Final Vision Project Submission

 My Final Vision Project and Reflection

(Smassengil, 2011)

My vision for this project stemmed from a personal experience where I entered university and felt high school did not properly prepare me for writing research essays. For my final vision project, I created a binder with resources students can use to learn how to cite sources for research assignments. The purpose for this resource is to teach students about digital responsibility and citizenship, but also to prepare them for post-secondary education. I was hoping to create a resource that would make the citation process more interactive and engaging, but also provide students with digital tools to make citing sources easier and quicker so the process isn't so overwhelming and tedious.

My Final Vision Project

Click Citing Sources Livebinders Resource to access my resource and enter the access code: LIBE 477B

My Journey

I conducted a reading review at the beginning of the course on plagiarism and developing research skills and found several useful resources that I used to create my own resource such as BC's Profile for Digitally Literate Students which provides a list of standards and skills students should be learning in school, including how to cite sources. I also found some tools that could be useful for students to use when creating citations such as RefMe, which is a citation generator tool. While I was familiar with other citation generators such as BibMe and EasyBib, I liked how RefMe could be accessed from a mobile device and had an app that could be downloaded. This tool also provides a web clipper that stores webpages for future use. Students would be able to use their phones or tablets to conduct research, save their sources, and create citations. 

(Clarke, 2014)

Following my reading review, I started collecting resources that could be useful in teaching students how to cite sources. I was going to use a digital curation tool such as Symbaloo to create a collection of resources students could use, but there wasn't really a place to provide any explanation of the resources, or a way to organize them effectively. I was introduced to Livebinders and decided this would be a good tool to collect resources and organize them in a logical way for students to access them. I was able to upload videos, interactive tutorials, tools, and (after some struggle) images. 

While I tried to start small, it was a challenge to stop myself from adding more to my resource. Due to the complexity of teaching students how to cite sources, it is important that the lessons are properly scaffolded to ensure students can build their skills over time. However, since citations accompany research assignments, it was difficult to create a generic resource that could be used with any research assignment. I wanted to keep this resource as general as possible so that it could be used by a teacher or teacher-librarian to use with their students across the curriculum. While I think that the collection of resources I found will be effective in teaching students how to cite sources, it was surprisingly difficult to find interactive resource for APA style compared to MLA style. If I had more time, I would have liked to create my own interactive practice drills and embed them into the binder since the interactive practice tools I found weren`t exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I don`t have the skills necessary to create these types of resources yet.

The best part of this resource, in my opinion, is the review section. I think the Plagiarism Game is a great review for the students. I also developed a rubric for citing sources which will be useful even on its own since I usually just add a section to my essay or project rubrics for when the students need to include their sources. It will be helpful for the students to receive more specific feedback on their Works Cited Lists and in-text citations. However, this section of the binder was also a challenge because I didn't know how to insert an image of the rubric and then once I finally figured it out, the page wouldn't allow me to include any text. I never did figure out how to include text, but rubrics are pretty self-explanatory, so I think it works fine on its own.

In the end I am happy with the resource I have created and I hope that it will be helpful to me in the future. There are many other lessons that could be incorporated into this resource that I may add later on such as a lesson on incorporating quotations and paraphrasing. Once I have tested the resource and worked out any kinks, I plan on sharing this resource with other teachers to use with their students. My hope is that the students will leave high school feeling prepared for the rigors of academic writing at whichever post-secondary institution they choose to attend and that this will help to reduce the digital divide many students face as they enter university.

(University of Oregon, 2010)

Reference List

Clarke, Z. (2014). Try the RefMe app for help with your referencing. Retrieved 03 December 2015, from https://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/ls/2014/12/04/try-the-refme-app-for-help-with-your-referencing/

Smassengil. (2011). Allnighter. Retrieved 01 December 2015, from http://www.toondoo.com/ cartoon/3504503.

University of Oregon. (2010). Digital Divide. Retrieved 04 December 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gydVBXIucRQ

The Technology Behind My Vision

Final Vision Project Progress Report

My Progress Thus Far

To begin with I decided to use the University of Alberta's Guide to Developing Students' Research Skills as the foundational model for my artifact. However, once I had mapped out all of the components in LiveBinders, I realized that I needed to start smaller. As a tool I plan on sharing, I do not want to overwhelm my colleagues with tabs upon tabs of information; especially for my colleagues who aren't very comfortable using technology.

My FAIL (First Attempt At Learning)

(Broussard, n. d.)

I have decided that in order to narrow down my topic, that I should just focus on one of the components of the research process. If it is a success, then I can continue to build the resource to include all of the components required for developing effective research skills. One of the digital literacy skills the BC Ministry of Education (2010) suggests that students learn is to "[m]odel legal and ethical behaviours when using information and technology by properly selecting, acquiring, and citing resources" ("Profile of digitally literate students"). The skill that I would like to create a digital artifact for is citing sources. While citing sources can be a tedious process, I am trying to find some interesting ways to teach students about plagiarism and citations. For example, I found a game that will work well as an effective review of plagiarism.

