Ventures - Megan Zara

The One Where I Get Accepted!

I am ecstatic to share some fantastic news: I have been accepted into the prestigious EON Certificate in Open Education Librarianship 2024 Cohort! This opportunity marks a significant milestone in my personal learning journey, and I am buzzing with excitement about what lies ahead.

The Journey Begins: A Dream Come True

I have been a librarian for a little over a month and have had the most fun diving into everything Open Education. The EON Certificate program is a perfect starting point and foundation builder and is a lovely blend of my passions and professional aspirations. As I embark on this new chapter, I am filled with a sense of eagerness and anticipation.

Fostering Relationships, Belonging, and Engagement

At the heart of my journey is a deep commitment to building meaningful connections and relationships. The essence of open education lies in the connections we forge and the sense of belonging we create within our learning communities. My focus during this program will be to enhance my skills in nurturing these relationships, fostering a sense of belonging, and actively engaging with peers, mentors, and learners from diverse backgrounds.

Setting Goals and Embracing New Learning

As I step into this new learning adventure, I have set some specific goals for myself:

Exploring Innovative Practices in Open Education

I aim to dive deeper into the innovative practices that are shaping the future of open education. This includes understanding the latest trends, tools, and technologies that make learning more accessible and inclusive.

Part of my role is to stay up to date on the current research and to dream of what could come next. I have always had a deep interest in innovative learning. As a classroom teacher, I was constantly searching for new, different, and more accessible ways to meet my students where they were and to connect meaningfully with them. I wanted to communicate through my learning design and choices that they were seen, cared for, and considered.

Enhancing Digital Literacy and Resource Management

A key area of focus will be to continue to enhance my digital literacy skills, particularly in managing and curating open educational resources. This skill is crucial in today’s digital-first learning environment. As a digital learning specialist in a K-12 district, I developed strong curation, capacity building, and resource management skills. I am excited to have these strengths under my belt as I enter this program and to build upon them through the perspective of Open Education!

Relationships, Advocacy, and Policy Development

I am eager to learn more about advocacy strategies and policy development in open education. I believe that advocating for open educational practices is vital for creating a more equitable and accessible learning landscape.

My institution is advanced in the realm of OER adoption and implementation, thanks to a rock-star director and one-woman-show, until recently! Now that we have an OER Team, we have so much more leverage and team-power to really dive in and make a difference.

Our community understands that OER provides savings and cost avoidance for students and that this benefit of OER promotes student success. I see affordability as the “gateway benefit” of OER—the one that everyone has heard, and we have really hit that one home. However, I see past this benefit. Not that it isn’t great, saving money is amazing, and it absolutely makes education more accessible, but there is more to be learned about how Open Education Practices support social justice, the community’s feelings of belonging and engagement, how creating OER can help faculty research to be more accessible and visible, and what/how an institution’s choice to support and promote Open Education Practices communicates about their heart as a learning institution. I have so many questions. Affordability is old news. I am ready to take my community deeper into the realm of what is possible with Open Education and OER.

Personal Growth and Professional Development

This journey is not just about acquiring new skills, but also about personal growth. I look forward to the self-discovery and professional development that this program will offer. I am excited to have this opportunity so early in my career as an OER Librarian. Not only will I be learning all about Open Education Librarianship, but I will also have the chance to practice my own Open Learning!

A Journey of Growth and Discovery

As I set out on this incredible journey with the EON Certificate in Open Education Librarianship, I am reminded of the power of lifelong learning and the joy it brings. Growing up, I never really knew what I wanted to be. I just knew that I wanted to know. This role, this opportunity, this institution is giving me the most amazing gift. I get to research, think, learn, collaborate and try things in the interest of student success and sharing knowledge as my career!

I am excited to share my experiences, learnings, and insights with you throughout this blog/open learning project.

Stay tuned for more updates as I navigate this exciting opportunity!

The One Where I Change Mediums

I have been procrastinating on this next blog post. I am still trying to find my groove in this journey of open learning and deciding on a topic to write about for this blog is a productive challenge.

Open Learning: Personally & Professionally

My goal is to open both my professional and personal learning. I am not sure which is more uncomfortable to share openly. 😅 However, I say “uncomfortable” but please know that I use this word positively. I lean into discomfort these days. It is where I do the most learning!

I am starting with a personal learning project—watercolor painting. I have been painting with acrylics for about 6 years and have really enjoyed the medium. I started as many people do, at a Painting with a Twist event. Painting is an outlet for self-expression, and I love the forgiving and imperfect nature of it. I have always been drawn to the whimsy of watercolor and just have not made the leap to trying it out.

Discovering Watercolor

Recently, I came across a watercolor tutorial guide called Watercolor the Easy Way, by Sara Berrenson. The guide includes 50 beautiful, 30-minute, watercolor projects and a ton of helpful tips and techniques. I also purchased a compact watercolor palette and a pretty journal to collect my paintings.

As I mentioned in my inaugural post, writing things down and journaling are a challenge and do not feel natural for me. This blog is a huge step toward my growth in this area. I love the idea of journalling, but I have struggled for years to keep up with one. I cannot tell you how many beautiful physical journals I have bought and started writing in over the years. I could build a library of just-started journals from various times in my life. Interestingly, I often notice a pattern of feeling the writing/journal itch when I am experiencing change/transition or trauma in my life. I am sure this is the universe’s way to push me toward this outlet. I admit it feels good after I finish.

A Visual Diary

With my watercolor venture, I am trying something different. Instead of keeping a written journal (my blog is really taking care of this) I am going to keep a watercolor journal. The first 50 pages will be the lovely tutorial pictures in Sara’s guide and after that, the sky is the limit! I hope to build a habit of self-expression through journaling, and I am excited to share my progress openly!