Social Networking

(a) define what social networking is (in your own words);

(b) list what social networking technologies and sites you already use (for personal, work and study purposes); and

(c) describe what you expect to learn from completing INF506.

Social networking is the way that you use the internet to form connections and create information and links with other people using a digital medium. It also forms ways for you to explore the online world and the depths and breadth of information available through this medium.

I currently explore and access the following social networking technologies:

• I blog using mainly blogger.com (although I have also used wordpress and edublogs)
• I access and use Facebook
• I tweet
• I upload and share photos with online communities using Flickr (though with a personal account)
• I pin images and ideas for all sorts of things on Pinterest
• I participate in various different forums on various subjects
• I have also experienced, though not frequently used sites such as Delicious, SecondLife and others.

Most of these social networking tools I use personally, rather than for work. Within work, I have started to explore Windows Live as a sharing medium with students.

While completing INF506 I hope to fill the gap in my knowledge - about how to best to implement social networking technologies within my working environment. While I know how to use them personally, I have been unable to fully explore the ways in which these social networking tools and sites can be easily used to their best advantage within the library and consequently, within my classroom.

So it has started

So the semester has started, I have my stack of readings and activities, ready to go. It doesn't help that it falls within the report writing cycle at school... readings and reports can be difficult.

I will share my thoughts on my readings and activities within this blog - and I was occupied with some very appropriate activities today at my work.

Our school was recently water damaged, which included the Library's workroom-cum-office. Water managed to get in through the light fittings and flood one desk and the floor, all over a table. (Ironically enough, the Library itself, which leaks at the slightest provocation, was completely dry). The room was emptied for the carpet to be dried and it was discovered that there was a second leak, which had caused mould to grow beneath a filing cabinet - thus the carpet was ripped up and will be replaced. Along with the carpet, the internet connections and phones have been taken, stripping the Library technicians of their stand alone PCs (one of which was under a flood anyway) and the PC on the circulation desk. The library has been shut to all students and staff considering it is now acting as an office. However, even with less wireless, a difficulty in performing normal tasks, this incident has had unexpected benefits.

Since Wednesday last week, we (me, the Library manager - a teacher Librarian, the two library techs and any willing hands) have been preparing for some much needed upgrades to our 1970s-esque library, originally built for 400 students which is currently serving 1600, by weeding our non-fiction collection.

Any spare space has been covered in piles of books ready for teachers to look at and decide which of the volumes would be moved to a "sub-library" within domain areas. (It happens to be a pointed experiment to show others that non-secure items, even those of an older vintage, will most likely "walk" before the next stocktake.)

Along with the piles of texts to be placed in sub-librarys, there is a stack to be placed in the hopper. This may sound evil, throwing out piles and piles and piles of books (and as a book lover I dislike it), but old textbooks often of between 6-20 yrs vintage, should have been weeded years ago.

So today, I had my laptop updated, attached the scanner and spent a large amount of time deleting items from the collection and placing them in piles to be removed to the hopper. As of the end of the day - while the weeding of the collection has been completed (and the shelves are emptied around the wall to be removed), half of the pile of those to be deleted has disappeared.

It is strange how something which is annoying and disruptive has come to a more positive result considering we have had time to weed something that otherwise would have take many more weeks to complete.

Beginning a Journey

This marks the beginning of a new journey. 

My journey to becoming a Teacher Librarian.

I have been a secondary teacher for the past 3 and a half years. I am qualified to teach ESL and History, but as a member of the public system, this has meant I have taught English to Yrs 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11, and SOSE from 7-9. 

Last year I was invited to take up a position in our school's Resource Centre, to replace a retiring Teacher Librarian. I have enjoyed myself immensely working with a qualified Teacher Librarian and the other staff, that I decided to work through a Masters to become qualified myself!

So this blog forms part of my journey and part of my study. So I don't know how well I will blog, but I will do my best!