THINK DIFFERENT - LIBE 477 Module 9 Summarizing and Discussing Phase 2 Topics and Interests

 "THINK DIFFERENT"

image from Bitmoji

There is no amount of independent internet surfing that can garner as much quality resources, input, and further professional development than what I was able to gain from reading my peers' blogs.  Here we have global colleagues that have similar goals for their students, identical topics being explored, and interpretations that are viable to use in next week's classroom/learning commons lessons.  PLNs are vital to positive progress towards focused paths of learning and my own magical journey to becoming a 21st century learner.  

Here are some key takeaways for the past blog post topics:

★ Fostering Reading Cultures

Many of us follow similar pathways to supporting students' growth in reading and writing: Daily 5, Adrienne Gear texts, and often use technology to enhance the literacy experience at school and gain support from home.  I would be interested in checking out studenttreasures.com next time I attempt a large writing piece.  Usually we just photocopy our good work and put it into plastic sleeves, but this will give students more of a feel of what publishing would be like.

★ Developing My Own ICT Skills

image from Bitmoji

"Slow and steady wins the race."  That would perfectly summarize my progress with ICT skills.  I usually prefer to take on 1 or 2 programs/apps a year to learn.  The past 6 months I have taken on Microsoft Teams, My BluePrint, iMovie, YouTube, GoogleMeet, SeeSaw, and creating a blog.  Taking a page out of my lesson plans, I feel like I am developing a growth mindset with learning, making mistakes, relearning, and persevering.

image from Bitmoji

One subject area that I have avoided is music.  Usually we had a music specialist for our prep coverage but for the past two years we have not.  I had grand plans to utilize the dusty xylophones at our school, but they were missing keys and enough instruments for all students.  As well, I did not even know where to start!  This year, I came out of my comfort zone, thanks to this coursework and Tuesday meets.  For our virtual Remembrance Day ceremony, I took the risk of practicing a special song (I am very tone deaf), recording using voice memo and played an instrumental version on the projector mirrored from my iPad, and uploaded their artwork as part of an iMovie that I linked to a YouTube account I made.  It may not seem a lot for any of you tech-minded educators, but I feel like I checked something off on my bucket list.  I am really proud for my Grade 3 students as this was something new for them as well and collaborated together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muGLxaXsdn0&feature=youtu.be

★ Ongoing Professional Development

image from Bitmoji

I promise to try harder.  This is my mantra when I begin to plan for future 21st century endeavours.  For me, trying new things is not engaging, unless I am failing and succeeding with at least one other person.  I took the jump to librarianship for this exact reason.  Of course, I am passionate about Learning Commons and literacy, but doing the coursework with a colleague has also added to my PLN.  She has delayed taking more courses, but it has opened up the opportunity for me to connect with our TL at present, as she too, is pursuing a librarianship degree.  Then there is making connections with my brother who is a computer software designer, and being able to ask him questions he could answer in a heartbeat to save me surfing for hours.  This may sound like collaboration and building my PLN, but this is where exploring ongoing professional development has led me.  

★ World Libraries/Mobile Devices

I want to be "in the know" with what is happening, in terms of bringing literacy be it physical or digital, into the hands of all children, beyond our continent by frequently visiting websites like:

https://www.worldreader.org/ and https://onebillion.org/

I have been at the same elementary school for 15 years, which has been most of my career.  So, having a class set of iPads, laptops, document cameras, projectors, Apple TVs, teacher Apple laptops/iPads, Smartboards, green screens, etc. is the norm here.  It is not say, I am not aware, but I am definitely moving towards being more educated on what is happening in developing countries, the creative ways students are receiving access to technology, and how the world is helping every child receive equitable educational resources.

This particular topic really resonated with me because my eyes were opened during remote learning when families were trying to navigate technology with varying abilities, devices (or lack thereof), wifi service, and truly, patience.  Some parents were still traumatized by the whole experience and were not willing to do a virtual conference this fall.  Unfortunately these experiences are not even comparable to what is lacking in developing countries around the world.

image from Bitmoji

Works Cited

Helping Readers Build a Better World. (2020, November 05). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.worldreader.org/

One billion children reading starts now. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://onebillion.org/

Student Publishing - Free Book Publishing. (2020, November 04). Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://studentreasures.com/

Making Learning Just a Click Away - LIBE 477 63A Module 8: Developing World Libraries/Mobile Devices

Module 8: Developing World Libraries / Mobile devices

image from dreamtime.com

In order for students to learn any new concept, they need multiple, dynamic opportunities to develop the skills required.  Right now, I am teaching place value in grade 3.  We are using number lines, base tens, counters, H/T/O charts, hundred charts, dice, cards, etc. to help students explain their learning.  So, perhaps little Johnny Q may not be able to show 104 in numeral expanded form, but he is getting more confident using base ten blocks, so the jump from concrete to symbolic form will come eventually with practice.

image taken Abbotsford, B.C. November 1, 2020

In saying this, students need access to devices to be able to maneuver the changing technologies that rules school and everyday life.  The opportunity to use different devices: smartphones, laptops, tablets; the better!  Not only does the technology support collaboration between students, teachers, classrooms local and global, and home, it can provide rich online resources like online libraries, educational videos, and museums.  Experts and expert material is available to all learners with the help of technology.

