Technology and Learning in the Library
Course
Collaborating with Teachers [4:05]
- Learn strategies to develop teacher partnerships for collaboration to effectively connect curricular goals to technology integration while building relationships.
- Learn strategies to improve teacher and learner experiences throughout lessons while meeting specific learning goals.
- Learn tactics for highlighting the library's resources and the school librarian's expertise while supporting specific curriculum goals.
There are a variety of ways to make connections with teachers in your school and learn more about their learning environment. Seek out a teacher and request a copy of their curriculum map for the purpose of piloting new resources. Spark conversation in the teacher workroom and ask questions about current and upcoming units. Request to join team meetings so that you can get to know each grade level's curriculum and pacing. Get personal and find a commonality to generate conversation. Once a relationship has been built, take the leap and suggest collaborating together to help the teachers and students achieve their goals.
Once you've connected with teachers, start asking questions to help the lessons meet the intended learning outcome. Brainstorm ways to elevate the teaching and learning experience, and create a plan to support the lesson with technology integration. Inquire as to which units teachers dread. Offer to target these lessons first, as teachers may feel more open to support and change in these curricular areas. Don't be afraid to take the lead role initially while your new partner is observing the process and evaluating the outcome. Keep the dialogue open so that you're receiving regular feedback and demonstrating your willingness to listen for suggested changes. Once you have proven your willingness to support the learning in the classroom, continue to seek out and solidify additional opportunities for partnership.
You are the ambassador of the school library. Often teachers and students do not know all that the library has to offer, even if the resources have been around for a while. As you integrate technology into the lessons, seize the opportunity to highlight the value of the library's offerings. Demonstrate the ways in which resources can be accessed, whether at home, on campus, or both. This will help create the library's identity as a space that offers innovative and transformative learning opportunities regardless of the space or place.
In addition to making connections with the teachers, make an effort to connect with the students. Express your interest by asking what they learned, how they enjoyed the lesson, and what they valued most in the learning process. This will help generate fan loyalty so that next time you offer to collaborate with the teacher, their students will support this process through their excitement and interest. Courageous proactivity can lead to long term collaborative partnerships that prove valuable to the entire learning community.
Collaboration often requires stepping outside of our comfort zones to initiate communication with those with whom we may not have a strong pre-existing relationship. Establishing a mutually beneficial time to collaborate with a grade-level and/or subject specific teacher with the intent of supporting the technology integration in their classroom will help ensure a positive mindset and the ability to focus on the goals.
In this activity, you will schedule a time to collaborate with a grade-level and/or subject specific teacher. As you engage with the teacher, ask specific questions that will help identify the ways in which your support can be welcomed and valued. Using page 8 of the Course Packet (found in the Resources above), you will demonstrate active listening by recording their noted responses after each conversation starter in the template, reflecting your willingness to learn from and understand their unique needs.
MLA Citation
Brown, Stacy. "Technology and Learning in the Library: Collaborating to Connect the Curricular Goals with Relevant Technology Tools." School Library Connection, July 2022, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2282104?learningModuleId=2281499&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2294720
The follow-through after an initial brainstorming session is a critical step in the collaboration process to demonstrate your commitment. Developing a roadmap after gathering information from the informational interview with the teacher will help organize your ideas and provide you with a tool to map the connection between the curricular goals and the technology usage.
A curriculum map is the process of aligning curricular goals with the ways in which skills are taught to a particular grade level. A standard curriculum map might include the scope of the content, the sequence in which the content will be taught, the resources that will be used to teach the content, and how the content aligns with a specific set of standards In this activity, using page 9 of the Course Packet (found in the Resources above), you will complete a Technology Integration Curriculum Map to merge a grade level's pre-existing curriculum with relevant technology tools to evolve the execution of specific units or lessons.
MLA Citation
Brown, Stacy. "Technology and Learning in the Library: Developing a Technology Integration Curriculum Map." School Library Connection, July 2022, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2282104?learningModuleId=2281499&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2294721
Now that you are in the right mindset, you will demonstrate that you are ready to execute a plan of action. Review the SLC article "Leading Using OER" by Liz Deskins and Megan Harper and reflect on the strategies to support technology integration shared in this article. After reviewing the resources below, complete the Reflect & Practice activity.
Using page 10 of the Course Packet (found in the Resources above), create a lesson plan that will meet the curriculum goals while integrating technology into the learning. Consider what will be fun for the students, relevant to the learning, and appreciated by the teacher. Upon completion, send the completed lesson plan to the teacher and schedule a time to execute the lesson jointly. Consider the space in relation to the technology needs: Is this lesson best suited for the library space, a technology lab, or the teacher's classroom space?
MLA Citation
Brown, Stacy. "Technology and Learning in the Library: Create a Technology Integration Lesson Plan." School Library Connection, July 2022, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2282104?learningModuleId=2281499&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2294722
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Brown, Stacy. "Technology and Learning in the Library. Collaborating with Teachers [4:05]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, December 2022, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2282104?learningModuleId=2281499&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2282104?learningModuleId=2281499&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2282104