Vision Project LIBE 477

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 Final Blog Post: My Technology and Final Vision Project Journey

This is the final post of the LIBE 477 course. As well as posting about my learning journey in the course, and more specifically for my final vision project, I am including the website that I created for my final project. You can find it at the bottom of this post.

My final vision project is a Weebly website "Teaching With Web 2.0 Tools and Technologies" that has a customized collection of web tools and technologies geared towards teachers and students at my school. This was created with my fellow colleagues in mind, and I plan to share it with my whole staff, as well as with my local library association. In as many cases as possible I have included examples made by students in my school. I feel confident that this will create more excitement among my colleagues. I have shared my website with three colleagues so far and have received really positive feedback.

 Look How Far I've Come!

 It’s definitely been a whirlwind of learning! I've learned so much about technology that I now feel as though I can help mentor some of my colleagues. I was initially overwhelmed with making a blog, and now I can build a website. I stepped out of my comfort zone, and in doing so experienced a host of different experiences in this learning process. Upon reflection, this is extremely important because this is similar to what students and staff may experience when learning some of the new tools that I am sharing with them. It’s powerful when the 'teacher' goes through some of the same experiences as the 'learner.' It's also an authentic way to note potential frustrations and successes.

I’ve gone from thinking about technology to using technology and 

supporting technology to advocating for technology!

Some specific things that helped me along the way...

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• Learning from my peers-Reading my classmate's blogs weekly helped me tune into my learning more, and it provided rich ideas and discussions. It really is an invaluable process. I found that I looked forward to reading the group blogs. I’m fortunate for the ideas I learned from my peers in this class. Thank you to all of my fellow group members for the thoughtful ideas and discussion points. I have many things I’d now like to try as the year develops. For example, I’d like to give story telling on YouTube a chance, which is an idea that Christopher discussed. I am also interested in creating a separate blog for new books and book reviews, which is an idea I got from Kelli.

• Connecting with my PLN! This is so important, as discussed often throughout the course. We learn so much from each other. There is a wealth of knowledge that we can gain when we ask our colleagues at school, in the district, and on social media.  I’ve never respected collaborating, sharing ideas, and asking colleagues questions more than I have during this course. 

• Social media is a wonderful resource! Without it, I would have struggled much more with creating my website. Twitter has become my new best friend and I am now an active blog subscriber. I can learn so many new tidbits, tips and lesson ideas in a short time.

My biggest take away

I learned so many crucial understandings in this course. It's hard to rank key learnings, but the key learning for me, that I can apply to almost every area, is that using technology should be meaningful. Of course, there is always an opportunity to show and use tools for fun, but integrating technology into the classroom should be purposeful and support learning. I spoke of this in many of my posts and I also made sure to keep this in mind when designing my website. 

Some challenges while building the website:

In terms of using Weebly and the initial web design process, I went through a series of stages and emotions: 

First, frustration, mixed with a bit of panic...this was the most difficult stage. I went from feeling like I had good ideas to feeling like I may not be able to achieve my goals. I had mastered blogging but felt entirely overwhelmed with Weebly and building a website. I even contemplated changing platforms when I had already started designing. 

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Then, I felt that I had a better sense of what I was doing and was getting some major parts of the project accomplished. But, I was still somewhat in a state of confusion. I had many questions, my 'to-do' list still seemed huge and I needed to consult a number of online tutorials and seek some advice from an experienced Weebly survivor...

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Finally, I arrived here!!! 

A feeling of pure contentment! I created the website! It has most of the components I wanted, and what I wasn't able to add at this exact moment, I've added to the "coming soon" section and will tackle it over the winter break. I have already shared my website with a few colleagues so I am committed to adding these tools. Sketchnotes is first on my list.


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Other challenges

Aside from Weebly, I had a few challenges using Screen-O-Matic to record two of my tutorials. The application itself was straightforward and easy to use but it definitely took time to make it through an entire take without making mistakes that required restarting. Sometimes it was my errors and other times other things interfered (phone rang, dog barked, etc). Neither of my tutorials are by any means perfect but I had to finally accept that and move on.

