Internet Librarian 2011

Love the annual Internet Librarian conference in beautiful Monterey, California. Wish it was held in August, not October at the beginning of the academic year. Once again, I can only attend one day -- the day I'm presenting on behalf of the California Campaign for Strong School Libraries.  The session is a part of the Schools@Internet Librarian conference-within-a-conference.  Here is the promo:

E101 – Changing the Story: The California Campaign for Strong School Libraries
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Jackie Siminitus, VP, Communication, California School Library Association
Connie Williams, Chair, California Campaign for Strong School Libraries, California School Library Association

The California Campaign for Strong School Libraries is a public awareness campaign that seeks to inform the public and policymakers on the importance of a strong school library in increasing student academic achievement. The campaign promotes the new Model School Library Standards and works to “change the story” of what a school is. California School Library Association’s Siminitus and Williams showcase a number of major outreach efforts including an audio journal; bus ads; Illustrators Galore @ LIBRARY STORE; leveraging library vendors as advocates; plus how to design and offer their free, online tutorial for teens, “Tools2Create: Summer 2.0 Fun.”

Scribbitt - Kids Create Books

Here's a cool tool for teens who want to draw or make their own book.: Scribblitt.  The site's subtitle is "Sparking Creativity".  This is a good site to send kids after they complete a California School Library Association's tutorial, "Tools2Create" or "TeenLearning 2.0".

Social Media Revoution -- New YouTube

The future is here. Don't get left behind! Why it is so important for educators to learn web 2.0 tools:

1. See newest version of Social Media Revolution (below)
2. Sign up immediately for Classroom Learning 2.0 or School Library Learning 2.0
   

Share widely!
Help your friends get comfortable with social media.
If you work with young people, try the new Teen Learning 2.0 tutorial by the California School Library Association.

California School Library Association Sweet Tweets

The California School Library Association (CSLA) has a new social networking task force consisting of two techie teacher librarians, one representing Northern California (NorCal) and one representing Southern California (SoCal). They have set up a wiki Twitter page for CSLA members to add their twitter addresses so members can get their "web feet" wet by following friends and learning how to effectively use the social networking tool.

Thanks go to CSLA social networking stars Anna Koval (NorCal) and Marie Slim (SoCal). Anna and Marie say: "Try Tweeting! Follow your fellow CSLA members and add your name to the list! Use a #CSLA hashtag for general school library tweets and #calibconf for Annual Conference tweets!"

Summer 2.0 Fun - Intro to Web 2.0

The California School Library Association (CSLA) is celebrating its 4th Summer of 2.0 Fun. Four years of offering educators a free, online web 2.0 tutorial with curriculum connections and an opportunity to explore new media in a relevant and meaningful way. Within a school, teachers teach. Outside of a school, they talk about students, books, education issues. Often, there is no time within a school day or school year to learn how to effectively and creatively use new tools. Summer vacation is an ideal time to learn.

CSLA says:

• This is a great way to get you, your library and your profession visible! See more at Summer 2.0 Fun
• If you have already completed the course, good for you! You are way ahead of the pack. This is a good time to do outreach and get others at your school to learn the new media. Please pass this invitation along to administrators, professional development and ed tech directors, local schools of education, and other associations you belong to. Post about it. Tweet about it. BRAG about it.
  

Summer 2.0 Fun runs from June 1-September 1. CSLA encourages all educators to participate in one way or another in order to move California and the nation's schools ahead -- no need to wait or hope for any stimulus money or budgets. Just do it. This course has no quizzes or exams.

That's the spirit! After all, most large corporate employers only offer online training and professional development. We can do it too!

NING to Phase Out Free Accounts

NING, a free social networking site used by librarians and educators, among other interest groups, will gradually become fee-based. According to Don Clark's 4/19/2010 story in the Wall Street Journal, "NING Moves to Phase Out Free Accounts", the company is revising its strategy to make money and to better address misuse of its service. NING users currently can establish accounts anonymously, which makes it easy for disreputable users to abuse the networking service. Addressing misuse of its service is not the business it wants to devote so much time and effort to. One way the company can better control SPAM, pornography, and other junk is to eliminate the anonymity factor by requiring a credit card for monthly services.

