Entry #19 - "I Agree, Blah, Blah, Blah..."

This weeks discussion topic... "Agree with each other!" Everyone make a basic point and then everyone agree... Ready, GO!

I think books are good
Re: I think books are good.
-I agree, books are good."

Librarians are important to schools
Re: Librarians are important to schools
-I agree, librarians are important to schools.

Breaking Copyright laws are bad
Re: Breaking Copyright laws are bad
-I agree, breaking copyright laws are bad.

This dramatization is brought to you by my frustration. "I agree, this dramati..." Shut up voice in my head, we are past it. This is the thing I would be afraid of when using some web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I can see students filling their posting requirements with just arbitrarily agreeing and restating the previous post. It will be a challenge to teach students how to take these tools and use them to the fullest. In reality, I think these tools may have made our jobs harder. There is so much involved that is seems unmanageable and overbearing. Maybe I'm just in a mood. That's what I get for waiting to the last minute to write a blog.

Entry #9 - "Hey... What Happened to Entry #8?"

I am sorry to report that Entry # 8 was lost forever in an unfortunate schmelting accident.  Goodbye old friend, you will be missed.  Despite the sadness that we are all feeling after the loss of Entry # 8, we must move on... it's what he would have wanted us to do.  Onward to Entry # 9, you have big shoes to fill.


These past few weeks we have been looking at professional development and effective use of powerpoint in presentations.  I must say, it feels good to have your ideas and beliefs reaffirmed by a professional.  For a long time I have felt that there is way too much misuse of powerpoint and its features in presentations.  I have sat in many presentations where the message has been lost because or the improper use of presentation tools, most notably, powerpoint.  It's a shame too, because if used correctly, powerpoint can really help a presenter convey the information they are trying to teach in a powerful and engaging way.  I think the biggest point to remember is, "Have a clear message and don't let your tools get in the way of you delivering that message."  When your presentation looses site of your message, your presentation will fail.  The best way to do this is to plan out your presentation's message before ever touching tools such as powerpoint.  Once you have a clear and precise message, you can then look at what you can use to present that message.  I also think that if you plan your message before hand you can then adapt it to different presentation mediums.  For example, if you rely on a slick powerpoint to get your point across and you go into a situation where there is no way to project or open that powerpoint, you are in trouble.  But, if you have a presentation that can be adapted to a different medium like paper and markers, then your message can still be presented effectively.  I say balance and planning are the keys to an effective presentation.  And free muffins... Everyone loves free muffins.

Entry #7 - "Hey, remember when I fixed your pencil sharpener?"

A great way to make a good first impression on your first day at your LIS 524 observation is to fix a pencil sharpener.  You look like superman and all you do is blow some pencil shavings out of the sensor.

It makes sense to use technology to enhance learning.  What doesn't make sense is using technology just for the sake of using technology.  Knowing what technology to use and when to use it is very important to sucessful tecnology integration.  Using a TPACK framework helps plug the right technology into the correct activity use.  Instead of planing your activities around what technology you want to use, you need to plan your technology around what activity you want to use to teach your content.  A helpful resource is http://activitytypes.wmwikis.net/.  Here you can find all kinds if ideas about what technology will support what activity.By following a TPACK framework, you will be successful integrating technology in your school.

TPACK Diagram

Entry #6: "It's not my responsibility!"

Oh Snap!!  I forgot to get my blog done on time!  Bad Felix! BAD!!  Wait... I'm suppose to be finding my professional voice.  I shouldn't be all... "Oh Snap!! I forgot to get my blog done on time!"  That is not how a professional talks.  The problem is when I try to sound professional, I don't sound like me.  Can you have a personality and a sense of professionalism?  I hope so.  If we are to be the leaders of schools then we need to have personality.  We need to be ourselves.  (To an extent.  There is no way I can unleash the full Felixpalooza Experience)  I just hope I can limit all my awesomeness to a safe and acceptable level.

This week we looked at cyberethics, cybersafety and cybersecurity.  Being ethical, safe and secure on the internet are learned skills.  They are important skills to have if you want to be successful in today's world.  It seems that everyone in the education field agrees that these skills are important, however, they cannot agree on how or who should teach them.  Teachers are already overwhelmed with curriculum.  They don't have time to ad yet another thing to there plates.  And even if they did have the time, most don't feel comfortable with the material to teach it effectively.  Do we look at the parents to teach these skills at home?  Do we leave such an important job to an already overworked and under appreciated parent and just assume that it will be taught?  Who is going to teach the parent these skills?  Everyone is looking to pass the buck to someone else.  We are playing hot potato with our children's safety.  So what do we do?  We look to the people who are in the best position to organize and teach these skills, the school library media specialist!  SLMS know these skills and know how to pass them along.  The thing is, they cannot just let others off the hook.  They need to work with teachers and parents in teaching these skills to our students.  It can't be just one person or a small group of people responsible for this task.  Everyone needs to do their part.  Only when we work together can we teach out students how to be ethical, safe and secure on the internet.

