My beginning with the end in mind is centered around my ultimate goal of obtaining a position in B.C. when I move at the end of June. I will be spending this December working on getting together application packages and sending them off before I head to Victoria for the Christmas break. This final assignment for this course is the final assignment for my term. Report cards were due to my principal earlier today, and while I have assignments due for other classes later this week, they have been submitted already. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, practice on the range with my Archery team tomorrow, help more with our school's Christmas Concert, and update my IPPs. In my final vision project, I have created an online digital resume/portfolio. There are a variety of pieces to it, including audio clips, videos, pictures, letters, and student work samples. I have cataloged all of my PD that I can remember, various sessions I have run and been a part of, as well as indicated which classes I have taken toward my Teacher Librarianship Diploma. I think that my final vision project indicates fairly well the amount of effort I put into my projects, assignments, and overall work. I am thorough and meticulous, organized and reflective. I hope that my use and familiarity with technology comes through in my project, and I hope that it is well received. In an effort to make sure the site is more accessible, I have removed all of the important contact information from my references (those who could be contacted), as I want to keep their information private until requested. I have also removed the password for the site, again, for accessibility purposes. In my resume section, I have elaborated more than what I have included on a resume I would submit to a school district. Here is the link to my online portfolio and resume. Let me know what you think!
www.kristabelanger.com
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Last night, after waiting over an hour in the Edmonton airport security line, stressed about the outcome of the lineup, I landed in Victoria (well, Sidney, but that's close enough). My husband who lives in Victoria while I finish off the school year picked me up and drove me to the rental to be reunited with my cats and dog. And then, today, it rained. I knew to bring a rain jacket - but my plans were foiled for my first day of fall break. Instead, I sit in the living room with a cat on my chest, a cat on my feet, another purring in my ear, and the dog travelling between upstairs to see my in-laws and downstairs to ensure I am still here. Over the next 6 months, I'll be Victoria-bound more than two or three times, with my vision set on obtaining a job somewhere in Victoria, Sannich, Sidney, or Sooke. My vision project revolves around the single goal of finding a job. In Alberta, there are more teachers than jobs. I have heard the opposite about interior B.C., but nothing about South Vancouver Island. I have been on the Make a Future site, but have not found any Teacher Librarian positions (I'll be finishing my diploma at the end of August). I know it's early, and I know that we are only 2.5 months into this school year, but job searching is stressful for someone who plans for everything. What makes things difficult in my perspective is that I am coming in as an out-of-province teacher with no ties or connections. In Manitoba and Alberta, those were priceless in the hiring process! Doing whatever I can to be noticed and stand out may make the difference between being hired or not. The goal of my vision project is to come up with an online resume/digital portfoilo where I can showcase what I have learned over the course of this diploma, have a quick reference for anyone interested in reading about my PD, references, having a tour of my classroom, or seeing sample lessons or unit plans. I have been working on my resume for about a week now, purchased a domain, activated a password (it has contact information for my references, including two Deputy Ministers I previously worked for), and started uploading files. I consulted a few different teaching portfolios, but none fit my vision. I consulted the following:
While the end goal is to get hired (it would be pretty great to be a Teacher Librarian or have a classroom position right away), the short-term goal is to find something I can use and offer up as a reference for administrators and others in the hiring process. References Banner: Victoria – An International City. Victoria BC [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2018, from http://www.victoriabc.ca/
Carnaghi, M., Ms. (n.d.). Ms. Megan Carnaghi - Professional Teaching Portfolio. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from http://carnaghiteachingportfolio.weebly.com/index.html Dulmage, K. (n.d.). Kyra Dulmage • Elementary Educator. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from http://kyradulmage.com/ Östergren, M. (n.d.). Online Teaching Portfolio- Monica Östergren. Retrieved November 9, 2018, from https://ostergrenm.weebly.com/ Sometimes, I am the staff member who offers to perform the role-play in front of my colleagues. Sometimes, I am the staff member who is found at the school on the weekend, straightening up to make everything "just right". Sometimes, I am the staff member who finds that one interesting tidbit of information or way to help that makes everyone else's lives just that much easier. And sometimes, I am a little too hard on myself. Source: https://womenforone.com/portfolio/grace-meeting-moments-journey-picking-back-humble-enough-learn-not-hard-michelle-peluso/ I have treated this course as a way to relax after an especially hard Monday or Tuesday at work. I have also treated this class as a way to learn at my own pace, under the direction of my own personal interests. These inquiry blog posts have been right up my alley (with the exception of the really difficult post previously). I feel like each week I have carved out a bit of PD time, just for myself. It is too easy to get stuck in a rut, doing the same things over and over again. So this blog post is a celebration of all of the little things I have since made time for, all of the times I have stood up in the rut, looked out, and saw all the other teachers digging and navigating their own ruts and trenches around me. Without further ado, I bring you... Krista's list of Reminders and Learning to Herself to Escape THe Rut
