Tag Archives: technology

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 24, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Future Vision Project Learner Considerations

The blueprint for my future vision project is starting to come together. I am working on a presentation to share with colleagues about digital video production in the classroom and how the school library can support this. This PowerPoint presentation could be shared at staff meetings, professional development opportunities, or lunch-and-learns. This week, I am trying to refine my format and intention by considering my audience and their needs.

Life After LIBE 477

After last week’s blog post, I was inspired to consider two new questions:

  1. How will this artifact be accessed and used over time? (thank you, Darcy)
  2. How can I add an interactive element to my artifact? (thank you, Erin)

When I think of my own experiences as a learner, I find that during presentations, I might not be ready to engage with all of the material. This could be due to my mindset in that particular moment or because I am not at the point in my learning where I can understand what the presenter is sharing. For this reason, I appreciate it when I am provided with the learning material, so I can go back and engage with it when I am ready. While this could mean simply sharing my PowerPoint with colleagues after the presentation, I would rather create a living document that not only contains the information from the presentation, but could be added to over time. That way, I can add new video production tools as I learn them and invite colleagues to contribute their own ideas. I think Padlet will be effective for creating this part of my artifact. The link to the Padlet could be shared in the presentation and on the school library website, so that teachers can access it at any time. This will give my artifact more lasting power than a PowerPoint alone.

Potential Roadblocks

If I want to reach as many audience members as possible, I need to consider why teachers may be resistant to incorporating digital video production into their teaching. According to research conducted by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA), key barriers to ICT use in the classroom include:

  • lack of access to equipment
  • lack of time for training, exploration, and preparation
  • lack of models of good practice in ICT
  • negative attitudes towards computers in education
  • computer anxiety and a lack of confidence
  • fear of change
  • lack of technical, administrative, and institutional support

(BECTA, 2003)

I am hoping that the very nature of my project will address the lack of support and confidence that teachers might experience. I want them to know that the teacher-librarian is here to support them in whatever way they feel ready to tackle this.  My audience will be teachers in the Burnaby School District, so I will include tools that I know are easy to access with what is available. This means using iPads as the primary recording device and apps that are pre-approved by the district like iMovie, Chatterpix, and Green Screen by Do Ink. I will be including examples of each tool that link to the curriculum to model best practice. As for negative attitude or fear of change, I hope that by providing research about how digital video production supports student success, I can appeal to teachers enough that they will be inspired to try. I will have to find a balance between sharing concise, easy-to-read research and overwhelming my audience. I am going to keep this section of the Padlet separate from the rest so that those who just want to access tutorials or examples do not have to sift through academic articles.

Over the next two weeks I will be working on gathering and creating examples and tutorials, researching rationale behind digital video production in the classroom, and putting together my PowerPoint and Padlet. I am looking forward to sharing my final artifact with you all!

Works Cited

BECTA. (2003). What the research says about barriers to the use of ICT in teaching. http://www.mmiweb.org.uk/publications/ict/Research_Barriers_TandL.pdf

Edwards, L. (2020, October 19). What is Padlet and how does it work for teachers and students?. Tech & Learning. https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/what-is-padlet-and-how-does-it-work-for-teachers-and-students

erinthelibrarian24. (2022, March 20). A one stop shop for presentation tools and support: Final vision project design considerations. Adventures in Becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://erinthelibrarian24.wordpress.com/2022/03/20/a-one-stop-shop-for-presentation-tools-and-support-final-vision-project-design-considerations/

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March 16, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Future Vision Project Design Considerations

Last week, I formulated the guiding philosophy for my future as a teacher-librarian based on the past five weeks of inquiry in this course. This week, I am thinking about what kind of artifact will best encapsulate that vision of the future. I have a useful little widget on the sidebar of my blog that keeps track of the different tags I use on my posts. The most prominent tags are “collaboration” and “technology” followed by “media arts” and “inquiry”. The confluence of these topics links to the issue I began exploring at the beginning of the course of how to best establish an environment of collaboration using digital video production as a tool. I want my artifact to address that issue. As I begin to consider the format and design of my project, these are the concerns I have:

  • Classroom teachers have a full load and collaboration should ease the load, not add to it.
  • Digital video production should be seen as a tool to access the curriculum, not an additional ADST component.

