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

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/