Lost in the Reads

Hidden . . . Behold the reference section!  Oh wait, let me move the whiteboard- ta-da!  Revealed!  Underwhelmed? So are ALL of my school’s staff and students.   In fact, this collection is so underused at the start of this class I had to go on a hunt to remind myself just where the reference section was. Once I found it I slowly moved the white board back in front of it and backed away. Not even a little bit joking.  Theme three forced me to once again pull aside the whiteboard and really examine what we have in the library, what we need in the library, and what should maybe be allowed to leave the library. The lessons that focused on distinctive reference type resources and with each week readings it gave me the chance to compare our own resources with these topics. Especially helpful were the "Evaluation and Selection" tables provided by Riedling in Reference Skills for the School Librarian.  Via Giphy I esse...

via unsplash I remember being in elementary school and getting assigned a topic for a research project. The whole class would go to the library to research said topic. Then the one or maybe two sets of encyclopedias would be set out on the tables with the instructions that they were not to be taken off the table, and you only had a certain amount of time to use the copy you needed because everyone needed a chance to use it. As someone who has since fallen down many a Wikipedia rabbit hole, this was a torturous way to be given an Encyclopedia, I wanted to look up EVERYTHING. via giphy This memory really resonated while reading lesson 6 and encountering the notion that, “ ‘Managing’ a school library resource centre or a reference collection does not mean building systems that protect it or limit access to it. In fact, it can mean the exact opposite.” I whole heartedly agree. Thankfully, my students have access to a lot of our reference resources online, and they can br...

Via Pexels This course has been eye-opening in more ways than one. On top of all the amazing learning opportunities working through the modules, and reading everyone’s blogs have given me I have also learned some valuable lessons in how to get work done while dealing with a teething infant. My final vision project wraps up a huge learning process for me. I am generally not one to put myself out there online, and now I have a blog, a reactivated twitter account, and a you tube channel. This may not seem like much, but it is huge for me right now. I have been able to see what a valuable experience sharing your work is to others, and I look forward to continuing to learn this way. Starting this course, I wanted to continue learning how to be an active and valuable teacher-librarian. Upon completion of this course (about half way through the diploma) I feel I have made some big strides in this direction, and have a better idea about how to continue this journey going forw...

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. ...