How can my artifact best address these concerns?

Youth filmmaking class

CC Image courtesy of Dougnamy1 via Wikimedia Commons

Collaboration in Real Life

One of the most informative articles about collaboration I have read was a conversation between Kristin Fontichiaro, a teacher-librarian who was working as a classroom teacher at the time, and Jo Angela Oehrli, a classroom teacher who was working as a teacher-librarian. This role reversal allowed each person to put themselves in the other’s shoes and paint a realistic picture of what collaboration looks like in a busy school environment. They identified four pieces of advice on how to go about the process:

  1. Know what’s going on and only ask the questions that move things forward.
  2. Be up-front about expectations and limitations.
  3. Be flexible.
  4. Take something off the other person’s plate.

(Fontichiaro & Oehrli, 2014)

Therefore, I want the tone of my artifact to be “Here is what I can do for you.” This avoids asking the question to teachers “What do you need?” which can overwhelm teachers that don’t know the answer (Oehrli, 2014). I also want my artifact to give teachers multiple entry points. This will avoid anything too prescriptive that could make teachers feel like I am trying to come in and run the show. I can do this by using video production as a base but show a lot of different options for what that might look like, or a kind of “choose your own adventure” with video production.

It’s An Instructional Strategy, Not Another Subject

Leading from the Library states the importance of reframing instruction to ensure lessons in the library support what is happening in the classroom (Miller & Bass, 2019). The examples that I include in my artifact need to have cross-curricular ties. This will help teachers to see that we will be using video production to achieve their curricular goals. “This approach . . . carries with it the potential for students to gain exposure to media analysis and production activities while simultaneously mastering the complexities of disciplinary knowledge” (Norton & Hathaway, 2010) and ties into the ISTE “Designer” standard:

(ISTE, 2022)

Although this tool can be used to access all content areas, media literacy itself is still an important part of the curriculum. Media production will help students examine their own experiences with media forms, which can often have negative connotations, particularly for young girls.  It can help students understand the choices that go into making media texts and the intention behind them. I want my artifact to show teachers this added value in using video production as an instructional strategy as opposed to more traditional approaches.

As I continue to think about the best format for my project, I would appreciate your comments to tell me what would help you or what you would like to see in regards to an artifact designed to assist teachers in incorporating digital video production in their classroom. Please comment below!

Works Cited

Fontichiaro, K., & Oehrli, J. A. (2014). Turning the tables on collaboration part I: Planning for success. Library Media Connection 32(4), 36-38.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2022). ISTE standards: Educators. ISTE: Area of Focus. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers

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.

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March 12, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Inquiry Reflection – Guiding Philosophy

Ship Radar – CC Image courtesy of Pixabay

In order to formulate my important takeaways from the past four weeks of inquiry, I returned to my blog post on each topic and tried to pull out the key understandings from my writing. What I ended up with turned out to be a kind of philosophy or vision for the kind of school library I want to cultivate and the kind of teacher-librarian I want to be. Here is what I came up with as a guiding philosophy:

  1. The school library provides a gateway to accessing and learning new educational technology alongside your peers and colleagues.
  2. The teacher-librarian is knowledgeable about learning technology and if she does not know the answer, she will help you find it.
  3. The school library acts as a link between the school and the wider community.
  4. The teacher-librarian seeks out exciting learning opportunities for the school community and has an open door for new ideas.
  5. The initiatives, focus, and identity of the school library should be led by the wants and needs of its most important clients: the students.

While I was not surprised by any of these statements, it was interesting to see that they came out in my blog posts over the course of the inquiry.

