Did You Miss the TeachingBooks Webinars?

You can view the recordings!

TeachingBooks.net has concluded its recent series of live webinars for Florida public schools. These demonstrations were recorded and are now available at your convenience.

Authors and Illustrators Enter the Classroom through 21st Century Technology
    VIEW THIS 25-MINUTE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION AT:
    http://teachingbooks.net/archive/SunlinkTraining

Virtual Classroom Visits from Authors: TeachingBooks.net for High School

    VIEW THIS 25-MINUTE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION AT:
    http://teachingbooks.net/archive/SunlinkHSTraining

SUNLINK Access to TeachingBooks.net

   1. Go to: http://TeachingBooks.net/home
   2. Enter your work email address (optional)
   3. Username: (leave blank)
   4. Password: SUNLINK

All teachers, librarians, staff, students, and families can use these access directions from school or home.

A Book Club for Florida's Middle Schoolers

News from the Florida Department of Education:

The Literacy League book club is a new reading initiative designed to connect Florida’s middle school students with their favorite authors in modern and innovative ways. The club, open to all students in grades 6-8, creates a new kind of collaboration between students, reading and technology.  Students will now have the opportunity to have their questions answered directly by the author of the selected book, redefining how students learn through the use of technology.

Four books will be selected throughout the year by the Florida Department of Education and students participating in the club will be asked to submit questions about the book either by e-mail or video submission. The questions will be answered by the author of the chosen book for a Literacy League podcast show, housed on Florida’s iTunes U site. The show will also air regularly on the Florida Knowledge Network.

Book Selection:

Award-winning author Julianna Baggott’s book “The Anybodies” is the first book chosen for the club.

The next book selection will be announced in April.

How to submit a question:

Upon completion of the book, please submit your questions in the following formats:

•    E-mail questions to LiteracyLeague@fldoe.org
•    Submit a recorded video question (WMV, Quick Time or MPEG files will be accepted), and either e-mail to the above address or mail  a CD version to the Department of Education’s Communications Office at 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1524, Tallahassee FL, 32399-0400
•    Mail your written questions to the above address

The deadline to submit your questions for this quarter’s book club broadcast is March 1, 2010.

TeachingBooks.net

Last week I mentioned the TeachingBooks.net webinars.  Today I attended both of them and all I can say is FABULOUS!  Thanks to TeachingBooks and SUNLINK, Florida schools have access to all the thousands and thousands and thousands of book and author related resources on their site until the end of this school year.

I've added a TeachingBooks.net search box to the sidebar so you can try it out.  Look for the authors and books you are reading for your genre assignments or others you are interested in.  You can login from the SUNLINK hame page, too.  I've provided via course mail more directions for access.

While I'm amazed at the number of resources, I'm also impressed with the training and support tools--handouts, slideshows, videos, bookmarks, and more that you can use to learn more about the resources and to inform your parents and teachers about all that TeachingBooks has to offer.  They even provide flyers that have been translated into 22 different languages to send home to parents!

If you missed the webinars, try one of the video overviews.  It's worth every minute of your time!

Don't miss this chance to explore TeachingBook.net.  And let's give a big virual THANK YOU to Nick Glass @ TeachingBook.net and the good folks at SUNLINK!  What a great gift!

Digital Storytelling Webinar (and Others, Too!)

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and Microsoft along with a number of corporate sponsors are offering some free webinars in the next couple of months that might be of interest to you.

Spotlight on Solutions is a new, free webinar series spotlighting the products and services of our ISTE 100 corporate members. The webinars will highlight products offered by our corporate members, demonstrating how they can benefit your district, school, or classroom.

The first one is tomorrow (sorry for the late notice) on Digital Storytelling:

January 26, 2010
1:00 PM Pacific/4:00 Eastern

This webinar will explain how teachers across all K-12 grade levels can use digital images, video and writing to tell compelling stories and synthesize learning. Digital Storytelling is an effective project-based activity that can be applied across the curriculum and is an excellent starting point for teachers that are new at integrating technology in their classroom, as well as providing those teachers who are more adept at technology integration with ways to engage students. The webinar will focus on how Digital Storytelling can improve the writing process, how it enables students to communicate their ideas, as well as understanding the key technologies teachers can use in the classroom to support this activity.