Triumphs with Technology

For my Vision Project, I have decided to use LiveBinders to create my digital artifact. At first I was considering Symbaloo and Pearltrees because they are both digital curation tools that allow the user to post different types of media that can easily be shared with other teachers and students. After a classmate suggested checking out LiveBinders for my project, I found that I preferred the tabbed organization of the binder over the thumbnails that both Symbaloo and Pearltrees use. Also, I like the format for LiveBinders because it provides the user with different templates in order to present text alongside the embedded media. In terms of strategy, I find this digital resource easy to use because of how simple it is to add a webpage into a binder just by clicking on a tab you can place in your toolbar. Also, since the binders created are so similar to the hard copy ones we all have, it is easy for someone who isn't as tech savvy to be able to access the information without having to learn a completely different concept. Here is a short video on how LiveBinders can be used by teachers:

(Tallent, 2009)

Challenges with Technology

(Parisi, 1998)

As is the case when learning to use a new digital tool or resource, it takes a while for the user to become proficient in using the tool to its full potential. While I feel like I have learned how to use LiveBinder at a basic level, I'm sure with more practice I would discover how to overcome some of the challenges I am facing. The first challenge I am facing with LiveBinder is the formatting of the pages. It is difficult to move embedded videos or place them in a desired spot. I have also hit a roadblock when it comes to inserting images that do not have a URL. I am unable to use the snipping tool to snag an image from within a PDF or website and drop it into the binder, so it has become limiting in terms of which images I can use. The final challenge that I have been faced with is organizing the tabs of the binder. Without a premium account (which costs money), I cannot access other levels of sub-tabs, so it was a bit limiting in terms of how to set up the tabs in a way that keeps them organized. In terms of future road blocks, a problem I foresee is integrating this particular digital artifact into another binder that will incorporate all of the necessary research skills. I have a feeling that I will have to recreate all of the pages again rather than being able to import the information into another binder. While I'm not at Fran's level of frustration with the technology (see above cartoon), I definitely have a few kinks I need to work out.

References

A guide to developing student research skills. (n.d.). University of Alberta. Retrieved 22 November 2015, from http://www.library.ualberta.ca/documents/focusonresearch.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2010). Profile of digitally literate students. Retrieved 21 November 2015, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/1012profile.htm

Broussard, M. (n. d.). Plagiarism game. Retrieved from http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/ tutorials/plagiarismGame.aspx

Parisi, M. (1998). Off the mark. Atlantic Feature. Retrieved 26 November 2015, from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/nGsXjSAO7Jo/UX8Sj7iQLtI/AAAAAAAAAa4/uo2vTcYrgAI/s1600/ Screen+Shot+2013-04-29+at+7.38.20+PM.png

Tallent, B. (2009). LiveBinders for teachers. Retrieved 26 November 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdG56uSubx0.

My Vision for Learning in the 21st Century Rationale

Developing Research Skills for the 21st Century

My Digital Resource

I have started to create my digital resource that will help students develop research skills required for the 21st century. By providing students with tools they can use to learn information literacy skills and to help them with the research process, my hope is that students will no longer view research papers and inquiry-based projects as a daunting task. While there are some great resources already available for students to use such as the Purdue Online Writing Lab, a resource I refer to all the time, directing a student to a website as comprehensive as this one can be overwhelming. By breaking down information literacy skills into its components, students can learn and practice these skills in smaller chunks and will have the ability to view and review the components at any point throughout the research process. In order to organize these components I have decided to use LiveBinders as a way to curate the resources and tools necessary to teacher the research process.

My Rationale

The following video by Seminole State Library (2014) explains the importance of developing information literacy skills and outlines the five components that students need to learn for their academic course work, but also for real world scenarios. It is important that students understand how the skills we teach them in school can be transferable and applicable to their life outside of school. Information literacy skills are necessary for completing research papers and inquiry-based projects, but they are also essential for when a person is wanting to find more information on a product before they purchase something expensive like a car or a house.

(5 components of information literacy, 2014)

My hope for this digital resource is that students will become so familiar with the research process by the time they leave high school, that these information literacy skills will become embedded in them so that they don't even need to think about the process, they just use it. Like with any skill, the more it is practiced, the easier it becomes.

Although I am not currently a Teacher-Librarian, what I would like to see happen at my school is an agreed upon research process that is shared across the curriculum. Students need some consistency when it comes to learning information literacy skills, at least in the beginning stages. Students aren't always able to see the connections or the similarities between writing a literary essay for an English class, a historical essay for Socials, or a lab report for Science. All of these assignments require the student to formulate a hypothesis/thesis and show support for it by providing evidence. These assignments also require information literacy skills; and it would be much easier to teach these skills, and for students to learn them, if the teachers were to all agree on a particular research process and style. This is where the Teacher-Librarian can act as the facilitator between the subject areas by teaching the students how these information literacy skills can be applied to different subject areas.

