Final Blog

Reflections:

Coming into this class I knew I had things to learn, but felt fairly confident as several school administrators had evaluated me as being "computer savvy".  I found, they were sadly mistaken. There are so many amazing ways to use technology as a Librarian that I had never even considered! I am coming away from 5720 with the desire to explore new technologies and become effective in implementing them in a way that improves the learning experience for both students and faculty.

In order for me to be more than just proficient in the area of technology, I will need to continue learning and honing my skills because technology is constantly changing and improving.  In order to keep up, I will look for professional development opportunities within the district I am hired and Region 10 offerings. I will take advantage of professional relationships and learn from seasoned librarians and technology specialists. If need be, I am also fortunate to live near a community college as well as universities where I can find even more offerings in technology.

I am anxious to create a library home page that comes to life giving opportunities to learn about and share books. I have realized that there is importance in both maintaining some consistency and also continually updating and adding new surprises so that your site is frequented but not frustrating. I look forward to teaching lessons that will engage students and encourage them to continue using technology outside of required assignments. I am interested in finding ways to incorporate gaming to extend learning. And I am already anticipating how I will "hook" my teachers with interactive workshops. I know so many teachers that will be excited to learn of things available such as Delicious which could allow them to plan with increased productivity while saving them time.

Technology will be a major component in helping me become the librarian I wish I had as a child and a teacher...a librarian for today's world and of the future!