Inquiry Blog Post #2: Aaron Raises the Bar

Sigh. Aaron challenges us. Again.

Honestly, I find this week's challenge a little daunting. Aaron's query implies change, lasting change. It implies that after I x the UBC Blackboard screen shut and mouse on toward my ACTUAL library life, that I'm ACTUALLY going to have to implement my learning; and that I am, in fact, going to continue to follow the paths this course has started me on in order to see what lies beyond. Yikes. Talk about hair raising.

My first thought is of an email I opened, scanned, then shuffled to a folder, telling myself I'd think about it later. At the same time, I was busy inventing excuses and reasons why I could not respond to this email, which was in fact a invitation from our Learning Initiatives Team to take part in some workshops, after school workshops, mind you, aimed at providing instruction for teachers around using specific applications on iPads in the classroom. One was, 'How to Make a eBook.'

Wait, this is totally my kind of thing! The angel on my left said.

Yawn, tired and busy, bag it, said the guy with the pitchfork hovering over my right ear.

Yawn equals Yum -- like a big gooey brownie, pure pleasure in the moment, nothing but heartburn after.

I'm a dedicated resister of the Yawn. And still I filed the email. But as I write this post, I'm thinking I'll pause, check the dates on those workshops, and choose one to take part in. I can't do everything, but I can do something. So take that, pitchfork-wielding red-suited naysayer!

Anyways, decisions aside, my district is lucky to have a Learning Inititatives Team which organizes awesome opportunities for us teacher folk to exchange ideas, talk about stuff we're jazzed on, and pick up some tips from the Learning Initiatives Wizards-- all of whom wear heels and pull shiny suitcases on wheels. 

Opportunities such as these are available through my district. I need to attend these events in order to learn new things around technology. It's easy to read an offer such as the one described above only to say to myself, eBook app? Just figure it out yourself. Easy peasy.

In reality, if I am to implement a new program or idea, I need to invest in said program idea. I need to take part, grapple, talk, laugh, complain, learn something unexpected, and THEN implement the new program or idea in my teaching. Which is exactly what I was hoping to do next week at Tapestry, where I planned to attend none other than instructor Aaron Mueller's workshop! But alas, the workshop has been cancelled, so I must look elsewhere to develop myself professionally.

Now another nifty place to find new ideas and stay connected is the Internet. I'm planning to start 'following' the herd a little more. Starting with the BCTLA Ning and the BCTLA Google Group. I've also stumbled across a few sites that I'm happy to peruse for new ideas, these include (gasp) Facebook, specifically the New York State Reading Association because they have shiny ideas.

In reality, the more I troll through articles and ideas online, the more sites I save to my delicious account, and the more links I find as I skip from link to link to link.

To check out some of the places I've been mousing, have a peek at my links on Delicious, a very nice little site on which one can save links and never lose them again (in theory). 

And then of course there are those yummy places we like to go for good ideas or a quick brainstorm, such as Pintrest. I love the visuals on Pintrest and I do declare that there is nary a better place to find bulletin board ideas. (My personal favourite of years gone by being "Here's My Number, Read Me Maybe. That said, the New York State Reading Association posted a tres fun little video remixing that song. Here is is:

)

A toe tapper, for sure.

Of course, people are always crucial to my development as a teacher, as well. I love paying attention to what other teachers are doing... I also love getting involved in groups that bring us together as learners/teachers. The teacher librarians in my district meet regularly to discuss what's up in our libraries. Often, I'm inspired to try on a new concept after one such meeting. Last year, when I put together a Human Library for my school, I was inspired and supported by another teacher librarian in my district, who was hosting his third human library that year. The idea was not my own. At all. I was given loads of support and directives from my fellow TL. Nonetheless, I tweaked the template to match my style and my school.

Finally, I plan to keep reading. At one such TL meeting as mentioned above, several Web and Tech books were brought to the table and several people shared out on books that were full of great ideas. I quickly jotted down the titles as I always do. Now all I have to do is find that piece of paper...Remember what I tagged that site under in Delicious...Find some teachers to connect with in my new school who are doing 'cool stuff'... And my professional development will be well underway.