Reflection:
As a school library media specialist in a very rural area of Georgia, I often feel isolated from my own kind, so to speak. Coming from a school classroom where professional development was mandatory and occurred on a weekly basis, I’ve often lamented the lack of professional learning that I receive in my new role as a librarian. The Personal Learning Network (PLN) that I am working to curate is the perfect answer to my feelings of isolation and lack of regular professional learning. Though I have only been a librarian for a short while, I’ve often been able to find much of the information that I need on the internet, yet did not make the connection that there was a legitimate method of curating resources to support me in the quest to perfect my craft. When choosing a curation tool for my PLN, I chose Symbaloo. Through my time in this program, I have used other content curation tools like List.ly, Scoop.it, Livebinders, and Rebel Mouse, but the ease of use of Symbaloo appealed to me--everything can be organized into tiles, grouped by topic, and provide a streamlined appearance in the end. While I continue my PLN development over the course of my career, I can make changes, including changes in the curation tool, when needed. The best way to describe a PLN to my colleagues would be: Through the use of my PLN, I will be able to glean information and collaborate with my peers, continually evolving into the resource that my teachers and students deserve.
While the experience of creating my formal PLN has been short, my goal is to develop an invaluable collection of resources that focus on the areas of reading, technology integration, makerspaces, and information fluency. By personalizing my learning experiences through the use of a PLN, I now have, a specialized set of resources that I can reference at will, update regularly, and share with my peers. After reviewing the Wiki and PLN Starter Kit in FRIT 7234, I began the search for resources. To keep myself abreast of current trends, I have included resources that I have consulted for a while like Becky Nipper’s Twitter feed where she shares her journey as a school librarian. She always has something of value that I can use in my own position. Finding new resources through my search, I have also included RSS feeds such as ResearchBuzz which has the latest in information “about search engines, databases, social media, and more.” ResearchBuzz has myriad insights into information fluency and the changing landscape of research in the 21st century. Through my search of blogs, course resources, social media, and RSS feeds, I found valuable new additions to my PLN. Each resource provides vital insight into the profession and craft of school librarianship and has been curated with the intention of developing a lifelong devotion to learning and providing others with access to information.
KEY:
teal - blogs
magenta - social networking
gold - training materials
blue - professional articles
green - video
tan - websites
black - podcasts
purple - RSS feeds
As a school library media specialist in a very rural area of Georgia, I often feel isolated from my own kind, so to speak. Coming from a school classroom where professional development was mandatory and occurred on a weekly basis, I’ve often lamented the lack of professional learning that I receive in my new role as a librarian. The Personal Learning Network (PLN) that I am working to curate is the perfect answer to my feelings of isolation and lack of regular professional learning. Though I have only been a librarian for a short while, I’ve often been able to find much of the information that I need on the internet, yet did not make the connection that there was a legitimate method of curating resources to support me in the quest to perfect my craft. When choosing a curation tool for my PLN, I chose Symbaloo. Through my time in this program, I have used other content curation tools like List.ly, Scoop.it, Livebinders, and Rebel Mouse, but the ease of use of Symbaloo appealed to me--everything can be organized into tiles, grouped by topic, and provide a streamlined appearance in the end. While I continue my PLN development over the course of my career, I can make changes, including changes in the curation tool, when needed. The best way to describe a PLN to my colleagues would be: Through the use of my PLN, I will be able to glean information and collaborate with my peers, continually evolving into the resource that my teachers and students deserve.
While the experience of creating my formal PLN has been short, my goal is to develop an invaluable collection of resources that focus on the areas of reading, technology integration, makerspaces, and information fluency. By personalizing my learning experiences through the use of a PLN, I now have, a specialized set of resources that I can reference at will, update regularly, and share with my peers. After reviewing the Wiki and PLN Starter Kit in FRIT 7234, I began the search for resources. To keep myself abreast of current trends, I have included resources that I have consulted for a while like Becky Nipper’s Twitter feed where she shares her journey as a school librarian. She always has something of value that I can use in my own position. Finding new resources through my search, I have also included RSS feeds such as ResearchBuzz which has the latest in information “about search engines, databases, social media, and more.” ResearchBuzz has myriad insights into information fluency and the changing landscape of research in the 21st century. Through my search of blogs, course resources, social media, and RSS feeds, I found valuable new additions to my PLN. Each resource provides vital insight into the profession and craft of school librarianship and has been curated with the intention of developing a lifelong devotion to learning and providing others with access to information.
KEY:
teal - blogs
magenta - social networking
gold - training materials
blue - professional articles
green - video
tan - websites
black - podcasts
purple - RSS feeds