The last challenge worth mentioning was deciding on the aesthetics, including everything from colours- to layout- to the amount of images. This was time consuming and required a plan of action. Mine was to ask advice and accept it without deliberating too much. As Kelli pointed out in one of her last blog posts, web pages can be edited. This was important for me to keep in mind as I went through the process.


Successes and Highlights

I've learned more than I thought I would. The main reason, I think, was because it was so hands-on and required networking and collaboration. I feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Specific things I can now do:

• I can successfully blog (I am certain I will start a school blog page for new books/book reviews with student voice)
• I can link PDFs to Blogger (this took a bit of investigating)
• I can use Screen-O-Matic 
• I learned how to create my own YouTube channel (I found this the easiest and quickest way to upload my student examples to Weebly)
• I learned how to use Weebly
• I learned how to use Greenscreen by DoInk

What's Next? 

I spent a lot of time developing this website, and I’m going to continue to keep adding to it. 

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I’m presenting the website link to the whole staff at the next staff meeting-and as I mentioned above, I have already shared it with a few colleagues. I am also sharing this with my Local Library Association during our next meeting. This will help keep me focused. 

Aside from adding the tools in my upcoming section on the website, I would like to add a specific coding page in the New Year. A few teachers have expressed more interest with coding and this is a great place to showcase learning and new ideas. 


Thank you...

Thank you to Aaron and all of my classmates who shared ideas and engaged in good discussions. It was a very powerful learning experience that has contributed deeply to my learning, and to the planning for my students. I now feel confident with a host of different technologies and I can help mentor some of my fellow staff.

I leave this post with this final image and my website below.

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Here's my Website:

https://amywebtools.weebly.com

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Module 10: Final Vision Bog Post #1

Final Project Brainstorm

The next three posts are focused on brainstorming and developing a final project for LIBE 477. This week’s post explains my initial ideas for my final vision project.

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 Throughout the course I have learned many new useful concepts and aspects of digital literacies that I could incorporate into my teaching for my K-7 students. My original thoughts at the beginning of the course were to examine and explore more web 2.0 tools and to use technology to engage our learners, spruce up lessons, and assist teachers (and myself) in the teaching of concepts. After much deliberation, I've decided that this is the best area for me to choose for my final project. This is for me to develop my own technology skills, but also to show new teaching opportunities and to increase the overall technology being used in our school. 

I’ve learned that the teaching of many tools themselves can be meaningful learning, but that tools can also be used to create even more meaningful learning. The two are separate ideas but equally important to consider. One idea from phase one of the course that has resonated with me throughout, is that technology must be meaningful. Kayla Delzer, who I cited in my third post, discusses realistic ways that teachers can implement apps and technology tools into their teaching programs using a “student teaching student” model. She stated that “technology can truly revolutionize education — but only if educators make wise choices about what is used and how it’s used.” An importance is placed on using technology in meaningful ways instead of just using it for the sake of saying that you are. Apps and tools are recommended for purposes of invoking creativity, critical thinking and problem solving. This is something I’d like my colleagues to see through my project. It's also a valuable resource to show that technology does not need to be overwhelming or onerous. Students can use skills to teach each other, which is very powerful learning, and in line with curriculum. 

 I've added this video again, as I would like to include it on my list of videos to share with colleagues. It's smart, engaging and does an excellent job of pointing out the benefits of using technology in schools.

What now?

Some key points for me in terms of purpose and design:
After exploring the importance of personal learning networks (PLN’s) and professional development with a deeper lens:

•  I’ve realized that I need to work more with my co-workers to showcase some of the technologies I’m hoping to use throughout the year. This will hopefully enrich the learning opportunities for the whole school. 
• In terms of technology, I feel that I’ve been working somewhat in isolation, trying to teach teachers while the lesson is occurring, or trying to debrief after the lesson, which is not ideal. 
• Technology must be meaningful, and this can best be achieved if teachers work together to plan and implement its use

Big Picture Goals...

