Interview

I was fortunate enough to partner with two of my classmates during the opening week of class. Both were extremely interesting individuals, and I feel very privileged to be in class with them. Below you will find my side of both interviews.

=My Responses to Albana's Interview=

I don't know Albana, I think my life sounds a bit boring compared to yours :) . I can't imagine having to leave my home and move to an entirely different country, but then I do know I would have an extremely difficult time living in a Communist country. I enjoy reading whatever I want and learning whatever I want too much for me to be able to easily tolerate those kind of governmental controls. Congrats on the engagement -- and wow! You will be a world traveler! Italy, Wisconsin, Alaska! That's some variety. I discovered Stout's Professional Development program back in the summer of 2005. I took Dennis O'Connor's Writing Class and had the very best experience. I discovered I loved online learning and took another class that summer from the University of Missouri - Columbia. While taking that class, I discovered the fast track option to a Master's Degree in Educational Technology online at Mizzou. I decided to pursue that degree as at that time, I was asked to teach the computer lab classes at my school. I finished that degree in the Fall of 2006. I always knew I wanted to come back to Stout to work on the E-Learning certificate and started it in the spring of 2009, however, my job changed again at the time and I wasn't able to take additional classes after completing the first class in the sequence. Now that my job has settled down a bit, I'm back to complete the certificate. I have taken over 45 hours of online classes at this time and firmly believe in this option for self-motivated life long learning. Because of this, I would love to be able to teach in this type of environment, which is the reason I am pursuing this certification. I celebrated my 50th birthday the 10th of January, so I think that might make me older than most of the people in the class, but I may be wrong there. I am a passionate life long learner and would love it if someone would just pay me to go to school. I am a native Tennessean having been raised in a small town about 50 miles south of Nashville. I moved to Memphis in 1982 to complete a BS in Medical Technology at the University of Tennessee. (My pre Med-Tech work was completed at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville).
 * Why have you chosen this course, this university and/or this program?
 * Tell me about your background, experiences, and/or skills.

After graduation, I specialized in Microbiology and worked in the field for 10 years. During that time, I got married and when my older daughter was born, I became a stay at home mom for awhile. I continued to take classes, however, and took enough classes at the University of Memphis and Christian Brothers University to receive my teaching certification. When my younger daughter entered school, I went back to work as a librarian at a small private school serving urban students.

I have been at New Hope for 10 years now and have served in several capacities -- Librarian, Computer Lab Instructor, and 5th grade teacher. I am now the Director of Information Services -- i.e. a library media/ technology integration specialist and continue to pursue all kinds of learning opportunities especially in regards to technology. I am expecting to learn additional technology skills and methods, particularly ways to use technological tools to assess student learning. I am a passionate baseball/softball fan. (My oldest daughter is a fastpitch softball pitcher and will be attending college on a softball scholarship next year.) I am also an amateur medieval historian, particularly of the Plantagenet era in England. Of course, I love my daughters and cannot imagine life without them. If I had to answer anything else, it would be my ability to read. Reading and learning through reading has defined my life. Even if I'm not able to afford a college class, I can pursue learning through reading at anytime and anyplace.
 * What do you expect from this course?
 * What is one thing we might never have guessed about you?
 * Who is that special someone, thing or event that you cherish and would never want to give up?

=My Responses to Ellen's Interview=

**Here are my responses to Ellen's questions. Ellen's comments are in purple**.

Hmm -- Fiction or Non-fiction -- depends on my mood. Generally, I'll pick a period and read both a fiction and non-fiction book about the period. I'll often start with the fiction as that generally makes me want to know more, then I'll read a non-fiction book about the period or a biography of a person who lived during that period. **I'm with you on this. I would have been a much better history student in elem/HS if I got to start with fiction rather than the textbook.**

