Here's Whazzup ...

Trustees Viewed "Sustainable" School Libraries in Action

In June every year our school library consultative committee teacher representatives present a report to Trustees on the state of school libraries in relation to measures or Strategic Directions set by Dr Ken Haycock's extensive report on Vancouver school libraries from 2001.

This year, the report to trustees consisted solely of Cheriee's video as it so amply provides evidence of what well-supported school library programs do to promote learning through building inquiry and free voluntary reading opportunities. It is the evidence too that, in pursuing Haycock's Strategic Directions, Inquiry, and free voluntary reading, children are deeply engaged in active and social/relational learning and working in safe and supportive learning environments; their needs, styles, and choices are addressed, as proscribed in the LEARNS acronym for Inquiry in Vancouver. Nicely embedded into the footage as well is the upending of notions that our littlest ones are the readers; here they are deeply engaged in reading, note-taking, explaining, presenting, and working with technology. The oldest students are the readers! Nice, nice, nice!

I would suggest that the report was a "good news" report that, along with the "Sustainable School Libraries" newsletter which took up my last weekend in its entirety, was well received. TLs and administrators should have copies in the schools now as well.

Whazzup with The Others' blogs?

It is always a good idea to flip into the related blogs to see what they are chatting up.

• Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk features a post (June 12, 2009) on the Reid/Mortenson book Three Cups of Tea which I have just added to my Shelfari, you may note, and which I had selected as one of three "must reads" for the summer (see newsletter: also suggested Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill and Digital Literacy by Jason Ohler).
  
• Peter Pappas' (of Copy/Paste blog) most popular search was Wordle, as you can tell from his cloud.
  
• Richard Byrne, the Maine SS teacher whose blog Free Technology for Teachers is an award-winner, has posted this fantastic flyer, The Twelve Essentials. This week (June 14) he's created a Conduit custom browser toolbar with drop-down menus that provide links to all kinds of cool things. I also thought Nibipedia (linked to Byrne's blog) might be worth some more time to consider as a video search tool with great prospects for sharing with science educators. And how about Google Lit Trips as something your English teachers might appreciate?
  
• Hey Jude! is talking about what she found on Byrne's blog and about using other tools like Twitter to blog less. Time magazine this week is also featuring Twitter as its feature piece. Also check out her Student Tools -- Let Them Fly!
  
• Heather's BCTLA In Circulation blog is talking about us and our video! Nice!
  
• Near as I can tell, Chris Harris of Infomancy became an administrator in NYC and hasn't been back to blog! But I do like what he has to show about the value of the job title teacher-librarian which he says is about $10 000 (and that's US dollars). I am hoping to talk more about school libraries with Barbara Stripling in charge of school libraries in NYC, so will not need to rely on Harris for insights!
  
• From Herring I skipped into Jamie McKenzie's research models. Will get back when I have done some more work on my new Stripling-based research cycle configuration.
  
• Kathy Schrock is into Google Apps and presents a model application for the superintendent's newsletter. This could be my next goal, to work with a superintendent to post the monthly newsletter which is really a googledoc. Also have a look at her weekly Google Goodies.
  
• Joyce Valenza of SLJ's NeverEndingSearch blog has posted her own Springfield Township High School Annual School Library Report. Interesting reading, including the noticeable decline which is hard to swallow in reading from grade 8s to grade 9s. Valenza compares database usage by searches. Pretty interesting stuff. Linked from Valenza to SLJ's Stories to Share, a blog by John Peters. Seems worthy of more time as well.
  
• Whoa! Phil Bradley writes this: There are lots of custom search engines around - Rollyo, Google Custom Search and so on, but the Lijit search is designed to take all your created content from your blog, website, Flickr account, twitter and so on and create a single resource for you. It seems very simple and straight forward -- we'll see, but it does sound like something that I need to pull out the resources in this blog. Thanks, Phil. A summer project.
  
• There wasn't much new on the Pageflakes for Literacy but the North Vancouver TL Booklady is making a Web 2.0 Pageflakes that promises to be cool. Will add Librarians' Internet Index to sidebar, thanks to Schlib in or near Winnipeg who is off her blogging for the present, unless I am somehow not seeing how to find current posts!
  
• Meredyth of LateLiteracy is reading but seems a saddened blogger. The LateLiteracy blog reflects on the loss of her Mac which has succumbed to abuse and on her four years in the Literacy consulting role. I think it will be quieter in our Literacy/Library corner of The Penthouse here but it will not be the same without her next year; having half of Jacob in her place will be very different.

Regardless, the blog-tour reveals connections, connectedness, and a richness that abounds in Web 2.0 sharing.

Had you been meaning to get in touch with me about participating in the YSL Web 2.0 online conference? Now would be good!

Have a great week!

Travelling Road Show

As many of you will know, I have been a one-person travelling road show since the beginning of May. I delivered or oversaw the delivery of ten workshops, one important literacy-planning luncheon where the "caterer" (next year's TL at Tupper) got sick at the last minute, a SLRCCC meeting with a huge agenda, and a presentation to the Trustees. Thanks to everyone for your support, patience, and initiative in keeping the show on the road. I was also grateful for the opportunity to share the directions for teacher-librarianship that are transforming our work and to solicit feedback on the themes of literacy and technology integration.

I had no idea that May in this job would have been so busy -- at least as busy as it is in the schools -- but I will be much smarter next year. I have also been working alongside Maryann as she gets back up to speed -- no, really, it's more like just trying to keep up with her! She's exhausting me. Does the energy and enthusiasm for the work and her return to "the chair" permeate the email lines?


This morning I finally retrieved all the space in my car, space that has been occupied by books, snacks, utensils, equipment, and the evidence that I am a regular patron at Starbucks as a regular stop in getting to the next destination. I only went to the wrong school once (and it got even more confusing when I ask for Hugh, and the secretary replied, Who?). On the wind-down to year-end in a cubicle, I forgot to go to the school visit entered on my calendar weeks ago. The TLs, in best TL style, were incredibly gracious and will likely enjoy the snack they had prepared and the peace and quiet until our next try at meeting.


Here's what you need to know:

• there was great interest in the elementary/primary library applications of Smartboards; more than two attendees at Updates where Sylvia demonstrated Smartboards have begun the search for means to bring this tool to their schools, often a search that begins by pressing the administrator!
  
• ironically Sylvia and Maryann could not get the Smartboard to work during the SLRCCC presentation to Trustees! One or two of us may have been making jokes about a "dumb-board."


• French Immersion TLs debated the fine line between supporting on-site Literacy initiatives and being recognized as literacy experts in their own right, experts who work with different but important specialist understandings about what works to encourage students' reading


• some elementary sessions grappled with the role technology integration plays in their instructional programs


• there was generally a really positive response to the draft Literacy and School Libraries document as a source of ideas and of information for those who might have missed the connections
  
• the draft Literacy and School Libraries document was shared both with Trustees in the SLRCCC presentation and with the writer for the District Literacy Plan; there is always the chance that it provides new information about the relationship between school libraries and literacy


• there is an emerging sense of the state of technology in elementary school libraries; one school fully meets exemplary criteria; there is a positive correlation between acceptable standards for technology and administrative support, with help from parent funding being another significant factor