Where I was…
When starting my project this week my mind was everywhere. I knew that the topic I wanted to focus on was “Inquiry of Inquiry” but I had no idea what I information I would share with others, who the information was for and how I planned to put it out there for my audience to see. As the week went on went on and as I collaborated with my group members, slowly are started answering these question one by one. The discussions with Doni and Lisa really helped me clear my head and pointed me in one direction.
So my participants were going to be predominantly the staff and students at my school. My goal was to advocate for more inquiry-based learning at my school. And I was going to do this by adding “Inquiry” pages to the weebly website that already existed for my library. Keep in mind when viewing this website that I have not introduced it to my staff and students yet even though I created it back in the fall. And no, that is not me in the picture…it is a Bollywood actress 🙂
Where I am now…
So I ended up adding 5 new pages to start accomplishing my goal. There is one “Inquiry-Based learning” page and 4 sub-pages, 1 for teachers, 2 for students and a blog that is open for anyone to comment, on connecting globally. I did run into a few challenges when creating these pages. The teacher page was pretty straight forward, the only struggle was the endless hours of selecting the right resources. More frustrating was the layout of the student pages. I was really hoping to do a padlet to make the explanation more visual for the students but I just couldn’t figure out how to embed it. In the end, it is somewhat visual but there are definitely things I want to change about it. Finally, the blog that I added, is a place where anyone, teachers, students, parents, anyone, can comment and give suggestions on how our school can become more connected and socially aware of the world around us.
Where I want to go…
At this very moment, I want to go to Hawaii! But when it comes to the website and ICT use in general, there is sooo much I still want to do. First off, I would like to make all pages on the website more visually appealing by adding padlets and popplets and pearltrees, etc. Right now it is just too information based. I would like to think about all the things we learned in this course more deeply and figure out how to get myself, my colleagues, and my students more out there in the social context. I want to advocate for sharing our views and opinions with the world and make a difference!
I absolutely adore your library site. It’s much of what I would want in a school library site. I really like what you’ve done with the inquiry pages. It makes it much easier for teachers, and will be helpful to use with students. At this point, I think you’re more than ready to release it to your staff and students. Be confident in yourself and your learning. Congratulations.
Hi Harjeet,
I was looking at your website last night and am impressed with what you have accomplished thus far in your inquiry pages. Good for you for looking at Padlet and attempting to embed it. That was only your first try. I remain convinced that you will be able to work out the kinks and get your project to the visually appealing place you want it to be. The blog you have added is such a great start to creating those connections and conversations within your school community and beyond. Keep on keeping on!
I would say this is a huge transitional step, “Right now it is just too information based. I would like to think about all the things we learned in this course more deeply and figure out how to get myself, my colleagues, and my students more out there in the social context. I want to advocate for sharing our views and opinions with the world and make a difference!” This is the change, in terms of cognitive, cultural and technological dimensions that we have been talking about in this course. Implementing these changes is the difficulty, but with like-minded colleagues to draw on for inspiration and motivation, it is possible. And ultimately, it will improve life in educational institutions and ensure teachers’ roles are appreciated in the public mind. Good work!
You have done a great job at animating the library website with interesting imagery and text. It does not feel dry or boring at all. Quite the opposite, it feels lively and engaging. As you move forward, I would encourage you to find ways to get teachers and students to publish their thoughts and ideas about inquiry so they start to take ownership of the content of the site. Your library site can be a starting point for teachers to experience publishing their work online, to realize how beneficial it is for the profession, for their own development, and for their students’ learning. Well done.