Post-Master’s Programs
Notes from the Field #2
Posted December 19, 2013 by Maya Bery
Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to win a scholarship from the Simmons MSLA-SIG (the student interest group of the Massachusetts School Library Association) to attend the American Association of School Librarians conference in Minneapolis. About a month ago, I attended the most recent session, held in Hartford, and I’m amazed at what a difference being in the field makes. As a pre-professional, you’re expected to attend conferences to get a taste of what life will be like when you’re in the field, and you can learn lots of things, but it is nothing quite like knowing you can go home and implement all these amazing ideas in your own space. I’m tremendously grateful for the opportunity, and if anyone is thinking about going to Columbus in two years time, do it! It’s incredible. As a related note, there was a strong GSLIS presence at the poster sessions and in the concurrent sessions – Dr. Zilonis and instructor Chris Swerling gave presentations on how to write grants, instructor and Ph.D candidate Deborah Lang Froggatt…
Notes from the Field #1
Posted October 24, 2013 by Maya Bery
It’s now six weeks into the school year here in Massachusetts, and I am happy to say that I love my job. It’s wonderful. The community is supportive and values the library, my colleagues are welcoming and helpful, and I’m so lucky to have ended up in such a lovely place. I’m at an especially interesting vantage point, because many of the people who were in the GSLIS program with me when I began have now entered their second and third years of teaching, and they all seem to be thriving: enjoying their jobs, contributing to their school communities, and generally being exemplars of the graduates of the Simmons GSLIS SLTP program. It’s also six weeks into the start of the Instructional Technology Licensure program (ITL), the two-year, entirely web-based course for post-master’s candidates pursuing additional licensure in instructional technology. We’ve discussed learning styles, how to foster collaboration, and are now moving into our study of Web 2.0 technologies and their applications in education. What I value about this course is that it encourages us…