Alberta School Library Council (ASLC)

The Sheila Pritchard Graduate Prize

2010-06-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Coming in September another incentive to encourage teacher-librarians to continue their education.

The Sheila Pritchard Graduate Prize has a value of $1000.00 and will be awarded annually on the basis of outstanding performance, based on a minimum of four completed courses, to a students registered in the graduate teacher-librarianship program in the Department of Education. Other factors considered are leadership potential and contributions to the community.

To apply eligible students should submit a letter of application and curriculum vitae to teh Graduate coordinating Committee, Department of Elemenary Education, 551 Education Centre South. The deadline for application is September 1st. Part-time students are eligible to apply.

For more information, contact Jennifer Branch at the University of Alberta.

Library Impact Studies

2010-06-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

Although the studies are American, the information is very relevant to us here in Canada. There are some great papers and presentation materials that teacher-librarians can use to advocate for their programs. School libraries really do make a difference!!

http://www.lrs.org/school/

What does a Teacher-Librarian Really Do?

2010-03-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Check out this great video...

Alberta School Library Council Bursary Application

2010-01-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

You are welcome to apply for the new Alberta School Library Bursary Application by February 15th, 2010 for the coming year. Through this bursary, the Alberta School Library Council seeks to support Alberta Residents for training and/or research which relates to and will directly benefit those in the field of school librarianship. Up to a total of $2000 annually will be given through this bursary. For more information, contact Fern Reirson, Past President ASLC, freirson@telusplanet.net.

Please find the application form on our ASLC web site. http://aslc.teachers.ab.ca/Pages/Welcome.aspx

Great NFB Video

2010-01-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

Some of you might be familiar with the book The Girl Who Hated Books. The National Film Board of Canada has an animated video based on the book that would be great to share with kids.

Just a reminder...

2010-01-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the ASLC executive has decided to delete our Ning due to inactivity and information overload. There are other Nings that we encourage our members to join and contribute to, including:

Canuck Teacher-Librarians: http://canucktls.ning.com/

Teacher Librarian Network: http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com/

CASL Ning: http://caslnetwork.ning.com/

The other ASLC online spaces continue to exist and I would encourage you to follow this blog and contribute to the wiki: http://www.albertaschoollibraries.pbworks.com.

Joanne

A Day in the Life of the Internet

2010-01-04T07:15:00.001-08:00

This is very interesting...

Created by Online Education

Created by Online Education

CALL FOR TEACHER-LIBRARIAN AWARD NOMINATIONS

2009-12-31T11:03:00.000-08:00

CASL , a division of the Canadian Library Association honors professionals in educational institutions at the K-12 level who have made notable contributions to topics relevant to teacher-librarian and teacher
collaboration, enriched information literacy across curricular areas, and innovation in teaching, learning and technology that supports 21st century learning and school libraries.

To all educators, administrators and parents...you are invited to nominate a teacher-librarian professional who has made outstanding contributions in a K-12 school community.

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS February 28th, 2010.

Click on each award link to view the awards details, also the nomination form is on each page. Successful award winners for the following rewards will be awarded during an awards night at the upcoming CLA/ACB 2010 National Conference and Trade Show in Edmonton, Alberta : Shaw Conference Centre : June 2 - 5, 2010.

Angela Thacker Memorial Award
This Award honours teacher-librarians who have made contributions to the profession through publications, productions or professional development activities that deal with topics relevant to
teacher-librarianship and/or information literacy.

Chancellor Group Conference Grant
The Chancellor Group Conference Grant provides a $500.00 travel grant to support attendance of newly qualified teacher-librarians at the next conference of the Canadian Association for
School Libraries (CASL).

Margaret B. Scott Award of Merit
The Margaret B. Scott Award of Merit honours an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Canadian school librarianship at the national level. Nominees do not need to be members of
CASL.

The Follett International Teacher Librarian of the Year Award
The Canadian Association for School Libraries honours, through this award, a school-based
teacher-librarian who has made an outstanding contribution to school librarianship within Canada through planning and implementing school library programs, based on a collaborative model which integrates library and classroom programs. Nominees do not need to be members of CASL.

