Alabama Library Media Updates
January 2019 Edition
REMINDER: January 2019 First Friday PD
Friday, January 4, 2019
Description: This webinar will be helpful for Alabama public school librarians navigating budgeting and how to develop an effective library media program. The webinar will discuss state library enhancement funds, grant opportunities, and other ways to fund the school library.
There will be one live session that will be recorded for later viewing.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss purposes and uses of state library enhancement funds
- Provide resources for grant funding (locally and nationally)
- Discuss alternate sources of funding or donations
- Understand the importance of a fully funded library and its impact on student achievement
STIPD# ALSDELIB123
Visit: http://bit.ly/FirstFridaysPD for details & link to join WebEx live/recording.
Looking Ahead to February
February 2019 First Friday
Friday, February 1, 2019
There will be two live sessions.
Objectives:
- Evaluate data to help make decisions about the library media program
- Synthesize data to advocate for the library media program
- Assess the impact of the library media program on student success
STIPD# ALSDELIB126
Visit: http://bit.ly/FirstFridaysPD for details & link to join WebEx live/recording. (Information will be on the website for February's First Friday within the next week.)
If you haven't flipped for Flipgrid yet, then what are you waiting for?
Here is an idea shared on the Flipgrid blog about one simple use for Flipgrid in the library (from the Flipgrid blog):
Our friend Shannon Miller (District Teacher Librarian and Technology Integrationist at Van Meter Elementary in Van Meter, Iowa) shared a wonderful recent use of Flipgrid for Student Book Talks.
Shannon's 2nd graders had been reading a new fairy tale series when she "decided to have the students use this series with Flipgrid by giving a book talk over one that they have read and enjoyed. The books have been in the second grade classrooms and they have been reading them for the last couple of weeks. And they are LOVING them! It was going to be so much fun using Flipgrid to capture what they truly felt about the fairy tale books." Read the full story here.
Explore Flipgrid, and find tutorials here on how to get started:
- Flipgrid Getting Started (Google Slides)
- Creating Topics in Flipgrid (Google Slides handout)
EdCamp ASLA 2019
The Alabama School Library Association in collaboration with the Alabama Library Association will be holding EdCamp at Homewood Public Library February 15th, 2019 from 8:00 am-3:00pm. EdCamp is a unique model for designing professional development that is attendee driven to better meet the immediate needs of participants.
REALISD - Rural Engagement to Advance Learning In STEM Digitally
ABOUT
REALISD in School Libraries Program provides K-12 school librarians funded opportunities to learn how to support STEM learning in rural schools. These funded opportunities will include two different types of participation: 1) a four-day onsite professional development (PD) experience and 2) a three-hour graduate course at an accredited university to be taken and earned online over an academic year.
All travel costs, tuition, fees, and other expenses for participating in the REALISD Program are provided to accepted participants. We are particularly interested in school librarians that serve rural communities in the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Please review the website for further details about applying to and participating in the REALISD Program. The REALISD in School Libraries Program is funded through a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). (Source: https://realisdproject.weebly.com/)
Bound to Stay Bound (BTSB) AASL National Conference Travel Grant
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is offering 30 grants for travel to its 2019 National Conference & Exhibition. The conference will be held Nov. 14-16, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. Full conference details can be found at national.aasl.org.
The $750 grants for first-time attendees of the conference are sponsored by Bound To Stay Bound Books. Those interested in applying can access the application at www.ala.org/aasl/btsb_grants. The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. Central time on Fri., Feb. 1, 2019. Late applications will not be considered. (Source: ALA Press Release)
SimpleK12 Free Webinars (January)
All Sessions are on Saturday, January 5, 2019
GOOGLE FORMS SESSIONS (link to all events and registration)
Session 1: 10 - 10:30 am ET with Matt Bergman
"Google Forms: An Intro to Adding Questions, Applying Themes, Sharing, and More"
Google Forms is a powerful free online app that you can use to enter quizzes, polls, formative assessments, exit tickets, and more. Google Forms are easy to use, but it can be helpful to know some basic features and tips so that you can readily begin building, formatting, and sharing forms. Join Matt Bergman as he demonstrates step-by-step how to create a basic Google Form. As part of creating a form, he will show how to enter different question types, apply preset themes, share forms, and view collected data. In addition, Matt will show how to branch to different pages based on previous answers. Come discover the basics of using this amazing app!
