If a Tree Falls

*"If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Philosophical riddle

I had the great good fortune to hear Joyce Valenza speak about both evidence-based practice and library 2.0 this week. Joyce is a dynamic speaker who manages to convey the importance of the information she shares while simultaneously encouraging and challenging her audience to make a positive difference in the districts where they teach.


Joyce reminded us that the focus of our "noise" should be to advocate for programs that directly impact student learning. Emphasis needs to shift from "what's good for the library" to "what's good for the learners". The treefalls wiki includes links to this and other presentations Joyce has done; it is a "must read" for any educator - not just librarians - who wants to use web 2.o tools to impact student success. And shouldn't that be all of us?


"When there is an original sound in the world, it makes a hundred echoes." -John A. Shedd


*I cheated a bit on the picture: we woke up a few weeks ago to find that a pine in our front yard had fallen over the previous night. We didn't hear it come down, but my husband, who had to cut and remove the pieces, can testify that the tree definitely fell, whether it was heard or not!