BOOK YOURSELF OFF TO AN EVENT

Dr. Lorna Williams is at the VPL TONIGHT

The Minerva Lecture Series was created by the Canadian Council on Learning to foster discussion between Canadian learning researchers and citizens from across the country. It is a unique opportunity to understand how research can inform and affect students' learning and the everyday work of educators across the country. Come to discover why learning and education are topics that matter to everyone. Dr. Lorna Williams will be giving a free, public talk on March 28 at 7:30 PM at the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library. The title of her lecture is "Weaving Worlds: Enhancing the learning of Aboriginal Students".

Anyone interested in issues pertaining to Aboriginal Educational will know of Dr. Williams, a renowned scholar of Aboriginal Education, an Assistant Professor of Education and Linguistics, and the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge and Learning. Lorna also worked for the VSB before pursuing scholarly goals. Visit the Minerva Lecture Series page on the Canadian Council on Learning's website for more information.

LOMCIRA'S SPRING FLING

Waverly is hosting an evening with David Ward, children's author and researcher on Thursday, April 10, from 4 to 6 pm. The event, called "Collective Imagination: Reading and Writing with Children," will explore how we can further support young readers and writers in literacy as we collaboratively write and read with them.

Call Meredyth at 5328 for more information. Tix are $20 for non-members. Alanna at Trudeau writes, "I took a Multicultural Literature course with David last summer at UBC. He was an insightful professor. I was inspired by his passion for literature and his respect for all cultures. I will definitely be going to hear him speak and will be encouraging my staff to go as well." Anyone going to join them?

EXTRAORDINARY CANADIANS

Did you see this entry on last week's blog? I am still waiting to hear from anyone interested in joining me for an evening of Extraordinary Canadians with award winner David Adams Richards, historian and author Charlotte Gray, and acclaimed novelist Lewis deSoto. Shall I pick up tickets? See Blog Archives for last week for more details. It's 7:30 pm, Thursday April 17, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver. Tickets: $15/$13. Bring colleagues.

PRO D CONNECTIONS for April

TL Studio is April 9 at Kerrisdale. Online registration.

Google for Educators: Well-known Maquinna computer educator Alan Zisman is working collaboratively with David, Michele, and me in a 2-part session to learn more about Google Tools for Educators, including Google Earth, Picasa, and more. Online details and registration. April 16, 4 pm. Chief Maquinna Elementary, 2684 East 2nd Avenue (between Nanaimo and Renfrew Street), Room 102. Also, May 21, Kerrisdale School Library, on 41st, east of Blenheim. Bring colleagues.

teachingbooks and other databases: We are going to try something a little different by offering this webinar in five different locations. Bring teaching colleagues to find out about this wonderful resource for teaching literature. Online details and registration. Sessions number 409.0 to 409.4, depending upon whether you are planning to go to the school library at Byng, Killarney, Tillicum, Hamber, or room 461 at the VSB.

RESOURCES

e-Resources found at SLRCCC: Chris Ball, Head of the UBC Education Library and Associate U. Librarian for Collections and Scholarly Communications, has joined our School Library Resource Centre Consultative Committee, along with Colleen Alstad, former TL and now an SFU Education and Political Science Librarian. Chris's report to the committee on campus libraries could lead one to conclude, they have the same problems, only a much much bigger budget. 70% of UBC's library funding is spent on electronic resources -- big implications for how we prepare our students for post-secondary, right? He has sent the link to UBC e-resources which have remote and open access and which may be of interest to secondary schools. And so the mutually beneficial partnership begins!

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Freedom To Read Kits -- As promised, these were ordered and will be in the secondary schools on Friday ... that's today.

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Has anyone seen the free DVD The Boy Inside, the one the Ministry was sending out to all schools?

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February is Black History Month:

This month AwesomeStories includes a feature about Slavery, amongst other topics. Check out the site ... I have recommended this one before. We have an academic membership. I can email you the password if you want to join.

And check out teachingbooks (see Databases page off "webcat" -- you will need the password) for more Black History month resources as well.

