Learning Journey of a Wannabe Teacher-Librarian

I work in a school district that has provided access to over 60 different digital learning tools for our staff and students to use as learning and instructional materials.     Access to these resources is provided through each school’s library learning commons.     There is a shared username and password that is distributed at the beginning of each year to each student and staff member.     However, student and staff usage of these resources at my school remains low in comparison to other schools (according to our district’s library administrator during a recent pro-d workshop. Precise numbers were not provided).   How can we encourage students and staff to make these digital learning tools (DLT) their first stop when they are looking for learning information/materials?    To know how to encourage greater engagement and usage, we must first understand why this is important.  Digital learning is essential to our students’ futures.  ...

  How can mobile devices help libraries, both in developed and developing nations? Your task this week is to explore online and learn about specific library projects in a developing nation. How are they creating new literacy opportunities and expanding access to the internet and information databases? How can they best move forward to support the local needs of their communities? Also explore how mobile devices might assist in this endeavour and what new affordances they bring to the developing world that will allow them to provide greater and more democratic access to information, unfiltered and uncensored? I read through a few websites of NPOs who have missions related to developing literacy in developing nations, but none of these seemed to be as digitally focused as Library for All (LFA). LFA is an Australian non-profit organisation whose mission is to provide equitable access to knowledge via digital-first libraries in local languages.  Inspired by classrooms in post-ear...

  How can we, as educators and Teacher-Librarians share what we’ve learned with our wider communities of practices?  How can we best respond to the needs of our staff, in their wide spectrum of abilities and experiences, with the most appropriate and useful professional development? What tools and strategies are best implemented to meet the professional development of staff? Talk to the Teachers One of the most effective ways a teacher-librarian can respond to the needs of our staff is to know the staff . Building positive and effective professional relationships with the classroom teachers, the resources team, and the Educational Assistants is key to knowing what tools and skills a colleague needs or can use. Although I haven’t worked with many TLs on a professional basis, those who I have worked with frequently check in with the staff, especially those with whom they are collaborating.  The TLs have asked questions about goals for a unit, desired resources, plans for ke...

What strategies, tools, resources and networks can you implement to maintain your explorations and development? What are some of the ways that educators and professionals are connecting and sharing their learning? What can you do during this class and after it is over to maintain your connections and networks, to further develop your knowledge, experience and skills? Specialist Associations The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) has a list of specialist associations that it supports for British Columbian educators.  One of these associations is the BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA) . According to their website, the BCTLA’s goal is to “promote the essential evolving role of the teacher-librarian within the education community”  (BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association, n.d.) .  This includes providing access to resources, grants and professional development.  The professional development portion of their website includes details about upcoming conferences, webinars, b...

As I am not currently a teacher-librarian, but rather am a classroom teacher, this post will spend time reflecting on how our teacher-librarian tries to create a reading culture at our elementary school as well as what I do in my classroom.  I will also discuss some of the strategies and policies that I would like to implement if I should ever become a teacher-librarian (TL) in the future. Home Reading Program (currently values Quantity over Quality and Content) Our school has a long tradition of a Home Reading Program (HRP), which was established by a previous TL.  For every 30 nights of reading (10+ min for primary students, 20+ min for intermediate), students can return the recording sheet and receive a sticker to put on their achievement certificates. These certificates are primarily used for the HRP, but other teachers can use the certificates for other achievements, such as public speaking, sports participation, etc.  I encourage my students to participate in the H...