Merry Christmas

Well, it has been an interesting Christmas for me. Instead of being able to have a really nice Christmas and get a fabulous gift for everyone, I was laid off work and the money I had saved for Christmas will now have to get us through the next year. I will be able to file a claim for unemployment so we will hopefully have at least a small income to keep us going.

The reason I am not crying is because this is actually going to be a great thing. This means that I will be able to take all of my education classes in the next six months and finish them at roughly the same time we finish our master's program. Then I will be able to do my student teaching this fall and will be a full fledged teacher librarian in one short year. This assumes that I survive going to college full time and that the money holds out for me to concentrate on school without having to worry about trying to find a part or full time job.

Everyone pray hard..............

I'm back;-)

and front too;-).............sorry it is a chat joke


So I got discouraged about posting in my blog because no one was reading or posting in their own blogs, but after our Saturday class I am enthused again. It is not because it was a heavy technology day, but more that it was about persevering.

We spent the day on the Trevecca campus - mostly;-). I think it is a beautiful campus and I was thrilled to be back on a college campus. For some reason I am a person to whom the physical location matters. I love factory buildings because of the machinery and the ebb and flow of people working and I also love campuses because of the atmosphere of learning you can feel. Yes, I am silly and weird, but I have learned to handle it.

Nashville Public Library - WOW. It is huge, but I think it is too big for me. I am so used to going to small public and school libraries that I consider smallness to be a requirement of coziness and comfort. But that is me. I was very impressed with the live music and the art gallery. I also thought the special collections were nice, but the setup reminded me more of a museum than a library.

Harpeth Hall - this is truly a dream library. Does everyone remember my dream library of a tower??? It was so amazing that they had achieved the goal of collaborating and having a facility where collaboration is easy to implement. After all, you can have great ideas, but if you can't DO them - what's the point? I also get the feeling that the staff works well together and can you imagine actually having a staff at a school library?

Waggoner - I liked this library. It was big, but it still felt cozy and inviting. I think it is amazing that they have been able to progress without having to renovate. It also seemed to be the key feature of the campus because of those huge windows.

I'm DONE!!!

This has been an unreal research paper to write. I think it was so hard because I personally knew so much about the topic, that I wanted to use very little from other sources. I sat down Monday night to write the paper so I would have plenty of time to do the power point and wait to let it settle before I went in and edited it.

Strike 1 - I kept trying to be too esoteric and put in too much information. I was literally writing three different papers at the same time. I quit after three hours and watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday night, I tried a different approach. Do the power point first and then the paper will flow from that - or so I thought. The power point was easy to do. It flowed and I got it done in less than five minutes ( I have continued to do minor edits, but the base hasn't changed.)

Strike 2 - The paper just sounded stupid and I couldn't find any of my sources that said what I wanted them to. I gave up after only two hours tonight and went to bed early with a headache.

Wednesday night I ignored the entire topic. I didn't care and I didn't want to.

Thursday night the light bulb went off and I got two pages written in a little over an hour. Since my nieces were here for the night, I stopped then so I could spend some time with them (my sister still isn't talking to me).

Friday night was rocky, but I managed to get it done. When I sat down to write, the ideas were all there, but they just wouldn't flow. Then my wonderful husband gave me a massage and I was able to write very quickly after that ( a neck massage for those who have dirty minds;-).

Challenged books discussion

I have to say that I am in class with a lot of smart people. It is fun to have a spirited discussion with a group of people that are able to express opinions and share ideas. There were so many good points made during the discussion about how to initially defuse the situation and how to implement the policies in the school. One thing about policies is that you can do the letter and still not do it right, but if you understand the spirit, then you will never go wrong.

I need to re-read the discussions and pull out the good points and create a reminder list of what to do and how to handle the situation because I just know that my mind will go blank when the situation actually happens.

Copyright or is that wrong?

Well, I got my case study done, but I don't know whether I did it correctly (I refuse to use the word right) or not. It was fun to write (doesn't count - it is spelled differently) and it just seemed to flow, but I have no idea whether my conclusions were good. I can still see the argument both ways and I am fighting myself not to change my ending.

