I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of travelling hours and hours to pro-d conferences in our province unless I am absolutely jazzed about the day's program.
And even though we will have some excellent pro-d opportunities locally, they are rarely tailored to my specific needs as a TL.
As a professional that wants to continue to grow as a teacher and librarian, I've enjoyed my post-graduate university courses as a time to revisit, refine, and reinvigorate my role as the TL at our high school. These courses have given me the chance to nurture a "sense of camaraderie and connectedness" to other teacher-librarians and they have provided me with many new resources to work with (Cook 117).
These courses have provided a framework for my learning and they've also given me a sense of the importance of Professional Learning Networks (PLN). A PLN allows me to connect with other teacher-librarians online and I can curate my content and connections to both resources and other professionals.
I am hesitant to use some social media platforms (specifically Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest), but I have found blogs and Twitter (to some extent) to be use catalysts for a growth mindset and reflective practice. Twitter caters to quick insights and ideas and subscribing to a TL's blog (e.g. "The Adventures of Library Girl") tends to deliver a more thoughtful wisdom.
Work Cited:
Cook, Rebecca J., Jones-Bromenshenkel et al. “Online Professional Learning Networks: A Viable Solution to the Professional Development Dilemma.” Journal of Special Education Technology, vol. 32, no. 2, June 2017, pp. 109–118.
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