It Is Not Finished

When I was a teenager I would go to the exhibition every year sure that that year I would be able to go on the rollercoaster without getting sick.  I would stand in line trying to be as cool as my friends as they giggled in anticipation of a great ride while inside I would be close to tears, the anxiety building, wondering if the butterflies in my stomach were just from my nerves or if they were forecasting the end result of me going on the ride.  It was always the latter.  Inevitably I would be left behind by my friends, calling my dad to come pick me up because I was dizzy and throwing up.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying this course made me sick but that rollercoaster ride is the easiest comparison for me to make when I reflect on my learning throughout this course. There were times when the car was climbing up that I felt I had a handle on everything—I was learning and creating and then, inevitably, there would come the screaming, stomach dropping descent where I questioned my sanity and just wanted to close my eyes and scream.

The Downs

I remember when I read through the blog post assignments feeling that same feeling in my stomach as I had stood in line waiting for the rollercoaster. Can I learn how to create a Podcast? What is an RSS feed? What are Animoto and Voicethread? Can I successfully make connections on Twitter and Facebook? What have I gotten myself into?

And while writing every blog post, including this one, I wondered do I have a good hook? Do I sound unique? What can I say that won’t just be regurgitation of every other classmates post? Am I being authentic? Do I have enough research material? Are my posts too long? That nervous feeling would be in my stomach until I finally hit post in frustration tired of writing, rewriting and second guessing myself.

I didn’t realize how much time this course would take. It took so much time because everything was so new to me. Quite honestly there were times when I felt I couldn’t do anymore and would go to bed in tears. My poor husband and family have been sorely neglected as I sat at the computer for up to 14 hours a day—No wonder my back is so sore!  Right at this moment, I am feeling a little burnt out.  I know that isn’t a discussion of my learning but I had to put it in because it is definitely a low point.

 A Steep Climb Powerhouse Museum Collection

 

I would just start to understand how to use one tool and then it would be time for the next. It was like I would finally get to the top of the mountain only to find out that there was another bigger mountain to climb on the other side.I never felt like I had enough time to really feel comfortable with all of the tools.I definitely need to go back and spend some time on some of the tools—especially Voicethread and Podcasting.

Another low point came when I would try to put something on my wordpress blog and I couldn’t figure out how.  I spent countless hours trying new things on my blog that wouldn’t work at first.  I think had I not had to stick with it, I would have changed blog programs—but then I wouldn’t have learned the program wordpress as well as I know it now—so even though it was a low point, I was pushed to figure out how to make it work and in the process learned things like Vodpod.

Facebook really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  Maybe it is the way I am looking at it—-I see it as being more of a personal tool rather than a tool that will help me be a more effective teacher/librarian.  And the fact that it is blocked at my school makes it easy for me to dismiss.  Don’t get me wrong, I do understand why we explored it, we need to be aware of what students are doing in the social network on the web. I still consider it to be the one tool I didn’t like using so it was a down for me.  I will keep my account and check in occasionally—but if anyone wants to get in touch with me, putting something on my wall wouldn’t be the most effective way!

The Ups

I read through my blog posts prior to writing this post and you know what?  I am proud of what I wrote and created.  So even though I put writing posts as one of my downs, writing my posts was the hardest thing for me to do,  but without a doubt it is one thing that I am the most proud of.  It forced me to think hard about how I would use the tools we were learning, question whether the tools would work for me in my situation and what some potential issues could arise from using the tool.  Had I not had to keep a blog throughout this course, I would never have blogged and I would never have discovered that I can have a voice in the edublogosphere. Heck, I wouldn’t even have known what the edublogosphere was.

This leads me to my biggest up— the knowledge that I have gained in how to create and maintain connections. 

 

 

The Networked Teacher

by David Courosa

 

 

 

 

Prior to this course I had never heard of RSS.  But now, after only six short weeks, I don’t know how people can stay up to date without using it.  I get the latest buzz from professionals I respect.  And now I know how to social bookmark and share the ones I feel are relevant.  The other great thing about social bookmarking is that I can join groups inside my account—just today I received from one of my Diigo Groups—Clif’s Notes on EdTech Group—10 new bookmarks on web 2.0 tools as discovered a few more tools I want to explore like Wink  and VuVox  and the ones I receive from the Teacher-Librarian Group are always full of great links and ideas that I can use.

I haven’t fully developed it but I am creating my own social network—joining the library twibe and following experts like Joyce Valenza, Buffy Hamilton, and Will Richardson on twitter.  I can even contact them directly, as Andrea showed when she tweeted Richardson regarding “complex blogging”.  What a powerful professional tool twitter is going to be for me.

And then there is the network I have on Nings.    When someone adds something to the Nings I signed up for, I get a message in my inbox that I can respond to if relevant.  I can post my own questions and collaborate with other through these networks.  I am no longer a lone librarian—I am part of bigger culture that I can connect and collaborate with.

Being able to create is a definite highlight—not only my blog but using Wetpaint, Glogster, Animoto, Audacity and Smilebox.  I had fun and am proud of my creations.  I know that that is something that I can use with my students in both the classroom and library. And now that I have had that hand on experience creating them myself I can relate to the students and teachers as they use the tools.  I can see how they be used in both the library and classroom.

