#LIBE477

LIBE 477 Inquiry Blog #5

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Takeaways from Inquiry Phase 2

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There are three key takeaways that I have learned throughout this inquiry process:

  • Lack of technology will hinder, but not stop ICT Skill development
  • Collaboration with teachers will be challenging and rewarding
  • Technology in developing countries can also help rural communities

I have learned that there is a definite lack of new technology in my district. Smart boards are scarce. Most classrooms only have whiteboards or chalkboards. Not every classroom has a projector/screen. Every high school school has a computer lab, but the demand for it creates tension among teachers and students. However, I’ve discovered that both teachers and teacher-librarians strive to use what they do have to the best of their abilities.  Some TL’s have taken it upon themselves to teach coding and robotics. They invite teachers and their students down to the learning commons for a session. Other TL’s hold mini-seminars to show teachers how to use a smart board or even create a website. ICT skills are emerging (albeit slowly), but progress has been made.

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The second takeaway is that collaboration is great in theory and in practice, if teachers are willing and there is enough time to do so. Collaboration with teachers is going to be challenging because, as with students, every teacher will have different needs. Some will want to work with you and will enjoy the process. Others will treat the Learning Commons and the TL as a resource only when needed. Other teachers will not want to work with TL’s at all. It is important not to dwell on who won’t work with a TL and focus on who will (and maybe, in time, other teachers will come around).

The final take away was how much technology can impact developing nations and how similar technology can be applied to rural communities in Canada. Learning about the Kio kit and the impact it has in Kenya, helped frame the idea that the same sort of technological outreach should be applied to rural communities in British Columbia and across Canada, where the lack of internet connection and broadband infrastructure means that some communities are being left behind.  There is no reason why products similar to Kio kits, with a remote link couldn’t be used in rural communities.

Resonating projects and Learning from Others

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The digital break out game resonated with me the most because I had personal experience with it and it is fun. I’m not really connecting with learning if I’m not enjoying what I’m learning about. I like the idea of a digital breakout because students can use their phones, work collaboratively, and learning how to work in a mildly competitive environment (where ‘winning’ is not based on a grade or a hierarchy). I’ve seen the look of excitement and accomplishment after students have completed a breakout game and believe breakout games (both digital and physical) have great potential for TTOC’s as well. Having one handy when a teacher doesn’t leave a lesson plan would be extremely helpful.

Two blog posts from other teacher-librarian/teachers/educators that have stuck in my mind involve inquiring into the impact of culturally relevant reading material and literacy in developing nations.  After reading both Sonya Neilson and Pam Spiers’ blog posts, I realized that having culturally relevant books are important to engage readers about their own culture, history and lives. E-readers would be beneficial in promoting more books that are culturally significant to its readers.  As teacher-librarians, it is of vital importance that voices from all backgrounds and cultures are heard and represented.

Moving Forward

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Moving forward, I’m going to try and follow in the footsteps of my fellow Teacher-librarians in my district, but also make my own path. This inquiry process helped me identify my skill set which I intend to bring to both Learning Commons and collaborative settings. I can code a website and I would love to bring that skill set to my district and see if some of the learning common websites can be update and be more interactive. I would also love to learn more about how I can utilize the current technology in my district while advocating for more.

 

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Works Cited

Neilson, Sonya. “Sonya’s Teaching Blog.” LIBE 477 Inquiry 4: Bringing Libraries to the World, svneilson.blogspot.com/2019/02/libe-477-inquiry-4-globalization-of.html

Spiers, Pam. “LIBE 477B – Inquiry Project #1: Culturally Relevant Material to Spark Interest in Reading.” How To Train Your Teacher Librarian, 31 Jan. 2019, httytl.wordpress.com/2019/01/31/libe-477b-inquiry-project-1-culturally-relevant-material-to-spark-interest-in-reading/.

Inquiry Blog Post #4

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Mobile Devices and Digital Literacy in Rural Kenya

Imagine having an entire library at your fingertips, but instead of being  in a grand room brimming with books, with an air conditioner humming overhead, you are in a classroom, with a dirt floor, green chalkboard at the front of the room where your teacher stands, and you are surrounded by at least fifty students. In your hand is a mobile device that allows you to visit the same worlds and words as a student in a grand air conditioned room, in another part of the world. That is the power of providing digital literacy opportunities in developing countries. One organization in Kenya focuses on providing literacy and technology to rural areas where there is no access to electricity, water, and internet.

