I'm forced to write an assessed (and closed) blog for a course I'm doing right now so I'm a little blogged out right now. Although I did come across these links in my researching travels recently.
I know this lot are not new, they’ve been round for ages but I’m finding the following blogs particularly interesting right now so maybe you will too
Librarians Matter – heaps on VALA right now.
Information literacy meets Library 2.0 – scroll down and check out the Prezi presso on Google search tips. I could actually see using this in the classroom.
And finally check out this You Tube vid. I can see the little red guy running around my library maybe with a little screen for customers to type in a call number. They can escort students to their call numbers. Although they’d be cuter if in the shapes animals. A cute beagle, a Cheshire cat, maybe a green frog which hops…
Cheers
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Long time between posts
Sorry! I know its been ages but I'm here now. Mainly because lots of exciting things are happening and I thing my brain may just explode if I don't write them down.
1. In February I went to a leadership Institute at Thredbo. Work kindly sponsored me and I got heaps out of it. Most importantly, I think anyway, I made loads of great friends from all around Australia and New Zealand. I've kept in touch and hope to continue this with regular catch ups with those living in Melbourne, via face book chats and email and the occasional conference catch up for every one else. Another thing I took from this week was focus. They suggested creating some personal career goals and thinking about where we want to be with our career in say 3 - 5 yrs. Then coming up with strategies for achieve our goals and getting us to where we want to be career wise. I hadn't really done that for a while and found my career aspirations have changes. A lot. I pretty much am where I wanted to be 5 years ago. But back then I didn't really know what was out there. Now the world much bigger. I got a lot more about of this course than that but that's all I want to share for now.
2. In March I started the second (of 4) subjects for my course, Grad Cert in Tertiary teaching and learning. This is the implementing subject. We're to identify an "issue" with our current teaching methods and then come up with a curriculum innovativation to fix it. ie. my classes bore the students. solution, make the sessions more engaging. It doesn't have to be a completely new ground breaking innovation, just ground breaking for me. I've flicked through more text books, journal articles, conference papers than I care to admit .. boring! But what has been interesting is taking to my colleagues about how they conduct their classes. (I'm aware not every one thinks librarians taking information skills classes is teaching and I'm not sure what my feeling on this are but for this purpose I'm just using the work teaching). I've spoken to librarians form RMIT, other universities (this is where my new professional contacts came into play) and friends from past jobs. Every one has such very different ways of doing things and I've made notes of all of them. That little exercise for me was better than attending 20 conferences. It would be sooo good if librarians shared more. But this is an on going event so maybe more later. Needless to say I'm really enjoying this subject. maybe because I can see the relevance of what I'm learning so clearly.
3.I'm off to Vietnam on holidays in September. Going with a girl I just met who's a friend of a friend. Why is that worthy of space in a mostly work related blog you ask ? Well I'll tell you. Because at the end of my 2 weeks of travelling from Hanoi, via the hill side tribes in Sapa and the brilliance of a night cruise through Howlong Bay, then on to Denang via whey (I know I spelt that wrong) and Hoi An, then on to Hoi Chi Minh City I'm going to work for 1 or 2 weeks in our Vietnam campus. Doing what you ask? I really don't know yet. But I gather if it's for 2 weeks, undertaking some info lit's with the students will be on the cards. If for 1 week possibly ordering, working on the ref desk, who knows? I'm Really exciting and over whelmed by my holiday and the working in a foreign country bit.
for context I'll add another point
4.I'm also house hunting, have been since mid January with little luck. Since selling my flat I've been staying at my parents place. Nuff said.
Ok that's it for now. More thoughts as they happen.
1. In February I went to a leadership Institute at Thredbo. Work kindly sponsored me and I got heaps out of it. Most importantly, I think anyway, I made loads of great friends from all around Australia and New Zealand. I've kept in touch and hope to continue this with regular catch ups with those living in Melbourne, via face book chats and email and the occasional conference catch up for every one else. Another thing I took from this week was focus. They suggested creating some personal career goals and thinking about where we want to be with our career in say 3 - 5 yrs. Then coming up with strategies for achieve our goals and getting us to where we want to be career wise. I hadn't really done that for a while and found my career aspirations have changes. A lot. I pretty much am where I wanted to be 5 years ago. But back then I didn't really know what was out there. Now the world much bigger. I got a lot more about of this course than that but that's all I want to share for now.
2. In March I started the second (of 4) subjects for my course, Grad Cert in Tertiary teaching and learning. This is the implementing subject. We're to identify an "issue" with our current teaching methods and then come up with a curriculum innovativation to fix it. ie. my classes bore the students. solution, make the sessions more engaging. It doesn't have to be a completely new ground breaking innovation, just ground breaking for me. I've flicked through more text books, journal articles, conference papers than I care to admit .. boring! But what has been interesting is taking to my colleagues about how they conduct their classes. (I'm aware not every one thinks librarians taking information skills classes is teaching and I'm not sure what my feeling on this are but for this purpose I'm just using the work teaching). I've spoken to librarians form RMIT, other universities (this is where my new professional contacts came into play) and friends from past jobs. Every one has such very different ways of doing things and I've made notes of all of them. That little exercise for me was better than attending 20 conferences. It would be sooo good if librarians shared more. But this is an on going event so maybe more later. Needless to say I'm really enjoying this subject. maybe because I can see the relevance of what I'm learning so clearly.
3.I'm off to Vietnam on holidays in September. Going with a girl I just met who's a friend of a friend. Why is that worthy of space in a mostly work related blog you ask ? Well I'll tell you. Because at the end of my 2 weeks of travelling from Hanoi, via the hill side tribes in Sapa and the brilliance of a night cruise through Howlong Bay, then on to Denang via whey (I know I spelt that wrong) and Hoi An, then on to Hoi Chi Minh City I'm going to work for 1 or 2 weeks in our Vietnam campus. Doing what you ask? I really don't know yet. But I gather if it's for 2 weeks, undertaking some info lit's with the students will be on the cards. If for 1 week possibly ordering, working on the ref desk, who knows? I'm Really exciting and over whelmed by my holiday and the working in a foreign country bit.
for context I'll add another point
4.I'm also house hunting, have been since mid January with little luck. Since selling my flat I've been staying at my parents place. Nuff said.
Ok that's it for now. More thoughts as they happen.
Labels:
information literacy,
leadership,
thredbo work career,
vietnam
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