Week Fourteen (11/29/10 - 12/05/10) - The End?

As the semester finally comes to an end, I realize that I really am going to miss this class.  I have learned so  many things (although copyright is tricky, but it will get easier over time) and I have enjoyed the projects that we have completed.  This is also the best online course I have ever taken because of the course format and the resources that we used.  I can honestly say that in previous online courses, I remember little, as only one format for course information/interaction was used and there was little or no student collaboration or pooling of resources.

I don't know what I will do with myself after the exam is complete.  Perhaps I will continue blogging (I am a horrible blogger so I wouldn't expect that) and add Diigo bookmarks (I KNOW I will do this one!)  but whatever I do, I will forever carry fond memories of a phenomenal course that I learned so very much from!

I thank you so very much for an incredible class and I hope that our paths cross again very soon!!

Week Thirteen (11/22/10 - 11/28/10)

I was not sure whether we had to post this week, so I am adding a brief comment, just to be on the safe side (I hate being an overachiever, some times).

This week, our discussion board topic was about "pulling the vision together" and noting concepts that help to form our vision of librarian utopia.  Until the moment I was made to think about what is important to me, it never occurred to me that so many concepts would come into the fold.  The first three concepts that came to my mind were students first, advocacy, and leadership through knowledge.  Of course there are many, MANY others but those three stood out to me as being the most important.  I now realize it is because all three concepts describe me. 

In my work in the disability community, I constantly stress the importance of student's first when creating IEPs or even in the classroom setting.  By putting the student first, they thrive, regardless of their ability level.  In terms of advocacy, it has been my lifes work for so long, that it is no surprise I included it as an important concept.  Leadership through knowledge is also a personal trait/motivator.  I have always been one to want to be the example for others to follow and often find myself in leadership roles (even if they do make me nuts sometimes!).  When I am in a leadership role, I find it important for me to seek out learning resources - whether they be in the form of conferences, workshops, or even online sources.  In order to be an effective leader, knowledge must always be gained. 

So all of that being said, I now find myself wondering what non-self-descriptors I would chose as concepts that help form my ;library vision.  If I do not find alternate concepts, I fear that I am stuck in a rut of past experiences and that my horizons have not been broadened by what I have learned this semester.  So I end this post, reflecting on not what currently defines me but what I hope will define my library vision in the future....

Week Twelve (11/15/10 - 11/21/10)

This week, we returned to copyright and although it was still a difficult topic to understand, I'd like to think that I am able to grasp it a little more than I had at the beginning of the semester.  What I find particularly helpful is that my classmates are as confused as I am - some even more.  The idea is helpful because I realize that I am not tragically behind my peers; I am getting what I should be, learning on the "job," and will get more as I go along my library way.  Admittedly, though, I do freeze up when I hear the word copyright.  Perhaps it will always be this way.

The information on copyright (and many of the things I have learned in this class!) has helped me tremendously in my classes this semester.  For one class, I needed to make a book trailer and the resources that I found (personally and through the class Diigo group) led me to public domain music and pictures that I used in the trailer.  Another example - I am working on an assignment for one of my other classes and we are setting up a Diigo page for resources that we will be using for the assignment and will be creating Diigo pages for students that visit the library.  I think it is so wonderful to see the knowledge we are gaining this semester be practically applied and it makes me love librarianship even more than I did at the beginning of the semester!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Week Eleven (11/08/10 - 11/14/10)

Insert picture here

Had there not been Google errors aplenty, an image of children interacting with their teacher from http://learningtocollaborate.blogspot.com/2009/05/fully-engaged.html would have been here!

What a wonderful week of learning it has been!  When I say that I don't know what I will do after this course ends, I am not kidding at all.  I have learned and continue to learn so very much - both from my professor and my peers that the thought of it coming to an end is sad.

