Step 5: Talk About It

So after that incredibly busy and wonderful week at the beginning of December, I realized that I needed to talk more about what I do.  Great!  I have a blog, so isn't' that spreading my word to the masses? Sort of, but not to the extent that I need to be spreading the word...well, I'm extended, but not necessarily intended!  I realized that I am putting the word "out", but what I really need to do is put the word "in".  Specifically, I need to share the word within my school about what I do and what I can help others do.

Ready for hugs and sharing!

What exactly do I do?  Well, I teach library classes for PreK through 5th grade for 40 minutes once a week.  During these time slots I teach literacy appreciation, research skills, technology skills and when applicable I integrate math, science, social studies, etc! In addition, I teach keyboarding skills to 3rd and 4th graders once a week for 30 minutes.  This is an interesting thing to "teach" as it requires little more than monitoring and reminding beyond the first few weeks.  The kids come and practice, practice, practice while I monitor, remind and encourage. I also have several "open" time slots during each day for doing technology integration.  Unfortunately, I haven't been called on for much true integration yet.  Sure, they call me when the technology isn't working and I troubleshoot what I can.  They ask for resources and I scrounge up print and non-print materials.  They sometimes even ask for suggestions on what to incorporate into their lessons in terms of web resources...but none of this is true integration.

Lone penguin in a Charlie Brownish tree

What do I mean by true integration?  What I envision is planning with classroom and special education teachers to provide lessons that are scaffolded, engaging, creative and memorable for students.  I envision lessons that include some technology, some hands on experiential work and real world applications.  I envision being viewed as a colleague and sought after for my incredible brains and insightful lessons! Okay, okay, maybe that last part has me echoing maniacal laughter, but I would like to help in any way possible.  So I'm going to start putting myself out there more.  I have a plan to start small, let the word spread and build a set of truly integrated lessons that we can share, not only within our school, but also with the greater community.

Look for a January installment to my blog about my presentation to the school board!

Happy Holidays!

Step 4: Go out and do something!

This week has been a bit crazy for me, had some trouble with my car, my daughter went back to college and I spent half of my week at the Christa McAuliffe Conference in Manchester!  Lots of things to do and learn.

 Img from nhste.org

On Monday night I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with Sylvia Martinez on the Maker Movement. I have been hearing about Makerspaces and dreaming of creating one at my school for about 6 months now and we are on our way already! I have surveyed the fifth graders, purchased iPads and Little Bits kits, and started the conversation with my principal(who is fully on board)! Monday night's workshop gave me the opportunity to play with a MaKey MaKey kit, which I will be bringing back to school for the student's use. If you've never seen one, check out their website by clicking on the link below.

makeymakey 

 Img from MakeyMakey website

Tuesday was a full conference day for me and I attended a wonderful keynote and workshop by Sylvia Martinez so my head is full of ideas for the Makerspace. In addition, I attended a workshop on Twitter as a PD tool, which I really can't say enough about. I first logged into Twitter to follow Jimmy Fallon and George Takei, they are both so funny and the hashtag challenges crack me up. But then I attended a workshop at the BLC conference that opened my eyes to the possibility of using Twitter as a PD tool. The workshop this week included some like minded people and some newbies and I learned a few more tricks and tools, including better curating of my Twitter feed through Tweet Deck.  You can follow me on Twitter @hdidi17 or follow my library @LibrarySCES.
                          
Thursday was another full conference day for me. It began with a truly inspiring keynote by Rushton Hurley. The main thing I took away from it was that we, as educators, need to put the fun into learning and we can do that in two key ways- letting kids play(explore, discover, make mistakes, learn) and by putting ourselves out there. The technology isn't always going to work, but how we handle that is key. The time we give kids to do things is key. The support we give them, without "grading" them is key.

I also spent a great deal of the day networking with other teachers and librarians. I feel I've made some valuable contacts and have truly taken my head out of the sand! It can be scary putting yourself out there, wondering if what we have to offer is good enough. But as the keynote speaker stated, the only person you should compare yourself to is yourself from yesterday!  He also said a candle doesn't lose anything by lighting another candle...just something to think about.

Friday I stepped way out of my comfort zone and used Google hangout for a video chat between one of my 2nd grade classes and a second grade class from Henniker Community School. I had gone to visit Carol Sweny, the Librarian at HCS, a few weeks back and we came up with a plan to have our kids share their thoughts about the NH Ladybug Award nominees. In preparation, both groups had listened to all of the books, written about their favorite and cast their official ballot! In addition, Carol and I ran a practice video chat last week to be sure that we could see and hear each other!  The whole experience was fantastic!  The kids were excited and engaged on both ends and Carol and I are planning on doing more of this in future!

 

I know this is a fairly long blog post and I thank you for reading to the end, if you did in fact read to the end!  I have gotten out to do some things this week and I can't wait to get out and do more things!!!!

Step 3: Be Thankful!

