Future Vision Project Reflection Post

We have somehow made it to the end of LIBE 477! I've appreciated learning with and learning from my colleagues throughout this course. I have so many resources and things to look forward to in my journey to becoming a teacher-librarian!

As a TTOC with no classroom or library of my own, I have decided to immerse myself in technology and create content to get other educators excited about the 21st Century Literacies in the form of a comic strip. As mentioned in my last post, I had to re-write my script a few times, as the short, quippy writing style isn't something I am used to. I also had to revamp how I was going to illustrate my comic. I wanted to do a comic specifically as a challenge to myself. Both my students and myself read comics and graphic novels, but I have never seen myself as an artist. I wanted to use this opportunity to try! Maybe drawing with a digital program like IbisPaint would give me confidence in my skills. Maybe I was better at art than I thought I was! Nope. I was right. I peaked in grade 7. This was awful. But I wasn't about to give up, I just needed to change my method.

In my last blog post, I tried out a couple of apps and played around with a wooden robot toy that folds up into a block (kind of like a rubik's cube). After making that little example comic strip, it sparked an idea! I originally tried to use an image on my laptop as the background, kind of like a makeshift green screen, but every time I tried to take a photo, the screen had weird lines on it. So, I went to google and found an image of a living room (mine was too messy after a 2.5 year old rampaged all day) and set to work using the Seedling Comic Studio App for iPhone. The living room photo I chose can be seen here along with a long list of other very nicely decorated and cleaned kid-friendly rooms that look nothing like my home, in case you need some inspiration.

I enjoyed using the app, and then got to the part where I was going to add myself. Originally, I was going to actually take pictures of myself and superimpose me into the comic. That seemed like more work than I was ready for with just my phone, so I took some inspiration from a middle school teacher that I am working with who uses Bitmoji images on daily schedules, lessons, and worksheets. It was actually really fun to use and explore and, as the Bitmoji themselves are .png files, were really easy to add to the Seedling Comic Studio app! I then brought my robot to school to use my colleague's classroom as a backdrop for the second half of my comic, as it was actually really tedious cutting the part of the image out that I needed from a .jpg file. I was worried that it would be too much of a contrast by having the robot superimposed at first and then included as the background later on, but I like the change stylistically with the change in setting.

I also used Canva to create the infographics about the 21st Century Literacies and my five visions for my future classroom. This app fit my purpose, but I found that the free version wasn't as adaptable as I had hoped. Trying to find pre-made templates to fit with the amount of text that I needed was tricky, but I guess that's the nature of the infographic. I ended up using the program through my browser, as it was way too frustrating to try to edit on the phone.

Going through this process of figuring out a new technology and how my old skills (or lack thereof) can fit into it was really fun, and definitely made me more excited about doing more student-led, inquiry-based projects with students in the future. It is exciting to have a vision, but even more excited to be able to adapt and change and come up with something better than your original idea. I would love to share this project with my future students someday to inspire them to try something out of their own comfort zone. I purposefully have not added any pictures to this blog post as my comic strip was literally just posting jpeg after jpeg after jpeg. I hope that this is okay and that the comic speaks for itself (and actually makes sense).

To view my final comic strip about my vision of teaching and learning for the 21st Century, click here or the "Vision of the Future" tab at the top the page. My references and resources can be found here or under the "Resources" tab.

Vision For The Future: Learner Considerations

I'm going to backtrack a bit here, as it seems that I misunderstood the point of the first blog post. I re-read the entire assignment and modules and am going to include some more of my thinking from last week as well as the learner considerations for this week.

Using the format of a comic strip, I am going to share my Vision for the Future as a 21st Century Classroom Teacher. My trusty sidekick B.O.T. (Binary Online Teacher) will help explain the key elements that I hope to see in my own classroom or library someday. These elements include:

• Collaboration, both online and in person (genius hour, multi-aged learning)
• Using portable technology fluently (laptops, tablets, phones)
• Classrooms without walls (both online and IRL - outdoor classrooms/fieldtrips/in the community)
• Encouraging problem solving skills and ethical thinking
• Being a role model for life-long learning by learning new technologies alongside my students

My goals are to:

• Create content that is easy to read/understand/visualize
• Use humour to identify what my 21st Century classroom will look like
• Learn how to use comic making tools to create an artifact for this project and beyond

I have been trying to find a book that I read shortly before I graduated from my BEd called The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching and Learning. It is in a box somewhere, I just haven't been able to find it, but I found it highly influential as I finished up my teaching degree. I have found PDF that links each of the "79 ways," which are amazing tidbits to start ideas flowing. The full book has interviews and excerpts from educators like Sir Ken Robinson and David Suzuki that I was really hoping to grab some wonderful quotes! I still have time, so hopefully it will turn up. Even if I don't end up using it for this project, it is a book that I highly recommend.

