Since I am on-call, I will response to this week’s blog prompt from the point-of-view of a high school teacher librarian, drawing on past experiences and what I could do if I was there long-term.
 |
| (DevilsApricot, 2008) |
As the teacher librarian, it would be my role to be looking out for ICT pro-d opportunities and resources to support an ICT curriculum. One way to do this is to frequently check the BC Teacher Librarians Association page for updates.
I have often thought about (but have yet had the chance to try) creating a collection of “how to” videos uploaded onto all school computers. Initially making the videos could be a class project about communicating information and computer-based skills. A web-based screen capture program like Screencast- O-Matic could be used to record things like: “How to use basic functions in Word”, “How to print in the library” or “How to use key features of Office365.”
 |
| (Walker, 2012) |
I think
it would be great for students to take a leadership role in helping to make
these reference guides, and then I would repeat myself less by referring to the
video library when someone asks about inserting tables, page layouts, etc.
School-wide, I think that if
I found a service that I believe benefitted all students, then I could host a
workshop for colleagues to first teach them how to use the platform. If teachers
are confident in their use of tool, then they can better support students in
their learning. This proactive teaching approach would be advantageous, because
I have noticed that students often learn helpful online research tools, like NoodleTools, in isolation for a “library
project.”
I think that to best respond
to the needs of our staff, teacher librarians have to be open to delivering the
same content in a variety of ways – just like a classroom teacher does for
their students. Some just need the information, so an e-mail or Tweet would suffice.
Some may need a workshop, where I could give an over-view of key things to
know, or advertise upcoming events to attend. Others may need one-to-one
support, so I could set-up scheduled times where we could sit together with
little interruption. If my schedule was stretched, I could also see if the district
or public library was offering any workshops or one-to-one support that
complimented the ICT professional needs of my colleagues. It really depends on the school culture. I think as a teacher librarian, part of the role is to find a balance between talking with everyone and get a sense of what is needed, and recognizing how the staff like to share new ideas.
References
BCTLA.
(2017). British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’’
Association. Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/info/about.html
DevilsApricot.
(2008). Pixabay CCO Creative Commons [Image].
Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/books-old-dusty-library-vintage-785894/
NoodleTools.
(2017). A research platform. An
educational mindset. Retrieved from http://www.noodletools.com/
Screencast-O-Matic.
(2017). Fast, free screen recording. Retrieved
from https://screencast-o-matic.com/
Walker,
C. (2012, June 3). Word 2010: Insert
Tables [Screen capture of video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mXRd3ZPW0k
Vancouver Public Library. (2017). Events. Retrieved from https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/
events/search/fq=types:(5911fd0447b4863400441277)
events/search/fq=types:(5911fd0447b4863400441277)
Thank you for discussing the important point of personalizing and individualizing the Professional Development support to each teacher and what they need to move forward with their practice. Some good examples and discussions of tools and strategies to address any requests or gaps in teacher's skills and knowledge. A good list of resources and labels on your post.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of having "How To" videos of different resources or ways of using technology in your library. I also agree that using students to assist with that type of project would be very beneficial to all, as students would first have to learn the tool in order to teach it and then learn how to do a Screen Cast! I also agree that it is important to reach all staff by sending out the professional development opportunities in various ways to fit their learning needs. I loved your suggestions! Thanks for the tips and ideas!
ReplyDeleteI too, love the "How to" idea - and then taking it a step further and sharing the lesson handouts and the final tips as a resource file with BCTLA. Great to have the students participate, and then they could act as mentors if you had a Tech lunch day for staff.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of noodletools and looked at it a bit - do you use it yourself? It looks like it costs money - do you find that students have purchased it independently or just use the trial month? Just curious as I'm always trying to figure how to make tech work with limited access and monies!
I was a TOC at a high school that used Noodletools, and I think they bought a subscription (I got the sense that a few teachers who collaborated with the TL the most saw it as a benefit - maybe they pooled together funds?). I used it a little bit with one of the classes, but I do not have extensive experience with this web tool. Students do need individual log-ins, which setting up could be time consuming. What I liked about it was that I could see students work, and check their Works Cited early on and leave them comments on what to correct. I could also observe their progress and it was clear who had not started yet. I also liked that I could see what websites they were finding - this made conversation easier, because I could view the site ahead of time, and not be trying to read over their shoulder in the moment. This tool is probably best suited for middle school, high school, or post secondary studies.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea using students to help with technology! At the middle school level, I have seen this work really well for the assembly technology. It would be great to see that taken to another level and have students available to help with a myriad of software and hardware on an as-needed basis.
ReplyDelete