My Target Audience

(Prose Media)

Since I haven't had much experience sharing my work with a broad audience, I would like to share my digital resources in stages. I would like to start by sharing my resource with my students. I can see whether my resource is easy to use and effective in teaching the resource project and then work out any kinks before sharing it with my colleagues. Once I have tested my resource, I would like to start by sharing the resource with teachers at my school who teach the research process - especially with teachers who teach different subject so that I can ensure that I have created a cross-curricular resource that all teachers can use. I would like for them to peruse my resource or even try it out with their students. When I receive feedback from them, I would then like to share my resource with other educators online. One of my key takeaways from Richardson's (2012) book Why School? is how important it is to share resources among educators. I haven't decided yet where I will post this resource for other educators to access, but there are plenty of online sites that educators access for lesson plans and ideas.

(Campbell)

Students

Like the students in the cartoon, many students are not engaged in the research process and don't put much effort in finding a topic or conducting research on it. If students had a resource to help improve their research skills that they could access at home and school, students may be willing to put more time and effort into their assignment. By incorporating different digital tools, students will hopefully become more engaged in the research process.

Teachers

(Bacall)

 Many high school teachers, including myself, are guilty of assigning an inquiry project or research paper to students with the assumption that they already have some information literacy skills because they grew up in the digital age and we don't have time in the curriculum to teach it. However, most students have not developed these skills or their skills are quite limited. While we want students to be critical thinkers, the research process can be daunting and overwhelming, which can limit a person's creativity. By providing a resource for teachers that they can use with their students in any subject area in regards to the research process, teachers are able to take the time to help foster the students' creativity and critical thinking skills rather than focusing on the basic skills they assume students should already have.

References

Bacall, A. (n. d.). Critical thinking. Cartoon Stock. Retrieved 18 November 2015, https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/c/critical_thinking.asp

Campbell, M. (n. d.). Homework project. Cartoon Stock. Retrieved 18 November 2015, from https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/homework_project.asp

Critical thinkers. (n. d.). Retrieved 18 November 2015, from

Prose Media. (n. d.). 5 tips to find your target market. Retrieved 19 November 2015, from http://blog.prosemedia.com/5-tips-to-find-your-target-audience/

Richardson, W. (2012). Why school?: How education must change when learning and information are everywhere. Ted Conferences. 

Seminole State Library. (2014). 5 components of information literacy. Retrieved 19 November 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ronp6Iue9w.

My Vision for Learning in the 21st Century

Developing a Digital Resource for 21st Century Learning

(Academic Styles, 2015)

When I was a first year university student I did not feel as though high school prepared me for the rigours of academic writing, especially when it came to researching and citing sources. I actually failed my first English paper because I hadn't learned how to properly cite sources in MLA style while I was in high school. I spent the first few months of university in the library with the style manuals spending hours teaching myself how to cite sources in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles for all of the different courses I was in. Now that the BC curriculum is going to include prescribed learning outcomes for digital literacy, it is my hope that all students leaving high school for post secondary education or to start their career will have the requisite skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century.




Since I am not currently teaching in my own classroom or in a Teacher-Librarian position, I would like to develop a resource that can be used by both classroom teachers and Teacher-Librarians. After conducting a reading review on the topic of ethical online behaviour pertaining to citing sources, I decided that I would like to create a digital resource that the staff and students can access from work/school, at home, or even once they are attending university, that will guide them through proper research techniques. By creating this digital resource, it is my hope that this will help students understand proper research techniques and how to use digital tools that will assist them in writing a research paper. The BC Ministry of Education Digital Literacy Standards that my digital resource would primarily focus on are Research and Information Fluency, Digital Citizenship, and Technology Operations and Concepts.

(Burnaby South Admin Blog, 2010)

Key Elements

I'm still in the process of deciding how much information I want to include in my resource because I do not want it to be overwhelming for other teachers who plan on using it with their students. I many need to start small and gradually grow the resource one teachers have started using it. The University of Alberta's Guide to Developing Student Research Skills includes many of the key elements required for conducting proper research. I would like to focus on including several of these key components in my digital resource. A diagram of the research model is below:

Another source of information I came across was Scholastic's 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need which narrows down some of the key skills from above into the basic skills needed including: 1) Checking Sources, 2) Asking Good Questions, 3) Digging Deeper, 4) Being Patient, 5) Respecting Ownership, and 6) Using Networks. While these skills are pretty basic, I think this would be a good starting point for a digital resource that covers the main research skills needed for students. Another resource I consulted was Edudemic's Helping Students Become Better Online Researchers. One of the skills that I would like to include in my resource that was mentioned in this article is consulting an expert. The expert, of course, being the Teacher-Librarian. While I am hoping the students and staff would access this digital resource I'm creating from home, I think it is important that the students also have time in the library as a starting point for developing and/or increasing their research skills.

Format

I am planning on using a digital curation tool to compile the necessary resources for this project. I am hoping that the digital curation tool I choose (I can't decide between Symbaloo and PearlTrees) will be user friendly enough that even the staff members and students at my school who are not tech-savvy will still be able to access and use this resource with minimal problems. If I find that it is necessary to create a low-tech version of this assignment in order for more staff members to utilize this resource with their students, then I can do that at some point down the road. As for choosing a digital curation tool, I am leaning towards using Symbaloo because it is more widely know than PearlTrees and it has so many different options for embedding websites and tools. PearlTrees is another great option and I like that Word documents can be embedded directly, unlike Symbaloo which uses GoogleDocs. I haven't had too much time yet to explore all of the features both tools have to offer, so I will need to experiment with both tools in order to determine which one will work best for my audience. The following video explains the different features of both Symbaloo and PearlTrees:

(Bradley, 2015)

Audience

I would like to share this digital resource with my colleagues to begin with in order to ensure that this resource can be used throughout the school for a variety of subject areas. Once I have had a few colleagues try out the resource, I would like to share it with a broader audience. One of my goals is to start giving back to the online teaching community since I have "borrowed" so much from other teachers who post their resources online.

