GEN: Virtual Mentor Project

[Joy McGregor <joymal@GTE.NET>]

Hi, all! Thanks to those who have already volunteered for the
project described below. It will be difficult for students
to choose among you!

I'm still in need of more volunteers, especially at elementary
and middle school levels. Please read the description again
and consider forming a partnership that could benefit our
field for many years to come. Thanks!

Joy McGregor

>Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 17:02:29 -0500
>To: lm_net@listserv.syr.edu
>From: Joy McGregor <joymal@gte.net>
>Subject: GEN: Virtual Mentor Project
>
>Every fall semester I set up a virtual mentoring program for a school
>librarianship class at Texas Woman's University  (Librarians as
>Instructional Partners). I'm looking for people again to serve as
>virtual mentors. Since we talk about partnerships, forming a
>partnership online proves to be a valuable learning experience,
>providing a real practitioner to bounce ideas off and allowing students
>to interpret theory in terms of reality.
>
>What's involved, you ask? This mentorship involves one assignment
>directly, which requires students to discuss with their virtual partner
>some educational issues that impact resource-based learning, information
>literacy,  and the entire school library program. The mentor's task will be
>to provide a real-world scenario of what is happening or could happen
>in his/her situation. The students determine the issues to ask you about
>by examining journals directed at teachers, administrators, and school
>librarians.
>
>Anything else? There is no other assignment specifically requiring students
>to discuss something else with their partners, but they will be encouraged
>to maintain a conversation with you about any elements of the class that
>they find puzzling, intriguing, exciting, frightening, challenging, etc. The
>more regular the contact, the greater the value. Some partners in previous
>classes have continued contact beyond the semester, because they found
>the partnership to be mutually beneficial. This continuation, of course, is
>independent of the course and must be agreed to by both parties.
>
>And what else is required? During the semester all mentors will also be
>invited to become involved with occasional class discussion questions.
>The amount of your involvement with this aspect is your own personal
>decision. We welcome your ideas, but realize that you might not have
>time to become involved in these discussions to a great extent.
>
>All virtual mentor activity will take place at an Internet site called
>Internet Classroom Assistant, made available by Nicenet (go to
>http://www.nicenet.net  to check out the site). ICA will be used for
>private email exchanges between you and your student partner and for
>the whole group discussions. All you will need is Internet access to
>participate in the virtual mentor program.
>
>If you are a media specialist in a flexibly scheduled library, or one who is
>working towards that goal, and if curriculum-integrated, collaboratively
>planned resource-based learning is a priority with you, I'd love to hear
from
>you. Students will choose their mentors from among the volunteers. They
>tend to choose based on similar grade levels and types of schools and
>communities. In your response to me, please tell me something about
>(1) yourself, (2) your school,  (3) your school district, (4) your
students, and
>(5) your library. That will give them some facts on which to base their
choices.
>
>Please do not volunteer if you don't plan to follow through. It is very
>disheartening for students to continually report that their virtual mentor
>does not respond to their messages, especially when other students are so
>excited about their conversations with their mentors.
>
>The first class meets on Aug. 29. I will post your responses on ICA (which
is
>a secure website, only accessible by those who have been given the class
key)
>for them to read. You could expect to hear from them via regular email
within
>the following week or two, introducing themselves and providing you the class
>key to access ICA. From then on, you'll need to check into ICA to contact
>your partner or look for messages from them.
>
>For more information about the class and the virtual mentor program, check
>out the class homepage, at http://venus.twu.edu/~f_mcgregor/partners
>which includes guidelines for students and mentors.
>
>Thanks to all of you!  I know you'll once again provide wonderful
>stimulation for the students' thinking.
>
>Joy McGregor
>joymal@gte.net
>School of Library and Information Studies
>Texas Woman's University

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