Candidates base twenty-first century skills instruction on student interests and learning needs and link it to the assessment of student achievement.
Reflection
"Oh, Mrs. Hamilton. I am going to go way overboard on this assignment...just you wait. I am going to kill it!" ~Joe
These are words every educator wants to hear when introducing a new lesson. More often then not, our plans fall flat as we fail to peak the interest of our targeted audience. One of the things that I have really enjoyed about my time as a SLM candidate is the variety of digital tools that we have explored. It has changed the way I currently teach and it has shifted my vision of what librarians "do." Librarians are at the forefront of 21st century education. They are often the technology gurus within their own schools and model the use of 21st century skills on a daily basis. It has been both interesting and challenging to learn the skills I will need to be a successful 21st century librarian. |
Artifacts
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One of the most helpful classes in achieving this goal was SLM 508: Learning Technologies. While in this class, I created a lesson for students that was done completely online. This lesson was a lot of fun to create and involved a lot of tools to get kids motivated. I really liked using the wiki format because it made the lesson accessible both in and out of school. I used modern gaming techniques to draw students in and reward them for being good digital citizens and the use of Twitter and Wall Wisher gave the website a social feel.
The lesson plan contained three stages. Each stage contained its own rubric with assessment expectations clearly defined. In stage one, students were assessed on their knowledge of memoir and their ability to communicate with each other. Stage two continued to assess their ability to communicate digitally and to find information using 21st century tools. Stage three assessed their ability to synthesize the information learned into a authentic personal memoir example. I also integrated social outlets (like Twitter and Wall Wisher) as tools which allowed for real-time feedback which is crucial when assessing students learning needs. Students had multiple opportunities to express their knowledge while gaining insight and assistance from their peers and teachers through a digital environment. The digital nature of the lesson also allowed students to work at their own pace and skill level. Overall, the lesson addressed many of the skills found in the Common Core, including the ability to think critically, attend to precision, and analyze their work. It also utilized some of the technology skills that will be used to assess students under the new curriculum.
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When I think about this assignment, I am amazed by how far I have come since my first class in 2010. I entered this program with a very 20th century view on what a librarian was. I remembered fondly my own school librarians and my love for books. What I didn't really think about was how the profession is changing to meet the needs of 21st century society. Over the last three years, my comfort level with classroom technology has grown by leaps and bounds. When I first started, classroom technology meant using Power Points and LCD projectors instead of an overhead projector. I would have said that I was pretty tech savvy. Man did I have a lot to learn. Over the last three years I have explored new technologies and practiced using them in a classroom setting. Practicing in my own classroom has allowed me to identify the trepidations that are faced by the classroom teacher with technology. This will help me troubleshoot problems during the planning stages with teachers. I have now become one of my schools key resources on lessons using technology. I am the Google Apps for Education expert, I use twitter to communicate with students and to gain PD opportunities and I am very excited to share what I have learned with my future colleagues as a librarian.