The Kenya Connect Project

The Kenya Connect Project supplies schools with:

  • water and health programs
  • professional development for teachers
  • a library card program
  • solar lights
  • a central facility with 30 computers
  • LCD projector
  • Kio Kits

With these resources, schools can have safe drinking water. Teachers are trained in ICT skills. Children have access to public libraries and solar lights so they can study at night at their homesteads. In addition, they also have access to a Learning Resource Centre lab, where there are 30 computers available for the students and teachers to use. But that is not all they provide.

The Kio Kit

In partnership with the Kio Kits, the Kenya Connect Project empowers students and teachers in rural Kenya to overcome lack of access and opportunities regarding mobile devices. Access to technology in rural areas is problematic because there is a lack of electricity and infrastructure like cell towers and fibre optic cables. Kio Kits instantly turns a classroom into a digital one. Each kit holds up to 40 Kio tablets. There is a charge centre that can charge the entire system. It is designed in Africa and has had an impact across the country. It is portable and a has a remote link for internet access.  The tablets are ruggedized, so they are durable and do not break easily. Tablets such as these have transformed rural Kenya from rural isolation to access to globalization.  Access means opportunities for the future.

Future Opportunities

The better access to mobile devices and internet means that developing countries would have access to democratic knowledge found around the world. However, the government’s role in this cannot be forgotten. In China, for example, the government controls content and doesn’t allow access to certain information, same as North Korea.  Having access to technology and mobile devices, doesn’t necessarily mean that democratic content will be easily accessible.  Kenya is a representative democracy and  the government seems to be involved in developing and promoting digital literacy education. This is important because having more access to democratic content can strengthen the democratic process as a whole.

Either way, the future mobile libraries seems bright. There are opportunities to provide books and textbooks to those who cannot afford to have access to all the resources. They provide new opportunities for learning technology in a world that is striving towards more technological advancement every day.  It is important that along with technology, teachers are  trained how to use and utilize new and changing technology. Technology in the classroom won’t be successful without teachers who know what to do.

Inquiry Blog #4 Works Cited

Inquiry Project Blog #3

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Breaking Out and Into Cross-Curricular Collaboration

While thinking about ways to improve ICT skills at the various schools in my district, I thought about the limited technology and teaching resources available. Smart boards are rare. Having a projector in every room can be sporadic. Communication is mainly done via emails. Most Learning Commons have resources for students, but the schools in my district has limited resources for teachers. So I wondered: What would be a creative way to bolster ICT skills with limited resources? Then I remembered that a few months ago, I got to create and monitor a Breakout game.

For those who aren’t familiar, Breakout EDU games are a way to work collaboratively in groups to solve puzzles and then use clues to  open locks on a box.  The first to open their group’s box, wins. Overall the students had an amazing time. The teachers enjoyed the activity as well and noticed how nicely the activity linked to BC’s Core Competencies because the game itself is designed for students to communicate with each other in a group, think logically about the problem and apply what they have learned in class, and work together as a group to solve the problem.

I would push the Breakout Edu further and explore each department for what they had to offer. Why not have the wood working class build the physical boxes? Why not have students from different Humanities 8 classes create one for another Humanities 8 class. Then have another class make up the clues, test it and provide feedback (see example here). There is an opportunity here for student, teachers and teacher-librarians to work collaboratively together, across all curriculums.

School Library Journal

Digital Breakout

So what does this have to do with ICT skills and providing professional curriculum-based resources? I decided I would dig a little deeper to see if Breakout games could be digitized, and if they could help meet ICT professional needs in my district. I was not disappointed by my discoveries.

Teacher and students can improve their ICT skills and create a Breakout game anytime, as long as they have access to computer, iPad, or smart phone.  Digital Breakout EDU has resources for digital games, but if you aren’t into paying for content, then there are other ways you can create your own. Syliva Duckworth has create a breakout digital game for Canadian content. This can be done completely online and you could even use video chat programs, use Google hangouts and Google docs to share information with each other. You can even put the clues on smart boards, if those are available. If the game is digitized, students can play on their smartphones in the classroom.

Break into Collaboration

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The best part about online digital breakout games is that they can be used to work collaboratively with other students, teachers, classes, schools, and across the country, or even the world. This is a resource that, once created, can be played at any time and across all curriculums. Teacher-librarians could work collaboratively to have both online and physical breakout games. The physical games can be stored in library for all to use, and the online ones can be linked through the Learning Common website. If they are readily available, then students can even sign them out, or play the digital games at home with their families.

The biggest advantage is that it’s fun. I’ve played them, created them, and lead a class through the activity and students do enjoy them. Breakout games provide a wonderful opportunity for students, teachers and teacher-librarians to create content and curriculum-based learning, and even learn a few new ICT skills while they are at it.