I spent much of this week working on my professional development workshop on guided reading.  It was a challenge for me, primarily because I had little knowledge on the topic - a challenge that I welcome.  I do workshops and PowerPoints all of the time on accessibility, disability awareness, and special education so this semester, I have made it a rule in all of my classes to steer clear of that area so that I can grow in knowledge in other areas.  I hope it is working.  :)

All kidding aside, it is working and new worlds are opening up before me every day and I love it. I love learning about assessments, classroom activities, and multiple routes to literacy and  I particularly enjoy the pictures of students engaging in learning in their classrooms!  Guided reading helped me to learn that literacy is just as multifaceted as the human brain - it is just a small piece of a giant literacy puzzle. 

I can't get enough of learning and I am thankful that I will be staying at UB for my PhD in Education and LIS.  There is so much more for me to discover and I am thankful that this course has given me the desire and excitement to continue on (even when I am absolutely exhausted!).

Week Ten (11/01/10 - 11/07/10)

Image source: http://www.ziggitsawards.com/tag/awards/

My how this semester is flying!  I wish I had a moment to bask in the glory of half-semester completion; but woe is me!  I have so much to do that if I bask for even a moment, I fear that I will drown....but I digress!

I was sitting here today, think about the toolbelt (or toolbox) conversation that we have been having on the discussion boards and I was suddenly struck sad at the thought of my fellow classmates not liking the idea of Diigo and that they plan on not visiting the site after the semester is finished.  Diigo isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination (hello - who is?!) but the site does promote collaboration and the exchange of information.  I think that is why I was so dismayed.  Not using the site means that both the student and myself suffers because communication comes to a grinding halt.  Trust me, I am a realist and understand that many people want an "over and done" with kind of class, but I am not one of those students and I put great value on acquiring information; especially information that I had no prior knowledge of.

I guess I feel a little like the "monkey with a toolbelt;" I want to be able to find information about almost anything and doing so with the help of classmates and friends will help this find to become a well-rounded exploration rather than one-sided.  Which brings me back to the K-12 conferences.  Whenever I feel as though I am alone (although I never truly am in LIS), I need only view new and archived conferences to get additional resources and for that I am grateful.  Do I hope my classmates will continue to add to our Diigo group long after our course has completed?  Absolutely, but if they do not, I am happy that my toolbelt (toolbox) will continue to grow because of the class resources that have been given to us.

Comment on Web Conferencing - Can We Chat?

This week has been a very good one in terms of Internet resource discovery.  As I noted earlier in the week, Karen Blumberg's K12 conference presentation was so invigorating and provided me with a plethora of links that I will surely use as I continue on in school and in my future career.  (and did I mention that she commented on my post?!  how awesome is that?!)  Kim Caise's Web Conferencing - Can We Chat? was also incredibly informative and provide many helpful links.

An interesting comment that Caise made was that she hoped that with the tools that she provided that our students will feel inspired.  I have to tell you, I was just as (if not more!) inspired by the resources that she gave.  For instance, I found the site The Global Education Collaborative to be extremely helpful.  I appreciate the global-connectedness that the site promotes and truly proves how small our world really is.  Another site, Virtual Field Trips is an incredible resource because it provides students more educational opportunities because they are able to visit places across the global that the class would not necessarily have the funds to travel to.  How incredible it is for a student to "visit" the Louvre in the morning and then Madagascar in the afternoon!

I also found Caise's personal blog to be incredibly rich in resources and I have book marked it for our Diigo group (and can be found here http://kcaise.wordpress.com/).  I hope that you will all have time to explore Caise's "Ventures," and get to take a look at all of the wonderful resources she has listed for educators.

Week Nine (10/24/10 - 10/31/10)

Image from http://feelfree3333.blogspot.com/p/basics-of-this-project.html.

I cannot stress enough how much of a positive impact the K12 conference site and presentations has had on me.  It is as though a new world has been opened up before my eyes; a world that prior to learning of the site, I did not see a connection to, yet it is a world that has welcomed me with open arms.

