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

 References:

Module 7: Supporting Teachers' ICT Curriculum and Pedagogy:On-going Professional Development 

Supporting Teachers with ICT Skills: Overcoming Barriers and Showing Enthusiasm 

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Last week I explored ways to  develop personal learning networks and ProD around ICT skills. This week's post will focus more on supporting my colleagues in this area.

Teachers may welcome the new learning opportunities and natural exploration that accompanies many ICT skills, or they may become apprehensive and wary. Are teachers able to continuously learn the necessary and evolving ICT skills? Are teachers able to access appropriate technology? It can be overwhelming for a teacher who is not technologically inclined. How can teacher librarians effectively share what they know with co-workers and best support the diverse needs of their school?

First, I’d like to address the potential constraints and barriers that may impact the process of effective ICT and professional development within the school community, as this can greatly impact attitudes as well as supports.

Lawrence and Tar (2018) suggest that there are two levels of barriers that can affect teachers’ implementation of ICT in teaching:

1.     Individual /teacher-level barriers ( lack of time, confidence, and/or resistance to change)

2.     Institutional/school-level barriers ( lack of training for technical issues and/or lack of access to resources)

What If?
In this video Kerry Gallagher asks the question "What if" and discusses some of the scepticism that may exist around technology. She reminds us that we are all learners, regardless of whether we are students, teachers or parents. She asks us to think of what we’d like to learn, and how technology can help. This is a good starting point when working with co-workers who may be reluctant. It's empowering, positive and makes things seem achievable. I will be borrowing this idea and asking my colleagues "What If"?

It's important to acknowledge perspectives and mindsets of our learners. With this in mind, the following are suggestions from “The Conversation: Ten Reasons Teachers Can Struggle to Use Technology in The Classroom” for helping reluctant colleagues:

•        Professional development
•        Approaching Professional development differently while accounting for different perspectives and abilities
•       Creating a common vision with all applicable stakeholders

These points are all key considerations when thinking of how to best meet the ICT needs of a school community. ICT is so varied, and can suit many staff members differently. In my school, we are actively getting to know our colleagues better to offer tools and ideas that will work well with different teaching styles and personalities. Simple conversations and surveys are ways we are looking at accomplishing this.

Jennifer Gonzalez also highlights points to consider when preparing to support teachers with ICT tools and skills. She discusses the importance of providing hands-on professional development opportunities. Technology can be overwhelming, and not a preferred method for some, so we need to make sure we give reluctant participants authentic and differentiated experiences to explore technology tools. Not only will it increase the chance that it may be implemented after training, but it may also increase the mastery, or confidence.

Her website includes a digital teacher’s guide:

Remembering that we are all learners together is important. The way that learning and professional development are offered and experienced impacts our attitudes and likelihood of implementing the learning. If we want to adequately support colleagues with ICT skills, we have to think of the best way to teach and showcase these skills. 

Here is a visual reminder about professional development:

Visit this website for more ideas about planning ProD for others

Other ways to support staff…

Share meals and enthusiasm:
As teacher librarians, we need to lead by example and model the use of ICT skills whenever possible. We also have to show our excitement and enthusiasm, because it's often contagious. If we're able to show how ICT can be used in different subjects and contexts it becomes more inviting and seems more possible. I've just started inviting teachers to eat with me over lunch and brainstorm ideas. Last week this led to a teacher who was looking for communication strategies to try a new app that she was previously unaware of.  Simply sharing a meal, and some enthusiasm led to a new exciting teaching possible.  

Local Library Association:DRC
Last week I shared a pamphlet made by my local teacher librarian association. This was meant to show how we network together, but it also serves as an example of how we support our staff and learning community. It was created to show how our library/learning commons has evolved and can meet varying needs in our school. Advocating in such a way, as a united teacher librarian local, is an impactful way to share tools and strategies with our school colleagues.

Teaching staff how to access resources from our DRC (district resource centre) is one way I help my co-workers with resources and ICT skills. While it is online I also offer to meet coworkers at the DRC to co-plan lessons and projects. I’ve found this quite useful on occasion. 

(Picture credit: A.Loudon)

Speaking at staff meetings: This is important, and it’s a quick and easy way to showcase new ideas and tools. Each month prepare to share a short, but engaging lesson idea, tool or strategy, with a relevant example if possible. This is how I introduced Rigamajig to my staff, and it was a success. Teachers were able to see tangible project ideas, and it motivated some teachers to start immediately.

Find a friend: Find a willing colleague to work with, and show others what you’ve done. Excitement will spread. I often pitch an idea to a colleague I feel will be willing to try something new, and then we share our outcomes together. The Not-A-Box project spread like wildfire this way!

Book/tool talks for teachers: Share resources and offer to co-teach or co-plan for use of new tools and strategies. This is a book that I will be using for a book talk with interested teachers.

This is a fantastic resource. Also check out #InnovatorsMindset  @gcouros

 Share what you know in many formats and ways!

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This is a website by Kasey Bell, who specializes in mixing instructional strategies with technology. https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/50-educators-you-should-follow-pinterest/

Share exciting lessons and learning on social media: I share on my school twitter account and then show my posts to staff. Even those who aren't on twitter find it exciting to see school learning being showcased. It also creates a "what if" I could do this reaction.

Share exciting ProD that you experience:

(Picture Credit: A.Loudon)

Everything that I've been researching and reflecting upon in regards to sharing ICT, points to it being hands-on and meaningful! Thinking of the audience is key. We have a great search tool for staff at our school to use for searching books-now we're moving to searching for ICT skills. It's a very exciting process, especially when different perspectives, interests, and mindsets are considered.

                               

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