Thing 13 - Google Docs, Dropbox and Wikis

Phew! Sorry for the delay in exploring and blogging about Thing 13, but the last couple of weeks have been much busier at work (after our Summer lull) with new and existing student enrolments. After doing some research i have created new Google Docs and Dropbox accounts for myself and looked at the various uses/benefits of Wikis. These 3 things are all basically 'data storage and sharing' devices with various differences. Google Doc's allow the user to create, save, store and share documents while collaborating in realtime with other users. It is a free web based 'office suite' with facilities for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and forms. Dropbox is a great file storage application which can be easily used and accessed from any of your computers (PC, Laptop, iPad or mobile phone etc), and shared with others. It is similar to Evernote but focuses more on files rather than textual, image and web based content. Wiki's allow multiple people to work on the same document and pool all their knowledge and ideas together to provide one large collaborative source of information. This is usually beneficial as several brains are often better than one, but this can also lead to confusion and inaccuracies.

Thing 12 - Social Media

Since embarking on this 'cpd23 voyage' at the end of June i have discovered and experienced many new aspects to professional development such as blogging, new websites, tools and applications, social networking and media etc. Ironically, since 'Thing 4' i have slightly changed my views on certain social networking sites, having signed-up for my own 'LinkedIn' and 'Twitter' accounts, creating my profiles and compiling following/follower lists! I have tried to do this from a professional point of view by using my work e-mail, profile and contacts as my base, rather than a personal/social/home based perspective. Through these sites, and previously not really knowing who subscribed to them, I have made contact with people within my organisation who i wouldn't normally see very often, and also with people outside my organisation who i have never 'followed' before. By doing this you certainly have a greater sense of communication and belonging in your work environment, as well as interaction with (and a wider knowledge of) the outside world.

Thing 11 - Mentoring

As mentioned previously in my blog, our job title at Blackpool Sixth is 'Learning Resources Mentor' so this section of cpd23 should be quite relevant! Rather than finding a mentor (as the notes in 'Thing 11' suggest), we are the actual mentors to our students! We monitor, manage, encourage, motivate, advise, assist, empathise, sympathise, console and cajole them throughout their time at College in order to get the best possible performances and results from them. Our main responsibility is to ensure that they remain focused and 'on task' during their 'directed study periods' (sessions in between lessons when they are given tasks by their tutors) which they spend in our Learning Resource Centre. We are not allowed to call these sessions 'free periods' because the students are supposed to use this time to work, revise, research, reference etc, and generally prepare themselves for their forthcoming lessons and exams. Also, when new staff begin their time at our College they are assigned to another established member of staff in order to guide them through their first year. This gives us an opportunity to be both a mentor and a mentee in our working environment.

Thing 10 - Routes into Librarianship

My colleagues and i work in a modern College 'Learning Resource Centre' which is contains a large computer area (130 Apple Macs, plus 20 Laptops and 16 iPads), extensive Library (reference, fiction, journals, periodicals, prospectuses etc), along with multi printing and copying facilities. Our job title is 'Learning Resources Mentor' and our role is to assist, encourage and manage students to get the best use out of our facilities and maximise their study time. We also help students with UCAS applications and Personal Statements when applying for University. We are therefore not qualified Librarians, as this is only part of our role, but we are fully trained on how to use our College Library system (access-it) including issuing/returning/renewing books and equipment, along with book referencing, processing and withdrawing etc.  Our Library Manager Helen is a fully qualified Librarian with a BA (Hons) Degree in Librarianship.

Thing 9 - Evernote

I must admit that i had never heard of 'Evernote' before embarking on this cpd23 exercise. I have now researched into it, signed up for and created an account, downloaded the Evernote client software, and installed the 'Web Clipper' add-on. I have since been experimenting with the software and have saved/copied/clipped some notes into my account notebook. My initial thoughts on 'Evernote' are that it appears to be a useful tool for saving notes, photos and web information in a specialised archive for later reference. It saves you the trouble of having to open new documents or folders by keeping your notes and web based information together in one easily accessible area. Hopefully now that i have discovered Evernote i will use it as often as i can.

Thing 8 - Google Calendar

I have created my very first Google Calendar (hurrah!) after following the simple Cpd23 and Google instructions. This is a really handy and useful time-management tool for the workplace or home. I have entered all my relevant upcoming work events for the next month, and highlighted them in Tangerine (my favourite colour - Blackpool FC's playing strip)! After our 'summer lull' at college it is fast approaching our busiest time with forthcoming results, enrolments, inductions, briefings, training and staff development, all of which have been highlighted on my new Google Calendar. There are also some interesting optional extras available such as sharing calendars, device synchronisation, google integration, and SMS updates.

Thing 7 - Professional Organisations

After doing some research into Professional Organisations it would appear they can help you in a variety of ways. Being a member of a Professional Organisation can open up your networking opportunities and give you more power and strength by becoming part of a collective body, instead of a lone individual voice. It can enhance your career by providing extra resources to broaden your knowledge and also benefit your own personal and professional development. Membership also gives you the opportunity to pass on your extra knowledge and expertise through sharing your experiences with others. In my previous self employed retail career i belonged to a professional body that gave us better deals with suppliers, plus remuneration for providing sales figures/patterns/trends etc, along with help and guidance for branding, publicity and advertising. In my current employment i will consider joining a relevant body that could enhance my career and benefit the organisation as a whole. One of my work colleagues Helen (our Library Manager) is currently a member of CILIP (The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals).

