Reflection

Textbook: The Many Faces of School Library Leadership. Chapter 3. “The School Librarian as an Advocacy Leader.”
 * Read and reflect on Leadership (1 hr):**

“Today's School Library Media Specialist Leader” by Dianne C. Dees et.al. Library Media Connection; Jan2007, 25(4), 10-14.

“IT’S NOT ABOUT US” blog posting by Kristin Fontichiaro at http://blog.schoollibrarymedia.com/index.php/2010/04/07/its-not-about-us/

Read and reflect upon everyone’s contributions to Wednesday’s online class. [The discussion boards will be live from Friday, Oct 7th at 9 am until Wednesday, Oct 12th at 9 pm.] Post your reflection to your individual LIS 620 wiki. Your reflection could address topics/questions such as:

•How would I respond to Linda’s topics/questions today? •What do I wish I had said? •What did I learn from this experience? •What do I wish I had done differently? •How do synchronous online discussions differ from asynchronous discussions? •Why did Linda pose these topics/questions? •What did I learn from this experience?

I found the first online class to be exhilarating and intense. It was almost like I had tunnel-vision for an hour, and lost sense of time and place. In physical class, my eyes roam the room; I notice people's expressions and interactions; I eat snacks, hear coughs, check my phone for texts from the babysitter. But alone in my den with the kids safely asleep in their beds, I was able to focus solely on my computer screen, composing my answers, quickly reading and commenting on other's posts. I logged on early waiting for the questions to appear, and as soon as they did, I think I spent too much time writing my mini-essay for Question One. I notice that I posted my first response almost 25-35 minutes into the class, and from then on rapid-fired responses, but because of my concentration and, I guess, English-teacherly need to revise before posting, I lacked time management. I did not get to Question Three. I'll answer Question Three here. I completely agree with what everyone said about information literacy continuing to increase in importance. To me information literacy can be a synonym for critical thinking, which is one of the hardest things to teach. Critical thinking is something that almost like a basic right, we have to fight for and protect, practice and use everyday. With the media spinning stories, the internet with its boundless information, so many unreliable and unregulated websites, and opinions from political leaders, teachers, parents, religious authorities, peers, etc, it is nearly impossible to feel completely confident in one's ability to evaluate all the white noise. The constant bombardment of biased opinions, skewed information, expert accounts, etc, makes it is a constant struggle to remain independent, morally true to oneself, and simultaneously original. I respect and echo Marie's comment when she said that we do not want our students/patrons to be computers or cheaters. We want them to learn the skills to evaluate information, think critically, and generate new work. As for why Linda posed these particular questions, I think that they embody some of the overarching themes of our course and current issues in our profession. I like the way that the questions, and in fact the entire online class, was differentiated for all learners. The quote question especially allows for students at all levels to answer and interpret to their ability. Also, I like the way you responded to students with positive almost instant feedback. From this experience, I learned that I will have to move faster during the synchronous online course, and not worry as much about perfect writing. The interaction between students in discussion threads is so valuable, and in order to have more dialogue, the posts have to be more frequent. I would absolutely use synchronous online classes in my own teaching, and I agree that by the time students have graduated from high school, they would benefit from experiencing a blended class.

Posted October 16th, 2011

__Rough ideas for Assignment 1__

Thoughts on ebook: Library Blogs As Effective Learning Tools Program is Paramount Communication, Connectedness, Collaboration library flexible Validating everyone's voice, practicing writing, showcasing student work heart of the school Announcing new collection acquisitions, library events, author visits heart of the community 21st century skills, standards The library meets the needs of every learner learning commons technology

Posted October 5th, 2011