Sunday, October 23, 2011

School Libraries...Free eBook

School Libraries: What's Now, What's Next, What's Yet to Come

Ebook By Kristin Fontichiaro
$0.00 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Oct. 15, 2011
Category: Non-Fiction » Education and Study Guides » Teaching
Category: Essay » Technology
Words: 45706 (approximate)
Language: English

A crowdsourced collection of over 100 essays from around the world about trends in school libraries written by librarians, teachers, publishers, and library vendors. Edited by Kristin Fontichiaro and Buffy Hamilton. Foreword by R. David Lankes. Photographs by Diane Cordell.

I've recently had the pleasure of contributing to this project, the brainchild of Kristin Fontichiaro and Buffy Hamilton. The essays were written by a wonderful mix of education professionals, and will hopefully spark many future discussions.

My essay can be found in Chapter 9, Collaboration - "Diane Cordell: Bridging Space and Time: Collaborating for Learning," and my photos are scattered throughout the book.

School Libraries: What's Now, What's Next, What's Yet to Come is available for free download in a variety of formats at Smashwords. Continue the dialog by leaving a review on the site.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Learning Commons at AASL 2011

Come join us in Minneapolis, and take advantage of the opportunity to Share, Connect, and Grow!

To see the full-screen version, go to AASL 2011 Social Media and Learning Commons

Sunday, October 16, 2011

AASL 2011 Learning Commons

"Bloggers Cafe Joyce presenting" by msbrendadanderson

In November 2009, I participated in an exciting professional experience. Joyce Valenza invited a group of Teacher Librarians to join her in manning an area where informal exchanges of information could take place. We branded ourselves as the Geek Squad (now the Geek Tribe) and facilitated a participant-driven parallel "unconference" during the more formal AASL Charlotte Convention.

This year, at AASL 2011, we hope to offer the same type of opportunity via the Learning Commons, "a space where participants can gather to extend and sustain conversations from the conference experience as well as place where you can ignite new conversations for learning." Conference attendees are invited to sign up for a half-hour slot, during time which they can host a discussion, share resources and/or teach a new skill.

I've signed up for two sessions, "A Way of Knowing: The Power of Storytelling as a Connector in Libraries" on Thursday at 10:30 a.m (resources to come); and "Reimagining Libraries" on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (reLibraries wiki).

The Learning Commons is the perfect venue for self-directed professional development. It's free and open to everyone at the conference. Consider the possibilities; join in the fun!


Visit AASL 2011 National Conference & Exhibition