My overall goal is to showcase some fairly simple, yet effective technology tools for teachers to check out and begin working with. This also means highlighting the positive aspects of technology in the classroom, as emphasized in the following sketchnote. (I aim to create my own sketchnote for my final project)

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I'm hoping:

•    To move away from me using tools with classes that teachers are unfamiliar with and  moving towards teachers co-teaching these tools
•      Teachers may then use these tools in the classroom more independently

My vision is therefore to create a custom platform, or "toolbox" for digital tools and resources that I’d like to use in my lessons, that teachers at my school can access and become familiar with. Hopefully enthusiasm will spread and they'll want to collaborate and learn with me! 


Why not just access one of the many websites that already exists?

There presently exists numerous websites and blogs, with a host of web 2.0 tools, but I’d like to have one that is more personally aligned with what I want, and am able to use and teach. Many websites are extremely detailed and have many tools that we're not yet ready to explore, making it seem too busy and perhaps even overwhelming. I also feel that it will be far more valuable for teachers to see real examples of tools being used by our students. This will make it less overwhelming, seem more doable, and be more meaningful. 

At this point, my target audience is directed at the teachers that I work with. I could however, share plan to share with my local TL association, and possibly with parents who are interested.

What exactly could this look like?

Right now, I’m envisioning a platform that teachers can access that can show:

·    Useful web 2.0 tools and technology for our learners

·    What the tools actually look like (our student examples as much as possible)

·   How we can use them with students for meaningful learning opportunities (quality research, videos)

·  How these tools can be used to support lessons (videos, tutorials, possibly even testimonials from students) I want to include a variety to appeal to different grades, teaching styles and level of difficulty/commitment.

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Questions I still have:

• Research: How do I best present research so that it can make the most impact for viewers? (I want viewers to see the key points but not be overwhelmed by lengthly sources)

• How many tools/resources can I realistically include? I have a list started of tools/technologies that I've used with students, but how many more can I add?

• Which format is the best to use for my project? A different blog? A weebly? A Prezi?? Is there a better option that I haven’t yet found?? I'm comfortable with Blogger now, but I've had difficulties with formatting and fonts, and feel I may want to try something new...So far Weebly and GoogleSites have been recommended by my Tech support department. 

• How do I present this to staff? One-one? Small groups? At a staff meeting (which can be difficult due to lengthy agendas)

• Will I need media consents/privacy concerns. This is a big one and will definitely limit how I can share student examples...

To be continued next week....

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Module 9: 


Summarizing and Discussing Phase 2 Topics and Interests

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This week’s post is a reflection of the key learnings and thoughts from the inquiry phase of our course, LIBE 477, which focused on developing and promoting reading cultures, professional development, personal learning networks, and how libraries in developing nations are supported by various organizations and technologies. While each week's inquiry was centred around a different and distinct topic for research and reflection, common themes appeared while new learning and ideas emerged. Reading blogs from classmates was an excellent source of information and new learnings. It's fascinating to see how ideas around the same inquiry topic can yield such different research avenues, resources and perspectives. I found this process very valuable. 

 What am I going to take with me? From what I’ve found and what I’ve learned from others

It’s amazing how one week of inquiry can change my perspectives and add to my learning. Our last topic was not initially what I thought I’d focus on as a major takeaway, but it really opened up my eyes to how critical libraries are in terms of people around the world being able to access information. I’d previously realized the importance that libraries play in developing literacy for students, and in education in general, but I had not really given thought to how it bridges social and economic gaps, and that limited access to libraries can mean a 

social disadvantage for a segment of the population. I guess in general terms, I was looking at it through a very personal and narrow lens, and have now been able to expand my thinking. Specific quotes such as how libraries "can be the difference between users simply accessing information or being able to use it" have resonated with me. (Heath, 2019) Another quote from classmate Kristi Nichol's post, a “lack of internet has come to mean lack of opportunity" has also stuck with me throughout the week.  There were many good blog posts about the importance of libraries and mobile devices that really show the importance that both play in society-across many social, economic and educational classes. The close link that exists between libraries and literacy around the world is important and one that I hadn’t considered as much before last week's research. 