Co-founded by Internet entrepreneur Marc Anderson in 2004, NING is cutting its work force by 40% and will focus its efforts on paid services. The WSJ interviewed NING executive Jason Rosenthal, who said that their customers who use NING premium services (paid services) account for about 80% of the company's revenue. The company's original business plan assumed that most of its revenue would come from paid advertising.

Given the change from free to fee-based, the California School Library Association (CSLA) will remove or de-emphasize reference to NING in its professional development courses, School Library Learning 2.0 and Classroom Learning 2.0. Educator NING sites include:

• Library 2.0
• ALA Members
• Teacher-Librarian
  
• Computer-Using Educators
  
• Teachers2.0
  

The good news is that NING plans to probably offer a low price for educators, individuals, and small non-profits. NING's starting price is $4.95/month, so the educator price would most likely be lower. New service plan offerings will be announced on 5/4/2010.

Learning 2.0 -- New Class of Teacher Librarians

This weekend, the California School Library Association started getting registrations for School Library Learning 2.0 from CSLA members who are enrolled in a Teacher Librarian certification course. CSLA greatly appreciates this special professor and her students!

CSLA members who take the course are cheered along by members of the CSLA 2.0 Team. In this case, students are directed to follow one another and comment/cheer/encourage their classmates. It is an ideal way to learn and "build community".

GoAnimate

Teacher Librarian Marie Slim has been using a bucket full of different attention-getting web 2.0 tools to promote the California School Library Association conference in Ontario this November. See Marie's GoAnimate promo:

GoAnimate.com: CSLA Early Bird Sign-Ups by Oct. 30th by sraslim


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Widget for Sharing -- "Share This"

Tom Kahn shared a cool tool -- a widget called "Share This" so I experimented with it on a number of my blogs. It allows me (and readers) to share a post with other social networking accounts. I shared an item from my Advocate4Libraries blog with my Facebook account, but could also share (re-post) with my Twitter and other accounts.

How would you use this? Here is an example: Members of the California School Library Association could post a message on their personal or library blog account about the California School Library Association's popular, free, online educational technology tutorials for teachers called "Classroom Learning 2.0" and "Discovering Assistive Technology". For those who have completed or almost completed School Library Learning 2.0, they could add a testimonial about how much they learned and enjoyed the discovery learning format. You get the idea! The more who hear about the CSLA professional development and program tutorials, the more visibility for school libraries. Remember, strong school libraries build strong students and lifelong learners!

Section 108 - Copyright "Spinner"

California School Library Association 08/09 President Connie Williams alerted members to a cool "spinner" tool, Section 108 copyright of the U.S. Copyright Code. The code allows libraries, under certain circumstances, to make reproductions of copyrighted materials without express permission of the copyright holder. Visitors to the site can move the computer mouse to "spin" the wheel to learn the law related to five areas:

• preservation
• replacement
• last 20 years
• entire works for users
• portions for users

Classroom Learning 2.0 - Video Promotion

EdTechLife.com president Mark Wagner has created a video promotion for the free, online professional development course Classroom Learning 2.0 that is being offered to California teachers through the California Technology Assistance Project Region I. Teachers can start through the "discovery learning" course anytime from February 9 -- June 1. There are 23 "things" for participants to complete. By the end of the course, teachers will have their own blog and avatar, explored YouTube, podcasts, image generators, wikis, mashups, and much more. See CTAP Region 1 Director Peggy Ericson's flyer for directions for how to register for the course.


Among many other roles, Mark is CUEtoYOU professional development coordinator for Computer Using Educators, Inc (CUE), educational technology coordinator for the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) and California League of High Schools (CLHS), and director of professional development for California Vision Technologies (CVT).

This fun course is an ideal way for teachers and schools to take responsibility for learning the new web tools of the 21st century -- no need to wait for budgets or permissions to learn. Says CSLA 08/09 president Connie Williams, "Classroom Learning 2.0 gives individuals permission to have fun".

CTAP1 Offers Digital Media tutorial - Classroom Learning 2.0

The California Technology Assistance Project is offering a free, online teacher tutorial on web 2.0 tools and curriculum connections. The 9-week "discovery learning" course runs from February 9 through June 1, 2009. Although all teachers are welcome to take the course, registration is especially for teachers in the five-county CTAP Region 1 -- Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Sonoma Counties.