Reading the blog posts of my colleagues, many of whom are already working as teacher-librarians, gave me valuable new ideas about how to make this philosophy come into being. I made a list of tangible ways to work towards these goals, inspired by my peers:

  • incorporate technology (blogs, Padlet, Google Jamboard) into student-centred reader response discussions
  • make video tutorials that show students and colleagues how to access library resources
  • get involved in online learning communities to find new ideas to bring back to school community
  • acquire e-books and other forms of digital text to increase access to the library collection
  • extend the use of the library to the local community to establish connections to the school

I am grateful for the opportunity to establish this learning network of teacher-librarians who are passionate about sharing their experiences.

Finally, I want to reiterate this quote I shared in my blog post about collaborating with colleagues to support their professional development, which was the topic that resonated the most with me over the course of the inquiry. I think it brings together all aspects of my guiding philosophy:

“Like the sailor high atop a ship’s mast, a critical role of our profession is to scan the horizon for educational, technological, and societal changes that will affect our students, teachers, schools, and communities.” (Johnson, 2013)

(The photo at the beginning of this post is my clever attempt to update the crow’s nest analogy to represent libraries of the future…)

Works Cited

erinthelibrarian24. (2022, March 4). Big things come in small packages: The impact mobile devices have on literacy in developing countries. Adventures in Becoming a Teacher Librarian. https://erinthelibrarian24.wordpress.com/2022/03/04/big-things-come-in-small-packages-the-impact-mobile-devices-have-on-literacy-in-developing-countries/

Johnson, D. (2013). The indispensable librarian: Surviving and thriving in school libraries in the information age (2nd ed.). Linworth.

Kim. (2022, February 24).  Leading learning in the school. Ms. Cook’s Books. https://mscooksbooks.blogspot.com/2022/02/leading-learning-in-school.html

linda. (2022, February 25). How do we share what we have learned with the wider school community?. My Learning. https://blogs.ubc.ca/mylearning/2022/02/25/february-25-2022-how-do-we-share-what-we-have-learned-with-the-wider-school-community/

S Mrkich. (2022, March 6). The future is digital and developing. LIBE 477B. https://teacherlibrariancourse.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-future-is-digital-and-developing.html

westerstill. (2022, February 11). How to foster a reading culture. Librarystudies. https://booksarecool143770636.wordpress.com/2022/02/11/how-to-foster-a-reading-culture/

 

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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 26, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Supporting Professional Development – Learning Ahoy!

In his book, The Indispensable Librarian: Surviving and Thriving in School Libraries in the Information Age, Doug Johnson likens the role of a teacher-librarian to that of a “Crowsnester”.

“Like the sailor high atop a ship’s mast, a critical role of our profession is to scan the horizon for educational, technological, and societal changes that will affect our students, teachers, schools, and communities.” (Johnson, 2013)

As demonstrated in last week’s blog posts, we are a community who loves to read, network, and learn. It is only fitting that we share all we have learned with others. This infographic from the BCTLA is a useful visual representation of this aspect of our role:

(BCTLA, 2017)

From this, we can pull out the verbs that embody the instructional role of the TL: participate, connect, liaise, and support. We are uniquely situated to lead staff development efforts because we can view the school as a whole and understand its needs. So how can I meet the professional development needs of my school community?

As teachers, we have a fundamental understanding that our students all have unique learning styles. Why would this be any different for our colleagues? While some might be interested in opportunities such as “lunch and learns” or a quick tutorial at a staff meeting, others may need to try a more hands-on approach where they can learn something new by observing collaborative lessons taught by the TL. Still others might need to try something on their own, only asking the occasional question of the TL. The common key to all of these situations is relationships. Building up relationships of trust will be my number one goal upon becoming a new TL. The following ideas about building relationships with teachers and staff resonate with me:

  • Find natural partnerships as a starting point and expand from there.
  • Advertise what you can do for your teachers. If they don’t know what you have to offer, they won’t approach you to collaborate.
  • Maintain a focus on student learning. Teachers want their students working toward curricular goals.