On to challenged books - is anyone else having a problem in finding a procedure used when books are challenged? I have found lots of information on what books have been challenged and why, but no real answer as to what a librarian is supposed to do. One article I read mentioned that having a good selection policy in place helped to keep the book on the shelf. It also said that administrative support was key in keeping books in the library, but again no mention on the procedure you are supposed to follow.

Oh well, back to the salt mines (which just made me think of a fun webquest to do - can you guess about what?)

New class

Today was a lot of fun - but I was worn out by the time I got home. I ate and took an hour nap;-)

I really think this class is going to be fun and I really am thrilled that I get to do the gamer research paper;-) I promise to keep it low tech and I will only mention the REALLY fun games.

I'm glad that everyone enjoyed the day's treats. I have a lot of fun coming up with fun things and I am trying to keep it interesting and not the same old thing every time. If anyone has an idea of something they would like to try or eat - I would love to hear it.

Okay - now to start research.

Escan

Well, I assume that we will get to share our topics Saturday, but our group did the Patriot Act and how it affects libraries. That was certainly an eye-opening topic. I really think we will be forced to THINK in this class and determine how everything we address affects the library first. I just can't imagine how they were so able to quickly focus on the huge problem with the Patriot Act and how it impacted library use. I am supposed to be able to do that by the end of next year.....yikes. Every time I get a little confidence about the future, I learn something new.


Learning is a good thing....right???

HOMEWORK!?!?!?!?!?

Well, I am finally feeling better. Just in time too, since we have homework this week before we meet our first class. I already have the feeling that this is going to be an intense class and we are going to need to focus and do our assignments with a mix of depth and quickness. That syllabus is "SCARY".

On the plus side, I think we are really going to have a chance to talk about issues and methods to address them which can be....interesting. I personally will do my best to not mention Star Trek at every available opportunity.

With that said - "Resistance is futile."

Home sick

Well, I knew it was coming, but I didn't expect it to hit quite so quickly. I have a full-blown cold and had to stay home sick today. Oh well, at least I get to catch up on my sleep and I might even do a little browsing on school stuff - maybe.

I hope everyone else is staying healthy and remembering to eat their veggies;-)

3 down;-)

Well, we have made it through three classes. I found this last class enjoyable. It was fun to actually be doing some of the things we will have to do later. And I know I am weird, but I really enjoyed the technology plan. It was more fun since I could decide what I wanted and pretend that I had the money already. I really REALLY wish real life worked that way. I am ready for the Star Trek way of you just get what you need by telling the replicator (and they have car sized replicators;-) what and how many when you need it.

Just imagine the library I would have then.....

Almost done!

Okay, the powerpoint is done, just have some technical issues as the auto advance feature doesn't seem to want to work anymore now that I have added the last few slides. Don't ya just love technology???

Abstract is almost finished and I know what I want the handout to be. I am also starting to get very nervous about a public appearance which is ridiculous when you consider the number of times I have done some form of public speaking. One time I had to give "the worst speech" for a presentation - that was fun because I got to do everything you always want to do - but aren't supposed to.

I think ya'll will like the handout - I intend to use it if I ever get the chance to teach. MTSU is not being very responsive to me at the moment.

Homework - yuck

I am having so much trouble with these e-scans this time. Usually it is just pop up an article, read, and write a quick review. This time I can't find decent articles and I am so stressed that I am about to explode.

Also, who can tell me what that abstract thing is that we are supposed to have for our presentation? My business training would be a single paragraph of the gist of the presentation with an outline. Is that the education world's understanding? I emailed the professor last week, but no response yet.

Has everyone thought about the play on December 1st? Who wants to go see Dickens? I am going to call and get times and prices and email those out next week so we can make an intelligent decision;-) Also will have the pizza party info in the same email.

Adult night

I love my son - I really do, but it is so wonderful to have a night without him. I can actually do my work without having to stop. I had plans for tonight and now that he isn't going to be home, I can actually carry out that plan.