Love The Name of the Rose (and Sean Connery). I haven't read The White Queen yet as I am doing a linear read through of the Plantagenet dynasty and I haven't gotten to the War of the Roses yet (my current read is Katherine, which begins during Edward III's reign and tells of the love story between John of Gaunt, one of Edward's sons, and his mistress Katherine Swynford). **Anya Seton... Looks good!**

Where in Europe would be your can't-miss destination? Wales -- I love Sharon Kay Penman's Welsh Trilogy **Just checked out her site - I'll definitely add her to my to-read list! To much to read, so little time!** and I have had a pen pal from Wales ever since my high school days. Then Italy as my youngest daughter feels about Italy the way I do the British Isles. **You made a good connection with Albana, then.** > > > >
 * Do you dabble in/speak any European languages? -- I wish, though my daughter and I are trying to learn Italian through Rosetta Stone. I really don't have the ear for languages though. **I've heard good things about Rosetta but haven't used it. Italians are generally very nice to travellers, and are especially charmed by people who give it a shot. Even if minimal, your efforts will be well-received.**
 * Movie first, or book first? -- Book first always!!! and "Never judge a book by its movie." J. W. Egan
 * What are some of the things you most like about what you do at New Hope? I love working with students who might not otherwise have the chance to receive a private school education. We are a private school serving urban students. We offer an accelerated high academic curriculum through the sixth grade. Over 80% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch and all are on scholarship. The median income of the family's we serve is somewhere between 16 and 20 thousand a year. Once students complete the sixth grade at New Hope, New Hope helps to place our students in some of the elite private schools in the city with financial support. What is a challenge? Keeping the students motivated to complete the program in the face of what some of them have to face when they go home. **It is good to hear that library media/technology is well-supported there. There are almost no elementary schools left in Milwaukee with even a part-time teacher for this, and the students are similar in background. Never ceases to baffle...**
 * Do you have a digital book reader? Yes. If so, Which one and would you recommend it? A Kindle and yes, I love it. I purchased the Kindle 1 and upgraded to the Kindle 2 the week it was announced. I would love to have the Kindle 3G, but had to purchase a new laptop and haven't replaced the funds in my tech toy budget. **Thanks for the recommendation.** If not, do you even care to have one? As LMS and Tech Integration specialist, (how) do you envision using them at your school? At the moment, I have no plans for purchasing readers for the school at the moment. We have so many other tech needs like projection in every classroom. **Yup. I was struggling with this one at my school. So essential!** We could possibly use the Kindle for PC apps, however, or if the school decides to purchase iPads, we could utilize the app for iPad or iPod Touches.
 * I went to parochial school through high school and often wonder whether/how I would look at collection development differently than I do at public school. I suspect I would be less likely to supress personal filters, and would likely have more parent/admin selection guidance. Loaded discussion, maybe better for a coffee shop if I'm ever in your neck of the woods (aunt lives in Maryville - not around the corner from Memphis!), but what are your thoughts? Teaching at a private Christian school, yes collection development is screened through different filters, though my administration gives me quite a bit of freedom. They do recognize that I tend to be more liberal than most of the staff and when I accepted the job I insisted on a great deal of freedom in collection development. **As I am currently exploring other possibilities, including parochial, I've often imagined this interview discussion and how it might play out. Your clarifying expectations from the get-go clearly have set you up for a straight-forward situation.** I do have Harry Potter and other fantasy in the collection. I do have some parents who don't allow their students to read fantasy, and since New Hope is an elementary school, I respect their wishes. **I imagine I'd do the same. In 10 yrs at HS level, I only had one parent with a complaint (urban lit) so I had little reason to consider strategies.** I tag those students in my management program. I also include some books with language that some might find offensive, but if it is used in context and is not put in just for shock then I will allow the book into the collection. I do not do any other censorship. Personally, I am of the opinion that as long as a student is reading, its a good thing. Most children, I have found, will not read something that they are not emotionally ready for. Their own imagination is more limited than what they are watching on TV or the movies, and in the case of my students many times what they are reading is much less than what they are actually living. **Amen!**