LIBE 477 Final Vision Project Blog Post #2

 Final Vision Project: Learner Considerations 

While I admit my initial reasons for developing a curated collection of digital resources were self-serving, to keep ideas organized and easily accessible in one place, I saw this curation tool had tremendous potential for supporting teachers and encouraging collaborative participation.  As teacher librarians we are always on the lookout for opportunities to share and promote resources, encourage collaboration, and support teachers' ICT professional development. While my intended audience for this project is my colleagues within my school, this tool could be used amongst educators throughout the district and also could be used by students to access educational links if a teacher chooses to share it with the class. 

Perhaps one of the most prominent roles of a teacher librarian, if not the primary role, is to provide a quality collection of resources that support the needs of the school community whether it be curricular needs, teacher lessons, or students' academic and personal interests.  Digital resources and technology are particularly lacking within elementary classrooms in my district but it is important to provide such resources for 21st century learners.

File: 194705317 (Adobe Stock, n.d.)

It is our role as librarians to locate, curate, and promote both print and digital collections while ensuring our clientele is able to access and use these materials.  Miller and Bass argue that in addition to curating resources, teacher librarians need to spearhead innovation and understand the needs of the school community so as to recognize which tools are best suited (2019).  They argue that with the abundance of digital resources available, it is impossible to know every tool and resource, but the teacher librarian can support staff by recognizing which trends and tools are relevant and meaningful to student learning (Miller and Bass, 2019).

Padlet Logo,

By creating a Padlet, I  am able to curate a collection of suitable digital resources and tools that are easily accessible to teachers in one user-friendly location. This tool gives me the ability to personalize content to meet the schools' specific needs and can be shared through a simple email. To support staff and students, I would teach students to use many of the tools available on the padlet during library blocks and assist teachers in implementing the tools in their classroom. In addition to sharing the padlet via email with staff, I would also place the link on the staff drive so it is always accessible with one easy click.  Padlet works with all devices in the district so it will be easily accessible to staff and students (Edwards, 2020).  One of the main reasons I chose Padlet, as mentioned in my previous blog, is that it is user-friendly. I suspect if I sometimes feel overwhelmed by new technology, other teachers do too. My goal was to make this as easy and non-intimidating as possible. This is a tool I could easily teach staff how to access and utilize during a staff meeting. I would also offer more in depth training to those wanting to create their own padlets or collaborate with others in more depth.

Collaboration is key to the library learning commons program (Miller and Bass, 2019). My proposed digital tool lends itself well to collaboration not only by providing tools and resources which the teacher librarian and classroom teacher can integrate into lessons, but it also is inherently collaborative in its design. Allowing teachers to participate in the padlet by leaving feedback and adding tools to the toolkit, enables them to share their ideas and expertise while learning from others. Padlet's interactive interface makes it ideal for a resource sharing platform.

 

File: 459824605 (Adobe Stock, n.d.)

 

Professional development takes many forms.  Having a collaborative, updated resource for teachers increases their awareness of digital tools and resources, and demonstrates ways to implement tools in the classroom.  In addition to providing resources, I would offer training and assistance on any of the tools provided and as other teachers contribute, more reciprocal learning opportunities are  possible. 

When I decided this project be designed as a collaborative and supportive tool for teachers, I needed to consider which resources would be relevant to the school community and if this was an effective curation tool for teachers to contribute if they chose.  While I will likely create a padlet of my own to "bookmark" the tools I discover, this padlet for staff will be customized to include tools and resources that are best suited for the school.  The greatest factor I took into account when choosing this Final Vision Project was that it would be an efficient tool that would not add more to teachers' plates. To accomplish this I needed a design that provided a simple and user-friendly format so as to encourage teachers to confidently explore with ease and contribute as they wished.  I do not see any obvious challenges going forward, except perhaps an initial reluctance to use it, but I hope as others contribute, interest and use will increase.

 AdobeStock (n.d.). File #: 194705317 [Image].  AdobeStock. https://stock.adobe.com/ca/

 

AdobeStock (n.d.). File #: 459824605 [Image].  AdobeStock. https://stock.adobe.com/ca/

 

 Edwards, L. (2020, October 19). What is Padlet and how does it work for teachers and students? TechLearningMagazine. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/what-is-padlet-and-how-does-it-work-for-teachers-and-students 

 

Padlet: You are beautiful. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2022, from https://padlet.com/ 

 

Miller, S., & Bass, W. L. (2019). Leading from the library: Help your school community thrive in the Digital age. International Society for Technology in Education.