Coding, Media Literacy, New Curriculum, Oh My!


As a new teacher-librarian there are so many topics and opportunities I can pursue in the near future. B.C.'s new curriculum, which focuses on indigenous learning models and content is one of those exciting topics. For my small elementary school, I feel like we have a solid beginning of indigenous books and materials. Part of my job this year has been to organize the collection to become more easily accessible for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. I strive to display and emphasize our healthy and varied collection. The topic gaps that I see in my indigenous library collection are the lack of local information and resources. We could use more books about local landforms, plants, animals and traditional peoples. I have far more books about the Inuit people than I do about the Coast Salish.


Thankfully, I am fortunate enough to live in a community with a indigenous publishing house and retail store that includes some of the finest resources in Canada. The publisher, Strong Nation's has guided and assisted our local teaching and learning in the Snuneymuxw territory. I am looking forward to sourcing out relevant materials as they are continuing to be created and become published.

 The following book, 'The Six Cedar Trees' is a new publication that focuses on local biodiversity and indigenous character traits. It is an accessible book for the elementary level.

 https://www.strongnations.com/store/item_display.php?i=6613

I am also highly interested in implementing coding for my students in the Learning Commons. Because the technology at my school is minimal and at times unreliable, I am greatly intrigued in pursuing the development of no and low-tech coding lessons and opportunities for my students.  I am excited to research online innovations and explorations on possible content that I can use with my students. I am optimistic I can implement more technology integration into my school.

 As Will Richardson says in 'Why Schools?', "There’s lots of creating our kids can do with traditional tools that can serve a real audience. Publishing books, putting on plays, and doing community service are just a few examples. But what if we got a little crazy and added some technology into the mix? We could tell our kids, “You know, in addition to taking that test on the Vietnam War, we want you to go and interview some veterans, then collect those stories into a series of podcasts that people all over the world could listen to and learn from.” We have the chance to make learning relevant, cooperative and purposeful.

CS Unplugged. is just one of several 'unplugged' coding websites with lessons for students. 
https://csunplugged.org/en/




Bibliography

 Richardson, Will. Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single)  TED Conferences. Kindle Edition.  

Comments

  1. Aaron Mueller15 May 2018 at 06:21

    A good first blog post that discusses and highlights a couple of the professional interests that you share with many others across BC right now. Exploring how to authentically integrate indigenous content, as well as teach Coding skills in a low-tech environment are two significant challenges that many others are also struggling with. You've discussed some potential resources already, and provided some connections to our course text. A good start to your personalized inquiry.

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