Thing 6 - Online Networks/'Linked-in'

Hi there, just catching up with '23Things' after finishing various other jobs at work. As i mentioned previously, i am not a great lover or user of 'social networking sites', but decided to take a look at 'Linkedin' which sounded quite interesting, and was previously unknown to me. I have now signed up and created my Linkedin profile, and also joined the '23 Things' group. It was very interesting to find out that there are quite a few other people (10/12 approx) who work in my organisation, that unbeknown to me are also current Linkedin members. Without being disrespectful to Facebook, Linkedin seems to be more 'professionally based' and also more relevant to Libraries and Learning Resource Centres. Hopefully therefore this should prove to be a useful networking tool for myself, my work colleagues, and other cpd23 members.

Thing 5 - Reflective perspective

As the Students and term-time Staff have finished now at Blackpool Sixth for the Summer, it's a good time to look back over what i have done so far as a Cpd 23 participant. Firstly, i have taken a 'giant leap' (having never blogged before) into previously uncharted waters! I have signed up and created my own blog, done some research into other blogs, become a 'follower' of fellow participants, looked at my own personal branding, explored the world of 'social networking' including Facebook, Twitter and Pushnote, along with subscribing to RSS feeds, Phew! Hopefully being in touch with fellow Librarians and Learning Resource Centre colleagues (around the world) will enable me to gain a broader, deeper insight into what is going on outside my working environment. I should therefore be able to feed this information back into my organisation by implementing new ideas and strategies, or improving existing practices. I think that Cpd 23 is a great idea, and will definitely be a worthwhile exercise that should benefit all concerned.

Thing 4 - Social 'Not-working'

Hola again. I must admit that i am not a great lover or user of Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter! I am a fairly outgoing and positive person generally, but when it comes to my 'private life' i prefer to keep it as the name suggests. I don't really see the need to publicise what, where, when and how i am doing things, and if the people that i care about really want/need to know,  then i will communicate with them directly! I tend to only use these sites when somebody has sent me a direct link to view something specific, but i am generally not a member or subscriber. I have however subscribed to the RSS feeds for the Cpd23 site, in order to participate properly in this exercise. I have also done some reading and research into Pushnote, which seems to be a useful tool for commenting, rating and assessing the contents of websites. I am all for transparency and participation when it helps improve the quality and quantity of websites.

Hi everybody. Apologies for jumping straight to 'Thing 3' before i commented on 'Thing 2' (i do normally try to do things in order)! I have registered for Cpd23 and begun following a few other blogs, mainly from my fellow work colleagues so far. I have also taken a look at The Times and Guardian blog pages and investigated other LRC/Library blogs. I searched the internet for various 'best blog' sites and found loads of interesting stuff including music, sport, movies, health, general news and politics etc. Basically there are blogs for every conceivable subject, hobby, interest and lifestyle! It's a whole new world of information available to us all, you just have to set aside some time in our busy schedules to take a look.

Hi folks. Forgot to mention in my last blog that we also have MacBook-laptops and iPads available to students in our amazing Learning Resource Centre - The Fyi! I am just catching up with the previous 'branding' exercise. I suppose my own personal branding theme should be 'Tangerine and Towers' as i am an ardent Blackpool FC supporter and Season Ticket holder, but in reality i have never really thought about being personally branded (not in a 'Cattle' sense of course). When i had my own retail business we had a corporate colour scheme and logo for our signs, bags and stationary. Similarly where i now work at Blackpool Sixth (as it is now known, after dropping the 'Form College' bit) we have recently undertaken a large rebranding exercise with newly designed signs, logo's and colour schemes across the whole College, and also more widely projected out into the local community. I need to give my own 'Dave Branding' some thought, and hopefully incorporate some of my likes and lifestyle - football, films, food, books, walking and visiting Spain. My logo therefore needs to be an amalgamation of Blackpool, The Shawshank Redemption, The Catcher in the Rye, The Lake District, Paella and Sangria! I will get back to you on that one, luego.

Hi Folks, my name is Dave and i work at Blackpool Sixth Form College in the Learning Resources Centre, otherwise known as the 'Fyi' (for your information). We are a modern expanding college with fantastic facilities, and currently accomodate over 2000 students. The Fyi comprises of a large computer area with over 120 Apple Mac computers and a comprehensive text book, fiction, and reference Library, along with several printers and photocopiers. Our role in the Fyi is to mentor students by helping them gain the best use of the excellent resources available, and encourage them to be 'on task' whilst also managing their behaviour. Our college has very high standards and a great reputation in the local community, for which we received an 'Outstanding' grade from Ofsted in 2009. I have worked at Blackpool Sixth for nearly 3 years now and enjoy my job which is both challenging and rewarding.