Candidates advocate for dynamic school library programs and positive learning environments that focus on student learning and achievement by collaborating and connecting with teachers, administrators, librarians, and the community. Candidates are committed to continuous learning and professional growth and lead professional development activities for other educators. Candidates provide leadership by articulating ways in which school libraries contribute to student achievement. "
Elements
4.1. Networking with the library community
4.2 Professional development
4.3 Leadership
4.4 Advocacy
4.1. Networking with the library community
4.2 Professional development
4.3 Leadership
4.4 Advocacy
Reflection:
Library Media Specialists must be our own advocates. We are a small but mighty force in our schools and communities, and we must be loud and proud about our roles. Communicating with the stakeholders of our programs ensures that we advertise our successes and solicit support when needed. To be the best at our jobs, we must engage in a relentless quest for knowledge and development while providing others with opportunities to do the same. Standard 4 of the ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians (2010) outlines how to do so.
In developing and delivering the Face-to-Face and Online Staff Development Workshops, I was able to provide teachers at another school with the knowledge and tools to use digital poster makers in their own practice. So many educators have technology in their classrooms, but don't know how to make the most of it for their learners. Bridging the technology gap between teachers and students with tasks that ask students to be producers of knowledge, rather than consumers, demonstrates my commitment to bettering not only my practice but that of other educators as well.
My membership with Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) is another way in which I am able to advocate for my program and be a leader within the school community. By staying abreast of the latest news in Georgia library media programs through the GLMA ListServ, I am able to better advocate for my program. Additionally, our twice-yearly meetings with our local GLMA region allow me to develop and maintain relationships with other school library media specialists.
By attending the Georgia Educational Technology Conference this year, I was able to not only network with other professionals in my field, but to stay abreast of the latest developments in instructional technology, promoting reading, program development, and other aspects of library media programs.
Library Media Specialists must be our own advocates. We are a small but mighty force in our schools and communities, and we must be loud and proud about our roles. Communicating with the stakeholders of our programs ensures that we advertise our successes and solicit support when needed. To be the best at our jobs, we must engage in a relentless quest for knowledge and development while providing others with opportunities to do the same. Standard 4 of the ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians (2010) outlines how to do so.
In developing and delivering the Face-to-Face and Online Staff Development Workshops, I was able to provide teachers at another school with the knowledge and tools to use digital poster makers in their own practice. So many educators have technology in their classrooms, but don't know how to make the most of it for their learners. Bridging the technology gap between teachers and students with tasks that ask students to be producers of knowledge, rather than consumers, demonstrates my commitment to bettering not only my practice but that of other educators as well.
My membership with Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) is another way in which I am able to advocate for my program and be a leader within the school community. By staying abreast of the latest news in Georgia library media programs through the GLMA ListServ, I am able to better advocate for my program. Additionally, our twice-yearly meetings with our local GLMA region allow me to develop and maintain relationships with other school library media specialists.
By attending the Georgia Educational Technology Conference this year, I was able to not only network with other professionals in my field, but to stay abreast of the latest developments in instructional technology, promoting reading, program development, and other aspects of library media programs.
Face-to-Face Staff Development Workshop (Task 4).
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For my face-to-face professional development, I worked with my practicum supervisor, Mrs. Whatley to plan the session. The staff at the primary and elementary schools at which Mrs. Whatley is the library media specialist have one-to-one technology, but do not often receive professional development in educational technologies other than those mandated by the district. To design this session, I began by examining AdvancED accreditation data from the 2018-2019 school year. This revealed the need for teachers and students within the learning community to use technology as a productivity tool rather than a tool strictly for consumption of knowledge. Since this area was already identified, I then conducted a needs assessment to identify the specific learning target. The analyzed the results and created my learning target: Learners will demonstrate knowledge and practice of using online poster makers.
With my learning target in mind, I made the presentation itself using a digital poster maker. I used videos, Bitmojis, memes, and pop-culture references to draw interest from the learners. I also hosted the materials for this session on my library website so that learners could access them afterwards at their leisure. I used the instructional framework to guide my opening, work session, and closing and allowed time for participants to ask questions and work independently.
Finally, participants were asked to complete an instructional survey to assess their feelings about the content and the effectiveness of instruction. Overall, I found that 82% of participants were confident or very confident in their ability to use digital poster makers in their instructional practice. Eighty-six percent of participants believed that the level of instruction was relatively appropriate for their learning levels, and 79% of participants believed that the instruction was very clear and easy to follow. Most learners (72%) were interested in the topic.
If I were to deliver this session again, I would make tweaks to include more videos. I would also like to have a longer session in which to deliver the content. I felt that I did not have enough time to let the participants truly explore the Canva platform to create their own original work. I would also like to have a more reliable internet connection. The district's network was experiencing fiber connectivity issues, and this caused the wireless network to not be as reliable as usual. I was able to have the two participants who could not connect to the network work with partners for the work session.
Creating this face-to-face staff development is an example of my commitment to offering staff professional development that is relevant to the practice of educators. This artifact supports elements 4.2 and 4.3.
With my learning target in mind, I made the presentation itself using a digital poster maker. I used videos, Bitmojis, memes, and pop-culture references to draw interest from the learners. I also hosted the materials for this session on my library website so that learners could access them afterwards at their leisure. I used the instructional framework to guide my opening, work session, and closing and allowed time for participants to ask questions and work independently.
Finally, participants were asked to complete an instructional survey to assess their feelings about the content and the effectiveness of instruction. Overall, I found that 82% of participants were confident or very confident in their ability to use digital poster makers in their instructional practice. Eighty-six percent of participants believed that the level of instruction was relatively appropriate for their learning levels, and 79% of participants believed that the instruction was very clear and easy to follow. Most learners (72%) were interested in the topic.
If I were to deliver this session again, I would make tweaks to include more videos. I would also like to have a longer session in which to deliver the content. I felt that I did not have enough time to let the participants truly explore the Canva platform to create their own original work. I would also like to have a more reliable internet connection. The district's network was experiencing fiber connectivity issues, and this caused the wireless network to not be as reliable as usual. I was able to have the two participants who could not connect to the network work with partners for the work session.
Creating this face-to-face staff development is an example of my commitment to offering staff professional development that is relevant to the practice of educators. This artifact supports elements 4.2 and 4.3.
Online Staff Development Workshop (Task 5).
Please click below to access my Online Staff Development Workshop.
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The online version of the staff development demonstrates my ability to provide professional learning in diverse ways, while working around the planning and scheduling complications that any school has. This online version can also be accessed after the original sessions for reference purposes. This artifact supports elements 4.2 and 4.3.
GLMA Membership and Meetings.
As evidence of my commitment to my own professional development, I have included my GLMA certificate and the agenda from our first semester meeting. I often feel left out in the area of professional development because while my district provides frequent and intense opportunities for teachers, it does not provide any tailored towards media specialists. Seeking my own professional learning is essential to my continued success in my profession. This artifact supports elements 4.1 and 4.2.
GaETC Conference Attendance.
Attending the Georgia Educational Technology Conference is another example of my commitment to networking with other librarians and furthering my own professional learning. By asking my district level program director for permission to attend the conference, I also advocated for my program. This artifact supports elements 4.1, 4.2, and 4.4.