Visit the British Museum here --> https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection 

image from visitlondon.com

In the world of history and culture, the British Museum's collection online provides patrons with access to collections, exhibits, and galleries.  They stay connected with their own blog, social media like Twitter and Facebook.

https://twitter.com/wdlorg?s=21

image from bitmoji.com

The museum is still open to the public and e-mails newsletters if you subscribe.  They offer a summer program called the Youth CollectiveThey used to offer on site learning sessions and now offer virtual visits for school-aged children.  For youths, the Museum hosts a summer program called the Youth Collective.  Adults can experience talks, debates, performances, and coursework.  Community-led initiatives, exhibitions, programs, events and workshops are offered to the public.  

image from pinclipart.com

You can visit the World Digital library here --> World Digital Library.  WDL is operated by UNESCO and the US. Library of Congress and sports manuscripts, maps, photographs, rare books, and other cultural documents from as far back as 8,000 BCE.  You can follow them on Twitter @WDLorg.  Having the opportunity to bring these authentic invaluable pieces of human history within a click to your classroom is efficient on time, money, and resources.  As long as there is one piece of technology in the classroom, students despite socio-economic status and access to devices can participate in learning.

image from onebillion.org

https://onebillion.org/impact/partners-and-projects/

Onebillion.org is a UK non-profit organization that creates software globally that is made to bring technology into the hands of children. 

 

One tab is a created tablet that delivers learning: reading, writing, and numeracy activities to children in their own language. Onecourse also uses tablets for children in developing nations to play activities, games, and read stories through a structure literacy and numeracy course.  I truly recommend readers to take the time to visit their website and see the impactful work they are doing.

image from onebillion.org

image from bitmoji.com

This is not to say that the global community should stop making efforts to put physical texts in the hands of children to provide them with equal opportunity to learn how to read.  22 years ago, John Wood, a Microsoft executive visited Nepal and was affected by the state of school libraries.  He left his tech job and founded Room to Read.  You can read up more here as well --> John Wood's story. "During its seven-year existence, the organization has opened nearly 5,000 school libraries and about 400 schools, donated more than 1.4 million English-language books, published 146 local-language titles, and touched the lives of roughly 1.5 million students in developing countries" (Bernard, 2008). 

image from bitmoji.com

At my own school level, University of the Fraser Valley human kinetics students volunteer their time to help with teaching PE, put in volunteer hours teaching activities, and supporting our annual Sports Day events.  They also collect books from our school to send to Antigua schools.

Do we need 1:1 at our schools?  Do educators need to be experts of each app/device platform?  https://theconversation.com/ten-reasons-teachers-can-struggle-to-use-technology-in-the-classroom-101114 My personal feeling is that there is not enough opportunity for in-service when districts introduce new platforms.  The expectation is that teachers use their own time.  As we are discovering, PLNS are necessary to further deep understanding of concepts and it does not happen independently.  I am not a "digital native" and I am learning as I go.  I am having great difficulty trouble shooting programs like MBP, Mathletics, and Teams when I myself am no expert. Then there is the inconsistency of workability with wi-fi at school, differences in technology at home, and devices working in proper order when needed.  

In order to continue to support 21st century learning, there needs to be at least one opportunity to provide as many ways to connect students to the world and collaborate with families and stakeholders to bring the information to the student.  This means putting in the footwork of finding grants, communicating with administrators, PAC, and community businesses to find funding to support this.

image from pbs.org

Works Cited

Bernard, S. (2008, January 12). Room to Read: Building Libraries, Schools, and Computer Labs in Developing Countries. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/global-education-libraries-developing-countries

Brendon Hyndman Senior Lecturer and Course Director of Postgraduate Studies in Education. (2020, February 13). Ten reasons teachers can struggle to use technology in the classroom. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/ten-reasons-teachers-can-struggle-to-use-technology-in-the-classroom-101114

Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://onebillion.org/impact/partners-and-projects/

LIBE 477 63A Supporting Teachers’ ICT Curriculum and Pedagogy: On-going Professional Development

Sharing is Caring

In TED Talks, The Way We Work series Robert Reffkin gives viewers suggestions to stay connected with their co-workers.  He claims that "technology has made it easier to communicate.  But it hasn't made it easier to connect with other human beings" (2020). How evident is this now?  I can only imagine being a part of a new school right now.  Making meaningful connections at present require more time, creativity, and effort amidst all the other challenges that face educators today; a special type of brew.

image by Bitmoji

The three that I really appreciated are:

👍 show gratitude - be thankful for your peers' abilities, skills, talents, and willingness to share them.