I will be the first to admit that I never knew the educational involvement SLMS had; I am a new SLMS student, after all, and I am still learning the ropes.  Yes, I knew that all librarians needs to participate in continuing education and keep informed of the latest and greatest in books and technology, but I never imagined how important collaboration between the librarian and teachers would be in the school setting and that when the collaboration was working, what incredible results would come of it.

Of course, I have heard horror stories where school librarians were seen not seen by teachers as equals in education but as inferiors who were expected to act as a sitter for students when they were dropped off in the library for study periods, but fortunately, there seem to be more positive stories of collaboration and educational partnerships.  At the end of the day, all educators - teacher or librarian - realize that the more that we know and can pass along to our students, the more that they will benefit by growing and learning.  After all, as educators, isn't that what we are supposed to do?

Comment on K12 Conference - License to Cull with Creative Commons and yolink

Holy mackerel!  I have never learned more about copyright in such a short amount of time!  I just listened to "License to Cull with Creative Commons and yolink" by Karen Blumberg (under the subheading, Kicking it Up a Notch) and it was fantastic!!  I am sure I drove everyone nuts with my Diigo postings but Blumberg's links are such incredible resources, I couldn't help but pass them on to the class. 

One of the things that really got me about this presentation was Blumberg's enthusiasm about what she does.  When the presentation begins, it is clear that Blumberg loves what she does and is happy to aid the students that she works with.  As the presentation continues, Blumberg's speech becomes faster and she provides the presentation listener with so much information and beneficial tools that I couldn't help be excited with her!

Let's face it, creative commons and copyright in general can be pretty dry material.  In earlier postings, we have also discussed the ambiguity that exists in each respective area, but Blumberg's explanation and resources really helped me get a handle on what can and can't be used when creating videos and posting materials for educational use. 

I cannot express enough how great I think Blumberg did and plan on visiting her personal blog on a regular basis so I can be kept abreast of the wonderful things that she does!  I even left her a personal comment on the K12 site to let her know how great she did and I never do things like that (I am usually a chicken!).  :)

Week Eight (10/17/10 - 10/23/10) - Take Two!

Image from: https://hrlibrary.wikispaces.com/Per5+LIfe+and+Literary+Work+Connection

Now that the conference dust of a physical conference is settling and I am finally getting back to a place where there is some sort of calm, I can write about my incredible virtual conference experiences from this past week. 

I think it is an incredible time to be an educator!  There are so many tech options out there that every learning experience can be a grand and memorable one.  The K12 conference has been incredible for me.  The conference really opened my eyes to new and innovative technologies and has also showed me their impact on students and other teachers.

I love the idea of virtual workshops that are global.  How rich conversations and classroom planning can be when you have input from around the world!!  I think the global workshops will also be helpful because there are times - for teachers and librarians alike - where you feel isolated.  Global workshops really help in reminding us that we are never alone and a friendly voice can literally be just a click away.  I also love that technology is creating a culture of teachers that share resources.  I am a strong proponent for sharing information - an idea I had to struggle with as an English MA, as English majors tend not to want to share because they are afraid of an idea being stolen - and I love to see that collaboration results in more learning experiences that are helping and reaching more people.  I hope that technology continues to promote a culture of shared ideas and shared learning!

Since I have not been able to post on wetpaint, I did want to mention here (until I can post) that the second video I viewed for this week's postings was "Student Voices: Let me tell MY story."  It was absolutely amazing because the video showed the student's perspectives when it came to technology.  It is incredible to see how students have embraced technology to expand their knowledge in music and to showcase their artistic abilities!  I could not get over how informed the students were and how effortlessly there were able to create media forms that not only can be used for themselves but can also be shared with other students.  My favorite quote  - the students want their "web footprint really big but our earth footprint to be very small." That is the coolest way of going green I have ever heard!

I look forward to next week's conference sessions and cannot wait to see what new world will be opened to me then.