In the season of thankfulness that happens this time of year, I can't help but think about how lucky I am. I have a job that is more than just a job, it is a career that I love. Even on those terrible days, and we all have them, I am lucky to do something that makes me smile, think eagerly about lesson plans, get excited about new technologies, new ideas and new ways to approach teaching and learning. I feel sorry for educators who don't love what they do. I feel sorry for librarians who don't put any effort into learning new technologies. I feel sorry for administrators and school boards that do not see the value of a strong library program. Mostly though, I feel sorry for kids who don't have someone championing for not only their literary needs, but also their curiosity. A good librarian, in a strongly supported library program can make the world open up for kids. They can even the playing field a little for those facing challenges. They can bring back a sense of curiosity for kids, which in turn promotes a desire to learn. My wish for the future is to open new worlds for lots of children and help others recognize and support strong library media programs. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season and lots of good reading.

My daughter and I, about 14 years ago when I was deciding that I wanted to be a Children's Librarian.

Step 2: Don't Panic!

So I published my first blog post and then linked it on my Facebook page!  Yikes!  Once it's out there, it's out there!  I was a little astounded at how quickly people commented on it!  So I realized I need to make this a regular thing, a habit, if you will...which put me into a total panic! How can I manage to post to a blog regularly in addition to keeping up with my growing Twitter account, managing my Facebook, keeping up with my job, my life, etc!

Okay, okay, so I'll try not to panic and take one bite of the elephant at a time! I'm going to try and update this at least once a month, more frequently if something really pressing or exciting is happening.  So what has happened since my last blog post?  Sadly, not much in the way of technology! But I did manage to coordinate my first Book Fair, this'll be a twice yearly delight(maybe just a hint of sarcasm in here). I also was accepted to the Marlboro College Graduate School in their Masters in Teaching With Technology program.  I begin my studies in January and I'm really quite "chuffed"! (Shout out to my British mates) Most exciting of all, I went on my first school visit! Some of you are probably saying "Huh? How is a school visit more exciting that getting into Grad School?"

I decided that one of my Professional Development Goals for my next round of the recertification process would be to build my PLC - Professional Learning Community. I was an ostrich with my head in the sand at my last job and didn't have any idea what was really happening in other schools. So I asked my principal if I could spend my Parent/Teacher conference day doing a school visit and she agreed that it would be an excellent use of my time.  I spent the day with an amazingly talented and wonderfully welcoming librarian named Carol Sweney.  I observed her teaching a couple of classes, we chatted about the Maker Space she is creating at her school, she shared all kinds of great Google docs with me to enhance my teaching, planning and communications and we talked shop for a bit. I came home, bursting with new ideas!

I am eager to see what else I can learn, and not just from face to face visits like this one.  My PLC is growing every day via Twitter, I am actively participating in discussions on the Amazing Librarians Facebook page and I am making an effort to communicate with my colleagues; all of which are leaving me smiling and feeling more and more like I've made the right decision. I feel a bit like the Little Engine That Could...so long as I take things one step at a time and remember not to panic!

One of the shows that I've been watching is called Emma Approved, a You Tube adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.  One episode had Harriet Smith singing Maybe I Can while playing the Ukulele. I found it to be very timely in thinking about this blog post so I've decided to include the link. It made me smile and I hope it makes you smile too!

http://youtu.be/jWKczdoAGWo

Step 1: Create a Blog

Last year I found myself discouraged and frustrated with my job for the first time in 13 years of being an elementary school librarian. I made a promise to myself that I would not become a disgruntled, complaining, get-by-doing-the-bare-minimum kind of teacher that I had seen, though rarely, around me.

So I began to look around for other positions in the area. I discovered it was a great year to be looking around! Lots of open positions in my field, especially for someone with experience! So I began the process of updating my resume, cover letters, letters of reference and all that goes along with a job hunt. It was rather nice; knowing that I had a job relieved the pressure of interviews and I went into them all relaxed and open. I enjoyed them and made a good impression, at least I believe so, at all of them. I was offered and accepted a position in a smaller school as a Library Media Specialist and Technology Integrator.  And this is where my journey really began.

I had considered myself, and had been told by many, that I was a darn good Librarian! I read with expression, my lessons were engaging and I had great classroom management skills.  While all of this was true, I came at my new position feeling at a loss, at least as far as the technology integration was concerned. I used technology in my own classroom, yes, how could I not! But how could I become a true leader in my school and my district as a Technology Integrator? Did I know enough to help a Kindergarten teacher incorporate Google maps into her lessons? Could I inspire a 3rd grade teacher to use a document camera in her lessons? Could I enable an entire grade level of students to use their 1 to 1 iPads in new and innovative ways? Could I open up the "Twitterverse" to my fellow colleagues and show them that Twitter is indeed the best PD tool I have ever used? Well, as with anything, you win some you lose some!

  

The main thing I am learning is to be patient, with myself especially, but also with others. It will take time for them to see me as a leader, to trust that I will work hard for them and with them, and to know that I will do whatever I can to help kids learn and be successful. The patience with myself is vital, I don't have to know everything all at once, knowledge grows each day and builds on trying new things, failing at them and trying again. After all, fail simply means "first attempt in learning"! So in order to help my students and fellow teachers, I've taken step 1 and created this blog. I hope to learn more about blogging because I truly believe that I cannot help others do something unless I have done it myself, not simply read about it! I also find that writing can be a release, a quiet friend that listens without question or judgement. So I will write what I am learning on my journey in these pages; some may choose to read them, and some may even be inspired by some of the trials and tribulations that I share. One thing is certain, I do this for myself with an open heart and an open mind. I can't wait to check my growth and progress as I spend the year learning, doing, creating and teaching.