LIBE 477: Vision of the Future Project - Easy Access to Digital Resources For Teachers

VISION OF THE FUTURE

Easy Access to Digital Resources

For Teachers

‘The information issue today is not related to access or quantity. It’s more a matter of being able to effectively navigate the sea of information to obtain desired answers from authoritative sources.’ (Riedling, 2000).

Since there is so much information available through the internet, the role of the TL has also caused them to become even greater experts in information management (EPIC, 2004). Librarians must not only organize and evaluate learning resources to help students with the research process, evaluation of information and provision of easy access to vetted resources, but also support educators as they teach in the 21st century. In Miller & Bass (2019) they talk about wielding influence through collaborative connections. TLs have the ability to influence the school community by reaching students through teachers. In the ISTE's Learning & Leading with Technology Standards, their motto is to ‘transform learning with technology’. In one of the standards, it explains that educators can dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems. TLs can dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create meaningful learning experiences using technology (ISTE).

As a TL, you are one of the ‘few people in the school that connects with every student and supports every teacher’ (Miller & Bass, 2019, pg. 39) and thus have a unique perspective. Miller & Bass (2019) acknowledge the importance of TLs to learn the school culture and what the community needs. I believe my school community has not yet taken advantage of the digital resources provided by the district and ones that can be found on the internet. I have made an effort to gather as many digital resources I could find and for my Final Vision project, I chose to create a website which collates digital resources for varying subject areas all in one place. The tech tool I will use to organize these links is through Symbaloo.

A Symbaloo is a free online tool that lets you create a pathway of resources that include things like: articles, educational videos, quizzes and more. Symbaloos helps you organize your web resources into one easily accessible place. I have created a Symbaloo for Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Social Emotional Learning as well as a Symbaloo called Fun that can be used by teachers on a daily basis within the classroom. It is intuitively set up, easy to use and it has the ability to store lots of information without it becoming overwhelming.

By making digital resources accessible in one area, I hope to support my colleagues and the students of the school in the development of their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. As educators and learners of the 21st century, it is important to bring awareness to the technology tools available. This website can help support teachers’ technology needs, to improve student learning, to better teaching methods, and support the needs of the students in their journey towards 21st century learning. Corresponding Lunch and Learn sessions will occur during the school’s noon hour period where staff can review and explore the digital resources that were sourced. In these meetings, information will be presented, guidance and discussions on how to use the digital resources will occur. The sessions are meant to ‘honour teachers’ time and make professional learning accessible, flexible and relevant to classroom practice’ (Miller & Bass, 2019, pg. 29). A preliminary survey will be used to gain insight into who is interested and how often meetings should occur. This site can become a valuable asset to teachers for unit and lesson planning, classroom management, and daily information and resource needs. The corresponding learning sessions can offer teachers relevant information on ways to use the digital resources which can be immediately implemented within their classrooms. At the end of each meeting, feedback on the resources presented can help to guide me about further teacher needs and resources that can be investigated. As 21st century educators, it is our responsibility to respond to the learning and teaching in the digital age by using digital resources. I can support my colleagues by providing a roadmap, a stepping stone, a gentle nudge in this direction.

THE WEBSITE

Teacher Digital Resource Page