(Miller & Bass, 2019)

 My question at the start of this course was: how can I create opportunities for collaboration through digital video production? My initial idea for a final vision project was a document that shows teachers examples of how I can help them integrate this tool into their teaching. This ties in with this week’s inquiry topic and the advice from Miller & Bass. According to Johnson, there is a pattern to professional growth in technology: Personal Productivity to Upgrading Current Practices to Restructuring the Educational Environment (Johnson, 2013). In other words, we have to move from proficiency using the tool for our own purposes to using it in our teaching to using it to achieve a larger educational goal. For my own Personal Productivity, I have been learning how to use Stop Motion Studio. I made the following video to use as an example that I could show my colleagues:

I wanted the topic of the video to connect to curriculum content to show teachers that video production is not one more thing they should add to their plate, but a tool for achieving their curricular goals. This example could be presented at staff meetings, pro-d days, or on the LLC website, perhaps accompanied by tutorial videos on how to make your own. Teachers are then free to try it themselves or ask me to come teach a lesson in their class. I tried to keep it simple and used items that are easily available so teachers would not feel overwhelmed about trying it themselves.

I think that by working closely with my colleagues, I will have a better understanding of what their professional development needs and learning styles are. This will inform the decisions I make about presenting information, curating teacher resources, and offering support with new tools. I am looking forward to sitting in the crow’s nest, scanning the horizon for learning opportunities for myself and my colleagues while navigating the professional development ship to new territories.

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://bctladotca.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/from-school-library-to-library-learning-commons.pdf

Johnson, D. (2013). The indispensable librarian: Surviving and thriving in school libraries in the information age (2nd ed.). Linworth.

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

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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 12, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Fostering a Reading Culture – Students Lead the Way

When we open the door of reading to children, we are giving them the key to knowledge, comfort, inspiration, and insight into the human experience. Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada states that “the school library learning commons has a leading role in assisting learners to hone and apply an expanded notion of literacy as well as fostering an active reading culture” (Canadian Library Association, 2014). It’s continuum for Engaging Readers shows that this goes beyond encouraging students to read for pleasure. An SLLC of the future guides students to build their own community of readers.

Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada (Canadian Library Association, 2014)

This week, I wanted to explore ways to support student reading communities. I began reflecting on how students often find like-minded readers organically, thinking back to my students last year who were fixated on reading manga. Seeing them bring in their new manga to share with each other each week made me want to find ways to encourage these impromptu book clubs. I started looking in the public library and thrift stores for manga to add to our classroom library. I used quotes from manga for our weekly quote studies. I even began reading manga myself (not a genre I gravitate towards!) Although I tried to include student choice in my reading curriculum with independent novel studies and literature circles where students got to choose their book, nothing could match their passion for manga. I think there is something to be said for establishing that group of reading peers on your own, without the classroom teacher’s involvement.

Organic student book club in the wild!

I feel that the library is the perfect place to welcome these informal student-run book clubs. Providing a place for a group of students to meet once a week and talk about what they’re reading, like this school in Virginia, is a small initiative that could lead to great empowerment.

In order for students to form these reading communities, they need to be given time to read. As a classroom teacher, I am a firm believer of at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted reading time where everyone (myself included) reads a book of their choice every day. I understand that some teachers do not feel like there is enough time to do this or why they might start bending the rules and using the time to get students caught up on work, but I feel this time cannot be compromised. As a teacher-librarian, I would like to encourage classrooms to participate in daily reading by sharing the research that says that this practice improves reading comprehension more than any formal reading program. This blog post from Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer, collects much of that research in one place.