In terms of "learner considerations" for this project, I am making this with the audience of teachers in mind. I am hoping to use the platform of the comic to simplify ideas and make them readable, relatable, and understandable. I will upload my comic as a new blog post and will create a separate "resources" page on my blog that will act as a sharable list of resources that I have found to help make my vision become a reality.

I am hoping that students will enjoy reading it too. That they will see a cute comic to read and then learn something. I want my students to know that I am advocating for change, that I am advocating for their futures. My vision of the future is their reality. In seeing this, students will know that teachers aren't just sitting back and staying the course. We are upgrading our own learning to match theirs, and hopefully they will have some faith restored in their education.

These past couple of weeks I have been writing and re-writing my script to make my ideas more concise. I have always enjoyed writing, but have never really tried writing a comic before. It is definitely a different set of skills! I am enjoying the process, but am used to trying to "beef up" my writing instead of trying to say more with less - although I guess Twitter is good practice for that!

I am trying out a couple of apps to see which I like best. The Canva App offers free templates for infographics, brochures, and even has photo specs for various social media pics (Instagram's square VS Facebook's cover photo). I'm enjoying playing with this app, but don't quite think it is the right fit.

Story Board That has been really fun to play with! You choose from pre-made backgrounds and characters, but get to add your own flair. You get to edit facial expressions, poses, and clothing. There are characters from Medieval times and Ancient Egypt; monsters and mermaids; and even silhouettes for showing people in the background. I haven't found anything that lets you draw your own character, but it seems like a great tool to use for a project that is more about the writing than the art. Here is a screenshot that I took of just some of the ways you can alter your character from panel to panel.

I have also been playing around with the Seedling Comic Studio app for iPhone. This app is super fun! There aren't as many backgrounds or editing of the characters like Story Board That, but you can add in your own photos! It would probably be easier to work with on an iPad with a bigger screen, especially the editing feature of cutting out people from your photo to add them to the comic, but the phone worked pretty well. I am excited to try this one out more.

I hope this helps to outline my vision a little further than I had previously. I am looking forward to continuing on with this project and to see where this idea takes me.

Thinking Out Loud

Students love to talk about the future: what they want to do, where they want to go, and who they want to be. Even just a few years ago when you would ask a student what they wanted to be when they grow up, there were always a plethora of answers from teacher to doctor to artist to bus driver. I have noticed more and more students these days say they want to be a Youtuber or an Influencer. Whatever it is that students right now want to do, the common theme is that they want to be content creators. They want to share their own personal thoughts and ideas with the world around them and make connections online.

In "Why School," Will Richardson introduces us to Jacob Arnott, "a 14-year old Australian who spent three weeks in London covering the 2012 summer Olympics for his two-year-old website, the Sporting Journal." (Loc 185) This is a prime example of a tech-savvy young person who took something they loved and successfully turned it into content for other people to consume. In my future role as a Teacher Librarian, I would love to inspire students to think outside the box and come up with their own ideas of what to create and how to share it, or, at bare minimum, at least provide a space where they feel safe to experiment with different ideas and platforms.

I love stupid jokes. I love puns and wordplay. I love comic strips. They are so short and succinct. The good ones (to me) always end up having some kind of silly punchline to make you groan, or laugh hysterically, or, if you're like me, both. I also love that online comics have begun to tackle social issues. Not only can this platform teach you about other people's struggles and experiences, it does so in a relatable way that hopefully fosters empathy and understanding toward people you might not have thought about otherwise. I love Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, Hagar the Horrible, Sherman's Lagoon, and more. Now that I'm an adult, I have all new comics that I love and can relate to in different ways, including Sarah's Scribbles, Fowl Language, and more recently, Damian Alexander.


Not only do these artists share relatable snippets from their own personal lives, they all have their own artistic style that is "not perfect." I always wanted to be good at art, but never was (or never thought I was). I have also always enjoyed technology. I've been reading online comics for years and always wanted to know how they did it. What programs did they use? What is their process for their ideas? How many times do they animate before they have it just right? I know these answers will vary from artist to artist, but creating an online comic strip is something that I really want to explore further and something that I think students will enjoy as well. I have a few programs that I am excited to test out, but I will leave this blog post on a cliff-hanger and keep them hush hush for now.

Bibliography

Alexander, Damian. Damian Alexander: Cartoonist and Storyteller. Retrieved on November 9, 2019 from https://damianimated.com/comics/

Anderson, Sarah. Sarah's Scribbles. Retrieved on November 9, 2019 from https://www.facebook.com/DoodleTimeSarah/ and https://sarahcandersen.com/

Gordon, Brian. Fowl Language Comics. Retrieved on November 9, 2019 from https://www.fowllanguagecomics.com/

Influencer. In Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influencer_marketing

The Sporting Journal. Blog. Retrieved November 9, 2019 from http://www.sportingjournal.com.au/

Richardson, Will. Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single). TED Conferences. Kindle Edition.