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Dragon Books:

I need these next week.

Please let me know if you have

some really good ones set aside for me.

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I checked this Google Maps mashup (click here for Wikipedia definition of mashup) just as someone edited the entry for "Windermere Secondary School" on Wikipedia ... at 11:33 pm! How can this be? or rather, who? Thanks, TL Annabelle, who emailed this really cool tool to explain how it all works but I am not sure how the tool works -- I just can't imagine how it works! I think mashup refers to my brain under the influence of too much technology! "...this Google Maps mashup shows additions to the Wikipedia in REAL-TIME based on where the person is who added it..."

Happy New Year!

I have saved this link to as a reflective holiday greeting: What is eaten in one week (by one family around the world) is for consideration in our own New Year’s planning or for use with social studies or social issues lessons.

I will be away from my desk on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Yes, I am off to give a workshop in School District #6, Rocky Mountain, in Invermere, BC. I will be using our "Role and Responsibilities" document (sent to new and nearly-new TLs this week). For anyone else who may wish to review the scope and nature of the wonderful work you do, check this 6-page document in section 1 of your TL Handbook.

Heidi, Literacy Mentor here at the VSB, sends the following clever “marketing” youtube link of interest for TLs.

Our first TL Studio Workshop of 2008 had 15 registrants but only 5 showed up. I hope that people just forgot and have not lost interest. Michele showed us all kinds of new “open source” resources like Froguts and Scratch, as well as what can be done with the Smartboard. We met John, the new Online Learning Consultant, resisted chocolate, and considered how we might use the new tools. Attendees submitted comments in response to my blog!

I hope you find you can respond to this blog by going to the end of this January 11 entry and clicking onto “Comments.” You can mark this http://tlspecial.blogspot.com/ as a favourite and come back to it at any time.

NOTE: A blog is an online diary – we discussed possible applications for Reader Response but the jury is out on educational applications for these. It is a Web 2.0 tool in that it is interactive. Where wikis are a tool that can be collaboratively developed, blogs are written by one person and responded to by others. In blogs, the first entry is the most recent. Older entries are “archived” or scrolled through. I am still learning how to do this and will be looking for how to make it searchable. But I did choose the background and video clips, post my photo taken from a window of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and successfully enter the emails I sent you previously. Stop reading when it begins to feel as though you’ve seen this before!

Little Library in Malawi: I got a call this morning from Deanna to say thanks for the donations of really fine reading materials and supplies for the new library in Malawi. She was able to take some books with her and has just sent off 90 lbs more (with the help of a $450 community donation).

UPCOMING EVENTS:

District Literacy Day, Feb. 8: Information will be in the schools next week. 34 workshops to choose from. Be sure to promote workshops with your colleagues, and check out the ones given by TLs.

District Technology Day, Feb. 8: Check the workshops for the Faces of Technology Conference 2008 online.

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Don't forget to register for:

EBSCO Training for Teacher-Librarians

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Prince of Wales Secondary Library, 2250 Eddington Drive (just north of 25th and west of Arbutus) with our David and presenter Dennis Staples, Education Specialist, EBSCO Publishing.

This is the last opportunity of the year to get first-hand answers from the company rep. We have asked Dennis to be prepared to "customize" his workshop for the questions and interests you have.

We need more sign-up for this session!

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What Research Says About Improving the Literacy Achievements of Students of Diverse Backgrounds

Sponsored by BCLCIRA, this evening of professional development with Dr Kathryn Au will be held on Thursday, January 31, at the Italian Cultural Centre from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. For the registration fee of $55 (before Jan 17) and $65 (after Jan 17), you will have a full Italian dinner, an educational evening, and an opportunity to socialize with other literacy-minded educators.

Dr. Au, VP, International Reading Association and Dai Ho Chun Professor of Education at University of Hawaii, has authored numerous books and chapters on multicultural classrooms, diverse learners and effective literacy instruction for all students. Based on research on language and culture, Dr. Au will present evidence-based, practical instructional strategies that address the needs of all literacy learners.