Learning from my peers was also an up—As I read each blog I found could take something away with me that helped me.  I was constantly adding to my bookmark lists that I created on the topics of our blog posts.  I can’t possibly list everything I learned but some include:

A Slice of Knowledge  provided a great link to Libraries that use Podcasting.  As I was flipping through I was able to see several ways I can use podcasting in the library beyond just a review of the book, or bloggers I started following like David Jakes when Dawn quoted him in her blog Dawnelia’s Blog.   I started thinking maybe I should try to creating a wiki similar to the one Niki mentions in her post My PMS Wiki so I can share ideas with the colleagues I no longer work with but who I email ideas back and forth with. Tammy’s enthusiasm for everything was contagious.  Because of Tammy’s enthusiasm, I have now introduced Smilebox to everyone I know. Norene’s perspective on using the tools with adults was always insightful.   Sheryl’s focus on how to use the tools with language learners was very helpful because I too teach students who don’t know a lot of English.  I had never heard of Webnotes until Tara mentioned them in her blog post Wiki wiki what?   I can’t wait to introduce them to my students. And May always had things worded perfectly in her posts.

These are just a few of the things I learned from our EDES 501 professional learning group. I am hoping to go back and reread their blog posts now that the class is over as I revisit my blog posts on the topics to see how I am going to use my learning in my classroom and school library.

Discovering podcasts and podiobooks was also a high point.  I love them.  Yesterday as I procrastinated while cleaning the house, I listened to The Immortals by Tracy Hickman.  It made cleaning much more pleasant.  I am hoping that I can introduce podiobooks to some of the students who don’t enjoy reading.  I already ordered some playaways for the library but podiobooks are free (which is always nice) and they have a wide variety including educational ones!!  And I must confess, I am now hooked on GrammarGirl’s Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast. 

Now that I have time to reflect—there were many more ups on this rollercoaster than downs.  And although I may have felt like getting off the ride a few times, I am glad I stayed on for the entire ride!

The Future

I have a toolbox full of some powerful tools that are going to help me maintain my learning and help me create a truly collaborate and interactive virtual library space.  And my toolbox grows each day because of the connections I have made.

One of the goals I wrote about in my first post was that I wanted to make the virtual library a place where interaction can take place.  Well, now I know some ways in which I can do this.

I have created a Wetpaint wiki for book reviews, an Animoto video for the YRCA Nominees, a podcast for the novel Impossible, used Wikispaces to create two library pathfinders and set up a library Diigo account for students to use to bookmark class research projects.  But it isn’t just about what I am going to do on the virtual library site—it is about how I can create an environment on the virtual library site that allows for collaboration and creation in the read/write web.  With the Wetpaint wiki for Strathcona reads I am hoping that students and staff will take over and write their own reviews and begin a discussion about the books they read, with the Audacity Program I am going to invite students to create book talks, I also want to experiment with a twitter library account.  I like what the Unquiet Library has done.  Because I have students pictures on the library site and the kids love when new pictures are on the site.  With the library Flickr account students can now add pictures.  I would like to have them on the sidebar on the library site similar to the one on my blog.

I am looking forward to using blogs with my students to help teach them to develop a voice.  Perhaps I will do something similar to what we have done in this class.  Can their blogs not be a journal of their learning as we make our way through our English Program?  They could have entries on each of the themes we study with links, readings, creations…oh the places we can go with blogs.  I am going to revamp my CALM blogging project and instead use a wiki.  It is a much better place for collaboration.  I also want to introduce Glogster to my English class when we do work on understanding theme.  Oh, and I have to introduce my students to Creative Commons using Flickr now that I actually understand what it is. 

But these are just a few of the ways I am going to use the learning that I have had in this course.  There are so many things I want to do that I am going to have to make sure I go back and look at my blog posts to see how I said I was going to use the tools. 

I have so many ideas and ways to incorporate the tools to help my students become ethical participates in the read/write web.  I am going to have to sit down with my year plan now that this course is over and go back through my posts and see where I am going to introduce and use the tools.  I will continue to blog on how I use these tools and the others I am being introduced to through my network in the year to come. 

I need to, as Richardson says, be a connector of content and people.  I must become a content creator —know how to build and sustain my own personal learning network.  I don’t just read what someone else has said about a topic for professional development, I now read it and discuss it.  I can now create a community where I can ask questions—and receive responses.  I need to continue to be true collaborator and continue to learn alongside my students.  I need to continue to model the skills that students need to be successful and motivate themselves to strive for excellence.   Now I consider myself to be as Richardson says in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom “a reader/reflector/writer and participator in the social media world” (137)

I have truly become part of the social media revolution.

I really struggled with this last post. What could I possibly that would capture the shift that has occurred in my thinking because of my involvement in this course and then, Will Richardson once again came to my rescue. In my RSS yesterday was his post Willing to be Disturbed”. In it he states that “[t]echnology is not additive; it’s transformative.” He urges teachers and schools to “have the conversations, begin to build a culture around change, encourage learning on the part of every segment in the school, and create a long term vision and plan that attempts at least to account for whatever deficiencies or roadblocks currently exist.” I now have the tools to start the conversations around learning and using the web tools effectively—both literally with blogs, wikis, podcasts, twitter, and Nings but also figuratively. I am in a position as the T-L to be a leader in change. My being involved on the technology committee gives me a venue in which I can encourage “a long term vision and plan” for technology learning. As I continue my professional development through blogging, interacting with other professionals in my field through the Nings I belong to, twitter and my RSS reader, I can continue to share and learn from the community I am creating. Please know that I am “Willing to be Disturbed”.

“We no longer live in those sweet, slow days when life felt predictable, when we actually knew what to do next. We live in a complex world, we often don’t know what’s going on, and we won’t be able to understand its complexity unless we spend more time in not knowing.” (Wheatley, 2002)

I can’ t really predict my future but I can definately state two facts.  Fact one:  I am going to be involved read/write/reflect/participate web. Fact two:  my learning — it is not finished. 

 

 

 

References

Richardson, W. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.

Wheatley, Margaret J. Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to
Restore Hope to the Future San Francisco: Berrett-Koshler Publishers, Inc., 2002 at http://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/saelp/willing-to-be-disturbed.pdf

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~ by kreierso on August 16, 2009.