Youtuber. In Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTuber

Final Inquiry Post: A Reflection on the Course So Far

This past week was a busy one and I can't believe it is already November! Halloween was a blast this year! The "Nightmare Before Christmas" season (October to December) is my absolute favourite time of year. I took our son trick or treating around our neighbourhood, ate way more candy that I should have, and got called in to TTOC for a teacher librarian for the first time this year/since starting the program on Halloween day! Luckily I had been in for another teacher at that middle school the previous week, so I knew it was a school that wears costumes on Halloween. I went with the classic: Ms. Frizzle!

Halloween day was a weird day to be called in. The morning had all 4 blocks condensed and there were various activities around the school for the afternoon. It was a quiet morning with very few students coming in, as most classes were doing fun activities, but there were quite a few visits from administrators, support staff, and EAs popping in to see who was there. They were all surprised to find that the library was mostly empty! It showed me that the Teacher-Librarian at this school has opened up the LLC to the students who need it when they need it. Lunch time was a hub of activity, from students playing a Harry Potter trivia game, to looking at Guiness World Record Books together and laughing in awe or disgust at the pages, to kids reading on their own or just talking. A few had books on hold or made returns. It was pretty cool to see. The afternoon activity scheduled for the library was so much fun: building on the LEGO wall! The wall was pretty much the first thing I saw when I entered the library, and it was so cool! We had about 7 or 8 kids with us building their own creations to display for the month. It was neat to see them problem solve and figure out how to build their creation in a specific way to be displayed on the wall in the way they envisioned it to be.

As mentioned above, this is my first course in the Teacher Librarianship Diploma Program and I have so much to learn! I really enjoyed the inquiry portion of this class. It is amazing to be able to use your own ideas to guide where your learning will go. This was a challenge for me both as a TTOC and a newcomer to the program. I still don't quite understand the full scope of the position of a Teacher Librarian. Perhaps if I had taken a more broad introductory course prior to this I would have felt like I had more to add. That being said, going into this course cold REALLY made me in charge of my learning! It helped me to come up with my own ideas first and I can fill in the blanks later. I am glad this ended up being my first course. On a more broad level, moving forward I am going to take the inquiry approach with me. I am going to continue to be a life-long learner not just on Professional Development Days, but every day. I am going to find new topics or programs to be excited about and hopefully share that excitement with my future students.

If I could pick just one topic from Phase 2 that really resonated with me, it would be the very first topic: Fostering Reading Cultures in Schools. I cannot believe how many amazing resources and ideas my classmates had to share! The variety of ideas not only highlighted just how important school libraries are to schools, but also how important the LLCs are in to school culture in general. Every time I have been to a school library as a TTOC, I have to wait to talk to a Teacher Librarian because they are helping a student. They get to know students on a different level than just in a classroom and create connections with the school community as a whole. Fostering a reading culture in schools doesn't stop at reading...it fosters a culture at the school, and that is a beautiful thing.

Grassroots Education

I am really excited about this week's topic! Before I knew that teaching was what I wanted to do with my life, I knew that I wanted to do something to make the world a better place. I graduated with a degree in International Studies and Political Science from UNBC. I was always interested in grassroots initiatives in developing countries and hoped to work for an NGO. After graduating, I went on the JET Program to teach English for 1 year while studying for the LSATs. I ended up falling in love with teaching. I stayed in Japan for 3 years, upgraded some courses, and applied for my BEd once I returned to Canada. I am still very interested in politics and the international relations. I consider my switch into BC Education to be a personal grassroots initiative. Our school system is not perfect and many teachers are working hard to make changes for the better.

I want to start off by sharing the book The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley. The subtitle of the book explains premise perfectly: "A personal journey into how the world's poorest people are eduating themselves." I found this book during my research. I have added it to my reading list, but have not yet read it. You can find a summary here.

Liah Shonhe holds a Masters Degree from the University of Botswana in Library and Information Studies. In her 2019 paper A Consolidation of Challenges Faced by School Libraries in Developing Countries, Shonhe states that "a school library is vital to the learning and teaching activities of any school as it acts as an information hub and an innovation centre. A school library is a place where sustaining literacy, self-education and lifelong learning is inculcated and nurtured to children, pupils, and students." (2019) Table 1 of her paper lays out many of the downfalls seen in school libraries in developing countries.