ASLC Ning

2009-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

At a recent executive meeting of the ASLC, it was decided to suspend the ASLC Ning effective January, 2010. There were a number of reasons for this decision, the main one being that the Ning has not been well used by our members. As well, we realized that there are a number of other Ning sites for teacher-librarians in Canada and the United States. We felt it would be better for our members to network with other teacher-librarians using one of these other sites (e.g.: Canuck Teacher Librarians (a Ning for friends of the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning program), Teacher Librarian Ning, or the CASL Ning).

The ASLC Ning will, therefore, be taken offline in January. In the meantime, I would encourage you to join one (or more) of the other Nings that are listed above and join in conversations there.

New issue of Literacies, Learning & Libraries (ASLC Journal) now available

2009-11-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out the new edition of the ASLC journal, Literacies, Learning & Libraries, now available in full text on the ASLC wiki. This issue focuses on school library collections and inquiry in schools.

New Issue of School Libraries in Canada now available

2009-11-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Please check out the latest edition of School Libraries in Canada (SLIC), available for free online:

http://clatoolbox.ca/casl/slic

This issue focuses on introducing resources for teachers and teacher-librarians to help students understand Remembrance Day.

The Human Side of LIS: from New York Public Library

2009-11-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

This is a great video to watch about library and information science.

New Issue of "Just in Time" newsletter

2009-10-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

This may be of interest to members of the ASLC. Thanks to Andrea Berg for the link and information.

"Now available: Volume 6:1 of Just in Time, the newsletter of the Alberta Teacher's Association’s Diversity, Equity and Human Rights Committee. Click here to access the complete newsletter.

I am sure that you will find much stimulating reading in this issue, the theme of which is faith in education. Previous issues have focused on other themes such as: FNMI, Gay/Straight Student Alliances, Character Education, Global Education, Social Justice, Gender Equity, and Democracy."

Updates from the ASLC Executive

2009-09-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Executive of the Alberta School Library Council met this past weekend to make plans for the upcoming year. There are a few items that might be of interest to the membership which I will report on below.

-The ASLC will be participating in the 2010 Alberta Library Conference at the Jasper Park Lodge in April. We are thrilled to part of this event and planning is underway to ensure a variety of school library related sessions will be included in the program. This year's conference theme is School Libraries Rock! Mark your calendars now and plan to attend!

-The ASLC website which is available through the ATA main website will be pared down to include only basic information about the council and links to our other spaces on the web.

-Past issues of the ASLC journals (Teacher Librarian Today and Literacies, Libraries, and Learning) are now available on the wiki.

-The ASLC ning, which was introduced a year ago will be disabled later this fall. There are a number of reasons for this decision, including the abundance of other Ning sites that are available for teacher-librarians. Please consider joining, if you have not yet done so, the Canuck Teacher-Librarians ning and/or the CASL ning as a way of connecting with other teacher-librarians from across Canada and around the world. The wiki and the blog will be the two main sources of information and resource sharing for the ASLC.

-Members of the executive brainstormed ideas for National School Library Day (October 26) and International School Library Month (October)at our meeting. The list of ideas is now available on the wiki for members to use, expand on, share, and adapt! Check it out!

Happy Fall, everyone!

Booktalking Resources

2009-08-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Scholastic has many resources available for you to use when booktalking their titles with your staff and students?

Joni Richards Brodart, a well known booktalker, has created a series of booktalks for Scholastic books. The text for these booktalks is available online, as are some video presentations of these booktalks. A great resource for teachers and teacher librarians.

The site for the booktalks is here:

The videos are available on the same site, or from YouTube. A sample video is below:

ATA Educational Trust Grants Available

2009-08-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

As members of the ATA, you are eligible to apply for an ATA Educatioanl Trust grant (worth $300) to offset costs associated with attending a conference. You might want to apply for funds to attend the Alberta Library Conference in April, 2010 (this is where the ASLC Annual General Meeting will be held) or the Canadian Library Association Conference in June, 2010.

For more information go to:

Canadian Library Association Annual Conference is coming to Edmonton!!!

2009-08-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

The CLA Annual Conference will be held in Edmonton next spring. It would be great to have some presentations at the conference by Alberta's school library community. Please consider putting in a proposal by the deadline, September 30, 2009.

From an email sent by Pam Ryan on behalf of the Conference Organizing Committee:

Hello Alberta Library Community,

The 65th Canadian Library Association National Conference and Trade Show
will be held in Edmonton from Wednesday, June 2 to Saturday, June 5,
2010.

