in the Appendix.

One of the key reference resources in our library’s collection is the online encyclopedia World Book Online. Although it is a well-respected resource designed for multiple ages, many of our users report that they access it very little. Discovery Education is an online database featuring curated content paired with instructional supports for K-12 educators. With a focus on multimodal content, it could provide a needed update to our digital resource library. Conducting a thorough evaluative review of each resource will ensure that our reference section is best equipped to meet our users’ needs.

World Book Online Evaluative Review

World Book Online is a subscription-based online encyclopedia. The suite includes a selection of databases that progress with users’ learning levels. Each tool incorporates additional features to support the target learners’ level of development. Types of content includes scholarly articles, primary and secondary source documents, e-books, images, illustrations, maps, audio files, and videos. All content is authored by expert contributors and reviewed by authenticators to ensure accuracy (World Book Inc., 2022). Citations are included on each page. World Book has been a trusted academic source for over 100 years and information is updated regularly.

When a user logs in, they are taken to a screen that shows all tools included in the suite. Hovering over each tool gives a brief description which enables the user to determine which tool is best-suited for them. The user interface for each tool is tailored to the target audience. For example, apart from World Book Early Learning (Pre-K) all tools set the search function as the most prominent feature. Search filters can be used to narrow down results. Articles are differentiated by Lexile score and have an immersive reader tool that can be used to listen to the content.

(World Book Inc., 2022)

World Book Online is the only encyclopedic resource in our collection. Students can access it outside of school hours and from home, which makes it a cost-effective resource at roughly $1400.00 CAD per year for an elementary school.

Discovery Education Evaluative Review

Discovery Education was designed to curate relevant, engaging teaching content on one integrated platform. The content is created by educators and subject matter experts. Authors are recruited from partner school districts to ensure diverse representation and all content is reviewed in four major categories: curriculum alignment, student engagement, diverse representation, and instructional use (Discovery Education, 2022). User feedback is used to update content regularly. Types of content include videos, articles, podcasts, virtual field trips, and interactive tools. E-books are not included in the basic subscription.

(Discovery Education, 2022)

The platform is designed to be used as an interactive tool between students and teacher. Teachers can load a class and assign activities and quizzes to their students. All users can search for and save content. Search results can be filtered by grade level, media type, language, and additional features such as closed captioning. Literacy supports such as immersive reader and page rulers are embedded in the text content. Texts are differentiated by Lexile score.

While the interface is designed to facilitate an online classroom, the stand-alone content can just as easily be used to supplement any lesson. Individual student accounts allow this resource to be used as a research tool as well. Teachers will appreciate the built-in assessment and versatility that this platform offers. The cost of an annual subscription for an elementary school is roughly $4000.00 CAD.

Conclusion

World Book Online meets or exceeds the standards of an acceptable reference source, despite its lack of use. It does not, however, consider diversity of perspective in its curation of content, whereas Discovery Education makes explicit mention of it. Furthermore, the interactive features of Discovery Education could entice teachers to use the resource more frequently in their classrooms. The difference in cost also needs to be considered, with World Book Online being the significantly cheaper option. Due to the comparable value of the resources reviewed, consultation with the library’s users is recommended for further consideration.

Works Cited

Discovery Education. (2022). Curated content. Discovery Education. https://www.discoveryeducation.ca/curated-content/

Discovery Education. (2022). How does Discovery Education vet and curate content? Discovery Education Help Center. https://help.discoveryeducation.com/hc/en-us/articles/360056650714-How-does-Discovery-Education-vet-and-curate-content-

Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

World Book Inc. (2022). Students achieve more with World Book. World Book. https://www.worldbookonline.com/training/assets/downloadables/WBOL_vs_web_info_sheet_8-15.pdf

World Book Inc. (2022). World Book Student. World Book. https://www.worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/home

Appendix

Rubric for Evaluating Full-Text Online Databases

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January 22, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Reading Review A – Collaboration Conundrum

School libraries have always been an essential part of the school community, but in recent years there has been a shift in perspectives on their role in education. In 2014, the BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association published the document From School Library to Library Learning Commons (updated in 2017) which outlines how a school community can transform their library into a space that can address the needs of today’s learners. Two important emerging themes in education that drive this change are:

  • “Collaboration is required of all learners; that is, amongst teacher-librarians, teachers, and students.”
  • “Technology has had a dramatic effect.”

As I work through the courses in the Teacher-Librarian Diploma, the need for TLs to embrace the co-teaching model has become more and more pressing in my mind. My concern as I enter this profession is that while the value of collaboration and co-teaching continues to increase, the time available or provided to dedicate to this area is diminishing. I have been trying to work out how I can best establish an environment of collaboration as a TL without adding to the already-full plates of classroom teachers. In order to start generating keywords around this topic, I created a word cloud using WordArt.com and the document What Can Collaboration with a Teacher-Librarian Look Like? from the BCTLA and the Surrey Teachers’ Association:

It is clear from words like “Digital”, “Apps”, “Websites”, and “Tools” that technology is an important focus of collaboration in an LLC. One of the emerging themes in last week’s discussion about digital mentorship was that ADST is an area of concern for many classroom teachers. I have already started the process of establishing a toolkit of digital technologies that I can use to support classroom teachers in this subject area. I have started thinking about what kinds of tools will do this in the most efficient way, or what will access multiple points of the curriculum in order to maximize instructional time. I began thinking about how Media Arts can be integrated into every area of the curriculum. This is not an area that I have spent a lot of time exploring in the classroom but is something that would add significant value to my TL toolkit. When thinking about the kinds of resources available in my district, possible areas of exploration could include:

  • Green screen
  • Video editing
  • Stop motion animation
  • Sound recording
  • Photography

Honing my skills in any of these areas would enhance the contributions to co-teaching I could make as a TL.

Works Cited

BC Teacher Librarians’ Association. (2017). From school library to learning commons: A pro-active model for educational change. (M. Ekdahl, & S. Zubke, Eds.). https://bctla.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/from-school-library-to-library-learning-commons.pdf

BC Teacher Librarian’s Association & Surrey Teacher’s Association. (2019). What can collaboration with a teacher-librarian look like?. https://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/teacher-librarian-infographic-final.pdf

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