Email Meredyth - mkezar@vsb.bc.ca – if this sounds like an evening for you:

Nick Glass, Founder and Principal of TeachingBooks, makes a webinar offer

If you would be interested in attending a free TeachingBooks.net web seminar, or if you think a group of our colleagues might like this, let me know. Glass writes, “This live training session would enable your librarians, reading teachers, and anyone in your district who uses books to learn directly from TeachingBooks staff about how this electronic resource supports their existing library and reading initiatives.”

He continues, “What we ask is that we have an audience. Your colleagues could be gathered in one place, spread out throughout the district, or a combination of the two. Webinar attendees need only a computer with Internet access and headphones or speakers …. The webinar would have value both live and beyond. We will record the seminar and provide you with a link to share the recording throughout your district.” Call Moira if you would like this set up.

From VPL and Hastings Library -- Teen Book Club and Palmistry for Teens

It’s back! Saturdays, 2:30 to 4:30 pm, Jan 19, Mar 1, Mar 29, Apr 26, May 24. It’s FREE. They provide the books and snacks. Registration is limited to 15 and has started already. Call 604-665-3959 to register or to get more information.

Or how about another exciting program, Palmistry for Teens, coming on Jan 26, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm. Again, registration has started. Limited to 15.

More Teen-focused workshops are anticipated. Says Karen Sharkey, Teen Services Librarian at the VPL: “We will be having a gaming program, a beauty bootcamp and a graphic novels workshop coming later in the spring and I'll keep you posted.”

Karen also thanks TLs in Vancouver for promoting the Teen Bookmark Contest. “We had over 200 entries and the 2 winners are both from Vancouver. I am working on finding an event to present them with their cheques and the big 4 foot bookmark that we give them with their art. If you have any suggestions about school events where we could do the presentation, that would be great! I am going to see if the city youth team has anything where we could do the presentation.” Stay tuned.


RESOURCES

Vancouver Kidsbooks: Pre-Sale Event for Teachers and Teacher-librarians

Phyllis Simon sends her personal invitation:

"To all our wonderful teachers!! We invite you to our Annual Sale Teacher's Night Preview for fun, refreshments and first kick at our 20% off sale."

The Pre-Sale Evening will be held at all three stores (Broadway, Edgemont, and South Surrey) from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. RSVP 604-738-5335.

The Annual Sale with 20% of all stock and 30% off Christmas stock will run from Thursday Jan 17 to Sunday Jan 20.

Please promote this event … and come with teacher colleagues. Flyer sent by email.
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NFB Learning Resources Catalogue:
Order by calling 1-800-267-7710

Lots of new titles on the environment, diversity, history, government, Language Arts, aboriginal studies, science and nature, media issues, teens, and more.

You can shop online at www.nfb.ca/store, search the free online study guides at www.nfb.ca/guides, and know that NFB DVDs are cleared for classroom use and public performance where no entry fee is charged.
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From Elizabeth Graves of ULS comes news of the January Blowout Sale:
January 14 - 19, 2008
Discounts up to 36% off on all Hardcovers (in house purchases only)

Extra bonuses include:
• A huge clearance section of 80% off titles
• 50% off selected French Books
• Free Shipping
• Lots of Reading Power titles in stock

Sale Hours:

Mon., Jan 14: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Tues., Jan 15: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Wed., Jan 16: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Thurs., Jan 17: 8:30am - 5:00pm; Fri., Jan 18: 8:30am - 4:00pm; Sat., Jan 19: 9:00am - 2:00pm (NOTE: Saturday opening)

101B - 3430 Brighton Avenue, Bunaby BC V5A 3H4
604-421-1154 or toll-free 1-877-853-1200

Elizabeth Hennessey Graves, Sales, BC Schools & Libraries
United Library Services, 101B 3430 Brighton Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5A 3H4
T: (604) 605-8926 F: (604) 605-8961 e: egraves@uls.com


Awesome Stories – The January issue

I know I’ve talked about this site before. The January Issue is available now. And there is a subject index , a separate section for learning tools such as animations, online games, and virtual field trips, and streaming audio recordings of their stories. You don’t have to load a player; just click on the green arrow at the top of each recorded chapter and off you go. Look for podcasts of stories soon. We have now got an academic membership using 39vsb as the password.