It is truly amazing how much kids can distract you. No wonder it is impossible for teachers to meet their curriculum goals every year. It is the kids fault;-)

Which makes me wonder yet again why I am continuing this mad journey to get into the teaching profession. I am beginning to think that I was repeatedly dropped on my head while young. OH, well - escans here I come!

Saturday class

Well, it was fun making a movie, even with the SSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWWWW computer. I think it is something that I will use often if I ever have a library of my own. It seems a great way to put together a quick tutorial on how to use software or hardware and doing a quick orientation for new students and faculty is a must have now.


Btw, the sympathy card was appreciated. I did it quietly and the money goal was met (and exceeded). She was very happy with the thought of getting a book for her dad. So, we did good girls.

YAAHOO!!!

That's right - my homework is done. Well, at least the homework due this Saturday. I need to do my e-scans and figure out what to do for my faculty presentation, but that can wait until Monday;-)

The other cool thing is that I saw Anita while I was out today. I was at Shoney's with my extended family and there she was too - eating before heading off to soccer games. It is so cool to run into people from class. None of you will believe this, but I actually don't know very many people and I am always shocked to find someone I actually know when I am out and about. Which is the other thing, since I don't know anybody I never look to see if I do know somebody so you have to get my attention (I'm going deaf too;-)

Some fine day I will actually get it all together and be ready for the world - yeah, right;-)

Homework

Well, I did manage to get some work done this weekend. I finished my tech plan and its webliography and the AUP webliography. I am having some trouble putting the AUP into my own words because they are all running together in my head. I have also got two library visits touched up and will finish the third one tomorrow - yeah me!

I plan to start my e-scans but I am kinda worried about having to do 200 words for each one. I tend to say what I mean and then stop so I don't know what I am going to do with the other 150 words;-) Guess I need to polish that BS degree a bit.

Technology Plan - almost done;-)

She was right. Looking at so many technology plans it almost seems to write itself. I have found lots of good little tidbits that I want to include, but I am trying to keep it short and simple. Less chance of screwing something up then;-) My real challenge is to figure out what teachers have now and what they want/need. I have asked students from across America (no joke - I am part of a forum/chat room) and they all seem to feel that the projectors like we use in class are the next necessary things, though they seem to think that SMART boards are very cool - just too expensive or too much tech for the poor teachers to handle;-)

I hope everyone is getting back into the swing of things with school/work/family/church/social life/etc. EEK, that really made it sound bad, didn't it?

I finished HP7

Yes, I admit it. I did NO homework today and just read Harry Potter #7 until done, did the housework I haven't been home to do all week, and played Lord of the Rings Online. In other words, I totally goofed off and didn't accomplish a single worthwhile thing.

On the other hand, the ending of HP made me cry. It was such an intense book and I keep tearing up with every major happening. The action just felt so fast and so much, but I couldn't stop reading. I took it to work and read if during lunch Friday and that was the fastest lunch hour ever. Even telling my son about it later (not a reader, but curious), I was hard put to keep the tears away. The worst part is that it was a borrowed book and I will have to wait to read it again until I can buy it.

OK, now I really have to do some work.........

Working hard.....NOT

I have to admit that I am having a problem getting into the swing of homework. I haven't really done anything of note since our class. This weekend is my huge push to get at least two assignments completed and the others at least half way done. Think it'll happen???


I am also anxious to know how everyone is doing. How is school going? Anything new or exciting? Plus what do ya'll think about the revised class schedule. I am a bit nervous about the proposed day in Nashville. Who wants to share a ride? Because I have no clue how to get to campus. Anybody been there yet?

Great, now I am making myself nervous.........

Library Visit

Well, I decided to check out a public library for our library visits. Part of me thinks it would be interesting to work in a public library instead of a school library. The director was very nice and gave me an hour of her time. She also said she is willing to talk to me any time and answer questions either in person or on the phone. Have ya'll noticed how NICE librarians are? I have yet to meet one that wasn't willing to take time and really answer my questions. She was very forthcoming about what she considered to be the downside of the librarian lifestyle and had lots of suggestions for what she considered to be good libraries around to visit.

