LIBE 477: Inquiry Blog 2: Professional Development of ICT Skills and Pedagogy

 The Importance of Professional Development and Networking as an Educator:

   Engaging in professional development and networking is an important part of any teacher or teacher-librarians role. As technologies continue to change and advance in the 21st-century increasing our access to information in multiple forms, it is imperative that we as educators strive to continually advance our knowledge and skills in relation to information and communication technologies (ICT). This is especially important for teacher-librarians, as "the quality and effectiveness of library and information services depend on the expertise of staff. Constant flux in the needs of societies, changing technologies and growth in professional knowledge demand that librarians and other information professionals expand their knowledge and update their skills on an ongoing basis (Varlejs, 2016. p. 8). 

Figure 1. Why Educators Should Build a PLN. (edublogs, 2018). 

Ways to Develop ICT Skills and Pedagogy:

There are many ways that teacher-librarians can work to develop their ICT skills and pedagogy as professionals. A common method for engaging in professional development is through attending workshops, webinars, training sessions, conventions, and conferences which focus on ICT skills and pedagogy. Another is through personal or guided exploration and use of various tools and resources currently available and trending in schools and libraries. Networking is another great method for helping teacher-librarians to expand and develop their technical skills and pedagogy, as well as stay up-to-date on the latest educational technologies and practices. Below, I have devised a list of tools and strategies to assist myself and other teacher-librarians in the development of ICT skills and pedagogy through networking and professional development opportunities.

Alberta Regional Consortia:

                       

(Alberta Regional Consortia, 2018).

The Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC) works to provide Alberta educators with professional development opportunities and resources at the local, regional and provincial level. Through their website, educators and librarians can connect with their regional consortium, such as the Calgary Regional Consortium, which develops programs, resources and conferences based on the learning needs identified by local school districts, parents, and partner organizations such as the Alberta Teachers Association and Alberta Education. Educators can easily stay up-to-date on programs being offered locally and can register for desired programs and conferences online through the Calgary Regional Consortium website. Through this website, or directly through the ARPDC site, teachers and teacher-librarians can also access a wealth of Professional Development Resources, which they can search according to audience, level, type or focus. By selecting the focus tab, teacher-librarians can then browse resources specific to individual focuses such as technology integration and the library learning commons. The Learning Portal through ARPDC further provides a variety of resources, strategies and ideas based on the Alberta Education context. Through the portal I found a variety of resources and professional development opportunities in relation to technology and innovation, such as courses and workshops on 21st Century Skills in an Inclusive Learning Environment, Developing Digital Literacy Skills, and Apps for All. One resource which I found to be particularly useful for myself as both an elementary teacher, and aspiring teacher-librarian, was the Learning Technologies: Information for Teachers page. It features multiple videos designed to support teachers and teacher-librarians in learning to use technologies to support diverse learner needs through tools such as text-to-speech, word prediction, speech recognition and visual thinking tools. 

Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learner Needs:

(Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium, 2018).

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA): 

The Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section (CPDWL) has been a section of IFLA since 2002. On their webpage CPDWL contends that "new developments and trends in information and communication technology, higher expectations of users, requirements of employers and managers of libraries and information service organizations and competition from information professionals in the broader information industry emphasize the imperative for associations and institutions to be 'learning organizations' and develop their staff by providing opportunities for continuing professional development and training in the workplace; and for individuals to be responsible for their own career planning and development" (Pun, 2020, para. 2). With this in mind, the CPDWL offers a variety of resources and professional development opportunities for teacher-librarians. Through newsletters, publications, presentations, webinars, conferences and projects the CPDWL provides teacher-librarians with a wealth of current resources and learning opportunities to further develop their technical skills and pedagogy to support the school library program. Their free webinars occur periodically throughout the year and are recorded and uploaded to the website so they can be viewed by librarians as needed. For example, this webinar recording on Digital Tools that can Change your Librarian Life was particularly useful for me as it explored practical tools I can use in both my classroom and in the library learning commons. Another great feature of the CPDWL section of IFLA are the projects, such as the current CPDWL Podcast Project. It features conversations with library leaders who share their thoughts and perspectives on the profession, providing teacher-librarians with new insights and considerations for their own professional development. CPDWL provides multiple ways for librarians to stay connected with their section, such as through the CPDWL Facebook page, through Twitter (@IFLACPDWL) and through Instagram (@IFLA_CPDWL). They also have a mailing list, which provides a forum to discuss issues relating to continuing professional development in the library and information professions, however a membership is required to subscribe. A membership through IFLA further provides teacher-librarians with the opportunity to engage in an international professional learning network, and even to personally contribute to sections such as CPDWL. 

(IFLA CPDWL Section, 2019).

International Society for Technology in Education: According to their website, ISTE (2020) "inspires educators worldwide to use technology to innovate teaching and learning, accelerate and solve tough problems in education by providing community, knowledge and the ISTE Standards, a framework for rethinking education and empowering learners." Although a membership is required to utilize many of the resources available, ISTE provides opportunities for educators and librarians to participate in various events and Professional Learning Networks. 

Figure 2. ISTE20 LIVE. (ISTE, 2020).

For example, the upcoming ISTE20 LIVE conference, offers a multitude of learning opportunities and programs, which one can search through according to grade level, topic or even by profession, making it easy for librarians to identify which programs are most relevant to them. The variety of Professional Learning Networks available to members is another great feature of the ISTE website. This is a resource I would like to utilize in the future once I become a member. I am eager to participate in technology focussed professional development opportunities such as the conference and to connect with other professional learning networks with an emphasis on educational technologies.

MediaSmarts: 

Figure 3. Digital Literacy Training Workshop. (MediaSmarts, 2020). 

