LIBE 477 Part A Blog#1: Issue, Personal Interest, or Opportunity Identification and Keyword Generator

Brainstorming Keywords and Learning Topics:

A closer look at ADST & Technology in the Library Learning Commons

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 Welcome to my LIBE 477 Blog, where I will be posting my learning and goals around technology in the Library Learning Commons. This week’s topic is centered around identifying areas that I'd like to learn more deeply about and be able to implement in my teaching. 

~ The ability to design, make, acquire, and apply skills and technologies is important in the world today and key in the education of citizens for the future.~

BC Ministry of Education

Taking a closer look into the Applied Design, Skills Technologies curriculum is a goal for me this year. I have attended district learning sessions around ADST and am excited about the possibilities, yet I still struggle with how to best support teachers in this area.

Considering that it is an important and broad topic, and encompasses so many areas, a multitude of key words quickly generated for me: makerspace, coding, STEM, web 2.0 tools, digital literacy, inquiry…

These are all important and interrelated components of ADST and the Library Learning commons (LLC), and these are all areas that I am trying to learn more about and develop throughout the year. But, it is not always easy to implement all of these at the same time. Many factors influence the ability of a TL to successfully explore these areas, including: budgets, teacher librarian time in the library (FTE), experience and comfort levels of the TL in these distinct curricular areas, as well as the ability to effectively collaborate with school staff to support such programs.  I am fortunate enough to have a healthy budget, support of administration, and a teaching partner who is eager to learn and try new things.

Our district provides additional budgets for ADST (including trades trollies and makerspace carts), as well as trained itinerant teachers to support our work with classes. Furthermore, our school district is fairly supportive of the LLC model in general…which all contributes to many opportunities for us at the moment.

  

In our library, we are currently in the midst of trying flexible scheduling to accommodate varying wishes of classroom teachers, while simultaneously introducing new technologies, STEM and makerspace ideas. This has seen varying levels of success in the past two years.  I am hoping that exploring the ADST curriculum in more depth and introducing web 2.0 tools in the library will be an increased incentive for teachers to become more enthused with new projects in the LLC, and flexible scheduling.

Applied Design, Skills, Technologies is fairly new curriculum. In our school, ADST is often associated with the making of something, sometimes with the Design Thinking Model accompanying it and sometimes without. Often, it is an itinerant teacher who collaborates and leads the projects, as they are experts we can draw upon. It’s new to many teachers and sometimes scary to some. There is a lot that needs to be explored. It does, however, have its very own section in the new BC curriculum, so it is fairly easy to make a case for its inclusion in our library programs…in fact, classroom teachers may actually breathe a sigh of relief because it can be included. It is a genuine reason for collaboration and exchanges of ideas among teachers. The bottom line is that it is a BIG topic with many possibilities. I find that some teachers are still rooted in traditional thinking about the types of learning activities they wish for their classes in the library. It’s a slow process for change sometimes. And perhaps one that I need to be more vocal about.

The diagram below, highlighting the Design thinking model, is just one piece of the ADST curriculum, and is one that I am beginning to display for our whole school population.

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 Web 2.0 tools, which fit into the ADST curriculum, are not as clear cut in my experiences so far. Perhaps it’s because they are tools and not programs or specific learning standards? 

Nowhere is it expected that all students be proficient with Book Creator, or be able to navigate a Padlet, or be able to create a Voki, or operate Doink etc… The list could go on and on…

Our students, could however, learn to easily navigate these tools, with enthusiasm (because they are fun!) if we made them readily available tools for learning…These could quickly become powerful tools, especially in a student-centered environment. (I’m a fan of the “I do, we do, you do” approach).

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 The Big Ideas in the ADST curriculum make a case for the inclusion of Web 2.0 tools in our teaching:

• Technologies are tools that extend human capabilities (K-3)
• The choice of technology and tools depends on the task (4-5)
• Complex tasks may require multiple tools and technologies (6-7)

For a closer look, here is a link to the BC ADST curriculum:

When thinking of ADST and web 2.0 tools I see so much potential for student and teacher learning. 

The big questions for me at this point are:

• Do I delve into ADST more with district mentors to develop projects on a grander scale?Will this be equitable and achievable with scheduling?  
• Do I fully commit to introducing and maintaining the teaching of multiple web 2.0 tools?
• Which Web 2.0 tools do I start with to ease teachers in and engage my learners in meaningful ways? 
• How do I best organize the tools I select?

My initial thoughts and investigations have so far steered me towards a deeper look into ADST, with specific web 2.0 tools. I will continue reading, searching blogs, and networking with other teacher librarians to narrow my focus and select resources for further inquiry.