Library Land

I greatly enjoyed this course as it has introduced me to many new topics and in a way that was completely accessible for me. I enjoyed reading and discussing 'Why School' and thinking about the evolution and future of education. Reading about the future place of technology within our schools was enlightening and thought-provoking. I loved the challenge put upon us to explore our own ICT skills and pedagogy in moving forward as TLs, and how we will be evolving our careers moving forward. I am grateful for the gentle push to explore and dip my toe deeper into the world of technology and the tools available for me as a teacher.  I also enjoyed the conversation around developing world libraries and how grateful I am that we can access so much material. We are so privileged to have the opportunity to explore in public and school libraries as often as we wish. As Will Richardson states, "whether you’re an educator, parent, community member, businessman, elected official,...

I was drawn in to explore traditional and digital library projects in developing nations.  Because I am  old-school, I was looking at the BOOK BUS, a roving library delivering old-fashioned paper books to people in Zambia, Malawi and Ecuador. This organization has been operating for over ten years and has reached over 100,000 children. The goals are not only exposure to books and having the opportunity to read, but also to improve literacy and reading amongst children of these countries.  "We also provide activities and arts and crafts materials which helps build on learning and storytelling skills, develop vocabulary and most importantly of all, builds on a love of reading and discovery." They work with teachers and schools to help bring the appropriate materials to the children. World-renowned illustrator and author Sir Quentin Blake is the major patron.  I love books and I love to hold a book and feel the weight in my hands. This tangible throwback in t...

https://www.smallbusinesspro.co.uk/marketing/leadership-styles.html As a new teacher-librarian, I still feel insecure about my ability to be a leader in my school. I feel like I have several years of learning ahead of me before I will feel like an authority or a specialist. I am comfortable working one-on-one with fellow colleagues in curriculum collaboration, but leading the whole staff is daunting. I will have to push myself in the coming year to step forward into leading workshops and inservice around new strategies, resources and school technology. There are some areas which I have spent some time in the last year that are important to me. One of which is the building of our indigenous collection; fiction, non-fiction and teacher resources. This last month I have re-organized the collection into easily accessible bins, sorted by topic (Inuit, Intermediate level, Science Connections...etc.) I have attempted to engage my staff to use these bins in their classrooms. My staff is...

I often feel like I have one foot in the past of traditional ways of teaching and learning and the other is tentatively reaching for technology and the future. I am definitely more comfortable unplugged and have my biases about computerization. I know I want to become more familiar and relaxed with the online world. I turn to my techie colleagues to find new ways to integrate technology into my lessons in a comfortable way. A few teachers on staff are tech wizards and love to share what they know (if only I had more time to pick their brains!) Many of the ways in which they use technology include having access to our class set of Chrome Books. There is a struggle at my school to have technology available for all.  This week, I jumped into Kahoot, to further my own own skills, pedagogy and professional development. I want to add new technology strategies, tools, and resources to my teaching in the Learning Commons. Some of my colleagues use it regularly with great student enth...

I love reading and am always surprised to meet child or adult who doesn't. This is my second year at my current school and there is a ways to go in cultivating a reading culture. Students read, but not all are given daily time, nor is there a school-wide initiative. I have thought about boosting circulation and passion for reading since I began in the library. Last year I created a wall in the Learning Commons of all the staff with pictures of their favourite books, to illustrate and remind everyone that reading is for everybody! I am continuing with this tradition, changing it up as staff and year shift. Along with this staff initiative, I created and handed out the "Yostie Award" to my staff member, Mrs. Yost, who had the highest circulation number for the year. I continue to encourage others to usurp her numbers, but she is in the lead again this year. (Trying to stir up a little healthy competition).   In my private life, I belong to a once-monthly book clu...

I am excited to take my Teacher-Librarianship further down the path of Media Specialist. Next year at my school, I will have increased time with classes to pursue technology in bigger projects and concepts. I want to spur their interests and passions, focusing on inquiry and research. I am in the beginning stages of exploring  Genius Hour . A colleague has taken her class through the first stages of Genius Hour and the results are amazing. The students are so pumped to do research, build their project and share it with others. I am hoping I can implement some of this theory with my classes in the upcoming year. I hope these projects can create lasting knowledge and excitement about learning. One of my favourite online sources for media advice, scrutiny and information is Common Sense Media.  https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship   There is so much to explore! They host a plethora of resources, reviews and lesson plans for teachers, parents ...