Blog Entry #5: "Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming..."

Dori says in Finding Nemo, "When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?  Just keep swimming..."  So that's what I do, I just keep swimming.  School is hard.  There is a ton of work that has to be done and not a lot of time to do it.  I often feel like I'm drowning.  I know what your thinking..."Here comes the Pitty-Me-Parade!"  It's not like that.  I don't want pitty, I just want to be done with school.  So I keep swimming and hope for the best.


How do you build a good website for your library?  That is the $100,000 question of the week.  I think David Walbert put it best by saying "What few people understand is that building a good, usable, accessible, attractive school website that meets the needs of students and teachers is every bit as difficult and as complicated as building a good, usable, accessible, attractive school building that meets the needs of students and teachers."  That statement sums it up beautifully, and until you realize the truth in it, you are doomed to have a bad website. The fact that it is hard to create a good, usable website is lost on some people.  There is software out there that makes creating a website easy.  With a few clicks of the mouse anyone can make a website.   Making your website any good is the difficult part.  Knowing that the task of creating a good website is hard work is the first step in having a successful website.  Only after you realize that it isn't going to be easy can you begin to construct.  Then it's a matter of setting out a plan and executing.  I always thought of myself as someone who is good with computers.  Before reading David Walbert's "Best Practices in School Library Web Design" (http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/969) I would have been that guy just banging out a website trying to make it look good but not giving much thought to accessibility and usability.  Now I know what it takes to make a good website.  This is a must read for anyone who is associated with a library and wants to extend their reach beyond their walls.

Blog Entry #4: "Mini-Lesson... Take 34"

I have no idea how I can mess up a recording of a mini-lesson so many times.  Even with a script I redid it too many times to count.  I will say this, it was a good experience (not the redoing the lesson over and over and over).  Working in this kind of medium for the first time really opened my eyes to the portability in the classroom.  I am the first to admit that I kinda don't like the whole "online education" trend.  I am more of a class discussion type of guy.  But, the more and more I use these elements of long distance learning, the more I realize the power and usefulness they possess.  I will never be totally on board with complete online learning (there is something about human to human contact that you cant replicate online) however, I think a balance can be made between online and face to face.  I can envision me creating video lessons online to strengthen or expand what is taught in the classroom.  I am already think that every class and every student should have some sort of online presence.  Whether they be blogs, group wikis or bookmarking sites, the classroom can only benefit from reaching outside the walls of the school.  The key is balance.  Relying too heavily on technology or not relying on technology at all will throw off that balance.  The fact is we live in an always changing technological world.  If we do not embrace this change we risk being left behind.  I just don't want to lose my humanity trying to keep up.

Blog Entry #3: "Is There Anybody Out There?"

The more I learn the more I realize "I don't know anything."  So far in my LIS studies I have been completely overwhelmed by the information coming at me.  This is not to say that I am not learning anything, I am.  In fact, I think I have learned more in the past month then I have in the past ten years.  So why do I feel so behind?  I think it's because I am being asked to do things that I never have done before.  Take this blog for example... I never before have written a blog.  It's different.  It takes skills and a thinking process that I have never developed as a youth.  Reading Richardson has slowly opened my eyes to what a blog is and how it can be used.  But, that doesn't mean I can write a good blog.  You can look at a bike and someone can tell you how you are suppose to ride that bike but that doesn't mean that you can just get on a bike and ride.  It takes practice and guidance to learn how to ride that bike.  So I look at this blog like my "blog with training wheels".  I'm practicing.  And boy do I need practice.  The thing that gets me is the one sidedness of this blog.  Richardson refers to blog writing as "connective writing".  I don't see any connective aspect to this blog.  I write to one person, who I am assuming is reading this, that may or may not comment back.  There is no way to know who will read this outside of the one who assigned this to me.  (You know who you are)  Even if someone does stumble upon this blog and read it, will it even matter to them?  Will anyone find this useful?  If not, what's the point?  I can see using a blog in the classroom being a futile exercise if not managed correctly.  Blog specific reading and writing skills need to be taught before we let students loose on the web.  You wouldn't just throw a kid in a pool and just expect them to swim. (Some people might, but they are crazy!)  As teacher librarians we need to be the lifeguard to make sure our students don't drown.  But what happens when the lifeguard is still wearing floaties?