Week Eight (10/17/10 - 10/23/10)

What a wonderful time to be an educator and librarian!!  I only have a brief moment to post - I am the conference coordinator for an academic conference on 18th century studies in downtown Buffalo this weekend  - but I wanted to express how happy I am to have learned about the K12 Conference site and note what a pleasure it is to have had the opportunity to have listened to the lectures!  I will post an additional response as soon as the conference is complete (Sunday)!

Week Seven (10/10/10 - 10/16/10) - Cyberbullying

Image from: http://blog.safetyweb.com/cyberbullying-parents-and-schools-must-respond-to-cyberbullying/

With all of the resources and websites out there on cyberbullying, one would think that cyberbullying would be a thing of the past; a pretty horrible scenario that was born when the Internet was introduced but ended when the world realized how dangerous it could be.  Instead, we have children and teens killing themselves over derogatory comments that were posted on Facebook or other social networking sites, on blogs and even websites created for the purpose of breaking down the psyche of another human being.  As powerful a tool as the Internet can be, it can be equally detrimental when placed in the hands of inexperienced (and down-right mean) users.

In late September, an 18-year-old Rutger's student, Tyler Clementi, jumped to his death off of the George Washington Bridge after another student posted a video of him having sex with another male student.  The Internet has created a culture of cruelty that goes beyond the walls of the school and into a global kingdom of chaos.  In the same breath, the outpouring of grief and support for Tyler and his family has also shown the far reaches of Internet humanity.  Blogs, social networking groups, and web pages pop-up daily so as to send sympathies and promote remembrance of this tragedy.  Another incident in our recent past was the death of Phoebe Prince; a high school student from Ireland who moved to Massachusetts.  Prince was bullied relentlessly by her classmates and would commit suicide to escape the clutches of teenage bulling brutality.

What makes me insane is that the classmate who posted Clementi's sex tape and Prince's torturers do not believe that they have done anything wrong and don't even get me started on the ridiculous idea that bullying is just "kids being kids."  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Bullying - cyber or otherwise - is not just a simple behavior issue that resolves itself once a child transitions into adulthood.  Studies show that bullies as children and teens continue on to be bullies in adulthood (drive down a road and see the aggression lately? ugh!).  Clearly, there is a disconnect in education and responsibility for actions and that is what needs to be addressed.  How does this fit in the SLMS world?  Our libraries become safe places.  Librarians watch library interactions to intercept beginning stages of harassment.  Librarians become safe persons for students to come to for help.  Librarians teach students the appropriate way to use the Internet and describe the repercussions for inappropriate online behavior. 

Someone has to step up in order to end this chronic culture of hate and hostility and what better person than a SLMS?

Week Six (10/3/10 - 10/9/10) - Computerless Libraries??

Image from: http://www.icservices.com.au/images/

I have to say that before listening to this weeks lecture that it never crossed my mind that there would be a possibility that they library I may someday work in may not have computers.  Frankly, I find the idea to be preposterous; the government should really step in an ensure that all school libraries have them.  By not having access, schools in this country are not on equal footing and we are creating a cyclical pattern of haves and have nots, which is deplorable.  Let's face it, those in wealthy neighborhoods are much more likely to have computers in their libraries (and in their classrooms & at home) than their impoverished counterparts.  Unequal access becomes more than just a digital divide; it becomes a proverbial Grand Canyon where those who lack financial means never gain enough rope to make the trek across to computer learning.

Without access to computers - in this case, at the library - student's will surely struggle with basic academic tasks.  Do I have a fool proof solution?  No, only that if my library does not have computers, I will fight like heck to get them through grants and other programs.  Do I expect this to happen overnight?  Of course not, but if it means me purchasing a PC for student use, out of my own money until I can raise the funds to bring more in, I will surely do so. 

