The Journey Continues

So, I have had a slightly less than productive week on the ETL401 front but can say with confidence that I have done all the reading and feel like I am keeping up. It is just frustrating not to have more time to work on the activities etc, but this week is reports, PD and just generally very busy. I am hoping that once the holidays roll round I will be able to play catch up.

I have been reading the posts of others and the main issues focussed on were searches and blogs. I have previously failed to understand why blogs have been imposed on us but then understand it is all a part of keeping abreast of technology and then there was someone who posted the idea of using it for book reviews which I think I'll do as a class activity as we read a different book each day in class and it would be nice for the parents to see the books we are reading and how the students feel about the books we read which ones they like etc. Also maybe they might buy them so the kiddies can continue to enjoy them. So this weeks tasks is to set up a blog for the kiddies to share with the parents. I think I'll give it 2 weeks to get established then email the link to the parents.

The other issue was searches and databases to use. I feel I am OK in this area and definitely further on than I was a year ago but it got me thinking about something which happened last week. During homework club one of the kiddies had to research endangered environments but when I asked her what words she could search etc she had no idea. Why assign a task the kiddies can't do or have not been taught to do? (she is usually pretty clever so I am assuming this is why she couldn't do it). I get the feeling the teachers want them to be able to research but they are not teaching them how. And I know the librarian isn't because she taught them how to use non-fiction books the year before (my grade) and has not been in school for 3 weeks so can't have taught digital searches. Just frustrating really but has made me realise that when we start our new unit that as well as doing non-fiction book searches I might set up a few laptop lessons to show them some of the search techniques they could use at home to find pictures etc for their posters also show them how to use the resources that the library does have available.

Second Life

OK so I gave it an hour and I am struggling to see how it can be educational but maybe I need to go back to it another time and look up some of the areas mentioned in the book which are supposedly more educational but from where I went it was rather mundane with some awkward chats with people you don't know and may not really want to know.

So Now I'll Be a Gamer Too!

So, I have just finished reading the last book in the 'Learning in a Changing World' and it would appear that I am also going to have to become a gamer, because lets be honest, in order to teach something you really need to know how to do it yourself. And to make the most of a resource you need to really know how to use it.

Virtual Worlds goes in to a lot of detail about the different games available and to be honest it is quite daunting, it is like a foreign language; virtual worlds (this one I understand), avatars, MMORPG and the metaverse and then later they throw MUD's at you! I understand that there is a place for games etc but I suppose I had always ruled out games that did not have an obvious educational purpose, but I have now realised that even if a game is not designed to be educational it does not mean that it can not be educational. I also have to get out of the K-6 frame of mind. As a lot of the games etc that were mentioned I discarded as inappropriate because I am still thinking of myself as the Grade 1 teacher because that is what I am currently teaching.
But I think the most important thing is that I am now going to sign up to second life and see what it is all about. Is it really as educational as they make it sound?

Coming Full Circle

So here I am embarking on ETL 401 for the second time. It is interesting how despite failing the course you can still develop an understanding of the role of the TL and interestingly find yourself advocating and fighting for a change in opinion.
Recently the TL left my school, the primary reason (from my observations and interpretations) being that there was no support from the administration. She had a vision for the library but at every turn that vision was squashed due to lack of money, lack of staff and a general who cares attitude from administration. So now it is mid-year and their is no TL and there doesn't seem to be any hope of one appearing in the future. Now listening to staffroom gossip there were many who questioned why she left, I heard comments such as '..but she doesn't do anything..', '...I wouldn't mind her job, no kids and sitting on the computer all day...' and my favourite '...but she had two assistants..'. All these comments were in effect true but not because there was not the desire to implement programmes and sadly because a lot of the TL goes unseen. So she was sitting on the computer - most likely she was chasing up orders, liasing with TL in other schools, researching new books for units, or working on policies, the librarywiki or a pathfinder for a new unit. As for no kids I'm guessing they just went in at the wrong time. As for the two assistants yes it is easier with assistants but no when they are useless (the prime example being labelling the selves so that the labels hung out in front of the books so that everytime a child took a book of the shelf they took the label too!).
So it makes me angry that the role of the TL is percieved as lazy and that the administration team is doing nothing to allow the library to function effectively. How can a library function when there is one TL split over two locations serving a Preschool-12 student demongraphic of 800 students??
All I can hope for is that when and if I pass this course and the Masters that the school I end up at values the role of the TL and what they have the potential to do with the appropriate support.

The Pressure of a Blog

I am finding this blog very challenging to keep up with. I can see the point behind it, getting into the web2.0 etc but I always feel a little contrived trying to keep up with it.
Anyway, I have successfully submitted yet another assignment and can only hope for a pass. This one was for resourcing the curruculum and focussed on writing a collection development policy. I have to admit it was helpful to do this task but I am not necessarily optimistic that it will pay off. Hard work does not always equal grades.
What prompted me to write in this rather sad blog is that I have a choice of subjects coming up and there are sadly only two I can take and one is the dreaded ETL401! Failed it once and am debating whether to attempt it now and fail it a second time or just leave it to the end completing all the other subjects where my failure will be less damaging. There is a limit on the number of times you can fail a subject and it is probably best to work my way up to ETL401, use the other subjects as training for 401.
Oh well big decisions and best to see if I pass ETL 503 before I start planning for the next semester.