Peggy Ericson, Director-CTAP Region I says "You are invited….
… to participate in an innovative online tutorial that appeals to teachers who like to be one step ahead of their peers… and their students! Classroom Learning 2.0 is FREE, FUN, and CATALYST for Change. Check it out! "
See CTAP's flyer for details on how to register.

Discovering Assistive Technology - a Tutorial

Discovering Assistive Technology is launched! It is a free online course from the California School Library Association and TransAccess. It requires no registration, only an investment in time and interest.

Posted to CALIBK12 listerv by Connie Williams, CSLA President 08/09:

NEW in 2008-2009: Discovering Assistive Technology

An overwhelming number of the CSLA members who finished Learning 2.0 said they wanted another tutorial, so we did some serious thinking and looking for a topic that addresses technology and student learning. The subject of assistive technology rose to the top of the options for a variety of reasons. For one, we like the goal of California-based non-profit TransAccess, which is to help students with disabilities transition from school to career so they can be self-supporting. We also recognize that all of us – of all ages – could become disabled or know someone who has a disability, so it is good to know more about assistive technologies. We hope you agree that this is a professional development tutorial that you will welcome and share with your colleagues. October is “Disability Awareness Month” -- we encourage you to work through Discovering Assistive Technology so you can recommend books, resources, and our third CSLA tutorial.

Winter 2.0 Fun is launched!

From Connie Hamner Williams, co-lead of School Library Learning 2.0:

Winter 2.0 Fun runs from December 1, 2007 - April 1, 2008. This is a repeat of School Library Learning 2.0 that was offered over the 2007 summer.

Join your colleagues to learn more about YouTube, podcasts, image generators, wikis, mashups and other web 2.0 tools. Now is your chance to learn, at your leisure -- in the comfort of your own home, all about these exciting new tools. This on-line tutorial will take you step by step through the use of many of the tools listed above. There are already many ideas posted on CSLA's California 2.0 Curriculum Connections wiki on how to develop library lessons and useful classroom collaborations. Join in this discussion and add to it, the many ideas you'll be getting as you work through the 23 Things of this tutorial.

With over 60 CSLA "Summer 2.0 Fun" graduates, you have lots of learning partners to call on and many of these grads will be your cheering partners. CSLA's Ed Tech Committee gives this special feature a new name: "Peer Cheers."

School Library Learning 2.0 is a free, fun, and fabulous way to learn together and strengthen our collective educational technology savvy. There is a Continuing Education option through Fresno Pacific University (Course #IND 1149.)

Start today at

http://schoollibrarylearning2.blogspot.com

Connie Hamner Williams
CSLA 2.0 Team
President-elect, CSLA
CSLA2team@yahoo.com

Go 2.0! Go 2.0! Go 2.0!

Rob Darrow led the School Library Learning 2.0 cheer (made up on the spot.) It goes like this: Go 2.0! Go 2.0! Go 2.0! He held his iPod in the air to capture the cheering. It was great to meet and greet the many Summer 2.0 Fun "graduates" and announce the December 1, 2007 - April 1, 2008 "Winter 2.0 Fun" session.

Rob Darrow Demos the Power of SKYPE

Thursday at the California School Library Association (CSLA) conference in Ontario, California, Rob Darrow gave a workshop on "Library 2.0 and How You Can Use It."

He urged about 40 teacher-librarians to focus on 3 things: START one new 2.0 thing; SELECT one new thing to learn today and apply it; and SHARE one new 2.0 application with one person back at school. He showed off a number of 2.0 applications but most impressive was when he used SKYPE, the Internet-based phone service, to bring in three guest presenters from across the country. Last week, Rob had to START learning how to use Skype because his guest presenters recommended it. So, Rob SHARED his new 2.0 application in a real test of courage when he held a 4-way conference call at the workshop. The sound and the room's sound system worked just fine -- what luck is that when technology works when you really need it to! His guest speakers were famous school librarians Joyce Valenza of Pennsylvania, Doug Johnson from Minnesota but calling in from Florida, and Cathy Nelson in South Carolina. How 2.0 cool is that?

What fun it is to experience an application that gets the brain spinning -- imagine school librarians calling authors, illustrators, subject matter experts, or publishers for "guest appearances" for a class, book club, auditorium full of CYRM reader-voters.