Journal+Entries

9/16/09

I took both the Keirsey Temperment Sorter and Jung Typology Test. I came up as an Artisan from the Temperment test and I must say it has me pegged and the results are very easily understood, unlike the Jung test where I am INFP and clueless about what that really means. It's hard for me to understand how it decided that I am introverted--I don't feel introverted. After reading chapters 1, 3 and 4 in Morris I see that it will be a very helpful book to have in hand once I begin working as a SLMS. All of the lesson plan breakdowns are very practical for either using exactly or taking some ideas and making them my own. I also enjoyed reading some of the stat tables in the book. My favorite is the table that compares LMC services in different regions of the US. The results for the Northeast are pretty close to what I expected and have experienced, especially the low rate of collaboration between SLMSs and teachers. I believe that collaboration along with a few other things on that list are progressive ideas and the Northeast is so traditional that often districts go kicking and screaming into the future. I have begun my bulletin board and am very excited to see how far I can take it. I only wish that we had time to do more than one because I keep coming up with new ideas, but really like the one I've started so I don't want to change it. I hope that I can have it hung up in an elementary school so that people jump on board for "Read for the Record" because it seems that a great community-creating event.

9/19/09

In class on Thursday we spent a lot of time focusing on the Temperment and Personality tests and I believe we all learned quite a bit. I really started to grasp how much being a SLMS encompasses and the fact that we all bring different abilities and skills to the table. I am excited to be in class with a handful of people I feel I can really learn from. It was also nice hearing people's tales of woe about school politics because I have surely experienced enough of my own. I don't believe it will be easy to always keep myself in the best position when it comes to these types of situations, but I'm looking forward to taking the advice I received in class and testing it out. I completed my bulletin board and attached papers today. I really enjoyed channeling my inner artistic child and playing with glue. I'm really excited to hang my board up at Barnard and see if my predictions about the kids' reactions to it are realistic. I'm not sure if I linked my wiki to parts 2 and 3 of the assignment, or if I did attach it properly, I wish there were a way to make the link look more attractive. I really enjoyed the Kearney reading this week--Chapter 8 in particular. I can't get over Blanche Caffiere's story about Bill Gates. I've already read it to 3 people and will probably read it to many more because it left me with the most amazing feeling, not just because of the surprise ending, but to think that a librarian can make that much of an impact on a child. May we all be lucky enough to experience that one day.

9/27/09

After rereading Morris (p118-131) I'm starting to wonder if most of these ideas are doable in every district or only in the open-minded ones. I loved the idea of the read-in, but thinking of the district I work in (New Rochelle), I don't believe most of the parents would be able or willing to show up to read to their kids. And would the teachers cut down on homework that day to allow ample reading time? I've already heard more than one complain that 30 min assemblies are a waste and take too much time out of the day. I hope that when I land a job it is in a district that is progressive and accepting and more focused on what's best for students than on what's easiest for teachers. I read an article in //Westchester Magazine// this week about Scarsdale's superintendent and changes he has made in his district because of things his teachers and parents want and what's best for the children. He completed a initiative this year to replace all AP classes with district-created classes because the teachers felt that they spend too much time teaching to the AP test to actually add value to the students' educations. I can imagine all the wonderful projects that a SLMS can put into place in a district such as this one. After reading about Web 2.0 and teaching 21st century skills, I've started to think about how I could use technology in library lessons: having students set up blogs instead of submitting reports, using email and texting to ask reference and research questions. I believe the fact that I've grown up with so much technology will be a huge help to me when it comes to using technology in useful and creative ways.

10/7/09

I've spent most of this past week working on my PR brochure and PPT presentation. I really enjoyed this project because I have no previous experience with PPT and very little with creating brochures, so I spent much of my time tinkering with the computer programs. Last week's class was fantastic because I got to see everyone's bulletin boards. I LOVED the vampire one and the chalk drawing from "A Splendid Friend, Indeed". But, what piqued my interest the most was Tiffany's bulletin board, created in Photoshop. I couldn't get past how professional it looked and couldn't wait to get home and try my hand at making one. I have spent a few hours since then playing on Photoshop and trying out all sorts of effects and ideas to see what I could have come up with for "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". So far, I've created an interesting piece, but I know it's going to take a lot more time, as well as trial and error to make something great. I also have spent plenty of time searching for interesting articles to put up on the collaborative wiki. At first, I saw this task as more of a chore than anything else, but as I began to read through all the different articles to find something work posting, I realized how much I was learning about what's going on in SLMCs and what I'm going to face once I have a job.

