This course has truly been a growth experience and as I think about the
modules and assignments I realize that much of the difficulty I had has been
due to my worry about my lack of tech skills.
The
biggest learning piece for me was the importance and ease with which social
media can be used to share, build a PLN and to collaborate. Due to a lack of
confidence in my technical skills I kept the use of social media on the back
burner. Even though using social media to promote the library was high on my
to-do list I did not engage in it enough. One of the best changes I have made
is to do at least one thing everyday. For the most part I post something
related to the LLC on Instagram.
At the end of a month it was pretty satisfying to see all of the work
done. At the end of the school year, I will have a record of some of the
activities that I can include in the library report. Having this record is also
a way to promote the LLC to the administration and the community. They can see
how the library is collaborating with classes and promoting literacy. While
Instagram is currently the platform I am most comfortable with, I intend to
expand my social media tool kit. I did set up a twitter account at the
beginning of this course and it is next on my list of tools to learn how to use
more effectively.
The
week on world libraries held so many aha moments I could hardly fashion a cogent response about what I had
learned. I had no idea there were
so many worldwide projects that promote literacy in developing countries. The
research I did for this module changed many of my ideas about mobile devices
and learning. Even after reading Richardson’s book, Why
School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere with its promotion
of mobile devices I still viewed
phones
as a negative influence for teaching and learning. But after learning about the
usefulness of using these devices to promote literacy in developing countries,
I think they are worthy of a second glance. The UNESCO report was particularly effective in providing information about the ways mobile devices can be used to improve literacy.
How Mobile Phones Drive Literacy, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3NqU6gqsTM
Richardson, Will (2012). Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere (Kindle Single). Ted Conferences.
Mark West, and EI Chew Han. “Reading in the Mobile Era: A Study of mobile reading in developing countries.” UNESCO, 22 May 2014, unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000227436.
This is a good post that reflects on your learning thus far. I appreciate the connections you are making with your learning. I also appreciate that you have set goals for yourself and are pushing yourself to continue to grow and learn new things.
ReplyDeleteYou're right to say that it's satisfying to watch all the posts that have been added to the sharing platform. In my case, the Website of the library, which also includes the Blog, serves me as the main communication tool but also as my end of the school year report. My director no longer requires a written report because all the work accomplished is reflected in words and images in that Website.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that mobile devices should be given a second look, especially when they are used to provide resources and services to children in need in developing countries. Those devices are certainly a way of giving them access to a wealth of information they would not otherwise have and connecting them to the outside world.
I think it is absolutely great that UNESCO is working on raising money to buy more reading content to add to those devices.
However, I rather leave the use of mobile devices to high schools and post-secondary institutions. In Elementary Schools, I believe in technology integration using computers, laptops and/or tablets but still choose the actual books over mobiles as prime reading material. At least for now because WE have other options!
Michele, I like the idea of using your blog not only as a communication tool throughout the year, but also as your year end report. Bev, I am in the same boat as you when it comes to using social media to share and build a PLN. I constantly share resources via Google Drive, but I would like to share with a wider community by creating a blog and using Twitter. I used to have a blog when I was a classroom teacher, but I didn't continue with it when I moved to a classroom support role. Now that I am in the library role and I've got into it again as part of our coursework, I would like create a new blog. And I do plan to use Twitter, but as I mentioned in one of my past posts, I need to start posting in the moment because otherwise there’s too much going on and I forget about it.
DeleteIn terms of the use of mobile devices in schools, I am also torn about whether or not to allow cell phones at the elementary level (we are a K-5 school). We use Chromebooks and iPads, but these devices are more visible and not out on the playground with the kids. When I taught grade 7, I allowed my students to use their phones in class if they were using them for their work, but we spent a lot of time discussing digital citizenship. I think I would be okay with my grade 4/5 students using their own devices if they had some instruction around digital citizenship, but I think I would want them to leave them in class when they go outside.