Developing your own ICT Skills and Pedagogy

 Practice Makes Perfect. 

Continuing professional development is essential for educators and professionals to stay updated in their fields. Building our own skills can help develop innovative pedagogy. 

My ways of adopting new technology and skills 

How I adopt new technology skills is to try out new social media apps. I'm currently am using Youtube a lot because I enjoy watching videos currently of Taylor Swift as she is dating an NFL football player named Travis Kelce. I had the privilege of growing up in the digital age and learning new social media tricks was something that I had the priviledge of using frequently in my undergraduate years. I routinely help my grandparents get more familiar with apps such as Line and WhatsApp for communication with family members. Throughout the pandemic lockdown, I took videos of my puppy (at the time) and uploaded her videos to Tiktok and to my surprise many others also enjoyed her videos! We reached 10 million views+ and 3.4 million likes. 

An example of a video I made for tiktok : https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMjQouSTL/

I was also apart of UBC's Marketing Team on Tiktok (2019-2023) and I learned even more about developing and curating video for specific audiences. In this case I was catering my videos to UBC students and staff members. I worked on ICT skills such as 

• Typing and Keyboard skills (Efficient and accurate typing for data entry) 
• Online Reserach Skills to find new current topics and trends 
• Email Management (communicating with the Marcom team for news about products at the bookstore, any upcoming deadlines and student events). 
• Every video I would need to brainstorm and organize into proposals for approval onto Microsoft Word 
• After shooting the videos I would edit and upload onto Google documents for further approval and edits
• Basic troubleshooting for phone softwares

Example of the Video I made for UBC x Lululemon Collaboration :https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMjC1NVk2/ 

What I believe contributed to the Tiktok success was not only practicing new trends such as dancing to trending songs but also learning to edit. I learned Tiktok pushes videos out when it is under 30 seconds, although now it has shifted to 1 minute. These skills I learned when I was uploading videos and saw that certain views correlated with certain edit times. Although during the pandemic lock down periods, we had more time to train ourselves to use social media or computer softwares, I think we can still further our progress now..It just takes a little organization and blocking out certain times in the day for skill developing.

 I believe that when you invest in yourself, for training you will yield greater productivity gains in the classroom, in your personal life and also in your studies. In (Boothly et al., 2010) paper stated that “Firms that adopt new technologies and at the same time invest in skills such as training in computer literacy are expected to gain greater productivity than those who do not”. The paper confirmed these statements when estimating relationships between technology training and performance productivity and showed that these combinations are associated with higher productivity. You can also create mini how-to videos for your friends or family, teaching them how to use certain social media or computer functions that can not only help you solidify your learning but to help others as well. Forbes (2021) mentioned “Creating access to bite-sized learning opportunities both at the time of launch and on an ongoing basis. These how-to videos should be five minutes at most and easily consumable”. This is a great way to also connect with others about information and technology (ICT) skills for everyday tasks. Such that you can use video editing skills, social media skills and use them in the classroom as well. 

Maintaining Connections, Strategies, Tools and Networks in Developing Skills & Pedagogy

• Active Participation: Engage actively in the class discussions and activities. Share insights, ask questions, and collaborate with fellow students. 

• Online Learning Platforms: Explore online platforms like LinkedIn Learning, Other UBC courses, Other Universities online courses. These platforms offer a wide range of courses, from technical skills to pedagogical techniques relevant to the Teaching field.

• Work Related Associations: Before classes start you can Join professional associations related to teaching. Many associations offer webinars, conferences, and resources to help with computer literacy, new trends and current topics. Engaging with these associations can also lead to more networking opportunities to share insights and what you’ve learned. 

• Blogs, Newsletters and Socials: Before classes start you can subscribe to blogs and newsletters in your field of interest. This includes UBC Blogs, Blogger, Tiktok, and LinkedIn. These resources often provide updates on the latest trends, research, and best practices.

• Learning Plan: When you are at home or after class/work, you can set specific goals for your professional development. Outline the skills you want to acquire and the knowledge you want to gain. For example if you want to learn more about Photoshop then outline specifically when and where you would want to develop those skills. 

• Online Communities: Join online forums and communities such as Reddit! These platforms can be excellent sources of information and support. 

• Reflections : Regularly reflect on your experiences and learning. Consider starting a new social media channel that you aren’t familiar with such as a Youtube Channel or Tiktok Channel and start to document your professional journey and share your story with others. 

• Iphone/phone apps : During breaks or after school, Go on mobile apps that offer daily or weekly bite-sized lessons in various subjects. These apps can help you maintain a habit of continuous learning.

• Feedback and Assessment: After class, seek feedback from peers, supervisors, or students to assess your progress and identify areas for improvement. For example, if you used your new photoshop skills to work, you can ask what the student’s opinions are using anonymous surveys and use those critiques to further your next works. 

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Consistency and a commitment to learning are key. By leveraging these strategies, tools, resources, and networks, we can all continue to grow and stay at the forefront of your field. 

Leading From The Library 

To end off this week's blog, I wanted to dig deeper into our course textbook and I think this book is great for many reasons but in particular this quote "Let's be honest, keeping up with technological advances is not just tough, it can be impossible". I think this quote keeps it real that, it's okay not to know everything or the new "trends or tech". But that we make use of opportunities to learn certain skills that will benefit our teaching or our personal lives. "It creates an opportunity for librarians to be digital age mentors, cultivating digital skills and online learning (Miller & Base, 2019)." Being a digital age mentor is "hard work" it takes commitment to continuous learning and exploration. To look at the broader picture of education, information and libraries. Above all you must position yourself as a partner and a leader in your school Community (Miller & Bass, 2019). This was really well written and expresses my view on learning topics as well. 

References : 

• Boothby, D., Dufour, A., & Tang, J. (2010). Technology adoption, training and productivity performance. Research Policy, 39(5), 650-661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2010.02.011

Miller, S., & Bass, W. (2019).  Leading from the Library: Help your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age.Links to an external site. International Society for Technology in Education.

Panel®, F. (2022, November 9). Council post: 13 practical ways to help employees adapt to New Technology. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/02/22/13-practical-ways-to-help-employees-adapt-to-new-technology/?sh=5110caf66ab0