She gives a very well-researched list recommendations from other academic studies as well as a list of her own recommendations. Many have to do with policy changes at various levels from local to national, but one of Shonhe's recommendations stood out to me: "developing countries should consider embracing technology and fast-track rural network connection. This will ensure that school libraries provide access to the internet and up-to-date information to students." (Shonhe, Page 9)

Books are a wonderful source of information, especially when the internet is not readily available in all parts of the world, but books take time to publish. New research and new points of view come to light that change everything. Mobile devices provide access to a plethora of information at your fingertips. In places where wifi is spotty, having a hub like a public or school library with a good connection is key to ensuring people stay educated and up-to-date. 

The question of whether or not libraries in developed nations should rely on donations and weeded books from developing nations is a no-brainer to me. Why would they want what we don't want? The west has a "white saviour complex" with many real life examples here and here as well as in film solidifying the notion into western society. According to Witten, Loots, Trujillo, and Bainbridge in The Promise of Digital Libraries in Developing Countries, "notwithstanding and often rudimentary computing environment, users in developing countries should be empowered to produce digital library collections themselves, not just consume information produced elsewhere." (Witten et.al, Page 84) This doesn't mean that anything we shouldn't be global citizens and that we shouldn't offer our help/research/information, but we need to remember that it is a two-way street. Education isn't about giving information, it is about facilitating learning for all parties involved. The context of education in Canada is not the same context for education in India or Norway or even the United States. Having access to technology means we can all learn from and share information with each other. 

References:

Bakar, F. (2019). What is a White Saviour Complex? Metro News UK. Retrived on October 26, 2019 from https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/06/what-is-a-white-saviour-complex-8793979/

Coughlan, S. (2019). JK Rowling Calls for End to "Orphanage Tourism." BBC News. Retrieved on October 26, 2019 from https://www.bbc.com/news/education-50174587

Jay, P. (2018). Here's Where Your Donated Clothing Really Ends Up. CBC News. Retrieved on October 25, 2019 from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/donated-clothing-where-it-ends-up-1.4662023

Shonhe, L. (2019). A Consolidation of Challenges Faced by School Libraries in Developing Countries. Library Philosophy and Practice (E-Journal), Retrieved on October 24, 2019 from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5867&context=libphilprac

Tooley, J. The Beautiful Tree. Washington DC: Cato Institute, 2009.

Wikipedia: White Saviour Narrative in Film, Retrieved on October 26, 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_savior_narrative_in_film

Witten, I. H., Loots, M., Trujillo, M. F., and Bainbridge, D. (2001). The Promise of Digital Libraries in Developing Countries. Communications of the ACM, 44:5, Pages 82 - 85.

Here are some other interesting articles I found on the topic that did not make it directly into my post:

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). https://www.ifla.org/about

Tarimo, R. and Kavishe, G. (2017). Internet Access and Usage by Secondary School Students in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology, 13:2, Pages 56 - 69.

What Am I Doing Here?!

This is my very first class in the Teacher Librarian diploma and I have only TTOC'd in a library a handful of times. I don't quite understand the full capacity of the position of Teacher Librarian just yet. I was worried I would have nothing to contribute to this week's topic of "On-Going Professional Development" and hesitated starting this blog post. I've really enjoyed reading and commenting on my colleague's blog posts and learning more about what the next step in my career will entail. One thing that I know for sure is that when I do have my own library someday, it will be a place that I want students and teacher's alike to come to and enjoy learning in. A Library Learning Commons is not a space just for the students, it is a space for the whole school, and I want that space to be welcoming. I took the above picture at Chilliwack Secondary School on September 23, 2019. These students stood outside every day (that I was there) for the month of September. Feeling welcome in a space really does make a difference.

Writing this blog has really helped to keep me focussed on my learning at this busy time of year. Reading my colleague's blogs have expanded my knowledge more than I had expected. In my own library someday I would love to keep a blog to keep the school community (students, parents, and teachers) up to date about what is happening in the school library and beyond. I would love to use a blog for unofficial professional development and letting teacher's know about the resources available in the library. In last week's topic, a few of my colleagues and myself had a discussion about making connections as TTOCs and one thing that came up a few times was informal get-togethers or "coffee connections" (as mentioned in the comments section by Kaitlin). I love this idea and would like to see something similar happen within the smaller school community as well. Hosting monthly coffee connections for teacher's to come in to look at resources and discuss what they are doing in their classrooms would be a fun and casual way to share professional development strategies.

I am excited to continue learning from my colleagues through their blogs and from Teacher Librarians in my school district while I visit various schools as a TTOC. I have enjoyed looking through the Professional Development section of the BCTLA website to see what will be in store for my future and add more tools to my toolbox. 

Hashtag, Hashtag, Hashtag!