Works Cited

Inquiry Project Blog #2

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Learning ICT Skills One Piece at a Time

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A Missing Piece

In my local district, social media networking is sporadic and underused. One school uses Moodle to share lesson and class assignments. Though, not all teachers are on it. Some teachers use Weebly to create their own websites, but most haven’t been update in over a year. Every school has a twitter account with a small, yet mighty, following. I’ve talked with a few Teacher-Librarians as to why there is such a small showing of social media networking at their schools. Their answer? Time constraints.

Social media takes time. Advertising on any social media platform takes time. With the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of teachers, both inside and outside of school, it is hard to find the extra time to create a social media platform.  Social networking is still done by face-to-face interaction. Although, digging deeper, I found that some teachers like a brisk email. Others like a quick text. Others like having a website. Some stick to their well crafted lesson plan binder that they follow year after year and that is their cup of tea. So I don’t know how I am going to network in my district as a whole, but I’m determined to find a way that suits whatever school I’m at, and, more importantly, find a way that suits me.

A Post-Secondary Piece

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I have taken courses over the years and I’ve kept in touch with some of my professors. I like touching base with them to see what first year students struggle with (Writing and English are the main ones). This year I’m taking Computer Science and Web Design courses which has propelled my Inquiry Project for cross-curricular coding. I’ve gathered many resources from them. For example: I’m taking a coding class and I found out you can download Brackets for free and build a webpage. I’ve learned how to embed images and even how certain file extensions work for certain browsers. I will use this as a Teacher-Librarian because STEM programs are becoming more and more common in my district. I could eventually build a website for my won Learning Commons if I wanted to.  I can take these resources back to the schools in my district and share them.

A Personal Piece

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I am willing to admit that I’m the odd one out when it comes to social media. I haven’t yet found a platform I enjoy. Pinterest, tumblr and Instagram are probably a little more my style than anything else, but I’ve only ever used them for personal use and not professional. So that is what I would like to explore beyond this course. I want to dig deeper into different social media platforms and see what will work best for me, my class or even my school.

Since networking in my district is more face-to-face, I want to explore what kind of apps and websites, like Google Classroom, are available that would make collaboration between TL’s and teachers better, to create more moments of collaboration between students and teachers without having to rely on in person interaction only. I want to further my education in coding and Web Design and help to reimagine Learning Common websites to better suit the ICT skills of the schools.

Overall, my ICT skills are growing and hopefully, by the end of this course, I will have more pieces added to my networking, developing and learning puzzle.

Work Cited

Inquiry Project Blog # 1

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Building Worlds and Literacy Through Minecraft

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While I do not have my own Learning Commons, I have been been fortunate to TTOC in a few. Each space has similar and unique ways of fostering a reading culture. New book displays are placed in direct view of the entrance. Posters of teachers reading a favourite book adorn the shelves and the school hallways. Book recommendation boxes sit on all the circulation desks. Teacher-librarians go to classrooms or invite classes to the Learning Commons for book talks. If a student requests a book, then Teacher-Librarians will buy the book immediately, give it to the student and then barcode it later. All of these examples contribute to a reading culture within the school.

But what if there was another way to reach students who may not like traditional reading, but love gaming? That’s where Minecraft comes in.

Minecraft & Literacy

In Will Richardson’s Why School? he discusses how Minecraft  can promote learning. As I started my inquiry into cross-curricular coding, Minecraft kept coming up in my research, so I decided to look into how Minecraft could foster reading.

I found a few interesting articles on the connection between literacy and Minecraft. In Danica Davidson’s article “How Minecraft can foster Reading,” she discusses how students who don’t like reading, but adore gaming, love exploring the Minecraft novels, comics, online resources and even resource books. Students are willing to read if they are interested in the topic. If a student loves Minecraft, they will want to learn everything they can about the game. In “Minecraft in the Classroom Teaches Reading and More,”  Jacqui Murray argues that Minecraft promotes reading in the classroom by allowing students to create their own online worlds and then they are motivated to research all about the world they are creating. Interest in the topic motivates literacy. If students are reading more, then it really shouldn’t matter if the topic is Minecraft.

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I would love to see my district Learning Commons branch into Minecraft books. Students might be playing the game at home and would love to read more. I have seen students (usually boys) come into the the Learning Commons and struggle to find something to read. It never occurred to me that having reading material linked to gaming might benefit reading literacy, but now it seems like a novel approach to literacy.

Works Cited