Source: https://sylvaniadigitallearning.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/pd-session-basic-google-literacyg/
I needed to write this post today, because in a number of these courses, I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to be better, to do better, to know more, without expressing what I already know. Many of these courses are set up so that it's a competition in the discussion forum for who has a better idea, who is first to respond, the number of responses in a given week is counted toward/against your mark. It's just one big rat race without truly taking the time away to decide what is important for you in your specific circumstance. This inquiry, this phase 2, for me, was liberating and validating in that I am able to communicate what I know, what I have chosen to take on, and manage how it all fits together. References [Google Wormhole of Life]. (2015, October 5). Retrieved October 29, 2018, from https://sylvaniadigitallearning.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/pd-session-basic-google-literacyg/
[LifeVestInside]. (2011, August 29). Life Vest Inside - Kindness Boomerang - "One Day" [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU Kittle, P. (2013). Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Women For One. (2015, December 11). [Grace]. Retrieved October 29, 2018, from https://womenforone.com/portfolio/grace-meeting-moments-journey-picking-back-humble-enough-learn-not-hard-michelle-peluso/ Disclaimer: I turned 30 this year. I am married, without children, have four cats and one dog. Currently, I live alone in Alberta while my husband builds a life for us (with the animals and his parents who live with us) in Victoria. The reason for the disclaimer is this: my thoughts and perspectives are not going to be the same as anyone else in this group or class. Making friends, connecting with colleagues, and learning together is not going to look, sound, or feel the same as any other person. When I moved from Manitoba to Alberta, I had one friend who I knew lived in Edmonton, about 30 minutes from where I moved to. We have known each other since high school, and are both teachers. We also play a game called Pokemon Go (yes, it's still a thing, and yes, 2016 was a very long time ago thanks for asking). Image Source: cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/shutterstock_568034230-796x398.jpg I received a contract for a grade 5 position in an independent school connected to my church's congregation. This means that I teach at a faith-based school where we go to chapel every Wednesday, have Christian Studies classes each day, and pray three times a day: devotions, lunch, and the end of the day. I did not know if I would love this job, because I did not know how I felt about integrating two pretty important parts of my life together so closely. Also, previously I taught grades 9-12, and I have a bit of a dry sense of humour, but it turns out I do love it - grade 5, working with people I see on the weekend regularly, all of it. Part of the reason why I love what I am currently doing is the support and the people I work with. This week we are being asked to discuss developing our ICT Skills and Pedagogy. When I taught high school classes, I taught a computer course to grade 9 students. The teachers in the school wanted our students to become fluent keyboard users since they were transitioning into 1:1 Chromebooks. Since moving to Alberta, I became the co-director of technology for our school. Let me be the first to tell you that our little school is a small fish in a great big pond... and dealing with Apple (or even getting in touch with someone from the purchasing in Education department) is no easy feat. For two years, I tried to hand Apple thousands of dollars, I filled out credit applications, sent many emails (if I said hundreds I would be lying), and played phone tag for weeks. Finally, this year, after two long years of phone tag, emails, support people, and the like - I was able for Apple to finally recognize us as a school, get us credit, and allow us to pay for apps. I told them a few times that I wanted to go about this the honest way, instead of purchasing apps and putting them on ten different iPads (the way sharing works in a household). They finally listened... the heavens opened (pun intended), we can purchase apps! Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-uvyL-sAHY I do not think I have ever had such a difficult time trying to give someone (or a company) money! I am considered the technology person in our school, so that means that nearly every day I have someone coming up to me in the hallway, outside the bathroom, while I am on a prep period, or leaving the school at my car asking me to take a quick look at something. Most of the time it is a quick fix, and other times it takes a bit of time on my part. I receive 40 minutes a week to work on technology in my school, but I do not usually get the full time as I wait for coverage for my class. I am not complaining, because I do get that time. However, it also means that I am the one to fix and troubleshoot everything. We have a class set of iPads, and two class sets of ChromeBooks in our school. We are trying to purchase