This week has been a week. My goal as a TTOC this year was to work as much as possible in as many classes as possible and have as many new experiences as possible to help facilitate my learning, while also still having time for my family and my first course of the Teacher Librarianship Diploma. For the past 2 weeks I have been thrown out of my comfort zone. I am a trained elementary school teacher who specialized in Early Childhood Education. I have TTOC'ed mostly at elementary schools. I have been in a high school resource position since September 30 teaching life skills (cooking) and some academics to a mixed group of students from grades 9 to 12. This position has checked off all of my boxes for what I wanted this year and in just a few short weeks I have made some amazing connections with students, EAs, and fellow resource teachers. I am glad that the position has now been hired for, and that the students will have someone who is more equipped to be their resource teacher (and will actually have access to their files and be able to understand their needs more), but I will miss them! I have been staying much longer hours than I do as a TTOC, much to my son's dismay, and have been doing work and planning at home after bedtime. I don't know how you full-time classroom teachers/teacher librarians do it! I am exhausted! You are all amazing! The bittersweet end is in sight, though, and my last day is October 21. I am so happy for the connections and experiences I have had the past couple of weeks and I will miss this position greatly, but I will be glad to have a bit more time on my hands.

That being said, on to this week's topic: Developing Your Own ICT Skills and Technology!

One big thing I have learned about myself these past few weeks is that I can do anything! Another thing that I already knew about myself is that I need to work on my time management. This time, adding parenting to the mix. One thing I always find time for is Instagram. I've followed the hashtags #teacherlibrarian and #teacherlibrariansofinstagram and have perused a plethora of resources! Through these hashtags, I have learned that October is Cyber Safety Month and found the blog The Book Bug: Tales of a School Library Media Specialist.







I find using google to search for blogs is a big task. There is so much to search through, link by link, to find out if it will be a useful or up-to-date source. Social media is such an amazing visual tool to narrow down searches and find ideas. Having these online social networks are such a blessing, but having in-person networks are just as important.

The Chilliwack Teacher's Association has so many options for meeting new teachers. They have a mentorship program, schedule walks on local trails, and even schedule movie nights. On October 29, the CTA is hosting a "social" specifcally for TTOC and Early Career Teachers. I have found it difficult in previous districts to meet and make connections with fellow TTOCs, as we are always at different schools and might not get the chance to see each other again for months at a time. I am excited to go to my first social even this year and hopefully see some more friendly faces around my district.

Bibliography:

Instagram: #teacherlibrariansofinstagram, Screenshot on October 13, 2019 from https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/teacherlibrariansofinstagram/

Nase J. "October is Cyber Safety Month." The Book Bug: Tales of a School Library Media Specialist. October 12, 2019. Accessed on October 13, 2019 from http://mrsnthebookbug.blogspot.com/2019/10/october-is-cyber-safety-month.html

One Book, One School

I first learned about One School, One Book last school year. I was teaching at a high school and in my first block Spanish class, I was told to read Harry Potter and the Philosophers's Stone for the first 30 minutes of class. I double checked that I wasn't supposed to read in Spanish (as I do not actually speak Spanish, but I get called in to teach it quite often), and they told me about the program. The entire school reads the same book at the same time. There were trivia questions asked during the announcements during block 2, and students were allowed time to answer these questions and submit them to the library with a runner from each class. Maybe it was the idea of a school-wide, collective activity, maybe it was the chance to win free prizes, but the school was more aflutter than the Owlery at Hogwarts. The library was decorated with "Restricted Sections," cobwebs, and broomsticks. Staff photos in the hallways were "wanted posters" a la Sirius Black. There was even a Platform 9 3/4, but of course the day that I finally remembered to bring my phone with me during my hallway walk was the last day of the book and they were taking it down.

In the next few months and into the end of the school year, I encountered a few more schools doing similar reads. One elementary school doing Harry Potter and another reading Charlotte's Web. Both of these schools had the students read the book at home with parents, as opposed to reading it in class. It seemed like such a wonderful way to bond as a family, class, and school. Kindergarteners who were still learning letter-sounds were sounding out words to try and answer the questions themselves. In a few short days, I saw students gain confidence, try things they were uncomfortable with, and open up and talk in class when they usually don't. That's when I decided to look it up and found out that it was an actual program that schools can opt into.

There are a few "One School, One Book" Programs out there, but some noteworthy ones include:

• Read to Them is a "non-profit organization promoting family literacy" whose main goal is to "create a culture of literacy in every home. (readtothem.org/about) They are out of Richmond, VA, but their program has garnered attention across the United States, Canada, and the world. The video below explains the reasoning behind "One School, One Book" and can be found on the "Resources" tab on their website or on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl3CJznL5Z4)

Read to Them - One School, One Book. Retrieved on October 2, 2019 from https://readtothem.org/programs/one-school-one-book/

• Penguin Random House has their own version as well, with my favourite feature being "Books Set in Canada." They also have the option of having the author of your chosen book come to the school as well as recommending various Grants to help cover the costs of hosting an author.

