As teacher-librarians we have a responsibility to be educators that embrace and consider the needs of the whole school community. The Canadian Library Association defines “school libraries as a force for improving teaching and learning, it is designed to engineer and drive future-oriented learning and teaching throughout the entire school” (CLA 5). It was important for me to contemplate a cumulative project and create an amassed digital artifact that would touch the entire school community of learners. It needed to be dynamic, inviting and engaging for students, relevant to the curriculum and connected to the core competencies for teachers, and informative and helpful for the parent community.  …

     When looking at literacy and the technical divide through a global lens, it is very eye-opening to see the disparities between different regions of the world. This blog will reveal how some libraries and literacy organizations are being creative and persistent in discovering ways to implement and provide access to literacies through technology in places of need. (Image from Roschelle, J and Weaver, D, Digital Promise)      Equity of access to information includes the need to access both physical resources and virtual spaces. Technology infrastructures need be in place and teacher training supported. In order to bridge equity gaps, literacy advocates must consider cultural relevancy and facilitating…

     The need for educator professional development is paramount for continued growth in effective, relevant and current teaching practices. The library learning commons is a “catalyst for building a new culture of learning” and a “catalyst for 21st century learning approaches” (CLA 12). The Standards of Practice for a School Library Learning Commons in Canada clearly outline five core standards to be implemented by the teacher-librarian: (Image from CLA 8)      In regard to professional development, I find the first two standards especially significant. Professional development involves facilitating the collaborative engagement of colleagues. Through research, the ISTE found that teacher leaders supporting colleagues was better than top-down. “Principals…

         (Image by Charles M. Schulz)        In looking ahead to new beginnings of a teacher-librarianship journey, it can be easy to start to feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of the role. School librarians have “complex roles of instruction, reading and literacy development, school library management, collaboration with teaching staff, and engagement with the educational community” (IFLA 8). Therefore it is very important for any teacher-librarian new to the profession to have strategies, tools and resources as well as connections and personal learning networks ready-at-hand for referencing and helping develop one’s skills. This blog post will talk about strategies, tools and resources that would be…

     Coming to the realization that “our students have never known a time where technology use wasn’t interwoven into virtually every aspect of their lives” (Kirkland) it is important that teacher-librarians who are leaders in future-oriented instruction consider the effective integration of technology into learning. “There is no doubt that the effective use of technology for learning is at the core of teacher-librarianship” (Kirkland). Our students are engaged in the digital world more than ever before and relate to digital culture and activities with more ease and comfort than previous generations. Therefore it is important to also think of tech. tools and strategies that can engage learners in fostering…

     In the search to find resources that would be useful in better understanding my chosen topic of digital citizenship, internet safety and online awareness, I first needed to consider all of the clientele that the library learning commons serves including staff, parents and students. Next, I wanted to thoughtfully consider and choose different types of formats that I thought would best suit each different group of users. Therefore in this blog post I will highlight and review an informative journal article for staff, eye-opening video presentations for parents and an engaging digital platform for students, each revolving around the importance of digital citizenship, internet safety and online awareness.…

     As a current non-enrolling teacher, I have the privilege of teaching all students in our small elementary school from grades K-7. It is with pleasure that I look forward to becoming a teacher-librarian, a role that will continue to allow connections with all families and opportunities to work collaboratively with all staff members. It is this sense of supporting ‘whole school community’ that I endear. When I think about teaching and incorporating educational technology and digital resources in the school library program, I am excited about the prospects of what this could look like and the widespread value it will bring to my students, their families and also…