References

Academic Styles and Their Significance: Meet MLA, APA, Chicago, and EEE. (2015). Retrieved 12 November 2015, from https://studentshare.net/content/articles/academic-styles-and-their-significance-meet-mla-apa-chicago-and-ieee/

A Guide to Developing Student Research Skills. (n.d.). University of Alberta. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://www.library.ualberta.ca/documents/focusonresearch.pdf

BC Ministry of Education. (2010). Profile of Digitally Literate Students. Retrieved 11 November 2015, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/1012profile.htm

Bradley, P. (2015). A Guide to Creating Pages in Symbaloo and Pearltrees - Social Media for Creative Libraries. Facet Publishing. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqVolGKuUcs

Hudson, H. (2015). The 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need. Scholastic Teach with Technology. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/6-online-research-skills-your-students-need

Muthler, S. (2015). Helping Students Become Better Online Researchers. Edudemic. Retrieved 12 November 2015, from http://www.edudemic.com/students-better-online-researchers/

The 21st Century Learner. (2010). Burnaby South Admin Blog. Retrieved 10 November 2015, from https://burnabysouthadmin.wordpress.com/tag/21st-century-learning/

Phase 2 Reflections

Reflections on Digital Learning and Teaching

My Development as a Teacher and Teacher-Librarian

Learning and Experimenting with Digital Tools

Over the past couple of months I've been reintroduced to digital tools such as blogs and webinars and given the opportunity to try out some new tools such as Digg and Symbaloo.



(Brown)

While I've created blogs before, I had never done anything more than insert a few pictures or links. Over the past few months I have learned how to embed videos and resize them using HTML coding. I learned how to tag and the importance of labeling blog posts in order to make them more searchable. While I don't think I would ever have the time to keep up with a blog, it is great that I now have more knowledge about how blogs work so that I can help my students should they choose to use a blog to demonstrate their learning.



(NSH, 2015)

In the past I have attended a couple of webinars, but during this course I discovered that you can actually save the webinars to watch at a later date. While you can't participate in the discussion that follows a live webinar, it is still a valuable tool for professional development. I already have a couple of webinars saved that I would like to watch during my next pro-d day.



(Rahul, 2013)

I have never used any type of bookmarking or RSS feed program before and, while I haven't spent too much time playing around with this particular tool, it has been an effective way of accessing the blogs of fellow classmates and commenting on each others' ideas. I would love to introduce this idea to students so that they are able to follow teacher websites and access them all in one place. I find it frustrating to continually update my class website when only a handful of students actually check it on a regular basis. By introducing this tool to my students, it will hopefully make my website more accessible to my students.

(Symbaloo Mobile App)

I have also never used digital curation tools in the past; mostly because I didn't know they even existed. I am currently in the midst of experimenting with Symbaloo and Pearltrees to house websites, documents, and tools. I also like that the webmixes that I create can be easily shared with colleagues, because that is one of my goals that I would like to work towards.

Moving Forward as a Teacher and Teacher-Librarian

Over the past month I have enjoyed viewing my classmates' blogs and having other people view my posts and comment on them. I think as a teacher and teacher-librarian it is easy to isolate ourselves in these jobs because we don't always work in the same space with our co-workers. It is also difficult to find time outside of the work day to meet with other teachers at the same school, let alone teachers at other schools within the school district. As a teacher-librarian, it is important to encourage collaboration between teachers within the school and within the district. I would like to start reaching out to other teachers in order to share ideas and lesson plans. As I said in an earlier blog post, I find myself "borrowing" material from other teachers online, but I never return the favour. While I would like to start small by expanding my Personal Learning Network to include my school district, I would like to eventually start sharing my ideas with a broader audience, perhaps even online.

(Via, 2010)

Sharing Lessons and Ideas by Expanding My Personal Learning Network

Over the last 7 years of teaching I have created numerous lessons, assignments, and projects that I am proud of, and feel as thought it is important that I share these resources with other teachers. While I do share with other teachers in my department, and sometimes with other departments at my school, I feel like it is my duty to start sharing my resources with a broader audience. Using digital tools such as blogs, Twitter, or other social media sites could be one way to reach a wider audience of teachers. I also feel as though I am at the point where I would feel comfortable presenting some of my ideas at a professional development seminar. While I would definitely be stepping outside of my comfort zone by posting my work online or presenting in front of a group of my peers, this is the next step in becoming a leader in teaching and learning. 

