A few months ago I wrote about how often I am afflicted with guilt over blog-rot. I now find myself experiencing wiki envy. It’s not REALLY jealousy. My frustration has more to do with how slowly I develop new skills.
I am so impressed with the way the Library Automation Team–Karen Mitchell and Jane Reeves–at New York State’s BOCES 2 put together their wiki to report on their experience at Computers in Libraries East 2006–http://lateam.pbwiki.com/. Their collaborative wiki offers everyone in their region a true feeling of the conference experience–the commentary, the links, the files, everything. What a great way to use a wiki!
The wiki is very rich, but here’s how they summarize their experience:
So what did we take away?
• An understanding of the millennial generation, why they are different, and why we should care.
• A status report on current technologies being used by most libraries, such as search engines, library automation software, and online databases
• Lessons on how new technologies can and are being implemented by libraries, including blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds, RFID tags, and the new “OPACs”
• A glimpse at bleeding edge technologies – what to expect on the horizon
I am just back from our own state conference, PSLA, and feeling a little sad that, as far as I know, no one has set up a conference blog (or a wiki) for those folks who couldn’t make the conference or to report on all those workshops and speeches that one person couldn’t possibly visit on his or her own.
For me, the highlight of PSLA 2006 was hearing Stephen Krashen (http://www.sdkrashen.com) whose message was a simple one, but one all teachers, and administrators, and decision-makers need to hear. The solution to the perceived “literacy crisis” is NOT more frequent testing!
The solution is: allowing learners to read, giving them time to read, and making sure they have access to books.
I was also very impressed with Penn Manor School District’s (http://moodle.pennmanor.net) creative use of Moodle (http://moodle.org). Teachers and teacher-librarians at Penn Manor are using the many components of this free open source package to engage learners in new landscapes. The presenters reported having no trouble at all with the Moodle learning curve.
Young adult author, Jordan Sonnenblick, presented fabulous ideas for nurturing young writers using a packet of effective first pages from well-known books. I can’t wait to share his strategies with our English teachers.
Thanks to the members of our own Not-Ready-for-Newbery Committee. I believe our Thursday night review of the top books of the year was the best ever. There was mystery, excitement, prizes, and much to be excited about in terms of publishing over the past year. The room was packed AND we were able to express a deeper message using our Clue theme!
For the many of us in Pennsylvania whose programs are being “murdered,” and for those of us who may be the next ones to have to worry, the time to act is now! Let us work together before our budgets, our programs, and our positions are cut, to establish our indispensability to learners. I hope you will join me in building the new toolkit on the teacherlibrarian wiki.
