Potential ideas for future vision

Keeping in mind some of Will Richardson’s thoughts in his book, ‘Why School?’    • Provide an opportunity to work with others • Do real work for real audiences • Have more ownership of their learning • Build relationships in a safe, ethical and effective way • Learning is globally networked • Provide opportunities to communicate, connect, collaborate, and create

Potential ideas for final “Vision of the Future”: 

• Looking at 21^st learning in the library through the use of technology

(A 60 in TV, apple TV and 10 iPads were ordered for the library.)  It seems like a natural step to find ways of showcasing how the technology is being implemented in meaningful ways in the library. This could include such things as sharing author websites, website evaluation ideas, staying save on the Internet.

Audience/Format:

• Parents--> Powerpoint/ Prezi presentation in library to show how the newly acquired technology is being used in the library

• Students -->create a library website focused on the needs of the students--> 24/7 access with the goal of reaching a wider audience

Being in the position where a large part of my assignment is giving teachers prep time (40 mins, including book exchange), I think the best step moving forward would be to develop a library website.  For one, students would be able to access lesson material quickly on the site and as well as access material for further exploration at any time.  
As Pappas’ (2005) points out in her article Inquiry Digital Learning Centers, the school library media center websites can be designed as more than just a collection of resources. These websites have great potential to be digital learning centers, providing resources for information and tools that become a scaffold in the process of gathering and using that information”. 
The potential for the website to be an active, learning tool as oppose to a passive collection of useful resources (Proske, 2010) is an exciting one and one that can have far reaching benefits to students.

Other benefits include:

• Have everything in one place on the website, making it easier to access with each group of students

•  Students/parents/staff can access information online and be better informed as to what is happening in the library,

• Provide an opportunity to connect with the wider community/ support each other

• Showcase services and instruction offered in the library to support and enrich the school curriculum

• Could still present (library website) to parents at the presentation scheduled after Spring Break 

Through the website, students would have the opportunity to “develop the 21^st century skills that will enable them to use technology as a tool for learning and for participating in a digital culture.” (Johnson, 2012)  TLs play an important role in supporting online learning and creating a library website could potentially help support this role.

References:

Johnston, M. P. (2012). Connecting teacher librarians for technology integration leadership. School Libraries Worldwide, 18 (1).

Magic.piktochart.com. (2013). 26 reasonsroad3. [online] Retrieved from: https://magic.piktochart.com/v/b85bc5e1-da03-4611-98f4-5cae6b25104c [Accessed: 15 Mar 2014].

Pappas, M. (2005). Inquiry and digital learning centers. School Library Media Activities, 22 (3), pp. 21-4. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=550b5c9d-9804-4b5f-9eb1-289599ec91cb%40sessionmgr4001&vid=2&hid=4107 [Accessed: 14 Mar 2014].

Proske, J. (2010). The virtual school libr@ry web site: a necessity for today’s school library. University Of Alberta, Retrieved from: http://www.elementaryed.ualberta.ca/GraduatePrograms/CappingInformationEDEL900/~/media/elementaryed/Documents/GraduatePrograms/Capping_SamplePaper_Proske.pdf [Accessed: 14 Mar 2014].

Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. TED Talks.