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.
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| The Keep Calm-O-Matic. (2009). Keep Calm I'm Your Professional Development Council Representative. Retrieved from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/ |
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.
I think Symbaloo would be a great tool to use for curation and for helping teachers locate and find specific Web tools. I particularly like the style of Symbaloo and how easy it is to see the different sites in its layout. It would be an excellent resource for your school community.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post that clearly outlines all the ways that TLs "SHARE" with others! I loved the acronym and easy way to remember all the effective ways we can encourage and support our peers and colleagues in exploring new ICT strategies and toolsets. Also, the advice for an edcafe and proD rep are very good and can go a long way in engaging and supporting all staff in your school. Good tagging, embedding and discussing!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your opening paragraph. Knowing that teachers are feeling that it is an uphill battle, it is wise to find ways to incorporate technology pro-d in easily accessible ways that will motivate colleagues to explore. The ideas you shared are easy to implement, such as demonstrating a digital tool during a staff meeting, and may spark conversation and excitement among one's staff.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching the Edcamp video. I had never heard of this type of "unconference" before. I loved how it starts out with suggestions from the participants then groups are made accordingly. After that, the discussion and learning is up to the participants. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about asking for some time at a staff meeting to introduce a tech tool of some sort. I was the first at my school to start a blog and did share that with my staff at a staff meeting last year. Three other teachers at my school now have blogs too!
Many of my colleagues at my school would relate to your first paragraph. We are being asked to become teachers or teacher-librarians of the 21st century. However, we don't always have the time, the tools and/or the training with technology. We need to be very patient towards the lack of technology equipment in our schools. In the classroom where I teach grade 2 students, I don't have access to a LCD projector. We don't have tablets in our school. The implementation of the new BC curriculum will require more technology tools. I will be putting a request towards getting tablets at our school. Thank you for sharing the Edcamp video! I also had never heard of this.
ReplyDelete