I really think that using the public library as a resource would be a good idea for a school library. What do ya'll think?

Technology II

Well, I think we are going to have a real fun time in this class, even though there is less interaction. I am a bit disappointed that the escans are just an individual submission instead of a discussion board. However, since it is the same topics we have already discussed, maybe it is better that we just write up our ideas/understanding of the topic and move on.

I am still stumped on the presentation thing. I think I want to do an excel thing, but I am scared of the 15 minute limit. What can I really do in just 15 minutes? Does anyone think I could do the gradebook presentation in 15 minutes?

Ready??

Well, I am ready for the next class to start - I THINK;-) It has been so nice to just come home and not have to do homework. My family has liked to have me around since that meant housework and food was more regular. But if I don't get started back soon, I am going to forget how to do job, housework, homework, church, and have a bit of a social life as well as time alone. Of course that means no time to sleep, but something has to give;-)

I am also anxious to talk to everyone. It feels like forever since I saw ya'll.

Two days and counting........

What a week

It has been an entire week since I blogged, but I do have excuses to offer;-)

First excuse is that I had a district meeting of BPW on Tuesday night and didn't get home until 10:30. I really wished I had the energy to post because the funniest thing happened at the meeting. I did a short little spiel on what the various committees are and everyone was very impressed with me. One of the ladies asked me what I was getting my degree in and was shocked that it was library science. She (a lawyer from Washington D.C.) thought I wouldn't be able to use my gift for gab in a library because all I would be doing was telling people to hush;-) I only had time to tell her that libraries are in a state of change, but it does emphasize for me how much time it will take to change the view of any library.

My second excuse is very good. My central air went out Wednesday morning and we weren't able to get it fixed until very late Friday night and I did nothing but enjoy cool air the rest of the evening. Unfortunately it wasn't under warranty any longer, so the bill was a big "OUCH". Donations ae accepted;-)

Hope everyone is doing well and I am anxious to see more webliographies posted on Angel. It is great to get more resources and I snagged a few from Judy's last email too.

100% Done

For better or worse, I am done with the livetext portion of tonight's events;-) I am so glad that it is setup with the standards already available and we just have to check a box. All of that typing would REALLY make my hands hurt. I do wish that I could sound more natural on the reflection portion, but I just can't seem to help the stiffness of language sometimes.

Speaking of which, the article for "The Treveccan" sounds very stupid, but that is my fault not ya'lls. I haven't written in so long for a college publication that I know I was unnatural. We should get copies brought by whichever professor is stuck - I mean is TEACHING us the Saturday after publication.

I also posted my webliography in the resource section of the discussion board. I hope everyone els will too because I am anxious to add even more bookmarks to my browser;-)

Collaboration

I am curious. Now that school is starting and many of you are teachers, I want to know how many of you plan to collaborate with your school librarian on a lesson plan. I know that some of you are already librarians and I am also curious if you have selected your target, I mean teacher, who you are going to attempt a collaboration project with.

For the rest of you - are you going to instigate collaborate on a lesson plan with the librarian?


Yes, I really am like a cat in most respects;-)

Vegatative Day

I am shocked at myself. I apparently did not realize how tense I have been during this class. Sunday was a total day of vegging for me. I got up around 8:30 in case Dad got there early and I read the newspaper and then started Harry Potter GOF. Dad showed up and we went to church. My entire body ached and it was painful to do anything.

Once we got back home and Dad had left, I got into some comfortable clothes and watched Scooby Doo with Jon and then we all went to watch a movie together. I fell asleep during it and don't remember any of it. When I finally woke up, I finished Harry Potter and then played a game on the computer.

