Lost in the Reads

via Pixabay This week I have been busy working on my tutorial videos. So far I have only have one completely edited and ready to post. This one video was quite a learning experience for me. I have never done anything like this so it was a big process from start to finish. I am hoping now that I know a bit more of what I am doing the other videos will be much less demanding. via Giphy Starting these video tutorials brought with it some unforeseen challenges. For instance, I sort of forgot that I am very shy, so talking on camera was a hurdle to get over. This was a bigger deal than I had thought it would be. I am constantly having to step outside my comfort zone in order to be the best I can be in my teacher-librarian position. I thought I was used to that, but I had a surprise bout of severe stage-fright once I pressed record! I found it helpful to write out a script and list my main points in BIG BOLD LETTERS on multiple post it notes all over my screen. Even with these ...

via pixabay                I started my career as a high school English teacher looking to go into Library Services. I am now in an elementary library and absolutely love it. I think I have adapted to the elementary setting and mindset quite well overall. However, introducing online databases to elementary students has tested the very limits of my patience, and judging by my very patient and competent elementary colleagues’ disdain for online research projects, I assume this goes beyond my own lack of abilities to properly communicate with the tiny humans.                While it would be so much easier to just print off what they need, and pull the books of the shelves, it is more important that students begin to learn online research skills early. This is why I want to make things a bit easier for myself and my colleagu...

via giphy I have been racking my brain all week with what I could possibly create that would bring value to my school community, and colleagues. It has not been an easy task. Looking at what our library offers I began to think about our online ERAC databases. Every year I try to coordinate class schedules, lap top cart bookings, and limited research time to teach students how to access and use these databases. Every year I fail at hitting all the classes, and often those I do get to see end up with a very brief overview because one of the pieces of the puzzle didn’t line up properly. So, back to my thinking and thinking, I knew I wanted to do something that would be immediately beneficial to those teachers I work with on a day to day basis, and at the same time would not be superfluous to my own library instruction with students. via giphy See where I am going with this? No? Me either -yet. But I think where this is heading is to the creation of some kind of online i...

Pixabay Looking back over the last few weeks it is impressive to think of all the learning that has happened in such a short time span. All of the units have opened new avenues of exploration and insights for me in my personal and professional development. I have learned so much from classmates by reading their blogs and seeing the learning they have also been experiencing.  This course has really helped me to look beyond the scope of my own little library to a broader network of connecting with colleagues and other professionals.  Will Richardson's book Why School  showed me the ability that connecting online has to bring about better learning opportunities for students. While I have a long ways to go in creating PLNs and the like I am starting down this path. Through the use DIGG Reader and following blog posts, as well as using twitter more effectively I am slowing taking steps to access the potential of online collaboration that this course has shown me. ...