LIBE 477 and the Vision
of the Future assignment has been a huge learning process for me. Learning how
to blog, learning how to use Feedly, learning how to use Canvas, learning how
to create a Padlet and learning how to do a screencast were all new experiences.
On top of that, searching for and navigating the vast resources available for
my assignments and blog posts was both inspiring and mentally exhausting. There
have certainly been some frustrations trying to figure out the technology, but in
the end, I am happy with the Vision of the Future Padlet resource I have
created and look forward to seeing how it evolves over time. I am hopeful that staff
members will be interested in collaborating with me and that my staff will
contribute to the Padlet over time so that it becomes a valuable resource for
myself and my staff.
I really like the simple,
user-friendly format of Padlet and feel it has the potential for great success
with my staff. The team of grade 2/3 teachers I worked with this year were amazing
for sharing resources on Microsoft Teams. We all contributed resources to be
shared throughout the year and our Team eventually had an amazing number of folders
for each subject that were a valuable resource. I think this experience in community
creation and sharing resources through Microsoft Teams will have prepared my staff
for a resource like Padlet.
I enjoyed navigating
the resources available on the internet and in my community for my Vision of
the Future assignment. From the beginning of the course, I knew that I wanted
to explore Indigenous culture and how to better incorporate Indigenous culture
and content into my teaching. Indigenous education has always been a passion of
mine and it was nice to have an opportunity and time to really dig into some resources
and sketch out how they will be useful to me this upcoming school year. This
was a meaningful endeavor for me on many levels because it is a topic that is of
significant interest for me and will also be useful come September. It is rewarding
to work on a project that I can see benefiting my students and my teaching.
Blogging was a new and
challenging experience. I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos that
explained how to create blogs. I feel that my blog is very basic and could use
a lot of elaboration, but for a first attempt, I’m pleased with how it has
turned out. I’ve recently gone back and read by blog posts from the beginning of
the course and was not as horrified as I thought I would be. It is hard to read
your own work through the eyes of your audience. I enjoyed using Feedly to see
my classmates’ blogs. We have some talented writers in our class, and it was
such a joy to read and learn from all of you!
Screencasting was like
nothing I’ve ever tried before. I used Screecast-O-Matic, which was very easy
to use. I struggled with recording myself speaking, I really don’t like hearing
myself talk so this was very difficult for me. I probably tried about 50 times
to get the recording right and it’s still far from perfect, but I was starting
to lose my voice (just kidding). I have gained a lot of respect for people who
make videos and screencasts, it is quite a difficult process.
Here is a link to the
far from perfect screencast explaining the resources on the Padlet I made for
my digital artifact.
How can we create a Library Learning Commons that honors
Indigenous culture?
My geographic location is important to mention when
considering my Vision of the Future. I teach in School District 72 in Campbell
River. Campbell River is located near the Northern part of Vancouver Island.
This area has a rich history of Indigenous culture, fishing, logging, and
connection with nature. Those who live here are in constant contact with the
ocean, lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, and wildlife that surround us. The
immense contributions by First Nations can be seen, heard, and experienced
throughout Campbell River. To name a few, there are First Nations totems,
carvings, art, exhibits, buildings/structures, Indigenous language signage and
a radio station that shares Indigenous language.
In my experiences teaching over the last decade, I have found
that many teachers, like myself, are enthusiastic and keen to incorporate more
Indigenous content and Indigenous ways of knowing into their practice. We are
kind, caring and dedicated teachers who want to make sure we do this in a culturally
respectful and authentic way. Many teachers are uncertain how to teach
Indigenous content and don’t want to make a mistake that could be
misunderstood.
My vision for the LLC is that it becomes a “hub” of sorts for
accessing, sharing, and learning about Indigenous content and Indigenous ways
of knowing for students and teachers. The LLC could be a place to connect with district
Indigenous Education teachers, artists, language teachers, Elders, knowledge
keepers, and community members. The LLC could connect teachers with possible
field trip experiences, digital resources, artifacts, games, virtual museum
tours, language experiences, talking circles, land acknowledgement, digital
books, authentic literature, inquiry projects, orange shirt day resources,
teaching resources and other Indigenous content learning experiences for
students. The LLC would coordinate, curate, and share these resources, thus
supporting teachers in their endeavors to teach Indigenous content and
Indigenous ways of knowing.
Key Elements for this Vision of the Future
1)1)Supporting Learners -The LLC would be an inclusive space for all
learners, family, community members, and educators. It would aim to make
everyone feel welcome, safe, and respected. It would be a space that incorporates
the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FNESC, 2008) into every aspect of the
library.
