Yikes. Found some notes I’d scratched down from Joyce Valenza’s Keynote on Thursday. I thought I’d taken more notes, but since I couldn’t find them, I thought I must have imagined them! Anyway, here they are:

• Most of her items can be found at http://informationfluency.wikispaces.com
• “Kids are already content creators,” be it good or bad content, we need to make that content appropriate, legal, better, etc.
• She charged us with ensuring that blogs, wikis, nings, and other Web 2.0 tools are unblocked by our schools/districts. We should be illustrating, discussing, showing these tools are essential tools/skills that should be taught to our kids and not block access to our kids. My word: Instead of telling kids we don’t trust them at all (hence the blocking of all websites) we should be teaching them how to be responsible citizens and users of technology.
• Educators (especially media specialists) need to become familiar with Creative Commons and ensure our teachers are using appropriate (and legal) images. No more Google images searches!
• VoiceThread was highlighted and some ideas I thought of were to use this instead of PowerPoint – specific project include family stories and book reviews/reports.
• Apple Learning Interchange: “The Apple Learning Interchange (ALI) is a social network for educators. Find a wealth of content ranging from simple lesson ideas to in-depth curriculum units for K-12 educators as well as a new channel for Higher Education faculty showcasing campus projects, research and more.”

Friday: “Booktalking the Young Adult Book Award Nominees” presented by the Young Adult Book Award Committee. My last official act as a member of the YABA committee was to booktalk The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson. I also booktalked the book The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin for another member who couldn’t make the conference. To start the session, Mary Lou Elliot, our committee Chairpserson, played the podcast episode for Avalon High by Meg Cabot. The podcasts were performed by my Wagener-Salley HS drama club students. The podcasts will be made available shortly on the SCASL website but, at the time of this posting, they have not yet been uploaded. Until then, you can access the first two here and from a link on the Wagener-Salley HS Library Media Center page.

“Google Lit Trips: A Journey Your Students Will Never Forget” presented by Julia Davis, Richland School District One Instructional Technology Specialist. I posted this on an earlier blog post since I thought the tool was such a good one. There are so many possibilities for using Google Earth on it’s own, but Lit-Trips are great way to involve students imaginations and help them understand settings in novels, and possibly timelines/history depending upon how you set up your trip!

And last, but certainly not least, I attended the Author Celebration Luncheon featuring Jamie Adoff, Melinda Long, and Eloise Greenfield. We also learned which books won the 2007-2008 Awards:

Picture Book: Sweet Tooth by Margie Palatini
Childrens Book: The Old Willis Place: a Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Junior Book: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Young Adult Book: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Whew! Overall, what I really took from the SCASL conference was a renewed energy and excitement for my profession. And of course, lots of new tools to explore and skills to learn! Thanks to all of the conference planning and organization folks (and especially to Valerie Byrd-Fort) for all your hard work and dedication. It paid off in spades!

Powerful (and Fun) Programming in the Library Media Center by Dr. Pat Feehan – Full-Day Pre-conference session.

Even though the session didn’t start until 10am, I made sure to get there in plenty of time to get a parking spot in the conference lot. I arrived at around 8:30, signed in, got the facilitator packet and proceeded to wait for Dr. Pat (who arrived at around 9:00.) Good thing she got there early, as the items she requested for the room weren’t there! The conference staff was really helpful in finding a computer and VHS player (and even speakers) on short notice. Since they couldn’t get a table, I brought in the one I was lugging around for drama…guess it was a good thing I didn’t clean out my car!

While most of the ideas shared at this session were for the primary grades (puppets, storytelling, picture books) some of the techniques can be adapted for middle and high schools. Young Adults like these things, too, even if they pretend they don’t. However, no matter what the topic, I really needed a shot of Dr. Pat’s enthusiasm more than the content. No matter what she talks about, I always leave feeling inspired and recharged. Notes I jotted down include:

• Model Reading – ask teachers/staff to take some time to come down to the library and read a magazine, newspaper, or even a book! Let students see the importance of reading.
• Team Approach – get folks from the community to use the library, too! Open your doors (and advertise) that the school library is their library, too! Of course, will need to verify the feasibility of this with administration first! Would be great if we can as the public library has limited days and hours it operates and offering a place for the community to find their information needs would be wonderful. Also, work more closely with the public library.
• Purpose of the Library: support & enhance the curriculum; enrich other required & elective curricula; support personal enrichment; and support professional development. Outcomes: supports and enriches classroom learning; broadens student & teacher interests; and inspire lifelong learning.
• Use the PIE approach for programming: Planning (bulk of the pie), Implementation, Evaluation.
• Know what’s happening in your community: read newspapers, gather calendar of events (sports, school, holidays, churches, community, etc.) Go to the mall and note displays, slogans, and trends.

Since I had to lug the table back to my car (or carry it to the next session, NOT), I missed the first concurrent session. Instead, I had a nice long conversation with Mary (Media Specialist at Busbee Elem.)

Went to the Exhibit Hall Opening (5:30 – 7:30) and walked around all of the vendor booths. Okay vendor selection, same ones as always, and nothing really exciting. Did like that Walden Media had a booth with lots of great posters, activity guides, and even a free book! Stopped over at the Exploratorium and spoke with the folks from my old stomping grounds (Richland County Public Library) and met Cathy Nelson face-to-face for the first time. We’ve been communicating via email, Skype, Twitter (not really), and each other’s blogs ever since she introduced me to RSS back at EdTech in October.

After the exhibit hall closed, Cathy, Mary, and myself went out to eat at California Dreaming and talked for another two hours! Needless to stay, it was really late before I got home (45 minute drive from Columbia!) and I was still so jazzed from all that happened and that I learned that day that I had a hard time winding down enough to sleep.