Then I collapsed into bed and went straight to sleep for nine more hours. I think I may finally be over the worst of it, but I may need to figure out how to balance in some me time during this next class or all of you may have to .........well, do something anyway;-)

MLIS 5010 Information Technology 1 - review

I am different from my fellow classmates in that I have been using computers professionally for over a decade and personally for over two decades. I found this class to be a good basics and the research we did into technology as it applies to education in general and libraries specifically was fascinating.

I am excited to think about being able to continue using computers in my new career. I have been so used to turning on a computer first when I walk to my desk that I wouldn't know what to do otherwise. The real fun is going to be in the application of this knowledge. I can't wait to do a real website (emphasis on site) for my library.

Presentation day

Well, I am about 5% excited and 95% nervous about tomorrow. There is a part of me that loves to get in front and people and talk. That part I try to keep hidden because once people know you are willing, you get a lot of dirty jobs.

But in a room full of teachers, I should be safe, right? Oh, yeah, that's how I ended up class representative, isn't it? Just kidding. I am actually having a lot of fun doing that. I am a organizer to the tips of my toes in case you hadn't noticed yet.

Speaking of which, brief class meeting at the start of lunch tomorrow. I have a few ideas I want to toss at you and I also need information from those of you who are now functioning as librarians for the Trevecca news.

I am also happy to report that my web page is done!!!! Now if I just survive the presentation.....

What a week

Why is it that everything either happens all at once or not at all? I have been peacefully coming home every day from work and now suddenly I can't get home without having to stop at least three times. I want to get my web page finished before Saturday so once I leave class I am FREE!

I can't help wondering whether I will be in the same boat as all of you this time next year. It blew my mind to find out that I have to set up my student teaching nine months in advance. That means the earliest I can student teach is next August - assuming I can get accepted by MTSU and get a student loan to cover the additional 21 or so hours by this November.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I am supposed to be doing. It was made very clear to me through the events that happened in January, February, and March of this year, but I didn't expect quite so many hurdles to be put in the way.

A bit disjointed tonight, but that is how my week has been going.

Review - Saturday class

I found today to be interesting. The discussion on social networking was very interactive with a lot of good points made both pro and con. I think it highlighted very well what we all hope and fear from the Internet. I know that I personally hope for a place that concentrates on social interaction at its best with a flow of ideas and the rapid give and take of real discussion.

I sadly know that is not completely possible. The fun is that it CAN happen, the bad is the number of people who are hurt everyday by trusting when they shouldn't. I think I have mentioned this resource before, but www.wiredkids.org is a wonderful place for kids and adults to visit to learn how to be safe on the net.

The good and the bad

The good thing about a blog is that it allows us to get to know each other informally. We can talk about our problems and our successes and it is almost like talking to yourself, but the response let you know it is being read.

The bad thing is that if you stop writing for a few days, it is very hard to start writing again;-)

I feel like I am finally making progress today on my assignments, but I had to take the day off work to do it. I am having a real problem with scheduling my time effectively. My biggest issue is that it takes three times as long to do something as I think it should. Finding and reviewing a website should be twenty minutes, but it takes me almost and hour. I really hope that this is just a sign of how long I have been out of school and not a real measure of my personal abilities.

That didn't take long

Well, I was feeling like maybe I was getting a handle on my time management skills. That was probably my first mistake. Today was just one disaster after another. First, dad drove today. That's right, less than one month after major brain surgery and he is on the road. Then I of course didn't meet expectations as to what I should have accomplished so far as the yard work. Once he left to drive home (after spending an hour working on the lawn mower - something else he shouldn't be doing), I was a nervous wreck and couldn't settle down to work on anything.

I finally just set down and made the complete list of everything I needed to accomplish this week (today would have been better) and once I put it on paper, it finally stopped swirling around in my head. It was a fairly scary list, but I shared it with my men-folk and they actually helped me with housework. Will wonders never cease?

I am going to just live by this list this week and we'll see what happens. I will of course keep everyone informed since I don't have much else to write about;-)

Review - Hardware

Today's class was a lot more hands on. I think the biggest problem I had was my introduction to firewire. I had never heard of it before, but I tend to be PC compatible more than Apple or MAC. I get the feeling that may be a problem since Apple's have focused on the education market.

