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