-Indigenous learners would see their culture reflected in the LLC in a
respectful way. This could be fostered by the presence of Indigenous language
on signs in the LLC, digital recordings of Indigenous language and music,
Indigenous language taught by a language teacher, art displays created by local
Indigenous artists or student art inspired by local Indigenous artists, artifacts,
talking circles, authentic Indigenous literature, pursuit of personal inquiry
projects, and guest speakers (Elders, knowledge keepers, artists, community
members).
-The physical space would be set up to allow
for individual, partner and group work.
-Student choice would be incorporated into
assignments, inquiry, and resource selection.
-Students and teachers would work
collaboratively.
-Self-reflection and self-assessment would be
encouraged, taught, and discussed.
2)2) Supporting Teachers – The LLC
would be a place teachers feel welcome and encouraged to come for resources and
support. Hamilton (2011) believes “The strength and relevance of today’s
school libraries lie in the relationships and sense of community that school
librarians build within the school community”. Teachers would not feel pressured, judged, or overwhelmed.
The TL would be available to work collaboratively and cooperatively with
teachers. Staenberg and Vanneman say, “Successful collaborations are built on
successful professional relationships that are built over time on trust, flexibility,
creativity, understanding of best practice, knowledge of curriculum and
assessment, good planning, and the willingness to share teaching,
decision-making, and professional growth” (2009). Staenberg and Vanneman’s
description of “successful collaborations” would be evident throughout the LLC.
3)3)Inquiry – The TL is in an
excellent position to offer opportunities to teachers and students to support
their inquiry endeavors. According to the BC Teachers’ Library Association, “The new
curriculum demands this too, as personally driven learning, inquiry research
models and knowledge creation becomes the norm for B.C. students”. MacKenzie (2019) calls teachers “Your Inquiry
Superhero” because they have many skills and access to resources to support
inquiry processes.
-The LLC could become a place that facilitates inquiry
projects into Indigenous innovations and Indigenous culture. The NOIIE website
provides case studies where BC schools have incorporated inquiry. The case
studies are all related to supporting Indigenous learners and embracing
Indigenous culture. Case Studies
2020-2021 – Networks of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (noiie.ca)
The Indigenous ways of knowing outlined by Sandford
et al. (2012) are an important component of my Vision of the Future. They can
be viewed alongside the First Peoples Principles of Learning. Both align well
with inquiry-based, student-centered learning. The Indigenous ways of knowing
are as follows:
·Learning is
emergent
·Focus on
students and teacher interaction
·Learning happens
in many locations, inside and outside the school; classroom can be noisy
·Students
construct knowledge through gathering and synthesizing information
·Students work in
pairs, groups, or alone depending on the purpose of the activity
·Assessment is
used in context to promote and diagnose learning
·Learners are
guided to find their own solutions and answer their own questions
·Students
evaluate their own learning; teachers also evaluate; teaching and assessing are
intertwined
·Students have
multiple opportunities for success and quiet recognition
·Students have
some choice of learning activities and topics
·Approach is
compatible with multi- and inter-disciplinary investigation (figure 1)
I have considered these and the First Peoples
Principles of learning throughout the creation of my digital artifact and this
blog post.
My digital artifact is a Padlet. It is a work
in progress and is a document that I will continue to develop over time. I hope
to share it with my staff and encourage them to add to it as well. It is
intended to be a resource for the library and for all teachers on staff to
support them in their endeavors to incorporate more Indigenous content into
their teaching. My Padlet includes all the resources I have found so far that I
feel are best suited to this task. There is a brief explanation with each
resource. Here is the link to my Padlet https://padlet.com/macleoderintana/visionforthefuture.
I am currently a classroom teacher and
constantly seek out those who will collaborate with me around incorporating
more Indigenous content and Indigenous ways of knowing into my teaching and our
school. My Vision of the Future emerged from my passion to find ways to better support
Indigenous learners. I intend to share the Padlet I created with staff members
who are interested in exploring ways to incorporate more Indigenous content and
Indigenous ways of knowing into their practice. It could potentially be shared
at a staff meeting with my entire staff if that is an area of staff interest. I
want to be respectful of others’ interests and needs. I don’t want to add one
more thing to their plate if people are already overwhelmed. I have created a
screencast annotation explaining the potential uses of the resources on the
Padlet so that if a teacher wants to look at it on their own time, they can do
so.
Here is a link to the screencast explaining my Padlet:
Harris, C., & Mayer, B. (2010). Child's
play. Children and Libraries: The Journal of the Association for the
Library Service to Children, 8(3), 47–48.Child's Play.:
EBSCOhost
Holloway, P. (1999). Cycle of the cedar.
[Board Game]. School District Office Resource Center, Campbell River,
BC.