Writers In Electronic Residence Launches 20th Year

Jan. 14: Linking Canada's Writers with Canada's Schools

Imagine having Wayne Gretzky assess your stick work, or Elizabeth Baird test your butter tarts. Then imagine that their advice was part of a free exchange of ideas among other students, teachers, and the pros, culminating in everyone joining in a practice hockey game or sitting down to eat the final creation. This captures the reality of Writers In Electronic Residence, where the coaches are prominent Canadian writers, working online wth students and teachers in elementary, middle and secondary classrooms across Canada--Iqaluit to Toronto, Vancouver to St. John's.

WIER's winter term will open with its usual two-week "introductory period" on January 14, 2008. Space is available in each of WIER's online writing programs--elementary, middle school, and secondary school levels. The term will run until April 5.

Please visit http://www.wier.ca/ for program information, student writing samples, author biographies and the like. Here's a quick link to WIER's registration FAXBACK FORM.
WIER is administered by the Canadian Education Association in alliance with OISE/UT.

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From former TL Val, now Co-ordinator, Artists-in-Residence Program, here at the VSB:

WORKING LIVES: A MUSICAL HISTORY OF LABOUR AND ENTERPRISE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

This year celebrate BC’s 150th birthday using this new online learning resource: http://www.workinglives.ca/. It provides a uniquely creative perspective on BC's social and economic history. Collaboratively developed by a TL and a singer/songwriter John McLachlan, Working Lives works well with the Social Studies 10 BC Resources unit. Historical figures are kept alive through the songs they inspired.

Each of the 10 songs can be downloaded. Archival photographs and pen and ink drawings give the songs a visual context, while background information and learning activities in a PDF format encourage students to actively engage with the website. Extension activities and extensive bibliographies enable further research. Working Lives was classroom tested during the development process.

To launch Working Lives as a classroom resource in BC schools, request one of the FREE CDs (limited number) from BCTF Lesson Aids: 604- 871-2180. A $5.00 charge for postage and handling will apply.

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New Book The Evergreen Country: A Memoir of Viet-Nam
By Thuong Vuong-Riddick

Some of you may know Mimi, Settlement Worker in School (SWIS) at Churchill. Her sister Thuong Vuong-Riddick has just published her second book. Mimi has emailed me to say Chapters doesn’t have enough copies at the moment so you can contact Thuong directly thuong_riddick@hotmail.com with questions or ordering information. Five secondary schools have her first book of poems, Two Shores : poems = Deux Rives: poemes

From EdInfo Digest, Jan 3: A BC ARCHIVES Website: THE AMAZING TIME MACHINE

If you haven’t looked at this resource, you should do. It caters to school age children and provides access to British Columbia historical documents, images, and other multimedia information in a format that they can relate to.

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/index.htm

Archival documents (photos, newspaper clippings, drawings, paintings and pages from people’s journals etc.) are grouped into 11 collections that range from “Families in B.C. History” for grades K–1, “First Nations Art in B.C.” for grade 4 and “Women in B.C. History” for grade 11.

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler01/frames/index.htm

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler03/frames/index.htm

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler10/frames/index.htm

The Time Machine is the winner of various awards and “best-of” lists and received a five-star rating from the Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

And finally, this week …

A REMINDER: Sun/Province AFFIDAVIT WEEK IS COMING UP! Here's a suggestion from a TL colleague: Fill in every blank except the date (# of licences = the number of students in your school), photocopy it 6 times so you have enough to send in until June, then each month you only have to fill in the date and FAX as required.

New TL Directories have been sent out. Please replace the ones from the Fall. Some changes have been coming in. We will send these out by email so that you can make relevant changes on your print copy.

Have a great weekend!