I see the computer issue being a huge one, especially in special education classrooms.  Often times, the only recourse for classes teaching special education students how to use a computer and the Internet is visiting the library.  Special education classrooms are often the last one's to receive funding for such items, so it is imperative for the library to have the tools that the children of the school need to be successful and productive adults.  If not, I fear we will have a growing society of functioning illiterate persons who will never strive for more because they feel as though they cannot and also a society that thinks it is okay to not take care of one another - rich and poor alike - and I am not okay with that.  I will do my best (and do it now in some capacity) to assist those who need it most.  If we don't, then who will?

Week Five (9/26/10 - 10/2/10)

Image by Stephen Baum and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_copyright.svg#filelinks)

As I put the image above into the blog, I realized that this is my second question mark image of the semester.  Considering this is week 5, it doesn't terrify me too much, but it does serve to show me that confusion may be a trend for me throughout the semester.  That being said, I don't think saying I am confused about fair use and copyright is being too hard on myself.  The reality is, both areas are extremely complex and just when you think you have figured them out, the ambiguity appears and you are right  back at stage one.

A reason for most of my struggle - mostly because I am hard-headed - is that I cannot understand why educators are not exempt from fair use and copyright issues when the materials they are duplicating are used for educational purposes only.  Yes, I do get there people will always take things a step beyond and make copies for personal use or for outside sources but I am speaking of those who play by the rules and only use the materials in their classrooms. 

We are in a time of budget crisis.   School districts have very few resources, as do individual schools and libraries, and even our public libraries are seeing drastic cuts, so how are our children supposed to get the tools they need for learning?  I don't see harm in copying a chapter from a book for students to use in the classroom, so I guess my dilemma will be how I will handle my personal feelings about fair use and copyright against the legalities of fair use and copyright. 

I certainly hope this all of the legalities/rights get easier for me to grasp as we go along.  I know I have loads to learn but I think I would feel a little more comfortable if I actually agreed with (aka fully understood) some of the legalities/rights that are being presented.

To Blog or Not to Blog...THAT is the Question (Week Four - 9/19/10 - 9/25/10)

Photo by cambodia4kidsorg on Flickr.

The subject of blogging and schools can be a tricky one.  Some schools are wide-open to the idea with no parameters or privacy settings and others are so against the idea of blogs, they are not allowed at all.  I am a firm believer of reaching a happy medium; I feel blogs play an integral part in the classroom and should be utilized.

For starters, class blogs are excellent resources to keep the lines of communication open between teachers, students, and parents.  Posting current events, homework, and upcoming field trips keeps everyone in the educational loop.  As a class project, I think it is extremely beneficial for students to have a blog.  Not only does it promote communication, it also encourages creativity.  Blogging may also result in a student finding something within themselves that they didn't know existed (i.e. a budding writer or a journalist).  Finally, as mentioned in my board post, I think that blogging promotes accountability.  Students are responsible for their blog postings.  If they do not do their work, they must accept responsibility and find ways to remedy the situation appropriately.  I feel responsibility is one of the biggest lessons (and most important) that students should learn.

Of course, with every good blog post comes the need for a discussion with students on privacy and safety.  As important as using the blog as classroom tool, privacy and safety discussions sure occur before the blog is created and should be revisited every class in some form.  If we teach students the proper way to handle the Internet from the get-go, they will use it the right way from that moment on.

Week Three - 9/13/10 - 9/18/10

Image from http://edschool.csuhayward.edu/departments/ted/instruction/howe/5500/AT/contents.html 

Accessibility and assistive technology are two areas that are near and dear to my heart.  I spent a week this summer getting ADA training in this and nine other areas. As I mentioned in my wetpaint posting, I am the parent of a child with high-functioning Autism.  Without assistive technology, I truly believe that my daughter would not have made the advances that she has made.

I have used a number of things to aid her, including  computer programs (Reader Rabbit, Jump Start Typing), audio books and magazines (from the Library of Congress), and enlarged keyboards.  Her successes have come one step at a time and her knowledge of the computer programs/assistive technologies that are out there are crucial to her successful transition to adulthood. 

