Thing 10 - Graduate traineeships, Masters Degrees, Chartership, Accreditation

Thing 10 - Graduate traineeships, Masters Degrees, Chartership, Accreditation 

 This part of the  programme reminds me that there is some focus in the 23 Things on the professionally qualified rather than the para-professional or, well, what do you call us? Unqualified? Faceworkers? aka the salt of the earth, the only way a library service is run? Sorry just channelling my own moans and the shameless oily behaviour of certain senior managers I have encountered over the years.

I touched on the difficulties of getting access to the CILIP certification process in an earlier post, which I hope has been improved since I tried for that some years ago. I have achieved a NVQ L3 and ECDL which is as much as my role here requires. Working in a college, the emphasis is more on teaching and supporting roles and some of my colleagues have gone that way, from PGCE to lower learner supporting qualifications. I have resisted this route for me so far as I see myself as a library person rather than a teaching one.But the role has changed to one of supporting the learner/user in their use of the technology and equipment rather than one of signposting towards the actual books. Here I face what many of us do, to persuade a user to look at a book rather than at Wikipedia.

I flirted with a postgraduate qualification last year, getting a place on a distance learning course. But when the reality of perhaps studying for four years when I hope to retire within ten and the amazing cost of the course set in I reluctantly withdrew. I am still looking for my next bit of education/training.

While my children have faced the rising debts associated with higher education I am reluctant to go this way myself, for the reasons above.

I wonder does anyone else have the expertise to advise what they did next? I have had a look at other bloggers' remarks and the relevance of costs of things and funding education does filter through. I haven't found any remarks from non-professionals yet, I will keep looking though.

 

Thing Nine - Evernote

No.

I have had a look at  Thing Eight -  Google Calendar.

I am not sure how this is going to be useful for me personally or for my work needs.

We use our Outlook calendar in work for the team to share and to remind ourselves of both personal and professional commitments. 

Our college has a website and we use Moodle and a Widget to publicise things too. 

I am still trying to get agreement to allow Twitter and Facebook messaging for our Learning Centre needs with no results so far,  I will need to consider how this  could be useful instead.


So no cigar for this one, I'm thinking.

I am back from end of term madness and holidays, very nice thanks for asking. I am now going to attempt to catch up, wish me luck.
I will be avidly lurking and copying admiring my peers and cohorts to see what you have been up to in my absence.