Change - Change - Change

Some of the articles that were required for reading I have read before and other were new to me. The publications from the ISTE are ones that I should read on a regular basis since those publications are being read by a wide variety of educators who are interested in technology. I need to expand my scope of professional reading outside the world of library media specialists. It would also make me more knowledgeable when I talk to other within district and outside of the district. I need to pick a few blogs to follow. I tried following a few people on Twitter, but I found that overwhelming. I think that I will change my account so that I am following the professional organization strands. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much information is out there and how little time I have to absorb all of this information. From what I’ve read on the postings from class I’m not the only one who feels overwhelmed with information and changes in technology. The I-pads look cool. I especially enjoyed the YouTube video of the toddler exploring one. I can think of a lot of uses for on, but the price would be hard to justify since I have a laptop. Although maybe I could justify it since I haven’t invested in an e-reader.

Use of new technologies as a means to reach the digital natives in their own environment so that that their educational experiences are in their world and prepare them for their future lives in the 21st century was a recurring theme in many of the articles. The YouTube video Shift happens hits home the fact that we need to prepare students for a future that is totally different from the present we live in since information is increasing at such a rapid pace.

Advocacy and avoiding the draconic librarian was another theme. I worked with a dragon librarian once. It was very frustrating experience for me and the memories from that experience popped into my mind while reading some of the change articles on the reading list. I just don’t understand how someone who doesn’t enjoy working with teens would want to spend 30 years working as a teacher. It was eye opening to read about proactive steps and what steps to take once budget cuts to your area are recommended. Unfortunately during the economic times we are facing the cuts to media specialists in my district are to save classroom positions to keep class sizes at a reasonable size. I think that it is prudent to keep doing the best job that you can so that when the economy turns around teachers will remember what a good media specialist can do and what the technicians, our in my district the guys who fix the computers and the network, can’t do to help me teach my students.

One thing I need to work on after reading the articles from this module is setting goals for my program and meeting more often with the building administrators. I know that they are busy, but there are a some things that I can do to help them that