Catching up

It's been quite a while since I wrote a post. I have looked at Jing, screen capture and podcasting. I haven't had a chance to do much with any of them, though I can see the benefits for library use, particularly when you need to show a series of steps. Maybe this will be implemented for our clients in the future but sometime they just need to be shown by a librarian.

Google docs, wikis, Dropbox, Zotero, Mendeley, CiteULike

Lots of fun stuff!

I have used all of these as part of my University assignments. We are always looking for a way to shortcut the referencing but it all depends on knowing how a reference is supposed to look. I spent the last four subjects doing my reference list from scratch and by hand, I wanted to ensure that I knew the referencing concepts.

The most useful tool I found for collaboration was Google sites. This enabled my colleague and I to upload documents and research, separate sections of the assignments and just generally share our thoughts. Brilliant when you don't live near each other.

Social networking

I now have a number of social networking tools in which I participate. We used to just use a phone or wrote letters. These are also social networking tools, we have just transferred much of it into the digital medium. Is this necessarily a "good" thing? Now if you make a faux pas it can be seen by all who have access to your social networks. I find myself sharing less of consequence on my digital social networks and still keeping my other networks for important conversations.

This does not denigrate those with whom I have networked online, perhaps it shows how careful we have become due to the loss of privacy. Some may see this as no issue, but for me, there is a need to have a private life. I spend time with colleagues and friends both on and off line.

I have found that IM works really well, you can keep track of the conversation if you want, discuss items and also provide links to interesting items. This is a much undervalued resource for study and networking, I could, and have had, a conversation across the globe at odd hours to find out the information required for a research paper.

Overall, I like meeting people, I find that some digital mediums provide opportunities to expand my networks, others have the capacity to make things difficult.

Mentoring

Mentoring is an essential part of learning a new job. It is easier to find your feet quickly if you have other staff members who are prepared to answer questions and provide that essential requirement "help" whenever you need it. I have had official mentors, my university ran a mentoring scheme to help while you studied, providing you with a line into the world of work.

The mentors that have been my most important have been those that I have chosen. They have been prepared to support through difficult times and through fun times. Some of them have provided far more than is expected of a mentor. I have been extremely fortunate.

I have also had opportunities to mentor other people who have asked or have taken on positions that I had already acquired skills in. This includes my own children, I am mentoring them through the process of growing up, learning how to complete school and prepare for the next big adventure. I hope to share lots more time with all of my mentors and mentees.

Catch up! Time found!

Well, despite all my good intentions it has taken a week to get back to this blog. I have, however, kept up with the reading required for the 23 things for Professional Development course.

Discussion about online networks has been interesting. I have always been very aware of a public and private "branding" issue when looking at these. My Facebook profile is tied down very closely, limiting access to only family and friends. This is my private zone.

I have a LinkedIn account and have also joined the LISNPN. The second was as a result of the readings. My LinkedIn account is my public face. It provides basic information on me and extended information on my skills and work.

I have been trying to keep my teenagers aware of the privacy issues with Facebook but that is a whole other story.

I am a member of ALIA, the Australian version of CILIP. It provides me with the opportunity to network with others in both online and real forums. Whilst I would like to attend more of the programs that are offered it is difficult to balance work and life.

At this stage, I do not require services like Google calendar. my iPhone, Macbook and work email application all provide me with digital calendars. Already I have too many.

Evernote looks interesting, I just need time to test it out. I could see this as extremely useful for studying or researching, something that I don't intend to do for a while, but then it may be another way to keep on top of my CPD. This I will attempt to find time for this week, if I feel that it is useful in other ways, I'll let you know.

Falling behind?!?!?

There is just so much to do to keep up with everything. Continuing professional development requires a commitment of time and also of space to complete, or leave, as required.

My current position entails being at different campuses, not always easy to remember where you need to be and at what time. This makes things more difficult with CPD as there is no place to leave things and know that you can come back to them tomorrow. I am finding that I take a large bag with me to work, it includes a number of things I am reading and information on other things that I need for my job. It means that there is no spot that I can consider as "the space" for doing my professional development.

When I was a student I had my desk at home, and woe betide anyone who disturbed the arrangement. This just doesn't work anymore, not helped by having two teenagers in their last year of secondary education. Lots of things to distract me at the end of the day. Anyway, I have now read the "things" that I haven't kept up with and will check some of them out and then blog.

Things 4 & 5

Thought I would do these two together. Thing 4 was about the use of social media such as Twitter. This was an area in which I had completed some exploration, having been a user of Facebook for quite a while. I also had RSS feeds from some of my favourite sites, just didn't have the time to read the interesting articles! Twitter allowed me to receive feeds from some of the same places but in 140 characters. This gives quick pieces of information that may promote specific articles that are of use, without having to lumber my way through large blocks of text.

Thing 5 is about Reflective practice. I think that this is something that all life-long learners tend to do. We look at what we are learning, think about it, see what we have accomplished well, what we feel we could have done better and identify new strategies or information that we need to use for the next learning curve. The actual writing down of this can become tiresome if it is done for every learning task, but the reflection on our travels is useful across all of our life.