Thing 19: Catch Up

Another massive gap in my blogging- but at least I now have a deadline to work to!

This gap was partly due to the fact that I was without the internet for a few weeks when I first moved up north to my new job, but since then has been because I was annoyed that I'd written thing 19 and thing 20 already in my own job but not actually posted them (delaying them because of the need to attach a photo- I have truly suffered for my art!)

Catch up week is a difficult thing to write about when looking from a completely different perspective from when CPD23 started. I now spend my working days frantically having to remember new names, new resources to advertise and new excuses for not spending my budget. Before I was able to complete my blog posts whenever it was quiet at work, now I have to motivate myself in my cold flat (I'm too much of a hippy to heat a flat with such high ceilings!) Previously I understood my job and could consider how certain ideas and software could impact on it whereas now I'm still learning what we already offer before I can start suggesting new ideas.

When I wrote the first draft of this blog in London I remember saying how my favourite part of CPD23 so far had been learning the productivity tools to help me be a better librarian. As previously stated, I really don't enjoy the critical reflection (although I seem to be merrily wittering away in this post!) This has proven to be the case in my new job. The induction for new students is on a Prezzi, and while other colleagues are moaning about how dated they think it seems, I'm glad that CPD23 means that I've only just discovered it! Likewise, yesterday I dropped the names Mendeley and Cite-U-Like into a student session (although this means I've now got to properly learn them because I couldn't access them through my old work!) I've got to go back and look again at many of the tools but my favourite so far have been Screencast-o-matic, Prezi and  Google Reader.

And so to finally add a photo to Thing 19! I previously said that the rest of my photos would be of me in London. However, that pledge was SO September. Here I am outside Berlin Library

Thing 5: being reflective

Apologies for the late running of this blog post- I was rudely distracted by bank holidays and annual leave!

I have to admit that I’m really struggling with this thing. In my head I’ve decided that ‘reflective practice’ is a bit like when I was studying ‘knowledge management’ at university. Basically it’s common sense but written down. Or am I missing a major part?!

Reading the cpd blog and recommended reading, there seem to be a number of potential processes for doing reflective practice. The basic gist seems to be

1)      Think about something you’ve done

2)      Decide what you’ve learned/ experienced from this activity (positive and negative)

3)      Decide how this will impact on your future.

Isn’t this something that happens to people automatically as they are learning or experiencing life? Maybe everyone has been to more riveting training sessions but usually I’m thinking along these lines as I’m learning. I spend the time thinking “wow, I’ll be able to use that for....” “hmmm... interesting, in .........situation that could be useful” or even “what nonsense. Cretins.” Does anyone really not consider the impact on themselves until asked to do so as a reflective practice exercise?!

This blog is a form of reflective practice as it will explain what I’ve looked at/ learned, whether I think it could be useful to me or my work and if I’ve been able to apply it to myself/ my work. However, I don’t think a blog like this could really work if it didn’t automatically include this process- it would just be a list of links with no evaluation.

One of my (many) failings is that I’m quick to come to some sort of judgement about things – you might be able to spot this pattern in this blog. I find that thinking on a topic further doesn’t change my mind- the only thing that does is discovering more information. Hopefully now I’ve written this negative post about reflective practice, you’ll all be able to give me more information on the topic and show me the error of my ways!

The photo for this post was taken outside Cromer Library. It shows me holding a (library) copy of ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro.  I am looking very excited because while reading the book on the train to Cromer, the characters within it had also gone on a day trip to Cromer, a fact more amazing to me because I’d not even heard of the town until the day before!