In addition to independent reading, Miller is also an advocate for giving students the skills or habits they need to become what she calls “wild readers” (avid, lifelong readers). This is what allows them to move beyond participating in reading that is organized by their teachers. These habits include:

  • Dedicating time to read
  • Successfully self-selecting reading material
  • Sharing books and reading with other readers
  • Having reading plans (what to read next)
  • Showing preferences for genres, authors, and topics

(Miller, 2014)

Many of these habits can be supported by giving/hearing book talks. In this video, Miller shares how creating a culture of book talks in the school can involve all students in the reading culture:

Now that I could rename this blog post “Love Letter to Donalyn Miller”, I would like to wrap it up by connecting my inquiry topic – collaborating with classroom teachers by incorporating student video production into my teaching – to the idea of fostering a reading culture. I think these topics could be connected beautifully by having students create book talk videos or book trailers to share with their peers. Older students could record themselves reading a book and sharing it with their younger buddy. Students could get together to create an animation showing parts of their favourite book. The possibilities are endless. I think integrating this multimedia experience could be a great tool to incite a reading cultural boom!

Works Cited

Canadian Library Association. (2014), Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. Canadian Library Association. http://llsop.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/llsop.pdf

Castellano, L. (2016, August 22). Back to (after)school: Rethinking a school book club. Yalsa Blog. http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2016/08/22/rethinking-a-school-book-club/

Miller, D. (2014, March 26). Five teaching tips for helping students become “wild readers”. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-five-teaching-tips-for-helping-students-become-wild-readers/2014/03

Miller, D. (2015, February 8). I’ve got research. Yes, I do. I’ve got research. How about you? Donalyn Miller. https://bookwhisperer.com/2015/02/08/ive-got-research-yes-i-do-ive-got-research-how-about-you/

Scholastic. (2017, March 22). Episode 7: Creating a book-talking culture [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6nV-aJe5gY

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February 3, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Reading Review C – Video Production: What Next?

At the beginning of this research experience, I was pondering the issue of collaboration between classroom teachers and the library learning commons. Although the value of it continues to increase with the complexities of educating literate critical thinkers, the current demands put on educators and ever-looming budget cuts put this partnership at risk. As a classroom teacher, I understand that time is precious and the thought of trying to fit in co-teaching time in the library can be daunting. As a Future Ready Librarian®, I want to be sure I can integrate my own initiatives that provide cross-curricular learning opportunities to help teachers meet their goals. When examining the Future Ready Framework, I can see how supporting the ADST curriculum accesses many wedges of the wheel. In order to add to my teacher-librarian toolkit and be better prepared to support classroom teachers, I have decided to develop my skills in teaching media arts with a focus on video production.

The framework for Future Ready Librarians® (Image courtesy of Alliance for Excellent Education)

I began my research by looking for academic articles that support the teaching of digital video production as a curricular tool. While there have been many studies conducted in this area, I wanted the articles to be concise and easily accessible so I can use them to create a compelling case for collaboration. I found two articles from respected sources that fit this description. Both articles have practical examples of how students have benefitted from receiving instruction in digital video production. The Henderson et al. article, in particular, is a good demonstration of how this tool can be used across many grade levels and curricular areas.

The second aspect of this inquiry will be the development of my own skills in digital video production. While I have some experience with editing simple videos, in order to feel confident in offering my expertise to colleagues, I need to become more capable at using the video editing tools provided by my district. As in many districts, schools have access to class sets of iPads. There is a list of approved apps that can be downloaded onto the iPads without acquiring permission from the learning technology team (a lengthy process that is best avoided). In examining this list, I picked out some apps that would be useful tools for digital video production. Then I went searching for some introductory guides that could help me begin to understand how to use them. The following apps are on my “to be explored” list (click each icon for EdTech Tool review):

                             

 

After this week’s readings and discussions about equity, I began to wonder how this might play a role in my topic. I discovered an article from Learning, Media and Technology that examined issues with voice and representation in relation to the influences on youth digital media production. It lead me to realize that part of teaching video production is a responsibility to critically examine the kinds of stories that are being told in the digital domain. To borrow a question from the paper’s author,

“How do we define and refine the tone, pressures, and expectations associated with particular media forms in the process of engaging young people in digital production?” (Dahya, 2017).

