Professional Development Plan
Valerie Mui, Library Media Specialist
Overview
I am currently a Library Media Specialist at Grandview and Lime Kiln Elementary Schools in the East Ramapo Central School District. As an educator in an ever changing field, my goal is to not only be aware of trends in technology, but be at the forefront of these trends. Receiving a master's in Instructional Technology is only the beginning of my journey, not the end. I plan to continue my education by taking part in professional development and engaging with my peers by attending conferences, maintaining relationships with my mentors, participating in professional organizations, and identifying opportunities to present or provide professional development.
Mentors and Mentoring Programs
- Colette Politzer is a library media specialist at Chestnut Ridge Middle School assigned to me as my mentor my first year in East Ramapo. We have maintained a relationship after the official mentorship. Colette is wonderfully creative in getting students to become involved in the library. She is very resourceful when it comes to library advocacy.
- Frances Loftus is a library media specialist at Felix Festa Middle School. I conducted my student teaching under her guidance and worked as a leave replacement alongside her. Fran is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to reader advisory and literacy. Her library media center in my mind is ideal: busy, efficient, and respected. She has taught me everything I know!
- Christine Chan is also a library media specialist at Felix Festa Middle School. She just so happens to be my older sister. In that position, she tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. She provides career guidance, day to day advice, and always sends over resources fit for the elementary library.
Professional Organizations
Participation in professional organizations will allow me to remain actively engaged with my peers and remain current in the fields of library and technology. Membership in these associations serve to motivate and inform. Professional organizations are important for the advocacy of our profession and to ensure that we are valued by our communities.
American Library Association
The American Library Association is the largest library association in the world that provides resources for all types of librarians.
American Association of School Librarians
Within the ALA is the American Association of School Librarians which focuses specifically on the school library and school librarian.
New York Library Association
The New York Library Association is a statewide organization that advocates for the library community.
Library Association of Rockland County
The Library Association of Rockland County promotes public libraries within Rockland County.
International Society for Technology in Education
The International Society for Technology Education connects educators interested in technology across the globe. Within ISTE are professional learning networks that are more focused to fit one's needs and interests. Personally, networks I thought to be potentially helpful were Young Educator, Digital Citizenship, Digital Storytelling, Early Learning, and Librarians.
Conferences
Conferences provide an opportunity for like minded individuals to meet, discuss, and collaborate. Especially as a library media specialist, it can be isolating not having the face to face time with others in your position. In the past I have attended local conferences such as the annual LARC conference and the Rockland Literacy Extravaganza. I would like to continue to attend local conferences, but also extend my experience to include larger scale, national conferences such as the ALA Annual Conference and ISTE for inspiration, motivation, and collaboration.
Opportunities to conduct public presentation or professional development
Though I do stand in front of audiences (or classes) everyday, I am uncomfortable with public speaking. At this time I may not have the confidence to conduct a public presentation on a large scale, but I do recognize the value in contributing to the professional community and hope to someday be comfortable enough to do so.
The ISTE Conference and Expo allows for submissions for educators who enhance learning through technology. The ALA Annual Conference also calls for presenters to submit proposals. For me, the opportunity to present at these two conferences would be prestigious honors.
The ISTE Conference and Expo allows for submissions for educators who enhance learning through technology. The ALA Annual Conference also calls for presenters to submit proposals. For me, the opportunity to present at these two conferences would be prestigious honors.
Proposal idea and plans for providing instructional technology support for colleagues
- Faculty meetings are a contractual obligation that takes place twice a month. I have a very supportive principal who is willing to open up the floor to staff members who need it. Though they are only an hour long, I believe with proper preparation, I can create a quick presentation to help my colleagues with the following: available resources to support Engage NY modules (I.e. teachingbooks.net), e-books and FollettShelf, and apps and websites to create meaningful projects.
- Based on interest, questions, concerns from the faculty meeting, propose holding meetings or times after school to support teachers in my building. Often teachers ask for help and I end up working with staff members one on one. There are probably more teachers who would ask for help if they knew someone was willing to provide it.
- District wide professional development workshops are offered through the East Ramapo Teachers Center. These workshops are run by staff members in the district with experience in those subject areas. Offerings usually focus on technology (Google apps, Khan Academy), ELLs in the mainstream classroom, classroom management, and differentiating instruction. Last year, I took several technology workshops to learn more about technology, but to also engage with staff members who value integrating technology into the curriculum. Once I have my MSIT under my belt along with more experience, I would enjoy providing support and ideas for my colleagues.