My final Vision Project is a SMART notebook lesson entitled Using Technology To Support 21st Century Literacy in the Elementary Classroom. Using evidence from Will Richardson’s Why School, the NCTE and the new B.C. Curriculum, I hope to demonstrate to colleagues the importance of integrating technology into their teaching pedagogy. I also wanted to give my colleagues some ways to start the process of integration, so they don’t think that it’s all about the teacher using the technology in their lessons. We want the use of technology to be student centered.
I would like to demonstrate for teachers that one way technology can be integrated into their pedagogy is by using iPads. As I worked one this project, I began to see a clear connection between the 21st Century Literacies and Bloom’s Taxonomies. All of the new literacies are addressed using the taxonomy. For example,” Designing and Sharing Information for Global Communities” fits perfectly with Creating in the Bloom’s. As I was learning about iPad apps, I found “abundant” information and graphics linking the taxonomies with the iPad apps. This connection between the new literacies, Bloom’s and the apps was new to me, but made perfect sense. I also discovered that teachers and learners don’t always have to start at the bottom of the taxonomies with only a few of us reaching the top of the pyramid. It’s ok to start at the top and work down. Start with creating and learn from your successes and failures and you end up remembering and understanding the knowledge even better. I also included links to websites and YouTube videos for the teachers to go to for more help getting started with the iPads. It is my hope that all the students in the school have the opportunity to use the iPads to enable and transform their learning.
Taking LIBE 477 has been an interesting journey. I have been reminded of the importance of many ideas, as well as, being introduced to new ones. The roles of the teacher librarian have again been brought to the forefront of my thinking. Fostering a culture of reading is a role that needs to be constantly reinforced and revised. I have really focused on the role of the T/L as a leader during this course especially with my final project. Learning about PLNs, new technologies, and the use of social media (blogging and twitter technology have been a challenge for me) for professional development for myself and my colleagues has really helped me with this leadership role. Looking to other T/Ls in my district and to my PLN can provide so many fresh ideas to achieve a T/L’s goals. I hope through my focus on leadership, my most important take away from this class can be achieved. My most important take away is from Will Richardson’s Why School? “In the end, the “why school” question comes down to the somewhat larger one of what we truly want for our kids.” I think parents and teachers alike want “…them to love learning...to be able to solve real problems…and to be independent thinkers.”
Vision Project link
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B46Kve_2Pk9OTHF2VFVBdHVQRWM
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B46Kve_2Pk9OTHF2VFVBdHVQRWM
To open my Final Vision Project you may have to down SMART notebook software from SMART technologies. They have a free 90 day trial period.
Works Cited
"Digital Literacy Standards." DRAFT Digital Literacy Standards. B.C. Ministry of Education, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
McCall, Michelle. "Bloom's Taxonomy." 21st Century Literacy Project. N.p., n.d. Web.
12 Nov. 2015.
Richardson, W. (2012). Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere. TED Conferences Publishing. [EBOOK]
"The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies." National Council of Teachers of English.
Http://www.ncte.org/, Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
