This blog seemed like a good home for my field experience journal – I started inbetweencitizen in 2007 when I took a class called Digital Citizenship, taught by Professor Stuart Shulman at the University of Pittsburgh. It was an online class offered through WISE and it was largely responsible for my interests in service-learning.
From June 1 to August 31, 2008, I’ll help coordinate the Community Workshop Series. Sometime this summer, a new CALA position will be filled and that person will take over as coordinator for the 2008-2009 school year. Meanwhile, I’ll use the summer months to try and advance some ideas we’ve been working on.
- Develop online tutorials/learning objects for patrons with low information
literacy. Review literature and other examples of
learning objects aimed at similar populations. - Improve ways of marketing the CWS to library patrons. Look at existing
marketing plans from previous students and talk to librarians at participating
libraries. - Improve ways of highlighting the CWS to SILS students and increase
participation. - Identify ways that the CWS can reach Spanish-speaking patrons. Look at
existing plans from previous students and will speak with outreach and advocacy
centers in Carrboro. Possible pilot study in Carrboro. - Update the CWS Web site to reflect current offerings.
In terms of the online learning objects, my supervisor pointed me towards a great resource already in place: GCFLearnFree.org. I’ll take a few hours today to go over what’s offered, so that I can give library patrons a good idea of the content. I’ve been learning new software, a good reminder what it feels like to be a beginner — and the online tutorials can help things stick.
From their Web site: “GCFLearnFree.org, formerly GCF Global Learning, is funded by the GCF Community Foundation, which is operated by Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina, Inc. We launched the website in 1999 and quickly began to share our free curriculum with learns all over the world.”
It’s always better to learn face-to-face, but online tutorials are great supplements and from what I’ve seen so far, the GCFLearnFree tutorials are up-to-date and really well done. One of our public libraries will close for renovations beginning in the fall, and these tutorials may be a good backup for patrons while the library is out of commission.