CLA is pleased to invite members of the library community and other
interested parties to propose program submissions for this national
event.

Proposals are being solicited on any topic relevant to the Canadian
library and information professional community. The conference has no
set theme, and there are no defined subject streams - proposals on all
topics of professional interest will be considered. The Conference
Program Committee would like to encourage proposals which express
innovative and creative ways for presenting information to delegates.

Sessions may be presented in any format: panels of speakers, single
speakers, round-table discussions, debates, "unconference" sessions,
interviews - let your imagination guide you! The only restriction is
time: you may request either a 60 minute or 90 minute slot in the
schedule.

Poster presentations are also being solicited. These presentations take
the form of display boards, with presenters available for one-to-one
discussion with delegates at a specified time. Again, any topic of broad
interest to the library and information profession will be considered.

All proposals will be reviewed by the CLA Conference Program Committee.
The submission deadline is September 30, 2009.

Proposals must be submitted using CLA's online submission form. For
further information or to submit a proposal, please visit:

Thank you for your interest in the 2010 CLA National Conference.

Pam Ryan
2009 CACUL President

Literacies, Learning, and Libraries (Vol 1, No 1) Now Available

2009-05-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

The first issue of the new ASLC journal, Literacies, Learning, and Libraries is now available on the ASLC website. Check out this great issue of our journal that focuses on Web 2.0 technologies in schools and school libraries.

Of Starfish--a blog post by Shannon Wham

2009-04-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

Check out this great post affirming what we do as teachers and teacher-librarians...

Calgary Regional 2008 News: Tom Colbens Library Technician/Assistant Award of Merit

2009-04-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

The 2008 recipient of the Tom Colbens Certificate of Merit for Library Assistants is Fran Davies, the library assistant at both Rosedale and Arbour Lake Schools. Fran was nominated by Antigone Kollias, principal and teacher-librarian designate at Rosedale, and Lynda Smith, teacher-librarian at Arbour Lake School.

This certificate of merit is presented by the Alberta Teachers' Association Calgary Regional Alberta School Library Council to recognize an outstanding contribution made by a Library Technician/Assistant in a school library program.

Nominees will display outstanding qualities in the following areas:

* Knowledge of the school library program and support for the work of the Teacher-librarian
* Positive interactions with students, staff and community
* Knowledge of, and the ability to manage, library procedures under the direction of the Teacher-Librarian
* Ability to carry out instructions independently, with efficiency and effectiveness, as well as demonstration of resourcefulness and dedication

2008 Calgary Regional News: Bev Anderson Certificate of Merit: Administrator

2009-04-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

The recipient of the 2008 Bev Anderson Certificate of Merit for Administrators is Greg McKenzie who was presented with the certificate by his nominator, Nikki Coles, teacher-librarian at Chinook Learning Services.

This certificate of merit is presented by the Alberta Teachers' Association Calgary Regional Alberta School Library Council to recognize an outstanding contribution made by an Administrator to a school library program.

Nominees will display outstanding qualities in the following areas:

* Recognition of the role of the Teacher-Librarian and the school library program in developing an effective learning community.
* Involvement in the advocacy of the role of the Teacher-Librarian and the school library program within the school and community
* Active interest in, and support of, the school library instructional program

2008 Calgary Regional News: Bev Anderson Certificate of Merit: Teacher-Librarian

2009-04-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

The recipient of the 2008 Bev Anderson Certificate of Merit for Teacher-Librarians is Irene Masciuch who was presented with the certificate by her nominator, Barb McPherson, principal at Cappy Smart School.

This certificate of merit is presented by the Alberta Teachers' Association Calgary Regional Alberta School Library Council to recognize an outstanding contribution made by a Teacher- Librarian in a school. The Teacher-Librarian should be a member of the Alberta School Library Council.

Nominees will display outstanding qualities in the following areas:

* Development and implementation of an integrated school library program based on cooperative planning and teaching
* Good rapport with students, staff and community
* Involvement in the advocacy of school library programs within the school and community.
* Participation in professional development activities (i.e., University courses, conferences, ASLC activities, etc.)

Join Us for 1 day registration at Symposium Conference & AGM

2009-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hello ASLC members,

There are only 11 days left to register for our annual conference! Come and join us for the whole conference – a few conference packages still available!