Penguin Random House - One Book, One Community. Retrieved on October 3, 2019 from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/program/425/one-book-one-community

The local high school that I originally learned about this program from also has the option of listening to the chapters via their school website. There are MP3s to download or stream, for those students who either don't have time to or are not at the same reading level as the rest of the school. I am currently in a short position teaching high school resource, and I love the inclusivity that this fosters.

https://gwgss.sd33.bc.ca/one-book-one-school

I am really looking forward to asking more questions to Teacher Librarians now that I have some ideas of my own and I hope to see this program in schools again this year. I would love to know how many books per year they do (one per year? one per semester or term?). How do we ensure that all students have access to the book - either paper copies or audiobooks? What are the start-up costs and budgetary concerns in starting this program from the beginning? How can we make this program more inclusive to our students? What differences have you seen in the years since you have started the program?

LIBE 477 - Assignment 1: Reading Review Part 3 - Research Synopsis

I went into this research optimistic and excited for the outcome. Throughout my practicums in Kindergarten and my specialty of Early Childhood Education during my Bachelor of Education, technology was something that was significantly lacking. I learned some amazing skills that I still use today as a TTOC all these years later, but as a love of science and technology in my personal life, my technological toolbox as a teacher was quite empty. After these few weeks of research, I can say that I have certainly added some tools, but not as many as I had hoped. 

I found quite a large number of journal articles, magazine articles, blog posts, websites and apps dedicated to helping readers, but these all had a focus on older students who were struggling, but already had the basics in place. When I filtered through all of the information, less and less seemed to relevant to my specific topic: strategies for using technology for teaching emergent readers to increase their fluency and (added as an afterthought later on) their confidence as a reader. When it came down to it, there were only a couple of relevant articles that I was able to find in my few short hours of research, specifically Biancarosa & Griffiths’ article Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age (2011) which focussed mainly on e-readers and Voogt and McKenney’s Using ICT to Foster (Pre) Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children (2007) which used a program called PictoPal. Both articles are around 10 years old, and technology years are similar to dog years. Both technologies are considered to be out-of-date, but the general findings are still relevant. Both articles stressed the importance of including scaffolding by teachers/parents as well as social interaction and frequent check-ins to increase reading skills. During computer/tablet time in schools, we often tell students to explore on their own, even in Kindergarten, but if we can start focussing on small group instruction/interactions during computer time, maybe we can help those students who are struggling to improve. This has definitely made me think about how I want to incorporate using websites and online tools for pre-reading strategies in the classroom and I would like to treat it more like other subjects, perhaps having it as a learning centre with teacher instruction, much like small reading groups are done. 

I would also consider my research a success, as I have found some interesting and engaging tools on the Scholastic website. I honestly never thought to look toward Scholastic for digital learning, but am pleasantly surprised by the quality of their research and the development of their programs and applications. I am excited to use their program in a small group setting someday! I was also very glad to find Tracy Plitz’s Blog up and running. I love the way that she sets up online newsletters each week to let parents know what is going on in her class and what technologies they will be learning or practicing and how it fits into her classroom curriculum. Her blog is how I hope my blog will someday look!

The key leanings and takeaways I have come to realize from this research is that instruction with technology still needs to be paired with adult support. Students today are so adept with technology that we let them take the reigns right from the get-go, but, like any other subject, scaffolding and support throughout is key.

Bibliography

Biancarosa, G., & Griffiths, G. (2011). Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age. Future of Children, 22:2, 139-160.

Biancarosa and Griffiths used e-readers to help primary students feel confidence with their reading. It discussed the gap in education between students of different socio-economic backgrounds due to availability of extra help as well as technology. They hoped that including e-readers (and newer technology) in the classroom, we could help narrow the gap between students who have ample access to technology and those that don't. I found this article useful in the sense that it solidified some ideas that I already had. It was a little outdated in terms of the technology at the time (e-readers), but the research carries over to apps on tablets, smartphones, etc. 

Little Learners. (June 19, 2017). Jolly Phonics - Sounds and Actions. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVyry9jpVjI

Little Learners is a YouTube Channel created by primary teacher Amy, who creates videos explaining to teachers (or parents) various learning and teaching techniques specifically aimed at primary students. The video in the link above is specifically about the Jolly Phonics program that is used in Kindergarten classes throughout BC and the world. She explains each sound and action as well as the reasoning behind why it is taught the way it is. This is such a wonderful resource and I am so glad to have found her channel! 

