EDUC 568: Tech-Embedded Instruction

Course Reflection:

The three most valuable parts of this course, for me, were interaction with other educators, the opportunity to become familiar with the world of school librarians, and introduction to and practice with digital tools.

The other students in the course were all experienced educators. Each week, through the assigned Discussion post, I had a chance to hear from and interact with my classmates. Hearing my classmates experiences and perspectives on issues of education, through the lens of school libraries, was not only valuable, but refreshing and enjoyable as well.

As I say in my Module 1 Reflection below, this course encouraged me to become familiar with an aspect of teaching and learning that I am weak in; the role of a librarian and the world of school libraries. I joined the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Since joining, I have been following discussion groups and reading articles provided by the AASL. This new area of engagement is providing a needed spark for and filling a gap in my professional life.

Then there is the practical introduction to and practice with digital tools and resources. As I mention numerous times in my reflections below, I had the opportunity to try many new things, from Canva, to Padlet, to mind maps, to flow charts, and much more. I intend to continue my practice with these resources, have already begun using them in my own teaching, and am inspired to find other resources.

Module 1

Foundations of Information Literacy and the Role of the School Librarian

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Module Reflection:

The activities for this module asked three key things of me that were particularly valuable: 1) what experiences have I had in libraries and with librarians and what did I learn from these experiences, 2) how do I see myself in the librarian role, and 3) what are the guidelines and standards for librarians (AASL, ISTE, FRL, etc.)

Diving into the standards was especially useful for my growth. Although I have been in education for almost three decades, looking at things through the library-lens is new to me. I joined the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Since joining, I have been following discussion groups and reading articles provided by the AASL.

Moving forward, I hope to further engage with and learn from these professional communities of school librarians.

Module tasks:

Module 2

Instructional Design & Effective Teaching Strategies for Librarians

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Module Reflection:

The discussion for this Module asked for reflection on a highly effective lesson and then for the designing of lesson that integrated technology and information literacy.

It was useful to reflect on the components of a highly effective lesson and what made it so. It was especially useful to design a lesson that I will be able to use with students in my own practice, while keeping these highly effective components in mind.

Moving forward, I will continue a focus on information literacy, helping students improve their ability to locate, evaluate, and use information.

Module tasks:

Module 3

Integrating Information Literacy with Content Curriculum

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Module Reflection:

This module continued the focus on information literacy. The module challenged me to integrate information literacy with core content. The module also challenged me to use (and ask students to use) tech tools in meaningful ways as I created a lesson in Canva.

While I was aware of Canva as a tool, I had only used it once before (for Module 1 of this course), and never for the creation of a presentation or lesson. Increasing my familiarity with Canva was valuable. This includes the exercise of integrating multimedia and other interactive elements into the lesson via Canva; Google Forms, embedded video, embedded web pages and more.

Canva is now solidly on my go to list of resources for both myself and my students.

Module tasks:

Module 4

Collaboration and Co-Teaching Strategies for School Librarians

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Module Reflection:

The Module continued to challenge me to try new things using tech while focusing on teacher-librarian co-teaching and collaboration.

I appreciate the practice with elements as "simple" as flow charts and mind maps, both of which were required elements in our, "Virtual Collaboration Plan." See link below.

Universally, teachers appreciate when they are asked to do work that can be used in, or translates directly to the classroom. I am currently designing a lesson where a key part of the student product will be a mind map. Bigger picture, I am being reminded to think outside of my own box when designing learning. I want to challenge myself to not keep returning to the same lesson tools when there are other, possibly better, options.

Module tasks:

Module 5

Technology Integration, The Digital Divide, and Equity in Access

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Module Reflection:

The issue of equity is central to the mission of public education and technology in education is no exception. This module asked me to engage with and discuss solutions for this issue.

While I felt more knowledgable about this issue than others in the course, I found it useful to grapple with, nonetheless. In creating my deliverable for the Module, I continued my exploration of tech resources for education. My deliverable was, "The Digital Divide," page linked below. I created four images for the page (and its sub-page) using AI. Although it may not show, it took me a significant amount of time to come up with the four images I ended up posting and I learned a lot along the way. Well worth the time invested.

I plan to continue to explore and learn the ways AI can be used for teaching and learning.

Module tasks:

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