Until Spring 2011…

I’ve finished my courses for the term, officially.  I just submitted a Pathfinder for Information Sources (Reference Librarian class) on American Southern Cooking.  It was really tricky since it had to include almanacs, yearbooks, handbooks, encyclopedias, directories, indexes and the like.  With cooking you basically have magazines, books, television programs and some websites.  But I dug through and found enough things to list so tonight I just added a few more sources, annotated what I had and submitted it.  I was only one day and 15 minutes late on it too – that’s not too bad. 

I ended up with a 950 out of 1000 in my Children’s and YA Literature class as well so my grades should be pretty good.  I want to apply for membership to Epsilon Omega Epsilon (EOE) in January.  I missed the deadline this term so I want to make sure to join before I graduate in May.  I’ll be able to use the insignia on my cover letters and mention my membership in my resume.  Not too shabby.

Knowing that I’ll be graduating in May next year makes me very relieved.  I honestly am not going to be interested in getting into another college program now that I’m a married woman with a life to live.  Before it was just me and trying to get whatever head knowledge and skills I could to get put into some kind of career that I could stay in.  Now that I’ll have my Professional Teaching Certificate in Florida and my MLS degree I will be armed with the tools I need to get into a School Librarian position, should one come up.  Granted, as I said last post, there are stipulations for becoming a teacher in the UK that differs vastly to the requirements from state to state.  That’s one thing I may have to get into – more teacher training.  But no more Master’s degree programs for me for a while at least, until I really have to get one.  I just hope I won’t end up needing an IT degree – I don’t know if I could deal with that much techy coursework.

Now, again, the thing I don’t love about the library degree is that it’s just a lot of fact-finding.  That’s the main reason why I’m glad it’ll be over.  The course work offers little for creativity.  Granted there is some when we have to create pretend events or new programs at the library.  But just talking about the surface of the book and not analyzes the contents and how we can use them is dull after a while.  Now, the Children’s and YA Lit class really gave me the room to read, analyze and discuss how I’d use the books in library or school situations.  That’s what made me really think I wanted to work at the School Library.  It also means there won’t just be a public service vibe to my job.  I understand that it’s more than that, but when I was volunteering I just felt like I was back at Winn-Dixie again, ringing up people’s groceries and giving them money for their returned items.  Plus, when it’s public domain you get the odd balls whom, yes, I sympathize with, but I don’t want to have situations again where I have to call the police because some random person stole some random item off the shelf.  I’ve done that way before I had an education and I’ve no interest in going back there.  (Even though I probably will when I have to gather up some experience at the public library next year.)

Anyway, so Christmas break for me is here and I couldn’t feel less Christmassy.  There’s a slim chance I’ll get an approval email on my Visa next Monday or Tuesday but if not, that means I won’t be going over to be with Steve until after the holidays.  Complete bummer.  If this were April or something and there wasn’t much going on aside from Easter, I wouldn’t feel as bad but Christmas is a biggy and we still have not spent our first Christmas together as a married couple.  Again, major bummer but by going over after the holidays the flights and delays and crowds will be less of hassle to deal with so there is a bright side to this after all.

Week 11? Really?

Information Sources class discussion

Multiple Intelligences (H. Gardner)

“The theory of multiple intelligences suggests that there are a number of distinct forms of intelligence that each individual possesses in varying degrees. Gardner proposes seven primary forms: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, body-kinesthetic, intrapersonal (e.g., insight, metacognition) and interpersonal (e.g., social skills). “

Principles:

1. Individuals should be encouraged to use their preferred intelligences in learning.

2. Instructional activities should appeal to different forms of intelligence.

3. Assessment of learning should measure multiple forms of intelligence.

Reference:

http://tip.psychology.org/gardner.html

To me this is the best choice because most people do not learn in one certain way. We learn different things in different ways. I love listen to audio books over reading a lot of the time. I can “see” the images better by hearing them. Music has a rhythm that makes words and stories easy to remember. Working with others helps understand what you know and what others know so you can learn from one another. All lessons are like this because we have links to see graphs and charts. We work with one another. We physically go to the library to observe and research so our bodies are involved. I just wish we had more pictures in Library Science. I mean, I know our books are data-packed but couldn’t they add some fun color photos once in a while? Maybe the TWU MLS program should come up with a channel on Youtube to show us how the library works in various training videos. Now that would be cool!

Learning something about your own learning style will help you as you prepare instruction for others with different learning styles.  Take the Learning Style Questionnaire located at the following website:  http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

I'm sort of surprised that I do not have a high tendency for any certain learning style.  I'm in the middle for most of them.  I'm a little higher in the visual learning only because I knew those questions were asking for that kind of learning.  I know that the activities that I learned from best were based in the visual.  I always loved maps and charts on the board to explain concepts in literature, history and science.  I am not a math fan and I was only able to do well in math when I had a couple of teachers who did equations that were not just in the regular long formula mode but explained in association with other daily concepts, or having equations put into a table when doing variables.  I love using movies in a classroom but even that confuses some students who don't "get it" even after seeing it.  So for people like me (and for every library and classroom around that is full of people with various learning styles) there has to be various types of help.  Signs, verbal instruction, charts or anything else that will appeal to people's different personalities.  This is why our school implemented "Thinking Maps" campus wide.  Having students learn concepts in visual/doing/seeing/thinking/hearing/habitual mode is the only way for them to understand and get the concepts.

