LIBE 477- Final Vision Project #1

Where To Go From Here 

As I looked back on the topics that we have covered over the past 2 months, there were so many areas that could be explored and would be beneficial to me in my position in the library.

I was thinking about the kinds of resources I could create that would be useful to both me and my school. I tend to default to projects that are useful to students, but I wanted to think of more ways to help my staff as well. Especially since the Vancouver Teacher Librarians Association states that part of a TL’s role is to “Work with staff to select resources appropriate for their classroom needs; Provide support for teachers integrating technology with teaching and learning; Create customized resource lists” (VTLA, 2008).

After thinking about the needs of the staff and students at my school, I narrowed my thoughts down to 2 options for a final project. One is a student-centered project, and one is more useful for staff.

 

1. A Bookflix digital display.  

 

I have access to a large portable touchscreen TV that can be moved into the library. I could create an interactive display that would highlight new books in the library and allow students to see what is new even when the books have been checked out. The touchscreen format would let students explore books that interest them and could help to build excitement around the featured books. Students’ interests have evolved as technology has developed, and “easy access to the information super highway through classroom technology had dramatically changed how students and school communities interacted with libraries.” (Johnson, 2019) I think that this would be a good way to generate interest and bring a modern touch to the library.

 

This display would have different categories including theme and seasonal books, genres for students to look through, top checkouts, and a student recommendation section. There would also be a link to our school’s Destiny catalogue so students could browse all the books in the library. I would also like to have each book cover linked to a page with a summary for students to read or to a short book trailer.

 

This would be a very practical resource for me to use at school but would definitely be student-centered. Staff would have access to it as well, but I don’t think that they would really make use of it. The main downside to this project I can see is that the best way to create this display is to use PowerPoint, which I am already familiar with and wouldn’t be a huge step in learning for me.

 

 

2. A Padlet page for teachers to let them know what kinds of resources we have that are available to them. 

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLdZJAc3bGQ

 

Many of our staff are unaware of the resources that we have available, and this would let them know about technology that they may not know we have, and what they can borrow. I would be able to put descriptions of all of our resources in one place for teachers to access.

I think that it’s hard for staff to keep up to date about new resources because emails describing new subscriptions and devices are usually sent out one by one as we acquire them. These emails get deleted and new things are forgotten about.

 

It would be nice to have an ever-evolving document or website that keeps a list of what is available in one place. I would like it to contain links to any online resources, as well as to instructional sites for physical materials that we have at the school. A section of the page would also show devices that are available to be borrowed from our IT department. This way, physical resources can be stored in different areas of the school and district but found in one place online that is easy to access.

 

Since Padlet is an online document, it can easily be shared with the Teacher Librarians and staff at other schools so that we can share resources and know which schools have technology that can be borrowed. You can also allow people to add comments in Padlet, which could be a nice way for teachers to share how they are using the resources.

 

One of the plus sides to this idea is that I haven’t used Padlet before and it would be a good way for me to explore this program. I can see many educational uses for it, but I would like to be comfortable using it myself before I introduce it to staff and students.

I am very excited about both ideas, but I think that I am currently leaning toward the Padlet document for two reasons. First, it is a program that I haven’t used before and would like to learn. Second, I think that it would be a good idea to focus on a resource that would be helpful to staff. I spend a lot of time working on ways to make the library useful and exciting for our students, but it would be nice to create something that would allow our staff to have easier access to resources. I can’t wait to get started!

 

Resources

Johnson, L. (2019, April 4). Building Voice, choice, and ownership in the library. Liferarian Association. Retrieved March 2022, from https://liferarian.com/librarian-role/building-voice-choice-and-ownership-in-the-library-288/ 

Padlet. (2022, February 24). What's Padlet? YouTube. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLdZJAc3bGQ 

Vancouver Teacher Librarian Association. (2008, January). Guidelines: The role and ... - tlspecial.pbworks.com. Retrieved March 2022, from http://tlspecial.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/50081661/Roles%20and%20Responsibilities%20of%20TLs.pdf