Session 3: 12 - 12:30 pm ET with Jayme Linton
"Make Google Forms Work for You!"
You're probably familiar with Google Drive and may have used Google applications to create online documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, but have you ever used Google Forms? Google Forms is probably one of the most useful and often underutilized Google tools. In this webinar you will learn how to put Google Forms to work for you! Google Forms can be used for surveys, process checks, formative assessments, contact logs, exit tickets, and much more! Join Jayme Linton as she shows you how to create, use, and share Google Forms. Sample classroom and administrative Forms will be shared. Educators and administrators at all grade levels are encouraged to attend.
Session 4: 1 - 1:30 pm ET with Meredith Martin
"Fabulous Forms: Amazing Ways to Integrate Google Forms in the Classroom"
Google Forms is an incredibly versatile, but often overlooked, free tool for both teachers and students. From basic surveys, to exit tickets, to parent or peer feedback, to auto-differentiating quizzes, forms have almost endless potential for collecting, organizing, and assessing information. In this webinar, join Meredith Martin as she takes a look at a variety of ways to use forms in the classroom to streamline your teaching and assess student learning. You'll leave with a toolkit packed with sample forms you can start using right away.
Spark Imagination and Innovative Thinking with STEAM in your Classroom Sessions (Registration and all sessions)
Session 1: 10 - 10:30 am ET with Monica Burns
"15 Projects to Spark an Interest in STEAM Topics"
Would you like to spark an interest in STEAM learning? In this session you will discover how providing opportunities for designing and creating STEAM projects helps to empower students as learners and consumers – and promote an interest in STEAM learning. Join Dr. Monica Burns as she provides an overview of Adobe Spark's free, easy-to-use creation tools that can be used on a variety of devices. She will introduce the Video movie making tool, the Page website builder tool, and the Post image creator tool and provide suggestions for how they can be used to create STEAM projects. In addition to showing how easy it is to use these tools, Monica will provide 15 project ideas that you can incorporate into your STEAM classroom or studies.
Session 3: 12 - 12:30 pm ET with Jerry Swiatek
"Integrate Coding Across All Subjects: It's Easier than You Think"
With our increasing dependence on technology and the exponential growth of jobs in technology fields, it becomes more and more essential that our students learn to code. Not only can coding teach problem-solving and analytical skills, it can also help students develop their creative and collaborative abilities – all valuable skills that will help them succeed academically and in their later careers. Coding no longer needs to be relegated solely to computer classes. Join Jerry Swiatek as he explores how you can incorporate and teach coding across all subjects. He will provide a variety of easy-to-use resources, as well as examples of how you can use them to engage your student in a variety of subjects. Best of all, you will discover that teaching coding is easier than you might think!
Session 4: 1 - 1:30 pm ET with Naomi Harm
"What's in Your STEAM Toy Box?"
With our increasing reliance on technology and the growing number of careers in technology fields, it is vitally important that we infuse an interest in STEAM-related topics in all students. Join Naomi Harm as she explains the research, benefits, and the why behind the importance of not only including STEAM subjects and concepts in classroom curriculum, but for also allowing students to tinker, play, and create. Naomi will share STEAM tools and toys for all levels, from PreK through grade 12, which can be used for a wide range of age-appropriate activities such as counting, building, earth science, engineering, circuits, robotics, game design, artificial intelligence, and more! Come discover a variety of free and cost-effective STEAM learning toys and tools of choice for your classroom's STEAM toy box.
Just a note...
I am excited to get the opportunity to work with the library media specialists in the southern half of Region 4 on Monday, January 7, 2019 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Thank you to Sumter County for organizing and hosting the Library Media PLC. Click here if you would like more information on the meeting or to register to attend. (Register on STIPD # ALSDELIB124)
I look forward to working with Hoover City Schools and the library media specialists. Great discussions on ensuring the library media center meets the needs of students.
Jacksonville State University & the Alabama School Library Association (ASLA) has organized the No Other Option Library Leadership Summit with Hilda Weisburg. Congratulations to the outstanding library media specialists who applied and were accepted to participate in the Summit. I will see you there!
Region 2 Library Media Specialists - Save the date for regional professional development February 8, 2019 in Cullman. Click here to view the save the date flyer - more information to follow.
Be on the lookout for more regional professional development opportunities! Contact your regional inservice center to request library media specific professional development or have the central office contact for library media set up professional development (face-to-face or virtually) to meet your needs.