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Other Key Takeaways:

• Promoting a positive reading culture and fostering a love of reading has been a primary goal and is an area of particular interest for me. I often try to find new and engaging ways to draw more students into the library to explore books, and I emphasize that reading can and should be fun. I thoroughly enjoyed researching and reading about all of the ways we can foster a love of reading. There are many great ideas that I can now add and incorporate into my existing practice. Additionally, I noted that many classmates added Dr. Stephen Krashen's ideas and videos about the importance of reading for pleasure and the role libraries play in this. I've bookmarked the video by Dr.Krashen that Lara Walters added, so that I can reference it later.  

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• While I feel that I've always been fairly dedicated to professional development, and have tried to vary my learning opportunities, I was grateful that the inquiry focus on professional development prompted me to dig even deeper. As a result I've now established connections with amazing teachers throughout the province who are eager and willing to mentor and share learning around ADST, which is a topic that I need more exposure to and experience with. One of the key points for me is the importance of finding and maintaining a passion to explore a new topic through hands on learning experiences. Another was balance. I want to continue learning about new, engaging technologies and lessons but after this learning phase, I've realized the value of learning one thing well as opposed to taking on too much at once. 

• Establishing better Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) was good for me to investigate further. I knew this was important, but I'd admittedly sometimes put it on the back-burner. After researching and reading blogs from classmates, I know I need to make sure I continue to prioritize this. Stepping out of my comfort zones and engaging more through social media is a personal goal, as well as speaking more and sharing with district learning groups. As Kelli McLeod suggested a “digital teaching friend” is a great place to start. Maintaining my commitment to my PLN will be a focus and this means not putting off a meeting, and recognizing the value it can have for my teaching practice and working relationships. Sharing personally with other TLs and mentors is one of my best motivators, and it helps me stay grounded and focus my learning. I've learned to value this even more.

• I borrowed the Teacher Librarian: Your Inquiry Superhero from Jennifer Losell, as it's an amazing reminder. #InquiryMindset is a hashtag that I am exploring on a deeper level with a colleague, and I printed this as a visual motivator. I connect it with #GrowthMindset, which this course is teaching me a lot about. 

        

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• Developing reading skills on e-readers versus traditional print is another topic I've been thinking about since last week. Our classmate, Christopher Lister, brought this question to my attention and it has led me to do some further research on the topic. I am thinking of it in terms of my role as a TL around digital literacies, as well as my role as a reading teacher. I now feel compelled to explore more and am excited to explore this topic further.

A Little Bit More Sharing... 

Even though the debate about using mobile devices was not a direct inquiry assignment, I came across research surrounding this topic and found it quite relevant. It's a hot topic right now as debates are swirling and mobile device bans are happening.

A study (2017) from Edutopia that intrigued me, outlines the negative impact of mobile devices in classrooms, primarily citing that the mere presence of such devices is a powerful distraction. Reasoning from this study states that devices are occupying students' mental space and triggering a neuro-system called "automatic attention," which unconsciously monitors the environment for signs of critical importance. It suggests that this is happening even when devices are not physically in the hands of students. This is an interesting idea, and certainly an argument worth investigating for those interested in the debate. The video below explains this idea further. 

Additionally, articles "Banning Mobile Phones in Schools: Beneficial or Risky? Here's What the Evidence Says,"  and "Cell Phones in the Classroom: Learning Tool or Distraction," explain why a state in Australia and the Ontario Ministry of Education have effectively banned mobile devices in classrooms.

Both articles list plausible reasons for and against the use of devices. They also indicate that more countries and states may be following suit. In both articles devices were permitted according to school discretion, if for example they were used for "educational purposes, medical reasons, or as a support for a student with special needs." 

Furthermore, both show that with proper management devices can be excellent tools for learning. A curious debate that I will continue to follow, especially as I encourage the use of more digital technologies.

Concerns With Devices	Positive Contributions of Devices
Cyberbullying Student distraction Student struggles with disobedience due to misuse of devices Cheating Disconnection from face-face connections	Using educational learning apps  Incorporating digital platforms into lessons Supplementing lessons with digital materials Providing easy access to more information

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