Education
Ph.D., Psychology, Grand Canyon University
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Dissertation: How School Librarians Describe Their Experiences Within Facebook Groups for Professional Learning
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Dissertation Chair: Dr. Toi Dennis
M.S., Library Media, Alabama State University
B.S., Education, Columbus State University
Work Experience
Classroom Teacher
K-5 School Librarian
9-12 School Librarian
ESC (Education Service Center) Project Coordinator of Distance and Digital Learning
SimpleK12 Professional Development Provider
GCU Dissertation Team: Content Expert
Leadership Experience
#TLChat Twitter Chat Co-Founder
EdCamp Atlanta Co-Founder
ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Librarians Network President
TL News Night Co-Founder
Certifications
Class A, School Library-Media Specialist (101) Grade Level: P-12 Library-Media (0H6)
Class B, Elementary (75A) Grade Level: K-6 Elementary Education (0N1)
Class B, Secondary (16A) Grade Level: 6-12 General Social Science (022)
Google Certified Teacher Level 1
Google Certified Teacher Level 2
Google Certified Trainer Public
Health-480 (CITI Program)
RCR for Social and Behavioral Science Doctoral Learners (CITI Program)
Social Behavioral Research for Students (CITI Program)
Research Interests
1:1 digital initiatives, school libraries, educational technology, STEM, STEAM, makerspaces, education, psychology, robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, gamification, social media, connectivism, TPACK, SAMR, PBL, collaboration, and new and emerging educational technologies.
Publications
Robertson, Nikki D. (2014). Put your Twitter glasses on and bring professional learning into focus. School Librarian’s Workshop, 34(5), 11–12.
Robertson, Nikki D. (2015). New job tips for veteran and newbie librarians. School Library Connection, 1(2).
Robertson, Nikki D. (2017). Nikki Robertson shares tips for YALSA’s Teen Tech Week. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/nikki-robertson-shares-tips-for-yalsas-teen-tech-week
Robertson, Nikki D. (2017). Connected Librarians: Tap Social Media to Enhance Professional Development and Student Learning. Portland, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Robertson, Nikki D. (2018, July 30). Starting at a new school? Here are five essential tips. School Library Journal, https://www.slj.com/story/starting-new-school-five-essential-tips-2018-07-30
Robertson, Nikki D. (2018) Top takeaways from the ISTE national conference. Publishers Weekly, 265(34), 50-54.
Robertson, Nikki D. (2019, July). Empowering students to be masters of their own learning. Empowered Learner, 8-9.
Robertson, Nikki D. (2019). Expanding school library collections: The makerspace edition: Makers spaces as a collection. Knowledge Quest, 48(2), 8.
Robertson, Nikki D. (2019, September 12). How to connect your classroom with social media. ESC Region 13 Blog. https://blog.esc13.net/how-to-connect-your-classroom-with-social-media/
Robertson, Nikki D. (2020, March 19). How to make the switch to online teaching. ESC Region 13 Blog. https://blog.esc13.net/tips-for-making-the-switch-to-online-teaching/
Robertson, Nikki D. (2020, March 19). Resource Roundup: Strategies for Online Teaching Related to COVID-19 School Closures. ESC Region 13 Blog. https://blog.esc13.net/resource-roundup-strategies-for-online-teaching-related-to-covid-19-school-closures/
Robertson, Nikki D. (2021, August 17). Back to school time in the library! ESC Region 13 Blog. https://blog.esc13.net/back-to-school-time-in-the-library/
Robertson, Nikki D. (2022, November 15). Library centers allow students to be masters of their own learning. ISTE Areas of Focus blog. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/library-centers-allow-students-be-masters-their-own-learning
Awards and Grants
ASLA Ann Marie Pipkin Technology Award
AASL Bound to Stay Bound Grant
AASL Program Pioneer Social Media Superstar
Hutto ISD Professional Support Staff of the Year
Presentations
#Edupassions Conference Presenter
AEA (Alabama Education Association) Minority Leadership Conference Presenter
AETC (Alabama Educational Technology Conference) Presenter
ArLA (Arkansas Association of School Librarians) Conference Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter ASLA (Alabama School Library Association) Conference Presenter
Columbus State University Instructional Technology Conference Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter
Dodge County School District Professional Development
EdCamp Atlanta Co-Founder and Presenter
EdCamp Birmingham Presenter
EdCamp Cardigan Presenter
EdCamp Leander Presenter
EdCamp Lockhart Presenter
EDU Goals MOOC
ELAR: Leadership Forum Presenter
ESU SLIM KASL Summer Institute for School Librarians Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter
FETC (Florida Educational Technology Conference) Presenter
Follett Community Webinar Presenter
Future Ready Librarians Webinar: Back To School with Future Ready Librarians! Tips and Tricks from Experts
GaETC (Georgia Educational Technology Conference) Presenter
GISL (Georgia Independent School Librarians) Conference Presenter
GLMA (Georgia Library Media Association) Summer Conference Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter
Hacking School Libraries Conference
Heard County Schools T3 Conference
HippoCON Presenter
Idaho School Librarians Summer Summit for School Librarians Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference Presenter
LearnFest ATX Conference
Library iCon: Library Resources Conference Presenter
METC (Midwest Education Technology Community - now innovate) Conference Keynote and Featured Presenter
Metro Nashville Public Schools Conference Keynote Speaker
Model Schools Conference (International Center for Leadership in Education)
Modern Libraries, Now! A Panel Discussion Webinar
NATC (North Alabama Teaching Conference) Presenter
NCCE (Northwest Council for Computer Education) Library Summit Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter
NJASL (New Jersey Association of School Librarians) Webinar Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter North Carolina School Library Media Association Annual Conference Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter
Northwest GA RESA Presenter
Palm Beach County Librarians Conference Keynote Speaker and Featured Presenter
SCASL (South Carolina Association of School Librarians) Conference Keynote and Featured Presenter
Shawnee Mission School District Professional Development
SimpleK12 Presenter
TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) Conference
TEKSCON Presenter Texas
STEM Conference Presenter
TLA (Texas Library Association) Conference
TxLA: Tech Camp (Texas Association of School Librarians) Conference Keynote Presenter
West GA RESA Presenter
Research
Doctoral Research:
How School Librarians Describe Their Experiences Within Facebook Groups for Professional Learning
Abstract:
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to understand how certified public school librarians in the United States describe their experiences within librarian Facebook groups for their self-directed professional learning. Two data sources with 14 semi- structured interviews and two focus groups with 7 participants each were conducted. Connectivism, a learning theory for the digital age, was the theoretical foundation for this study in which four research questions were created. All four questions centered around how certified public school librarians in the United States described their experiences within Facebook groups for their self-directed professional learning. Participants were asked to describe their experiences within Facebook groups for their decision to access and participate, their experiences of sharing and accepting resources, their experiences of social support, and experiences with diverse people. The resultant themes that emerged from this research study were: (1) professional learning outside of what is provided by the school, district, and state (2) joining Facebook groups (3) open to sharing resources (4) not open to sharing resources (5) open to accepting resources (6) social support (7) diverse group members and their perspectives (8) diverse group members found in different types of groups. Based on the resultant themes, a better understanding of certified public school librarians in the United States descriptions of their experiences within librarian Facebook groups for their self-directed professional learning was achieved. The researcher recommends more research be conducted on librarians' professional learning needs.
Keywords: Librarians, certified, public school, Facebook, self-directed learning, professional learning, professional development, connectivism, agency, openness, connectedness, and diversity