Tag Archives: reflection

Inquiry Blog Post #9: Future Vision Project

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The Process

First I clarified my objective and audience: to create a resource site for educators providing the necessary tools to teach digital literacy either as an independent class or synthsizeas an interdisciplinary addition to other curriculum. Since finishing my Masters in digital literacy and creating a Digital Literacy 12 BAA course, I have received numerous requests to share my fledgling resources. Simultaneously, I myself have been scouring the web and connecting with colleagues as I embarked on teaching Digital Literacy 12 for the first time. I thought it would be helpful to my colleagues (and myself) to create a resource site for educators devoted to digital literacy.

Next I brainstormed the possible components of such a site and asked for feedback from my colleagues (i.e. target audience). The main feedback I received was that I was trying to do too much so I trimmed my original design accordingly.

Now I needed to choose a technological platform for my resource site. As mentioned previously, I decided on a WordPress blog site due to my familiarity with the product and the wide spread use of WordPress across the web. Users are unconsciously familiar with the visuals and layout of WordPress.

Finally, I created my resource site. However, it is far from complete. Specifically, I still need to complete the connection between digital literacy and traditional literacy, new literacies and information literacy. In addition, I need to develop an organizational approach to how I will structure my “Tools” and “Sample Resources” so that I can indefinitely add addition resources. Finally, I need to continue adding post with lesson ideas, emerging research and interesting resources.

learnWhat I Have Learned

I have learned that, as usual, I tend to over reach. However, as this meant to be an actual useable product, I am content knowing that I can settle into developing this site. I’ll get there!

The main progress I have made throughout this course revolves around inquiry. It was a pleasure to partake in a well-designed professional inquiry learning experience. I need to experience things to truly understand them and, by experience my own inquiry project, I feel my understanding of inquiry as a learning process has deepened. As well, I have a better grasp on the logistics of structuring inquiry.

This assignment has helped me synthesize the work I have done around digital literacy. It has allowed me to consider the research from my Masters, my experience from teaching digital literacy as a course twice this year and my conversation with colleagues around digital literacy. I’m excited to continue this journal by developing this resource site over the years.

Future Vision Project:

http://digitalliteracy.co/

Inquiry Blog 5: Summarizing and Discussing Phase 2 Topics and Interests

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Key Takeaways, Learning and Direction

According to the UNESCO/IFLA School Library Manifesto, the mission of a school changelibrary is to “offer learning services, books and resources that enable all members of the school community to become critical thinkers and effective users of information in all formats and media.” With that purpose in mind, a key takeaway for me after our exploration is the exploding possibilities technology offers to realize the above mission. We can differentiate and personalize learning services, dramatically increase access to those services and resources and offer a wide range of diverse resources never before imagined. In many ways, we are only limited by our own creativity. As well, a key learning or, if you will, reminder is that knowledge is meant to be used. As mentioned in the UNESCO/IFLA School Library Manifesto, a main goal is to facilitate “critical thinkers and effective users of information.”  As discussed in my post on developing world libraries and mobile devices, libraries have the opportunity to be agents of change. The example provided by the University of Cape Town Library HIV/AIDS video archive shows that offering “resources that enable all members of the school community to become critical thinkers and effective users of information” can change attitudes, policy and actions. In short, it can save lives. How powerful is that? Consequently, my new direction is to consciously focus on the connection between my role as a teacher librarian and change in the world. The acquisition of knowledge and skills is only half the story: how will that knowledge and those skills be used?

New Avenues for Development in My Personal and Professional Practice

InvestigateMy new avenue for development is inquiry. Specifically, I wish to deepen my understanding of inquiry, both for my own learning but also to enrich the learning of my colleagues and my students. I plan to further explore inquiry through experimentation, mentorship and making connections between my own experiences with inquiry and designing learning for others using inquiry. As discussed in my Fostering Reading Cultures in Schools post, modeling is crucial. We cannot ask other to do what we do not.

Moving Forward

As I move forward after this class, the main thing I will take with me from my own goalexplorations and the explorations of my classmates is the need to have clear and specific learning goals for oneself. We know that this is necessary when designing learning for our students; however, we seem to forget it when it comes to our own learning. This is especially crucial in a time where technology has made vast amounts of knowledge available at the click of a button and innovative pedagogy is widely broadcasted. It is easy to become overwhelmed and lost in the plethora of topics bombarding you. As explored in my Developing your own ICT Skills and Pedagogy post, my biggest challenge is depth over breadth and that requires focusing my personal learning objectives and designing learning opportunities through backwards design for myself.

Just one topic?

If I had to pick just one topic from Phase 2 that resonated with me, I would choose Supporting Teachers’ ICT Curriculum and Pedagogy: On-going Professional Development. So often we do not apply what we know about learning to ourselves. It is collabcrucial to honor teachers as learners as well as students and to again recognize the power of modelling. If we treat teachers as learners one way but expect them to treat their students as learners differently, we are deluded. Everything we know about learning applies to teachers as well. Personalization? Teachers are interested in different things at different times. Their learning must allow for authentic inquiry and everything that entails (flexibility, choice, exploration, etc.). Differentiation? Teachers, just like all learners, are unique and learn in different ways and different times. Formative assessment? Specific feedback from facilitators and colleagues is just as crucial to teachers as it is to students. I could go on but hopefully I’ve made my point. Teachers are learners too and deserve the same pedagogy we know works with our students.