Register here.   And see the dates and topics of future webinars here.

"Digital storytelling" reminds me of this video favorite:

Huh? Diigo?

I read an interesting blog article this morning by Jennifer Pacelli of Connecticut called, "Diigo May Help Lead Our District Into the 21st Century."  (You can see why it caught my attention and why I'm sharing it with you.)  She says:

I was just discussing better ways to share articles and information with staff and co-workers. Everyone is inundated with emails and the old way of forwarding a link to an interesting article is fast becoming obsolete. I think Diigo may be the answer! I have transferred all of my Delicious bookmarks with their tags and notes over to Diigo and that worked great. I have found a few interesting people to follow and joined a few groups. I can tell that I will soon be addicted.

She also shared this video that she said really helped her to understand the concept and convinced her to move from Delicious bookmarks to Diigo.  (I moved from Delicious to Diigo myself in November.)  So if you're still wondering why we are sharing bookmarks and why we are using Diigo, this might help you, too.  I hope social bookmarking will become habit forming for you by the end of this course!  Share away!!

There are a number of great Diigo videos on YouTube to help you learn more about its features.  Check them out!

Storybird

One of my friends was fortunate to attend the recent tech conference in Orlando told me about Storybird, a collaborative storytelling tool she learned about at FETC.  I think I'd seen it before but never spent much time exploring it.  It is definitely a cool tool!

"Someone starts a Storybird by writing a few words or grabbing a few images. Then the other person takes a turn, adding more words and pictures. In as little as one or two turns they can finish and share a Storybird. It’s that easy. And they can do it sitting side-by-side or across the country from each other."   You can work alone, too, but what fun is that???

You can read stories others have created and leave comments on them if you'd like. You can also create a shelf of books you want to ready.  You can view the story on your tv or iphone, too!   Here's an example of a Storybird story:

A Faulty Heist on Storybird

Take a tour of Storybird and then try it yourself!  Any budding authors or illustrators in the crowd?

Did I mention that it's free?

ALA Award Winners Announced

The national news picks up the announcements of the ALA award winners right away.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children:  “The Lion & the Mouse,” illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney, is the 2010 Caldecott Medal winner.

John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:  “When You Reach Me,” written by Rebecca Stead, is the 2010 Newbery Medal winner.

The ALA site has a link to the video of the Caldecott and Newbery winners being interviewed on the Today show.  

Here's one press release about the 2010 winners.   See all the winners here.

You Are Cordially Invited

I received this invitation in the mail this morning...maybe you did, too?  I don't know the source of the mailing list.  In any case, this is most timely given the next assignment:

Hi,

TeachingBooks.net and SUNLINK invite you and your colleagues to the following complimentary webinars to learn about this resource that is now available for everyone in SUNLINK to use. Please note that one of them is tomorrow.

Authors and Illustrators Enter the Classroom through 21st Century Technology: TeachingBooks.net supports your reading and library activities

    * Wednesday, January 20, 2:45-3:15 Eastern Time | 1:45-2:15 Central Time
    * Wednesday, January 27, 3:30-4:00 Eastern Time | 2:30-3:00 Central Time

    http://teachingbooks.na3.acrobat.com/sunlink21stcenttech/

Virtual Classroom Visits from Authors: TeachingBooks.net for High School

    * Wednesday, January 20, 3:30-4:00 Eastern Time | 2:30-3:00 Central Time
    * Wednesday, January 27, 2:45-3:15 Eastern Time | 1:45-2:15 Central Time

    http://teachingbooks.na3.acrobat.com/sunlinkvirtualvisits/

You do not need to pre-register, nor do you need a telephone or special software. You just need Internet access and speakers or headphones. Simply click on a link above at the time of the webinar and enter the meeting room.