Summary Email Morphs to Blog

Here is me "bloggin' it" ....

The TD books The Zlooksh are on their way. If you have submitted your numbers (grade 1s, plus any who sit in classrooms with grade 1s, so there are no tears or tantrums … oh, how much we who have dwelled only in secondary have to learn!) as requested by email this week, then expect these to be delivered early in the week. Morna is phoning for missing numbers and Kim, our clerical assistant, is waiting to count out your books for sending by blue bag. This is the only notice you will get … speak to your administrator if you want to be the one to give these out! Each school, I understand, has its own way of doing this.

Also due next week is Vol 1 Issue 1 of the TL Special News, my first-ever newsletter which, even as I have taken it to press, I am realizing what I left out!

Bulk ordering:

23 schools have given me names as being interested in a possible bulk order of the 2008 World Book (print edition). List: $882.00 ;
9 schools are interested in World Book Library of Natural Disasters List $340;
Lands & Peoples – now Scholastic Online – 3 schools;
Webfeet – 3 schools;
Make it Work – Geography – 1 school.
Any more titles or interested schools, pls let me know this week.

ERAC: Please go to online application form to apply. No district committee is being struck so let’s make sure TLs are available for the 3-day video and DVD selection event, April 30 to May 1. If you are successful in applying for this, ERAC provides release time. You may have colleagues who should be encouraged for their particular expertise.

WEBFEET: I gave erroneous information at one session of the multivendor display. This is not free but I am looking for the balance of a free trial so that those who hadn’t seen it can. Here is the SLJ review, however:

WebFeet Online. RockHill Communications, 14 Rock Hill Rd., Bala Cynwyd,
PA 19004; 888/762-5445; www.rockhill press.com. $495 for schools with under
1,000 enrollment and public libraries serving populations of less than 10,000.
Gr 5 Up--This database of Web sites has billed itself as "the premier
Interact subject guide for middle school, high school, and public libraries."
Unfortunately, it does not even come close to living up to that billing.

· Any feedback on the multivendor display would be appreciated. It was a real disappointment not to see S&B this year due to problems with the transport company. It was a real disappointment for this vendor to have 20 empty tables.

· I have had an opportunity to speak with Ed Devine of Baker & Taylor. We will be exploring possible savings on US titles using this vendor. In the meantime, I have attached more information for your consideration.

· Next week, David and I will split the list of schools not yet subscribed to The Sun or The Province free online subscription and register you, setting the password as library. There is still a hole in the security we need to close.

· Have a look at this: Teachers' Domain is an online library of free multimedia resources as well as professional development courses developed by WGBH - Boston's PBS station - that help teachers enhance their students' learning experiences and advance their own teaching skills using media from NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, and other public broadcast programming. I watched a fantastic video clip about frogs that freeze solid in the winter. Am I smarter than the average grade 5’er? Not even close.

· TORONTO, Tuesday, November 13, 2007 -- The Royal Canadian Geographical Society launched the second generation of its groundbreaking Canadian Atlas Online at a public event held today at the Ontario Science Centre. Check out this great resource.

· ALERT! I hope everyone got the important email message about the pornographic link that needs to be removed from the two titles (multiple sites) we have in the Magic Attic series in Vancouver elementary school library collections. I sent the email last weekend with a red exclamation mark.

If you are interested in, or know someone who is interested in, being part of a TL cohort to start next fall (you can be part-way through your diploma, just beginning, or just taking courses for interest or refreshment!) … let me know.

· I signed up for and get a newsletter from Teachingbooks. This is an excellent teacher resource. Password only: library1.

· Maryann was sighted in the building today … not by me, but others report she was here. Suspect it’s that Reportsmith thing!

Thanks for advice from one TL on the once-a-week summary email – BUT it all gets a red exclamation mark because I am trying to reduce things to ONE you can read over a cup of coffee or over a couple of days. It’s 4 pm and I’ve had enough. I’ll send these on Fridays, as required, with only time-sensitive items in between. Going home! Have a great weekend.