MediaSmarts is a Canadian organization which provides media and digital literacy programs in a Canadian context. They offer a variety of resources which teachers and teacher-librarians can use to facilitate digital and media literacy development in their classrooms and libraries. It also provides resources and opportunities for educators to engage in professional development to further their knowledge and skills in relation to digital literacy. The Digital Literacy Training Workshop for educators "provides an overview of essential digital literacy skills and key concepts of media and digital literacy, familiarizes participants with the digital experiences of Canadian youth, and introduces the resources and tools that are available through MediaSmarts' USE, UNDERSTAND & CREATE digital literacy framework" (MediaSmarts, 2020, para. 2.). There are three versions of the workshop available, one for teacher-librarians of all grades (K-12), one for elementary grades only (K-6) and one for secondary grades only (7-12). All versions take approximately 3 hours to complete and are available through the MediaSmarts website free of charge. Teacher-librarians may complete the workshop individually as a self-directed tutorial, or it is also available as a free downloadable PowerPoint presentation, which teacher-librarians may use to facilitate a workshop for their teaching colleagues, as this training is beneficial for both teachers and teacher-librarians alike. The MediaSmarts Classroom Guide provides further information on common apps and tools used in Canadian schools as well as common challenges associated with digital literacy development. I am looking forward to completing this workshop in my free time, as I feel it will be a valuable opportunity to further develop my understanding of digital literacy and how to foster the development of digital literacy skills amongst my students.

Teacher Challenge: Teacher Challenge is a series through edublogs that is designed for educators by educators and provides courses on blogging and educational technology. The Building a PLN course is a free self-paced course for teachers and teacher-librarians that provides guidance through the process of building a PLN. The course includes seven steps, which help the participant to develop and participate in a PLN. Participants are then provided with a certificate of completion upon completing the seventh step. The seven steps cover important topics to consider when building a PLN:

Figure 4. 7 Steps to Building a PLN. (edublogs, 2018).

The website also features a workbook, corresponding activities, supplemental videos and other related resources to support participants throughout the course, such as the following video which explains what a PLN is:

(DevPro PD Flipped, 2012).

This course will be a helpful and practical way for me to learn how to connect with other professionals through building my own PLN. Once I have developed a PLN, it will be important that I maintain these connections in order to ensure I am continually learning and working to advance my knowledge and skills as a teacher-librarian. This course offers helpful suggestions for building and maintaining a PLN which I have paraphrased below:

• Do what works best for you. Follow your learning style and use your preferred platforms before branching out.
• Start small. Select one or two tools to start. Remember quality over quantity.
• Set goals and commit: Make a challenge for yourself and then check with yourself regularly to assess your progress.
• Create a routine: set aside a few minutes or more each day to read a blog, scroll Twitter or share.
• Don't be shy: challenge yourself to follow people you don't know, leave a stranger a comment or respond to a tweet
• Don't give up: if one tool or platform isn't working for you, try another. If you don't achieve your goal, reevaluate and set a new goal. 

References:

Alberta Regional Consortia. (2018). ARPDC Intro Video [Video]. Retrieved 15 October 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRtTvIGsV4k&feature=youtu.be.

Appleton, L. (2018). Training and development for librarians: Why bother?. Library Connect. Retrieved 12 October 2020, from https://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/articles/training-and-development-librarians-why-bother.

Building Your PLN. Courses & PD. (2018). Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/creating-a-pln/.

CPDWL Podcast Project • A podcast on Anchor. Anchor. (2020). Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://anchor.fm/ifla-cpdwl/episodes/E6-Wanda-Kay-Brown--ALA-Past-President-ehjjca.

DevPro PD Flipped. (2012). What is a PLN - Marc-André Lalande's take [Video]. Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLLpWqp-owo&feature=youtu.be.

Digital Literacy 101. MediaSmarts. (2020). Retrieved 13 October 2020, from https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/digital-literacy-101.

Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium. (2017). Using Technologies to Support Diverse Learning Needs [Video]. Retrieved 14 October 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY4eR2Ntxtc&feature=youtu.be.

edublogs. (2018). Why Educators Should Build a PLN [Image]. Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/files/2018/07/Why-teachers-should-build-a-PLN-Summary-Edublogs-Teacher-Challenge-ybxwr7-1vwpr4b.png.

Graffin, M., & Morris, K. (2018). Step 1: What Is A PLN?. Courses & PD. Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/.

IFLA CPDWL Section. (2019). IFLA CPDWL: Our Brief Dynamic Story! [Video]. Retrieved 15 October 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sD4Rg2wQMg&feature=youtu.be.

ISTE. (2020). ISTE20 LIVE [Image]. Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://www.iste.org/events/iste-events.

K-6 Digital Literacy Training Workshop. Mediasmarts.ca. (2020). Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/tutorials/digital-literacy-training/k-6/.

Learning Technologies: Information for Teachers. learningtechnologiesab.com. (2020). Retrieved 16 October 2020, from http://www.learningtechnologiesab.com/.

MediaSmarts. (2020). Digital Literacy Training Workshop [Image]. Retrieved 16 October 2020, from https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/tutorials/digital-literacy-training/k-6/.

Pun, R. (2020). IFLA -- Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section. Ifla.org. Retrieved 12 October 2020, from https://www.ifla.org/cpdwl.

Trust, T., Krutka, D., & Carpenter, J. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102, 15-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007

Varlejs, J. (2016). IFLA Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development: Principles and Best Practices [Ebook] (2nd ed.). International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Retrieved 12 October 2020, from https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/cpdwl/guidelines/ifla-guidelines-for-continuing-professional-development.pdf.