(Kincaid, 2015)

Fostering a Positive Reading Culture

The topic that resonated with me the most is fostering a positive reading culture in my classroom and in the school. After reading the blogs of my fellow classmates, I compiled a list of ideas I would like to try out. The first one is having our staff create reading doors, or as another classmate suggested, a "Caught Reading" display, where teachers in every department would share the books they have read and enjoyed. While our library already has a "Staff Picks" section, having reading doors or displays around the school will receive attention from all students, not just those that use the library.

Another idea I gleaned from a fellow classmate is to look into virtual author presentation or webinars. While our school library already organizes at least one author visit a year, not all students are invited to attend because the library only has so many seats available. If the author visit was virtual, students could access the author presentation from their devices. Also, author visits are usually quite costly, so attending a virtual author presentations will keep costs down. After doing a bit of research into this topic, I discovered that Random House offers virtual author visits through Skype or other methods of video-conferencing (view the brochure here). As well, after visiting the Scholastic Book's website, I found information on Kate Messner, an author who advocates virtual author visits. Her website Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs provides a list of authors for students of all ages who will video conference with students for free. I haven't had a chance to browse through the authors, but have passed this list on to our current Teacher-Librarian to see if she is interested in organizing a virtual author visit.

References

Brown, P. (n.d). Blog Icon. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0CAMQjxxqFQoTCKSn0bTK7cgCFUPfYwodv_QGNQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpaulabrown.net%2Fblog-icon-png&bvm=bv.106379543,d.cGc&psig=AFQjCNF1 tvcFBEI7VQ9HoclLpazIw2jicA&ust=1446410815417832


Kincaid, B. (2015). 4 Tips for Creating a Personal Learning Network. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://mad-learn.com/4-tips-for-creating-your-very-own-personal-learning-network/


National Society for Histotechnology. (2015). Get Connected: Live Webinar Series. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://www.histoconvention.org/index.cfm.


Rahul, R. (2013). Digg Reader App. Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4033/digg-reader-launching-week.html

Random House. (2011). How to Host a Virtual Author Visit. Retrieved 01 November 2015 from http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/HowToVirtualVisit_Brochure _WEB1.pdf

Symbaloo Mobile App. (n.d.). Retrieved 31 October 2015 from http://mobile.symbaloo.com/press/

Via, S. (2010). Personal learning networks for educators. Retrieved 03 November 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6WVEFE-oZA

Improving Libraries in Africa

A Never Failing Spring in the Desert

According to Andrew Carnegie "A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people It is a never failing spring in the desert" (Zhou, 2015). Carnegie is known for using his wealth to build libraries throughout the United States. Carnegie's Libraries are known for finding innovative ways to serve the community. One library in Iowa loans out cake pans because not everyone has the right size or shape at their house (Stamberg, 2015). Libraries in developing nations need innovative ideas to provide the communities with access to resources and to encourage more people to utilize the library by providing services that will benefit the community.

Challenges African Public Libraries Face

A study conducted by Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) (2014) revealed that library users in 6 African countries described their public libraries as being"...small with limited space and are resource constrained. Most lack technology related facilities and in some cases relevant books to meet the needs of users" (‘Perceptions of public libraries in Africa’, p. 9). In the graph below, non-users were surveyed as to what would motivate them to start using the public library:

(EIFL, ‘Perceptions of public libraries in Africa’, p. 23)

While access to resources (both print and digital) and location of the library top the list, there are several barriers that prevent libraries from solving these problems. These constraints include lack of funding, not having a proper classification system for resources, and not having a librarian, or having one who lacks proper technological skills. According to another EIFL study (2015), in order to encourage innovation in the library, these are three requirements that need to be met:

 ('EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme', 2015, p. 14)

More innovation is necessary to provide developing nations in Africa and around the world with better equipped libraries to meet the needs of their communities.To help these libraries overcome the constraints they face, people and organizations from around the world donate unused or out-of-date books. While book contributions help, developing nations cannot rely on weeded library books to provide the necessary resources needed to make the library relevant. As well, this also does not provide the support, and infrastructure needed to make the library relevant to the community.

There are several organizations that are working towards innovating libraries in Africa and around the world. One of these organizations, Librarians Without Borders, was established in Canada in 2005 and has partnered with organizations around the world to make improvements to libraries in developing nations through literacy projects.

Literacy Projects Supported By Librarians Without Borders

The Ideas Box

The Ideas Box is a project sponsored by Librarians Without Borders who partnered with United Nations Refugee Agency to provide developing nations such as Ghana with a simple library kit that can be set up in under 20 minutes to create a fully functional mobile library. Each box contains a satellite internet connection, multiple devices including tablets, laptops, cameras, and e-readers, along with offline learning resources, board games, arts and crafts, and various other resources. Eve Saumier, Head of Communication of Librarians without Boarders, stated in an interview with National Geographic regarding the Ideas Box supplies that “One device alone can provide the service and content equivalent of a small town library, or up to 5,000 users. That’s only several dollars per user...Several dollars per user to connect a soul with life-changing education, literature, ideas, communication, theatre and more via technology..."  (Banks, 2014). Below is an image of what an Ideas Box would look like once it was set up.

