EDUC 6816 Information Literacy: Introduction

Hello Everyone,

My name is Mary Jo Swiger and I reside in Fairview, WV with my husband, Cliff, and son, Austin.  My teaching certification is Elementary Education, K-8 Multi-Subjects.  Currently, I am working on a Masters of Education with a concentration in Digital Media, New Literacies and Learning.  The spring of 2013 is my expected graduation date.  I've been teaching in Marion County, WV for 18 years and have taught  1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th graders.  In addition to teaching, I've coached junior high basketball, track and cross country.  This past school year brought change in my 5th grade teaching routine at Fairview Middle School.   I spent the 2011-2012 school year working as a Professional Development School Coordinator and teaching assistant at Fairmont State University.  The opportunity to work with 40 professional development schools  and teaching Instructional Technology at FSU is a marked highlight in my professional career.  While working on my Masters, I continue to ask myself, "What's next?"  I'm not really sure what is next, but I'm networking and seeking new possibilities.  What I hope to get from this class?  I'm looking forward to creating instructional materials that support information literacy for the classroom.  In addition, I hope to achieve a better understanding of the ever-changing definitions of new literacies and become more familiar with the research that drives new literacies, digital literacies and information literacy.