Blog Entry #2: "I need to find my 'Big Boy" voice"

Being overwhelmed is a strange feeling for me.  That's how I feel when I go on the wiki discussion boards and get lost in all the talk.  It seems like everyone is far beyond me in terms of how to express themselves in intelligent well thought out posts.  I do the readings, I try to keep pace... but retaining the information is so difficult.  It is so much at once.  I think all my memory is full.  I think it’s time to delete my early childhood to make room.  Goodbye Mrs. Gunther, my kindergarten teacher, thanks for the snacks!  That’s why I like this blog.  It gives me an opportunity to just put down thoughts without worrying about being judged.  It's like I'm talking to myself... but not.

This week of readings was pretty interesting.  I see a lot of what I am learning in class at my work when students are asked to do research for a project.  The article about the 'information behavior of the researcher of the future' was spot on concerning how kids look for information.  They can find some information quickly but they can't evaluate the information they find.  On top of that the really don’t know what they are looking for in the first place so the just throw as much stuff into Google and use the first few matches on the search list.  The speed in which they find information gives the illusion that they know what they are doing.  As educators, it is up to us to teach the skills that these kids will need.  Only when we work together, library staff and classroom staff, will we be able to be successful in giving these students the IL skills they will need in the future.  That’s where things get sticky.  For years, teachers have been protective of their classrooms and librarians have been looked at as secondary staff.  The culture must change so that everyone can come together for the benefit of the students.  In the school I work at, it seems like everyone is content doing their own thing.  In fact, we do not even have a qualified SLMS on campus.  It's just not on the priority list.  This is putting our students at a disadvantage.  My hope is to be able to wake my school up to the fact that things need to change.  I know that is a huge task.  I even started to lay the groundwork.  At our "Media Center Meeting", where we are suppose to discuss issues concerning our SLMC,  I brought up the fact that we need to get some kind of collection policy in place and was told to hold that thought while we decided "What kind of posters we can put on the wall".  I tried to push the issue only to find out from my supervisor a few days later that people at the meeting were upset at me for making them feel "uncomfortable".  That was my clue that my school is in desperate need of a culture change.  Can I do it?  I don't know, but I'm going to try.

Blog Entry #1: "What Have I Gotten Myself Into?"

When I first found out that I was going to be taking an online class I thought to myself, "I'm in deep trouble."  You see, I'm not what you might call a self-motivated student.  I always got buy on paying attention in class and taking part in discussions face to face.  I like to think as I talk and most of the time I can use my conversation skills to squeeze out a good grade without much effort outside of the classroom..  I'm a people person at my core.  I crave personal interaction with groups.  This is where I thrive academically.  Working independently has never been my strong suit.  I never did homework in high school, and needed a tutor to keep on me to get things done in my undergraduate studies.  But, that was over ten years ago... Certainly I am a changed man.  I must have grown up and matured these past years.  Well...  Not so much.  I am constantly fighting my urge to put things on the back burner.  Working full time doesn't help my time management ether.  Early on asked myself "What have you gotten yourself into?"  It seemed hopeless.  I felt like I was on an island, all alone with my computer, left to fend for myself in the 568 jungle.  Luckily, after a few e-mails and reassurance that someone is always there to help if I need it, I have started to get my footing.  I think I am starting to get the rhythm of working at home.  I even turned off facebook to finish assignments, like this blog for example.  I still am afraid of what's going to happen if I let myself get off track or fall behind.  The fact that I am not a very strong reader gets me particularly nervious.  I can totally see me droning in reading if I am not careful.  Also, I am constantly unsure if what I am doing is good or if I am on the right track.  I always need that feedback and reassurance that I'm doing ok.  Pressure to get good grades is new to me.  I never gave much thought to my grades before entering graduate school.  But now it seems like so much more is at stake.  If you had to ask me right now I like taking an online course I would say I don't like it too much.  But hopefully as we move forward I will learn to adapt ant thrive in this environment.  When all is said and done I hope to look back on this experience and remember it when I am trying to help a student who may be feeling the same things I am feeling right now.  As they say, "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger."