I want to get away, I want to fly away. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I have been away from this blog for quite awhile. I am back now.

SO. I have decided to apply to a PhD program at the University of Washington. 

It really sucked last time I did it. Not just because no one wanted me, but because I wasn't ready and the whole thing was super emotionally painful. This time I am ready-ish.

I mean I am in my forties, do I really want to do this? Yes? I mean, I do! Right?

I have a friend who is in the midst of her dissertation and when she posts on social media something about writing or "phding," I feel a little sick in my tummy.

To get a PhD in Information Science would be cool. I like smart people and I like to make trouble with the help of smart people. So, the idea of getting  the final degree in my academic puzzle would be fulfilling. I did just get back to my San Francisco weight and I am kind of getting used to not being poor all the time. Alas, the pros and cons of higher education.

I know it is sounds like a cliche but I want to make a difference and make some part of the human existence better. It can be small (serving the undeserved in a library branch setting), or changing the standard curriculum to include information literacy skills to better the educational experience for college students. Create dialogues between public librarians and academics to promote one another. 

I have a million ideas. Now...I have to put write one of them for submission. Single-spaced. Two pages max. 

But Johnny can't read, summer is over and he's gone to seed, Johnny can't read, he never learned nothin' that he'll ever need

I am not a fan of Don Henley's solo work. A social media friend and fellow librarian sent me a youtube link of this 1980's hit. The video is in true 1980s pop music fashion, but I listened to the lyrics and I feel that Mr. Henley was trying to be political. Not saying of course that "Boys of Summer," or "Life in the Fast Lane," were not political in their own way.
Insert sound of clearing one's throat.

In my current position, I strive to be a good librarian.
Literacy is something I want to be a crusader for...
At the everyday level of my job, I feel I make a difference with my students in giving them the tools to become more "literate," with maneuvering the information superhighway and evaluating sources for school projects.
My colleagues want to create/promote tools to assist the students and faculty. There are hurdles with the folks in charge and I am frustrated at times with the lack of understanding WHAT LIBRARIANS CAN ACTUALLY DO.

I have a strong DIY ethic and I am not afraid to make it happen on my own.
Currently, I am a member of the literacy group for the CLA and I very excited to be part of the planning committee for a panel for the fall conference. I like being involved and want to do so much more. I want to write papers and give talks, but I have lost so many battles at my job that I am bit burned out.

Librarians offer support with tools and guidance in information literacy. Librarians can support users in all ages of learning, from early readers to seniors; across different reading levels (ESL and reluctant readers); and digitally disadvanted and digital natives. With such diversity in learning style and skill, it is important to have a few instructional methods and understand the theories behind them.

A theory that I have incorporated into my workshops on information literacy is scaffolding. Scaffolding is when the instructor provides support to help the students perform the task (Sawyer, 2006, p. 72).  Since my students vary to great degrees in cognitive learning and skills, it seems to work. This method is part of cognitive apprenticeship, which supports learning in a sphere by encouraging students to obtain, expand, and use cognitive tools in a real domain activity. Some of the steps used in the scaffolding method I used were incorporated from one of my favorite blogs, Edutopia. The blog is intended for grade school students, but the principles apply to any learners.

The first of the six strategies I use for the presentations and workshop is modeling.

The students meet me during orientation. It is here that I demonstrate how to use the computer program Portal that all students use and how to access their campus email. Then I ask the students to login to the computers and do what I just did. Second, I ask students to offer their own knowledge, and if they know of any good websites or print sources, on the topic they are studying in the workshop. I also provide some handouts; unfortunately, there is no overhead projector in the library so I have not had the opportunity to use PowerPoint. At the beginning, I offer up some common terms that are helpful for the students to know, like APA, peer reviewed, citation, and reference. Since many of the students work in pairs I take a five to 10 minute break and have them discuss among themselves what they think of their topic, information I have provided with them and come up with questions, findings, and comments that they want to share with me or the class.

At a  faculty meeting, I presented my findings of the students’ abilities as researchers and showed the faculty how to use Grammarly. Plagiarism had been running wild and I implemented a plagiarism contract. Some of the instructors, I believe, were also cutting and pasting without the slightest idea that what they were doing was plagiarism. 

Like with my students, I gave the presentation and demonstrated Grammarly. Then I had them make their logins and sign in. They all had brought a paper from the previous module and used it to play around with the program. After spending 15 minutes working with the program, they broke into groups by discipline and discussed issues and questions. After about a half an hour, we met together again and they all discussed their issues and findings, with me facilitating. 

This happened once. There is training now for faculty in their LMS shell. I think it is a great idea, but there are still components to it that are missing and frankly no one asks me. 

Our programs are changing and the role of the librarian will be diminished once again. Many see our position of not more than a person who can reset a password, or sell USBs. It is a shame and I don't know if this crusader can change it.