This will be important to keep in mind going forward.

Thinking ahead to my final vision artifact, I want to find a way to share my journey with digital video production with colleagues in such a way that it invites collaboration and co-teaching opportunities. This could be a document that shares the benefits of integrating it into the classroom and provides some examples of what that could look like in the school library learning commons setting. I am looking forward to experimenting with the different tools I have found and sharing the results on this blog. Stay tuned!

Bibliography of Sources

Alliance for Excellent Education. (2020). Future Ready Librarians: Empowering leadership for school librarians through innovative professional practice. https://futureready.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/FRS_Librarians_Framework_download-2020.pdf

Curriculum Connections STEM. (n.d.). Home [YouTube Channel]. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDLHfOXIRoK6uqesjxZC4w

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.

The Innovation Centre Bradford. (2022). Green screen and iMovie guides. http://www.ticbradford.com/271-video-gallery/1896-green-screen

Jones, A. (2021). Green screen by Do ink. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQHJMCC4f3MMsgp9Ho9_VxwXzAEqn1GsTiofieFKGvOays7vHEwCzYg-Kt6MOkJKNfZn0WuGocPKmdy/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g10269ec23e7_1_284

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

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January 29, 2022 ·

LIBE 477 Reading Review B – Deep Dive into Video Production

After brainstorming possible areas of interest connected to collaboration and digital technologies last week, I started exploring possible media arts tools that could help me promote co-teaching in the school library. This week my research led me down two main paths:

  1. research showing digital video production is an effective way to access the curriculum
  2. practical tips and tutorials to help me develop my skills in digital video production as a teacher-librarian

Here is a summary of some of the useful resources I found:

Curriculum Connections STEM. (n.d.). Home [YouTube Channel]. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDLHfOXIRoK6uqesjxZC4w

This YouTube channel was created by Queensland University of Technology following a study that found YouTube is a popular teaching tool and that video production was becoming a common activity in classrooms. It has videos designed to support teachers in facilitating video production in their classroom. The videos are organized into playlists called “Video Toolkits” which each feature a different aspect of video production: Genres, Forms, Digital Devices, Digital Citizenship, Production Processes, and Video Viewing. Their introductory video explains more:

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.

Part of a national project in Australia aiming to demonstrate that integration of ICTs across the curriculum improves educational outcomes, this paper shows that the use of digital video production in a primary school led to pedagogical changes, increased student autonomy, and improved reflection and metacognition. In addition, it discusses the valuable professional development experienced by teachers involved in the project. Not only does this paper provide exemplars of ways to incorporate video production in the classroom, it is also a powerful advocate for this digital tool as an instigator of collaboration.

Jones, A. (2021). Green screen by Do ink. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQHJMCC4f3MMsgp9Ho9_VxwXzAEqn1GsTiofieFKGvOays7vHEwCzYg-Kt6MOkJKNfZn0WuGocPKmdy/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g10269ec23e7_1_284

This interactive Google Doc is part of The 25 Days of Digital Tools and Ideas from Future Ready Librarians which was featured on Shannon McClintock Miller’s blog The Library Voice. Although all of the tools featured are excellent, I am focusing on the Do ink app because a green screen would create a great makerspace in the school library that would draw learners in. Additionally, the Do ink app is one of the approved apps on my district’s list which make it easily accessible from my school iPads. This Doc features a how-to video as well as ideas for using green screens in multiple subject areas with accompanying examples. Not only is it a handy reference tool for a new user of the app, it inspired me to use this interactive format to introduce new digital tools to classroom teachers.

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

This article provides another example of how integrating digital video production can provide a meaningful learning experience for students and teachers. In particular, it makes the connection between multimodal literacies and inquiry-based learning which makes a strong case for the involvement of teacher-librarians and multiple access points to the curriculum. I appreciated how it described the process that the students went through to create their project, including examples of their script based on their research.

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