What do you think of it so far? (Thing 2)

After struggling to be able to comment on blogger blogs and finally fixing the problem by switching from IE to Firefox, I managed to leave a few reciprical comments. So many blogs and so little time! It's nice that the programme has attracted so many people, but phewee that's one hell of a reading list! I will have to investigate a few at a time, over time, otherwise it's completely overwhelming.  This is one of my big bug bears with blogging - (all the b's!) and  it has to be quality over quantity every time for me and it's essential to be selective in composing posts, reading and commenting, otherwise you simply drown in it all.  There are simply not enough hours in the day. So, as Eric would say, what do you think of it so far?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadyankee/5340628620/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Blogging for Bliss - free book PIF offer!

While reflecting and thinking about blogging for cpd23 I found myself wanting to refresh my understanding of purpose and good practice. I then remembered I had actually written a guide myself (doh!) but not for LIS journals but instead for the British Patchwork and Quilting! I figured you guys had this topic covered in the LIS journals and your own blogs and websites and my own blog at the time was a crafty one.

Anyhow when I wrote that article I bought the book 'Blogging for Bliss' by Tara Frey, which I am just revisiting and is still in Amazon's top three books for blogging. It contains some very pretty images and some good advice that can easily be applied to blogs of all types. The caveat to this reccommendation is, it's very girly so perhaps not great for you guybrarians I'm afraid, unless you like pink and vintage, in which case it'll be right up your street :)

After I've finished my catch-up reading and sharing with colleagues, how about I lend this book to you? And then when you've finished with it, you mention it on your blog and offer to send it on to someone else?This is in the PIF 'pay it forward' tradition and I like the idea of releasing a book into the wild and seeing how it travels. If you like the sound of this and want to be included leave a comment with your contact details on this post and I'll put all names in a hat (random number generator) and draw out a first recipient next weekend. You'll then need to also follow whoever receives it to see when it is next on offer :)

I'm not onto Thing 2 yet, so will be visiting some more of you soon, thanks to my:
2 followers - Folk Fan and Gemcpd23
1 commenter - lynnelibglamtwin

#cpd23

Originally I started this blog as a place for reflection when studying for a PgCLT, well you can see how that went! I'm now expanding it to include: http://cpd23.blogspot.com/ and other work related learning.

One of my main problems with blogging is maintaining enthusiasm for it, I've created several over the years for different purposes, but I find it time consuming to create worthwhile posts, read others blogs and then the whole 'quid pro quo' of comments is also an issue, especially when there are so many other priorities (work and home). I suspect it is prioritisation and time management that is the real issue, not the blogging per se.  So having said all that I'm really looking forward to #cpd23and this old lag is hoping to get some positive tips from new professionals and others who are all dedicated and enthusiastic librarians and seem to use blogging and other tools to great effect.

Learning to Teach in Higher Education 2nd ed by Paul Ramsden

Chapter 2

This chapter briefly outlines three case studies which are an anonymous composite of teachers thinking about (conceptualising) their teaching experience and practice.  I have come to understand particularly over the last year or so that there are no easy answers when it comes to 'how to teach', at some points it has seemed overwhelming and it is certainly complex and there is not a 'set of rules' to solve all the problems.  I have enough experience now to know that the same session repeated can be received very differently.  I can relate to elements of all 3 case studies and have probably thought similarly to all of them at different times! The important thing to note is that how I experience teaching has implications for the ways in which the students will learn, what I do or say in the classroom effects what they will be able to do or understand.

The next three chapters examines these implications from three points of view:

• different outcomes of learning
• the ways in which students go about learning
• our students' perceptions of teaching

Learning to Teach in Higher Education 2nd ed by Paul Ramsden

Introducation and Chapter 1
The above book is required reading for the PgCLT, published in 2003, so there will be no mention of social learning using Web 2.0,  results of the National Student Survey or the Browne Review or coalition governments' comprehensive Spending Review 2010.  Stefan Collini provides a very good review of Browne in the London Review of Books (as recommended by Helen Power in the Law School). 

Interestingly though there is mention of much that is still relevant today, (perhaps obviously otherwise it wouldn't still be on the reading list!) pressures including a curriculum based on problem solving and customer needs, the knowedge based economy, universities as agents for social change, quantity and quality, accountability and control of public spending, cross disciplinary working, performance indicators, increasing administration, widening access, 24/7 availability, students with job and family responsibilities, pressure to undertake scholarly research and 'infinite quantities of instantly accessible information'.

I like the simple message of the book, 'to become a good teacher, first understand your students' experiences of learning.' p xii

This is a post to keep check of some interesting quotes:

p3 'It [higher eduction] is enlivened by apparently infinite quantities of instantly accessible information.'

p4 'Today's undergraduates are at once harder to teach and less indulgent towards indifferent teaching.'

p 6 '...learning in educational institutions should be about changing ways in which learners understand, or experience, or conceptualise the world around them.'

p7 'The idea of learning as a qualitative change in a person's view of reality is essential to an appreciation of my main argument.'

p7 'The aim of teaching is simple: it is to make student learning possible.'

p 12 Three main areas/problems:

• what we should teach
• how we should teach it
• how we can decide what students have learned from what we have taught them

What did I learn today?

I went to the first hour of a CELT session on Facebook Communities & Social Learning, other colleagues stayed so I will catch up with them and find out how the rest of it went.  I had to get to the PgCLT session more on that later.

The CELT session saw Steve Woodward and Hadyn Blackey describe the work of Simon Jones, who makes extensive use of Facebook to support his current undergrads and keep in touch with alumni, who add their 'real world' experience and encourage current students with tricky parts of the curriculum, also encouraging for them to know that graduates are employable and making use of their degree!  It sounded a very useful support mechanism, he also uses it to post photos of field trips.

I've signed up to Facebook today as a consequence of this, I'm not sure I like the 'peer pressure' ubiquity of it, but if it's useful as a work tool for learning & teaching then I'm willing to try it out.

Today's PgCLT class informed us a little bit about writing a learning agreement, it's very much an individual document and not at all prescriptive.  I think there is a proforma in the Handbook, so will have to check that out soon and start drafting!  We also watched a video about what it's like to be a pupil/student with LD (learning difficulties), it really illustrated how difficult it is for such learners to process information & questions, and find motivation and generally function in a classroom setting. 

From watching this, I think I confirmed to myself that I probably speak too fast, I do this because I tend to think that the students aren't interested in the content of a library/legal research skills session and I don't allow enough time between points or for student reflection. I will try to focus on this and work on making improvements in this area.

I also had an idea today about how I might change things for next year - I would like to get the students to write their own legal research guide. I will discuss this with the other Legal Sources Skills and Methods module tutors.  The students could choose which format to use, something simple like a Word doc, or a blog post(s) or something else entirely?

Bloom's Taxonomy Prezi

Bloom's Taxonomy Prezi updated for today by Joshua Coupal 2009, discovered via @ShireenRichards in Australia via @ddeubel in South Korea on Twitter.

http://prezi.com/gb4mbz9vg7hg/blooms/