My five main sources of information

• ·         Web 2.0 technologies- within my practice I use such technologies to network with fellow practitioners and keep abreast of what friends and colleagues are doing. Also through groups like Art Chancellor (a group I follow on Facebook) I can showcase some of my work, meet other like minded professionals and enter design competitions.

• ·         Colleagues, friends and other like minded practitioners- I try as much as possible to keep in touch with  friends from CSM and LCF as the industry in which I work in is very  closely knit and thus often hear about job opportunities and interesting exhibitions through other people in the industry.

• ·         Exhibitions and galleries- artists are encouraged not to work in a vacuum they must be influenced by what is going on around them and what other artists are experimenting with. As a result I visit galleries and exhibitions as a source of inspiration. I also try to make sure that my work reflects our current social, economical and political climate.

• ·         Reading periodical- currently I tend to read these and other related articles on the internet it helps me to keep up to date with what is going on within my practice and let me know of good upcoming exhibitions.

• ·         My school’s art director and other colleagues in school- they are a great source of information, they are helping me to learn more about teaching and all the different protocols within our school. I am particularly leaning a lot from the art director he has been involving me in a lot of the behind the scenes things that he has to do, in particular what is required for internal departmental reviews and Ofsted inspections the latter of which we have on Tuesday. I am also learning a lot from the pupils within the school, in particular the art students by how they all come up with different approaches to the same projects very often seeing it from a perspective I had not previously thought of.

Professional Networking

My ability to efficiently utilise all of my professional networks is something that I have been criticised on in the past and so was glad when I learnt that it was one of the sections that would be investigated in this module. Hopeful I will be able to identify how I can improve. Upon reading the reader I realised that one of the first places I was that my understanding of professional networking was not accurate. I was under the impression that the sole purpose of networking professionally was to use your connections within your profession to further your career, and this was one of the reasons I shied away from the concept. I did not like the idea of using people merely to get ahead. Upon reader the reader I realised that there is a lot more to it then this, and that I was using a lot more networking techniques then I thought. Upon further research it has become clear that the key point of professional networking is to create a community of fellow practitioners, colleagues others within a related field to learn from, be inspired by and of course use their knowledge of the field to further yours.   ‘A work related community held together by either close working affiliations or more distant but common work interests or needs’.  (The Networked professional reader 2010) There is much more to professional networking  then ‘cooperate until maximum benefit then defect’ (Axelrod 1984). I know we live in a highly competitive society and we have been taught that the strongest will survive but I believe you have to be willing to give something back. Perhaps this is why when an individual has reached the top of their professional ladder they continue to pass on their knowledge to others.

 The main types of professional networking I use are face to face and the use of technologies such as web 2.0. Personally I am most comfortable networking face to face, being able to see a person’s reactions to what you are saying and getting instant feedback from them, but as discussed in previous blogs the world is shrinking, thanks to web 2.0 technologies we now have the ability to create social and professional networks that may include members who you will never meet.  We have already discussed the many advantages of this but, for the purpose of this investigation, the main one being the range of different ways that you can keep in contact with other members of your networking community.  The development of these technologies has made it infinitely easier to stay in touch with people. I have a large group of friend from Central St Martins and London College of Fashion, all working in different disciplines ,only a few of which I am in regular contact with. Thanks to such sites as Facebook and Twitter I can keep abreast of what they are doing and contact them if I feel that I can benefit from them or vice versa.

I have found that in the last two weeks I have been using my professional networking skills to try and overcome a problem that I have been faced with. Upon completing this course I would like to go on to do a Graduate Teaching Programme (GTP). I was planning on doing it at my current school and had been discussing the particulars with the head of the art department and everything seamed to be on track until I found out that the headmistress had decided that she no longer wanted to take on GTP. Places are highly competitive and it is much easier to get a place if you already have a school that is willing to hire you as an unqualified teacher while you are completing the course rather then relying on an EBITT to find the school. So I am now using every connection I have to try and convince a school to take me on next January.  I am now reaching out to all of you, of any of you know of any schools that take on GTP students in their art departments please contact me.  Ideally the placement would either be in London or in and around the Lincolnshire area (my husband and I are contemplating moving up there) but any information you have on the subject would be greatly appreciated.