June: Reflection

I have been working in my current position as a school library teacher for 17 years now and this year has certainly been one of my most memorable. It is really satisfying to be able to say that not only does this job never get old, but it continues to challenge me and extend my world because of its constantly evolving nature.  My dual role of library teacher and Instructional technology specialist affords me the opportunity to belong to many different learning communities in the online learning world.   EdWeb.net, Edmodo, Google Apps, iTunes U, SimpleK12, Library 2.0, Classroom 2.0, and Twitter, to name a few, are all excellent sources of professional development that offer exposure to all kinds of learning tools, pedagogy, and perspective on all things in the education world. Sometimes it's hard to keep up, but sites like Evernote, Diigo, Delicious, and Scoop it provide great organizational methods to keep a person from being overwhelmed.  Every single day I pick up a new tip that helps me learn, and the most important piece of advice I could give any teacher is when you are learning more, your students are learning more. So I will take some time to relax this summer, but also find more opportunities to learn something new or share something new with a colleague. The ability to continue to learn, grow, and improve my practice is right at my finger tips with social media. There are a lot of wonderful educators out there sharing and learning.  These are exciting times to be an educator!