Come join us for a day . . . March 12 or March 13, 2009

Our exciting line-up includes featured key-notes Jason Ohler, Guy Kawasaki, and Curtis Johnson. You can preview the program at http://symposium.adeta.org/progdetails

Of particular interest to our ASLC members, and directly related to digital literacy are:

Studybytes: Digital Content for Digital Instruction with Diane Galloway-Solowan, Online Reference Centre

School Library Initiative with Judith Sykes, Alberta Education

Podcasting in your Classroom with David Teasdale and Stephen Teasdale, ETC Colleagues

Alberta Parks Videoconference - The Next Best Thing to Being There with Tim Kitchen and Carey Booth

Stepping Through Windows - Moving the Classroom into the Community with Trish Savill and Diane Murray

* Learning on the Go / Mobile Learning / Ipods in the Classroom with Sean Marchetto and Wayne Meadows

.... and 65 more different presentations and forums!

Single day registration information:
Thursday March 12 - Does NOT include banquet. $175.00,
Thursday March 12 - Banquet ONLY $75.00
Friday March 13 - $175.00

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 12th from 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. in the Doll Room at the Hyatt. Plan on joining us.

Visit: http://symposium.adeta.org/
We look forward to seeing you there!

Donna Grove & Irene Masciuch, Conference Coordinators

Report on Ontario School LIbraries OSLA

2009-02-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

During the Ontario School Library Conference the Report Exemplary School Libraries in Ontario was presented. This was a joint research project conducted by The Ontario library Association, People for Education and Queen's University. The document links the effectiveness of Teacher Librarians to school success. This document can be found on the website http://www.accessola.com/ under the OSLA tab.

Researchers Don Klinger and Elizabeth Lee from Queen's University and Gay Stephenson from People for Education presented the findings of their new study, Exemplary School Libraries in Ontario, to a packed room at Super Conference 2009. The study seeks to identify the characteristics of an exemplary elementary school library. The researchers found that school libraries have the potential to increase literacy and improve student achievement. They concluded that "there are exemplary school library programs in Ontario, but there is not a unitary conception of an exemplary school program, nor is there a single approach that creates an exemplary program." The key factors that contribute to program success are: the exemplary teaching skills of the teacher-librarian, the library's positioning as the learning hub of the school, and principal and system support at the board and Ministry level.Download the full report: Exemplary School Libraries (.pdf, 2 MB)

http://www.accessola.com/data/6/rec_docs/476_Exemplary_School_Libraries_in_Ontario_2009.pdf

Giggle IT Project Age 10 - 14

2009-02-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

The International Association for School Libraries Children's and Yought Adultt Special Interest Group (SIG) are hosting the following event. Please encourage your students to write in English about their own culture and that of other countries. Teachers can register below.

Here is the URL for the media release for the GiggleIT Project. The IASL Children's and Young Adult Literature Special Interest Group (SIG) has been working extremely hard, developing and creating this teaching and learning package designed to motivate and encourage children around the world to read and write about their own culture and that of other countries.
Humour was chosen as a motivational tool and so the Gigglecritter was born and the GiggleIT Project is now ready to launch.

Thank you for your support in this venture to promote cultural understanding between countries of the world.
Pat Carmichael
Chair CYAL SIG, IASL
GiggleIT Project - www.iasl-online.org/sla/giggleIT/media_release.htm

Symposium 2009

2009-02-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

Symposium Information

2008-11-28T13:21:00.001-08:00

Speak Out about Education for High School Students

2008-11-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

The Minister of Education today launched the Speak Out web site that invites high school students to offer their views on education. Key to the success of the student engagement initiative is the interactive Speak Out website which features moderated discussion boards on various topics, 24/7. The website also provides a wealth of information for students and describes how they can apply to the council or the conference. Students need to register to participate. Speak Out is an opportunity for Alberta’s youth to share their experiences and ideas and to help the people who make decisions about our schools understand the issues that are important to them. I would encourage our high school library personnel to discuss this site with their students, introduce them to the site and invite them to think about the impact of school libraries and what they want to see in their school libraries as part of their responses.

http://www.speakout.alberta.ca/

Kaleidoscope Conference

2008-11-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

A very positive article from the Calgary Herald about the recent Kaleidoscope Conference held a couple of weeks ago in Calgary.

