Life in the Media World

As I reflect upon my first three weeks as a new media specialist, the words that come to mind are exciting, exhausting, evolving, and educating. It's been a whirlwind to say the least. So much to be done, and yet every aspect of it is enjoyable and fun! A person should not be allowed to have this much fun in the process of coming up to speed as a new media specialist. Perhaps it's my insatiable love for learning, chasing the ever elusive butterfly so to speak.

Destiny is our library management system. It took 2 weeks for the district to finally send someone to add me to the system and give me a 45 minute crash course. It's fairly intuitive, so I'm happy about that, and the more I use it, the better I like it. On a scale of 1-5, I'd say I'm a solid 3 with this one.

Flexible scheduling seams to have a different meaning for anyone asked about it. Teachers have been so used to delivering their charges to the media center and heading off to plan, call parents, grade papers or even go to the bathroom that the thought of working together is new to them. I'm bound and determined to win them over in the process, so suffice it to say that the teachers and I are very patient with one another. That's a good thing.

Inventory is interesting - I need to discover what my predecessor did with this. Books, hardware, software, videos, other media formats, etc. all need to come to order. It's like calling the troops to attention at a morning meeting and obtaining updates and information to get a solid status on things in the media center.

The collection is another fascinating adventure. I need to rally the troops to go from one end to the other to do a shelving check (that's what I'm calling it) to ensure that books are where they are supposed to be. Right now they might be standing up straight BUT I have discovered that they are not in their correct location.

The morning news show - oh yes! This has been the orphan child thus far due to getting a handle on other things. This next week I pledge to pull all the hardware together, check it's working status, and begin organizing this important piece of the media center puzzle.

MAP testing begins this week and I'm involved in this to some degree. I'll learn this as I go along as well.

I think the safest thing to say at this point is that I am learning to take each day in stride, as throughout any given day, life takes interesting twists and turns. There is never a dull moment, there is always something to be done, something to learn, and something to celebrate. I LOVE being a media specialist even if I am as green as the grass in my backyard.

The icing on my cake is that my media center is huge. The entire length (81 feet) has a spectacular view of the Beaufort River and marsh area. It is so relaxing to look out the window and observe the cranes wading in the marsh, watch the boats on the river, and tourists walking past my school.

The sparkly part of my job is the people. The teachers, children, administrators and others working at my school are so friendly that they are beyond user friendly. It's like a huge family under one roof. Isn't that how a school should be? I think so.

Welcome to my world, my life in the media world.

Both Sides of the Fence or Is This a 21st Century Role Model?

What is a fence? According to Wikipedia, "a fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary." Now that we know what a fence is, a physical barrier to keep something in or something out of a defined space, then what is a role? Loosely defined, a role is a set of behaviors ascribed to a position or social level. Can two or more roles be mixed to form a newly defined role?

This leads to the next strand of thinking on my part. Can a defined role function as a fence of sorts? I think so. And that is my dilemma...or maybe not. Media specialist, technology specialist, teacher, instructional technology coach all have defined attributes that take one to the role level. The role's title implies a set of attributes or a job description if you will. This begs the question: What is the role of the 21st century media specialist? It is gradually being formulated over time as we move forward in time. I, for one, plan to push it a bit faster than others care for it to travel.

The 21st century media specialist is a multitasking individual who removes the fences that we heretofore have straddled. It's the technology, right? Uh huh...it's the technology that removes the fences so that we can embrace all there is to enjoy in the world of media, information, communication and collaboration. Perhaps the next job title will be Instructional Media Technology Specialist or perhaps to create an acronym, Technology Instructional Media Educational Specialist (TIMES). I just have to be careful that in the process of breaking down the fences that I don't fracture the sound barrier.