Brenda's Journal

Brenda Harrell THE DELTA JOURNAL WIT,2003

Journal entry. The first day of the program was July7,2003. The various learning groups or classes will be organized into Greek-letter sections, such as Alpha, Beta , Gamma and Epsilon. The section for librarians has been designated as Delta. The Delta section will meet in the afternoon, from 1 until 5 P.M., for the next four weeks, in the University of Chicago Library, located at 1100 E. 57th Street. Christie and Sharon will be our mentors/teachers. We discussed several topics today, and I was introduced to a few new websites that I would like to investigate further, as soon as I have the time. An important idea that was brought up is that the definition of LITERACY has to be expanded to include being able to evaluate information. Many people tihink that the use of computers will mean that they will not have to think or read. Instead, the employment of technology means that we will have to expand our notion of reading to include an increased range of skills. Alvin Toffler said, "the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but, those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."

Journal entry. July 8,2003

W hat do you think a digital library is? What did I learn today?

I think that a digital library is a collection of reference resources in an on-line format; they should be related in some way. I expect that the ones in a digital library are educational,but I'm not positive that this is a criterion.
I've learned a lot today, some things which have to do with what I can expect to learn in this course, and others which I am applying immediately. I've learned about two new (to me) great books, and I've learned the names of the mentors and of some of my fellow students. I also got to cut and paste; hopefully I'll remember how to do that. I also learned about toggling, so I hope to practice that again. I've learned a couple of things about using a computer, also, and it goes on and on. An important thought that is a continuation of the ideas that were brought up at orientation, is that: "our task is not to integrate technology into the curriculum. Instead, we should redefine literacy for the 21st century, and use technology to integrate that."

Journal entry: July9,2003.
What did you learn today?

I learned how to open NETSCAPE today, That is definitive. The other operations that I have done are still a bit scrambled in my mind; I will have to process and separate the information, so that it
makes sense to me, and I can apply it when I need to. This reminds me of doing proofs in geometry. The right formula would just come to you when needed, once you understood the meaning behindthe operation/formula. I remember feeling giddy in high school, once I got to that point, and, it is probably the same way with these computer programs. Practice, I am sure, is the key to that kind of fluency, which is also what happens when you are learning another language----and, I digress. Anyway. organizing information so that it is usable is what librarians do, so, at least, this should not be foreign to us.

Journal Entry. July 10, 2003

We are learning about a lot of great web sites that will really be useful to the students and staff, who use our libraries. We already know about some of them, but , now, we are getting a chance to explore the sites, and have others tell us how they have employed them with their students. I'm learning more about exactly what a digital library is, as compared to a search engine and a directory. Remember, digital libraries are "topic centered."

Journal Entry. July 11,2003

Today, we attended the "plenary" prior to meeting for class. We meet at the Biological Sciences Building for lunch,and, then, we have a speaker. Today's speaker told us about The Collaboratory Project, which originates at Northwestern University. Teachers can log onto this site at http://collaboratory.nunet.net/, and get all kinds of information and resources. It has a CYBRARY, which is a virtual library of Internet resources, that is customized by age and subject. A second topic which was presented by Diana Joseph was methods of "harnessing learner passions." She presented the PASSION CURRICULUM MODEL, which is very relevant. Diana Joseph is a Ph.D. professor and author, from Northwestern University.

Journal Entry Monday, July 14, 2003          The Passion Curriculum. How can I use it?     The Passion Curriculum is a model of classroom tools that can be utilized to tap into learner motivation. Six basic motivations (for learning) are given, and, then, various metods, strategies and techniques are given to support the classroom teacher, in sustaining the learner's interest and motivation. Deborah Stipek (Friday's presenter), has written, at least two books, which expand upon and give specific actions/activities to support each type of motivation. They are Motivation to Learn and Motivated Minds. Some teachers may feel that they already know this information, or that the six types of motivation are implicit. However, I feel that it is important to articulate this information, as it has been done in the Passion Curriculum.

