I definately have forgotten what my initial impressions were. In a year from now, I will be completing a portfolio so it's important that I do this now so I don't forget.
Simply I had no idea about the unit was going to be about.
Resourcing the curriclum to me just a matter of weeks ago was merely about the process of obtaining resources for the curriclum. This would comprise of:
- What the syllabus requires teachers to teach
- What the school programmes require teachers to teach to satisfy currilclum requirements
- What resources are needed to satisfy learning outcomes? Do they contribute towards student learning? Are they relevant?
That is narrow and comes from my teaching background. I have had limited teaching opportunities since I graduated at the end of 2009. I am 100 % certain that there were elements missing.
We are now at mid semester and I have learn't in simple terms:
- How to select resources - What elements do I need to consider - such as information from publishers, web reviews and requests by teachers and students
- The types of resources available.
- The tools available for Teacher Librarians and teachers to select useful teaching resources.
- Creating a system for effective selection of resources.
- How to acquire resources - Budgeting, how to undertake an effective purchase of an item, and how they will be made available to library users.
Now I will have the chance to learn how to manage an entire collection. This is important if we want to resource items effectively. There needs to be a system for me to evalaute existing resources and how andwhy I would approach management of the collection.
While it has helped me grasp a greater understanding of the role of teacher librarian through examining a key element of their role, it helps me alot as a teacher in general. I have been exposed to selection tools that were previously unknown to me particularly online tools such as the Teaching and Learning Federation.
I now have the chance to create a collection management policy, and this is where many of the key concepts will be applied. It will be through this assignment, that I can get a key grasp of the ideas and concepts in ETL503.
