The Power of the Product: An EduCon Conversation

Gwyneth Jones (the Daring Librarian) and I will be hosting a session, The Power of the Product, at EduCon this year.

We're excited to be exploring this topic and hope you can join us on site or online.

One of our discussion tools will be a crowd-generated Google slideshow. Gwyneth & I will the ball rolling, and then invite you to add your own examples to the slide deck we're constructing. Additional resources are being archived at the TL Virtual Cafe.

A conversation is only as "Creative, Meaningful and Daring" as its participants. Come join us, and see what we can build together!


*and don't miss Gwyneth, along with Shannon Miller and Joyce Valenza, at The Future of Student Inquiry/Research session!



"PowerofProductSodaonDeskH2" by The Daring Librarian

Embrace Your Tribe

"I Geek the Geek Tribe!" ribbon by The Daring Librarian

As I've mentioned before, Gwyneth Jones, Joyce Valenza, and I have been busy working on items that will identify tech-loving teacher/librarians as members of the Geek Tribe.

Gwyneth has done her usual amazing job blogging about our efforts. Since she and Joyce will be attending ISTE 2010 in Denver this year, I'll be the Tribe rep at ALA DC 2010. If you haven't ordered a badge or stickers from Zazzle, you can download and print a free membership card using the templates found in the Geek Tribe Logos & Stuff Flickr gallery.

I will be carrying a limited number of Geek Tribe cards and ribbons to hand out to sympathetic souls who proclaim, "I Geek the Geek Tribe."

Any profits from the sale of Geek Tribe items benefit the Teacher Librarian Ning. As Gwyneth so tactfully explains,

If you use our graphics on your website, please do us the courtesy of linking back to the Teacher Librarian Ning , TL Virtual Cafe, or this [Gwyneth's] blog. Most all of my graphics are Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share-Alike - BUT if i find you using them to sell T-Shirts, coffee mugs or some other SWAG that doesn't benefit our group i will "hunt you down and skin and wear you like last year's Versace!" - Dina Manzo RHONJ

Those who want to get feeds from both ISTE and ALA should bookmark Geek Tribe member Buffy Hamilton's Netvibes page.



"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." -Jane Howard

Library Tech Geek Tribe

Tribe: A unit of sociopolitical organization consisting of a number of families, clans, or other groups who share a common ancestry and culture and among whom leadership is typically neither formalized nor permanent... A group of people sharing an occupation, interest or habit.


Due to copyright issues (about which librarians are VERY serious), we were unable to continue offering Library Tech Geek Squad buttons for sale.

The good news, is that our talented designer, Gwyneth Jones, has created an even better design: we are now the Library Tech Geek Tribe!

Items currently available on Zazzle include Tribe buttons and stickers, with other products in the works.



As before, any profits from the Geek Tribe line will be used to help support the Teacher Librarian Ning.

Please visit my Zazzle page for ordering information.


*Bonus!
A week before ALA and ISTE we'll be publishing a copyright free conference badge for new Tribe members to print out and proudly display!



"The group" by Grzegorz Łobiński

Don't Be Meek, Flaunt Your Geek!

*Temporary glitch - design licensing is being changed, badges will be available soon!


When Joyce Valenza formed a Geek Squad to help run the Unconference at AASL Charlotte, members thought it would be fun to create badges to advertise the group.

I've worn my badge to various events and people always ask where they can get one.

The design was created by Gwyneth Jones; I took her concept and created a final product at the Zazzle website.

Now Geek Squad badges are available for public sale. Gwyneth and I have conferred with Joyce, and we've all agreed to use any profits from the badges to help support the Teacher Librarian Ning.

Get your Geek on and support an excellent online community of library professionals! Ordering information is available on Zazzle

Gwyneth Gets It Done!

I'd like to congratulate all newly-elected ISTE Board Members, most especially teacher/librarian/technologist and all-round creative force Gwyneth Jones (a.k.a. The Daring Librarian).

I met Gwyneth at AASL Charlotte, but we've become friends via the Geek Squad and TL Virtual Cafe activities.

Gwyneth has given me permission to share her latest Go!Animate video clip, a promo for ISTE 2010 in Denver.

If you are lucky enough to be in attendance there, and you see a beautiful red-head with a steampunk attitude, please give her my love.

GoAnimate.com: Blue Bear in Space - ISTE10 Conference by gwyneth

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

TL Cafe: Crisis Webinar

From Joyce Valenza:


Crisis Webinar

Monday April 19 - 8:00-9:00 pm. EST

Special Guests: Chris Harris and Buffy Hamilton
Hostess: Gwyneth Jones and Carolyn Foote

It's the most exciting time to be a teacher librarian. The opportunities for learning have never been more rich. The studies prove the value of the role of strong school libraries in student achievement. Yet, the pink slips are flying. Where do we go from here? Led by Buffy Hamilton and Chris Harris and moderated by Gwyneth Jones and Carolyn Foote, this webinar is a crisis planning session for moving forward with purpose! Please join us!
TL Cafe events, the first Monday night of each month.

Visit the Elluminate room: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/dropin.jnlp?sid=lcevents&password=Webinar_Guest
(allow around 10 minutes to login!)


To learn about events and access previous, archived webinars, visit the TLVirtualCafe





"Cafe Header" designed by Gwyneth Jones
"This Library Now Closed" by David Gallagher

Buffy the Filter Slayer

In case you missed the tweets and retweets, the plurks, or the blog postings from Doug (who started the photo madness), Gwyneth, Joyce and me, among others...tonight is the ISTE SIGMS free webinar, "Free the Filter," presented by Buffy Hamilton.

Gwyneth Jones has kindly allowed me to copy both her informational summary and the Buffy poster. If you work in a school or any type of library, you NEED to participate in this webinar!


"Fight the Filter" ISTE SIGMS
2nd Webinar!

Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 at 8 pm E.S.T., 7 pm C.S.T., 6 pm M.S.T., 5 pm P.S.T Presenter: Buffy Hamilton

Want to start your new year off by making a positive difference in your library program? Join ISTE SIGMS for our second FREE webinar on January 13 at 8 pm E.S.T. when Buffy Hamilton, The Unquiet Librarian, will share her ideas on "fighting the filter."

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.
https://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/_a227210/vqs-participatemeeting/



"Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest of cowardice."
- Holbrook Jackson