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!