Journal Entry. Tuesday, July 15,2003

Yesterday, we learned about eCUIP, which is the Chicago Public Schools/ University of Chicago Internet Project. ECUIP is one of the focal points of this class; we are here to learn more about the site. I have learned that it is a non-traditional digital library, and that it focuses on areas where textbooks and resources are weak. It has been created not to replace the traditional library, but to supplement it. We also reviewed the history of this digital library and reasons to use digital libraries.

Journal Entry. Wednesday, July 16,2003

I am exploring the eCUIP site and practicing E-mailing. We are also learning about the "list serve." A BLOG is a weB LOG. My assignment is to find an eCUIP resource that I find particularly useful. This will help us to begin to prepare to build our own personal digital library, which is one of the expectations for this class.

Journal Entry. Thursday, July 17, 2003

I have learned the difference between a search and an advanced search, and how to do the latter. The word "boolean" is new to me, and you use boolean operators to refine queries in an advanced search. GREAT'.

Journal Entry. Friday, July 18, 2003

We learned about collection mapping and curriculum mapping.

Journal Entry. Monday,July 21, 2003

We learned what a "pathfinder" is today, and we got more information on how to carry out the projects that have been assigned for this class. I'm learning how to create a homepage, which is also known as a "portal".

Journal Entry. Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Today, I learned how to consolidate my journal page. We learned about two new-to-me websites: Puzzlemaker.com and Dogpile,com, and also, Storyplace.org, all of which are great sites. We now have a list of library web sites that we can look at and study, as we plan our own sites.

Journal Entry. Wednesday, July23,2003

We were extremely busy today. We looked at the FACTS FOR LEARNING web site, which is a database for elementary and middle school learners. Then, we learned about INQUIRY LEARNING ,and the inquiry learning web site, which is http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu. FAQ=Frequently Asked Questions, and I also found a definition for pathfinder.
                                                                                                                                                                                                        Journal Entry. Thursday, July 24,2003

Our work began to coalesce for me during the 2nd week of class;my "relationship" with my computer changed. I had done word processing, had notebooks of information about websites, knew about Yahoo and Google, etc., however, my vision for the useof each of these was separate and disconnected. Instead, I see them now, as separate , but interconnected. And, that is the same place that I believe we have come to with the work that we have done, this summer, in this class. It's been intensive-- after all, we've practiced basic computer skills, created a web page, done an on-line journal, begun an inquiry unit, and studied and created a digital library. EACH of these could be a workshop, by itself! Now, our final task is to link our journal, digital library and inquiry page to our web (home) page, interconnecting these separate entitties. As to how I will implement these materials when I return to school, I will use it naturally in the course of what I do-I'll have to work on a more deliberate plan.

Journal Entry. Friday, July 25, 2003

Today's journal prompt asked us to consider the question : how would you use the resources you were introduced to, at today's plenary session, in your school 's library? One of the speakers, (there were five) , Eleanor Rossner, from the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, spoke about "redefining education to include informal and impromptu learning." The message was that teachers can encourage students to learn, in different ways, and, specifically, to learn, outside the classroom. This is good news to teachers, for sure, who operate in a world of increasing control, constraint and accountability and incessant scrutiny. The process of planning (curriculum) or modifying someone else's plan, creating and obtaining materials , preparing EVERYTHING, and then implementing/presenting, practicing and assessing is a perpetual cycle for them.Add inclusion, reteaching and remediating and classroom management to this, and you can easily produce burnout and cynicism. I believe that this is why teachers are reluctant to take classes, during the summer that require them to repeat this cycle, especially when they have to operate in the dual role of student and teacher. The feeling is ---- please don't let me have to plan, create or prepare anything, or if that's not possible, at least , don't require me to assess anything. TIME OUT! So, to answer the prompt, I and my students will be DELIGHTED to utilize lesson plans,etc,, that other qualified people have planned, created , prepared and assessed. Hallelujah!