Roberta Harris Teacher Librarian

My vision is to change my practice to reflect a 21st-Century learning environment while at the same time learning how to communicate our learning to parents and the community.  With the restrictions of Covid-19 and during the current pandemic, parents have not been permitted to come into our school.   Having to turn parents away at the door and tell them they can't come in has been one of the most devastating duties I have ever had to perform.  Not being able to "physically" communicate to parents how students are doing has been a detriment to parent/teacher relationships and the ability to effectively communicate between home and school.  :(  As our class transforms into a 21st-century learning environment, we would like to share our learning.  While learning about digital resources I came across a digital portfolio resource called "freshgrade"   https://freshgrade.com/   which will be a perfect communication tool between parents, teach...

 As teacher librarians we have the world at our fingertips!  I have learned it is our duty to be with the times and current in order to effectively share the world with others.  Libraries are not only about books and research, libraries are a link to the outside world literally!  We can travel across the world with technology especially lately since we have been reduced to communicating digitally due to Covid-19.  My interest lies in becoming a 21st-Century educator.  This is not an easy feat.  There are many barriers like remoteness, lack of technology, skills, equipment and access to training and professional development.   Many of the barriers can be overcome with the use of technology, willingness and the desire to learn.  I have learned so much over the last term. Explore:  Areas I have explored include how to be a 21st-Century teacher, integrating STEM/STEAM into the classroom and the benefits of using digital technology to en...

I have never really considered the development of libraries around the world.  Upon researching I came across interesting libraries and services and was inspired by the lengths that people will go to to get books into the hands of others.  Grace Dobush writes an article depicting how “libraries can come in all kinds of creative and unusual forms.”  There are many fascinating examples of how books end up in the hands of readers.  One library is called “the graveyard library” located in a “Jewish cemetery in the Austrian town of Krems an der Donau…the graveyard contains a series of bookshelves [called The Open Library] [which] “consists of three bookshelves in the size and shape of gravestones, with glass doors protecting books in English, German and Hebrew about Jewish philosophy and the history of death”  https://qz.com/773248/libraries/ Dobush (2016) also depicts a “Weapons of Mass Instruction” where “Argentine artist Raul Lemesoff turned a 1979 Ford Falcon int...

There are many different directions I could take in recommending or responding to our school's needs regarding information and communication technology (ICT).  Without speaking or collaborating with the staff(since it's Spring Break)  regarding this issue I will focus on what I think based on observation and past practice.   Our school has slowly become more and more technology savvy.  Almost all of the classrooms have Smartboards, computers in the classroom, access to laptops, Chromebooks and I-Pads.  Some of the classrooms use a program called Kurzweill to assist with reading and writing, intermediate students know how to use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to share their learning and children from kindergarten to grade 7 know how to access websites, games and computer programs.   Myself and some of the special education assistants are aware of and use a service called ARC BC where you can access training and the ability to download books and reso...