CPD 23: Week 11 - Putting Yourself Out There

Thing #15
Attend: I have only attended a handful of conferences and workshops so far in my short career. I have to admit that the cost is what holds me back the most. My school came close to closing last year because of our financial situation, so I don’t feel right asking for too much assistance to attend conferences. For those on the fence about attending—all I can say is GO! I can’t imagine someone going and not taking home new ideas. I leave with excitement, renewed energy for my job and determination to try new lessons! It is a shot of energy we all need to get our creative juices flowing.

Speaking: Being a new teacher librarian I do not feel I have enough experience to speak at a conference. Maybe after attending more events I will feel I have something to share.

Organize- Since I don’t feel too confident in my experience for speaking at events, this is an area I feel I can step forward and contribute. I know if I step out of my comfort zone and offer to help with some of the workshops and conferences I will meet new people and feel a stronger connection to our state organizations.


Thing #16 : Advocacy
This is something that is so important at my school and school library. Since the school has faced a number of financial hardships over the last years, it is imperative that we spread the word to school members, alumni and the local community about what we are doing. I have to say that we have a few staff members who excel at this, so I have had some good role models to follow. They are always thinking about advocacy so it helps to have strength in numbers! For those who work at a school I would strongly advise keeping in contact with alumni....there are many who feel a strong bond to the library so don't leave them out of the loop as they can help you build a strong following.

CPD 23 :Week 10 - Zotero/Mendeley/CiteULike

I picked Mendeley as my choice to try out. I love this idea! I would agree with Sherm Sez when he stated how easy it is to install and use. I also like his idea to download the PDF manuals for devices we have at school…so much easier to organize and find instead of digging through my file cabinets. I have a several friends who are working on their masters and I will be sending Mendeley’s link for them to try out.

As for teaching it to my students....I think it is too advanced for my students, but I will be using it personally. I especially like the “papers” tab and the number of readers who have added it to the specific topics. I also like the “trending” feature—good source for topics or additional ideas.

CPD23: Week 9 - Google Docs, Wikis and Dropbox

I have been using Google Docs and Wikis for several years and I think they are great tools. A good example of using a Wiki successfully is when I attended a workshop and the presenters gave each participant a business card with the Wiki site printed on it for future use. I have gone back to that particular Wiki several times for ideas on implementing their topic into my lessons and reading the feedback/ideas from other participants.

Dropbox was new to me and I already love it. I have been using Evernote for ideas, photos, lists…just your general things I don’t want to have all over my desk. I often take a picture of something I don’t want to forget and email it to Evernote. I like the idea of Dropbox and the folders-subfolders. I only have the free version so far, will have to wait and see if I want to pay for more storage. Since I have had a number of computer problems lately, the idea of having all my files on any computer sounds much easier than what I have been doing lately to ensure the loss of files. This is also a good idea for students who constantly misplace their flashdrives, so this will be a great tool to present to our students.

CPD23: Week 8 - Reflections

When I first starting hearing the phrase “social media” I really only looked at it as a source for my teenagers to keep in contact with their friends. Little did I know of how the many forms of social media would expand and actually be put to good use. At the school where I teach, we use Facebook to connect to the many alumni who feel a strong bond to our school, which dates to opening around 80 years ago. This on-line community is made up of alumni from the 1950’s to more recent alumni with a common goal of keeping our school strong and vital. I am sure this could not have been accomplished without using social media as a way to link this group of people who otherwise would not have met!