Impactful Integration With Amy

I want to use this platform as an opportunity to share inspiration, best practices in technology integration and library programming.  I have been wanting to add so many ideas here, but this has been a school year like no other.  Finding the time to blog has been a tremendous challenge for me.  I know from my own experiences this year and from what I hear from teachers at my campus, librarian friends and my social network that pretty much everyone is struggling.   I wanted to be real here and share a little about my own journey this year.  There have been some extreme highs and definitely some lows and I am trying right now to keep my head above water.   This has been the year that: my child who is in kindergarten has had COVID twice- once in September and once in January this same child has gotten Flu A and B and Strep in between having COVID I am his care taker so that means I have been out to care for him for all of these occurrences  I go...

This post is week 8 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators . Honestly, as the final week concludes I'm sad to see it go. I'm so glad I stumbled across this challenge during #pd4uandme Twitter Chats.  I had received some feedback from a few of my colleagues and friends that I should try my hand at something new.  One suggested blogging and one suggested opening a TPT store.  I thought about options and marked them down as possibilities.  When I saw the #8weeksofsummer Blog Challenge I knew this was the time for me to make the leap and just start already!   This week's topic is all about sharing new knowledge, skills and attitudes I learned this year.  The biggest change that led me to gaining new knowledge was becoming a Google certified trainer.  It has opened so many doors for me.  Three years ago I attended a regional service center training to become Google level one certified.  During that summer, three years ago, t...

This post is week 5 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators. This week's topic is all about the successes and challenges of communication during the pandemic.  It became crystal clear that during virtual learning the focus of communication needed to broaden to reach students multiple ways.  Without students coming to the virtual space of the library or classroom, I couldn't rely on signage on walls, tables and doors to spread the news of upcoming events and new resources.  Also I had to consider, how can I get my learners talking in a virtual environment? During this past year, communication had to get an over haul to meet the needs of the different learning styles of my learners and to ensure accessibility to make learning equitable for all.  When instruction was happening in person, many times I would give the directions and model how to do something.  I would include written directions for multi step assignments.  This strategy alone did...

This post is week 3 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators.     " We all needed to do different things to survive all the constantly changing demands of education."  I really connected with this statement on Hot Lunch Tray this week.  I think for all of us, we had to figure out how to keep our head above water and even thrive in the new normal we found ourselves in during the pandemic.  My learners this year became my focus.  Engagement was key.  I knew my students and my staff needed a totally different approach to ensure they were successful and supported this school year.  I had to think outside of the box (in this case the physical space of my library) to develop clear actionable goals for myself about how I could build engagement in my school community. Engaging Students During the Pandemic As a librarian, I had to figure out what my role looked like in a 100% virtual world.  It was a whole new experience trying to eng...

  Have you had a chance to try out www.wakelet.com yet?  If you haven't it is a really awesome tool for organizing information.  It can be used in so many ways.  You can create interactive collections of links, videos, notes, gifs, and so much more.  I have been using Wakelet for about a year now and I'm at a place where I really see why people get so excited about Wakelet.  Recently Wakelet hosted "Wakelet Live" on YouTube where educators and Wakelet ambassadors from around the globe shared their ideas and uses for Wakelet.  You can check out the playlist from the event here.    During the event, I attended some exciting sessions including portfolios, thinking about what to keep and what to ditch after our pandemic experience and many new ways to utilize Wakelet.  I also attended Desiree Alexander's Keynote on " How to Break Barriers and Achieve Your Goals ." Alexander's presentation was so just what I needed in the place where I am in...

When the school year ends, I always look at summer as a time of reflection.   What things am I proud of?   What areas do I want to grow in?   What would I change for next school year?   This year was certainly a big year for technology integration.  Being in a pandemic with 100 percent virtual learning happening for over a year, technology expertise became an asset to me in my role as librarian.  Throughout the year, I researched different tools to see what would be a good fit for myself, my staff and my students.  Along the way I found some new favorite tools that I'll be sharing with you, as well as my journey of how my own technology usage has evolved.  I'll also share different professional development opportunities that are available to help you grow in your own journey as an educator.  I encourage you to not stay stagnant.  Always keep learning and growing to build yourself up to be the best version of yourself ...

This post is week 2 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators.  One thing that really changed in 2020-2021 for me, was making connections through collaboration with my peers.  Since I didn't have the constraint of needing to remain in the physical space of my library, I was able to collaborate and participate in my campus's daily activities.  It changed my whole outlook on how I could improve my role as librarian. I was able to reignite my passion for instructional technology and working directly with teachers on technology integration.  Finally, I felt that connection; I was a pivotal part of my campus.  As an ally and an asset to my team, I secured my role on campus.  I pushed myself to grow beyond the role of librarian that I had always known. Role Improvement #1: Attending Weekly Teacher Meetings During our time of virtual learning, I was able to attended our weekly Teacher CLCs (collaborative learning communities.)  These sessions w...

This post is week 1 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators.   2021 was such a pivotal point in my career.  It was filled with ups and downs, challenges and excitement.  I found myself faced with figuring out how to be a school librarian in a completely virtual setting.   How do you engage students and staff when you don't have the physical library space they are used to engaging with you in?   This was the challenge I faced this year; a nd I realized some things that truly changed me as a teacher librarian.  I saw my school community with new perspective.  In July of 2020, I realized I wanted to reinvent my role as the school librarian.  I wanted to engage my school community in ways I never had before.  I decided to fall back on my library science degree and research as much as I could about technology integration, blended learning and technology support.  Impactful technology integration was need at my campus and...