👍 share and inquire - share resources/ideas/your point of view and be open to receiving others'

👍 be honest - go beyond the "niceties" of small talk and really get to know the people you are working with.

At the moment, I am co-teaching the Seven Sacred Teachings (this is a full unit plan if anyone may be interested) with our school indigenous support worker.  Some of the ideas that Reffkin offers tie in with the teachings: 

image from southernnetwork.org

Just to use as an example, the grade 3 curriculum is focused entirely on indigenous studies.  I am quite aware that I am not an expert in the field, however, I do know there are many in the district that are trained to support my students' learning in this subject area.  Instructors from the district have come to the school to explicitly teach peace/sharing circles.  To promote awareness and understanding of indigenous cultures, the Aboriginal Program offers classroom presentations, for example in grade 3, Ms. Gabriel teaches students about Sto:lo tools past and present.

Image from Bitmoji.com

Who knows what hidden talents, skills, and professional development your colleagues have?  I worked with an intermediate teacher and I would like to think I was friendly enough with him, but I had no idea that he was opera trained!  He never volunteered for the Christmas concerts and just by chance our friendly conversations turned into this little treasure revealed.

How can we best respond to the needs of our staff, in their wide spectrum of abilities and experiences, with the most appropriate and useful professional development?

We need to know what the actual needs are of our staff: being a part of school based team meetings, school goal committees, action plans, and other groups within the school that focus on student needs and improvements will give us a more thorough understanding of what professional development would be appropriate and useful for fellow staff members.

In our district, we use Microsoft Teams, and the TL having a channel of his/her own would help teachers look back at any staff meeting presentations available for viewing later, instructions for using tech tools in the learning commons, link to book TL/llearning commons facility, etc.  Because it is a program that each teacher in the school has to use on a regular basis, it is easy access for peers.

Image from Bitmoji.com

How can we, as educators and TLs share what we've learned with our wider communities of practices?

As we all have experienced, in order for learners to engage, there has to be a "buy in".  I believe the same goes with adult learners.  Canvasing co-workers, be it personal drop-ins or an inquiry note in their mailbox,, noticing frequently checked out teacher resources and print material for the classroom, observing what teachers are attending for professional development days, or using online surveys to gather intel.  Most administrators will give their TLs time during staff meetings to up to date everyone on what is happening in the learning commons, so I feel that is a great start - something short, sweet, and enticing.  I have seen TLs use SWAY, Bitmoji Classroom, Prezi, and Keynote.  

image from sway.office.com

image from weareteachers.org

image from prezi.com

What tools and strategies are best implemented to meet the professional development of staff?

As the professional development representative at my school level, I have found that scheduling presenters to come into the school for Pro D days have been more meaningful and has created team-building opportunities.  BCTF offers quite an array of speakers on various topics.  We have had speakers come in for conflict resolution, self-regulation, mindfulness, and balance.  Understanding where our co-workers are coming from and taking common professional development has been quite nurturing.

Caskey and Carpenter's article on Building Teacher Collaboration provides an explicit organizational model that promotes teacher collaboration within a school.  The biggest take away has been that collaboration must be meaningful - teachers that are working together share the same vision for their students on their focused topic.  Educators are willing and voluntarily carve time out to work, professional develop, gather data, and discuss students' needs, then put it into practice.

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As a TL, providing mini-workshops to familiarize teachers with programs within the learning commons and resources has created an on-going professional development for teachers and EAs within the school.  Our previous TL held a "Tech Tuesday" after school for anyone and for any topic regarding technology that wouldn't be appropriate for the district IT team to problem solve.

What about the stakeholders?  TLs should be making a regular appearance in PAC meetings; there is a beneficial reciprocal relationship in the rough here.  As well, making connections with the local public library and their programs could support the school learning commons.  For example, if the public library is using coding tools like this one here: Spheros at FVRL and Ozobots at FVRL perhaps co-teaching and collaborating with teachers in the school to use these could also create on-going professional development and lead to new technology discoveries.

Image from Bitmoji.com

 

Works Cited

Caskey, M. M., & Carpenter, J. (2014). Building Teacher Collaboration School-wide. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/446/Building-Teacher-Collaboration-School-wide.aspx

Coalition, O. (Ed.). (2020). Teachings of the Seven Sacred/Seven Grandfathers. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://onlc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/7-Grandfathers-Student-Manual1.pdf

Reffkin, R. (2020). 5 ways to create stronger connections. Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_reffkin_5_ways_to_create_stronger_connections