*Changing the Conversation About Librarians

*Library Media Tech Talk: What Can A Library Be? Do you ever stop and think about what the school library can be for your learning community? It is easy to get caught up in the daily activities and forget about the endless possibilities that exist for our learners. As I prepare to begin my tenth year as a school librarian, I've been thinking about how the library spaces and resources can transform our students' lives. I would like to share some recent happenings that have illustrated this to me. A Safe Place Recently we hosted an 8th grade school wide orientation.

Digital Literacy - Province of British Columbia Digital literacy is an important skill to have in today's technology based world. The Ministry of Education defines digital literacy as “the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, create and communicate with others”. The Digital Literacy Framework (PDF) elaborates on six characteristics identified by B.C. educational leaders. These characteristics are based on the National Educations Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S) standards developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and encompass the types of knowledge and skills learners need to be successful in the 21st century. The characteristics are: The Framework provides a clearer, more detailed sense of what digitally literate students should understand and be able to do at various levels of their development.

Fueling Future Ready Librarians! One of the most exciting roll outs this fall has been that of new Future Ready Librarians ISTE U Course! As the ISTE U site states, Welcome to our classroom. As an educator your time is limited. That’s why we have curated a set of engaging professional learning experiences just for you! Library Media Tech Talk: So You Are a New School Librarian... Now What? I remember taking my first school library job in the summer of 2008. When I arrived at the school in July to begin working, I quickly realized I had no idea where to start! Even after doing this job for 7 years, I still have to remind myself what needs to be accomplished in the summer before everyone gets back on campus. I hope this will help you see some of the steps you need to think about as you prepare for a successful school year from the library media center. Most of the July "to-do" list is really all the items that I renew or order during the summer months.

Being a Better Online Reader Soon after Maryanne Wolf published “Proust and the Squid,” a history of the science and the development of the reading brain from antiquity to the twenty-first century, she began to receive letters from readers. Hundreds of them. While the backgrounds of the writers varied, a theme began to emerge: the more reading moved online, the less students seemed to understand. Designing Collaborative Spaces Shannon M. Miller: Hi everybody. I’m just going to open up the window so we can start the webinar. We’re so excited to have everybody here with us today. We just start out by getting into the presentation right away today so we can see all of this great information.

Advice to New Librarians As the school year begins, some of you may be starting as a school librarian for the first time. With my position, I am able to work with new school librarians in my district. Whether the librarians have just a few or many years as a classroom teacher, they step into this new role feeling overwhelmed with the common question, “Where do I begin?” The following hopefully answers that question and more. Build Relationships: When I go out and speak to groups and advocate for classroom teachers working with their building librarians, I sometimes hear a comment or two about how they don’t feel comfortable approaching their librarians. Get to know the staff.

Global Explorers [Workshop] Workshop Description: How do we get our news? What stories do we see and which do we miss? Program – Designing Libraries VII Location: High Density Library (morning) & Lab NEXT, 3rd Floor, Taylor Family Digital Library (afternoon) **Buses will leave from the north entrance of MacEwan Student Centre at 8:30 and provide return transportation to MacEwan Hall at 12:00.** Speakers: Five Tips for New School Librarians – A Guest Post by Cathy Potter January 2012 marks the one year anniversary of when I started my first position as a teacher librarian. In celebration and in way of thanks for all the help I’ve been given in that year, I am hosting a series of posts this month for new teacher librarians. Today’s post is by Cathy Potter.

15 Awesome Websites That Tell a Story As You Scroll This post showcases 15 sites that take parallax scrolling to the next level by combining CSS animations and JavaScript to manipulate page elements upon scroll to immerse the user into a developing story. As new CSS properties are becoming widely supported, designers are combining tools to create amazing websites that were once only feasible in Flash. Check out these outstanding designs and start scrolling to unveil their full design. The Journey from Library to Learning Commons The library, at one time, was the center of the school building. It's where knowledge was held, books were shared, and ideas were generated. It was quiet, to the point that mini-lessens were taught about the edict required while in the confines of this environment. A library in 1980 could look very similar to one today - Why is this? Nothing else has stayed the same...our students are different, technology has changed the way we gain information, and brain research has restructured our approach to the way students gain and understand information. At Christie, we were ready to transform our library to a Leaning Commons, and to once again make our library the center for learning.