another class set of iPads, but Apple still will not let me purchase a charge cart through them (please, just take my money)! Given my position, I do not have anyone else to go to to fix anything, run ideas off of, or receive any kind of help from. Google has become my best friend! GIF Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/black-and-white-text-google-xePnbnJiehT1e The great thing about my school is that if there is a need, administration is really supportive. Myself and the other technology co-director have gone to the Technology Summit in Edmonton for PD, and come back with some valuable tools and networking experiences. I would do that again, and I would also consider doing the Google Certification. I value the Facebook groups I belong to as well - because I belong to a number of teacher groups and technology groups for teachers. Often, I find new ideas there. I did not know about the streamlining of Google Classroom after I completed my survey at the end of June, but early to mid-August, sure enough, someone posted about the new features in Google Classroom. When the principal of my school started showing the staff how he planned to use it, I was able to help him by saying "this is a new feature" and "only within the last few months" to a number of things he touched on (do not worry, I was asked to interrupt and shout out my support for what he was showing). I think that taking classes of any kind help connect teachers to what is current or going on in schools. It can be isolating being in an independent school, because we really have no one to collaborate with. The newest teachers in our school come from the public system and are bringing in new ideas, which help with updating how things work within the school. I know that my UBC classes have certainly helped me in envisioning something great for my career and also for my school. I am excited to continue learning in these courses. I do not typically share anything on my Facebook news feed related to teaching, technology, or what I am doing in my classroom. At one time I might have, but I feel like with privacy issues and wanting to create a separation between personal life and career life, I need to avoid making those posts. I do contribute to Facebook groups, but do not update my profile. I belong to a Grade 5 Teachers in Alberta group that I am constantly bouncing ideas off of. I find that group (with it's focus) is so valuable! I think that it would also be valuable for someone to create a BC (or Canadian, so I could join) Teacher Librarian Facebook group, because I could not find one when I searched at the beginning of this course. If someone is interested in making it I would co-moderate! That being said, at the start of my career, I was fairly active on Twitter as it was part of my professional growth plan. I grew tired of notifications and trying to keep up. I hated feeling like I was "always on" and "always thinking about school", so I let that slide. Trust me, my conversations with my husband are no longer all about school, they also include hobbies, interests, and current events. I prefer it that way. Here are my take-aways or my summary of my thoughts on this topic:
Given all that I've said, some days I just feel like I need to pull a Ron Swanson. References [Amit Xavier]. (2013, December 13). Hallelujah Chorus Silent Monks funny !!! [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-uvyL-sAHY
i don't know idk. [GIF]. Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/black-and-white-text-google-xePnbnJiehT1e Mobile Payments. [GIF]. Retrieved from https://media.giphy.com/media/9tvgtoRFLtTwY/giphy.gif [Pokemon Go]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2018, from cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/02/shutterstock_568034230-796x398.jpg As a general studies teacher in a small school known for it's high expectations, I run a pretty tight ship. Every day, I use an agenda on the SmartBoard. If I come back from break and see my students without having their supplies ready, I ask them the question: "who can read?" We are nearly five weeks into the school year and still, I have students looking at me, hands in the air, volunteering like I am asking them to read something for me. By grade 5, students in my school are fairly adept at problem solving: if they cannot read the agenda, they ask someone next to them or follow what the rest of the class is doing. I am also sensitive to the fact that if I were teaching in a different environment, I would not dare ask this question. By me asking this question, I am telling my students daily that reading is important. It is ingrained into what we need to do to function in our society. When I ask my students to complete surveys at the beginning of the year asking them about what they like to read, the amount of students saying "I don't like reading" is disheartening. How can we change that? This week's blog topic: Fostering Reading Cultures in schools is important to me for a variety of reasons. My first teaching job landed me in a school two hours from where I attended school and in a community of less than 600. Most of my students rode the bus, up to an hour and a half each way, often coming in from the neighbouring reserves. The students who chose to come to our school off-reserve were often in it for daily access to town services and the Automotive Technology program, run by a respected local plant worker turned teacher. In year three of my career in this community, I had the great idea that I would start a reading course. Our division was going through a Re-Imagining process where the staff and students in the division worked to Re-Imagine how school was done. There were some really great things that came out of the process, including programs running today such as building homes and auctioning them off