Way Too Busy Writing a Newsletter to be Blogging!

AHA! Ever wondered what an AHA! looks like, and how it can be tied to sustainability?

Just in case you have been lingering in anticipation of the weekly blog announcement, I have jumped in quickly to say, There is much to tell ... but I am working on the TL Special News/letter (Vol 2:2) that I had meant to have out in May. I don't want to miss on putting out two issues a year as I think it's a good way to "push out" and share The Word.

The Celebration of Inquiry was fantastic. The TL Products were/are amazing. New working relationships and connections and respect, utterly priceless.

Inquiry Wiki -- Check out what we've done so far for yourself -- the page links are in the sidebar:

• Cheriee's film (Video Project)
  
• my suggested revision for The Research Quest model, called The Cycle of Inquiry and based on the work of NYC's Library Services Director Barbara Stripling (see Inquiry page)
  
• Michele's "tech integration with teaching and learning" and graphic novels materials (Miltiliteracies)
  
• sample wiki links (Technology Integration)
  
• our Readings (Inquiry)
  
• still to come: the new Mentoring Pilot Model and more.

We are taking Cheriee's film to Trustees on Wednesday evening as our annual report on the status of school libraries in relation to Haycock's strategic directions, set in 2001, and still so important to the crafting of the Vancouver Vision for School Library Programs. What I particularly like about the film is that I have Executive Director status!

So, Teacher Inquiry is about deep engagement and professional growth. Once I had created the new model, I was in the "excited space" which comes with the AHA! experiences of learning. This was late in the process as I seemed to find my place initially as a kind of facilitator to the project, an enabler and technical/clerical assistant more than a participant. But my "AHA!" meant that, once Leann and I had finished the display board on Wednesday, I could set everything else aside to do the one thing I have been meaning to do all year. I was sure it would be quick and easy -- take the photos used on the display board, dump them electronically into Animoto, choose some music, and then see if I could "mount" this as my first-ever youtube production.

I spent the better part of the afternoon of Inquiry Celebration day making a 30-second Animoto video out of photographs and posting it on youtube. I probably misjudged this process a little as I was quite late for the set-up in the room across the hall from my cubby. Anyway, by 3:30, it was posted to the wiki and I was frantically working with Wendy, Linda, Annabelle, Katharine, Gwen, Patti, Cheriee, and Michele (Jo-Anne couldn't make it) to put on the show. Whoo-hoo! Cheriee says that 1 minute of film footage takes 4 hours of editting; my first 30-second youtube took nearly 3 hours but I know the next one will be done in less than half an hour.

As there is a very good chance you may not find my little Inquiry accomplishment, although it is on the wiki, you can simply Go here -- and don't blink or you'll miss it! Next will be a feature- length Animoto video version celebrating more aspects of school libraries because it is such a cool way to capture celebrations. I will have to pay for more than 30 seconds of Animoto but it's not expensive at $3.

Keen for more Pro D? Have I got Pro D deals for you!

• FREE: Follow a discussion Envisioning School Libraries moderated online by Dr Ross Todd and Lyn Hay that explores the future of school libraries, the school library of the future, and getting there, by supporting continuous improvement and capacity building in school libraries. June 1-26, so it's already under way. Here's the pre-reading, "School libraries building capacity for student learning in 21C." Let's check that one out as Todd's work is truly visionary ... he's the one BCTLA VP Karen Lindsay raved about in her CLA Conference blog (see my last week's posting for this link). I saw him in Berkeley last summer and loved him too, and he'll be giving a day-long workshop with Carol Kuhlthau in Padua this summer so I get to see him again!
  
• FREE to the FIRST FIVE e-MAILERS, and $20 thereafter: Let's go as a Workgroup to "hear" Pat P from Gladstone, working collaboratively with Nancy (but not recording partner Joe) and Janet, social studies teachers extraordinaires, doing the Cedar Cottage Walking Tour, in the second of the Henri/Lee YSL Information Literacy and Web 2.0 international online conferences. Mr BigSix is the BIGGEST NAME on the list of presenters who will be keeping company with our little Pat. Several other Canadian presenters are on the list.
  
  The price is right for me to pay YSL for 5 TLs as a workgroup; if you are too late, it's pretty cheap Pro D to come for $20 if you don't make the first cut of 5 here. I think I should probably have the registrations in by Wednesday of this week. And your attending is about supporting one of our own. Way to go, Pat. It's a fantastic model of collaboration, The Cedar Cottage Walking Tour. And what a template for working with subject teachers, including Technology Guy and the whole socials department, with Special Collections at the VPL, and with the Ministry around notions of Neighbourhoods of Learning, Student Inquiry and locally developed curriculum, as well as the press for Digitization of our local history and geography. You are quite a team, Gladstonians! But then that's not news to me.

Back to the newsletter. Wrestling mkemp down to get the facts, just the facts, for the last column. Jockeying calls from Mary on stats, more stats ... sent her off to watch a video clip while I tackle the stats. Haven't put in any news gleaned or photos cadged of Montreal and THE AWARDS since Michele's return, but they did get into the newsletter. Well, okay, here's one photo (posted with a prayer that Karen and Michele won't accuse me of the unethical use of an image ... email requesting permission is on the way, I swear!)

Stay tuned ... Hope you have had a good weekend.