All posts by @libsaraht

Open Participants, Syndicated

Open Learning ’18: Week 1: All The Opens!

So, I was supposed to blog last Friday about how this week’s (last week’s now) materials relate to my own ideas about open education. I think that I struggled with this fairly simple prompt because I’m still not 100% clear what my ideas are. This got me thinking about my role as a librarian and what my goals are when working with students and faculty. The thing that kept coming back to me from Fifty Shades of Open by Pomerantz and Peek was “Open means enabling openness.”

Librarianship is often misunderstood. I typically get two responses when I tell people I’m a librarian: “I’d love a job where I could read all day,” or “Isn’t that what Google’s for?” The second response is the one that I’ll focus on today. Google is an amazing tool for connecting people to information. I use it every day, much like the rest of the world. But, how many people are using it as effectively as it can be used? How many people are able to effectively sift through the results to find the “truth”? How many people don’t have the necessary tools to access Google in the first place?

As a librarian, I think my biggest role is as an enabler of openness. We offer computers, internet, resources, instruction on how to use those resources. We help you figure out what you need to get where you want to go. And so, I guess I’m coming away from reading the above article thinking about how I can be an enabler of openness on my campus. How can I not only advocate for OER, but also enable faculty to integrate them into their courses? What tools are lacking that the library can provide?

Open Participants, Syndicated

What I’m Looking Forward To in Open Learning ’18

In response to the pre-cMOOC week blogging opportunity (I know I’m a few days late!):

What do you hope to get from Open Learning ’18?

As I mentioned in the Twitter chat on 2/8, I’ve been hearing about Open Educational Resources (OER) in the library world for awhile, but I’m hoping this cMOOC will get me to a better place to advocate for them on my campus. I’m also intrigued by this idea of “All the Opens.” I’ve only ever thought in terms of OER, but to be exposed to different ideas of open classrooms and learning is new to me. As a librarian, instruction is a key component to my job, so I look forward to learning how to make the classroom a more open space in terms of shared ideas and giving students more of a say (and hopefully, more buy-in) in the learning process.

What do you hope to contribute to Open Learning ’18?

I’m not sure yet! I really responded to Sue Erickson’s blog post, which was one of the pre-cMOOC readings. I set up a Twitter account specifically for this experience (and I’ve already participated in my first Twitter chat!). I’m blogging for the first time in over a year. I’m an expert lurker, so this idea of connecting is out of my comfort zone. I don’t feel like I’m going to become a Node during this cMOOC, but I hope to step out a bit and explore the possibilities. I’m just hoping that my participation will add to the conversations that will happen during this course.