Webinar descriptions and details at:
http://TeachinBooks.net/sunlink_webinars

We hope you'll be able to attend. Best regards,

Nick Glass, Founder & Principal - TeachingBooks.net

I'd be willing to trade parts 4 and 5 of Assignment 2 for a report on any one of these to the group in the discussion area!  Let me know if you're interested!

Funny You Should Ask...

... delivers a grin to your desktop every Monday morning — presenting real-world questions that cause reference librarians to wonder: "Why in the world would anybody want to know that?" Most of them make me smile, but this one made me giggle out loud!

You can subscribe to the weekly "funny by email" here. If you get "one of those" questions, you can submit it, too!
Read about Sendak's Wild Things here, and visit the latest screen adaptation's website, too. You'll find lots of good stuff including posters, screensavers and wallpapers to download. I don't think you'll find a map to the wild things, though.

What Do We Call Ourselves?

At the ALA Midwinter Conference in Boston yesterday, AASL redefined the term that describes the certified person who runs a school library (or library media center). We shall henceforth be referred to as school librarians. Some people are thrilled; others are irate.

So what do you think? What term would you prefer? Vote now! Then check back to see what your classmates said.

If you're not in educational media, you can vote, too!

ISTE SIGMS Award

That link is http://tr.im/KISn if you want to get more information or apply!

Something to Think About

From a new book by Daniel Pink, Drive:  The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.    Pink is the author of A Whole New Mind:  Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. I highly recommend both!

What would Martin Luther King Jr.'s sentence be?

Ask yourself the second question every day!

Help students learn to ask themselves these two questions, too!

You might also be interested in this interview with Pink talking about schools and education:  "Carrots and Sticks are So Last Century" in which he asserts 'The time has come to tap "the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world."'  Really intriguing.

Free Ebook

Download this free ebook - a compilation of 70 great thinkers with inspirational ideas for the new year. The book is meant for business people but it's certainly applicable to educators as well. Edited by Seth Godin.

My favorites: p. 10 (Meaning), p. 16 (Enrichment), p. 20 (Excellence), p. 23 (Ripple), p. 26 (Poker), p. 40 (Celebrate), p. 42 (Adventure), p. 43 (Dumb), p. 50 (Change), p. 54 (Confidence), p. 64 (Leap), p. 67 (eDo), p. 81 (Gumption). Oh--and most of the pages in between.

My very favorite: p. 44 (Nobody)

What are your favorites?

More on the Upcoming (January 18th) Awards at ALA

The AASL blog has lots of information about how you can take part in the ALA Youth Media Award--Caldecott, Newbery, Prinz, Coretta Scott King, etc.  Check it out. 

I'm there!

Show Your Stuff in a Virtual Quilt

I received an email this morning from Dr. Joyce Valenza, one of the best school library media specialists in the world! She is proposing something very special to help people realize the value of school libraries. You can read about it here.

If you're not familiar with the Washington Moms, read about their work for school libraries. Think about contributing...or how we as a class might collaborate to be a part of this!  What a terrific idea!

THIS JUST IN! The first contribution I've seen--only a few hours after the initial call to arms! From Dianne Cordell: Reading in the Elementary Library created with Animoto!

The Librarian Is Reading....

The Reader (1910) by postaletrice
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License

In an email today from Library Media Connection (LMC)  (ok, an ad!) I found this great idea:


The Librarian is Reading _________!

Put a laminated sign on the checkout counter that lists the book you are currently reading, the author’s name, and an invitation to ask about the book. I started off with the third book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. It has led to lots of discussions about the series such as "I didn’t even know there were three books." (Imagine their surprise when I reveal that there are four!) We’ve talked about the movies and how they compare with the books, which often leads to discussions about other books with movies. Several language arts teachers in my building have adapted the idea and have a similar sign on their classroom doors. It’s a great conversation starter.

Staci Bumgarner
River Bend Middle School
Claremont, North Carolina

(I know the picture is weird, but I kind of love it. Got your attention, didn't it?)

ALA Award Day - January 18!

Each year the American Library Association (ALA) honors books and media for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards, including but not limited to the prestigious Caldecott, Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Newbery and Printz awards, guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth.

Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards also encourage original and creative work in the field of children's and young adult literature and media. The Caldecott and Newbery Awards are just two of the many awards given each year.

The awards will be announced in Boston on January 18 beginning at 7:30 a.m.  Stay tuned for all the winners, and then put them on your reading list!

Meanwhile, I found this on LIS News:

"A Very Newbery New Year"--Librarian Counts Days to Newbery Announcement with YouTube Booktalks

January 6, 2010 - 6:34pm  Hennepin County Public Librarian Nina Shimmin is currently posting a series of video booktalks, "A Very Newbery New Year," to YouTube, with a new video booktalk of a past Newbery winner appearing daily until the announcement of the 2010 Newbery Award winners at ALA Midwinter on January 18, 2010. You can view the first seven videos here.

Of course, there are more than 7 now...Great idea?  What do you think?  Is this something you could use?  Is this something you could do?  Could your students help?

Off to a Good Start

I wanted to share this VoiceThread with you...created by a teacher to help foster the love of reading and books.

I couldn't have said it better!

Remember...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Diigo

Here's a terrific tutorial on Diigo--what it is and how to use it! It's the tool we're using for Project 1 in this class.  You might want to bookmark this tutorial!

Diigo Tutorial

View more presentations from Jennifer Dorman.

Words of Advice

If I had just three suggestions to help you do your best in this course they would be:

1. Read everything carefully.
2. Follow directions carefully.
3. Aim to get your assignments done at least 24 hours before the deadline.  Things happen.

If you need more ideas, check out 10 Ways to Ensure  Distance Learning Success.  If you follow all of these, you'll earn a good grade and (more importantly) learn a lot!

The Future of Libraries

Well, my social media networks went crazy this weekend in response to a post by Seth Godin:

What should libraries do to become relevant in the digital age?

They can't survive as community-funded repositories for books that individuals don't want to own (or for reference books we can't afford to own.) More librarians are telling me (unhappily) that the number one thing they deliver to their patrons is free DVD rentals. That's not a long-term strategy, nor is it particularly an uplifting use of our tax dollars.

Here's my proposal: train people to take intellectual initiative.

Once again, the net turns things upside down. The information is free now. No need to pool tax money to buy reference books.

2

What we need to spend the money on are leaders, sherpas and teachers who will push everyone from kids to seniors to get very aggressive in finding and using information and in connecting with and leading others.

Godin is a well-respected marketing guru.  There have been numerous responses from librarians of all types, all with different points of view.

• Joyce Valenza (school library media specialist)
• Doug Johnson (district ibrary media supervisor)
• Jenny Luca (academic librarian - Australia)
• Erin Downey (public librarian)
• Carolyn Foote (school library media specialist)
• The M Word - (library marketing  blog)
  

You can see links to even MORE responses in this post from the Georgia Library Media Association blog.  Twitter discussion was hot, too!  Initially, I was burning, but I started to think that this is a very smart man,  and he probably represents many parents and taxpayers in his attitude (and knowledge).  I agree with Joyce Valenza:

The revolution can happen.  And it can happen in our blogs, through our tweets, in our libraries. It will not happen if we are asleep at the wheel.  It will not happen if we do not assume responsibility for our own retooling.

This is the year of redefinition.  Frankly, it's definition or death.  Some of you thought I was cold when I suggested that folks lead, follow, or get out of the way.

I know many of you are out there are working hard.

But it is not about working hard. It is about working smart. It is about marketing. It is about redefining. Before it is too late.  This is the year.

 And, related to our own class and professional development, these words from Jenny Luca ring true:

If you’re a Librarian right now and you don’t know what Diigo or Delicious are, or how you use Twitter for real time search, or how to go about trying to find the experts out there who may be able to answer the questions your students are posing, then you better start rethinking what it is you are doing. Libraries are not going to be about the book collection forever; they’re not about that now in my opinion. They are about being a connective space; a space where reading, discussion and discovery take place. The professionals in those spaces need to be the information sherpa enabling new understandings of how we go about finding out what it is we need.

So what do you think?