(Kowalczyk, 2015)

Librii

Librii is a company founded by David Dewane which plans to provide African communities with "an e-hub made from a modified shipping container that contains high-speed computers along with other digital tools and an agora that serves as a public plaza equipped with WiFi" (Zhou, 2015). Librii argues that while cell phones are helpful for looking up information quickly, an infrastructure of stronger computers is required to improve information access to African communities. The video below explains a brief overview of Librii.

(Dewane, 2015)

References

Banks, K. (2014). Thinking outside the box brings cinema and community libraries to refugees. National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Retrieved 28 October 2015, from http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/02 /thinking-outside-the-box-brings-cinema-and-community-libraries-to-refugees/

Dewane, R. (2013). Librii Overview. YouTube. Retrieved 28 October 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhWd5jx4QV4

EIFL. (2014).Perceptions of public libraries in Africa. Retrieved 30 October 2015, from http://www.eifl.net/system/files/ resources/201408/perceptions_of_public_libraries_in_africa_-_full_report_hi.pdf

EIFL. (2015). EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme: Evaluation of the takeup of PLIP innovation by other libraries. What sparks innovation in the public library sector? Retrieved 27 October 2015, from http://www.eifl.net/system/files/resources/201506/eifl_take-up_study_may_2015.pdf

Kowalczyk, P. (2015). A Revolutionary Mobile Library Centre. Retrieved 27 October 2015 from http://ebookfriendly.com/mobile-library-center-philip-starck-video/

Stamberg, S. (2013). How Andrew Carnegie Turned His Fortune Into a Library Legacy. Retrieved 27 October 2015 from http://www.npr.org/2013/08/01/207272849/how-andrew-carnegie-turned-his-fortune-into-a-library-legacy

Zhou, Li. (2015). Building Libraries Along Fibre-Optic Lines in Sub-Saharan Africa. Retrieved 27 October 2015 from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/building-libraries-along-fiber-optic-lines-in-sub-saharan-africa-180954192/?no-ist

Teacher Librarians as Promoters and Implementors of ICT Professional Development

Winning the Technology Battle

Teachers around the world are being asked to implement technology in the classrooms, but aren't always given the time, the tools, or the training necessary to do so effectively. Teachers' views of technology can be quite negative because they feel as though it is being imposed upon them and they see it as an uphill battle. Once they finally learn how to use one device or tool, a new one has already been developed.

Walker, D. (2007). You vs. Technology. Retrieved from www.weblogcartoons.com.

With the shift from the traditional library, to a Library Learning Commons, the Teacher-Librarian is in a position where he/she can offer support by not only locating resources, but also by sharing their expertise in digital learning and teaching. According to Project Tomorrow (2011), "With the increased variety and depth of the digital resources available for classroom use, the librarian is emerging as a critical player in enabling the use of these tools in the classroom, taking on the twin roles of cheerleader and exploration sherpa" (p. 13). It is important that the Teacher-Librarian helps teachers navigate the mountain of digital tools available and encourages and supports teachers in using them. In a study conducted by Project Tomorrow (2011), as shown in Figure 1 below, the Teacher-Librarian has several roles they need to play.

Figure 1: Project Tomorrow. (2011). The New 3 E's of Education: Enables, Engaged, Empowered. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU10_3EofEducation_Educators.pdf.

How can Teacher-Librarians SHARE their Expertise in Digital Learning and Teaching with the Educational Community?

Start a Digital Curation

Creighton, P. (2013). Digital Curation.
Retrieved from http://creightonblog.typepad.com/
addison-media-center/2013/11/digital-resource-curation.html

Through the school library website, Teacher-Librarians can collect and share digital tools and resources to the educational community including educators, students, parents, and fellow Teacher-Librarians. While the process of collecting and sorting digital tools might be time consuming, a digital tool curation will be a valuable resource for the entire educational community. One tool for digital curation I would like to try is Symbaloo, which can be easily published and shared with others.

Host an EdCamp

By hosting an EdCamp or EdCafe, a Teacher-Librarian is able to discover what topics the educational community is interested in discussing or learning about. This is also a good way for Teacher-Librarians who feel as though they may not be an expert in digital learning and teaching to learn from others in the community. At my school we hosted an EdCafe for one of our Professional Development days and invited members from the educational community including students, parents, educators, support staff, administration, and school district employees. We focused the sessions around 21st Century learning and skills and much of the conversations were focused around digital resources and tools. Here is a video that explains what an EdCamp or EdCafe is:

Lee, S. (2014). EdCamp 101. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7DwCI7j0Bg.

Attend department meetings

By attending department meetings, Teacher-Librarians can focus on sharing tools that are subject specific with a smaller group of people. At our school we have six Collaboration sessions throughout the school year. During these sessions, the Teacher-Librarian can rotate between the departments and give them some practical digital tools they can start using in their teaching.

Request time at staff meetings to introduce a new tool

Ripp, P. (2013). Staff Meeting. Retrieved from www.someecards.com.

While staff meetings are never fun, teachers will appreciate taking away something practical from the meeting. Request time at a staff meeting to share one digital tool that you think is user-friendly and would be most useful to the staff as a whole.Of course, make sure to keep the presentation short and sweet. Offer to help any teachers interested in using the digital tool in their classroom.

