Hi everyone, my name is Delanie Ornstein, and I’m really excited to be starting my fourth semester in the MSI program at FSU! I’m originally from Ocala, FL (think horse farms, springs, and retirement communities), but I’ve also lived in Saudi Arabia, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Tucson, and now live in Miami with my husband and our two dogs. As much as I loved living in Tucson, I’m so happy to be back near the water, so a lot of my free time is spent kayaking or at the beach. Otherwise, I’m probably reading!
My background is in education – after graduating, I became a first grade teacher and am currently teaching preschool since moving to Miami and starting this degree. I’m really passionate about teaching and education, but I also felt that I needed to make a change and school librarianship is a better long term fit for me. Using digital media in lessons is a great way to engage students in their learning, so I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can about creating digital media that I can use in library lessons!
That is quite an array of places to have lived (with perhaps a slight bias toward warmer climates)! I’ve only lived in south and north Alabama, outside Chicago, and now north Florida. I prefer the cold when I can get it!
Using media in teaching seems so important these days. I work in Organizational Development, and I sometimes get to teach adults on things. I find people are a bit more receptive and responsive when the material isn’t too dry, and bringing in movie clips can be a big help. TED Talks are great but I am starting to hit my limit on how many I can watch in a professional setting!
Hi Delanie!
Wow, that’s a lot of moving around! I have not been nearly as adventurous, my family moved to Florida from Massachusetts when I was seven and South Florida has been my home since. I would like to move to a new state, someday, but have no clue where to even start with that.
My goal is to become a school librarian, also! I agree that digital media is an efficient way to keep students engaged and it’s part of the reason I am taking this course. I’m intrigued to see how this course develops and teaches us the skills to utilize in an informational setting.
Let’s have a great semester!
Living abroad seems so cool! A couple of my friends lived abroad for a while teaching English. Why were you living in Saudi Arabia?
I grew up in the Philly suburbs, then I lived in the city during undergrad, and now I’m in Madison, WI. The closest I’ve lived to the beach is about an hour and a half, but I miss being that close. The closest beaches to me now are the “beaches” of Lake Michigan, which aren’t even real and still 3 hours away.
Hi Delanie,
I’ve known horse people who would travel to Ocala often, so it’s so cool that you’re from there. Of course, it’s even cooler that you’ve lived in so many different places! I’ve really only lived in my hometown and then Tallahassee.
Your dogs are very cute, and I hope they’re enjoying the Miami sunshine!
I think it’s lovely that you’re passionate about education and want to be a school librarian. The library was always a safe space for me when I was in school, and I still have a lot of fondness for the librarians who worked there. I hope you can get a lot out of this class to keep your students engaged!