I would encourage anyone who attended the conference to share their stories by leaving a comment here at the blog or by posting their stories/reactions/photos/etc. to the ASLC Ning.

A great video by Michael Wesch about YouTube

2008-11-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

I seem to be on a bit of a video kick today! I would encourage you to take a few minutes and watch this video by Michael Wesch about YouTube...the first 10 minutes or so are especially interesting.

Great Video to Share with Students

2008-11-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Take a minute to watch this great video.

Distributed Learning Conference Call for Proposals

2008-11-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for the upcoming Distributed Learning Conference in Calgary, please go to the Call for Proposals website.

Distributed Learning Conference: Embracing and Becoming Drivers of Change

2008-11-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

The following information comes from the conference organizer:

The Alberta Distributed Education and Technology Association (ADETA), the Alberta Teacher’s Association Specialist Councils, and Alberta Education have come together to host a three day conference on the Future of Learning

“Embracing and Becoming Drivers of Change” provides a forum and builds a network across the 3 ‘silos’ of education - K – 12, post-secondary and the workplace.

This is your invitation to participate as a presenter, bringing perspectives and experience to delegates from across North America, engaging them in debate and discussion, driving a preferred future for learning.

The Symposium will focus on three themes:

· The Personalization of Learning
· Learning (and Social) Networks
· Innovation and Ingenuity

These themes reframe the future of learning and bring powerful opportunities to find new ways to address issues of complexity, diversity and immediacy in the 21st Century. There is a growing awareness of the importance of providing choice, flexibility and relevant learning experiences while integrating today’s technologies into the workplace and into social contexts. Distributed learning has the potential to addresses these challenges, offering multiple channels and modalities of learning, requiring educators to take a new role in shaping the future of learning.

Please take a tour through the Distributed Learning Symposium site to meet Keynote speakers and identify opportunities to join our Pre-conference Discussions.

We hope you will join in shaping the future of learning.

Regards,

Cathy Faber
Program Chair
Director Curriculum and Learning Technologies
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary, Alberta

Rocky Mountain Book Awards

2008-11-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

Grades 4 to 6 students are invited to read at least 5 of the Rocky Mountain Book Award nominees for the Alberta Children's Choice Award before voting for the winning book in spring. All the books are written by Canadian authors and include both non-fiction and fiction titles. Which one is your favourite Rocky Mountain Book Award nominee...Blog me!

Learning to Change, Changing to Learn

2008-10-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Take 5 minutes and watch this fascinating video about education and change and technology. 5 minutes with some educational leaders we should all be paying attention to!

FREE K12 Online Conference

2008-10-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Teacher-librarians from around the world will meet online at this FREE K12 Online Conference. It is already in full swing....be certain to check out what you might like to participate in: http://k12onlineconference.org/

The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2008 conference theme is “Amplifying Possibilities”. This year’s conference begins with a pre-conference keynote the week of October 13, 2008. The following two weeks, October 20-24 and October 27-31, forty presentations will be posted online to the conference blog for participants to download and view. Live Events in the form of three “Fireside Chats” and a culminating “When Night Falls” event will be announced. Everyone is encouraged to participate in both live events during the conference as well as asynchronous conversations. More information about podcast channels and conference web feeds is available!

Fern Reirson, ASLC President

ASLC News for 2008-2009

2008-10-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Please view the ASLC Newsletter to our members for 2008-2009.

Highlights include:

Connecting to our community connections: Blog, Wiki & Ning
Kaleidoscope Children's Literature Conference, November 6-8, 2008 http://www.kaleidoscopeconference.ca/index.html
Renewal of ATA Specialist Council Membership.
Distributed Learning Symposium, Embracing and Becoming Drivers of Change, March 11-13th, 2009

What are you doing for International School Libraries Month???

2008-09-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

A message from Rick Mulholland, the coordinator of the International School Libraries Month (ISLM), an initiative of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL):

I hope you are getting your plans together for our first International
School Library Month. As I write this October 1st is only 4 days away.

I wanted to bring your attention to our online submission page to share your
celebration ideas. It can be found at

http://www.iasl-online.org/events/islm/2008a.htm

Please share your ideas with us. Many school library personnel around the
world use these ideas to plan their ideas in subsequent years.

We have also created a page on the Alberta School Libraries Wiki about International School Libraries Month--use this space to ask questions, share ideas, and plan special events for your libraries!

