Alright, so I realize that I am somewhat behind the rest of the group, but I chalk that up to not realizing that a blog and a wiki for this assignment really are two different things. I kept clicking on only the names or teams of my classmates, without realizing that I was supposed to click on their pictures to see their blogs. I suppose I need to read the directions many times and be sure that I actually understand what is being asked before assuming that I am up to par on everything. I thought that the wiki was the place for us to post our blogs, but I was way off key. With that being said, I suppose you can say that I am pretty nervous about the rest of this unit plan.
Prior to the changes, I had a teacher at my school all lined up to work with me and then things changed. However, at the same time I am very excited about working with a classmate on this assignment. I am very hopeful that we will be able to complete this assignment the way that it is expected. Although, as I previously stated I am somewhat nervous since I was so unsure of how to actually start this blog.
I am quite hopeful about this assignment though because I do work with a school and have a lot of individuals that I can rely on to ask questions while planning a unit plan. Also, my teammate works within a public library, so I am hopeful that she will be able to bring a lot of experience from her angle as well. Since I work within a middle school, I think my teammate and I are going to focus on that age group, what grade specifically I am not sure at this point. In addition, I am certified in Math and Language Arts, so I am thinking we will plan a unit around one of those two subjects. I was thinking Math since many times Math is a topic that is overlooked within a library, but Language Arts has so many topics to chose from that it might be fun to explore one of those topics. I will have to see what my teammate would like to do.
Although I work within a middle school, I do not have my own classroom, which could in turn be a weakness. I am a substitute teacher within a middle school so I am never completely in the same classroom on a day to day basis. However, I have worked within this particular school for the past four years and have a great rapport with the staff and I know the curriculum quite well that I am confident that I will be able to do well on this assignment. In the same respect that is my strength. I am within a building where I am exposed to the curriculum and the GLCE's which will be beneficial to this collaboration.
I have heard a lot of great stories of ways in which teachers and school library media specialists have collaborated together successfully, but I have never been a witness. I have seen teachers within my building ask my media specialist to speak with their students about different genres for literature, or need books about different countries for a social studies project, but never have I seen a teacher work with her to plan a unit. The only other instance I have seen a teacher work with my media specialist is when an English teacher asked the media specialist to design a rubric and a project for her students about an award for their books they were reading. Never did they collaborate. Basically the media specialist had to research the different awards out there, like the Newberry Award, and give an explanation of them to the students. She then created the rubric as to how the students' awards would be graded. The teacher was the one who was going to grade them, but she never gave any input as to what she was expecting from the students or the assignment. So, have I seen successful collaboration, no. Do I believe it is out there, yes.
So, in conclusion, I am slightly frustrated at myself for not realizing the difference between a wiki and a blog. I thought I was pretty proficient on the new technologies, but obviously not. I have always been so on top of things for my schooling and the fact that I have faltered a little, makes it very difficult for me to not be so hard on myself. I have always prided myself on doing my assignments and doing them well. It is really hard to not get to upset by my mistake. However, I am hopeful that I am now on the right track and will stay that way. I am very excited about this project and all the things I hope to learn and gain from this experience. It can only get better from here!!
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't be so hard on yourself because sometimes we learn best from our missteps. I will not penalize you drastically because I noticed that you actually were misinformed by a classmate when you asked a question on the discussion board about this task (ask early if you are confused so you can get on track before the due date). As you now know, the blog, Delicious, and the wiki are three separate assignments. The blog is where you reflect on your progress in developing your unit plan. Delicious is where you bookmark website you find that relate to the weekly readings. The wiki is where you document the final product for the class, the collaborative unit plan.
As far as your collaboration with Kirsten, I think you two have a nice balance of experiences in the library and in the classroom. I agree, it might be interesting to do something Math related, but that English Language Arts could be a fun area to build a unit and a lot of tangible resources for doing so. I'm sure you will make the right choice.
It's not unusual to have seen the kind of teacher-librarian collaboration you've seen in the past. The idea is to take what you are learning in this class and ramp it up so that the school librarian makes tangible contribution to student learning that can be documented and translated for school stakeholders.
Prof. K.