One of the most beneficial assistive devices that my daughter has utilized has been closed captioning and I was surprised to read in Carol Simpson's book that captioning technology is "in the gray area" (89) in terms of copyright legalities.  My daughter is not hearing-impaired but watching closed captioned programs (both at school and at home) helped her learn to read.  I understand why copyright is an issue for any form of technology, I just wish there was way (in a perfect world) that if someone was helped by closed captioning or any other form of communication for that matter, that they could do so without having to jump through hoops. 

I have seen firsthand the positive effects that can come from non-traditional (and obviously non-copyright-friendly materials) and it makes me nuts that some times copyright itself can be a barrier to access.

Week Two - 9/6/10 - 9/12/10

Copyright. What an intimidating word it has turned out to be!  When I reflect upon what I learned this week, I think what frightens me about copyright is not flagrant misuse but the instances of copyright infringement that may occur but may not have been intentional.  I realize that lack of knowledge of the law does not make a person exempt from abiding by it,  but sometime things happen where you didn't realize you were doing anything wrong by making a copy of something for the classroom or to be used for a school project.

Prior to reading Simpson's text, I believed that to some extent, schools had a different set of copyright guidelines than the rest of the world.  Reason being - because they are educating our children.  Perhaps this is a weak reason but I believe that if anyone should have some flexibility in copyright, it should be educators.  I had no idea that schools had to follow the same rules of copyright that everyone else has to follow and honestly, I find it unfortunate that they must do so.

I do not mean to imply that all educators should be able to go crazy and copy chapter upon chapter of texts or go out and draw pictures of copy written characters such as Mickey Mouse, but if they are teaching a unit, say on Harry Potter, they should have access to and be able to share all things Harry Potter.  I know a publisher would cringe reading this comment because at the end of the day, one of the largest factors behind copyright is money but in my perfect world, schools would have access to any and all materials and be able to use them as much (or as little) as needed, regardless of copyright, to teach our children and money wouldn't be a factor.  I can dream, can't I?

P.S. Incidentally, the copyright image above is in the public domain, but just to be fair to the originating website, I found it here: http://www.clker.com/.

First Week Reflections

The first week of the semester has been overwhelming to say the least.  Not only am I the new LIS-GSA President and have had a bevy of trainings and events to plan and participate in, this is my first semester in the SLMS program.  I was previously on an academic libraries track, having graduated with my MA in English in May 2009, so that I could learn more about research and to become a better researcher.  Somewhere along the way, my path changed entirely.  I was given the opportunity to apply to PhD school, to hopefully begin my studies next Fall after getting my MLS (Spring 2011).    I plan on focusing on library science, disability awareness, and services for patrons with disabilities.  I had no clue of what I was getting myself into!  :)

I have so much to do and frankly, I am scared to death.  Assignments, lesson plans, portfolios, observation hours - my head is swimming with all of the tasks I have to complete.  I have to learn a systematic way of completing work.  I (think I) work better under pressure.  I have to learn how to do my school work over a period of time rather than waiting until the last minute to get everything done.  I also need to work on my time management skills because once the tv is on or I am in front of a computer, hours pass as if they were seconds.  If only there were a button to make time stand still...

As if time management and a multitude of work wasn't enough, I now also need to learn about a brand new world that has its own vocabulary - competencies, AASL, L4L - I have so much to learn!!  All that being said, I know that I am in the right area of library school.  It just feels right.  Am I overwhelmed? Yes.  Am I worried about doing book talks or any sort of direct patron service?  Absolutely.  Do I worry about all of the new terminology and procedures that come with SLMS?  Of course, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I know that everything I do now will aid me in PhD school and beyond.  I also know that one day, I will be exactly where I long to be - in the college classroom, teaching new MLS (and other!) students about how to best serve patrons with disabilities and how to treat them equally and respectfully (and of course more, this is the abridged version!).

So the journey begins.  I look forward to a great semester of exploring and learning!

COMING SOON!

COMING SOON!  :)