Masters Degree in Instructional Technology w/concentration in Library Sciences
When I first started graduate school my long term goal was to become a certified school librarian so I could teach students and run a library at the same time. Over the course of the past two and a half years I have discovered there is so much more to being a quality teaching librarian than one would ever expect. Most people don't know what makes the difference between a good media specialist and an excellent one, including some in the field. I plan on being an excellent librarian by providing not only expected services such as book recommendations and student education on research, but extra services such as consultation assistance of how to improve student comprehension & discipline through books among other things.
Before beginning my studies, the extent of my library experience was four years of work study in my college library almost twenty years ago. When I started my first graduate school class, I started working full time at Northfield Elementary School as an media specialist where I currently perform all the duties of a teaching librarian thanks to my education. What I learned in class I was immediately able to apply to my students and was likewise able to apply real life scenarios to classroom examples and problems. This combination was invaluable.
My education at Kent State University has followed the ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Programs for School Library Media Specialist Preparation. Because my undergraduate degree is not in education, I need an educational certification as well as a School Library Media endorsement. Kent paired Instructional Technology with LMS due to the strong interrelationship of technology. I not only learned more than I ever thought possible about technology, my program also focused on the four standards set forth by the ALA/AASL for highly qualified LMS. Attached to this page are four more pages, one for each standard. Each one contains projects completed while at Kent supporting that standard.
My education has taught me how important technology is. My experience in the classroom has taught me how crucial basic computer skills, such as keyboarding, are and my students have taught me how vital feeding their brain correct technological information actually is. The same holds true for information and media literacy skills.
Looking back at the skills and knowledge I possess now as opposed to what I knew just a mere two and a half years ago, I wonder how I learned it all. Learning so much information in a new field is just amazing. Cataloging, research, literacy, reading, learning theories, lesson planning, lesson execution, matching books to readers, book purchasing, technology (on many levels), managing a media center, the list goes on and on.
With my new knowledge, experience and the projection of current school media specialist to retire soon, it looks promising that I will be able to obtain my dream job as a district head librarian soon. Once I graduate and become certified, I know I will be the excellent media specialist I plan on becoming. It is something I have been waiting for all my life. I just didn’t know what it was until now.
Before beginning my studies, the extent of my library experience was four years of work study in my college library almost twenty years ago. When I started my first graduate school class, I started working full time at Northfield Elementary School as an media specialist where I currently perform all the duties of a teaching librarian thanks to my education. What I learned in class I was immediately able to apply to my students and was likewise able to apply real life scenarios to classroom examples and problems. This combination was invaluable.
My education at Kent State University has followed the ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Programs for School Library Media Specialist Preparation. Because my undergraduate degree is not in education, I need an educational certification as well as a School Library Media endorsement. Kent paired Instructional Technology with LMS due to the strong interrelationship of technology. I not only learned more than I ever thought possible about technology, my program also focused on the four standards set forth by the ALA/AASL for highly qualified LMS. Attached to this page are four more pages, one for each standard. Each one contains projects completed while at Kent supporting that standard.
My education has taught me how important technology is. My experience in the classroom has taught me how crucial basic computer skills, such as keyboarding, are and my students have taught me how vital feeding their brain correct technological information actually is. The same holds true for information and media literacy skills.
Looking back at the skills and knowledge I possess now as opposed to what I knew just a mere two and a half years ago, I wonder how I learned it all. Learning so much information in a new field is just amazing. Cataloging, research, literacy, reading, learning theories, lesson planning, lesson execution, matching books to readers, book purchasing, technology (on many levels), managing a media center, the list goes on and on.
With my new knowledge, experience and the projection of current school media specialist to retire soon, it looks promising that I will be able to obtain my dream job as a district head librarian soon. Once I graduate and become certified, I know I will be the excellent media specialist I plan on becoming. It is something I have been waiting for all my life. I just didn’t know what it was until now.
| Karen Gedeon - Resume 2011 |
