Monday was definately an eye opener. There is so much out there and we in schools seem to be constantly road blocked when it comes to bringing this into the classroom. Great sites like diigo offer so much opportunity. Anything that makes retaining information and then accessing other people’s ideas has got to be good! The road blocks need to be worked on so that students actually get the benefit. I know, stating the obvious.
So much came out of the PD, Will Richardson is so insiring…in a good way…not the “Savour of all creation” way, but really practical, do-able things that we as educators can actually do…not just the whole “maybe one day” dream that we seem to be stuck on.
Now I know how political libraries can be, but really I truly believe if you don’t let your staff expand their knowledge base all you are doing is causing yourself problems in the long run. Last night we had a Library Tech meeting, which was great, but the thing that shocked me was the fact that so many didn’t know about PD opportunities, like this one. I think it is a fear based problem, some people don’t want others to know more than them and that way they feel important….personally I think that’s just not good enough. Library techs are the backbone of any library and without them we just don’t function. So what can be done? I really don’t know. I think the humble library tech in most schools are so trodden upon they just keep their heads down and try not to make waves…which doesn’t help them in the long run. So, if any Library techs are reading this I encourage you to seek out PDs and argue hard to go, at least then you will know what PDs are available and maybe, just maybe, the repeated asking and ideas of PD will brake through barriers and will help. OK…jumping off the soapbox now…I’ll just put it away for a little while and stew on on it some more
We have all heard of Project Gutenbergand it provides a great range of titles that you don’t necessarily want or need on your shelves. Also it provides a great way for kids to access great works of literature that they might not otherwise see. Other sites that provide a wide range of books in electronic form also….great!
The audiobooks are also great, I mean it would be so easy to download to an mp3 player and then listen to book where ever you are…even when you should be doing work…not that I would encourage that…of course
The possiblities are truely endless for both of these tools. I think the important this is to remember they are tools, not answers to problems…and just like any tool unless they are used effectively they are just taking up space…I know…harsh but true!
OK…this is the thing…it looks good, I know that people are using it…not exactly sure how…but I’m sure it’s great…and my school network will only let me do a limited amount of things in Second Life. I’ve watched a video about using Second Life at a recent PD and once again it looked great. I think my reservations come from not being able to have a really good look at it via school.
Can I just say how much I love Podcasts…I love the idea of plugging students and staff in and listening to people from all over the world talk and explain things…it just is such a great teaching and learning tool. I just think the possibilities are so great…it’s just the logistics that are problematic…BUT hey that’s part of the fun!
TeacherTube…once again great stuff. I know I’ve already talked about it but really great resource.
I really like this clip…it’s simple, it’s stylish and it says everything that we all know to be true.
so yes I’ve been away…well in body and mind…basicially my body is here but my mind is off having a great time somewhere else. I like to think of it having a nice relaxing time drinking a great bottle of Merlot. It’s the dreaded Term 3 illness that most people get in schools, I think you either get sick just before the end of Term 2 or at the beginning of Term 3…just a theory but I like it
So yes…back to the point of this post…and yes the theory is there is a point…Teacher Tube…I like it…it has great possiblities, also the theory is it is has less of the “stuff” that youtube has…not a bad thing at all!
I am really getting vague though…I can’t remember how to insert a video into my blog like I have previously…I wish my brain would come back for a visit…at least!
You know the more I work on this the more i seem to learn…which is not a bad thing at all! After the SLAV/Curriculum Corp PD on Thursday I really feel that the move towards a more varied and interesting way of gathering information provides a lot of potential for our libraries. Sites like http://liswiki.org/wiki/Main_Page provide us as Teacher-Librarians with a great opportunity to develop our skills and find out what is going on out there.
Yes…even though I am coming down with the dreaded Term 3 Cold I am brilliant…well at least a little bit smart I just added a ClusterMap all by myself and all I had to do was follow the instructions….I think I frightened a teacher on the way because it’s not every day you see a Teacher-Librarian running through the Library yelling “I’m brilliant”. I’m sure he’ll recover!