A web 2.0 poem

2008-09-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ever feel kind of disconnected? Ever want to find out more about web 2.0?

Check out the poem posted here for Poetry Friday (celebrated every Friday by many of the bloggers who write about children's literature) recently.

And if you want to learn more about web 2.0, you might want to:

1. Take EDES 501 (544) through the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning program at the University of Alberta. This course is a playing with web 2.0 course and is a great way to learn about all of these tools.

2. If you aren't quite ready embark on a full course, you might want to try one of the many 23 Things courses that are available online. Check out some here, here, and here.

3. Search on YouTube for the Common Craft Explanations in Plain English videos on any number of topics (including wikis, photo sharing, social networking, and blogs).

4. Check out this great wiki called webtools4u2use, created by the great folks at the University of Central Florida.

5. Just do it! Create a wiki to use with your students (or check out ours!), join a ning (like the Alberta School Libraries Council Ning), subscribe to some blogs (and read them) using a blog aggregator like Google Reader. The best way to learn is to play!

More courses from the Education Institute

2008-09-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Education Institute offers a variety of online and audio programs and courses that are open to anyone involved in libraries in Canada. As a member fo the ASLC, you are eligible for the Member pricing for these programs...contact Donna Grove (dmgrove@cbe.ab.ca) for the information you will need to register as a member in any of these programs.

For more information about the Education Institute, go to: http://www.thepartnership.ca/partnership/bins/index_ei.asp

Audio Conference

Friday, September 12, 2008
1:00 pm Copyright Issues in Distance Education

Monday, September 15, 2008
3:00 pm 5 Easy YA Programs You Can Use Now!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
3:00 pm New Canadians in the Library: Expanding Services and Planning Programs for Culturally Diverse Populations

Thursday, September 18, 2008
3:00 pm Knowledge Sharing in the Era of the Socially Networked Organization

Friday, September 26, 2008
1:00 pm “So… Whaddya Got On My Family’s History?”
Reference Interview Techniques for Genealogy Patrons

On-line Course

September 15 - October 9, 2008
Time Management for Library Staff

Web Conference

Thursday, September 11, 2008
2:00 pm Library Web Site Usability Tools and Techniques: the Essentials

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
2:00 pm Using Evaluation Results to Communicate Your Value
Part 3. Outcomes Measurement

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
2:00 pm Using Evaluation Results to Communicate Your Value
Part 3. Outcomes Measurement

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
1:00 pm Cool Tools for Library Webmasters

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
2:00 pm Using Evaluation Results to Communicate Your Value
Part 4. Culture of Assessment and Communicating Your Value

Thursday, September 25, 2008
3:00 pm Write What You Know – Write What You Love

Good news for public libraries in Alberta

2008-09-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

Check out the Alberta Government New Release "Consultation to shape the
future of public libraries - MLA Committee looks to enhance libraries
through collaboration and innovation".

Free Resources for Tech Integration

2008-09-05T09:54:00.001-07:00

The most recent issue of Tech Learning's online ezine had this article by Terry Freedman. It is an interesting article about tech integration that might be useful to many of you: http://techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196605392

American Association of School Librarians New Standards

2008-09-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association recently released their standards for the 21st Century Learner. This is an important document for all of us interested in school libraries and teaching the 21st century learner. You read the entire document online by going to:

http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf

ISTE NETS

2008-09-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, recently released their NETS, National Educational Technology Standards, for Students and Teachers. You can download the PDF documents from the NETS section of the ISTE website:

http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS

Ning

2008-09-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

The NCTE blog has a new post on social networking sites, particularly Nings. For those of you curious about what a Ning is and how it works, this is a good post to look at.

http://ncteinbox.blogspot.com/2008/09/social-networking-ning-thing.html

Once you read all about Nings on the NCTE blog, please go to the Alberta School Library Council Ning and join us there. This interactive online community is a meeting place for teacher librarians and others who are interested in school libraries in Alberta. The ASLC Ning can be found at: http://albertaschoollibraries.ning.com/.

Joanne

Join the ASLC Ning!

2008-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

The ASLC has set up a Ning to aid in communication and collaboration between members. A Ning is an online social network site that can be created by individuals or groups. We will use this Ning to share websites, update ASLC members about upcoming events, and discuss common issues, concerns, and ideas. To join the Ning, please send a message to degroot at ualberta dot ca and an electronic invitation will be sent to you.

