Monday, August 26, 2019

Developing Library Super Powers at #ETFOSA2019 and #FXC19

Three years ago, Melissa Jensen and I facilitated an ETFO Summer Academy session called "Follow the Path to Excellence" for teacher-librarians. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to be granted another opportunity to organize a three-day workshop, this time with the amazing Jennifer Brown. This one was called "How To Develop Your Library Super Powers". Working with Jenn and ETFO was an utter delight. Let me share a little bit about what we did and the super powers I may have developed myself as a result of the three days.


Pre-selecting a theme can be fraught with challenges, especially if creators try too hard to make the content fit the theme. Thankfully, this did not happen with our planning. We organized our three days around super hero topics and inquiry questions that suited teacher-librarianship.

Day 1
  • Who are you? What makes a superhero?
  • What's in a teacher-librarian's "utility belt" of resources?
  • Why must equity be a foundational belief in the library learning commons?
  • How might our "superhero headquarters" be improved?
Day 2
  • Why are inquiry and collaboration key "powers" for a teacher-librarian?
  • What technological supports help teacher-librarian superheroes "save the day"?
Day 3
  • How can literacy strategies be "amplified and supercharged" in the library learning commons?
  • Why might teacher-librarians want to "make the headlines"? Which media and communication tools and strategies might foster connections between the teacher-librarian and their school community?
  • What evidence best shows your transformation into a "teacher-librarian superhero"?


I also have to give a shout-out, once again, to Jane Bennett, Ruth Dawson, and Joanne Myers, for providing some of the best professional learning I've ever had with "The Workshop Presenter's Palette Part 2". I took it in late November 2016 (ironically, a few months after I gave two ETFO Summer Academy sessions) and I still use the tips and techniques I learned then for planning and providing effective PD.

Jenn and I were a little surprised when we heard how many people had registered for the course. In the end, we had 39 participants! 50% of the participants had never taught in a school library setting before. The other half had experience ranging from a single year to nearly thirty years in the library! A group this large meant that whole-group activities were significantly pared down. A class this varied in experience meant that tasks had to be chosen with great consideration, so participants weren't bored (because they already knew things) or lost (because they had never heard of things).

By the end of the three days, the room was filled with artifacts of learning created by the participants. It was pretty incredible.

Display about physical space - I notice / I wonder / What learning

Inner traits, outer attributes, speech/thought bubbles about equity 

Schedule for Un-conference

What super power would you want?


Jenn and I also need to thank our guest speakers: Andrew Woodrow-Butcher from Little Island Comics / The Beguiling, Jeff Burnham from Goodminds, and Salma Nakhuda, TDSB teacher-librarian. They brought great resources to share and they themselves were great resources. (I have no solo picture of Salma because she was so busy interacting with the participants!)

I also have to thank all the participants from the course (or as Elisabeth Lion said in her tweet, "Thank you The Room") and my wonderful co-presenter, Jenn Brown. I only met Jenn about three years ago, and I'm so glad our paths have crossed. As I already said on Facebook, "Jenn gives and gives and gives - her time, expertise, and energy". I'd also like to add that Jenn's passion fuels her and inspires others. What you see is what you get - a genuine person who cares deeply about equity and putting her students (and her family) first. Astute, caring, and driven, the Ontario School Library Association is lucky to have her as the 2019 OSLA president. She is a hero to me.



So what super powers did I discover and/or develop after #ETFOSA2019? I think I ended up being the entire team of The Fantastic Four.

Energy like The Human Torch

Burn bright, Johnny! I had to wake up pretty early to take the TTC from north Scarborough to ETFO headquarters in downtown Toronto, and being available during breaks and at lunch and after the day was over tested my endurance, but I persevered. I did take a nap in the evening on the first day, but that was also because I had to pick up my daughter after her shift at work was done.

Rock Skin like The Thing

Jenn and I read the course evaluations on the very last day. We reminded ourselves to not dwell on anything negative that was said. It's almost inevitable that despite our best efforts, someone will have something unfavourable to say. (Please note that I don't mean something like useful, constructive feedback.) There were a couple of those former types of comments in the feedback, but I'm not dwelling on them in quite the same way I've done in the past.

Increased Flexibility like Mr. Fantastic 

Plans sometimes need to change and we adapted as we needed. Consent around taking and sharing photos trumped some of the tasks we had originally considered, so certain tasks were eliminated entirely and others were minimized. Break time shifted based on what was occurring before and after. A date mix-up meant we extended one activity longer to stall for an arrival. It all worked.