It was fun to wander around to all the different stations and identify the different parts - again firewire was my downfall. My partners were excited and they both tended to start at different ends of the group and were both telling me (the writer) what the things were. I was having to write quickly to keep up with them so I know that my handwriting was barely legible.

Is my handwriting going to need to be legible as a teacher or do I get to do printouts of everything??

Finally after two solid weeks of searching, I have found a great resource to use to do research on the web. It may seem silly, but I was unable to find a search engine that talked the same language as I do. I had a goal, but they didn't understand my word arrangement or something and never gave me good results.

Now I have found one that actually listens to me and delivers a good range of material for use. I still get garbage, but it is a small percentage and easily ignored. Plus it is organized so I can start fine tuning the research process before I type anything at all.


http://wikis.ala.org/lita/index.php/Tool_Kit_for_the_Expert_Web_Searcher

I also posted it on Angel in the resource section of the discussion forum.

Escan #2

Yeah! I did it. I finally managed to find a resource that I could write about and it was about libraries and technology.

**takes a bow**

I have to admit that I have been completely unable to focus the past two weeks. Is there a weird moon phase or is Mercury doing something weird? I have been trying so hard to stay on top of everything that I can't do anything. I used (used being the operation word) to think I was organized. Now I feel lucky to remember.......well, anything really.

Which reminds me, I highly recommend the Business and Professional Women's Club to each of you. It is an organization of women who are trying to complete the job that women's suffrage began. There is a website (of course) www.bpwusa.org and I hope each of you will check it out and see how beneficial this group can be for you. *steps off soapbox....then gets back on - after all this is MY blog*

Saturday Class

That was a very fun way to handle class. It was really interesting to see how technology can be integrated seamlessly into the education process. First, we have a video to watch, then a power point presentation (with audio!). To show that we were paying attention to the presentation, we get to cruise around and check out some web pages and write a quick editorial about them.

This is a great example of what we can offer to teachers for a collaboration. How cool would it be to create a power point that the teacher can use with either the entire class or for special needs students on a case-by-case basis? How else can we use the technology to help the teachers or ourselves make life (and teaching) easier?

The next obvious question is how can I use technology right now to help my survive this next year?

Tomorrow is another day

Why is it that real life keeps interrupting what you want to do? I had plans to come home today and read and work in my textbook, research a bit, and start my webpage. What did I really do?

Go to my best friend's house to borrow her laptop so I can finish the church directory this weekend, talk to my son on the phone (he has been spending this week at my sister's), and I don't get home until after 8:00.

If I am lucky, I will be able to get caught up with where I want to be by Sunday night. Please.

Day off!

Yes, I admit it. I didn't do any research today at all. I did check out everyone's blog and post some comments. I think it is more fun to see the responses than to write the actual blog, but then I am a crazed attention getter;-)

I know the frustration I am feeling in my inability to tailor my research is also affecting several others. Maybe this site will help you as well: http://www.monash.com/spidap.html . I found it on the Trevecca library page and it has some useful info scattered through the page.

Escan - yikes!

Okay, it was hard for me to find a good article for my escan. Then I found a great article and when I went to post it, someone had already beaten me to the topic. At least I had a great response ready;-)

Current technology issues are just not hitting any of the search criteria I am using. Can someone give me some good keywords to try?

WOW!

After having read though most of the blogs of my fellow classmates and their responses, I have to say that I think we are all really talented. It is so wonderful to spend time with literate people who have opinions and aren't afraid to share them.

I also think that the state of Tennessee is going to be graced with a fabulous batch of librarians next year;-)

Introduction

I am excited and scared to death at the same time. I want so much to begin working as a librarian, but at the same time I feel so overwhelmed by all I have to learn. The best thing so far has been the willingness of everyone in my class to help me by stopping to explain the 'teacher' things/language that I don't understand.

I am very curious to see how this blog is going to help us with our careers.