In the fall, we will use the Ning to engage in an online discussion of Will Richardson's book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. We hope this discussion will be beneficial and interesting to all ASLC members.

We're on Facebook!

2008-08-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Check out the ASLC group on Facebook...and join! We will use the Facebook group as another place to share information and connect with ASLC members. Be sure to join the group!

Education Institute

2008-08-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for PD opportunities, be sure to check out the fall courses being offered by the Education Institute. A complete list of courses being offered (most are audio-conferences or web courses) can be found at the Education Institute's website:

The following information comes from the Library Association of Alberta (LAA) which sponsors some of the sessions: www.educationinstitute.ca

Exciting and Accessible Learning @ your Desktop!
Are you interested in developing your skills? Interested in upcoming trends? Want to learn new things? Check out the Education Institute (EI)!

The Library Association of Alberta (LAA) is pleased to announce its Fall 2008 line-up of audio and web conference sessions offered through the Education Institute (EI).

This Fall, LAA has sponsored the following literary, literacy, and culturally diverse sessions:

September 16, 2008
1:00 pm MT (3:00 pm ET) – Audio Conference
New Canadians in the Library: Expanding Services and Planning Programs for Culturally Diverse Populations with Shannon Vossepoel
September 25, 2008
1:00 pm MT (3:00 pm ET) – Wired Writers Web Conference #1
Write What You Know – Write What You Love with Faye Reineberg Holt
* Register early! The first 30 LAA members to register for this author talk will get free registration!
October 16, 2008
12:00 noon MT (2:00 pm ET) – Web Conference
ABC's of Family Literacy with Kimberley Onclin
October 30, 2008
1:00 pm MT (3:00 pm ET) – Wired Writers Web Conference #2
The Twitch Generation and Jacqueline Guest with Jacqueline Guest
* Register early! The first 30 LAA members to register for this author talk will get free registration!
November 24, 2008
1:00 pm MT (3:00 pm ET) – Wired Writers Web Conference #3
Life and Times of a Non-Fiction Writer with Myrna Kostash
* Register early! The first 30 LAA members to register for this author talk will get free registration!

Register online at: educationinstitute.ca

About the Sessions
The EI offers learning opportunities for library staff in the comfort of their own libraries. Training is offered in both audio and web conference formats that allow as many staff from each library to attend registered sessions. There are also online courses and face-to-face programs offered throughout the year. Remember, as many people as can fit in one room can attend for the price of one registration, which can help you realize a significant cost savings.

Register for these sessions and find other interesting sessions on the EI website at educationinstitute.ca

ALA's new READ mini posters

2008-08-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

The American Library Association recently launched a new (free) service--their READ mini posters. They are easy to create and will make great advertising and promotional items in your library. Check it out: http://www.ala.org/ala/productsandpublications/READ_Mini_Posters.cfm

Kaleidoscope 9

2008-08-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

From the Library Association of Alberta listserv:

The 9th Kaleidoscope Conference will be held November 6–8 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The Kaleidoscope Conferences celebrate literature created for children and young adults and aim to heighten the awareness and appreciation of the creative process through interaction with authors, illustrators, publishers, producers and performers.

Presenters will include Linda Bailey, Elizabeth Bicknell, Betty Birney, Janell Cannon, Sneed Collard, Wallace Edwards, Gayle Friesen, Julie Lawson, George Littlechild, Betsy and Ted Lewin, Lois Lowry, Ben Mikaelsen, Michael Morpurgo, Beverley Naidoo, Allen Say, Bill Slavin, Eileen Spinelli, Janet Stevens, Shaun Tan, Ian Wallace, Melanie Watt, Werner Zimmermann and Jack Zipes.

More details can be found at www.kaleidoscopeconference.ca.

Diane Langston, Publicity, Kaleidoscope Conference.

Ontario Education Ministry $$ for Elem Library Books

2008-08-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just want to share this news with you:

The Ontario Ministry of Education has provided $80M in funding to buy books for elementary school libraries in Ontario.

For more info:
http://www.accessola3.com/index.php?automodule=blog&cmd=showentry&blogid=9&eid=532

They are presently looking for vendors to reply to their RFQ.

D. GallowaySolowan