Reflection
My working definition of collaboration is the result of hard work, dedication, and planning (p209, 21st Century Learning). Working in a collaborative atmosphere seems like a dream come true or impossible task with many obstacles to overcome. Either way it will require hard work to transform relationships and change a colleague’s perception of the media specialist. Dedication is needed at all levels to be successful. Planning is essential if the students are to benefit from the experience.
This in-service presentation was created to further educate the teaching staff on the benefits of collaboration for both students and teachers. The levels of collaboration that can be reached between media specialists and teachers with content area projects were also introduced. The artifact is a PowerPoint used to inform the teachers attending the in-service on the benefits of collaborating with the media specialist. This artifact would be used on a professional development day at the beginning of the school year with the intentions of encouraging teachers to begin a collaborative relationship that will benefit the students.
The strength of the PowerPoint presentation is that it is concise, it presents the research to support collaboration, and it introduces the different levels of collaboration providing suggestions on how to get started in the collaborative process. One way to make this more relevant would be to share an actual collaborative lesson where the classroom teacher and I would share the strengths and opportunities for improvement. Looking back I would have chosen another form of technology to model, share, and promote effective principles of teaching and learning as collaborative partners. This would allow me to introduce to teachers another form of technology that they could integrate into their lessons. As partners we could share the workload, common planning, and a co-teaching partnership which could lead to higher test scores.
When I first took the position as a Media Specialist, my initial goal was to become familiar with my collection so that I could recommend literature to staff and students. Since beginning this graduate coursework, I have learned that our role as media specialist is designed to be more than the keeper of the books. We are to model, share, and promote effective principles of teaching and learning as collaborative partners. Our ability to collaborate effectively is vital to the success of the school. I want to fulfill the role that will help me to become a team player. As an instructional partner I can help ensure that students are successful in the classroom.
This in-service presentation was created to further educate the teaching staff on the benefits of collaboration for both students and teachers. The levels of collaboration that can be reached between media specialists and teachers with content area projects were also introduced. The artifact is a PowerPoint used to inform the teachers attending the in-service on the benefits of collaborating with the media specialist. This artifact would be used on a professional development day at the beginning of the school year with the intentions of encouraging teachers to begin a collaborative relationship that will benefit the students.
The strength of the PowerPoint presentation is that it is concise, it presents the research to support collaboration, and it introduces the different levels of collaboration providing suggestions on how to get started in the collaborative process. One way to make this more relevant would be to share an actual collaborative lesson where the classroom teacher and I would share the strengths and opportunities for improvement. Looking back I would have chosen another form of technology to model, share, and promote effective principles of teaching and learning as collaborative partners. This would allow me to introduce to teachers another form of technology that they could integrate into their lessons. As partners we could share the workload, common planning, and a co-teaching partnership which could lead to higher test scores.
When I first took the position as a Media Specialist, my initial goal was to become familiar with my collection so that I could recommend literature to staff and students. Since beginning this graduate coursework, I have learned that our role as media specialist is designed to be more than the keeper of the books. We are to model, share, and promote effective principles of teaching and learning as collaborative partners. Our ability to collaborate effectively is vital to the success of the school. I want to fulfill the role that will help me to become a team player. As an instructional partner I can help ensure that students are successful in the classroom.
This website was designed by Gina Deal. Comments can sent to [email protected].This page was last updated May 2015.
The images on these pages were photographed by Gina Deal unless otherwise cited. Word clouds created at wordle.net or tagxedo.com.
The images on these pages were photographed by Gina Deal unless otherwise cited. Word clouds created at wordle.net or tagxedo.com.