Enlist as the Professional Development Rep. for your staff

The Keep Calm-O-Matic. (2009). Keep Calm I'm Your
Professional Development Council Representative.
Retrieved from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

As the Professional Development Representative for a school, a Teacher-Librarian would be able to plan and facilitate professional development sessions for the school and/or district in regards to digital teaching and learning. This is a good way for the Teacher-Librarian to correspond with other Teacher-Librarians in the district and create Personal Learning Networks. As well, it would give the Teacher-Librarian the opportunity to discuss with their colleagues any ideas they would be interested in learning about at the next professional development day so that the Teacher-Librarian can organize sessions that will be practical for the staff. Hopefully the mug comes with the position since it is completely voluntary!

References

Creighton, P. (2013). Digital Curation. Retrieved from http://creightonblog.typepad.com/.

The Keep Calm-O-Matic. (2009). Keep Calm I'm Your Professional Development Council Representative. Retrieved from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

Lee, S. (2014). EdCamp 101. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7DwCI7j0Bg.

Project Tomorrow. (2011). The New 3 E's of Education: Enables, Engaged, Empowered. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU10_3EofEducation_Educators.pdf.

Ripp, P. (2013). Staff Meeting. Retrieved from www.someecards.com.

Walker, D. (2007). You vs. Technology. Retrieved from www.weblogcartoons.com.

Maintaining and Developing Professional Learning

Happy Lifelong Learning Day!

According to the United States Senate, today (October 15th) is the day that lifelong learning will be celebrated across the United States and Road Scholar (2015) will release findings that reveal "that learning is an essential activity to a healthy and happy older age and makes life richer." While it might seem silly to celebrate something that should occur over a lifetime on one day a year, it is meant to bring awareness and encouragement to communities about the importance of learning and the impact it can have on one's life (Road Scholar, 2015).

Take the Road Scholar Lifelong Learner Quiz

After reading Will Richardson's (2012) book Why School?, the one idea that I would like to start implementing this year is to start sharing my ideas with others. I often share my work and ideas with colleagues at my school, but I have always been hesitant about putting my work on the Internet. Richardson (2012) explains that we can and should "raise the teaching profession by sharing what works, by taking the best of what we do and hanging it on the virtual wall" (loc. 387). While I feel I already have a decent Personal Learning Network, I need to step out of my comfort zone and find a broader network within the educational field. I quite often "borrow" lessons or ideas that other teachers have shared, but I have never returned the favor. My goal for the remainder of this school year is to broaden my Personal Learning Network using the following strategies, tools, and resources.

Creating Personal Learning Networks 

Twitter (#lifelonglearning)

Twitter is an excellent tool for teachers to use in order to connect with people all over the world. This digital tool allows a teacher to network with authors, educational organizations, and other educators in order to learn from them. I have a Twitter account, but I never use it. I haven't made time to actually follow anyone and I definitely haven't taken the time to post anything. This is one tool that I would like to start making more use of in my teaching and learning. 

Blogs

Blogging is a great way to share with others your thoughts on particular topics, and, the teaching profession, a place to share ideas with others in the education field. I have created a couple of blogs for classes, but I have never continued with them once the course has ended. I feel like in order for me to continue blogging, I would need to widen my audience and network with more people in order for it to be a worthwhile endeavor.

Webinars

 While I would prefer meeting up with colleagues at a winebar rather than watching a webinar, I have several colleagues that collect webinars to view during their professional development days and find it to be a great resource. While I often receive invitations to attend webinars related to education or my subject area, I have never attended one.  Webinars are not only a great resource for information, it can also be a way to create a network of teacher-librarians or classroom teachers.

District Collaboration

As much as the Internet can help connect people around the world, it is also important to correspond and collaborate with the schools and educators in one's own district. At my school the teacher-librarians collaborate about 1-2 times per year or in order to speak about what is happening in our school libraries across the district. I feel that rather than waiting for our meeting, there are quicker and more efficient ways of sharing information with one another. It is nice to have colleagues in the district to rely on for support, as usually there is only one teacher
 librarian at each school and it can be isolating.

References

Collaboration (Image). Retrieved from http://cdn.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/creative-commons-collaboration.jpg?c4f255.

Couros, A. (2013). Using Twitter Effectively in Education. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqSCR3HU4eg.

O'Bauer, C. (2013). Webinar? (Eecard). Retrieved from http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/ MjAxMy0zYWQwOTIyYzUzZjM0Y2E.

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere. TED Conferences.

Road Scholar. (2015). Road Scholar Launches Lifelong Learning Day On October 15th to Share Research and Educational Resources with Lifelong Learners. GlobeNewsWire. Retrieved from http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/10/13/775737/10152379/en/ROAD-SCHOLAR-LAUNCHES-LIFELONG-LEARNING-DAY-ON-OCTOBER-15TH-TO-SHARE-RESEARCH-AND-EDUCATIONAL-RESOURCES-WITH-LIFELONG-LEARNERS.html.

Road Scholar. (2015). Quiz: What Famous Lifelong Learner Are You? Road Scholar. Retrieved from http://www.roadscholar.org/lld/default.asp.

