Inspiration to Share....

With the list of the 2010 Edublog Awards containing so many library media specialists/teacher librarians, I thought I should stop being so silent in the eduverse. I do want to take a moment and highly recommend the TL Virtual Cafe webinar series for your vote in best webinar series. The webinars are always the first Monday of every month and are very timely in their topics. The #tlchat twitter discussion is also a nominee.

My Geek Tribe buddy gwyneth jones, the daring libarian's blog is up for The Best Educational Use of Video/Visual. She knows that I am admirer of all her visual images. Both images in this post are hers. The list of nominations goes on for the great voices in our field, so check out Diane Cordell's blog post where she lists all the librarian nominations.

Now check out a new webinar series that is a collaboration between ISTE SIGMS and ISTE SIGILT - 1 Tool at a Time. These 30 minute webinars offer a fast and fun way to add great web 2.0 tools to your instructional technology tool belt. Flickr Fun is the tool for the next webinar on Thursday, December 9th at 8 pm. Margie Gaudino will highlight how to create Flickr galleries and slide shows to share with your students. Learn how to Geo-tag your photos. Here's how to connect: http://connectpro85837030.adobeconnect.com/r44398085/.

ISTE10 Denver - SIGMS Events

I'm in Denver, ready for ISTE10. SIGMS will be very active during this conference and whether you are here with me, or thinking about participating virtually, SIGMS has a variety of events planned. Visit the ISTE SIGMS ISTE10 wiki page to find out about the SIGMS Playground both in RL and SL. Many of us will be blogging and tweeting so follow the hashtag #sigms10. Here's information on the Second Life SIGMS Playground. It all starts tomorrow.

ISTE SIGMS Webinar - Gaming in School Libraries

Webinar for April
Gaming in School Libraries
Thursday, April 22nd at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5 pm PT
Presenters: Kelly Czarnecki, Christopher Harris, and Brian Mayer

Join SIGMS for a free, winning webinar on Gaming in School Libraries. Authors Christopher Harris and Brian Mayer reveal reasons why modern board games need to be a part of your collection from their new book on gaming in school libraries. From curriculum alignments to the creation of socially networked learning, the games that make their top lists are proven hits in K-12 libraries.

Kelly Czarnecki, Technology Education Librarian in Charlotte, NC. will share ideas on how to host gaming events for all different types of users from her new book, Gaming in Libraries. She will discuss how to incorporate problem solving and content-area learning in K-12 classes by using modern board games, video games and virtual worlds. Learn how librarians have already found success using games as instructional resources and a surefire way to draw students to the library.

Directions to join the SIGMS webinar event
1. Check that your computer is set up for Adobe Connect by visiting Adobe Connect Pro Connection Test
2. Use this URL to enter the webinar room 10 - 15 minutes before starting time: http://Montgomery.na4.acrobat.com/SIGMS
3. Enter as a guest and type your first and last name.
4. Here is a link to a Visual Quick Start guide (pdf) to help you if this is your first webinar event.

A Nation Without School Libraries

Check out this map. It marks the cities, towns, communities, and states that have made the decision to either eliminate certified school library positions (indicated in blue) or require one school librarian to work with two (2) or more school library programs throughout the week (indicated in red).

And then visit my friend gwyneth's blog post (the daring librarian) to read more details.


View A Nation Without School Librarians in a larger map

“Constructing New Learning Landscapes: Evolving Practices in Education”

Make plans to attend the ISTE SIGMS webinar “Constructing New Learning Landscapes: Evolving Practices in Education” hosted by Joyce Valenza, Doug Johnson, and David Loertscher.  It will take place on Tuesday, March 23 at 5pm ET/4pm CT/3pm MT/2pm PT.  Visit http://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net for more information and to register.

About the webinar:

With the evolution of dozens of powerful Web 2.0 tools, new learning frontiers are opening every day. The new emphasis is on building knowledge rather than mastering the tools. How can emerging technologies be leveraged to create transparent, interactive online spaces that promote collaboration, critical thinking, and accountability? How can schools manage their web presences to facilitate student learning? What role should trans-literacy information skills play in the development of Common Core standards? Attend this webinar to discuss how you can support your students in their quest to explore these new frontiers of learning.

Space is limited; register today!

A Virtual SL Chat with Sara Kelly Johns

Make plans to join your colleagues on Tuesday, March 16th at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT for a very special event, “A Chat with Sara Kelly Johns”. Sara is a candidate in the election for ALA President and she will speak to librarians about her platform and her vision for ALA. Just as voting opens, this will be your opportunity to inform yourself and share your priorities. Join us at http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/127/104/29 or IM Elaine Tulip for a teleport. Please forward this message to other appropriate listservs.

If you are new to Second Life, set up an account to join us:
1. Go to the Second Life website at https://join.secondlife.com/?lang=en-US several days in advance to set up your free basic account.
2. Verify that your computer and connectivity meets the systems requirements at http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php.
3. Click on the orange “Get Started!” button. Go through the subsequent screens to create your avatar account.
4. Download and install the Second Life viewer software at http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php.
5. Open the software and log into Second Life using your avatar first name, last name, and password. Watch your avatar “be born”. Complete the orientation activities to learn about how to communicate, move, search, and edit your appearance.
6. When finished, search “Places” for locations such as ISTE or the American Library Association. Teleport to a favorite location, explore, and become acquainted with Second Life. (When searching, make sure the “search mature places” square is checked.)
7. Fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled meeting, log on and IM Elaine Tulip for a teleport to the meeting location or use provided SLURL.

What is Your Web Presence?

Come join the folks of the TL Virtual Cafe as we discuss creating a school library web presence.


Thanks to gwyneth jones for another Sir Bolt animation.

See you at 8 pm EST tonight at Learn Central.