Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

I know I’ve been rambling quite a bit in the last few days. The BLC has gotten me so pumped!! Who would’ve thought I could get excited by merely participating in a conference through skype chats and blog posts? Move over Doug Jonhson, Alan November, and David Warlick, you have some new competition! I think Ewan McIntosh has moved up to number 1 for me! Ewan totally blew me away today, and I wasn’t even there to hear or see him in person. All I could get were breadcrumbs from skypechats and blogs, but it was well worth he 2 straight days I have been glued to my chair! I wanted to share a picture of me from this morning—took it using my “PhotoBooth” program on the Mac. This is how I have looked for the last two mornings in a row because of this conference…. So much learning from the comforts of home! Here’s hoping I’ll get to be there next year.

I skypechatted with another BLC attendee–Principal Barbara Berreda, who oversees a K-8 Parochial school in Los Angeles, California (I didn’t catch the name of her school). I had wanted to “virtually” sit through Joyce Valenza’s session, and Barbara was in the keynote skype chat this morning, so we opened our own chat once she was in Valenza’s session. Often I wonder if principals truly understand the role (or the potential of the role) of a school library media specialist. I can tell that Barabara has this vision. She said she came to learn what a good library program can look like. She confessed that her concern was that her school would not get a great instructional partner for the library because they could not pay as much–they won’t be competitive salary-wise. But I assured her there are school librarians out there who would come just for the vision alone, if she truly wants her media specialist to be a catalyst for change and integration. Barbara has already demonstrated she has a solid start in having an effective library program. Her K-8 school does NOT use the library as part of the planning rotation so teachers can collaborate in a common planning time. Read what she said recently about what she wants in her library here. She said she did not want her librarian to be considered a babysitter–her words NOT mine (although many of you know I cannot stand the thought of being a babysitter in a school! It is why I have decided to change jobs this fall!) Barabara Barreda blogs at Dare to Dream: Technology Classrom. I’m adding her to my bloglines today. I’m making a new folder in bloglines too, for administrators with vision. Thanks Barbara for letting me be a virtual participant today!

Before she even left the stage after her opening keynote, Ewan McIntosh posted photos and a nicely written summation of Angela McFarlane’s opening keynote for Day 2 of BLC. I am amazed! I was in a skype-chat with 10 or so folks, one of which was Ewan McIntosh. He was skype-chatting with us, writing the blog, and snapping photos all at the same time! I am so amazed! I’ll post my reflections later. You Rock Ewan!