Tonight was workshop night, and I have to admit I'm a little worn out from a two-and-a-half hour block of thought-provoking presentations and discussions. In addition to presenting about potential uses of QR codes in libraries, I also learned about:
- Thoughtful consideration of library space design
- How to download eBooks
- How libraries can use Facebook pages
- Identifying collection biases in libraries
- Understanding ethical issues of Kindles and Netflix in libraries
Aside from these topics, I also learned something about myself as a newbie instructor - I sometimes forget the difference between making a presentation and providing instruction, and how this difference effects the way I can interact with participants. More specifically, I need to learn how to better address opposing points of view. For instance, during our presentation we did specifically ask for "cons" to using QR codes in libraries, yet when someone actually brought one up I found myself defending our presentation rather than responding thoughtfully and fairly to the idea. Just a few seconds later, when I realized that I had unintentionally switched into "presentation-defense mode" instead of facilitating discussion, I felt really terrible. I think teachers and instructors need to be open-minded and welcome thoughtful debate, rather than silencing differing opinions - yet here I was doing the exact opposite!
Unfortunately, this exchange was also reflected in our feedback - it made us (or at least me) appear unapproachable and probably shut down discussion prematurely. And I totally agree with the feedback. A better way to handle this would have been to open it up to the group - simply asking if anyone else had a response or thoughts on the issue would have been a much better option than defensively telling them what I thought. As awful as I feel about this exchange, I am also so glad that it happened in the relatively "safe" classroom environment instead of in an actual professional workshop. While I still feel pretty terrible, I'm trying to see it just one of the many things I'm learning in this class.
Sorry everybody! Lesson learned!
[Edit - if anyone is interested, here is a list I found of current uses of QR codes in libraries, "Library Success: A Best Practice Wiki - QR Codes"]
That's a very interesting point about making sure you're either in presentation mode or teaching mode. I can see how you would have to address your audience differently. I would also have loved to have attended your workshop - I learned about the existence of QR codes a couple years ago, but I am still hazy about them and would love to learn more.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your mishap! It sounds like it was a good learning experience though, and I think it's something that can happen to anybody who is starting out. You're right about it being a "safe" environment too and this is definitely the place to practice and see what changes we have to make for the future. It also looks like your groups had some good subjects for workshops!
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