Piltz, T. (2019). Ideas for Tech Integration & Innovation in the Primary Classroom [Blog]. Retrieved September 20, 2019 from http://mrspiltzkindergarten.blogspot.com/

A teacher blog with technology programs specifically for the primary classroom. It is not reading-specific, but does include some pre-reading and reading resources. She has a lot of other skill building exercises including coding and creating QR codes as well as shows collaborations with other classrooms and bloggers. I will continue to explore this blog for new ideas in bring technology into practice in the primary setting specifically, but also in the library with older students as well.

Scholastic Education: Digital Solutions. Retrieved on September 19, 2019 from http://teacher.scholastic.com/education/digital-solutions.htm

Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. created by Dr. Kay MacPhee is a literacy program focussed on early learning and pre-reading skills. It includes games and activities that help build the skills needed for the "five foundational skills" of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. This is a wonderful resource that I can see myself signing up for if I get my own classroom. As a TTOC, I will keep it on the back burner for now.

Tahnk, Jeana Lee. (2014). Why We Need to Embrace Technology in the Classroom Right Now. Huffington Post - News. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/technology-in-the-classroom_b_5946570

This article interviews educators and tech gurus about the changing of the world due to technology innovation and how critical it is for students to learn in a new way that embraces these changes. Six reasons for embracing technology in the classroom were: makes information limitless, gives teachers more freedom, adapts to different learning styles, makes learning more flexible. gets students excited, and prepares students for the future. This article gave some practical insights and really helped make it clear how important technology is in our world and why we need to incorporate it more into our schools and classrooms.

Voogt, J. & McKenney, S., (2007) Using ICT to Foster (Pre) Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children, Computers in the Schools, 24:3-4, 83-94.

Voogt and McKenney conducted a small study in the Netherlands that showed growth in reading and understanding through the use of Pictograms. It was noted that scaffolding done by the teacher and adult participation in the students learning (either teacher or parent volunteer) added to the success of students using this program. Much like the journal article above, this study helped solidify the beliefs I have about the importance of using technology in the classroom, the importance of scaffolding, and the importance of human interactions while using technology. The program used, as far as I can tell, no longer exists, but the findings are that pictograms can help young readers become more fluent and that success is found when using technology in the classroom. 

LIBE 477 - Assignment 1: Reading Review Part B - Literature Research and Data Collection

My focus on this assignment is fostering pre-reading skills. Fostering a love of stories and reading from an early age is so important for students to continue to succeed in later grades, but a lot of students fall through the cracks. With my research, I have found some multimedia tools to add to my toolbox to help as many students feel success as possible.

I was having a bit of difficulty narrowing down my search to specifically pre-reading skills. I had a lot of websites and blog posts talk about using technology with older students. I find that a lot of Kindergarten and early primary classes tend to shy away from technology or use the same couple of websites all the time (i.e. Starfall.com or razkids). I also found quite a few teacher blogs that were no longer active and seemed to stop pretty out nowhere (I know teachers get busy). I was lucky to find to journal articles through the UBC Library and was very interested to find quite a few resources through the Scholastic Website!


1. Using ICT to Foster (Pre) Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children

A small study was done with Kindergarten students in the Netherlands using PictoPal to explore "how technology can play a role in fostering the development and implementation of literacy and communications skills in kindergarten." (Page 84) PictoPal is a computer-based software that used semi-open activities consisting of Pictograms with pre- and post-tests to document and record student growth in "reading, writing, and authentic applications." (Page 83) Two studies were done with very small groups of students where the experimental group worked on Pictopal once a week for four and eight weeks, while the control group did not. It was noted that, with scaffolding and collaboration with both teachers and parent volunteers while using PictoPal also saw an increase in test scores. This is what stands out to me most. Students need scaffolding and social interaction to keep their learning in check and to build confidence in their skills. This gives me confidence that our jobs will not be taken over by robots (yet) and that technology

Voogt, J. & McKenney, S., (2007) Using ICT to Foster (Pre) Reading and Writing Skills in Young Children, Computers in the Schools, 24:3-4, 83-94.


2. Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age

This article talks about how with the increase in technology-use can widen the gaps of learning for students of different socio-economic statuses and how we can bridge these gaps with technology in the classroom. The article focusses mostly on E-Readers, as iPads were brand new at the time, and how "E-reading technology has shown promise in developing early reading skills and in giving readers with visual impairments or language based disabilities access to texts," (Page 143) especially with text-to-speech functions. Having access to e-readers, computers, or tablets in schools and having educators who can help scaffold the students to be able to work individually on these devices can help narrow the gap of learning between various students and have all students be on an equal playing field in terms of technology use and understanding. The conclusion of this article urged policy makers to make changes to education curriculums to include technology skills, and luckily in the 8 years since this article was written, changes have already been made. T

Biancarosa, G., & Griffiths, G. (2011). Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age. Future of Children, 22:2, 139-160.


