Book Creator Staff Development

Description

This artifact is a professional development (PD) session I designed for my school during ISCI 794. The purpose of this staff development was to introduce the teachers and staff of Liberty Middle School to Book Creator. This included the why and how to use Book Creator in any classroom. Teachers and staff were given an opportunity to explore the various tools and features with the program as well as share project ideas across content areas. I also shared additional resources as they plan for their next steps. This professional development takes about 45 minutes, and can be completed during a planning period or an after-school staff meeting. 

Analysis

As a classroom teacher, I have always enjoyed using Book Creator for various projects. However, it wasn't until I attended the Upstate Technology Conference this past summer that I felt confident enough to create my own professional development session for teachers. Prior to the conference, I never felt I knew enough to teach someone else, plus it was a bit intimidating. As a first year librarian, I had a few teachers ask me about Book Creator, therefore it was the perfect time to share my experiences and knowledge and create an optional professional development session for my colleagues. I shared resources I used while working with Book Creator and helped brainstorm project ideas with my fellow teachers. Overall, I think my colleagues really appreciated learning about this user-friendly tool, especially given that our school district pays for the premium account for both teachers and students. 

Reflection

As a librarian, we are a leader in the school in many different ways. Providing professional development is just one facet of being a teacher leader. No matter the expertise, librarians must have the confidence to share their knowledge, introduce new ideas, and collaborate with other teachers through professional development opportunities. In the future, I look forward to designing more professional development experiences for my teachers, such as identifying resources with Discus, using Canva in the classroom, and exploring other tech tools.