Allowing Others to Take Centre Stage like Invisible Woman

Jenn and I were often asked to share our knowledge and there were a couple of times, like the requested lunch meeting about media literacy, where I was the lecturer and did most of the talking. However, I tried really hard to redirect questions to the entire group or to other individuals that I knew could contribute just as well (or better) than I could. The strategy saved my voice and gave the discussion much more depth and breadth. This was most evident during the Day 3 Literacy Unconference and the Day 2 High Tech / Low Tech / MakerSpace Sandbox. Playing the photographer (Jimmy Olsen? Peter Parker?) meant that I also needed to step back and observe the action instead of become part of the action.







It was perfect timing that in the very same week, I attended Fan Expo Canada. It's a tradition spanning ten consecutive years for my daughter. The super hero theme continued in a few ways.

I always cosplay when I go to Fan Expo Canada. (In 2018 I was Joy from the movie Inside Out. In 2015 I was a Hunter from the video game Left 4 Dead. In 2014 I was a Minecraft villager AND Anna from Frozen. In 2013 I was Wreck-It-Ralph. In 2012 I was a Minecraft creeper. In 2011 I was the Bride of Frankenstein. In 2010 I was Yoshi. In 2009 I was Jessie from Team Rocket.) Usually, I'm not a superhero but this year, I was. However, I wasn't quite the super hero you'd expect.

I was Recovery Girl from My Hero Academia. Recovery Girl is an "old lady" but still a valuable hero in the manga/anime universe where she resides. (I'm posing with my daughter who is dressed as Mei Hatsume from My Hero Academia.) It's refreshing to see different cultural interpretations of heroes beyond the Western trope that I'm accustomed to consuming, and considering how large the My Hero Academia Cosplay meetup was on Friday, there are many other people who enjoy this take.



(This photo was taken by Kirill Kovaldin, a photographer. His website is www.alfaprophoto.com)

This "alternate take" theme on heroes was supported by a panel I saw at the end of the day. The "Almost Epic Squad" live reading at 5:00 pm was quite amusing. Canadian authors Richard Scrimger, Kevin Sylvester, Ted Staunton and Les Livingstone shared excerpts from their books and talked a little bit about how the concept was developed. What if super powers were part of the problem and not the solution? What if the extraordinary abilities you manifested were not particularly cool or welcomed? This is the idea that launched these books. The novels are interrelated, in that the characters share the same origin story and connect with each other. I've read Kevin's book and look forward to reading the others.

Kevin, Ted, Richard and Leslie
Another panel indirectly addressed the issue of superheroes. Three cosplayers spoke on the topic of "Changing the World Through Cosplay" - they are @Nadyasonika, @ladyDeeRich and @danielleggwp on Twitter. They spoke from the heart about finding like-minded people through the shared interest of cosplaying. They often dress as heroes (Nadya mentioned that in Mexico, which in the past was slow to accept local cosplayers, now loves cosplay and Mexican fans have a preference for DragonBall and superhero outfits). Despite their astounding good looks and impressive talent (with sewing like Dee or prop making like Danielle), cosplay helped them find community and acceptance for their "nerdy" hobbies and helped them overcome their insecurities. Thank you to those on the panel for your honesty, vulnerability and cool costumes. Thank you also for answering my question about how to satisfy the "cosplay itch" when conventions aren't running!

Danielle, Dee and Nadya

I had such a good time at Fan Expo Canada this year. Thanks to Connie Scott (who recognized me despite the fact that I was in costume) - it was so good to reconnect with you! Thanks to all the hardworking vendors and artists (in Artist Alley) that offered such tempting merchandise and chatted so warmly with fans.  Thanks to the parents who braved the crowds to bring their children to the event. Last but not least, thanks to my daughter, Mary - who lent me cash to buy Miraculous Ladybug comics, who hung around with her mom even if it meant missing a Pathfinder panel she was interested in attending, who indulges my love of dressing up, and who impresses me daily with her dedication, enthusiasm and kindness.

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1 comment:

  1. Lisa NobleAugust 26, 2019 at 3:28 PM

    People think I'm busy! Thanks, as ever, for sharing your thinking about your learning experiences. I really like the fact that you connected your fanExpo weekend with your superhero theme.

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