in the community, becoming a Leader In Me school, and my own reading course. My great idea was that there were kids in our community who would love to have the opportunity to read for a whole class, so why not allow them to do that? I created a syllabus, talked to students, and obtained help from the school librarian. I ended up having two different courses running at the same time: creative reading and creative writing. In the first few days of class, I sat each student down at my computer and told them to go nuts on Amazon. I had them fill up an Amazon cart with all of the books they wanted to read. I then went to the principal, showed him the list, and said, "we need to buy these books for the kids." He was more than willing to finance our idea and told me to place the order and get a cheque requisition form. At the end of our first semester, most students had students reading anywhere between 3 and 30 books, with thousands of pages read between them. To bring this back to our topic: how do we foster a reading culture? I think the way this question is phrased is important. We, as teachers, teacher librarians, and even administrators simply cannot create a reading culture. We must foster it. The video above demonstrates that reading is not just important for learning in a classroom environment, but it is important for real life (like telling a girl you like her and cannot wait to spend time with her). For other examples, read Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet - the literate ones always get the girl... it's a reoccurring theme! (Forgive the endings though, those are simply tragic). I think there really are a lot of different ways we (as a school community, as teacher librarians and classroom teachers) can foster a reading culture. In one of my other classes, I created a video chronicling the recipe for success for a school library learning commons (see below). I think the items mentioned in the video are important, but I think one piece is missing from the video to answer the question of how to foster a culture of reading. The answer is this: relationships. While I would argue that relationships are likely the most effective way to foster a reading culture, Webster states in her article, Fostering a Reading Community (2017), "increasing the variety of texts students can read in the typical language arts classroom" (p. 28) is more beneficial to student learning and engagement versus whole class novel studies. I think that in my experience, the more that students are trusted and given choice (there's the relationship building!), the more ownership they take over their learning. Not only is the relationship between the classroom teacher and the student important, but Webster goes on to say that "one of the most critical components of a successful independent reading program has been the support of the school librarian" (p. 29). This role that the teacher librarian has is so important, because unlike my previous situation, most teachers do not have an unlimited budget for books - in my (limited) experience, the opposite is true: administrators believe that there are plenty of resources in the library or SLLC. If someone who was in charge of the SLLC were to say something to the contrary, I think it would have more effect. Also, refraining from limiting student choice is important, according to Webster, "[the school librarian] encourages students to check out any books that interest them rather than confining them to a certain reading level" (p. 30). I think it really is a shame that students might feel as if they were unable to check out a book because it wasn't a "good fit" for them. According to the Daily Five, there are three different ways we read a book: by reading the words, reading the pictures, and by summarizing or paraphrasing the text. Finally, using the formed relationship to engage in conversation about texts is a significant aspect to consider. Penny Kittle's book, Book Love stresses the importance of book talks. Ever since I heard her speak when I worked in Manitoba, I feel as if transferring my own love of books is so important to getting our students to love reading. Kittle warns, however, that "we need to balance pleasure [reading] with challenge, increasing volume for all readers" (p. 8). I feel like I am constantly giving my students new texts to read by giving them a bit of glimpse into the book to get them interested. I was pleased to read that "A booktalk is motivating, and when done well, grabs students’ interests immediately so as to create a sense of urgency for them to read it" (Webster, p. 31). Book talks work with students of all grade levels! To summarize, here is a list of things I personally can do to help foster a reading culture: - Student choice - Unlimited student choice - Allow students to help choose texts to bring into the SLLC - Develop relationships with staff and students - Ask for staff input - Utilize digital technology - Use warm colours, comfortable furniture, and a variety of workspaces - Involve administration - Share the variety of ways in which we read - Give booktalks! References Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2014). The daily 5: Fostering literacy independence in the elementary grades. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse.
Hsu, V. [Vert Hsu]. (2006, October 15). Indigo - Love of Reading Commercial [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/h5SIONYCuLs Kittle, P. (2013). Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. [Logo]. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2018, from https://www.theleaderinme.org/ Webster, R. (2017, 12). Fostering a reading community. Teacher Librarian, 45, 28-31. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1979764335?accountid=14656 |
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