10/14/09

I'm looking forward to begin work on the banned book letter for next week. I read a letter online the other day about a challenge to "Uncle Bobby's Wedding" and it was wonderfully written. The librarian who wrote it covered everything necessary without patronizing the parent and I plan to keep a copy of his letter for reference for any real life challenges. When looking through lists of banned book to find the one I would write about, I stumbled upon a challenge targeting a book I fell in love with years ago: "Prep: a novel". I have thought about this book a lot over the years and while it does have a little sexual stuff in it, it's a book that every teenage girl should read. I would go so far as to call it the "Catcher in the Rye" for girls. The idea of banned books is so sad to me. The fact that anyone would try to keep other people from reading something for any reason is depressing. One of my favorite lines is "who do you think you are that you have a right to tell someone what they should or shouldn't believe". I feel this carries over into the way I feel about banned books. People need to worry about what happens inside their own homes, not other people's. I'm so glad we are working on this assignment because I can imagine if I am not practiced in dealing with these types of issues that I would lose my head when dealing with close-minded people.

10/29/09

In class tonight, we presented our Powerpoint presentations. I really enjoyed hearing about the many ideas my classmates came up with for SLMC programs and seeing how they presented them. I have been working mainly on assignment 4--the collaborative wiki assignment and I must say I'm really getting a lot out of reading so many journal articles. It definitely isn't an easy task finding the right ones for my topics, but I'm learning so much, both from the ones I'm summarizing as well as the ones I end up not using. Also, I find that I'm able to converse intelligently and ask thoughtful questions when speaking with SLMSs because of all the reading I've been doing, making me realize how relevant this assignment is. I'm really enjoying completing my observation hours so far and have started thinking about where I may want to complete next semester's hours. I've been spending my time at a PreK-2 school, which is great for learning about storytelling technique and how to keep small children enthralled for long periods of time, but I have a hard time locating information literacy skills in the lessons. I know that asking prompting questions during story time helps the students become critical thinkers, but I constantly wonder what other lesson plans are out there that could be of use with this age group. I read about this fascinating project where a teddy bear is mailed around the world to different schools and each class he visits is responsible for showing him around, taking pictures and then sending him on his way. This is a great way to teach small kids about different cultures and geography, but I'm not sure if this would be a good SLMC project, or would be better off in a classroom where the students could spend more time on it. Also, I read about a lesson plan that goes with Greg Mortenson's picture book that is the companion to "Three Cups of Tea". In this lesson, the students hear the book and then follow his travels on GoogleEarth. I think this is a wonderful idea, but really only possible in a SLMC with advanced technology.

11/12/09

Tonight I participated in our second synchronous discussion. And while I do feel like I got a lot out of the topics we discussed, I missed the fun of the David Letterman topic--I try not to take life too seriously most of the time, so a little comic relief is always nice. However, the topics we did discuss definitely got my brain going considering that they really are situations that can pop up at any moment. I also liked how well they connected to the material we've been reading, both in the textbook and on the collaborative wiki. The fact that I will have to work everyday to prove that I'm indispensable is a pretty scare idea, but one that I think I'm capable of, though I believe that once I'm working that issue will not be on my mind, rather doing my best to teach the students and faculty will be. If I do my best to accomplish most of the projects I hope to put into place at a SLMC and make them well-known, I believe that people will see that my job and the library program are important to active learning. Looking back on the observation hours I logged today, I wonder if the SLMSs I watched would be considered relevant or have it in them to stand up and prove themselves. They seemed so relaxed about their jobs and focused much more on throwing disruptive students out of the library than actually accomplishing anything. I do understand that it's hard to keep a library on the quiet side when there are 100 or so kids in it, but I feel that one of them, with the help of the security guard stationed there, should have been capable of keeping the chatter down so that the other one could work on something. Also, after observing them I worry about myself because they're both 2 years out of school and already losing motivation to better their SLMC. I don't want to lose steam that quickly because it can take years to accomplish desired changes.