Children’s and YA Literature class discussion

Just want to say thank you, Dr. Vardell, for adding this section to our curriculum.  Before I thought fantasy fiction was Harry Potter or Twilight or something with dragons and pirates or something that I wasn't interested in, in the slightest.  (Reminds me too much of those boys in elementary school playing Dungeons and Dragons.)  Anyway, I'm loving this section and keep looking for more books to read within the genre that don't require wands or blood letting.

It also makes me know that I can really enjoy being a Children's or School Librarian in the future.  I've loved being exposed to these different books in each module.

I know this is a simple approach to finding new literature, but I thought I'd post it anyway.  I used this when doing my project for Collection Development class.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Fantasy-and-Adventure/379002217/?cds2Pid=17547&linkid=1640528

My favorite category is "Edgy Stories for Teens".

Week 8

The end is in sight for this Fall term and I’m so ready for it to be over.  In my Information Sources class I’ve managed to mess up an assignment twice and now have to spend the weekend going back to assignments from 3 weeks ago to change and correct.  At first I was confused about why each week we had, seemingly, the same assignment due.  After reading some of the student chat discussions I discovered that we were doing, as the syllabus says “sets” of these.  These sets were for different categories for each week.  After I thought I’d corrected that, I realized today that the categorized assignments were not corresponding with our weekly chapter reading assignments.  They were for chapters that we’d read maybe 2-3 weeks previously.  I ended up emailing the professor (again) and explaining to her how confused I’d been about these assignments and I would redo them.

With online classes I just get so use to how other professors set up their weekly modules that when another professor does something differently, I get all messed up.  At least I realized I did this now and now at the end of the term.

I also have still been working on my reviews for my Children’s / YA Literature class.  This week we read informational / non-fiction books.  I reviewed Bodies from the Ice, Actual Size, and Walt Whitman: Words for America.  Next week we’re doing historical fiction so I have actual novels to read.  I enjoy this class very much and I can see how being a Children’s Librarian would be very rewarding.

In mid-November I apply for graduation too.  I should be done by May!

Still working on getting back to Steve soon.  Here we thought this paperwork would take only one month, now it looks like it will be December before I get there. 

Homework for September

Classes have started as of last week and I’ve been getting myself acquainted with my classes.  This Fall term I have Children’s and YA Literature as well as Information Sources and Services.  For Children’s Lit I pick books from suggested lists and create blog posts about them.  I’ve decided to use my attempted blog project at Unfinished Book Reviews to create such posts.  For Info Resources, I’m learning about becoming a Reference Librarian.  Both classes are extremely beneficial because I really don’t know what kind of librarian I’ll become.  When I was asked what track I was going to be on for the program, I told them I had no intention of choosing a track yet because how do I know where I’ll end up? 

When it comes to finding a job, especially once I’ve moved, I’ll have to start working where ever I land a job and then work my way up through experience.  That may be at a Public Library or a University Library.  I’m not singling anything out right now because I really feel like a fish out of water in this career.  Granted, when I started interning, I was interested in how the library worked and I felt like I could do a good job in such a position.  I was just disappointed with the Public Libraries running the risk of being shut down so easily.  So, again, the job that lands in my lap will be the one I take on.

Granted, my English Lit. background is helpful and I do miss that kind of discussion in the classroom.  But I could always end up a Reference Librarian and running Book Clubs and computer classes.  I’ve looked at more English Lit. graduate programs but I’m not sure I want to get into that again.  The pretention of English majors (generally speaking – if you’re an English major you know what I’m talking about) is just not an arena I think I can get back into.  Feeling superior because I’ve read big books was fine when I was 20.  Now that I have a new focus in life, I’m not sure I have any interest in that aspect of the field again. 

As for teaching, yes I loved teaching Comm II.  I loved going to college and I loved teaching at college for the same reasons - I can get prepared, have my class and walk out of the room.  There’s no being stuck in a tiny room with 20-30 other people all day.  But teaching at the college doesn’t pay anything unless you’re tenured.  At the community college level they tell you that teaching high school is a better bet for money and benefits.  Since I don’t have an Education degree my problems that I had as a new teacher will continue on no matter where I go in the US.  I would still have to go to school to get teacher status in the UK.  So that would be 40+ hours of work with planning, being stuck at the school for 8 hours, then doing after school activities, meetings then going to my own classes?  Nope.  I will be a wife and want to be at home with my husband.  Having this library degree and going to work each day and working my way up to gain experience is my best bet.

But then again I may not find any kind of job other than secretary or a salesgirl at the mall.  Whatever, as long as I’m bringing home a pay check.

Since this blog was made primarily for library entries, I created a personal blog that I can email entries to.  Yes, yes Wordpress has the capability of email posts and there are apps but I really need to scale things down.  I’m not going to have this iPhone for much longer so I needed to make something I can update easily on the fly.  I won’t even go into how much this iPhone drives me crazy now.  It was fine for a year but now after the updates nothing works right; the camera is slow, it randomly reboots, apps won’t load, calls can’t be made, texts can’t be sent, touchscreen freezes…  I’m going to go the used Blackberry from Ebay route for a while until I can get a Droid or something. 

And on my final and most exciting note:  the wedding is in two weeks!  I’m so excited but blissfully calm all at the same time.  Having a small, private wedding is such a much better option.  There was enough hassle in finding the dress that I can’t imagine what it would be like to have to set up a big wedding party.  I’m just happy to be with Steve for our special day.