I can't think of a more important job!

As KSP635 winds down, I found these last few weeks really underscored how important collaboration and self-advocacy will be.  I used many different tools for my collaboration arsenal including Skype, Google docs, a frustrating trip with Voice Thread, and others.   Awareness of these tools and willingness to use them will be critical as a Library Media Educator.  I also will need to package statistics and information so that I can advocate for myself with administration.  Our district doesn’t seem to place the media center as essential to the success of students or teachers.  It will be my goal to help them see that it is!

Cumulatively, this course has helped me connect with some important information education resources.  I had already found the MEMO standards as part of my Planning, Instruction and Evaluation class, but wasn’t as familiar with the Standards for the 21^st Century Learner.  They provide a framework into which I can fit all that I do as LME, while the MEMO standards can be used for specific ideas on what can be taught and at what level.  I also learned many different plans for Search Processes from Kuhlthau, “FLIP IT,” and Big6. Together, they help define a process that students can use not only in research, but in problem-solving.  Woven throughout these discussions have been introductions to Web 2.0 tools that can be used in the classroom.  I have a growing list in my Teaching Tools folder!

Even more important than the curriculum or the process is the idea of the importance of these skills for today’s learner.  As a LME I will have the duty of not only promoting a love of reading, but developing critical thinking and collaborative skills in my students.   While the work was sometimes overwhelming, it reaffirmed the importance of the end goal.  As the AASL Standards for the 21^st Century Learner (2007) states:  “The continuing expansion of information demands that all individuals acquire the thinking skills that will enable them to learn on their own.”  I can’t think of a more important job to have!

Excited and nervous

I am both excited and nervous about this career to which I've committed time and money.  I am excited because everything I am learning supports what I always felt.....LME is important and relevant.  I am nervous because I REALLY want to use this knowledge to benefit Lake City.  I hope I can be the right balance of assistance, knowledge and enthusiasm to get the job when I am finished.

NCLB across the miles

I had a great time using Skype to work with Amanda on the NCLB project!  It was an amazing opportunity to make the distance between us literally insignificant.  And, our daughters got to say "hi" to one another.   Oh, and I learned some ways to use NCLB.  I will be well armed to provide relevant statistics on the value of a well-funded library media program!

So much to do....no time

I have learned about so many great Web 2.0 tools for the classroom!  This is when it really sucks that I am not yet a classroom teacher.  I have these great ideas and no way to use them.  The teacher with which I work is one year from retirement and doesn't have a real interest in learning new tools (can't say I blame her).  I will just have to keep my ideas organized for future use.  Tools to remember:

Doodle Pool for MHL voting among others
Edmoto
Prezi
Collaboration using Google Docs
The list goes on........
I have also saved the links to classmates library websites.  These will be a great resource in the future...too bad it can't be now!

It's true because I saw it on the news.....

In investigating the L.O.C primary resources I was actually surprised by not only the impact of 100-year-old film, but also with the immediate relevancy discussing it provided.  Learning that some of the "documentary" was staged was a great way to open the door of thinking critically about what we see on TV....and this is an election year!  It exhausts me so much that I tend to avoid the news....but as a participant in teaching 21st-Century learning skills, I must tackle this issue....being a critical consumer of information.

Personal fear:  My natural response to complication seems to be avoidance...I need to resist the flight instinct.