3. Scholastic Education - Digital Solutions

Scholastic has been a part of school reading programs since before I can remember, and with various updates, they are here to stay. Scholastic offers "Digital Solutions" for the five foundational skills of learning to read: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension with their Scholastic F.I.R.S.T. Programme, created by Dr. Kay MacPhee. The Early Literacy Program uses various multimedia tools to practice mastery of the five foundational skills as well as creating connections between fiction and non-fiction stories to "build knowledge" and "curiosity." The activities continue to adapt to older learners and include activities to help students "analyze a text to wonder why and how ... [turning] students into strong, thoughtful readers."

Scholastic has stood the test of time and I'm glad to see they are integrating technology into their reading programs. I am excited to explore these program more thoroughly and hopefully be able to put some of their activities to use in a practical setting.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/education/digital-solutions.htm
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIvShrAH5YY


4. Tracy Piltz - Ideas for Tech Integration & Innovation In The Primary Classroom

Integrating technology into building the foundations of pre-reading is something that I am very excited about, and I was very happy to find this blog by Tracy Plitz, a K-2 Technology Integration Teacher from Billings, Montana. This is the kind of blog I would like to have someday! She gives practical tips from personal experience and explains everything from how to get started with technology in your classroom if you have none to sharing specific apps that she has used with students and she has seen students have success with. She is a living example of using multimedia in the classroom! From collaboration with other teachers (I found http://connectedkinders.blogspot.com/ through Tracy's blog, although it has not been updated since 2014) to useful apps and from a Pinterest page full of Tech Infographics to info on creating and using QR Codes in the classroom, this blog is a wealth of practical knowledge on using technology to aid in teaching pre-reading skills.



http://mrspiltzkindergarten.blogspot.com/



5. Why We Need to Embrace Technology in the Classroom Right Now, by Jeana Lee Tahnk

“When I imagine the classroom of the future, I imagine a place where teachers and technology are partners in fostering that creative, curious urge and helping harness students’ authentic motivations towards learning.” - Matt Wallaert, Behavioural Scientist at Bing.com

In this article by Jeana Lee Tahnk, educational and technology experts Matt Wallaert and Dylan Arena, PhD, co-founder and chief learning scientist at Kidaptive gave their thoughts on technology in the modern classroom. It was emphasized that it is not enough to have students have access to technology; using technology requires scaffolding and should be a collaborative effort between teachers and students as well as between students and their peers. Six reasons for embracing technology in the classroom were given:

• Makes information limitless
• Gives teachers more freedom
• Adapts to different learning styles
• Makes learning more flexible
• Gets students excited
• Prepares students for the future

Tahnk, Jeana Lee. (2014). Why We Need to Embrace Technology in the Classroom Right Now. Huffington Post - News. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/technology-in-the-classroom_b_5946570

LIBE 477 - Assignment 1: Reading Review Part A - Keyword Search

Reading has always been a big part of my life. Books take you on adventures to far-away places, give you knowledge about unknown topics, and can even put you through a rollercoaster of emotions as you get to know your favourite characters; but books aren't for everyone. One of my main goals when I decided to become a teacher (and a future teacher-librarian) was to instil a love of reading into every child I meet. A hefty goal for sure, and one I certainly won't meet, but that doesn't mean I won't try.

I grew up in a reading household. My father was an avid reader. My mother fostered a love of reading in me early on, but not because it was something that she loved. She had learning difficulties as a child in the 60s, and the school system of the time had failed her; but that doesn't mean she didn't try.

Speaking with her recently, I learned that at the age of 65, she read her first full novel for fun in years. She couldn't recall the last time she had finished a book. She had Apple Books on her phone and decided to try it out. For me, holding a real, tangible book in my hand and seeing how far I am through it and how far left to go always gives me great joy. To her, it gives her anxiety. Reading a book on her phone and not being able to physically see how many pages left to go was less daunting and she felt success. With the continued explosion of educational technology, I want to see less children fall through the cracks. I want to see more successes and more children feeling proud of their own style of learning.

BC Curriculum - Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies K/1: Explore the use of simple, available tools and technologies to extend their capabilities.
English Language Arts K/ 1: Use developmentally appropriate reading, listening, and viewing strategies to make meaning.

With my keyword searches, I am hoping to learn about different strategies for using technology for teaching emergent readers to increase their fluency, both in the classroom and at home. My keyword search will include: phonics, phonemic awareness, sight words, ICT and pre-reading, digital reading, educational technology, and ICT literary instruction. I am familiar with some online resources, such as Raz Kids, Starfall.com, and Reading AZ, but would like to find some resources that require more exploration, inquiry, and creativity than these websites offer.