About me – Tania Sheko

Hi, my name is Tania Sheko. I am a teacher librarian  at Melbourne High School in Melbourne, Australia. I love using connective technologies to create collaborative learning opportunities.

I believe that we teach best when we continue to evolve through our own learning journey. I learn from others wherever they are, and I believe online connections are all about people.

I ‘transformed’ myself into a teacher librarian, having taught English, German, French and ESL, and I love being able to support and enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum – I love focusing on the learning rather than content. I believe that libraries are the centre of learning and culture, and that teacher librarians play a vital role in a fast-changing, information- and media-rich world.

My main focus and passion is the creation of authentic, passion-driven learning experiences where technology enables connections and rich conversation with people and often experts outside the classroom walls, where personal connections grow compassion.

I see life as continual learning for everyone, schools without walls, and the creativity evident in self-initiated learning of young people. My own learning takes place wherever I am, online and in person.

I was fortunate to be part of my previous school’s team taking part in the Powerful Learning Practice experience. More than just professional development, this provided me with a network of passionate and dedicated educators and experts from whom and with whom I continue to learn.

In April 2011 I became a Google Certified Teacher, and am blessed to be part of a dynamic and resourceful cohort of (so far) 60 educators worldwide.

This blog was originally created to record my progress in a Web 2.0 program run by the School Library Association of Victoria in 2008. It soon took on a life of its own, allowing reflection, sharing of ideas and information, and social networking.

My own children started out with a Montessori education before jumping back into mainstream. This choice for them stemmed from my own observation of younger children and their amazing natural desire to learn contrasted with a disengagement in the early high school years. I’ve always wanted to understand what happens to ‘kill off’ that natural love of learning so that I can have a part in inspiring young people during their school years, in helping them enjoy learning and become lifelong learners.

Outside of my job, my interests include the visual arts, music and literature. In my undergraduate Arts degree, I specialised in avant-garde German theatre (Max Frisch’s Graf Öderland), and I think that my interest in the avant-garde continues in the sense of a focus on the experimental and innovative.

If you follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, you’ll notice my addiction to art, illustration and animation. I love being able to support art students by sharing my finds on my art blog, Art does matter.

The best part of writing a blog and participating in online networks is the connection to people and the resulting conversations. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment or just introducing yourself.

You can see my bookmarks on Delicious and Diigo.

You can follow me on Twitter @taniatorikova.

Visit my art blog where I post eclectic inspiration for art students. My colleagues and I are developing e-resources in Libguides which you are welcome to use.

You can follow Melbourne High School Library’s blog and enjoy my students’ writing on their blog.  You can read my global project on Flickr blog here.

You can email me tsheko1@gmail.com