Developing ICT Skills

I have an MEd in Technology Studies Education so I feel comfortable with integrating technology in my teaching. Having said that, technology is constantly changing and recently there have been a lot of changes in our education system as well, so I am always looking for ways to stay informed and on top of what’s new in the field. I am particularly passionate about making technology integration meaningful and I am interested in Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR Model, so I often use it as a guide to reflect on how I am using technology. According to Dr. Puentedura, teachers introduce technology at the Substitution and Augmentation levels to incorporate the tools into what they are already doing and gradually move to the Modification and Redefinition levels to redesign the task and create new tasks that transform learning and allow students to explore areas that may not have been possible otherwise (Common Sense Education, 2016). I like this model because it reminds me to go deeper with my students, but recognizes that using technology at the Substitution and Augmentation levels is not wrong because we need to start somewhere. 

How to Apply the SAMR Model with Ruben Puentedura

Image: Sylvia Duckworth

In order to make technology integration meaningful, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching practice. For example, I am interested in teaching from an inquiry approach as well as exploring design thinking challenges and Genius Hour because I enjoy involving students in real-world challenges and integrating technology in these challenges. To stay informed in these areas, I read a lot. I have read books on inquiry, empowering students, blogging, coding and Genius Hour. A few of my most recent reads include Spirals of Inquiry, The 20Time Project and No Fear Coding. I also read a lot of blog posts and watch videos on these blogs as well as TED Talks. For example, I am really interested in Trevor Mackenzie’s stuff, so I follow his blog. I particularly like his “Types of Student Inquiry” pictured below because it helps to visualize the steps involved in getting to “free inquiry.” I like how he incorporates technology to help students share their learning but recognizes that “Tech doesn’t drive learning. Relationships and relevance drive learning in our classroom” (Mackenzie, 2017).

Trevor Mackenzie’s Types of Student Inquiry

I also follow several other blogs including Will Richardson’s blog, and the blogs on both the ISTE and Common Sense Media sites, and I am always looking for interesting blogs created by Teacher-Librarian’s such as Anna Crosland. I have been on Twitter for a while, and I do find useful information here as well, but I haven’t really posted much so this is a goal of mine. I find I only take the time to check out Twitter once every two weeks. I read some highlights and think of things I could have posted, but I usually feel like it's too late to post something that happened earlier that week. I want to work on posting things in the moment so I can contribute as well.

According to the Calgary Board of Education, “The Learning Commons supports the intersection of teacher, student, content and technology” (2014, p. 2), so now that I am the Teacher-Librarian at my school, I feel I have even more to learn. In addition to taking courses in Teacher-Librarianship, I look for ways to connect with others to further develop my skills. In terms of my own professional development, I have attended many conferences in the past and this year I'm involved in three different groups in my district. I attend Adrienne Gear's Powerful Understanding sessions (she comes to Kelowna approximately four times a year), I attend Design Thinking Network sessions where we participate in design challenges and share what we are working on in terms of design thinking at our school, and I also attend Library Learning Commons Network meetings so I can talk to other Teacher-Librarians in our district. In addition, in the past year, I have visited six or seven other schools in the district to talk to the Teacher-Librarians, check out their Library Learning Commons and see how they’re engaging students with coding and robotics.

One of the things that excites me most about being a Teacher-Librarian is that I feel we have the opportunity to make a difference and promote the use of meaningful technology integration. “Utilizing the ‘whole school’ view, the librarian is in a key position to contribute to the development of strong professional learning communities through professional development and technology integration” (Dees, Mayer, Marin, & Willis, 2010, p. 10). Thus, part of my own professional development involves facilitating professional development because in the process of preparing for the event and sharing information, I learn a lot from others as well. This year I have facilitated several sessions on connecting coding to other areas of the curriculum at local conferences in Kelowna. I also facilitated a session for teachers on coding and inquiry at a recent Library Learning Commons Network meeting. This is one of the things I love about being a Teacher-Librarian; we get to work with teachers and students and just as it is rewarding to see students get excited about their learning, I feel the same way when teachers start to feel comfortable with technology to the point that they’re using it on their own and willing to try new things. 

References

Calgary Board of Education. (2014). Library to Learning Commons: Implementation Guide. Retrieved from http://school.cbe.ab.ca/School/Repository/SBAttachments/354d1bc8-48c9-4ab3-a841-53bf738562a5_learning-commons-implementation-guide.pdf

Common Sense Education. (2016, June 21). Ruben Puentedura on Applying the SAMR Model [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/ruben-puentedura-on-applying-the-samr-model

Dees, D., Mayer, A., Morin, H., & Willis, E. (2010). Librarians as Leaders in Professional Learning Communities through Technology, Literacy, and Collaboration. Library Media Connection, 29(2), 10-13.

Mackenzie, Trevor (2017, June 6). A Different Kind of Schooling: Knowing and Learning [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.trevormackenzie.com/videos/