Tips to Make Effective Use of Blogger (Image). Retrieved from http://btechwire.com/tips-make-effective-use-blogger-post-editor/.

Fostering Reading Cultures in Schools

5 Reasons Students Don't Read in School

(and how school teachers and librarians can change this to create a positive reading culture)

1. They don't get to choose what they read

Students often don't have any input in what they read at school. They have to read a particular chapter from their textbook or a particular novel. Many students don't do the readings they are assigned because they aren't engaged in it.

Allow students to read for pleasure and provide them with choice

Students need to be able to choose their own reading material. In my classroom, I provide students with choice by using literature circles. The books I offer all share a particular theme or conflict, but there is a wide variety of subjects to choose from. I also allow students to choose their own book for an independent novel study. This way students are able to spend time in the library finding a book that sounds interesting to them.

2. They have to answer questions after each chapter or fill in worksheets

Students don't become engaged in a book by simply answering questions at the end of each chapter or filling out vocabulary worksheets.

Create engaging multi-modal lessons and activities

Students need to be engaged in what they are reading through lessons and activities and using student-centred rather than teacher-led activities will help. Using inquiry-based projects that focus on developing critical literacy is one way to accomplish this. For example, I have students conduct mock trials by putting a character from the novel on the stand, or they make a newspaper or blog as we read through the novel together, or they put on Shakespeare performances by creating a music video or a putting on a puppet show.

3. They have to attend boring author presentations

We have all attended our fair share of presentations that are uninspiring. Students will not be inspired to read a book if the author isn't a passionate speaker.

Author visits can inspire readers.

Broken Sky Chronicles #1: Below (Illustration). (2014). 
Retrieved from http://www.harpercollins.ca/ 9781443407793/
broken-sky-chronicles-1-below

 Last year our school brought in a local author, Jason Chabot, to speak about how he became a published author and the lengthy process he had to go through to get there. He is an inspiring speaker who was able to connect with our students; his passion for writing (and reading) was apparent. He gave out a few copies of his first novel, Below (Read Sample Chapter), and the students who received copies were excited to read the book over the weekend. They loved it and couldn't wait for the next book in the trilogy to come out. Writers can inspire readers!

4. They can never find a good book to read 

Students constantly struggle to find a book they are interested in reading when browsing the library shelves because they don't know where to look or what authors they would like.

Reclassify fiction books by subject rather than by author

Juhasz, V. (illustrator). (2012). Dewey is not amused!
Was he ever though?(Cartoon), Retrieved from https://librarycartoons.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/
dewey-is-not-amused-was-he-ever-though/

Our school library hasn't made the switch yet, but a few school libraries I have been to in BC are starting to reclassify and reorganize their fiction section. Reclassifying the fiction books in the library is important to fostering a culture of reading in the library. Students have a difficult time finding books they are interested in reading because they don't have a particular author they look for, they have a particular subject they are interested in reading about. There are different methods to classifying resources; although most libraries continue to use the Dewey Decimal System. A couple of methods that have been gaining popularity over the last few years are the Metis model and the Sur~F model. Rather than classifying the fiction books by author, the books are classified by subject. Many libraries are tossing out the Dewey Decimal system altogether and reclassifying the non-fiction section as well. I think it is still important that students, especially in high school, still know how to locate non-fiction books using the Dewey Decimal System because universities and colleges have not made this switch and students need to know how to use this system.

5. They have negative views of the library

Students quite often hold the stereotype that a library is silent, musty smelling, and full of old books. That is no longer the case in many school libraries across BC.

Transform the Library into a Library Learning Commons

Our library is in the midst of making the transformation to a Library Learning Commons. We have a library space with flexible seating, access to technology, and spaces where students can meet and collaborate without feeling like the librarian is going to shush them. Many school libraries in the BC are making this change and students are beginning to see the library as a space where they can feel comfortable reading a book, exploring different topics, finding information from around the world, and connecting with people face to face or online. The Library Learning Commons will be at the centre of the school with a positive reading culture as shown in this video by BCLibraries (2011).

References:

Balas Kaplan, T., Dolloff, A., Giffard, S., & Still-Schiff, J. (2012). Are Dewey's days numbered?: Libraries nationwide are ditching the old classification system. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2012/09/collection-development/are-deweys-days-numbered-libraries-across-the-country-are-giving-the-old-classification-system-the-heave-ho-heres-one-schools-story/

BCLibraries. (2011, October 18). Learning Commons in BC [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LglFl1BYfFs

Broken Sky Chronicles #1: Below (Illustration). (2014). Retrieved from http://www.harpercollins.ca/ 9781443407793/broken-sky-chronicles-1-below

Gibson, M. (2011). Innovative 21st century classification schemes for elementary school libraries. School Library Journal 57(2), p. 48. Retrieved from http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/ 60167178/innovative-21st-century-classification-schemes-elementary-school-libraries

Juhasz, V. (illustrator). (2012). Dewey is not amused! Was he ever though?(Cartoon), Retrieved from https://librarycartoons.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/dewey-is-not-amused-was-he-ever-though/