The Role of ICT in Education and The Learning Commons
My Thoughts!
Collaboration has become the key component in sharing ideas, resources, information and ICT strategies for the classroom and the Learning Commons. I like how Royal states it: “Collaboration in its simplest, and most understandable form, is getting individuals, who may or may not have similar interests, to work together in an organized endeavor to a satisfying and most appropriate group end”. We can do that! Our Teacher-librarian has opportunities to collaborate about curriculum’s quite often with colleagues in a variety of settings. We are fortunate to get an hour every 2nd week to collaborate and share topics that are applicable to our curriculum, pedagogy or topics of the week. This time is used to engage in new skills, information, technology ideas and resources that we have to collaborate.
Innovation club: This is a group of teachers that get together once a month to share ideas, new strategies, useful tools that have worked in the classroom. This would be a great place for a TL to be actively involved in sharing ICT information and knowledge to a smaller group of teachers. We had a meeting today and great ideas were discussed within the groups. Great questions were asked and answered!
One tool that I like to share as often as possible is with colleagues is Kahoot. Kahoot is a game base collection that has numerous questions on a variety of topics. Students would need to use a device (iPhone or iPad), link up to the game and answer the questions as they appear on the project. You could work in groups to collaborate answers or students could work by themselves. Another educational tool is Symbaloo where you can bookmark your favourite articles, books, websites, anything you want and have the ability to share with others anytime, anywhere. This is a great tool for a TL or teachers to use for student inquiry projects. Symbaloo would be informative to use on a website as a powerful collaboration tool with staff. Here are some ways that you can use symbaloo in your classroom. I like #5: Using Symbaloo in Your library! The example of Miller”s symbaloo includes “reading sites, Web 2.0 tools, digital citizenship sites like Professor Garfield and NetSmartz, and lots of fun websites for her students. She shares her Symbaloo with her school community through emails, teacher newsletter”. All of those bookmarks are just one click away. It is a great tool for collaborating and sharing. Check out my symbaloo for The Cell Theory below that I was able to share with my Science colleagues.
Additional areas to implement professional development to staff:
- Use staff meeting to intrigue the staff with an interesting resource, journal, article, educational tool, technology or ICT skill. Hold a workshop or inservice for technology in the LC and show off the LC area.
- Have the library open during parent-teacher interviews for parents and staff to come in, feel welcome and see what’s happening in the library. Having students available to show off their latest inquiry project or talk about a good book they have just read would be a useful tool.
- Use twitter to share and gather ideas #ICT2015
- I like the book club idea! Have students and teachers join a book club with you to discuss and collaborate on the book of the month. Use symbaloo to bookmark everyones favourite authors or favourite books.
- TL need to go to Pro-D days that are focussed around the LC as well as technology. Be an expert in these areas so that you can come back and share with your staff and share the passion you have with them.
- Any luncheon,
‘This will be a working lunch. We’ll need a wi-fi accessible table.’ chat in the hall, nutrition break, an after school walk or beer time, doing anything with another collegue is always time to reflect,share, collaborate about new ideas and life long learning!
References:
Brown,R.J., (May, 2012). The Role of ICT in Education (Video File). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbxbNKsZ9gQ
Collaboration image retrieved from: http://www.phoenix.k12.or.us/SIB/images/collaboration%20image%202.jp
Chau, M et al (2014). 11 WAYS TO USE SYMBALOO IN THE CLASSROOM Retrieved from http://www.theedublogger.com/2014/04/09/11-ways-to-use-symbaloo-in-the-classroom/
Georgia Virtual Learning School Teacher Resources webmix: Retrieved from
http://gavirtuallearning.symbaloo.com/home/mix/AAAAAsbjSCwAA41_HD26Vw==
Kahoot Retrieved from https://kahoot.it/#/
Symbaloo: start simple (2014). Home page. Retrieved from https://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13ePQJbfXL
Symballoo: start simple (2014). Library page Retrieved fromhttps://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcLj6h4
Royal, Ken (2014) Retrieved from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/1527-what-does-collaboration-in-education-really-mean
LIBE 477 
Great post that explores many ideas for engaging and supporting your staff with tools, resources, collaboration opportunities and ‘just in time’ learning. You’ve collected some useful links to examples and tools that can be picked up and implemented very easily, creating a low barrier to entry. Good job outlining the ways to keep moving your community forward. Also, good job embedding, tagging and linking. I see your twitter widget is not working. I hope maybe a page like this could help: https://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/twitter-timeline-widget/
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I like your examples of using Symbaloo. That is something that I would really like to try setting up as it’s a great way to curate resources in one place and share them with others.
Your suggestions for sharing with others are also useful. Thanks for the resources.
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Hi Kerrie!
I am intrigued by the innovation club idea. I think I will try offering something like that with my staff. We have tended to all join in with most collaborative inquiry work, but this year we have had significant staff turnover. I think something a little less formal might be more accessible. Thanks for the idea!
Since you mentioned collaboration at the start… perhaps you might want to check out a book that I have just started reading. It is more focused around special needs, but it has some excellent examples and discussion about supporting collaborative professional conversations:
Cook, Lynne and Friend, Marilyn (2013); Interactions; Collaboration Skills for School Professionals 7th Ed.; Pearson.
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