Webinars and other Learning Experiences

One of the readings for class was titled "When Teachers drive their learning" and was a fascinating example of true educators improving their classroom strategies. The article describes school district using the Fusion system to improve individual teachers skills in the classroom. A teacher completes the full "course" in the following way:
1. chooses from a list of teaching strategies which ones he or she wishes to improve on
2. reads literature on the subject
3. meets with a study group
4. observes a peer who implements the strategy in his or her  classroom
5. experiments with the strategy in their own classroom
6. a mentor, who is considered an expert in that strategy observes the teacher work the strategy in the class and evaluates their mastery of the learned strategy
One of the profound statements of the article was that the "three key elements of motivation, time to develop professionally and teacher leadership" makes for an energetic teacher.
Surprisingly, each teacher that completes a strategy course receives a stipend! I think that is exactly what schools need to do to motivate teachers to improve their own skills in the classroom; I just envision that being difficult for districts in poor communities (like the city of Detroit schools) to sustain. This school district also had to have the study groups during school days, which I think is key to having participation. What I saw as one of the best parts of Fusion, was that reciprocal relationships existed between teachers and many of them are considered masters in at least one strategy so all of them feel respected and valued for their individual skills.
The next article was "Computers in Libraries" where a library system in North Carolina realized basic training for troubleshooting computer problems for their librarians was very important in this changing world. Going beyond these basic computer skills, the system created an "online self discovery program" to learn new technological web 2.0 tools.
Lastly, the final article "planning an online professional development module," described how one library media specialist incorporated what the NC library system in Charlotte did to teach the school staff how to discover web 2.0 tools. She modified the program to suit the teacher's needs and so that it could remain flexible in terms of time.
[Side note: I always thought it odd that school librarians were supposed to teach computer classes; perhaps that is why they made the title change to library media specialist--to force school librarians to teach those classes? All I know is that the schools I went to had librarians who would definitely not be qualified to teach tech classes; that is why we had a computer teacher.]
Anyways, I really liked that the project fostered collaboration in the absence of an expert; that was the best part of the project evaluations I thought.  

Last week, I participated in 4 webinars on topics ranging from serving Native American populations in your library, teens, young professionals, blind and deaf patrons, and those with limited access to fast (necessary for most utilization of the Internet) digital connections. I absolutely loved seeing the varied perspectives (especially those varying from my own opinions and knowledge) presented on these topics by my peers. Without a doubt, the biggest issue with the class presenting webinars turned out to be technology! We all struggled a bit, hampered by technological difficulties. Reflecting on my own webinar (how libraries can make those areas deemed handicapped accessible warm and inviting--on a budget), I think it was hardest for me and my team members to learn how to navigate the software effectively enough to host a webinar. It was a rewarding experience, both in terms of learning how to use Elluminate and learning how to present important content in such a different, previously unknown way. The assignment really summed up much of what I have learned this semester and I feel these readings today do as well:

•  Technology might be scary, but it also so darn useful! I would be foolish to let my timidity keep me from engaging with it.
• Collaboration with your peers, especially when discussing ideas and experiences, can be unbelievably rewarding and not at all discouraging! This has been a very different experience from when I've worked with teams that do not possess similar goals or interests. 

PS. Just about everything I have done and learned this semester I referenced in a recent interview--SI 643 has been the most important library class I have ever taken here at U of M.

Thank you classmates and Kristin for providing me with such unparalleled knowledge.

All About Twitter

I've had a Twitter account since 2008 and can count on both hands the numbers of times I've posted on it since then...until now. I started checking out my chosen bloggers' Twitter feeds awhile ago, pretty much because "Agnostic, Maybe" always has a lot of entertaining things to say in both places. I always found Twitter to be less of a professional tool and more of a celebrity watch--which doesn't interest me in the slightest. But this is the assignment and I'm willing to have my mind changed.

First,  found it extremely difficult to locate all of my bloggers (and I've added some since the blogging assignment) on Twitter. Many of them did not have their Twitter name on their blog or it wasn't easy to find, if they did. I ended up having to investigate further or guess by their real name. etc. And then I added HootSuite and that as made all the difference in the world! I really like how it organize things by columns and it is user-friendly (speaking as one who is not comfortable with virtual gadgets and widgets). I put in my 5 posts and I think only 2 of them are actually relevant and show there is thought behind them. I'm not the type who updates her Facebook status every day or every few hours; I don't usually have anything to say that is only 140 characters. That portion of the assignment was difficult for me. I am also not thinking too much on the pertinent issues facing libraryland at the moment. Outside of class, my thoughts center often on making dinner, getting ready for tomorrow, driving through commuter traffic, finding an internship for the summer,etc. I feel somewhat distanced from these issues--and that's ok for me right now! Being a first year I don't feel as though I comprehend everything the librarians are saying and I'm not employed by a library--so there's a disconnect. That's where using these tools like Twitter with HootSuite and following the blogs really come into play; even if I don't have anything to say on these topics I can still follow along and read the different points of view posted by people who do have something to say. This class has been so valuable in teaching me how to bridge the gulf between where I am now, in school, and what is happening "out there" in the libraries.

Lastly I changed my Twitter name because I had numbers attached to the previous one and I noticed the vast majority of people I follow do not have numbers in their name. Isn't that funny? Is is because having numbers in your name is reminiscent of an AIM screen name and that's considered juvenile?  Or is having numbers in your screen name as way to mark yourself as not creative enough to find a name that isn't taken already? My previous name was SpecialK86 and now is SpecialKlib which I think is infinitely better because I snuck a little library love in there.